TotalProtect Home Warranty Review
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TotalProtect Home Warranty is on of the best home warranty companies for homeowners with complex or simple residential needs. In addition to offering three straightforward plan options, the company takes care of the repair work itself and offers 24-hour customer service even on holidays. Here’s a bit more detail about why TotalProtect Home Warranty might be right for you, as well as a highly-rated alternative home warranty service, in case TotalProtect isn’t the best fit for you.
Best Home Warranty Companies
| Rank | Home Warranty Company | Best For | Cost | STL Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select Home Warranty | Overall Service | $299 to $499/year | ★★★★★ |
| 2 | Choice Home Warranty | Trusted Contractors | $378 to $450/year | ★★★★ |
| 3 | American Home Shield | Most Popular | $29.99 to $39.99/month | ★★★★ |
| 4 | HomeServe USA | Options | $4/month (minimum) | ★★★ |
Best Home Warranty Companies
| Rank | Home Warranty Company | STL Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Select Home Warranty | ★★★★★ |
| 2 | Choice Home Warranty | ★★★★ |
| 3 | American Home Shield | ★★★★ |
| 4 | HomeServe USA | ★★★ |
TotalProtect Home Warranty Review
- Best For: Homeowners who don’t want to hire a technician or repair company for every home repair. Homeowners with multiple appliances or aging homes, or who anticipate needing regular maintenance.
- Price: Depends on the plan and location of your home. TotalProtect promotes the “Combo” plan, as it covers both appliances and home systems. Monthly premiums are lower if you choose a higher deductible on repairs.
- Features: Options include three specific plans that cover appliances, systems, or a combination of both. Policyholders call the company when repairs are required and a technician is sent out to assist them.
- Other highlights: Features a team of 40,000 technicians who are pre-screened. Work is backed by a 180-day guarantee. This warranty company, also known by names such as Cross Country Home Services, has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2007 and has a “B” BBB rating. Customer reviews are largely positive; the company promotes its 4.6/5 star rating on the website ConsumerAffairs.com.
- Customer service: TotalProtect Home Warranty’s customer care team is available to take phone calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, including holidays.
Select Home Warranty Review
- Price: Select Home Warranty offers its customers a choice of three types of home warranty plans, ranging from $299 to $499: Bronze Care, Gold Care and Platinum Care, not including the $60 service flat fee.
- Plans: The Bronze Care plan offers coverage of basic appliances, like washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher and range. The Gold Care plan protects household systems, like HVAC, water heater, plumbing and electrical. The Platinum Care plan covers everything from both home warranty plans, as well as a few extras like ceiling fans and plumbing stoppage.
- Features: While each plan offers an overall range of what is covered, Select allows you to customize each plan to fit your exact needs. Select also doesn’t restrict service on appliance based on age and is one of the only home warranty services to consistently offer deals for its customers. Select also pre-screens all of the contractors that it works with so you know you are getting quality work.
- Customer service: Select has the best customer service among home warranty companies. It won the 2017 “Best in Service” Award from Home Warranty Awards and customer service agents are available 24/7, every day of the year. Select also allows you to file claims easily either by phone, email or online form, and service is quick to respond.
Choice Home Warranty Review
- Price: The best home warranty service offers exceptional coverage at an affordable price, and that’s exactly what you get with Choice Home Warranty. You can pay for an entire year in one lump sum or make monthly payments for your coverage.
- Plans: With both basic and full-coverage plan options, you can build a home warranty insurance plan that fits your needs.
- Features: When you have a full-coverage plan, Choice Home Warranty covers everything from major systems and appliances to your garage door opener.
- Customer service: Even the best home warranty service companies have negative reviews about customer service, but this is an area where Choice Home Warranty really shines. This company is available 24/7/365 for customer service calls and responds to quote requests almost as soon as you’ve filled out the form.
American Home Shield Review
- Price: Your price will depend on where you live and other factors, but prices start at $29.99 for coverage. When doing home warranty comparisons with American Home Shield, be prepared to enter your contact information in order to see pricing.
- Plans: Like many other home warranty companies, American Home Shield offers coverage for appliances, systems or a combination. What makes it unique is the ability to build your own custom coverage solution.
- Features: With 24-hour service guarantees and 24/7 repair reporting, you can get emergency repair services on your schedule.
- Customer service: In addition to an always-on repair hotline and general customer service line, you can also use online chat if you have any questions.
TotalProtect Home Warranty Plan, also known as TotalProtect, is an insurance policy that helps you manage the everyday wear and tear of appliances and systems in your home. Under the TotalProtect plan, you pay one monthly premium in exchange for coverage for repairs. Unlike other insurance plans, you do not have to claim reimbursement after arranging for repairs. With TotalProtect, you simply call the customer service number and they arrange for a pre-screened technician to come to your home to do the job.
Home insurance provides peace of mind when something breaks in your home. Over the years, it is inevitable that your washer, dryer, kitchen appliances, and heating and cooling systems will break down. Instead of worrying about what will happen when that eventually occurs, with a home insurance plan you can feel secure knowing that someone will fix an issue right away. This not only protects you and your family while you are living in the house; it also protects the financial investment you have made in your home.
Typically, the costs associated with a TotalProtect Home Warranty Plan are easy to predict as there is a set fee or deductible for each service call. Unlike home repairs that are arranged on an ad hoc basis by the homeowner, you do not have to negotiate fees for a specific job. TotalProtect Home Warranty covers appliances and systems of any age, but does not include commercial-grade appliances. Structural components of the home, such as a roof, are also excluded from coverage in the TotalProtect Home Warranty policy.
All TotalProtect Home Warranty plans cover unknown pre-existing conditions as well as rust and corrosion. There is also no annual cap on the number of claims you make against your policy, and no inspections are required before your policy is approved. To learn more, see how TotalProtect stacks up against competitors by looking at our Choice Home Warranty reviews and HomeServe reviews.
TotalProtect offers three warranty plans. Each one is tailored to the specific needs of an individual homeowner, who may prefer to protect appliances, systems, or both through their chosen plan.
In order to choose which option is right for you, assess your home and its appliances. Ask yourself if you anticipate needing repair or maintenance on these items, taking into account the number of people in your home and the wear and tear these items receive. Once you have an idea of what you might need, have a look at TotalProtect’s three plans and make your selection.
Appliance Plan
The appliance plan covers many specific items, organized by area of the home. Specifically, the appliance plan offers repair coverage for:
- Kitchen: refrigeration, cooktop, wall oven, range exhaust hood, built-in microwave, built-in trash compactor, built-in dishwasher
- Laundry: clothes washer and dryer
- Optional coverage for pools and spas
This plan appeals to any person who wants coverage only for those items they use day in and day out, such as kitchen appliances and washer/dryers. The appliance plan does not cover any of the home systems that fall under the other plans offered by TotalProtect.
Systems Plan
The systems plan covers more of what it takes to keep your home safe and running smoothly. The plan covers repair of such items as:
- Kitchen: garbage disposal
- Heating and Cooling: air conditioning and heating systems
- Plumbing: water heater, toilets, plumbing lines, plumbing stoppages, sump pump, whirlpool bath
- Electrical and Gas: attic/whole house exhaust fan, central vacuum, doorbells, garage door openers, smoke detectors, main breaker/fuse panel box, interior electrical lines, interior gas lines
This option appeals to any homeowner who wants the central features of their home to always be protected by a home warranty. The cost of replacing a water heater, AC unit, or furnace, for example, could be quite costly without coverage. With TotalProtect Home Warranty, the policyholder can rest assured that at least the majority of these repairs are covered and they will not be without hot water or air conditioning for long.
Combo Plan
TotalProtect Home Warranty’s combo plan offers the best value of the three. It covers everything that falls under the systems plan and the appliance plan. For homeowners who want to have no surprises about the future of their homes, they may want to opt for the combo plan. It will cost a little more out of pocket than either of the two other plans, but it puts a plan in place for almost any eventuality.
In order to purchase a TotalProtect Home Warranty, you must contact the company’s customer service team. After reviewing the details of the plans and the options for purchase, you have the option to select a monthly premium and deductible rate that works for you. In essence, if you choose a lower deductible, your monthly premiums will be higher; if you choose a lower monthly premium, you’ll have a higher deductible.
Once you purchase a plan, you have thirty days before it becomes effective. You have that amount of time to read the fine print and decide whether or not you want to keep the policy. You can cancel or change your plan at any time by calling TotalProtect. The company offers various promotions at different times of the year, so you may want to check their website periodically to see if there is a new deal on your preferred plan.
TotalProtect Home Warranty will collect personal information when you apply for a policy and when you file a claim. The company’s privacy policy is outlined on its website and offers options for allowing the company to share your information or requesting that they delete it.
The TotalProtect Home Warranty is an insurance policy that gives you peace of mind that you will be able to manage unexpected repairs on your home. Whether you plan to live in your home for the next few decades, want to pass it on to your children, or plan to sell it in the coming months or years, having that security is reason alone to buy a TotalProtect Home Warranty policy.
In order to make the right financial decision, consumers should read warranty reviews from other companies and compare those to TotalProtect. They should also weigh how much it would cost if they were to schedule an appliance repair or systems repair without having an insurance policy in place. For example, a consumer could call around for quotes from local heating and cooling repair shops to see how much a call would typically cost. She could also ask at an appliance repair store how much it would cost to make a routine call to fix a broken dishwasher or other item that is essential to her home’s value. To compare, you can check out how TotalProtect stacks up against services like Select Home Warranty.
Knowing what the cost is for uninsured people can help consumers make an assessment of whether an insurance policy is right for them. Calculate based on these factors, using your knowledge of your home, your neighborhood, and your own past experience:
- How often have I had to repair appliances or systems in the past?
- How often do I anticipate having to repair these in the future?
- How much will I spend on monthly premiums?
- How much will the deductible be on my TotalProtect Home Warranty?
- Comparing these two amounts, which will cost me more in out-of-pocket expenses: TotalProtect Home Warranty or paying for repairs directly?
You may also wish to consider other factors. For example, if you do not have much experience with home repairs, you may find it difficult to choose an individual or company who is qualified to do the job. Even though the price for a single repair may be low, it may not offer the same peace of mind as having an insurance policy. TotalProtect Home Warranty has 40,000 pre-screened technicians in their network to complete repair jobs. Therefore, you are saved the hassle of having to choose someone who is qualified to work on your specific home repair issue.
On the other hand, since TotalProtect forbids you from using the technician of your own choosing, it may be difficult to get a second opinion about the work done if you are unsatisfied.
To appease the concerns of policyholders, TotalProtect Home Warranty offers a 180-day guarantee on all jobs. When you are assessing the alternatives offered by your local repair companies, ask what kind of warranty or guarantee they offer. It may be something less favorable to the consumer. TotalProtect’s own website states that its 6-month guarantee is superior to that offered by other warranty companies, although the company does not offer any evidence to back up that claim.
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