| Optional Coverage | Annual Price |
|---|---|
| Pool or Spa with Heater | $190 |
| Septic Tank with Pumping | $60 |
| Stand-alone Freezer | $36 |
| Sump Pump | $60 |
| Well Pump | $90 |
Plan Exclusions
Sears Home Warranty covers appliances and systems no matter age, brand, or where to procure them. These plans cover most breakdowns that will occur, nonetheless, there’s a protracted list of exclusions on each appliances and major home systems, so you must thoroughly read your policy to know what is just not covered.
For instance, electric baseboard units are covered, but only in the event that they are your primary heat source. The valve in your refrigerator that results in your ice maker and water dispenser is roofed, however the line to the refrigerator is just not; neither is the actual ice maker or water dispenser. These exclusions should not unusual and are considered standard for the house warranty industry.
Payout Caps
Sears Home Warranty offers a generous payout cap of $10,000 per claim and an annual payout claim of $50,000. These are relatively generous payout caps compared to other home warranty policies, and supply level of coverage for most householders.
Nevertheless, there are specific caps on specialized or commercial-grade items. This limit includes $1,000 per appliance per term for items which can be “commercial-like or ultra-premium” and $1,500 per term for “systems which have been converted from coal-to-oil, coal-to-gas, or oil-to-gas; or for decent water or steam heating systems including radiators, vent pipes/lines, or oil-fired forced air systems.”
We recommend reading over the payout caps rigorously to make sure that you understand the bounds in your appliances and systems.
27% of our survey correspondents said that getting the utmost payout cap is vital to them when selecting a house warranty policy. Sears home warranties have relatively generous payout caps.
Claim Response Times
Sears told us that they’ve very fast response times: they said that you just are typically referred to a service technician inside two hours when your claim is made during business hours.
Requests made after business hours, on weekends, or holidays have a 24-hour response time. It is a faster turnaround time in comparison with the industry standard of 24 to 48 hours.
All repairs and replacements require approval upfront and Sears Home Warranty reserves the precise to pick the service provider that can make the repairs. The corporate doesn’t specifically state that you just cannot use your personal service provider, even though it does state within the contract that they are going to not pay for repairs unless you receive their prior express consent. When you wish to make use of someone outside of their network, it is suggested that you just discuss this feature with them first to make sure that you should have coverage.
34% of our survey correspondents said that selecting their very own technician was necessary to them when selecting a house warranty policy. Most home warranty corporations have began offering this lately, but Sears doesn’t.
Customer Service and Claims
Support is on the market 24/7 and filing a claim is a comparatively easy process. You may do this:
- By calling 855-256-2467
- By submitting a claim through their website at Sears’ preferred vendor, Cinch Home Services.
Once the claim is made, expect authorization in as little as two hours during regular business hours or inside 24 hours if made during non-business hours.
Complaints and Third-Party Assessments
In terms of customer satisfaction, the recent history of Sears makes it difficult to asses how well they’re serving their customers.
Once we last reviewed the corporate in 2019, they weren’t doing thoroughly. At the moment, we found that the vast majority of customer reviews of the corporate were negative. Complaints ranged from issues with customer support representatives to service providers not showing up or taking too long to make repairs.
Since then, the corporate has been acquired by Transformco. The BBB rating for Sears is subsequently now that of their parent company. For what it’s value, this rating could be very high (an A+, the most effective possible rating). Nevertheless, it’s unlikely that that is an accurate representation of the service offered to home warranty customers. In other words, proceed with caution.
Sears Home Warranty vs. American Home Shield Warranty
Let’s compare the service offered by Sears with that provided by American Home Shield Warranty. American Home Shield, having been founded in 1971 and with greater than 9,000 BBB reviews to their name, are well established within the industry.
Here’s how the 2 corporations compare:
| American Home Shield | Sears Home Warranty | |
|---|---|---|
| Average Cost of Plan | $579.88 | $719.88 |
| # of Plans Available | Three | Three |
| Customer Satisfaction, BBB rating (and variety of reviews) | 2.42 / 5 (9,668) |
1.03 / 5 (1,215) |
| Service Fee (average) | $100 | $100 |
| States covered | 49 (excludes AK) | 48 |
As is clear from this table, the major difference between Sears and the competition is price. The corporate seems to supply fairly standard home warranties in most ways, with the exception that it’s significantly dearer than its competitors. Within the absence of a compelling reason for this higher price, it makes it difficult to recommend Sears above the competition.
Final Verdict
Sears is one probably the most recognizable brands in America, and this name recognition might help these home warranties to draw customers despite their shortcomings. Nevertheless, in our research we found that Sears home warranties aren’t great.
Though the corporate offers wide coverage across the US (48 states) and fast response times (a claimed 2 hours), they don’t let you select your personal repair person and don’t offer policies for buyers and sellers. Worst of all, their policies are significantly dearer than their competitors. In terms of customer support, the recent history of the corporate (bankruptcy, followed by acquisition) makes it difficult to evaluate how well it’s performing.
Overall, we don’t recommend Search home warranty.
Regularly Asked Questions
How Much Does a Sears Home Warranty Warranty Cost?
Our research found the typical cost of an Sears Home Warranty warranty to be $719.88. Individual plan pricing can depend upon your coverage options and where you reside. But that’s very high for a house warranty – almost $150 greater than the typical cost.
What Do Sears Home Warranty Plans Cover?
Sears Home Warranty plans cover most major appliances, home systems or a mix of each. You may select various levels of coverage in your appliances, or a systems package which covers AC and plumbing.
What Does Sears Home Warranty Not Cover?
Sears Home Warranty policies, like those of other home warranty corporations, don’t cover damages resulting from misuse or from natural events. Damages brought on by natural events should still be covered by your homeowners insurance policy.
How Much Is Sears Home Warranty’s Service Fee?
It depends. You may select policies with service fees of $75 or $100. Your annual payment might be adjusted accordingly.
Can You Cancel a Sears Home Warranty Plan for Free?
Yes. Sears Home Warranty told us that you would be able to cancel any of their policies at no cost.
How Do You File a Claim With Sears Home Warranty?
Support is on the market 24/7 and filing a claim is a comparatively easy process. You may do this:
- By calling 855-256-2467
- By submitting a claim through their website at Sears’ preferred vendor, Cinch Home Services.
Once the claim is made, expect authorization in as little as two hours during regular business hours or inside 24 hours if made during non-business hours.
What Is the Response Time After Filing a Claim With Sears Home Warranty?
The response time after filing a claim is 2 hours. That’s very fast for a house warranty company.
Are There Customer Service Complaints Against Sears Home Warranty?
In terms of customer satisfaction, the recent history of Sears makes it difficult to asses how well they’re serving their customers. Once we last reviewed the corporate in 2019, they weren’t doing thoroughly. At the moment, we found that the vast majority of customer reviews of the corporate were negative.
Methodology
There are several elements to think about when evaluating a house warranty company and its coverages. To help in your decision process, our methodology for reviewing home warranties features a quantified scoring system that evaluates 4 major categories – total plan cost, coverage and support, customizability and transparency. Inside those 4 major evaluation categories we take a look at 18 core features that include annual plan fees and repair fees, claim response times, payout caps, states available, contract length range, customizable coverages, ability to make use of own repair person, free cancelation, plan pricing, plan exclusions and other plan provisions available online. We assign fractional rating values starting from 0.00 to 1.00 points for every feature after which weight those feature values in keeping with material expert advice and consumer survey importance rating. We also compare features for every company to industry average values determined from our data collection for the highest 25 home warranty providers. Third-party rankings and customer satisfaction scores are factored in to assist assess a house warranty company’s overall quality, suitability and value.