SEARS WARRANTY FRAUD -- read the small print! Nationwide

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused here, and I SELL water heaters for Sears. I have never even seen an extended warranty for them, only Master Protection Agreements. This, of course, means that labor and trip charges are covered, including an annual preventative maintenance visit by the technicians, at your request. I'd suggest that whoever told you that any agreement you may have purchased will cost you a labor charge review that actual terms of the contract, and then start begging for your forgiveness. Unfortunately, I'm also kinda torn. My company DOES stand to make more in the long run by the general public believing that we offer extended warranties and not buying what we actually do offer.
Do the math real quick- a 12 year warranty water heater has a recommendation from the manufacturer that the heater get an annual check, without which the warranty may be nullified by the manufacturer without the retail store being any the wiser. For the first five years, a consumer has two choices- get the maintenance plan as offered, or consider it nothing more than a warranty ad do without it. The consumer that buys the agreement has an additional $79.99 plus tax on their receipt for most models to get a 5 year plan. The consumer who does without only has one year of labor for covered repair supplied by Kenmore, but nothing for maintenance checks.
To maintain the Manufacturer's Warranty, this customer must then pay a technician each year for a checkup on the appliance. With the current rate in my local area being $80-120 for such a visit, the customer ends up paying the same company $400-600. This, of course, is just figuring for warranty maintenance, assuming there are never any other problems, and counting on inflation not existing. Bottom line- the maintenance plan works if you are working with people who understand it, but calling it a warranty will lead to confusion.