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, producing 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. In this Total Appliance Home Warranty review, we go over what this Florida home warranty company offers and help you decide if it’s right for you.
Pros and Cons of Total Appliance
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of signing up for a Total Appliance home warranty plan below:
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Its comprehensive coverage plan is priced at an affordable $450 per year | Coverage area is limited to the state of Florida |
| Offers same-day or next-day service to diagnose or repair appliances and systems | The company withholds its terms and conditions until after receiving a quote |
| Provides fully customizable coverage so policyholders can choose what they pay for | Requires a 60-day waiting period before full coverage begins |
| Doesn’t require a deductible | Limits repair coverage as appliances age |
| Relies on highly trained in-house technicians to perform repair work |
Total Appliance Home Warranty Plans and Coverage
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.
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 and 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.
Total Appliance Home Warranty Pricing
Total Appliance doesn’t discuss pricing on its website. To find out how much a plan would cost, the This Old House Reviews Team 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.
Total Appliance Home Warranty Claims Process
Total Appliance also has same-day or next-day service throughout the week and even offers emergency service 24/7.
Total Appliance Home Warranty Reviews
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 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 Conclusion
The This Old House Reviews Team gives Total Appliance a 7.9/10. After researching the policies offered by Total Appliance, our team 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 may not be ideal for homeowners who live in other parts of the country.
Our Preferred Provider: American Home Shield
When it comes to protecting your home systems or appliances, American Home Shield is hard to beat. It’s the oldest home warranty provider in the business and offers three coverage plans. AHS also offers generous coverage caps on systems and appliances and provides 24/7 claims processing.
Unlike Total Appliance Home Warranty, American Home Shield offers coverage for optional items like your pool, spa, and septic pump, and it covers 49 states, excluding Alaska.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our home warranty ratings and recommendations with a detailed rating methodology to objectively score each provider. We conduct research by speaking with company representatives, requesting quotes, analyzing sample contracts from each company, and conducting focus groups and consumer surveys. We then score each provider against our review standards for coverage, value, trustworthiness and transparency, availability, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.