Michael In Richardson, TX
Richardson,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, February 26, 2008
My wife and I purchase our previously-owned home in Richardson, TX, (built in 1963) a little more than five years ago. At that time we also purchase a policy with First American. When our forty-year old Caloric wall oven/broiler stopped working, we called for service. On the first call, the tech determined that the thermostat and related electronic parts had failed. Within one week, First American had determined that the unit was too old to bother repairing and had sent us our "cash out", with which we were able to purchase a brand new GE Profile range to replace not only the wall oven but the counter top stove in our kitchen as well. Since that initial experience, First American has replaced our water heater. They have repaired the HVAC compressor and then -- when they determined after a second service call by a different contractor that the first contractor had messed up -- gave us an entirely new unit. (And we weren't required to pay the service call fee for that "corrective" visit. Instead, First American told us they'd contact contractor #1 to tell him about his error, copied us in writing and agreed not to send that contractor to our home on any future calls. When our fifteen-year-old washer died, we had a similar situation, in that the first service company determined that, although there was water all over the floor "it must be your plumbing". When we contact First American to express our dissatisfaction and describe in detail why the first tech was mistaken, First American did not hesitate to send out a different contractor who, within five minutes, found the source of the leak inside the washer. When, again due to the unit's age, First American decided it wasn't worth trying to fix, they did not hesitate to provide our "cash out" check, based on the cost of a replacement machine with similar features. Through smart shopping, we identified a model with fewer features that still met our needs and pocketed the difference. To be fair, the incident with the washer could have gone smoother, as the Customer Service Rep handling our claim actually failed to file the request for a cash-out in a timely manner. But, even though it took an extra two weeks, we got our money, got our new machine and have since renewed our policy, with confirmation from First American that our new washer is now covered as well. So, although we have found that, on occasion, the contractors sent to our home leave something to be desired, First American itself has never failed to be totally professional, responding quickly to our service requests, returning phone calls as promised and following up with us to ensure our satisfaction. It's sad to see that others haven't had our positive experience, but we would not hesitate to recommend this company to anyone considering buying a home warranty.