Evan Mann writes:

Has anyone gotten something useful done through their home warranty?

Two kinds of home warranty experiences: (1) you pay but you never need
it, (2) you pay and then need it but it doesn't deliver. The biz
essentially requires that you have no conscience and an ability to take
justified anger and defend yourself legally.

They're for suckers. You pay up front, and when you call for repairs,
all you get levels of guys skilled at excuses for not covering the work,
and an offer to do it for new money.

Even at the very worst, if you actually managed to nail them with an
expensive repair that they might admit is covered, they have the option
to cancel the coverage and give you your "premium" money back. So you
can't *possibly* win.

My elderly mom paid for years on that stuff. They would once in a while
make a show of changing a faucet washer or cleaning the A/C filters, but
when the A/C actually broke down, it was "past its lifetime".

The only "home warranties" that have worked for me are the extensions
for using a gold credit card. I have replaced or repaired several
appliances that quit in their second year that way. The credit card
people seem to run this as a genuine actuarial risk and actually pay the
claims.