PRYOR, Okla. — A Pryor man says he faced months of delays before his home warranty company finally paid out on a broken HVAC system — and even then, the payout fell far short of the full replacement cost.
John Vershoor's HVAC system failed on April 1. A technician sent by his home warranty provider, Select Home Warranty, diagnosed the system as beyond repair.
"The condenser or compressor outside in the outside unit burned up," Vershoor said.
Despite the technician's findings, Vershoor says Select Home Warranty gave him the runaround instead of a quick resolution. He says the same thing happened months earlier when he filed a claim for a broken microwave. He documented every attempt to resolve the issue.
"After 18 phone calls to the, to Select Home Warranty, I called Cathy Tatom. Please help me," Vershoor said.
Vershoor was directed to file a complaint with the Oklahoma Insurance Department, which regulates companies that issue home warranties.
Mike Rhodes with the Oklahoma Insurance Department told 2 News Oklahoma the agency regularly hears from homeowners finding it frustrating to get home warranty companies to repair or replace covered appliances and things like hoem HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.
"Many complaints from consumers, and it's either a denial or something in the contract that says we're not gonna cover it, but it's, it's still a big problem out there," Rhodes said. He adds, consumers also need to make sure the home warranty company they choose is actually licensed to sell policies in Oklahoma.
Rhodes goes on to stress consumers need to read the fine print of any home warranty contract carefully to understand exactly how much coverage they are actually getting if they purchase a policy, if there are caps on how much companies will pay, and to understand what is excluded.
Two months after the Oklahoma Insurance Department got involved with Vereshoor's complaints Select Home Warranty paid out on his HVAC claim — but only up to the policy's maximum.
"They're sending me a check for $3000 because that's the maximum they'll pay for a heating unit," Vershoor said.
Vershoor says he was unaware of that cap when he purchased the policy and that Select Home Warranty initially offered him far less. He also noted $3,000 is far less than the full cost of replacing his system.
"If it wasn't for Cathy and her help in getting me going we'd be sunk," Vershoor said.
2 News Oklahoma reached out to Select Home Warranty by phone through the only number listed on its website — and by email. When Select responds, this story will be updated.
When considering a home warranty, Consumer Reports recommends instead putting that money into a dedicated home repair savings account. Bankrate advises the rule of thumb is setting aside between 1 and 3 percent of your home's value each year to help cover repair and replacement needs.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Contact the Problem Solvers:
- 918-748-1502
- problemsolvers@kjrh.com
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
