The water heater tank broke in a rental home I own. Since I have warranty through American Home Shield I called to schedule service. All went well but when the tech arrived he spent 1 minute looking at the water heater and stated he did not have a tank on his truck and without any further comment he went back to his truck. After 20 minutes he emerged from his truck and said, "you have several code violations which I must correct during installation of a new water tank".
I asked, "how much is my charge since I have American Home Shield warranty". He said they did not cover more than $250.00 for code violations and that I would have to pay out of pocket $858.00. I said I just paid to have a new water heater put into my personal home and the total was only $750.00 tank and all. He responded, "that's our price if you want it done". Total cost for code violations over $1100.00.
For example his charge for an expansion tank $295.00, Metal stand for tank $300.00, permit $105.00, Fittings $118.00. I later found out that the metal stand is not required anymore due to the updated design of the water tanks with sealed burners and that the fittings come with a new tank.
I tried to communicate with the owner of this franchise (Kathy) but she immediately became defensive when I said the prices were more than excessive. As an appliance technician and also the owner of an appliance repair company even I was in shock when I heard these prices. As a contractor for warranty companies myself I find the pricing of this company and the attitude to be far from professional and certainly "RIP Off" pricing.
I did ask the plumber if he ever went into a home with a warranty that he didn't find code violations. He wouldn't answer my question but simply said I was wasting my money with a warranty company.
Robert
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