8 On Your Side: Home warranty woes

LAS VEGAS Home warranties are something many southern Nevadans rely on, but what happens when your home warranty company doesn't deliver in your time of need?

In theory, home warranties sound like a good idea. If something goes wrong with an appliance in your home, you pay an affordable deductible and they foot the bill to fix it or get it replaced. But, 8 On Your Side has found out more often than not it doesn't quite work out that way.

So, what's the deal?

First, when you need a repair, you must make a claim, pay a deductible, and then use a repairmen of your warranty company's choosing. That's when you find out if it can go fast or very slowly.

"You have literally no say in who fixes it or how fast its done," says 8 On Your Side's Michelle Mortensen.

There's also a second problem. One that homeowner Fay Zoeller recently ran into.

After Zoeller's air conditioning broke, it took forever to talk to a real person. Once she did, they sent several repairmen. One-by-one, however, they refused the job.

"He called me on Monday and said, 'I'm sorry. My boss says we can't take the job that this company is not in good standing and they don't pay bills,'" Zoeller said.

Which leads to the third problem: most of these companies are based out-of-state, have bad reputations, and are impossible to get ahold of.

Because of issues Zoeller had, her A/C unit is now past her policy's expiration.

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8 On Your Side: Home warranty woes