Total Appliance Home Warranty Review (2024)
Total Appliance Home Warranty has been providing appliance repair services to Florida homeowners since 1970. The company has built a reputation for having reliable technicians, performing high-quality repairs, and providing good value for the price of coverage.
When it comes to choosing the best home warranty company, making an informed decision is critical. We’ve conducted in-depth reviews of many home warranty companies and have found Liberty Home Guard to be the best pick for most homeowners. This highly rated provider offers extensive appliance coverage and top-tier customer service to homeowners in all 50 states.
Still want to explore your options? This Total Appliance Home Warranty review will cover what this company offers and help you decide if it’s a better option than our recommended home warranty companies for Florida homeowners.
Pros and Cons of Total Appliance
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of signing up for a Total Appliance home warranty plan below:
Pros
- Its comprehensive coverage plan is priced at an affordable $450 per year, lower than the $600 industry standard
- Offers same-day or next-day service to diagnose or repair appliances and systems
- Provides fully customizable coverage so plan holders can choose what they pay for
- Doesn’t require a deductible, while most providers require a service fee
- Relies on highly trained in-house technicians to perform repair work
Cons
- Coverage area is limited to the state of Florida, while there are many national providers
- The company withholds its terms and conditions until after receiving a quote
- Requires a 60-day waiting period before full coverage begins
- Limits repair coverage as appliances age
What Plans and Coverage Options Does Total Appliance Home Warranty Offer?
A Total Appliance home warranty allows for unlimited service calls, unlimited repairs, and unlimited replacements. Unlike other home warranty providers, Total Appliance doesn’t offer set plans, but it lets customers pick and choose items a la carte. Here are the items you can choose from:
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Refrigerator
- Freezer
- Dishwasher
- Range/Stove/Oven
- Garbage disposal
- Microwave
- Washer
- Dryer
- Water heater
Due to limited information on the Total Appliance website, it’s not clear if the company services and repairs pools, spas, sump and well pumps, plumbing stoppages, or leaking roofs. You can check out our article on the top home warranty companies for plumbing coverage for more options.
Read more: Basics of Home Warranty Roof Leak Coverage
Coverage Details for Top Appliances and Systems
Under a Total Appliance home warranty agreement, all parts and labor necessary to keep the covered appliances and systems in good working order are covered. We requested a service contract from the supplier to find out more about its policies.
Here’s a breakdown of the comprehensive coverage for a few systems and appliances under the Total Appliance home warranty plan:
- Air conditioning: According to some estimates, replacing components of an HVAC unit can cost hundreds of dollars. Total Appliance covers all parts and labor to keep your air conditioning working.
- Plumbing: Total Appliance Home Warranty covers most plumbing installations, from pipes to faucets. Similar to many service providers, Total Appliance doesn’t include caulking or grouting in their plumbing coverage.
- Refrigerator & freezer: A Total Appliance warranty service contract includes coverage for all parts and labor on these appliances and will replace the appliances if necessary.
- Oven, stove, range: All types of cooking appliances are covered if you choose this option in the service contract.
Coverage Exclusions
Total Appliance will cover only the labor expenses for repairs performed to non-U.S. manufactured appliances and systems—policyholders must pay for replaced parts. The company will also disqualify specific types of repairs based on the equipment’s age.
For example, if a refrigerator is over 10 years old, the contract excludes internal compressors, condensers, and evaporator coils. On the contrary, electronic controls for the kitchen appliance are only covered for units less than six years old.
For washing machines, the transmissions and main drive unit are included until the appliance is over five years of age. Dishwashers and dryers that are over eight years old lose coverage for timer controls and vent line cleaning.
How Much Does Total Appliance Home Warranty Cost?
Total Appliance doesn’t discuss pricing on its website. To find out how much a plan would cost, we requested a quote for an address in the company’s backyard in Hallandale, Florida.
The home warranty provider responded with an offer for annual coverage that would cost $450. The pricing is for a comprehensive package that bundled all of the appliances and systems that the provider offers to protect. Compared to the industry average of $300 for basic coverage and $600 for more extensive plans, Total Appliance is competitively priced.
Since every plan is customized to each individual customer, we recommend getting a quote from Total Appliance to determine your plan cost.
Note: Total Appliance doesn’t charge a service fee, which is rare in the home warranty industry. Most home warranty providers charge a service fee that costs between $75 and $125. Here is a table comparing Total Appliance Home Warranty’s cost compared to the industry standards:
Provider | Plan Type | Annual Cost | Service Fee |
---|---|---|---|
Total Appliance | Comprehensive Package (includes all appliances and systems offered) | $450 | $0 |
Industry Standard | Basic Coverage | $300 | $75 – $125 |
Industry Standard | Extensive Plans | $600 | $75 – $125 |
What Is Total Appliance Home Warranty’s Claims Process?
When experiencing a malfunction with appliances and systems, plan holders can file a claim to Total Appliance via an online submission form. Total Appliance also offers a customer service phone number at 954-454-6801. Regular office hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 am–6 pm, but the line is available 24/7 for emergencies.
Total Appliance also has same-day or next-day service throughout the week and even offers emergency service 24/7.
What Do Customers Say About Total Appliance Home Warranty?
Total Appliance is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has an A+ rating, which is rare among most home warranty providers. Customer feedback is limited on the Total Appliance BBB profile, but the group shows a 3-star rating with 17 reviews.
- Satisfied customers note that technicians are courteous and prompt and provide excellent service. Customers with less than stellar experiences cite poor customer service and technicians arriving late.
Here’s a sampling of Total Appliance BBB reviews:
“I have been a customer for more than 16 years. They are always responsive to our service needs. Today was a perfect example. I had a minor plumbing problem. The service person (Kenny #32) arrived within the promised window and took immediate care of the matter. Pleasant and efficient.” — Hal H.
“This company is totally unresponsive and makes service [promises] then never calls or shows up. I would never have any contract with them as they only have ONE service person working for emergencies and on weekends.” — Greg E.
Our Final Total Appliance Review
We give Total Appliance 4 out of 5 stars. After researching the policies offered by Total Appliance, we found that its costs, customer service ratings, and claims response are comparable to other home warranty providers. However, with its coverage limited to a specific part of Florida, Total Appliance isn’t available for homeowners who live in other parts of the country.
Total Appliance Alternative Providers Compared
If you don’t live in Florida, consider some of these alternative home warranty companies:
Company | BBB Rating | Monthly Cost | Service Fee | Visit Site |
---|---|---|---|---|
NR** | $49–$59 | $65–$125 | VISIT SITE | |
B | $56–$139 | $100–$125 | VISIT SITE | |
B- | $44–$47 | $60–$75 | VISIT SITE | |
B | $42–$82 | $75–$125 | VISIT SITE | |
B | $35–$94 | $75–$125 | VISIT SITE | |
A- | $44–$58 | $70 | VISIT SITE | |
B+ | $30–$56 | $100–$150 | VISIT SITE | |
A | $27–$61 | $65–$100 | VISIT SITE |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the waiting period before coverage kicks in?
Total Appliance requires a 60-day waiting period before the contract activates.
What are the maximum payouts for appliances?
The maximum payouts for appliances is $800, except for stacked washer/dryer units which are limited to $750, and microwave ovens max out at $175.
Where does Total Appliance operate?
Total Appliance has operated in the Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and the surrounding areas since 1970.
Related Resources
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to score each provider objectively. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys.
We score each provider against our review standards, which include four comparison categories: coverage, value, trust and transparency, and availability and service. We rate each provider across 31 factors within these categories. Each factor is assigned a point value based on its importance to a homeowner, totaling 100 points. We then convert the final scores to a 5-star rating.
Here’s a breakdown of our weighted factors:
- Coverage (40%): We scored coverage based on included home systems and appliances, add-on options, and unique benefits. We also compared coverage caps and policy exclusions.
- Additional coverage items
- Annual coverage cap
- Home systems coverage
- Major appliances coverage
- Obstructed wall coverage cap
- Value (30%): We compared the coverage level received to monthly pricing to determine plan value. We considered premium pricing, service fees, and flexibility in customizing plan costs.
- Average monthly cost
- Cost flexibility
- Lowest service fee
- Trust and Transparency (16%): We evaluated each company’s reputation using the Better Business Bureau ratings and customer reviews on third-party review sites. We read through plan change policies, workmanship protections, and sample contract availability.
- Brand reputation
- Policy change flexibility
- Sample contract availability
- Workmanship guarantee length
- Availability and Service (14%): We award higher scores for faster claim processing and response times. We also considered service technician policies, including options to choose your technician.
- Claims process
- Guaranteed response time
- Service flexibility
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.