Choice Home Warranty Failure to provide home repairs Edison New Jersey

I took a contract out with Choice Home Warranty for a one year period with an option to renew for 3 more years in July 2021.  

On July 6, 2022 I placed a service order request for a plumbing leak under my kitchen sink.  I had to wait 2 weeks to get a contractor to come out.  This service request was for a water leak.  The water was going to damage my kitchen cabinets and floor if I didn't do something quick to resolve it. 

I placed a bucket under the pipes, put a towell in the floor in front of the cabinet and put black flex seal tape on the pipe just in case it would catch the water.  I didn't know where the water was coming from.  

The contractor submitted pictures and an estimate of the repair.  Less than 10 minutes later, without calling or asking for any clarifications, choice home warranty approved ONLY replacement of the faucet and supply line. 

They denied to replace the sink, the strainer baskets or any of the plumbing pipes.  I called the service department and was told it was because the system was rusted and that rust was specifically excluded in the terms and conditions of the contract.  

I read the terms again and saw that rust was specifically excluded.  I called them back and acknowledged that rust is excluded but advised them that my plumbing pipes are made of PVC plastic and this material cannot rust. 

Therefore, the repair of the pipes should be covered.  At that point, they told me that I would have to appeal and assigned a case manager.  We set up a time to talk - 2 days later.  (more delay time and possible water damage to my home). 

When I spoke with the case manager, Norvette, she told me the same thing that it was denied for rust.  I explained my point of view and tried to educate her regarding the process by which plastic or PVC cannot rust.  She continued to fall back on the terms and conditions.  

The next day, a sales representative called me to renew my policy.  I told him, Ivan, about my service call problem.  He said, "oh, don't worry.  Your service order was approved and you won't have this problem with your new contract because it is a non-exclusionary contract and everything is covered on the listed systems including the plumbing and your appliances".  I told him I wanted to wait to see how the repair went before I renewed the contract. 

After talking to Ivan, I called the service department back to find out about the approval.  They informed me that the service call was still only approved for the faucet and the supply line.  They transferred me to Ariel to further discuss the issue. 

Ariel read me the denial reason on the order and this time it said that it was denied because the homeowner had attempted a temporary repair of the system and that voided the term and conditions of the warranty.  They considered the piece of flex-seal tape, the bucket and the towell to be temporary repairs to my plumbing system!  I could not believe it.  

I wrote a detailed description of my issue to the President of the company because that it what it instructs you to do on their website when you have a complaint.  I included pictures, names, dates and times of my conversations etc.  I got no response.  

I did continue to get daily calls/emails from the sales department to renew my contract with the new non-exclusionary contract.  I called one more time, to give them another chance, and spoke with Juan in the service dept.  He set up another call with a case manager, Ms. Cooper for the next day. 

Ms. Cooper called and I explained that the measures I took to prevent water damage to my cabinets and flooring were simple mitigation steps that anyone would have taken when water is leaking inside your home for 3 weeks now without resolution.  She said she totally understood that I had to mitigate the water situation and that it wasn't an attempt to repair the pipe. 

She put me on hold and consulted with the claim adjuster.  She came back to the line and said that they still would not agree to cover the repair.  She stated that even if the flex-seal tape were not on the pipe, the fact that I put a bucket under the pipe and a towell on the floor was enough for the repair to get denied according to the terms and conditions of their contract. 

I asked her if this repair would be covered under the new non-exclusion contract that the sales department had offered me for the new contract period.  She said she had never heard of such a contract and they didn't have that.  She said that this plumbing issue would not be covered even under the new contract for the same reason of it being deemed an attempt by the homeowner to perform a temporary repair.  

This company is unbelievable.  I have read so many complaints about them.  They advertise an A+ rating with the Better Business Burea, but if you look it up on the BBB website for New Jersey (where they are located), they have an F rating and attorney generals from several states have filed complaints about them.  

No human being should be subjected to their deception.  I cannot tell you in stronger terms that no one should ever do business with them.  Their terms and conditions are written so tight that they can get out of anything.  Furthermore, if you are unhappy and have to cancel your membership, they will subtract any costs they have incurred for repairs from the amount they owe you.  Total rip off.