DO NOT BUY Home Emergency Insurance Solution's (AKA Homeserve USA) "Water Line Insurance Protection." It's a scam.
Home Emergency Insurance Solutions sent me a notice disguised as a water bill with the heading, "Arlington Water Service Line Responsibility." it contained a brochure with information intended to scare me into thinking that my water line (from the street to the house) could break at any time and cost thousands of dollars to repair. Arlington County says this is extremely rare. The company tried to get me to sign up to pay either $4.95 per month, $14.85 per quarter, or $59.40 per year for what they claimed was "coverage that would protect me up to $3,000 per call for up to 4 calls."
I examined their policy which includes fine print that excludes both pre-existing breaks (which is reasonable) and pre-existing conditions (which is not). According to the water department and plumbers I talked to, nearly all water line breaks and blocks, unless done by digging, are caused by pre-existing conditions such as a bulid up of lime and scale in pipes, deteriorating pipes, settling or heaving soil, tree roots, freezing due to not being buried deep enough, etc. In other words, the coverage is virtually worthless. It's a scam. And, furthermore, their policy lets these scammers off the hook if a break is covered by your homeowners policy which it probably is; it's covered under mine.
Anyone who pays for this water service line policy is throwing their money down the drain. The fact that water line breaks are so rare, nearly eliminates claims. And the pre-existing conditions and overlapping insurance fine-print eliminates the need to pay virtually all that do arise. Whether they pay or not is up to them. If people who buy this coverage really looked at the facts and fine print, they would not buy this coverage. It's false "peace of mine." That pre-existing conditions clause is the same scam that extended vehicle warranty scammers use to get out of paying for vehilce repairs
The reason this company gets away with this is because of the relatively small amounts of money involved, $59.40 per year. But the scam amounts add up. Over 10 years, an elderly or unsuspecting person would be out $590.40. And, in the rare event of an actual water line break, they'd be in for a rude awakening.
This company claims that they have an A rating from the Better Business Bureau but that is totally meaningless in determing whether there is a nickles worth of value in their policy. Any company who is a dues payiong member of the BBB can get an A rating from it since their criteria is that companies respond to complaints which is cheap and easy to do. All companies have to do is send the BBB a note that they tried to work something out with the customer and the BBB will consider the complaint satisfactorily closed. Remember that the BBB is a private entitity that works for the companies such as this one that pay the BBBs hefty dues. Homeserve USA is the BBBs customer, not the people who have submitted hundreds of complaints about them.
HomeServe USA Reviews
They are deducting direct from my checking account monthley $8.99 & $9.99.
DO NOT BUY Home Emergency Insurance Solution's (AKA Homeserve USA) "Water Line Insurance Protection." It's a scam.
Home Emergency Insurance Solutions sent me a notice disguised as a water bill with the heading, "Arlington Water Service Line Responsibility." it contained a brochure with information intended to scare me into thinking that my water line (from the street to the house) could break at any time and cost thousands of dollars to repair. Arlington County says this is extremely rare. The company tried to get me to sign up to pay either $4.95 per month, $14.85 per quarter, or $59.40 per year for what they claimed was "coverage that would protect me up to $3,000 per call for up to 4 calls."
I examined their policy which includes fine print that excludes both pre-existing breaks (which is reasonable) and pre-existing conditions (which is not). According to the water department and plumbers I talked to, nearly all water line breaks and blocks, unless done by digging, are caused by pre-existing conditions such as a bulid up of lime and scale in pipes, deteriorating pipes, settling or heaving soil, tree roots, freezing due to not being buried deep enough, etc. In other words, the coverage is virtually worthless. It's a scam. And, furthermore, their policy lets these scammers off the hook if a break is covered by your homeowners policy which it probably is; it's covered under mine.
Anyone who pays for this water service line policy is throwing their money down the drain. The fact that water line breaks are so rare, nearly eliminates claims. And the pre-existing conditions and overlapping insurance fine-print eliminates the need to pay virtually all that do arise. Whether they pay or not is up to them. If people who buy this coverage really looked at the facts and fine print, they would not buy this coverage. It's false "peace of mine." That pre-existing conditions clause is the same scam that extended vehicle warranty scammers use to get out of paying for vehilce repairs
The reason this company gets away with this is because of the relatively small amounts of money involved, $59.40 per year. But the scam amounts add up. Over 10 years, an elderly or unsuspecting person would be out $590.40. And, in the rare event of an actual water line break, they'd be in for a rude awakening.
This company claims that they have an A rating from the Better Business Bureau but that is totally meaningless in determing whether there is a nickles worth of value in their policy. Any company who is a dues payiong member of the BBB can get an A rating from it since their criteria is that companies respond to complaints which is cheap and easy to do. All companies have to do is send the BBB a note that they tried to work something out with the customer and the BBB will consider the complaint satisfactorily closed. Remember that the BBB is a private entitity that works for the companies such as this one that pay the BBBs hefty dues. Homeserve USA is the BBBs customer, not the people who have submitted hundreds of complaints about them.