Freedom Home Warranty Review

TOH Rating: 8/10

Freedom Home Warranty is new to the home warranty industry. Originally known as America’s Choice Home Warranty, it opened its doors three years ago in Ogden, Utah. It has since changed its name and expanded into 11 other states. The company offers a “110% guarantee”— if you cancel in the first 30 days, you’ll be refunded 110% of the purchase price—and its FHW Foundation donates a portion of every warranty sold to causes like cancer research or children in need.

Many companies, some local and some nationwide, claim to offer the best home warranty, but their coverage options and prices can differ considerably. In this article, the We take a close look at Freedom Home Warranty, a provider that offers coverage in 12 states, mostly in the western US, and outline some key information to help you decide whether Freedom Home Warranty is right for you.

Here’s our general overview of Freedom Home Warranty:

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Pros and Cons of Freedom Home Warranty

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What Is Freedom’s State Availability?

Freedom Home Warranty is only available in the following 12 states:

• Colorado
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Washington
• Wyoming

Freedom Home Warranty offers four warranty packages with varying levels of coverage. Note: the Eagle Protection Plan offers the same type of coverage as the Freedom Protection plan, but you’ll receive two years of coverage with a 25% discount on the second year if you opt into the Eagle plan.

Freedom Home Warranty also offers extra coverage options as add-ons to existing plans. According to a sample service contract, you can purchase coverage for the following if they’re not already included in your plan.

• Additional or wet bar refrigerator
• Washer and dryer
• Water softener
• Swimming pool
• Hot tub
• Salt water pool/hot tub
• Freestanding ice maker
• Gas fireplace
• Septic system and pumping
• Grinder pump
• Booster pump
• Well pump
• Detached building coverage (up to 1,500 sq. ft.)
• Additional HVAC coverage
• Crane service

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How Much Does Freedom Home Warranty Cost?

Because Freedom Home Warranty serves multiple states, the specifics and costs of its contracts vary. However, the typical range for a Freedom Home Warranty is between $295 and $495 per year (or $24.58 to $41.25 a month), and the service call fee is always $65. This is a fairly typical premium for a home warranty company and a below-average service call fee, where the industry standard is between $75–$125.

When it comes to home warranties, there are two types of costs you must pay: a premium and service call fee. Your premium is due every month (or every year), whether you submit any claims or not. The service call fee is paid directly to the contractor every time one visits your house—you may need to pay multiple fees if more than one visit is required.

• Read more: Home Warranty Pricing Overview

When shopping for a home service contract, you’ll also want to pay attention to any maximum payouts or coverage caps. The company may only pay a finite amount per item per year, and you’ll be on the hook for anything that exceeds it. Here’s some of Freedom Home Warranty’s maximum payouts.

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How Is Freedom Home Warranty’s Claims Process?

The process for submitting a claim is similar for nearly all home warranty providers, and this includes Freedom Home Warranty. Once you’ve signed your home warranty contract, a 30-day waiting period will go into effect. After this waiting period, you can make a request for service by calling 888-495-2249 or submit your claim on the company’s website.

After filing a claim, a customer service representative will contact a technician on your behalf or get in touch with you about choosing your own contractor. Not all home warranty companies offer this option, but Freedom Home Warranty allows you to work with any licensed, insured contractor.

The contractor will then make an appointment to come to your home and diagnose the

problem. You’ll pay your service call fee, and the technician will report back to the company to see if the problem is covered by your contract. If it is, the contractor will finish the job and Freedom Home Warranty will pay the remaining balance on the work. If the problem can’t be repaired, the company will pay to replace the part or appliance at below retail value.

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How Are Freedom Home Warranty’s Customer Reviews?

Freedom Home Warranty is not yet accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has a D+ rating for its failure to respond to customer complaints. With only six customer reviews, it’s hard to make generalizations about customer satisfaction, but here are some excerpts from those BBB reviews:

“Great experience with a very friendly and knowledgeable staff.” — Donna J., 6/11/18, 5 stars

“We had an HVAC tech come to our home to look and they recommended replacement. Freedom Home Warranty had someone come out to get a second opinion and that opinion was the same. They will not cover it however and called it a pre-existing condition.” — KRC, 6/21/18, 3 stars

“All appliances have a pre-existing condition that you aren’t aware of. You just bought the house. This is why you buy the warranty! They can use this excuse on all appliance problems.” — Bernadette B., 8/23/18, 2 stars

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Is Freedom Home Warranty Worth It?

We give Freedom Home Warranty an 8/10 rating. While Freedom Home Warranty does appear to have some satisfied customers, its dismal BBB rating and very short time in business means that we don’t recommend it as a provider of home warranties. Your home’s appliances and systems are too important to risk on a questionable warranty.

Top Home Warranty Companies

If you’re looking for a reputable home warranty provider with decades of experience, we recommend American Home Shield. Since 1971, this company has provided home service contracts to 48 states. Read our complete guide of American Home Shield for more information.

Here’s what American Home Shield also has to offer its customers:

• Over 50 years in the home warranty industry
• BBB accreditation and a B rating
• Three levels of coverage, including its ShieldPlatinum™ plan that covers 23 items and systems
• Optional coverage for pools, spas, and guest houses
• Personalizable premiums relative to a service call fee
• Available in every state except Alaska
• Option to choose your own contractor with prior authorization
• Additional customer benefits including extended electronics warranties and discounts on new appliances

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Our Rating Methodology

We are committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers, and we aim to provide transparency in our review standards and research process.

Our research process includes speaking with representatives from more than 40 home warranty providers, requesting quotes, and asking clarifying questions to gain insight into each provider’s benefits and downsides. We also analyze sample contracts from each company to understand specific coverage terms.

To rate companies, we apply the data we have gathered to our review standards. These standards are on a 100-point scoring system, which is detailed below:

• Coverage (35 points): Providers are scored based on breadth and depth of coverage. We focused on key home systems (HVAC, plumbing, and electrical), essential appliances (refrigerator, ovens, and laundry machines), and unique coverage items (such as roof-leak coverage and code violation allowances). Coverage scores are weighted by taking into account coverage caps and other limiting factors, meaning providers with greater range of coverage and higher coverage caps score the highest.
• Value (30 points): A company’s plan value is a reflection of how well it serves the customer in comparison to what the customer pays for the policy. We accounted for monthly costs, service call fees, and cost flexibility (such as customizable service call fees, discounts, and multi-year policies).
• Trustworthiness and Transparency (21 points): Trustworthiness and transparency are a reflection of how well the provider considers the customer’s interests. We scored items such as the length of workmanship guarantees, online availability of a sample contract, policy change flexibility, and ease of cancellation. Additionally, we scored items that reflect industry reputation and customer satisfaction, including analyzing brand reputation across the Better Business Bureau and third-party customer review aggregators.
• Availability and Service (14 points): Quality of customer service is key to customer satisfaction. We dug into each provider’s guaranteed response times, claims processes, service flexibility, emergency availability, and more.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.