Residential Warranty Services, INC Jenny Thacker Failure to live up to warranty Carmel, Indiana
I had a home inspection by ACE Home Inspection, LLC on 27 April 2011 for the purpose of preparing for the VA inspector because I was buying my home under VA and I wanted to make sure there was no serious issues with the home. As part of the inspection, I had to pay and extra $50.00 for Howard Tennyson to inspect my crawl space under my home. He actually found that the duct work for my HVAC system needed redone and he also checked the plumbing while he was under the house and found no issues. It was on 5 July after we had closed and we were moving in, the Windstream technician was running some cable under my home that he noticed a leak. As part of my home inspection, we had a 90 day warranty that covered any Mechanical and Structural issues that were covered that were deemed in good working condition during the inspection. I checked the coverage and called a plumber to get an estimate on the repairs and to also see what the issue was and I was informed that the main water supply under the home was leaking and left unattended would create a serious issue with damaging my insulation and accumulation of black mold, since I live in Georgia and it is always hot and humid. I proceeded to file a written claim to Residential Warranty Services on 25 July, 2 days before my 90 days was to expire, with the estimate and the explanation of the issue. I was contacted by Jenny Thacker, a claims representative from the company who asked me some questions related to the leak and the location. I informed her of the issue and even told her the location was directly under my bedroom in the crawl space and she informed me that I would receive notification within 7 to 10 business days. I received a notification dated the 29th of July denying my claim on the grounds that the main water supply was not visible and not covered. I sent email notification explaining that I was disputing the decision and that I would contact the BBB if the company didn't cover the claim. The main water supply is under my home, and if it wasn't visible, how was the plumber able to see it? It clearly states in the warranty documentation that all plumbing was covered and the main water supply is part of the plumbing. I feel this company doesn't understand the severity of the litigation that could come out of this if the damage gets worst or someone gets ill due to black mold. Fix the problem NOW before the issue gets worst.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Danny
Perry,Georgia,
USA
setting the record straight
#5Author of original report
Fri, August 05, 2011
Well, after again looking at my inspection paperwork and
this time going over everything line item by line item, it has been determined
that I have embarrassed not only myself, but RWS as well and I want to
apologize publically. I don't understand how the plumber was able to see
the main water supply, but Howard didn't and it was right there as you enter
the crawl space. Now I have to call Howard to find out this answer. In the mean
time I would appreciate the help on this issue and except my full acknowledgement
of this misunderstanding. I hate looking like an idiot and this site won't
allow me to delete anything as I have tried.
Danny
Perry,Georgia,
USA
Warranty
#5Author of original report
Fri, August 05, 2011
I actually read what you wrote for a rebuttal and I went back to my notes and the actual warranty wording and this is what your warranty says;
Mechanical Coverage Summary: Plumbing: Water lines, faucets, water heaters, drain lines, gas lines.
Now what part of the documentation are you talking about? The Inspector did crawl under my crawl space, which is under my house, and inspected the water lines and found they were in good working order. The only plumbing issue I had at the time of inspection was some faucets, which was taken care of prior to us moving in. I will be more than happy to get another estimate from another plumber to prove this claim, but rest assure that if the damage gets worst, you RWS will be held responsible and I will be taking pictures. I have a copy of my inspection and I will be personally talking to Howard and if you still want to hold up the claim, I will take further action through legal recourse so you can tell readers of this all the stories you want, but I have the proof in black and white. You didn't crawl under my home and it is easy for you to advertise services and when an issue does happen, you deny claims. I am still trying to get the HVAC infor for the other claim.
Danny
Perry,Georgia,
USA
Communication
#5Author of original report
Thu, August 04, 2011
If you were in the process of looking into this or attempting to settle this, why didn't you just send me an email stating this. By not responding gave me the impression that I was being ignored. I didn't expect a leak of this magnitude and was quite surprised at what the plumber found and I don't like to submit bogus claims just to use a warranty. Trust me when I say I take my integrity very seriously and I am only attempting to get this fixed before more serious damage results from lack of progress or ignoring the problem. I am getting ready to deploy again and I don't want this issue to manifest into a more serious problem for my wife and kids. If you are looking into this, then I will let the process work out, but I was only responding to the letter I had received.
Nathan
Carmel,Indiana,
United States of America
A little quick, isn't it?
#5UPDATE Employee
Wed, August 03, 2011
We're a little confused here at RWS as you posted this whole story only moments after sending an email for us to respond to in continuance of your claim being reviewed.
Anyway, we aren't done reviewing this claim and will likely pay something, certainly not everything, towards this clearly non-covered issue and we will be happy to go over that policy stipulation with you once again.
However, before any settlement is offered we do require that all frivolous reports you've made here or elsewhere be removed. We won't even discuss it until then.
Anyone reading this please note the following;
1. This issue is clearly not covered and we would be happy to review this issue with anyone that would like to see this individual's file. We will black out any confidential information.
2. Even though it is not covered, we are going to offer this person money just for being rational enough to remove this inaccurate report.
Also, to the homeowner, no one here ever told you not to repair the issue. You as a homeowner have an obligation to prevent damage if there is a threat of it, and if you don't believe me call your insurance agent as he/she will tell you the exact same thing. If you are really allowing water to enter your home and it threatens to cause damage, then it becomes a little clearer why you might be complaining about this issue so much. Whether it is a money issue for you or not, we don't care, just follow the instructions above and you can get a check right away. Simple as that.