One of the great advantages of the Platinum Home Warranty is that at least they have focused their service area. Because it is consistently the role of the warrantor to choose the service provider, it is very important that they actually have some local knowledge. Larger national companies rarely vet their service providers for their quality. The main interest of the warranty company is to have the repairs and replacements be less costly – they have little incentive to try to provide high quality service.
The Built-in Incentive for Homeowners is to Avoid Initiating Service
Most companies point out that homeowners don’t know which contractors are legitimate service providers. Your ignorance is their gain – they have already chosen the providers and you must use their network to receive service. If the homeowner disagrees with the provider and would rather have their system replaced to avoid another repair charge the provider’s opinion prevails. Platinum also provides plenty of detail about the appliances and systems they cover under the three specific plans they offer. One item to note is that under the second level of coverage, food spoilage is covered. This is a great example of how many costs connected to a system or appliance failure that are not covered. Many other exclusions and limitations exist to coverage.
Read the Fine Print
It is the exact wording of the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement that will determine what is covered, which parts of the systems and appliances are covered, and the type and quality of the service and parts provided. As explained above, there is really no incentive for the company to provide you with anything that costs more than they can avoid. The quality of replacements is not addressed, nor their environmental impact, or their chance of outlasting the 180 day guarantee that the warranty provides for their services. The website is only an advertisement – the claims on the website are usually qualified greatly in the actual contract.