After buying your dream home, the next thing you need to look for is a home warranty provider that can service your systems and appliances. Every homeowner prefers a reputable warranty company, and one of these companies is the American Residential Warranty. In this article, you’ll learn why this company is trusted by many people, its plans, reputation, and comparison against other residential home warranties.
Company Overview
ARW was created in 1946 to give home warranty plans to residents of America. It has its headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. Since it started its operations, it has gained a favourable reputation within the industry because it gives coverage options that other warranty providers don’t give. This company gives coverage for electronic systems and security systems. They provide their electronic system plan through Asurion, while their security system plan is given in partnership with SafeStreets.
The company partners of ARW include GE Appliances, AM Trust Financial, AIG Warranty, ADT, Asurion, and Lowe’s. Unlike other warranty companies, ARW gives five plans to its customers. They include:
1. Hitting And Cooling
This plan covers the heating system, humidifier, air conditioning system, water heater, and electrical system.
2. Kitchen Plus Plan
It covers kitchen appliances like dishwashers, exhaust fans, refrigerators, oven, microwave, and garbage disposal. This is the best plan for you if you only need coverage for your kitchen.
3. Platinum
This plan covers what the Heating and Cooling and Kitchen Plus Plan cover. This plan fits you best if you want to feel secure about your heating and kitchen systems.
4. Platinum Premier
This plan covers the items that the platinum plan does. However, it also covers plumbing stoppages, garage door opener, ceiling fan, ice maker, and ductwork.
5. 4-In-One Bundle
This bundle includes the electronic protection plan, platinum premier, water and sewer lines, and deluxe advantage. This is the most comprehensive plan and also offers what platinum premier does. If you want your PC and gaming consoles to be covered, this is your plan.
These plans don’t cover everything. Therefore, if you need additional coverage, you can pay extra to have it covered. ARW also gives you an option to increase coverage when choosing items from a list of add-ons costing between $72 and $170. The additional items covered include the maintenance of external sewer lines, well pump, external water line, washer and dryer, and pool and spa equipment. The limits for these add-ons range from $500 to $2500.
The plan payments can be done through three options. You can select the annual payment plan, month to month plan, or quarterly plan. ARW’s service fee charge is $75. Its coverage limits range from $500 to $2500.
Real Estate Plans
Apart from home appliances and systems policy, ARW also gives real estate plans. These are sold at different stages of purchasing or homeownership. Real estate plans can help you if you’re in the process of selling or buying your home. They protect you against any repairs needed after the purchase. These plans also have optional coverage add-ons that may cost you additional fees. Every ARW plan has a 30-day waiting period before the coverage begins.
When seeking home warranty coverage, it’s vital to know the appliances and systems they cover. Here are some vital home items that ARW will cover and send a technician to repair if they break down.
1. Electrical System
ARW will cover any malfunctions that result from interior electrical system wiring, fuses, switches, and single and two-pole breakers. However, it won’t cover improper wiring, power surge, power failure, and damages caused by circuit overload. The same rule applies to sealing fun motors.
2. Heating And Air-Conditioning Systems
ARW offers coverage for every component of ACs and other heating systems such as motors, compressors, thermostats, relays, condensers, among others. However, it won’t service improperly-sized cooling and heating systems and portable heating units. Besides that, it has plans for ductworks and all internal electrical parts of a house humidifier.
3. Home Appliances
ARW has plans for the main components that ensure the proper functioning of home appliances. They include switches, motors, relays, control boards, compressors, condensers, and other parts. Any damages that don’t affect the equipment’s functioning like chippings, dents, or scratches aren’t protected.
4. Plumbing System
ARW will send a contracted plumber to your home to fix your interior plumbing issues, including risers, angle stops, interior hose bibs, waste vents, and p-trap assemblies. If you need to clear the mainline, lateral drain line, and sewer, they can help you to fix the issues if they’re up to 100 feet from the access point. However, the company doesn’t take responsibility for insufficient or excessive water pressure conditions or necessary repairs needed to access the interior pipes and lines.
Terms And Conditions Of ARW
ARW offers its services to homeowners 30 days after signing a contract. That’s a longer period than what other warranty companies give. This waiting period is longer because ARW doesn’t conduct home inspections to know the condition of your home’s item before allowing you to sign a contract. If you aren’t satisfied with ARW’s services, you can cancel the contract within 30 days and receive your refund.
In case of a breakdown, you should send a service request within a day. ARW, like other companies in the industry, provides an automatic policy renewal. But if you wish to cancel the renewal, you’ll have to pay $49, which is less than what other companies charge. If you have an emergency, they’ll give you immediate services.
However, if repairs made by the company technician fail, their free service period will last for 60 days, which is less than what other companies give. ARW doesn’t have data about their repair time frames. That may inconvenience you because there may be delays.
There’s also no information about what you need to do if you disagree with the technician’s report. However, the company doesn’t offer long-term contracts to technicians, which means different technicians will visit your home to do repairs. Alternatively, they can allow you to hire your own technician to do the repairs and draft a report.
Customer Claims
Before signing a contract with American Residential Warranty, it’s vital to know other people’s experiences to avoid surprises and disappointments.
A study conducted on the reviews of 1000 customers in Google, Yelp, Pissed Consumer, and Ripoff Report found that most clients are satisfied with the company’s services. The study discovered that it’s a point higher than the industry average from the customer’s review. For example, ARW’s rating on Google is 4.4 compared to 3.2, which is the industry’s average. That makes it a giant in the home warranty industry.
The most common repairs that ARW is best at, according to customer feedback, are issues related to air conditioners, microwave, and dishwasher. More than half of the customers are satisfied with this company’s work and the professionalism of the contractors. In fact, 14% of the company’s customers praised its technicians for their professionalism.
Additionally, others mention that the contractors do work three times faster than other home warranty companies. Only 6% of clients were unhappy about their claims, and 12% didn’t fully understand its terms and conditions. Based on this data, ARW is no doubt a reliable warranty company. ARW has an A+ rating, though it’s an unaccredited business.
Conclusion
Compared to other warranty companies, American Residential Warranty Company has better coverage plans, terms and conditions, limits, prices, and customer feedback. Because it has been on the market for a long period, it has a solid reputation and gives services all over the USA. It gives many warranty plans, including additional ones that you can apply for differently.
Their wide selection suits any needs, and the affordable premiums make it easy to contract them. Their terms and conditions show that they aim to satisfy customers. From the customer feedback, their rating is above the industry’s average. Its BBB is also high, making it seem trustworthy and a good value for your money.
