First American Home Warranty Review

I'm not happy with First American. When you call, they're very nice. It's just the people they send out don't do anything. I had a really bad experience so far. I always check to see if things are covered with them and online before I call, and of course, they want the $85 upfront. I've had two people come out. The electrician was okay because he just told us how to operate the heater. We had three other issues, a garbage disposal, a leak in a pipe in the guest bathroom, and on the faucet, water was coming out of the top. The plumber didn't fix one of them. I even called First American and asked them to send him back out. I don't know if they did or not, but they closed the claim and said it was done.

I had American Home Shield before and they were the same way. They would take your money, come out, and say, "Either we can't fix it or it doesn't need to be fixed or it's okay the way it is." So, I dropped them. But now, First American seems to be doing the same thing. I spent $170 for nothing. So going forward, I'm just gonna look online and get a local person to fix things. Right now, there's an issue with the refrigerator, but we're not going to call First American. We're just going to get somebody local to look at it. For $85, they'd probably fix it. But with First American, I don't even know if they would fix it or not. They'd probably say it doesn't need to be fixed. I would not recommend their company like I wouldn't recommend American Home Shield.

First American was part of my deal when I purchased my home. It was a one-year home warranty and after that, I just renewed it. I've been protected for two years and I didn't have to submit a claim until about two months ago. I simply called and they set up contractors to come out and take care of my problems. The claim process was very easy for me. I had an issue with a garbage disposal. What I didn't know until I talked to my brother was there's a reset button. So, I hit the button and it started working. That was a day before they were supposed to come out. So, I canceled that claim.

The other one was an issue with my garage door. A gentleman came out. He was professional. It took him 20 minutes to fix it. One of my sensors wasn't situated properly. He aligned it and he fixed it. I haven't had an issue since. First American is a great company. I like the idea that I feel safe and secure, and that I'm not going to have huge expenses when I have something go wrong at my house. If you don't have to use it, that's great. When I did have to use it, they responded quickly.

We've had First American for years and they've done very good for us. I wouldn't be with them if they weren't good. I go online to submit a claim and then they will assign somebody and send me the information on who the vendor is going to be. And if I don't hear from them quickly, I'll reach out to them. It's really seamless and it runs very well. As far as the contractors, everybody's been good.

I just renewed this year with First American. Submitting a claim to them is very efficient and fast. I do it on the phone but sometimes, I do it online. It's not any problem to get in contact with their reps and they're courteous and efficient. I have the name and phone number of the contractors and based on my experience living here, I know who they are. So, I know who I'm dealing with before based on the name and reputation. Overall, I've not had any problems dealing with the service and the contractors that they send.

I've been dealing with home warranty companies for a long time, and I finally settled on First American. They were repairing things that other companies did not offer. I did my homework, and most warranty companies would not do preexisting. They always found something to deny your claim. And with First American, there's a tier level but I went to their highest one, which still was beneficial to me because I have an older home. Submitting a claim is fast and great. I've told them about some vendors that they've used in the past. They were not great, and it was putting a blemish on their record. They would always say they were getting rid of those vendors. But when they give me someone else, it's always been a positive experience.

On the first call to First American, our issue is usually addressed. The technicians that they've sent out have been good. It's always taken at least a couple of weeks to get them back to finish the job, but the work has been good. The latest two claims, it's been two to three weeks. There was a confusion on one of them, where the service people did not call back and did not follow through. I canceled it. First American called another group to come in, and the first people came and finished their job. So, they didn't cancel.

I've been a First American customer for about five years now and when submitting claims, some of my experiences were okay and some of them weren't. I have some really good people. One of the plumbers came over and he told me, “You really shouldn't use Drano for the pipes.” Then he took off with my brand-new bottle of Drano. I thought that was different. And in another one, my air conditioning went down. They said I could apply for a loan, and the person working with a company said I could say that I'm making a certain amount of money, and then I would automatically get the loan.

However, I'm retired and I'm not working right now, so I'm just getting Social Security. I can't lie about that. He told me it would be a shoo-in if I did that. Then I could get the loan for the air conditioner. He was telling me to lie about it, and I didn't like that. I can't do anything wrong so I didn't comply with that. I went with somebody else and paid out of pocket.

I also had a claim on my dishwasher. They came a few times to work on the dishwasher and never fixed it. So, I had to get a brand new one, and I paid out-of-pocket for that. I was under the assumption when I was reading that if First American couldn't fix it, then they'd replace it. That wasn't done because of some fine print.

I’ve been very happy with First American. We've been with them for 14 years and plan to stay with them. We've never had an issue.

We've had First American for several years, and they've always been responsive to us. Our experience with the technicians that they've sent has been good. It's been a little confusing sometimes. Recently, we didn't know if we had a problem with the dishwasher, garbage disposal, or electricity. So, all three of them came out. All three of them said, “Well, we don't see a problem.” We had heard a pop when we had turned the dishwasher and the garbage disposal on.

When we lived in Chesapeake, our real estate agent helped us start the program with First American for us. When we moved back, we had such a good experience with them before that we did it again. I've learned the system of submitting a claim. A few times, I've struggled to figure out how to get to an actual person if I can't explain it over the automated system. Sometimes, it just doesn't go through exactly how I liked it, but overall, I've had a good experience with it.

I do my claims over the phone. Usually, they send me a text and an email of the group that's been assigned to. So, I have all their information, the person I can call, and the business information before they come out. Recently, our garage door was having issues. So, we had somebody come out, and it was a really good experience. The technicians were great. One of the guys explained everything very thoroughly to us. He was able to fix the issue and then express that there were some more things that needed to be done that weren't covered by the insurance.

The first two years with First American, they were really good. I could contact people inside the claims. I had a contact that I could email when I was having an issue. I stay with them because I've got an older AC unit. And every year before I renew, I ask them, “If something happens to my AC unit, that y'all are covering this? Correct?” They keep saying yes.

I had an issue from the very first year I moved in with the newer AC unit. I live in Texas, and it went out in June. And it did that every year, except the second year, for three years in a row. When it kept going out, the people that they used for the AC unit said, “Well, we have to have this one specific part. And you're gonna have to pay X number of dollars before we even order it because we're just not gonna order it. It's an expensive part. And this is what your part’s gonna be with the warranty.”

I was like, “Okay. Fine.” I ordered it. I paid for it and I waited and waited, and I kept checking. It was in 21' and I got, “We're having supply chain issues, blah, blah, blah.” It was a Lennox unit. I contacted another vendor that I use for my pest control who's a Lennox dealer. I was like, “Can you come out and look at this and tell me what you've got? Have you got the part?” I paid them almost $1,600 to get the thing fixed. I canceled the order, got the other money back, and then was fighting with the regular people at the warranty.

I went online and found their home office and called and ended up getting the secretary of the president of the home warranty section. I left this very long, detailed message. She called me back, gave me her email address and said, “Send me everything you've got.” So, I did. The next thing I know, they paid for it in full. They sent me a check to reimburse me for everything.

Unfortunately, when I've had issues with the call center, I've had to shoot her emails before, and I will get a response from her that either says, “No. Lisa, they're right. This is why.” I was like, “Oh, crap” or it was getting taken care of. I'm extremely conservative. It would be very nice if we could bring call centers back to the United States among everything else. I have issues when they're talking and I say, “I'm sorry. I need you to slow down. I'm having a hard time understanding you.” They get angry and hang up on me. That sends me off the top, and then the people in traffic get to suffer for it.

Other than that, I do recommend First American to people. I've had other warranty companies and First American is better than some but I also pay the most. I pay for the top-of-the-line thing to cover the AC that's 24 years old now. It's run better than the new one that was replaced a year and a half before I bought the house.

In the beginning, First American had a good price. Then it has gone up. There's been a couple of claims that I'm not very happy with. I had a water heater claim. They said they would replace the water heater. They didn't pay for modification, which I understood. That's in the contract but for whatever reason, there was $600 worth of modification that was needed for this water heater. I expressed my displeasure in that. The person I was speaking to gave me another option. I wish he told me that they would give me the cost of the water heater itself, the labor, and to carry off the old water heater. It ended up being $597, which is absolutely ridiculous because I could go buy a water heater, have it installed, and have it carry off for $597.

I got two different stories. The plumbers told me that they didn't know why these modifications were needed to be made. The plumber kind of put it on First American. I called First American back and asked them about it, and they gave me a list of things that they said the plumber told them that were needed to install this water heater. To summarize my experience with First American, some things are fine but some things are not.

There's the ease of contact with First American. The technicians they've sent always do the job right, and they've always been really respectful and polite.

So far, First American has been fine. Submitting a service request is a pretty easy process. I've had a couple of plumbing issues, and I went online and submitted my claim and they had a plumber contact me and come out. The plumber did a great job.

First American is better than most home warranty companies I’ve used before. They follow through, which I appreciate. Everything, in general, has been good. The thing that could be improved is being able to select the vendor and better quality control of the vendors they use. I either call them or I'll go online to submit my claim, depending on what it is. The process is easy. So far, First American honored the claims I've submitted. My most recent claim was on a broken microwave. It didn't heat. They replaced it.

First American sent a guy out for the refrigerator. Our outdoor refrigerator wasn't cooling and he came to fix it. I wasn't happy with the service. He spoke hardly any English at all. It was hard to communicate. Then when he got done, he just left. He didn't even tell us he was done and what he did. Other than that, the refrigerator is doing okay. For the most part, we've been very pleased with the service from the technicians so far. Some are better than others about calling you. You have to call some of them. So far, we've been pleased with First American. That's the reason why I keep renewing. Hopefully, the price will quit going up.

We bought the house and didn't have any issues until four months after getting the house, and then we had some electrical issues, and First American got somebody out quickly, which I appreciated because all of our lights went out. The technician that they sent out was very knowledgeable and knew their stuff.

I purchased First American once before and did not keep it. It didn't seem to be a good value at that time. I currently have had it for a year, and I've had to use it three times. My most recent claim was for a broken fan in my furnace motor. My only disappointment was the length of time it took to get it resolved. However, I didn't need heat during that period. It took a few days to hear back from the repair company, but the person that they sent was terrific, did a great job, and was very respectful. He ordered the part. They sent the wrong one. He had to reorder it, and he made a concerted effort to get here as soon as possible. Once that part came in, he took care of everything for me. First American is a trustworthy company.

We had a dishwasher that went out that wasn't draining. I called First American and told them. I looked at my thing and saw that the dishwasher was on the list. So, I knew when I called that it was covered. The rep said that she would have somebody call me back to set up an appointment. She had me make a payment of $100 before she called them. So, I knew that that was going to be taken care of, and that's all it was going to cost. It was the same day they called. The guy who came out was quiet, and I asked what happened and if it was something we did. He said, “Oh, it's fixed now.” That was all he said and he walked out. So, I didn't know what was wrong. He was okay. He was fast. I just wanted to know what happened, so that I wouldn't do it again and I didn't get that.

With First American, everything is done quickly. When I call them, then the follow-up is right away. I didn't have to wait two or three days. I've had warranty companies before where it was hard to get them. Then when you get them, it's hard to get them to call you back, and it takes two or three days. First American doesn't work like that at all. Everything went very fast with them.

If something comes up on an appliance, you don't know who would be the best person to call. With First American's service, you don't have to worry about that. They assign a contractor to come out. So, that's a nice part of it. The thing I like the least is, for certain services, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency. When my hot water heater went up, it took over three weeks to get it replaced. So, I almost dropped the contract because of that. I know I could just call anybody up locally and get it replaced right away. So sometimes, a replacement takes longer than I think is reasonable. Other than that, the contractors have been very good. So far, I've been satisfied with that.

When I renewed the contract this year, First American had a new option where in addition to covering your air conditioner and your heating unit, they also offered the annual service plan where they would come out once a year to service the air conditioning and the furnace. I had already had a contract with another provider, so they overlapped. So the one that overlapped came out, and they were recommending a replacement on my furnace of the heat exchange. I thought, “Well, in order to get that replaced, I'd have to have a First American contractor come out.” When the First American contractor came out, he assured me that it didn't need to be replaced at that time.

What bothers me is, oftentimes, there's no follow-up communication. If you're needing to get something replaced, for example, a washer during COVID, it would have been nice that the communication said, “Hey, Mr. **, due to supply chain issues, it may take three to six weeks to get you your washer.” They never said that. I would call and nobody knew what was going on, and it was confusion.

Having First American can make the repair and replacement process easier because vendors are assigned to you. Normally, they're good vendors. So, it makes the process a little less of a hassle because it's being taken care of for you, and you don't have to necessarily worry about the reputation of a contractor. You kind of make the assumption that if it's somebody contracted by First American, they've had a good experience with those vendors.

First American did a good job. We've been with them for over 20 years, and submitting a service request has been very quick, easy, and prompt. When my ice machine went out, they sent over an ice maker. When the microwave went out, they sent us a brand-new microwave. The air conditioner unit went out, and they sent over a brand new AC right away. We picked them up from Home Depot or wherever it was. They work quickly. The guys that I've encountered, especially the ones that connected the stove were very nice. They helped me move some stuff out of the way to get to something. They went the extra mile.

With First American, making a claim is easy because I don't have to decide who to call. I just put my claim in, and they send me a message and say, "This person is gonna call you." They set up an appointment and they come in to fix whatever it is that is wrong. I've always had excellent service. I'm very satisfied. I've had friends sign up for it also because they see how happy I am.

A bad thing that happened was when it took me forever to get a refrigerator. I was frustrated because I knew that that part could not be repaired. I called the company back in Texas and they said, "Well, we can't repair those anymore." That was the only time I've been disappointed with a company that First American sent because they were saying, "Oh, we're waiting for it to come back, come back." So, I was frustrated. I looked under Google and I got the top man's email address. I sent him an email, and within 15 minutes of me pushing send, they were on the phone apologizing. They arranged for a refrigerator to be delivered the next day. They did fix it.

I had rented a place, and my landlord had First American. The landlord was wonderful, and they had me deal with the insurance company directly. They removed the middleman. The insurance industry has such a bad stigma. It gave me a good impression of how insurance companies could be good. The HVAC went out and needed a major repair. Everything went great with the insurance company. I ended up buying this unit from the landlord. He paid for a year of First American insurance, which was really nice of them.

The washing machine went out, and it was a really easy experience. My only criticism is that they have vendors that they use, and I live in a building that has preferred vendors. None of the vendors that work with First American are allowed in my building. So, that creates extra hoops of work. Other than that, they're easy to work with.

I joined First American when I moved into a patio home 12 years ago. Submitting a claim is done really well. The last time was even better because when I called a claim in, I immediately had someone to talk to. I didn't have to go through that whole thing. The latest claim was for a plumbing issue. The toilet was leaking. I called late Friday and I had a callback that Monday morning. Then a group came out and fixed it. So, it was really good. This group was fantastic. Everyone I've had so far has been really good for different problems.

First American has a fair price. When I requested service, the response was quick and smooth. I like that once I requested service, it was processed. The most recent claim was for the cooling system. My air conditioner was not cooling. When the service provider came, they advised me, “This one is very old age kind of cooling system. So, in order for you to save money, better just update it and probably will help you even to save money.” So, I decided to update. I filed it to First American, and they reimbursed me some money that could be used to repair it.

Most of the time, I go online to file my claims. But for the last two services, I called because my password was not passing through. Overall, I'm very satisfied with First American. They are very effective as a service provider. It covers all my appliances that I use daily. So, it's helped me to reduce the expenses that I could be spending to fix my appliances.

Filing a claim to First American was okay. I'm glad that I got to call and talk to somebody instead of doing it online. My AC was not working. It took them a couple of days to fix it, but it's fine. It wasn't too bad.

First American's service was good. Submitting a claim is easy. I do it online. Recently, they sent someone to fix the freezer. It stopped getting cold. They defrosted it. Everything is fine now. The only thing is they can get their parts faster. That's an issue. Last year, it took my sister over a month to get her air conditioner fixed because of parts. We're in Bullhead City. We need air conditioning. If I don't like somebody they send out for any reason, they will send me a different company.

I have filed a claim to First American for the dishwasher, and it wasn't difficult at all. But for the issue with my pool, it was very difficult but they finally did pay for that repair. It took some time to get through the process. It wasn't very simple for all that they needed to provide, what I had to provide, and what was the unit that was broken. They didn't have someone who deals with pools on a regular basis who could come out and fix it. As opposed to a dishwasher, they have companies. I had to take out my person, get the evaluation, and send stuff back and forth. That was the difficulty, and they didn't like what the person was sending in. Outside of that, First American has been good.

First American has been great. They've helped me out so much. Submitting claims has been very simple. The technicians are always polite and professional.

I've been using First American for a couple of years. They're very good. Submitting a claim has been very smooth. The technicians were very knowledgeable.

The people from First American come when they say they're going to come and they are very neat and clean. Also, they come back when they have to do a follow-up. Everything's been good so far. To submit a claim, I just look for the phone number and call. It's very easy to get in contact with an actual person. The people who come out look very well. They've already called and let me know they're coming, and they usually get here about the time they say. My most recent claim was on my washing machine that I've had for a good time. It's never been broken before and somehow, it stopped draining. So, a repairman came and he did something. Later, the draining came back.

First American is great. I've made four claims. The claim representative was fine. I call them up because I don't want to do it online. They did everything they said they were going to do. The last thing I did was the air conditioner. It quit when it was 117 degrees. The tech came out, went on the roof for 15 minutes, and said, "It's just a part that I need to replace and I've got it on my truck." I had my air working in half an hour and they were out of here. I called First American on Friday and the techs were here Sunday evening, which is good because they don't do that stuff on the weekend.

When I think about all the years I paid into it, this year, I got my money's worth out of it. I had a washer, a microwave, a ceiling fan, and the air conditioner go out. I had four claims this year already. They either replaced it or they fixed it. They could fix the washer. It was a part. On the microwave, he had to come a couple of times because he was having a hard time, but he got it fixed. That's probably their MO because, if they can fix it, they're not going to give you a new one. The air conditioner people showed up in a white van with no name on it, and I thought, "Here we go." But they were awesome. Overall, I'm very satisfied.

We've submitted one claim to First American. It went fantastically. I called about noon one day and the plumber that they dispatched to us was an absolutely fantastic choice. He was here that same night, and then he was here the very next morning, had the new water heater installed and working, and was out of our hair by 10:00 AM. So, in less than 24 hours, the whole claim was handled and fixed. It was wild. It was a very good experience so far.

First American's service has been good. We had one tech that we didn't care for, but the other ones are great. The first time, that tech we didn't care for came, but he was his own business and didn't have anything out in Broken Arrow. So, we were far away. So we were scheduled with him and we could wait a while. We had a dishwasher that had water in there and the bottom of it and he didn't call. He didn't check. He didn't like return calls. One time, he answered. He doesn't even call you to let you know when he's going to do it. So, we asked for somebody else and they came out. When they came out, the smell from the water in the bottom of our dishwasher had started stinking already because we were waiting all this time for this person to show up. So, he didn't make it a priority to get it done at all.

Brothers was great. They came out and took care of it right then. They returned the phone call right away, and then they came out right away and took care of it right away. Then, it went through a company called Sears, and they came out and did a wonderful job. I like Brothers. I really like Sears. Those two really stand out. When you call First American and say you don't like something, they get on it right away to get it worked out. So, it's a good company. We were frustrated when we had gotten this guy at first and we had called in for them to change it. It took a minute and it ended up being that guy again. We were really frustrated with that guy, so we were considering, "We're gonna find someplace else," because we don't like this guy.

I had First American years ago. I left and came back. Since I've been back, I had to use the service once. My experience was good. They replaced the two ceiling fans. There was a third one, but the guy couldn't get the downrod off the fan. So, then he had to take the fan apart and repair it. That one's making a clicking noise again like it was before, and it makes it tough to go to sleep at night sometimes when it's making a noise. The technician was good. They just couldn't get the fan apart. So, it would have been greater if they had replaced it. I asked them to get a downrod, but they said, "No, we'll take it apart and tighten everything up. See if that takes care of it." It took care of it for several days, and then it started again. It's past the 30 days now.

First American's overall claim process is okay. It's just their selection of providers needs improvement. Every time I submit a claim and they send somebody out, they're never rated by the Better Business Bureau and every service I've had always has very poor ratings on Yelp. So, it's disappointing. The last claim I had just reopened because they fixed my air conditioning a week ago and it broke again yesterday. So, I guess they didn't repair it properly. The tech just put Freon in it. He said he tested it for leaks and didn't find any. It must have a leak since I don't have cool air again.

Usually, I make my claims through First American's website, and the process is very easy. I am given the names and phone numbers of the people who will be coming out. The people who came to our house to do our locks were really nice. I just put a claim in yesterday for our dishwasher. We have a problem with the door. It doesn't stay up when you close it. It just falls. It's very heavy and I have little kids, so if they're gonna open the dishwasher, it can fall and hurt them. So, we need to have somebody come. I'm still waiting for someone to reach out to me on this claim.

First American covers a lot. They're very widespread in what they cover, and it's not that bad of a deductible. Also, the cost is reasonable. It's very easy to submit a claim with them. I do it online. I did have to take care of some things over the phone as well. But either way I did it, it wasn't hard at all. Their customer service reps make it very easy and the online process is super easy.

Their contractors sent me text messages and emails. They made sure I knew they were coming. They told me between what times. So, it was very easy to keep track of what they were doing because they would send us confirmation every time they did something. The first time, the plumber I had was good, but he had a lot of issues getting here. He couldn't get here until way late at night. I'm not sure if First American covered it or not, but he said if he had to open the wall up to do any kind of work on our plumbing, he would not be replacing that. Luckily, he didn't have to do any of that. On our most recent claim, Sears was sent and they were very good. I was not home, though, when the tech came. They texted me and let me know they were on their way. They told me who my rep was gonna be. So, they kept me informed of everything.

When I found First American, they had a pretty good deal. I just noticed they're getting increasingly deep on what they include when they say "free replacement." It used to be that they would replace everything and it wouldn't cost us anything, which is what their commercial used to say. They still say it now, except they've added a caveat. The whole idea of having a home warranty program is when something goes bad, they'll replace it, which they used to do.

I've enjoyed First American. It works. When something goes wrong, they send out people. It's not a big ordeal. They usually have good vendors. It's all worked out. I have good experiences and in today's world, where you get no customer service, that's great. I call up on the phone to file my claims. I get a live representative. It takes a week or two at the most for First American to complete an issue. They are quick. I would recommend them.

First American has been working as expected. I had a recent claim for the garbage disposal and they replaced it. The technician was courteous.

I like that I feel covered with First American, and it's a great company. It's a little bit slow waiting for parts but the first company had come out, had to check the furnace, and the tech was awesome. He was in, fixed it, and he was out. It was making noise. So, he fixed it. And then the dishwasher, for some reason, started leaking from this valve. So, I called it in and they took their time. They sent out a repairman and it needed a water intake valve part. The last time I talked to them was a few days ago, and they told me that the part was going to come in Wednesday and they would contact me. So, I'm still waiting for them to contact me.

First American comes in handy when unexpected stuff breaks. I had a plumbing claim back in February. It was quick. They got someone to the house within a week because they had to wait on the plumber. They fixed everything when they got there.

First American has been fabulous. Filing a service request is very easy. They get back to us quickly. The latest claim was filed within a week. Our heating went out. Within the first week, someone came and looked at it. The contractor did very well. They answered all our questions. They knew the issue when they first came, and then they had to go back and order a new air conditioner, which took another week for us to get back.

I'm satisfied with First American. I file my service requests over the phone, and they're very helpful. I call them, tell them what the problem is, and they will assign me a contractor. The technicians have been good. If something doesn't work after they leave, within 30 days, they'll come back and fix it or replace the whole unit.

I've been satisfied with all the services that First American provided. I've had no issues with them taking care of anything that needed to be repaired or replaced. They have a good customer service department. It's been a good experience.

Last month, we had a lot of rain and my smoke detectors started going crazy. So, I put a claim in for the smoke detectors and First American said, "Pay the $100 and we'll send the guy out." I paid the $100, and the guy came out and said, "A couple of these things should be replaced because of what happened." There were power outages here in our area during the rainstorms and the power outages were going up and down throughout the whole day. The smoke detectors started making noises and they wouldn't stop. The guy said, "I think that I should just replace those." I said, "Okay. As long as it's covered, go ahead and do it." He said, "Yeah, I'll replace two or three of them." He called his office to make sure everything was okay and he replaced three of them. He said, "You got three other ones. But those are older ones and I don't think that they're going to be covered."

I said, "You know what? Let me just pay you whatever it is and you can just change them." He said, "Okay. That's $30 each." So, I gave him $100 and he changed them. Then, I got a letter a couple of weeks later saying, "We're sorry. Your claim is denied. Smoke detectors are not covered." There was a labor cost. I don't mind paying for services as long as they do it. The deal was to pay the $100. I paid the $100 and he came out and changed the two that he said that there was no charge. When I put the claim in, I made sure I told them exactly what was wrong with the smoke detectors. They won't stop beeping because of the power outages. They said, "Well, that's covered." Then, I got a letter. I didn't pay any attention to the letter because the thing was already done. He already did the work and I paid and that's it.

It cost me $200 to change a few smoke detectors. 100 for First American and the 90-something for the tech. He didn't have a receipt, so he gave me a photo of the $100 bill that I gave him and that was it. I didn't complain. They said fixtures are not covered. Also, there was a light switch that wasn't going on. When he came out here, he said, "You know what's wrong with your light switch? The ballast." It was a ceiling light. He said, "I don't know if it was the power outage or whatever it is, but the ballast is no good. It's not the fixture. It's the ballast. I can't change it unless you give me $50 because I'm not sure if it's covered." I said, "Well, you know what? Why don't you call the office and find out if it's covered?" He said, "Okay." They never got back to me again. I called First American and I said, "The ballast is burned out in the ceiling. I happen to have a new part here in my house."

We have a big house and we get repairs sometimes. So, we had a new fixture. I said, "You could just change the whole fixture if you want. It's got a new ballast in it. All you have to do is just shove it in the ceiling and just connect it to the wires." I called First American and they said the ballast is covered. Then, I got a letter saying, "No, the fixture is not covered." So, it was the same thing. When I signed up for it, they said, "Pay the $100, the smoke detectors are covered." Then they sent a letter saying the fixtures were not covered. When I called and said, "Is the ballast covered or should I pay the guy 50 bucks?" They said, "No, it's covered." I called the electric company and left a message saying, "Hey, I just called the warranty company. They said the ballast is covered." They never called me back. I got a call from First American saying it was not covered.

So, I got bad information on that whole deal. I didn't complain. I just said, "If that's not covered, it's not covered." When I paid the $100, I talked to somebody on the phone. I just didn't go online and file a claim. I called and said, "This is the problem. Is it covered?" He said, "Yes." I went forward and paid the 100 bucks. I was also told the ballast was covered. What happened was I told the electric company that I had a brand-new fixture. It's just a little ceiling light in the bathroom. The ballast behind the tiny fixture was burned out. So, I said, "Here's the part. Just go change it." He said, "Nope, nope. Can't do it unless I get an okay from the office."

There was one other claim. Because of all the rain, we had a leak. So, I paid $100 for that and I had a couple of guys come out and say, "You know what? You got a bunch of mud up there from the rain. Give me your hose." He hosed it down and washed out the mud and he said, "You're not going to have any more leaks." So, I canceled that and I asked for the $100 back.

I was a little disappointed because I was calling and getting mixed signals saying the smoke detectors were covered, and then they sent me a letter saying it was not. It was the same thing for the ballast. I talked to two people when I called. I said, "Is the ballast covered?" The person who answered the phone said, "I don't know. Let me check with my manager." So, they went to the manager, and he said, "Absolutely. A ballast is covered." I never do anything without getting an okay because I didn't want to make any problems with this thing because it's a minor thing. Next time I have a handyman come, if it's not covered, I'll just pay him to do it.

First American has been great. They're responsive. They're a good company. Their website's very easy to use. I like it. I haven't had any complaints except with the appliance repair people that they have. They are not the best quality.

Back in January, I had an air conditioner replacement and it took forever to get that done. We had to go through First American to get it approved, but I finally got it fixed. So, I was happy with it so far. Just the other day, I had to have a garbage disposal replaced. I called to set up an appointment and the guy told me he didn't have time to mess with me. First American got someone else and they got right on it. So, I was very happy about that.

First American saved me quite a bit of money over the years. I've had them for 10 years. They replaced our hot water heater and done some plumbing. It's always been done to perfection but it's just hard to get someone out here. Most of the people they get have to make time to get to this area. It's my only downfall with them. First American has always been very helpful. They've done everything they're going to say and try to stay on top of everything.

The service with First American varies. I just had a recent claim, which is being processed and it's gonna get done, but they have a problem with communicating within themselves internally. You talk to one person, and then they give you this other line and it should be on the notes and it's not in the notes, and then somebody else calls you back. It's not like they assign one person to your claim so they can follow it through and that's an internal thing, which makes it difficult at times. Over the years, some contractors are good and some are bad.

I like the way First American is. It's like any type of insurance. Some years you don't use it at all and then, the times you do, you have it. I think they're a little bit too structured on this and that, "It's got to be up to code." Sometimes it gets a little complicated. It depends on your coverage. They do get the service done. In fact, I just got a call this morning, they're making sure contractors got to me, and that they're going to install it this week. So, they do follow up but there are times when it's like their internal communication breaks down.

I stick with First American but what I don't like about it is that, when you file a claim online, it's a computer-generated that sends out whoever they assign you to. You send them in a claim and within two minutes, you get an email back saying, "Oh, your claim is now being assigned to so and so." You know you haven't talked to anybody. So, it's a computer-generated random selection. I've had plumbing issues, and I want the same company who did me a good job. I want them to come back out and it's difficult to get them because of the way they do their assignments.