[murfice1]

We are closing on our home in January and would like to know if there are any local appliance companies that provide service contracts after the manufacturer's warranty expires? and if so what is your experience with them?

Thank you
Matt & Debbie

[ladylake1]

I have heard of Broward Maintence (or something close to that) that offers apparently resonalbe service plans. I still have new appliance warranty so will not be checking out other extended warranties until next summer.

[Floridagal]

Just signed up with Service America. Had their service when I lived in South Florida and found them to be very reliable.

[Bryan]

As a general rule, I always thought "extended service contracts" were not such a good deal. Of course there are always exceptions and it's your money and your peace of mind so do what makes you most comfortable. I will say to read your contract very carefully and question any thing that is anywhere near not completely clear. I had as acquaintance who purchased such a contract for home, including (she thought) her air conditioner. The wording in the contract was "Air Conditioning System Comp." which she took to mean "air conditioning system complete". She did have an A/C problem, called service, got it repaired, and was presented with a bill. Thinking her contract covered the repairs, she called the company. It turns out that "Air Condition System Comp." really means "air conditioning system compressor" and did not cover the rest of the system - coils, motor, chiller, etc. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper and quickly canceled her service contract.

[Talk Host]

Service contracts are very confusing to consumers.

We paid for over $200 for annual maintainance on our heating and air conditioning system. On one visit they announced that we needed to have our coils cleaned at a cost of over $200. I thought that would have been covered. It wasn't. The original contract was just to find other problems that cost money to repair.

We had an extended warranty on our GE appliances. The dish washer began leaking. When my wife called for repair, they told her she had to examine the machine herself and tell them exactly where it was leaking. She couldn't tell, EXACTLY, since it is built in. They told her that it was likely the seal and that wasn't covered and they wouldn't be sending anybody.

JLK

[l2ridehd]

These contracts are the biggest rip off in the service business. About 25 years ago I got burned once on my very first contract. Never again. A friend I know does this. They always ask with everything they buy how much is the contract? Then they take that money and put it in a special account. If they have any work done on anything, it is paid from that account. They do the same thing with car insurance, getting the highest deductible available. Add that difference to the same account. About 12 years ago they had enough to move it into a mutual fund. They still pay any repairs or insurance repairs from there. Today the fund is just a little over $12,000. I doubt they will ever spend it all. Most things run for several years past the warranty with no repairs.

Today I do buy one service contract. It is on my oil furnace in Virginia. I do that because it is 25 years old and needs to be replaced. However I have been doing that for 5 years now and I would have been better off just paying the service as I needed it.