Home Security of America, Inc.

Review: Our HSA home warranty was purchased when we bought a house in another state. I called in in September 2015 and spoke to a customer service rep that stated that furnaces were covered, and that there was not any techs in our area, so we could call any licensed technician for a new furnace. When we turned the furnace on in September (we moved in in June 2015, but why would you turn a furnace on in the summer), it made some weird noises. When the tech came, we were suppose to call in to HSA and give them the diagnosis. We were told we would have to pay the 100.00 deductible, and then HSA would pay the heating company. Well, now the claim has been denied for pre-existing. When I originally called in, nothing was said about an approval process after the fact or about pre-existing. I have now also found out that the customer service reps read a generic script to the customers. This is horribly dishonest and misleading. I think it is criminal as well! When I spoke with the cs rep in Sept, I was even put on hold, which I thought was them getting the approval. I called back in today, November 4, 2015, and was told there is no appeal process. It is just flat out denied. If I would have known any of this, I would have never even bothered with this horrible company.Desired Settlement: I want a refund of 1000.00.

Business

Response:

The HSA contract does not cover detectable pre-existing conditions as stated on page 6 under Limitation of Liability:Detectable pre-existing defects or deficiencies, when the “Component Parts” were not in “Proper Working Order” on the inception date of coverage, are not covered by HSA. If, on the Buyer’s effective date of this contract, the defect or malfunction of the covered “Component Parts” would not have been detectable by either visual inspection and/or simple mechanical test and/or safety test performed by a qualified professional, the defect or malfunction may qualify for coverage. For example: a simple test would be a visual inspection of a heat exchanger forcracks or a carbon-monoxide test. The home inspection clearly states that there is an issue with a popping sound upon start up and a clanking noise and recommended evaluation and/or repair by a licensed HVAC technician. The claim denial stands.

Review: Furnace started smoking and stopped working. Unfortunately it was 31 years old and deemed not repairable HSA said I could use my own company but would only pay me what they could do the repair for. I chose to use the company of my choice and thought HSA would low ball me and give me $1200 to $1500 to replace and install a new unit. I get a call today and they say they can buy a new furnace and have it installed for $600 and that is what they will give me towards replacement. They said $300 for the furnace and $300 for the install. That is a total joke now way they can do that and what furnace is $300. I had 3 people at my home installing the new furnace for 8 hours. I would not recommend this company. I would have been better off saving the cost. All I did is was make the repair more difficult because I have to call and wait on hold to get the $600. This company should be ashamed of itself to even straight face say we can get your unit replaced for $600.Desired Settlement: A fair offer the average cost of a furnace with installation in my area is $3,700. I don't expect that but $600 is a joke.

Business

Response:

The customer did file a claim on his furnace and the claim was approved for the replacement of the unit. The customer does reserve the right to use his own service provider however he would be paying retail rates to have the unit replaced. HSA has preferred affiliated service providers with signed contracts to complete the job for a particular labor rate and HSA does supply the equipment at our National contracted rates as well. HSA approved the claim for the cost of the furnace and standard labor only at $717.69 less the customers $75.00 deductible for a cash out option reimbursement of $ 642.69 once HSA receives a copy of a paid receipt for services rendered. HSA's contract does not also cover for any permits and or any type of installation modifications needed to install the equipment and this is per the terms and conditions of the contract. Thank you

Review: HSA approved my claim and I completed duct work on my home. Then they denied my claim a few days later and will not give me reimbursement or give me my deductible back.Desired Settlement: I would like to be reimbursed for the cost of materials or I would would like a refund of my deductible.

Business

Response:

After review of the claim, HSA did not offer coverage as the failures occurred due to the ductwork has fallen off the supply and has broken on the other end due to it not being tied to the joists and no support causing it to fall. HSA contract only covers for failures due to normal wear and tear. The deductible applied to the claim and was payable to the service provider to cover the service call trade fee and would not be refunded.

Consumer

Response:

Refrigerator went out Monday night. Called to report it on Tuesday and here it is Saturday 11/22 and still no working refrigerator. Service calls keep getting canceled. I've called service times on hold for a half hour and no one answers.

I have called HSA for the past week to talk to a customer service agent about duplicate charges, and have had to wait on hold for about 1 hour every time before the call is dropped. To add insult to injury, the accounting department didn't processed my check for payment until a month after it was received, causing a laps in coverage. I would never recommend using this company.

This is my second time dealing with HSA and both times have been a hassle. This time is much worse then the last. I'm going on over 3 hours on hold on the phone, over a weeks period. I filed a claim on 8/29/15 on my AC/Heat Pump unit. A technician came out to look at the unit the next day. He found an issue that would need to be fixed in order for the unit to run properly. The next morning a claim was filed with HSA by the heating and air company. I have spoke with the owner of the heating and air company about this claim. He made certain the claim was sent and resent it to be 100% sure. Here it is 9/4/15 and they still have not processed my claim, called, updated my account on their site to show the claim was approved or denied, etc. The heating and air company is only given the same phone number as everyone else to check on a claim. I have been without air in 80-90 degree, humid weather sense the day I filed the claim.
This is a terrible business. It seems to me that the HSA Home Warranty is a total rip-off. Needless to say, I will pay for the repairs myself, just like HSA wants me too, so they don't have to pay for them. Then, if I try to get HSA to reimburse me for the repairs, they will deny the reimbursement because I haven't used an "approved" company.

HSA home warranty company acted unethically when I called to renew my home warranty. First, they did not notify me by email or mail that my home warranty had expired (I was told they had switched computer systems so that was why I wasn't notified that it was renewal time). When I realized it had lapsed, I called to renew it and was given a quote that was about $100 more than I paid last year. I asked if I could call back in a few minutes after I checked with another leading company. The other company was a little less expensive but I decided to stay with HSA because they were my current provider and had done a nice job repairing a broken garbage disposal my first year. When I called back, however, a new sales person quoted me a higher price than what I had received FIVE MINUTES EARLIER. I asked her to please check her records and listen to the recording of my call with the previous salesperson FIVE MINUTES EARLIER. She put me on hold a few times but refused to honor the initial quote. I hung up and went with the other provider, [redacted], which offered the same terms at a slightly lower rate. I found HSA's actions to be unethical. Home warranty companies that have practiced unethical and fraudulent activities have been on the losing end of lawsuits in the past. Though HSA's prices are high, their ethics clearly are not.

Review: I first filed my claim through my HSA Home Warranty on the 27th or 28th of October regarding my broken refrigerator. On the 30th the the technician (from [redacted], dispatched thru HSA) arrived at my house and informed me that the control board or something similar to the control board had broken and it would take a week to get the part. A week passed and I heard not a thing from HSA or [redacted]. I called Monday (10th) and Wednesday (12th) of that second week and waited on hold for too long both times and never actually got through. Finally on Thursday the 13th I was able to actually speak to a human being about the situation. I was informed that no one had actually ever ordered that part and I had been waiting for 2 full weeks to have not a thing accomplished. They expressed a mild amount of sorrow and promised to overnight the part. At this point my daughter and I had been eating every meal out for 2 weeks straight with the exception of a few dried snacks and chips. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the mishandling of my claim and was told that they would wave my $75 deductible but nothing else. I told the supervisor that it would not be enough and would like my money( $500 ) or so for the year at least partially refunded. He acted as if what happened was not a big deal and I should be happy with his offer. I asked for his supervisor and he forwarded me to the VP of Operation voice mail. I left the man a short message with my info and have yet to receive a return call. Flash forward to yesterday...I have waited and entire 3rd week at this point and have once again heard nothing. I called back and waited the 30 minutes that seems about standard if you want to speak to a human with HSA...they still had not ordered the part (something about an incorrect part number) and also tried blaming [redacted] for their mistake(s). It made me sick...because [redacted] has been nothing but professional and courteous from the get go. HSA has continuously mishandled this claim and I was laughed at once again by the supervisor when I asked for a refund. I could have bought a very nice fridge on my own at this juncture between the hundreds on restaurant food and the hundreds on the warranty. The fridge part is in transit today and will supposedly be installed tomorrow around noon. I will believe that when I see it.Desired Settlement: I want a free (or at least heavily discounted) year of service thru HSA...maybe I would consider renewing for a 4th year if they did the right thing.

Business

Response:

The homeowner had a appointment scheduled to install the parts for 11/22/14, but due to weather conditions in the area, the appointment was rescheduled for 11/25/14. HSA will reimbursement the homeowner $100 as a service gesture for the inconvenience they have had during this time. The $100 check will be mailed out tomorrow.

Business

Response:

HSA will reimburse homeowner an additional $100 on this claim and the check will be mailed out on Monday, 12/1/14.

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: I am writing to you today to express my dissatisfaction with HSA Home Warranty's service. I am simply trying to get an approval on my claim for a pool heater fix. I submitted this claim back in May 2015 and have been trying, unsucessfully, to get HSA Home Warranty in touch with my technician all summer. Between my technician and I, we have tried to call them multiple times and every single time, we have sat on the phone for over 30 minutes.

The company has attempted to call him (multiple times) but they get his voicemail because he is working. My technician will not return their call because the last couple of times he tried, he sat on the phone for over 30 minutes. He is not willing to do that again, nor would I expect him to do that without being paid for his time.

When I called in around Sept 1, 2015 (also waiting close to 40 minutes) and explained the situation and pleaded for another way for HSA to approve my request, the representative said I could submit a written estimate through email ([email protected]) and they would call me letting me know if it was approved or not. I submitted this on Sept 8, 2015 and I still have not been contacted.

So, being patient, I decided to call again on Sept 14. I waited an hour and seventeen minutes...1 HOUR AND 17 MINUTES before anyone even picked up. This time one of their representatives told me that unless they talk with the technician they can not approve the request. So, now, am I not only wasting my time waiting on the phone for them to pick up, but they had me take time out of my day to pick up the estimate which now they are saying is not good enough.

At this point, I asked to talk to a supervisor, waited 20 more minutes, only to be sent to her voicemail. I left a message asking her to call me directly. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL BACK FROM HER. But, I have received a message from a random representative that said they've tried calling my technician 7 times and they will no longer reach out to him. They are completely disregarding and ignoring that the issue is getting them in touch with the technician.

Since then, I made a Facebook post. They "forwarded" my concern to their service department. I didn't hear back, I followed up again. They "forwarded again" and as of September 28th, I have not been contacted to resolve this issue.

I am paying for this service every month. They are receiving payment. I expect to be treated with respect and assisted in a reasonable manner and I expect that my claims are handled in a reasonable manner as well. I would like for a representative to either a) schedule a time through email with me that my technician can call WITHOUT wait or b) approve the written estimate through their claims email address.Desired Settlement: I would like for a representative to either a) schedule a time through email with me that my technician can call WITHOUT wait or b) approve the written estimate through their claims email address.

Business

Response:

An associate has contacted the vendor and the homeowner will her direct extension and email address for both parties. This occurred on 9/29/15 at 11:07 am. HSA cannot proceed with the claim until they receive that information from the vendor.

Business

Response:

HSA approved the claim for $1000 per the terms and conditions of the contract and the homeowner has been advised of this. Since the pool may already be closed for the season, the claim approval will stay in effect until the repair has been made. If the repairs are completed next spring, the homeowner should submit a paid invoice to HSA for reimbursement.

Consumer

Response:

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

Regards,

Review: I have a home warranty with HSA they have done work for me in the past but it seems now that they refuse to answer their calls and they leave you on hold for longer than 45-60 minutes at any given time.Desired Settlement: Since they refuse to make themselves available I would like to recuperate the last 2 years worth of prmiums Ive paid this company which should total roughly $1152.00

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. I have resolved my issues with HSA and I am satisfied with the outcome

Review: Per HSA warranty cover letter "warranty provides a guarantee that if covered appliances or mechanical systems fail due to normal wear and tear...those items will be repaired." My refrigerator Compressor started acting up recently and is getting progressively worse and louder. HSA declined repair stating it did not "fail." I counter with, if a compressor is not working as intended per manufacturing specifications then that’s a failure. Something is obviously off balance or not aligned within the unit. Plus, the unit is only 2 years old. Would HSA rather fix now or fix when it completely stops and they also have to compensate for spoiled food/freezer items? A satisfied customer is a returning customer. If I know HSA is looking out for me and staying true to their commitment, the more apt I am to keep them as an insurer in the long run.Desired Settlement: replace compressor

Business

Response:

The HSA contract covers for mechanical failures due to normal wear and tear. The technician stated the compressor was not failing at the time of the service call and the claim was denied due to no failure was found. The homeowner can have a service provider out for a second opinion and have the vendor contact HSA with his findings, so HSA can review the claim. The second opinion would be at the homeowner's expense, as HSA is not requesting one.

Consumer

Response:

Review: We have a home warranty with HSA. We filed a request for service to look at a breaker in our circuit breaker panel that would not reset. They dispatched an electrical company to look at the bad breaker. The electrician discovered that we had a bad breaker. They said we had to replace the entire panel because replacement breakers were no longer made. They spoke to the warranty company who approved the replacement panel we just had to pay a $75.00 deductible and apparently pay for permits which were not covered under the warranty which we had that was the case. We agreed and they scheduled a follow up visit for the following week to replace the panel. The following week when the contractor was scheduled to come out no one showed up, so I called and was told that they screwed up and forgot to schedule it and that they could not get anyone out until the following week so we waited. The breaker that was bad was to our dryer so we have not been able to dry our clothes in almost two weeks. When the electrician finally did arrive the following week they shut the power off to our house and proceed to replace the breaker panel. In the middle of the work they discover that our meter box was mounted to the back of the breaker panel which is apparently a newer code issue. They said they would have relocate our existing meter box outside and that it would cost $800.00 to do so. They contacted the warranty company who denied the claim. So it left us with no power to our home and we have no extra money right now to pay the additional $800.00. I spoke to the electrician who said he may be able to come up with a cheaper solution and they are still currently at my home working on the panel as we speak so we can hopefully get our power back on this evening. During the time our panel has been down everything in our refrigerator and freezers has spoiled so we now have no food for the week. It also left my wife and newborn in the dark with no AC all day long while they worked on the panel. I am currently waiting to hear back from the electrician on what he can do for us. I feel like we are being held for ransom at this point.Desired Settlement: I would like for HSA to cover whatever extra costs we are going to be billed to relocate the existing meter since we were forced to use there contractor and could not get any other quotes on that work since it is apparently a code issue and they are legally bound to bring it up to code before they can leave according to the electrician. I also would like reimbursement of $300.00 for all of the spoiled food in my fridge and freezer.

Business

Response:

The homeowner was contacted on 6/16/15 and a supervisor clarified the coverages and the claim was approved to paid to the vendor in the amount of $810. There were non-covered charges in the amount of $175 that the homeowner did approve.

Business

Response:

HSA apologizes for the loss of food, however the contract clearly states that secondary damage is not covered under the warranty. HSA approved the claim in full minus the permit fee that was not covered under the warranty. HSA considered this matter closed.

Consumer

Response:

HSA is a complete joke and I will be going out of my way to make sure everyone I know avoids them like the plague!

Review: I am a [redacted] transponder holder with [redacted], and have been for the past 10+ years. There was some sort of error with my account where there was a debit with my account that was cleared up back in September 2014. My account has beencontinues to be in good standing with [redacted]. I have spoken and documented the process, yet this agency continues to hound me and does not take me off their collection list. It's baffling. [redacted] has a record of all of this, yet this company still calls my house collecting a debit that does not exist.Desired Settlement: update their records!

they need to contact [redacted] directly, reconcile their own books and records with the records [redacted] has on file, and quit calling me to collect on bogus debts.

Business

Response:

This customer does not appear to be a customer with HSA Home Warranty. I believe this was intended for a different company.

Review: HSA Warranty was provided along with our VA Mortgage. The air conditioner was faulty on the new house and needs the motor replaced. Every time my wife calls HSA, she is immediately placed on hold for over two hours. This is obviously by company policy because it does not matter what time of day or day of week. To date, my wife has spent over 12 hours on hold trying to resolve one issue. They did finally approve a replacement motor after two weeks. However, when discussing the matter with my wife they said they were sending a heater motor. My wife corrected them and said we needed an air conditioning motor. They employee responded "Whatever, they're the same thing." Sure enough, when the vendor attempted to fix it, they had sent the wrong part. My wife called again (two hours on hold) and they acknowledged their mistake and said they would order a new one. After a week, the vendor had not received the part. Rather than call HSA again, my wife called the manufacturer of the part to see if the order had been placed. They had no record of the part being ordered and no communication with HSA regarding the issue whatsoever. This is in Northern Virginia in June/July. We were forced to buy window units to cool the home, but we could not afford enough of them to cool the entire house. For over a month now, we have been consolidated in two bedrooms and suffering all day long. I have three young children 2,4, and 6. My wife is currently on hold with HSA again, in tears. We feel like terrible parents because our children cannot stay in our new house. HSA has made buying a home an absolute nightmare.Desired Settlement: In the short term, I would like for HSA to finish the job that they agreed to finish. In the long term, I want HSA to be banned from Veteran Affairs associated mortgages. Veterans should not be forced to work with companies with horrific reviews that are proven scams.

Business

Response:

HSA apologizes for the inconvenience the homeowner has experienced with this claim. The equipment has been ordered and delivered to vendor on 7/6/15 for installation.

Review: My wife and I purchased a home warranty with HSA at the recommendation of our real estate agent and because the house was an older home and the heat & air unit was obviously older. This Spring, the unit did not cool. HSA sent a local repair company who recommended the unit be replaced. HSA insisted the unit be filled with freon. Within a few weeks, the unit was empty of freon. HSA sent a different service provider who located a substantial hole in a freon line and a leaking port valve, plus located a crack in the heat exchanger. This being a gas heat unit, such a crack is dangerous to occupants of our home. The service provider sent a report to HSA; no reply from them or action taken. Since then, I have called, placed on hold for 1 to 2 hours each time, spoken with multiple agents of HSA, listened to multiple excuses that were not truthful and our unit is still not repaired. Because the unit is old, the service providers both recommended the entire unit be replaced because it has problems with both heat and cooling. HSA has ignored those recommendations. It has been more than 3 months since I first reported this unit being down to HSA. I have located multiple complaints on the Internet and a few class action law suits against HSA. It appears we have wasted our money to "invest" in this additional protection warranty with HSA. Any help we can get from the Revdex.com will be appreciated.Desired Settlement: HSA has proven to be an unreliable home insurance agency. We have invested our money and not received proper service/repairs/replacement. We were forced to purchase a small window air conditioner that struggles to keep our house cool in this hot, humid Summertime. This 110 volt window unit costs more to operate than a 240 volt unit in order to cool our home, so we are paying extra in order to keep our house cool. HSA should immediately order the repair or replacement of this damaged unit or face consequences that include full restoration of our investment, plus damages for the inconveniences we have suffered. Help from the Revdex.com will be appreciated.

Business

Response:

HSA confirmed with the vendor and the heat exchanger is being replaced under the manufacturer's warranty. The vendor just received the part and will be contacting the homeowner to schedule in the repair.

Business

Response:

The heat exchanger is being replaced under the manufacturer's warranty and the parts were received by the vendor. The vendor was to schedule the repair with the homeowner.

Consumer

Response:

Review: I have a home warranty through HSA that covers furnace and AC repairs and replacements. I had four issues with my home's furnace and AC system reported at the beginning of September. I have only been reimbursed for two of the for items that were supposedly covered. One of the items, the furnace heat exchanger, HSA now claims isn't covered because the manufacturer allegedly carries a 20 year parts and labor warranty. Armstrong, the manufacturer, denies this claim. The Armstrong Furnace was installed in 1997. The Model # is [redacted]; the Serial # is [redacted].

Regardless, Why didn't HSA tell me that they would deny coverage when I called them with the information before the repairs back in September? They authorized my preferred contractor to make the repairs. Evidently it is because it takes 12 plus weeks to wiggle out of a contractual obligation. I would like a fair settlement on all four issues.Desired Settlement: A fair reimbursement for all four issues.

Business

Response:

The customer filed a claim indicating a failure with their furnace. Upon receiving the diagnosis from the service provider, they indicated that the heat exchanger in the furnace had failed along with other component parts. Per HSA contract if a part that is failing is still under a manufacturers warranty, that part supercedes HSA coverage's. The heat exchanger is still under manufacturer's warranty until 2017. HSA would not reimburse for the cost of the heat exchanger. The service provider should have obtained the part through the warranty for no charge. HSA would have covered for standard labor for the replacement of the heat exchanger but would not need to pay for the parts as they would be free from the manufacturer. Thank you

Consumer

Response:

I purchased a home with this warranty included. What a nightmare. On the phone for over a hour just to be pasted to another person with a longer hold time. Our AC was not working properly and we called and they had no vendors to send, so we had to contact our own, and they gave us a Special Vendor Hot line to call when they are there to let them know the cause of issue. Well, that was a joke. Technician said he would start charging by the hour for the hold time. I got ahold of them the next day and they took my info and said they would call the AC company on Monday, today is Thursday and they have not called. The girl told me they left a message at 11 this morning, the AC company told me no messages, they have 6 lines and their message machine is not even on. So yet, I am still on hold with them and I beyond upset.

I can't believe there are 5 star reviews for this. Either they needed something exceedingly minor, or it's obvious astroturfing.
The sellers of my home purchased the home warranty as part of our closing. Even though it was free to me, it's still not even worth it. If there's one word to describe HSA, it's "shady".
As I'm typing this, the thermostat in my house says 91 degrees, and it's 12:39 in the morning. My AC has been out for nearly a month, and neither HSA nor their fly-by-night contractor (Tipton Heating and Cooling) seem to care.
As many have mentioned, the customer experience is remarkably bad. You'll get someone to answer your call right away, but they're generally useless and are there to simply redirect your call. After which, you'll be on hold for 30-120 minutes waiting for a "specialist" to handle you. Their job is to take down your info and keep you at bay for as long as possible. They'll assure you that things will be done soon, but it's just the beginning of your pain.
As an aside, if you happen to be on hold when their call centers close, expect to be on hold until they open again in the morning. There's no notice for their hours, and their call center will gladly keep you on hold until the next shift comes in 8 hours later.
I'll detail my experience so far, but I imagine that is similar to everyone else who's posted a review here. Roughly three weeks ago, I realize my heat pump doesn't turn on, and since it's covered by my brand new home warranty, I figured I'd call HSA. At first, creating the ticket was decent; it took a few minutes and I thought everything would be good. It took a couple of days, but their "preferred contractor" came out and took a look. He said that it would be a simple enough fix, and said he'd call me the next day and schedule a follow-up.
No contact for a week. When I called HSA and asked, they said they couldn't get a hold of him either, and when I asked when they would switch HVAC companies, they put me on hold for over an hour. This is when I discovered their call centers keep you on hold even if they're closed.
A few days later, they called my wife and had to "authorize charges" which weren't covered by my policy. I was kind of expecting this, and was pleased it only came out to ~$90 out of pocket to do the repairs.
Nothing again from anyone for a week.
I then called them back and after waiting for ~1.5 hours, finally got someone who was "just about to call me" and was excited that instead of merely fixing the heat pump, they were going to replace it!!! Well it turns out, that it was the same cost as fixing it, but the uncovered charges came out to be over $300, of which most were "mandatory optional charges" that I had to accept for work to be done at all. They told me that they were talking with the contractor (colluding), and determined that this would be "the most cost effective for them". This seems to include a new concrete pad which I don't need, but they're forcing me to pay for to subsidize their preferred contractor. After some arguing with them over the phone, the rep basically told me "lol, take it or leave it", and I was stuck with a fait accompli.
I called the HVAC guy 4 days ago, and he told me that my unit was ready for pickup and that he'd call me to schedule a day to come by. I haven't heard from anyone since then, and I can only assume they're looking for more things to charge me with before they can even start on work.
The thermostat says 89, so I guess I can go to bed right now. If there's a guy out there who can dispose of Freon, I'll be glad to pay you to recycle it for me while I look for someone else to do the job.

Our experience with HSA, to this point, has been awful. First, I would like to acknowledge the few positives of our experience with them: (a) when you can actually get someone on the phone, they're usually professional and courteous (if sometimes clueless about what's going on with the claim). (b) Again, when you can actually get them on the phone, they're quick to provide you with a list of vendors to contact.
Now for what's made working with them a nightmare:
(1) without exception, every vendor we've worked with (or even contacted) has refused to call HSA from the site of the fix to discuss the problem. This is a policy that HSA has, before they'll approve a fix - but on average, you spend over an hour on hold when you call HSA (that's from having tried to call them well over a dozen times). Vendors aren't willing to spend over an hour waiting on hold, to tell HSA that a broken, red-tagged furnace, needs to be replaced in Minnesota, in January, when the windchill is -20'F.
(2) reluctance to approve fixes quickly - they just feel like they're trying to cut cost at the expense of their clients whenever faced with a situation where they're expected to make good on their promises.
(3) Gross lack of available customer service - forget about the mediocrity of the service when you can actually access it. I'd have an easier time getting the President of the United States on the phone.
(4) I sincerely believe that HSA has systems and processes in place, which make reaching them to file or follow-up on a verbally approved claim unbearably frustrating, with the hope that it'll minimize the number of claims they have to pay on. I honestly, sincerely, without doubt believe that their business model goes something like this: "Dangle a product that seems like a great value to customers; make it next to impossible for customers to actually contact us to realize the benefits of the product when they need it, minimizing the amount of service we have to provide to clients and losses on our end."
It actually FEELS this way when dealing with them, as if they're intentionally giving you the run around in a systematic way so that you'll just give up and incur the costs that they're supposed to be responsible for. It's despicable, because they're supposed to be helping us protect our first home and they KNOW that most important home fixes are time sensitive...so the longer they keep us on hold, the more likely it is that we'll have to bite-the-bullet and, in doing so, save them money.

Review: On 12 May 14 I reported a claim for my AC unit to be fixed. HSA sent someone from Professional Heating/Cooling out to fix the problem. The repair man, [redacted] noticed that the problem was my heat sequencer needed replaced and my blower relay needed rewiring bc it was inproperly wired. However, it was improperly wired by the repair man, [redacted] from [redacted] that HSA had sent out to repair my unit on 24 Feb 14. The fact that the company they previously sent did an improper job was not known by me, was sent by HSA to be reapired and therefore not my fault. However HSA is denying my claim based on the improper job of the first crew they send out. A representative from HSA called me to tell me this, and said next time take a picture and then it would have gotten paid. When I said I would like to speak to a supervisor about this, she put me on hold and after over 30 Minutes of being on hold the call disconnected and it took over 2 hrs to get someone on the phone again. Finally got them to check claim again and they say it is denied bc the contractors wrote down different model numbers and that they had no record of prior service to my heat pump/AC unit. In other words I must have 2 or bought a new one since 5 mar 14 when the first contractor fixed it. I double checked and one contractor wrote in the heat pump model and one wrote in the outside units number. I then contacted HSA again and they called the contractor who then confirmed to them that yes it is one unit and not 2 separate units or heat pumps. You would think problem solved but no, he said claim status will have to be looked at yet again. I have been dealing with the run around all day. This is unacceptable when they have paperwork from both companies stating the same part was replaced fixed both times. What more do they need?Desired Settlement: Pay the claim to professional heating/cooling and appliance service

Business

Response:

HSA apologizes for the delay in the claim approval. The claim was approved on 5/13/14. The homeowner will be reimbursed the deductible that was paid (they were advised of reimbursement procedures) and the service company will be paid.

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. It is a shame that I had to argue and speak to 10 different people to get this resolved in the first place. Hopefully, this doesn't happen again.