Best Home Warranty

Fidelity National Home Warranty

Fidelity National Home Warranty Review

Fidelity National Home Warranty, FNHW, has been in the property business for more than 25 years. The firm that started its journey as Alliance Home Warranty back in 1995 was later acquired in 1998 by FNHW, which was then a separate entity. In the year 2000, the firm procured the Chicago Title, which comprised Chicago Home Warranty. The two firms merged together in 2001 to function as Fidelity National Home Warranty. Currently, the company has its offices in Arizona, Colorado, California, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Home Warranty Explained

Home warranty is an insurance cover that provides financial protection from specific malfunctions or defects that could show up after a home purchase. House components such as roof, flood/ fire damage, etc. don’t fall under home warranty’s purview as these items are usually covered by specific house owner insurance policies.

The items generally covered are HVAC, appliances, electrical and plumbing systems. The items being covered would vary based on the firm and the chosen plan. Fortunately, there are quite a few options around. Simply put, the basic idea behind home warranty is ensuring home protection.

FNHW Company Offerings

The firm offers house warranty plans in three flavors.

i) Standard Plan

The standard plan offers coverage for

• Single family


• Mobile home


• Condominium/ townhouse


• Triplex


• Duplex


• Fourplex


• Guest houses (both under and above 750 sq. ft.)

ii) Comprehensive Plus Plan

This plan’s coverage and claims are almost identical to the aforementioned standard plan. But the cost and schedule considerations for fresh upgrades and repair work may vary.

iii) Fresh Construction

New construction plans (both standard and comprehensive) are catered towards homes built within 5000 sq. ft. area. If you need plans for much bigger homes, you’ll have to directly talk to the company executives.

Coverage

The company offers standard pool coverage, roof coverage and cover for kitchen appliances and pest control. The standard coverage option entails

• Plumbing system


• Heating system


• Water heater (electric or gas)


• Ductwork


• Telephone wiring


• Doorbell/ electrical system/ smoke detectors


• Central vacuum system


• Ceiling/ attic/ exhaust fans


• Garage door opener

The kitchen appliances item includes

• Dishwasher


• Oven/ range/ cooktop


• Garbage disposal


• Inbuilt food center


• Built-in microwave


• Air conditioner


• Trash compactor and


• Kitchen exhaust fan

Accreditation and Ratings

Fidelity National Home Warranty has a BBB (Better Business Bureau) rating of A. It’s been a BBB-accredited firm ever since 2005. The BBB rating means FNHW is committed to resolving consumer complaints. The rating is also reflective of FNHW’s industry experience, and response to consumer complaints. The recognition however doesn’t imply BBB endorses or has directly evaluated FNHW’s services or products.

Benefits

• The company is ably staffed (both on the contractors and office personnel side) to address multiple customer calls simultaneously. Almost all customers have reported instant responses to their issues or questions.


• The company provides additional warranty services that include but aren’t limited to electrical, plumbing, household appliances and central heating systems.


• Professional and experienced technicians.


• The plans cover almost all household systems and appliances.


• Serves a majority of regions in the United States. The firm, in fact, has a dedicated representative in almost every area.

Drawbacks

To be honest, there aren’t many negatives to the service, but the firm (like most other home warranty firms) has its share of consumer complaints and bad experiences documented on the web on sites such as Yelp. Not to mention, the company’s highly acclaimed customer team may also present its share of soreness time and again. The negative experiences, though sporadic, cannot be completely ignored.

Conclusion and Should you Buy from FNHW?

To summarize, FNHW offers proper coverage for a variety of home appliances and systems – covering almost all the essentials. In fact, even the basic standard plan covers the requirements of most homeowners. However, the basic plan doesn’t cover important items like clothes dryers/ washers and refrigerators.

Most homes don’t share same specification systems and appliances. Therefore, when talking to FNHW representatives, ensure your requirements are addressed. The more pre-agreement interaction there is, the better are your chances of walking out satisfied from the arrangement. Get to know more about the firm and its discount policies, terms and conditions, contact details (phone number) through company brochure, newsletters, sample contract template, member login details or requirements, etc. These informative texts also will have instructions on how to cancel the contract.

To be honest, almost all home warranty companies offer pretty similar features and services. There’s invariably nothing major differentiating the companies. What appeals to one customer may not necessarily impress another. However, it’s the service team that makes the difference for most users. If the customer service team doesn’t make the cut, then it doesn’t matter how good or worthy the primary offerings are, they certainly won’t be worth it. Fortunately, Fidelity National Home Warranty gets top marks at the customer service front, thereby earning a positive nod from our side.