ComplaintsforHomegard, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Contacted Homegard on August 10th 2022 about our home's air conditioning unit. The air conditioning had been getting worse in my home all summer and the outside unit had started to freeze up. These were not issues last summer. I paid the $50 service fee for them to send a vendor to repair/inspect. The vendor did nothing but inspect. He used a sniffer and found NO LEAKS on the outside unit, A coil, or the line running between the two. He tested the Freon level and said it was way to low. There is some fin deterioration on the outside unit and his assessment was there was probably a leak but could not verify a leak. NO DYE TEST WAS PERFORMED. He asked where the deterioration came from. I said it has been like that when the home was purchased less than a year ago but DID NOT affect the air conditioning in the residence. The story was an animal had urinated on the coil. Could not verify. I was contacted again by the Vendor on August 15th 2022 regarding replacing the AC UNIT. I said this was a warranty claim so i was not interested in getting a quote to replace. He called HOMEGARD and then called me back the same day and told me HOMEGARD instructed him to go to my residence to measure for a new unit and give them a quote for replacement. Reminder my home warranty expiration date was almost 3 weeks away when i opened this claim and paid the service fee. i did not hear anything from either the vendor or HOMEGARD from aug 15 till the day after my warranty expired. Sept 1st. Was told it was in approvals and would be contacted right back. Took another 4 days to be told there was nothing HOMEGARD could do because a dog peed on the outdoor unit and thats what caused the issue. ********!! The vendor tested extensively the affected areas and could not identify leak. Also its quite shady that I heard nothing for almost 3 weeks so HOMEGARD could run the clock out on my warranty. Was just told nothing could be done since the warranty had expired. AC worked last summer

  Business response

  09/13/2022

  From our terms and conditions, section Labeled Important: This contract covers only the items mentioned as covered and excludes all others. Any failure due to normal wear and tear which occurs prior to the start of the coverage period will not be covered, regardless of whether the problem was disclosed to or detected by the seller or buyer (policyholder). The utilities must be turned on and running to all covered appliances at least 30 days prior to the start of coverage. For appliances and fixtures to be covered by this Agreement, they must be assembled and installed according to manufacturers’ specifications, connected to all activated utilities, and in proper, safe working order (functioning as intended and expected for its age, and within the safety standards as established by the system manufacturer) at the start of coverage.  
  
  
  No service records have been provided.
  
  
  If the damage was from the previous owner, this would be a non-covered repair as it did not happen during the policy period. 
  
  
  ******
  Service Call Diagnostic Fee. Includes all time and costs associated with diagnosing and/or confirming cause of system malfunction and determining the appropriate remedy. ­Our technician found the unit is low on R22 refrigerant (which you can no longer get due to EPA regulations) and the outdoor coil is in need of replacement. Because of these 2 issues, we recommend unit replacement. Please contact our office if you would like to replace the AC unit. We will get you in contact with our Sales Team.
  ******
  I was told that the unit is damaged from dog urine,  this is not a normal wear and tear failure 
  
  From our terms and condition,  limits of liability section: Company’s liability is limited to failure of systems due to normal wear and tear. Only a failure of systems occurring after the start of the coverage period, due to normal wear and tear, will be covered, except as provided below, regardless of when the failure occurred or whether it was disclosed to or discovered by the policyholder. Failure due to normal wear and tear occurs when a system or appliance that was installed, maintained, and used as the manufacturer intended stops functioning because it wears out or malfunctions on its own without outside involvement or influence, which can include but is not limited to, improper repair or installation, lack of cleaning or maintenance, theft, accident, third-party damage, weather, or pests  

   

  Thank you,

  HomeGard

  
  

  Customer response

  09/14/2022

  I am rejecting this response because: I had a working AC unit during the time of coverage. Now I do not have a working AC unit while still in coverage. Was given lack luster service in trying to find a solution to the issue which has not been identified to date. Waiting till the time runs out on a policies clock seems to be common practice. I would probly be still waiting a reply had I not reached out to Homegard. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *********

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 28, 2021 my wife and I purchased a vacation/short term rental property in ******** ********* The previous owners also used the property as a rental. The listing brokerage was H.E.R Realtors of Augusta KY. The selling brokerage ***** ***** ******** ** ******** ********. This purchase included a Homegard warranty purchased by the sellers. I understand home warranties do not cover everything but this one has covered nothing. The Sellers paid $629 for a warranty and the buyers (we) have paid $300 to open claims which have ALL been handled poorly at best. Homegard has failed to resolve in a manner that I believe is appropriate. We have have been reimbursement $0 to date for over $10,000 in expenditures for a failed dishwasher, leaking plumbing, inoperable HVAC, and a leaking water heater. I tried to provide additional details for full resolution but ran out of characters. I have emails, call logs, photo's, invoices etc.. My intention is to warn others of potential issues with Homegard and to receive fair reimbursement for ALL reasonable claims. Claim Fees paid by me to HomeGard...$300 (2 for dishwasher @ $50 each, 1 for plumbing leak @ $50, 1 for HVAC @ $50, 1 for water heater @ $100) Contractor costs paid by me to date... $10,906.73 -Plumbing Leak - $925 paid by me to ***** ****** -HVAC Replacement - $7,125 paid by me to ********* **** -Water Heater & Subfloor Repair - $2075 paid by me to ********* **** (Home warranty may or may not cover subfloor repair) -Dishwasher, delivery, installation, and haul away - $781.73

  Business response

  08/26/2022

  The contract for the property *** ********* ****** ******* ** ***** was effective June 28, 2021 through June 28, 2022.
  
  Our Contract states: This contract covers only the items mentioned as covered and excludes all others. Any failure due to normal wear and tear which occurs prior to the start of the coverage period will not be covered, regardless of whether the problem was disclosed to or detected by the seller or buyer (policyholder). The section labeled Important: The Company will not reimburse you for  services performed without approval and reserves the right to choose contractors. Coverage is strictly limited by this warranty contract and does not include any additional representations made by the real estate agents, service providers, or any other professionals involved in the transaction.
  
  No approvals were asked for nor granted outside of the dishwasher as far as I am aware. 
  
  The Dishwasher had a failure prior to the close of the home and was still leaking after the close of the property.  We did attempt to have the same servicer go back out on the dishwasher.   No mechanical failure was reported, therefore not for us to repair. However because of the ongoing issues, it was agreed upon that we would replace the unit.   The amount that we agreed to reimburse for the dishwasher is a total of $381.65 for the dishwasher.  There is nothing else due for this claim. 
  
  From the limits of liability section:  The Company will replace with equipment of similar features, efficiency, and capacity but is not responsible for matching brand, dimensions, or color, installation or delivery.
  
  Our Contract Covers only normal wear and tear failures-  LIMITS OF LIABILITY Normal Wear and Tear Limitations: The Company’s liability is limited to failure of systems due to normal wear and tear. Only a failure of systems occurring after the start of the coverage period, due to normal wear and tear, will be covered, except as provided below, regardless of when the failure occurred or whether it was disclosed to or discovered by the policyholder. Failure due to normal wear and tear occurs when a system or appliance that was installed, maintained, and used as the manufacturer intended stops functioning because it wears out or malfunctions on its own without outside involvement or influence, which can include, but is not limited to, improper repair or installation, lack of cleaning or maintenance, theft, accident, third-party damage, weather, or pests.  
  
  The Plumbing leaks were not normal wear and tear as documented by Mr. ***** in an e-mail to the real estate agents on both the sellers and buyers sides *** ***** & ***** * *****, on June 9, 2022
  Excerpt from that e-mail: Plumbing Leak -  Water was leaking from the shower/tub and the sink drains through the living room ceiling and onto the living room floor. Apparently, the previous owner hired a "plumber" who used plastic bags and silicon to "attach" drain pipes for the sink and shower/tub in the upstairs bathroom.  All of this was between the bathroom floor and the downstairs living room ceiling which required parts of the living room ceiling to be cut out to identify and fix the problem. The previous owner's repair worked just long enough to get the property sold and was sufficient until the bathroom was used with more frequency. Homegard says they will not cover this because repairs to plumbing prior to my purchase were not completed properly. ***** ****** made repairs and I paid him $925 directly. I also paid Homegard a $50 fee to open this claim.   - This would be a non covered repair.
  
  As for any secondary damage, there is no coverage for this under the HomeGard contract. 
  From the Terms and Conditions, Limits of liability section -  The Company is not liable for incidental, consequential or secondary damage. Cosmetic defects are not covered. Condensation produced by any system or appliance is excluded
  
  HVAC Replacement and water heater claim, Again, nothing was approved.  No diagnostic information was provided to ensure this was a normal wear and tear failure and therefore not eligible for any approval. 
  
  The Furnace at this property is dated 1973 and the Air Conditioning is from 1991 
  
  At no time did we receive a diagnosis on the water heater so no approval for replacement or repair was granted.
  
  From the Terms and Conditions, Limits of liability section -  If no component or part is available of the appliance that is affected, the Company will not replace the appliance. Instead, the Company reserves the right to determine the value of the malfunctioning part and contribute the cash value toward the replacement up to 20 years past the manufacturer date.
  
  When a home inspection was requested Mr. ***** stated that he inspected the home himself.
  
  Per the important section of the Contract: For appliances and fixtures to be covered by this Agreement, they must be assembled and installed according to manufacturers’ specifications, connected to all activated utilities, and in proper, safe working order (functioning as intended and expected for its age, and within the safety standards as established by the system manufacturer) at the start of coverage. HomeGard (Company) may rely upon documentation in the form of, but not limited to, home inspection reports and service records, to confirm the condition of the item at the start of coverage.

  Customer response

  08/28/2022

  I am rejecting this response because: 
  
  

  We have read the response from Homegard and are not satisfied.

  Based on several inaccuracies in the response our overall experience with Homegard, other similar reviews, and our conversation with Better Business Bureau, we are engaging the Ohio Attorney General Consumer Protection Practice.

  
  Regards,
  *** *****
  ###-###-####

• Initial Complaint

  02/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Had a home insurance warranty with this company. We’re dealing with health risk and heat exchanger cracked in our HVAC and this company is prolonging the issue. It’s cold outside we can’t run the heat because it’s a health risk to turn on furnance due to combustion levels increasing. We had a diagnostic from a different reputable company snd sent over to homegard. homegard had a company come out that didn’t have all the equipment needed to do full diagnostic and was unsure. Now they’re sending another person out, when I’m telling them already and have already sent 2 other companies already have diagnosed this issue. The first person they sent out, although didn’t have all equipment to do full diagnostic on heat exchanger, that it would be wise to replace and they mentioned that to homegard This has to boil down to a money issue because why would you not want to fix this issue promptly and we’re talking carbon monoxide. We’re not even talking about replacing the whole furnance we are talking about replacing a part. I want refund compensation and to not deal with homegard it’s now over a week I’m having issues and they’re just sending random technicians out. Having home warranty with this company is no reassurance at all!!! And now I have to take matters in my own hands!

  Business response

  03/04/2022

  At no point have we delayed services.  The homeowner had her own servicer do an exploratory tune up as asked for by her home inspector before ******* purchased the home. Our Terms and Conditions clearly state: The Company will not reimburse you for services performed without approval and reserves the right to choose contractors. The Homeowner contacted us on February 16, 2022 after receiving her estimate from her own contractor.  We dispatched the claim to our servicer. 
  Neither company found unsafe levels of carbon monoxide and the furnace was not shut down.  Combustion tests were performed by both companies and neither found unsafe levels in the home (0ppm). 
  Our servicer was unable to verify there was a crack in the heat exchange due to the technicians’ scope being too large for the high limit hole present.  HomeGard requested all paperwork from the homeowner from the other servicer which was not all provided. Since the full heat exchanger was not able to be examined on the first visit, there was an attempt by Homegard and contractor to make an immediate return visit.
  The homeowner did not return their calls to schedule.
  
  From our Terms and Condtions: For appliances and fixtures to be covered by this Agreement, they must be assembled and installed according to manufacturers’ specifications, connected to all activated utilities, and in proper, safe working order (functioning as intended and expected for its age, and within the safety standards as established by the system manufacturer) at the start of coverage.
  A component that is found to be leaking during the Seller Coverage or within 30 days after closing will not be replaced without proof of service dated within the last 12 months.
  Per the home inspection on the home, the furnace notes provided by the home inspector: "The heating system requires servicing due to age.   No recent service records and rust was observed in the cabinet.”
              It was noted by HomeGards’ contractor that a collection plate was cracked upon arrival, which resulted in the rust in the cabinet of the furnace.  *******’s contractor did not have this item in their diagnosis.
  
  "Repair: Varying Supply Temperatures were observed throughout the home.  This may be an indication that the ductwork may be balanced, insulation on duct could be missing, or duct sizing could be improper. Recommended further evaluation by a licensed HVAC technician."
  
  The Terms and Conditions state: Repairs or replacements required as a result of missing parts, undersized equipment, lack of capacity, or misuse are not covered by this contract
  
  Information regarding these statements has also been requested but we have not received any information. 
  
  Our full terms and conditions are on our website at www.homegard.net or you can view them using the following link: here
  
  If this contract is canceled the Property Owner shall be entitled to a pro rata refund of the paid contract fee for the unexpired term, less all service costs incurred by the Company.
  The Contract has been canceled and a prorated refund, less services performed has been processed per her request.   
  

   

  Thank you,

  Jennifer C

  ********** **********

  Homegard

  ###-###-####

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩