Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Home Warranty of the Midwest, Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Home Warranty of the Midwest, Inc

  303 S 2nd Ave Rock Rapids, IA 51246-1534

  
• 

  Home Warranty of the Midwest, Inc

  PO Box 1 Rock Rapids, IA 51246-0001

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Unfulfilling claims in full based on the signed policy following acquisition of my home. Activating my Home Warranty with this company was unprofessional and the experience dejecting.1) Claim #1: I was in February 2022. The dryer began to have heating issues and when the tech came it was identified there was more than just the heat as a problem, I was told they'd give a couple hundred bucks towards a new dryer. I could not go out and get one as I had JUST lost my job at the time and could not go and buy one myself. Borrowing a spare for now 2) Claim #2: AC went out. Tech came out. He confirmed the problem and processed it with Home Warranty **** They circled back and said we can give ya a few hundred bucks (basically for parts I assume.)Copy/Paste of my warranty policy in action:** ONE:"Buyer coverage (standard): Coverage is limited to $2,500 [...] 1. Heating and Cooling Units "COVEREDUp to 2 heating and [...] including blower fan motors."This is why my furnace claim exists.** TWO:"1. Agreement provides for repair (including parts and labor) or replacement on all items for which coverage has been purchased (subject to terms and limitations of this Agreement) [...]We may provide cash in lieu of repair services. This amount is based on what We would expect to pay (which may be less than retail cost) for parts and labor for covered items less the incurred cost of the contractors diagnosis. Items for which parts or technical information are not available due to government mandated restrictions, parts availability, non-readable or missing make, model or serial numbers will be assessed a repair estimate based on a comparable repair."**Cash lieu's disqualified as no lieu qualifications are met: Thus I'm due for full repair coverage. Tech has my part in possession, and details on unit are 100% accessible and physically intact.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2022

  **********************,
  
  Thank you for contacting Home Warranty of the Midwest ****with your concerns regarding your recent claims with us.  We strive to help our customers with offsetting the costs of major repairs to the mechanical systems of their home.
  Your claim on the dryer in your home was determined by the technician to have three parts failed, not related to each other, and concluded that the total repair would be $490.00.  Our claims department informed you that Home Warranty of the Midwest **** would cover our portion at $257.00.  This amount is based on what we would expect to pay less the incurred cost of $75.00 for each failed part.  The terms and conditions of the agreement under COVERAGE #1, reads in part:
  
  Agreement provides for repair (including parts and labor)or replacement on all items for which coverage has been purchased (subject to terms and limitations of this agreement), less a $75 service fee per incident or actual cost of service, whichever is less, payable to the company providing service. Per incident is defined as a single failure occurring within a single unit or location, requiring a single repair
  
  Home Warranty of the Midwest **** may also allow our customers to replace an item with the approved reimbursement.  We require the submission of proof of repair, or replacement prior to issuing reimbursement.  The claim on your dryer is still open and we await these documents to issue the reimbursement.  We also noticed a discrepancy in our calculation and have changed the reimbursement amount to $265.00.  We apologize for this error.
  
  The second claim for your a/c unit was diagnosed by your technician as a failed blower motor.  Our service department researched the cost of the part number given to us by your technician at $350.00. The service department included Labor of 2.5 hrs at $100/hr., and the service fee of $100.  The total was $700.00, less your deductible of $75.00 for a reimbursement to you of $625.00. 
  
  Home Warranty of the Midwest **** is honoring our agreement by providing the cost of the repair for the blower motor and labor costs. The terms and conditions of the agreement as quoted above.  Home Warranty of the Midwest **** has not been informed of any other issues with your a/c unit.
  
  We apologize for any misunderstanding. However, Home Warranty of the Midwest **** has fulfilled our obligations under the terms and conditions of the agreement and will not be issuing any additional monies. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2022

   
  Complaint: 18028218
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I guess well be taking this up with the Attorney General if we cannot resolve this here. Never been part of an ongoing BBB complaint before Im accepting the $625 to have my a/c repaired as you stated as my home needs the maintenanced part, but will be seeking additional monies to REIMBURSE the additional costs incurred by LABOR AND PART as stated under COVERAGE #1 as clearly stated yourself spent from out of pocket. This needs done before repairs are disqualified from lack of action and colder nights hit in my area. He will be in tomorrow 09/20/22 to do the repair.

  COVERAGE
  ***1. Agreement provides for repair (including parts and labor) or replacement on all items for which coverage has been purchased*** (subject to terms and limitations of this Agreement), less a $100 service fee per incident or actual cost of service, whichever is less, payable to the company providing service. Per incident is defined as a single failure occurring within a single unit or location, requiring a single repair. If the repair is not covered by Us, the customer is responsible for the full cost of the service call.

  You have yet continued to fail to explain WHY under Coverage 1, as you said yourself, why PART AND LABOR is not 100% covered by Home Warranty **** There is no transparency on how youre assuming my responsibility to pay on this partially when *** clearly cited further down in the policy that my pre-requisites have not been met for the the furnace alone. The ONLY thing that pops out 100% uncertainty on terms of cash lieu is government mandate. This has yet to have been touched and the failure of the single blower part of this furnace seems to remain qualifiable to the terms in Coverage #1. In terms of the dryer not one time in our previous interactions do I recall being offered a reimbursement if I were to go get a new appliance. Just partial funds. The FURNACE was covered by default by the policy.

  The DRYER was covered by default by the policy. But though three parts were identified it was bad Im out of awareness on this topic but do recall the reason I called in was due to drying issues, assuming it was one because   the core function of the dryer failed (leaving stuff wet,) which is why the repair gentleman was called in the first place. What were the three failed parts in that report?

  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2022

  The failed part on your furnace was diagnosed by the technician as a blower motor.  Home Warranty researched the cost of a blower motor for your furnace unit.  We determined this cost to be $350.00.  Home Warranty is not responsible for the mark up in products, trip charges, gas surcharges, mileage, etc.  Home Warranty also compensates for the time allotted to install the product.  This compensation is currently at $100.00 an hour.  This rate is determined by averaging service calls across the U.S.  These wages are published online if you choose to verify this information.  Home Warranty is not responsible for what a service technician who comes to your home charges above or below this number. Your blower motor was determined to be approximately a 2.5 hour job. 
  
  Your dryer was diagnosed as failed drum, failed rollers and failed temperature control as per the technician who came to your home. The dryer IS covered under the Warranty agreement.  The dryer IS NOT covered by default. 
  
  Home Warranty does not believe we are being misleading or unfair in our pricing or reimbursement amount.  You do have open claims with us, that we will honor.   For reimbursement, please submit a paid receipt to ********************************** and we will gladly reimburse you the amount stated.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The temperature in the house was way high. Had a HVAC tech look at it. This is a "zoned controlled system". There are three zones. All three zone dampers have issues. The warranty states they cover "zone controlled systems". If there are no dampers, it is not a zone controlled system. The have in the not covered section...."dampeners". They are claiming that is a damper. My understanding of a dampener is it has to do with vibration. If you look at the industry standard definition for "zone controlled systems", it includes zone dampers that are controlled by a central control board. Seems they are looking for a way not to pay on this claim. It states very clear that they cover "zone controlled systems". It's not a zone controlled system if there are no dampers. Makes no sense to say they cover it and then say they don't cover dampers. It's like saying we have a bumper-to-bumper warranty on car but we don't cover the transmission.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2022

  The Home Warranty agreement states under HEATING,VENTILATION AND COOLING SYSTEMS, WATER HEATER:
  
  NOT COVEREDPortable or window units; dampener systems;
  
  Home Warranty covers the zone control system, which includes the control board, and the wiring to the motor which operates the damper. We do not cover the motor or the damper itself.
  
  We apologize for any misunderstanding that you may have experienced.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/26/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We recently filed a claim because the furnace was leaking carbon monoxide, it was a fluke that we found that because it was just cold enough to run it after we bought the property and a friend we had over there had a detector on him and said we should check it, so we did. We placed the claim with HWI, they assigned ****** heating and air as the contractor. Because this is a furnace claim and its warm weather, we told ****** that it was fine to push it out a little bit so they didnt come to see the unit until July. It was determined we need an entirely new furnace. It has been 4 weeks and everyone is waiting on HWI. About 2 weeks ago, I spoke with the man at HWI who is handling the ********** said that he needed to elevate to his supervisor because the warranty just began. Seriously? Well, the warranty just began because we just bought the property. Even if this is a pre-existing issue, theres no way to know of the issue unless youre a certified hvac professional. This warranty is advertised as covering pre-existing conditions that are undetectable, well unless youre a professional like I mentioned you wouldnt know that this is an issue along with whatever else is wrong with it. So, is this a bait and switch advertisement? Or would it be false advertisement and unethical business practices..? Its insane that the very first claim we file, is stuck in the mud and has to be elevated because of really stupid reasons. Internal company policy or not, this is no way to run a business and treat your customers. The least HWI could do is call the contractor back. I shouldnt even be involved in this. I shouldnt have to wait and follow up over and over. On top of that Ive contacted their phone number today, **********, and I continually get a disconnected tone. The entire thing is a c*** show. I just want my furnace taken care of, or reimburse me for the $100 deductible I paid the contractor and refund my entire warranty price and cancel it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Home Warranty has listened to the phone calls with the service technician who came to your home.  While speaking with your service department, the Technician stated there is a slight co2 showing on the meter.  He also stated that he pulled the A-coil and visually inspected it and determined the A-coil looked solid.  The technician in your home determined that the slight co2 coming from the furnace could be a clog blocking the exhaust.  This is a maintenance issue which is not covered by the warranty. The technician also stated during this conversation that there was a lot of heat loss thru the flu of your furnace.  At no point during this conversation did the technician state to Home Warranty that the furnace needs to be replaced.
  
  We apologize for any misunderstanding that you had with the technician who was in your home.  Home Warranty will refund your payment and immediately cancel your warranty as per your request.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2022

   
  Complaint: 17627130
  
  I am rejecting this response because: To sum it up, the response is quite a load of untruths and a long, long stretch of twisted truth. The fact that you even feel the need to pull calls after weeks of no response, follow up from your chosen HVAC company & the customer just shows how far youre reaching and grasping at anything you can twist into some kind of rebuttal to my claim of unethical and false advertisement, and no response. Not to mention, the information your contractor and I were both told was that it had to do with how new the warranty was. That was the reason it had to be elevated. It had nothing to do with any of the info in your response.  Its always better to own up to any fault in the situation, dont twist it because you just showed the unethical business strategy right there.
  The cherry on top is the attempt to try and turn the situation around by labeling it a misunderstanding between my husband and the technician on site. The information that the technician gave my husband at the service call was that it needed replacement. There is no way around that, there was no misunderstanding at all. 
  Lastly, I am partially satisfied with the refund thats apparently heading our way, however it needs to be mailed to ********************************************. The deductible of $100 that we paid the technician (for absolutely nothing) needs to be reimbursed as well. We didnt choose that HVAC co, & according to you they gave us incorrect information. $100 for a service call is above the amount that would normally be charged. The only thing weve gained by this HVAC visit was how dishonest HWI is and Im not willing to pay $100 for that: so I would appreciate that being reimbursed to us as well as I originally requested in my claim. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** Shy

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2022

  The address provided matches what we show on your record as the mailing address.  The refund was processed yesterday and mailed to that address.  There will be no more money forthcoming from the warranty.  You were issued a full refund of the warranty cost paid per your original request.  We consider this issue closed.