Home Security of America, Inc.

We received a 1 year HSA home warranty with our house purchase, and after a month in the house, our gas furnace failed on a Saturday. After looking through the policy docs, I called HSA to schedule an appointment to have a contractor come out to fix the furnace since it was specified in the policy docs. The recorded voice told me that a contractor would be contacting me shortly. After waiting for 3 hours with no contractor and temperatures in the house falling, I contacted HSA again and asked the computer voice to speak with customer service. After waiting on hold for ten minutes ("Your call is very important to us" indeed!), I gave up and contacted the contractor's number whereupon I was told that HSA had never contacted them. I passed my information along and asked the contractor to get in touch with me--and he did, only to let me know that HSA only covers claims for work done during normal business hours. While I understand that off-hour pricing for furnace repair is significantly higher, and that such an approach might work for an errant dishwasher or microwave oven, THEY'RE A WARRANTY SERVICE and when temperatures are expected to be below freezing for the next two days without heat, it makes it very extraordinarily difficult/uncomfortable to wait until Monday. Very disappointed with their service and their ability to quickly correct home problems, particularly ones that are time sensitive.

Review: A technician from AMA Air has been to my rental unit three times to diagnose an air conditioning problem. On the first trip the technician replaced a part that is not specified on the receipt that he left. The air conditioner continued to fail to cool below 80 degrees so I recalled HSA for AMA air to come back and the same technician came back for the second trip. This time he added 2 pounds of refrigerant to the unit. When the technician left, he forgot to take ALL of this tools and had to call back to retrieve them. This should have been a red flag that there was something wrong with the technician. The air conditioner continued to fail to cool below 80 degrees so I called AMA a third time to have a technician come back out. This time they sent a different person than had been there for the previous two trips. This technician claimed that the air conditioner was working fine and the ducts needed to be cleaned. Since the last visit I have had 2 other companies look at the AC and both recommend that the internal and external units be replaced as the coils that AMA suggested to be cleaned are old and worn out and are not the source of the unit failing to cool. The technicians from the other companies also advised that cleaning the ducts will only increase air quality but will not impact the functioning of the AC unit. I have called HSA twice in an attempt to speak to a supervisor and resolve this matter. Despite the message stating they will call back within 24 hours, no one has returned my call 48 hours later. When I called today, I was told that they will call back within 24 business hours!!! What is 24 business hours? 3 days? The AC has been malfunctioning since June 22, 2015 and the occupant of the residence recently had open heart surgery and has to take up residence elsewhere because he can't tolerate the extreme heat.Desired Settlement: Replace the AC unit including the wall mount portion that seems to be the source of the problem as confirmed by 2 Revdex.com certified AC companies.

Business

Response:

HSA is dispatching a different vendor for a second opinion and waiving the deductible on the service call. If the homeowner does not hear from Ice Cube Air, please call them directly at ###-###-#### to schedule the service call.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: HSA home warranty has provided inadequate service in replacing my air conditioner.

I bought my home April24, 2013. Early in the season the AC unit failed. They charged me a $100 deductible to put freon in the unit and get it running again. However, it never cooled adequately. When my home air conditioner completely failed again in early July 2013, I paid another $100 deductible. The compressor was found to be cracked, and I was without air conditioning for two weeks before HSA finally got it replaced. They spent days searching for a replacement part which they never located. They finally contracted with a HVAC company to try to find the part. The end result was a two week process before I had AC in my home again. I shortened the process slightly by paying an extra $450 to replace the entire outside unit which was available for installation immediately, instead of waiting an additional 3-4 days for them to order a replacement compressor. In this lengthy 2 week process I had to make numerous calls to HSA. Every single time I was on hold for 15 - 20 minutes before speaking to a representative. Now, today my air conditioner is not working again. I called HSA and was told that I would receive a call in 2 days (Monday) from the company that they contracted with to replace the unit in July. So in 2 days I expect to get a call to set up an appointment which will hopefully take place sometime next week. When I asked to have someone come today, they said they don't cover the overtime expense for a Saturday visit. The very poor customer service from HSA Home Warranty has been a terrible disappointment. I thought the home warranty was a benefit when I bought my home.Desired Settlement: I would like improved customer service. I would also like a refund of at least a portion of the total $650 invested in the AC unit. I felt I had to pay the additional $450 for the air conditioner in order to get the AC functioning more quickly after being without for so long. I don't think it is right that I also had to pay two $100 deductibles within a two month period.

Business

Response:

HSA does apologize for any inconvenience that you have experienced concerning your recent air conditioning claim. The $425 are charges that are not covered under your HSA warranty, which include coolant evacuation & recovery, installation modifications, and disposal fee. Due to the delays with the claim, HSA is reimbursing one of the $100 deductibles that was paid. An authorization associate will be contacting you shortly to discuss to the refund.

Review: We processed a claim through HSA for our refrigerator. HSA offered to give us a buy-out of $675 or pay to repair the appliance. We opted to have the refrigerator repaired because we knew the cost would be greater than $675. We had to have a repair company approved because the part wasn't available otherwise. After the repair man quoted us a price of $900 we again called HSA to ensure we would be reimbursed the full amount, minus the $100 deductible. We were promised over the phone that we would indeed get the full reimbursement. We went ahead with the repair and we're told to send in the invoice of the repair for reimbursement - which we did. We later received a check in the mail for $675. When we called to clarify why the amount was less than the amount promised we were told that we had agreed to the buy out of $675. I reiterated that that was untrue and we had agreed to have the part repaired and sent in the invoice. I was then told that it was $675 because of a $150 coolant collection fee. First, it cannot be $675 because of the fee AND because I agreed to a buy-out; their story changed. Secondly, we were never told of any $150 fee and it was not listed on the repair invoice we sent in. This unethical practice is paramount to theft from consumers who are already paying for a service. We abided by all the stipulations and waited over a week to get the repair.Desired Settlement: $125 check for the amount promised. The $675 check plus the $125 additional funds for a total reimbursement of $800.

Business

Response:

The HSA contract does not cover coolant evacuation and recovery, so that cost would be the homeowner's responsibility. Mrs. homeowner was advised that the $150.00 for the coolant evacuation and recovery would be their responsibility and they have the $100.00 deductible. The cost of the repair was $925.00 minus $250.00 ($150.00 for the coolant evacuation and recovery and the $100.00 deductible) equals $675.00. The homeowner was advised that the cash out amount was $675.00.

Review: HSA has had a repair person out to look at our stove on 5 different occasions. The repair company has replaced the circuit board, temperature sensors, disconnected the temperature probe by cutting the wires, and now has to replace the switches for the burns. The oven has continued to have problems such as being 200 degrees off according to their repair company, the broiler not working on high, burners working intermittently, and error messages on the oven. Their service company has missed 1 appointment and is now stating that they have to reschedule the appointment for this Friday after my wife has already taken off from work. The first issues was filled in May of last year and we are assured each time that they have it figured out this time yet come up with a completely different part to fix and no good explanation as to why these problems continue to occur. I feel like they are attempting to stall until the home warranty expires so they don't have to replace the oven.Desired Settlement: Replace the stove

Business

Response:

A supervisor is reviewing the claim and will be contacting the homeowner.

Consumer

Response:

Review: I've had repeated problems with an air conditioning system in my home. Each time I have called HSA to obtain approval for repairs I've been placed on hold - always for at least an hour and today for over two hours. This is unacceptable. To top in off, at the end of an over two-hour hold I was disconnected by HSA who never answered the phone at all. It appears the company is trying to avoid having to fulfill the terms of my contract by simply refusing to answer their phone.Desired Settlement: Call [redacted] to authorize repairs as you are required to do by contract. Their technician has already completed the diagnosis and neither he or I have been able to reach you despite repeated, extended holds on our calls.

Business

Response:

HSA will contact the vendor for the information needed and will contact the homeowner with status.

Review: Hot water heater stop working, contacted Home Warranty, July 3, 2015. Representative from [redacted] was sent to my home which I had to pay a $75.00 fee. He inform Home Warranty I needed a new hot water tank. Which was approve by Home warranty. At a later time July 6, the plumber call and inform me I would have to pay an addition $471. 00 out of my pocket. I ask him to explain why, He stated the hot water heater cost a $1.000 dollar cost of removing hot water tank $95.00 dollar: 240.00 for extra 1/2 hour labor they don't cover and the pipes he needed to replace. I told him I didn't agreed and I would call Home warranty. After calling for two day I was finally able to speak to Roxanne in the complaint department. I relay the conversation to her with [redacted]. She began to explain the cost, I ask her how much they were paying [redacted] I was told $691,00 and his labor cost was in the $691.00. My cost would be $75.00 plus the $471.00 dollar, if I choose option (A) her other solution was I could take a buy out of $691.00. I said no, I and I would get back to her.Desired Settlement: If you could help us resolve this issue, it would be greatly appreciated. It doesn't help matter that we are senior citizen, we assume this would benefits us not hurt us. Thank you

Business

Response:

The homeowner's contract does not cover installation modifications and disposal fees per the terms and conditions. The homeowner has the option to approve the non-covered charges or take the $603.71 to have a different vendor replace the water heater.

Review: I had purchased a home warranty through HSA. I have spent hours on the phone trying to get an approval for them to fix my A/C unit. The contractor they provided cannot do anything for at least another week. I have a contractor that I have used in the past and is more than reasonably priced. I have been on hold today 07/21/2015 for more than a total of 3 hours. My contractor has been on hold for more than 2 hours we both spoke with a representative briefly before they put us each (independently) on hold again for an indefinite period of time. It seems that the excessive hold times are used as a deterrent to filing claims or getting them approved. My air conditioning is broke. I have more than enough money to fix the problem myself. However, I paid for the home warranty that up to this time has been more of a bother than a help. I would just pay to have the unit replaced but according to the contract if I want to get reimbursed then I must follow the rules and get the work approved first.Desired Settlement: I would like to have my air conditioner fixed. I would also ask for a detailed call log showing the inbound/outbound call traffic to justify their claims of high call volumes.

Business

Response:

HSA apologizes for the long hold times the homeowner experienced. The claim was approved for replacement of the condensing unit and adjusted to the pricing the HSA affiliated vendor. The homeowner approved the non-covered charged on 7/21/15.

Consumer

Response:

Review: We are senior and Las Vegas has been over 100 degrees all summer. Our AC broke, HSA sent out a repairman a week ago. Said we needed new compressor and condenser. We have HSA home warranty and expected it to be fixed in timely manner. I got a bad cold and feel awful, being sick without any AC. Every time I call HSA, no one answers the phone, and I am on hold over an hour. I don't know what their problem is, but it is not a way to stay in business. After an hour today, a girl answered and said it would probably be a few more days. She didn't sound very convincing and we would like to know if our parts for the TRANE AC are really on their way. It is hard to believe people who keep putting you off. Please find out what is going on with this HSA. I have lost respect for this company. But our policy is paid for and they are obligated to serve us.Desired Settlement: Please contact HSA and make sure they are getting the parts for us, and will replace them in our AC in a couple days, as she said on the phone. This has been a nightmare. Thank you for your help.

Linda and RAlph Liberty

Business

Response:

HSA confirmed with the distributor as of 9/14/15, the unit was shipped to the vendor. Once the vendor receives the unit, they will call the homeowner to schedule the repair.

Review: As I now review the other complaints against this company, over 275 in the past 12 months and over 400 in the past 3 years, I see that my outrage is largely the same as most of the other complaints I have read. This company is a home warranty company that readily takes the yearly premium from customers but fails to operate in a reasonable and ethical manner. HSA provides a phone contact number that is rarely answered when a call is made. If it is answered the hold time is frequently 45-60 minutes, so they seem to be hoping that the caller gets tired of waiting and so hangs up. On the one occasion when I was able to get through, I heard the HSA representative say "one moment" and place the call on hold, but no one ever picked up to respond. This is not just horrendous customer service, this is horrendous business practice. The present problem is that I have a faulty furnace which is to be replaced under the existing warranty. The claim has been approved (by a letter through regular mail) for furnace replacement but that was over 2 weeks ago and I have heard nothing further. There is no response to the most recent query by email and, of course, a phone call to the company goes unanswered as described above. I do not understand how a business is allowed to continue in this fashion when so many complaints persist and recur again and again.Desired Settlement: I wish to speak to an appropriate HSA representative about the replacement of the faulty furnace. The person must be someone who has the power to solve this issue and then it must be resolved promptly. I wish to be provided the model and serial number of the furnace unit they are planning to install so that I can evaluate it before installation. I also need to have an installation date so that I can arrange to be at home. Lastly, I would like to know from the Revdex.com what would be the next step in the course of this complaint if this letter fails to provide resolution.

Business

Response:

HSA apologizes for the long hold times the homeowner has experienced. HSA called the homeowner to have the non-covered charges approved on 10.29.15 and left a message to call back. An associate will be contacting the homeowner to discuss shortly.

Consumer

Response:

Review: Have repeatedly called regarding a sewer issue in my home. A plumber was sent to diagnosis problem. He asked a few questions, did nothing else, took the 75.00 fee, and I never heard from him again. I have called the plumber multiple times and HSC and they have not returned calls. When I did last speak to HSA had to wait one hour and twenty minutes on hold. I spoke to 2 different people. They stated I needed and air conditioning company ?? I explained it was a sewer odor issue and that I had an independent Plumber stop by to fix my reverse osmosis and he said home needed smoke diagnosis. The last gentleman a supervisor said he would check in to it and return my call. and they never called me back that was 2 days ago. I tried calling HSA today, one hour on phone with mutiple transfers and no plumber, but still bad odor at my home after 3 and a half weeks and less 75.00 fee for nothing. Very frustrated.Desired Settlement: A plumbing contractor to actually diagnosis and fix my sewer problem

Business

Response:

HSA does apologize for the long hold times in our peak times. HSA has received the diagnosis from the plumber whom stated they did not find any plumbing issues within the home and nothing leaking as everything is sealed. The plumber did recommend a smoke test to be done by a licensed HVAC contractor. HSA has also spoken to the customer and has set up a 2nd opinion claim to obtain an alternate diagnosis. HSA has also advised the customer today 12/02/2015 that if no coverage were to be offered or any failures found that they would owe another deductible.

Review: I have purchased a home warranty specifically in case the air conditioner unit needed replacement or repair. Today I was told because my unit is older than 8 years it will not be serviced/repaired or replaced. I have multiple home warranties for different homes and this is the first time I have heard of this. I am extremely disappointed. my property manager in texas has never even heard of anything like this.Desired Settlement: I would like my air conditioner repaired or replaced as is the sole purpose of having a home warranty.

Business

Response:

Per the terms and conditions of the customers contract his is a T&O contract no coverage on units over 8 years old without upgrade plan purchased. HSA is unable to offer coverage. The customers contract has also been cancelled as well per their request. Thank you.

Eight months ago my wife and I puchased our first home. The home was old, the heating/cooling system and hot water tank were relatively old so we opted to puchase a home warranty. The home was purchased through [redacted] who offered the warranty from HSA.

This past Sunday I noticed some standing water in my basement and after some investigation found that the hot water heater was leaking. After cleaining up the water I called HSA and filed a claim. A plumber was dispatched and was to call me Monday morning. Monday afternoon came and I had not heard from the plumber (I called them two times) so I called HSA again. A second plumber was dispatched. As of Tuesday morning I had not heard from the second plumber so I called them. The plumber said he was aware of my claim and that he would be out the next morning. The plumber also forwarned me that HSA typically does not cover all of the costs associated with a new hot water heater install.

The plumber showed up on Wendesday morning and diagnosed the situation. He contacted HSA who then contacted me with the "uncovered charges" which I had to approve. Although I thought the costs were high I approved the charges.

The plumber quickly replaced the hot water heater. I felt the plumber was professional and did a fine job.

Overall I was happy with the service and certainly happy I had the insurance in place. Although I did have to pay some out of pocket (including the deductible) it was likely 1/2 or 1/3 of the cost without a warranty.

If I had any negative comments about HSA they would be that the hold times to report and check on a claim by phone are too long. I wated a minimum 15 minutes to talk to someone.

I also caution anyone considering an HSA warranty to read the contract prior to puchasing. All of the costs associated with repair/replacement of any unit will likely not be covered. In my case the hot water heater and labor were covered, but the copper pipe, valves, flue pipe, and pavers for the tank.

I filed a claim, and received an email message that a plumber would contact me, but none ever did. When I tried to call the plumber, there was no answer at the number they provided.

When I tried calling HSA, I spent 30 minutes on hold before hanging up.

I'm guessing they are a scam, and do not recommend Revdex.com endorsement or anyone from purchasing their policies.

Too bad this situation does qualify for a Revdex.com complaint or I'd be on that page to help lower the Revdex.com rating.
HSA Warranty program allows for customers to "Chose your own vendor" in which customers pay all costs upfront and HSA sends the customers a check for authorized service repairs, less the deductible. After using this program, I received and email stating the follow:
We are thrilled to inform you that we have approved a service request on your Drain Line Routing! Based on the estimated retail costs without HSA Home Warranty, service on your Drain Line Routing could have cost you as much as $190.00!
The actual cost of my chosen vendor was $185 since I use that vendor frequently and get a discount. After not receiving a check from HSA, I inquired about the reimbursement check. Today I received an email from HSA.
After reviewing the claim for the drain line routing it appears that due to you using your own choice vendor HSA has adjusted the amount that we were able to cover based on our set rates. With the adjusted price HSA would have been able to offer coverage for $75.00 for the routing work that was preformed. With your $75.00 deductible the refund amount for this work was $0.00. HSA has received the invoice for the work preformed however we would not be issuing any reimbursement amount.

My water heater broke down 2 weeks ago. Contacting HSA over the phone takes too long. They do not bother to get back to their customers. They wait for customers to call back. After the claim was filed with them they did not go ahead with approval of the claim till I approved certain extra expenses which was reasonable but they waited

5 days for me to call them about the status of the claim & then tell me about the reason for not going ahead. A phone call from them to me should have been done.

They have not till now been able to tell me the exact model of the heater they plan to install. Repeated calls with inordinate wait times & frequent holds even after I got hold of their representatives were necessary. Every time one gets a different representative & their notes are often incomplete due to which I had to be put on hold repeatedly while they confer with their colleagues/supervisor.They were not able to have a supervisor get in touch with me to answer my queries which is something that I finally insisted on to confirm the name & model of the heater that they plan to install. I have doubts about their claim of comparable replacement of broken products that they claim to provide.

Submitted a claim for a water heater repair on May 5. Repair company came on May 6 and HSA approved replacement. It is now June 2 and repair company has not replaced the water heater and has not returned phone calls. Called HSA and was on hold for 47 minutes and never got to speak to anyone. I have no hot water. This is NOT good service!!!

I am very irritated with the lack of concern, professionalism, and response from this company. I've lived in my present home for less than 3 years and have had numerous issues with my HVAC system. I've had companies state ' the system needs to be replaced'. When I contact HSA they routinely tell me "to locate a local approved company and make sure the tech is on hand when you call back". Here's one of the problems: once a HVAC company learns my warranty is with HSA ' they don't want to take the task on'. Slow payment deliveries, lack of communication, and poor customer/vendor service -- yes, these are the responses I hear. On 15 July, 2015 I submitted another claim on my HVAC. And here we are, 5 days later and I'm sitting on the phone (on hold) with the HSA Authorizations Department. I hope the President of the company has access to call logs, with wait times, because I'm listening to the same message for 1hour and 27 minutes waiting for someone to pick the phone up! On top of this the HVAC professional I found willing to work with HSA called the company Friday, 17 July, 2015 and was told "he would receive a return call within 45 minutes. Guess what, 'the call never came'! Did I mention I live in Northern Virginia? It's not a big deal that Northern Virginia experiences high heat and humidity this time of the year. My home is very uncomfortable to say the least. So what do I need to do to gain customer service?
I can hardly wait to read the response which will come back. I've read other reviews from unsatisfied customers and the responses back from the company. If the company would invest time in customer service and less on covering up their problems they would be better off!
Multiple companies have told me my system needs to be replaced. HSA wants to piece-meal the situation. I've had too many claims submitted and the situation contiues to get worse. I know what the right thing to do is but my guess is "HSA will only pay for a band aid to fix the broken leg"!
BTW, I'm still on hold after 1 hour and 37 minutes~

Will NEVER recommend this company!!! We bought our house last July and coming to the end of our contract! We will NOT renew with them! We have to contacted them for several claims and never can get a resolve with a single phone call! Today's issue is our A/C quit on SATURDAY and it is over 90 inside our house! We called to report claim and the vendor they provided told us he would be unable to get to us and to contact HSA and let them know. I called to let them know this on Saturday! Today I called HSA and was told it is not an emergency, the heat outside for our area had a high of 86. They would only escalate it if it was over 90! Then was told someone would call back in 48 business hours! What a joke!!!!

I am a recent new homeowner. My husband and I closed on a house 6/19/15 at 3:00 pm. At midnight, we discovered water coming out of the sump pump pit. We tried texting and calling our real estate broker to find out the name of the home warranty company, but did not hear back until later the next day. My husband called every plumber on the internet, and bailed water all night long, to avoid the basement flooding. No plumber would come out until the next morning, Saturday, at 7:00 am. The plumber said the sump pump had burned out and needed to be replaced. We replaced the sump pump. After we found out the name of the home warranty and confirmed the premium was paid, we contacted HSA, on June 26th. At that time, we submitted our claim and submitted the bill for $653.00 to the website provided. I called back 4 times to check on the claim. The first time, I was told there was no record of the claim. I resubmitted the claim. I made 2 more phone calls and no progress had been made on the claim. I was told to wait until July 14th. I called July 23rd, and was told by Allen that they needed to call the business to find out why the sump pump was replaced, which was the same thing I was told on June 30th. He put me on hold and called the business, but was unable to get the information needed from the tech. He promised to call back, but never did. Then, I received notice today, July 29th, that they were going to reimburse me for $210.00. they would not pay any more because I didn't call HSA first. I explained I didn't have their information, but that didn't matter. When I asked to speak to the supervisor, I was told I couldn't, and was transferred to a supervisor "pool." I left a message, but wasn't recontacted. When I tried to call back, and asked to speak to the CEO, Robert L[redacted], I was told that wasn't possible. I was again transferred to the supervisor "pool." and again left a message.
Every time I call, I am on hold for 15 to 20 minutes. When I ask to speak to a supervisor, I am on hold for another 15 minutes before they will transfer me to the "pool." When I asked if they would stay on the line to confirm that a supervisor would be available, they promised they would; but didn't.
This is absolutely the worst customer service I have ever received.