Total Protect Home Warranty Consumer Reviews - Page 4

FLORIDA -- ATTENTION FLORIDA RESIDENTS: If you have had bad dealings with the below listed two companies in the past year you need to file your complaints the the Florida State Attorney General's Office under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. They list a number to call or you can submit the complaint online. Be sure to indicate if you are over 60 and/or a veteran. Filing with the BBB does not really provide any enforcement or resolution. Filing with the Attorney General will provide for investigation, enforcement and resolution.

Total Protect and Total Air Care engage in Deceptive and Discriminatory practices against the elderly and veterans and especially if you are both. They will engage in harassment and lie to you at every chance they get and border elder abuse conduct. They provide fictional names and appointments on calls and laugh and become rude towards you if you attempt to seek resolution. Their work will be of no quality as they lack any customer service or workmanship qualities.

I purchased a TotalProtect home warranty to cover the major systems/appliances in my home. When I tried to file a claim on the AC they sent a company of their choosing out. I paid the $75 deductible. The company they sent said it needed replacing... the coil was leaking. TotalProtect called back and denied the claim. They said the unit needed routine maintenance such as cleaning and the dirt caused the coil leak.

I have contacted 3 service providers to see if this could be the case and all 3 have said no. Even the original company they sent out said when they phoned in their findings and were asked if the dirt caused it their reply was no/not likely. The representative on the phone said: I'm sure it's not but I was a technician and I believe it could have so I am denying the claim. So here I sit in an 82 degree house with no AC. The very reason I have the warranty is to avoid this. They try every possible angle to get out of paying a claim! I plan to pursue filing claim with BBB.

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA -- I have been a customer of TotalProtect Home warranty for over six years. I wanted to share my experiences with this company and hopefully save other consumers some grief. TotalProtect happily takes your premium every month and slowly but continually will raise the deductible per claim. I started at $50 and was up to $75. I only made a few claims a year if even that because I often found that most covered repairs could be done for less than the deductible. TotalProtect has many loopholes so that they can deny many types of claims calling them non-covered fixtures or other language like that. I put my trust in this company to help with home repairs.

After carefully analyzing my costs to carry this coverage vs the cost of repairs, it would have been far better to put the monthly premium dollars into a savings account and then draw from that account when repairs were needed. If you are one of those few lucky people who just happened to have a central heat/air failure and dodged all their attempts to deny your claim then good for you. I would never recommend this company for covering any home repair expenses. Do yourself a favor and put premium dollars into a household repair savings account. If you must have a home warranty policy, then select a different company than TotalProtect.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA -- Complete waste of time, energy and money. I have been paying for an advanced service for the past 30 days with nothing to show for it. When it finally came time to use this service they completely failed me. It was literally like pulling teeth, and when I cancelled and told the man on the phone that I was reporting them to the BBB, his response was "No worries". No worries for him but for me, a member of the United States military it is a WORRY for me that they would treat customers this way and have no conscience about it. I will warn every military member that I can to not do business with this company.

I purchased their service and in 3 weeks' time my dryer broke. I called them up and I paid $60 for the service tech (agreed price with the contract). Local tech comes and starts the dryer and concludes broken exhaust fan. 3 days later no response, so I call up the company and they say they are waiting for report from tech. After another 2 days of waiting they say that the problem was a pre-existing condition and will not be covered.

I canceled my contract right away... but I am afraid of this crooks having my credit card number. I called Sears the next day and asked them for a protection plan and they came home and fixed the dryer in 10 minutes. 2 weeks of talking on the phone with no results... that's what Total Protect is about. This company is a scam. I did not due my due diligence of researching reviews. I am not surprised they don't have any good reviews. They will find a way to steal your hard earned money.

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- I've had Total Protect since 2007 and during this time, I have only used this service less than 10 times since I joined.

Within the last 2 summers I have encountered major air conditioning problems each time Total has rejected payment for any replacement parts, saying it was as a result of owners lack of maintenance, referring me to the home service agreement which states "we agree to pay the covered costs to repair or replace the items listed as covered on your agreement coverage summary if any such items become inoperable during the term of this agreement due to mechanical failure caused by routine wear and tear, subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement."

They send independent contractors who only want to sell you their services which of course cost an additional out of pocket cost to the homeowner. In July 2013 they sent Royal Flush AC&H who stated the outside coil was 50% clogged, unit low on freon, inside coil leaking and unrepairable. They contacted Total who disapproved any repair work and left me stuck without air period. Back and forth I went with Total only to get a call on a Sunday morning from some representative who said "sorry" but we are not paying because of owner negligence. With Total it is always owner's negligence.

I then asked them to refer me to anyone who does the work for Total which they provided 4 names. The estimates given went from $1850 to $2600. I chose North Star Mechanical who finally showed up on a Monday, after missing the initial scheduled appointment (which was on a Saturday), and putting me off until the next Monday.

They replaced the evaporator coil in July, now in August, one month later the unit is freezing up, the blower is out and the person who did the earlier work has been fired and Total refuses again to pay and North Star wants more money for something they should have detected when they were out in July, but of course it's the owners fault.

Instead of keeping you with the original company that did the initial work, Total schedules you with company after company which is not a wise decision. Instead of them keeping me with North Star Mechanical they again wanted to send out another company. I had to call in and ask permission to get North Star to return since they had come out and replaced the coils in July. Total reluctantly agreed and instructed me to call North Star which I did.

The technician arrived the following day and reminded me about the service fee without so much as looking at the problem. He then tells me the problem is the blower which needs cleaning which would be an additional $85, he leaves and says he will return the next day. I told him I would contact Total to ascertain if the blower is covered.

I called Total and spoke with a representative who led me to believe the blower was covered only to find out today (8/23) during a conversation with a Total representative that again they would not cover any services to which I responded that I am not surprised, you never do anyway and that I am sick and tired of Total and I would be cancelling the service effective today. The technician from North Star stated to Total that the motor was gone and this would cost an additional $385 plus the $85 for the blower. The technician was up in the attic with the unit on 8/22 but never said anything about a motor until he returned on today (8/23) supposedly to replace the blower.

Prior to his return he had contacted Total and all of a sudden the motor is an issue. I chose Total because it could be included in my mortgage payment, but as of today, I'm through with them. I'm cancelling the membership and searching for a company that will service its clients. TOTAL is a TOTAL waste of the homeowner's money. And if your emergency is on a weekend you can forget it, as they do not have anything in place for the contractor to come on a weekend, possibly because they know it will cost them more money.

FORT LAUDERDALE AND OTHER STATES, FLORIDA -- I let a joint marketing effort by Wachovia/Wells Fargo (my current bank) and TotalProtect Home Warranty (this company is known under many other names – on my checking account statement it is listed as Cross County Home Total Protection) get the best of me; I did not do required due diligence by going online and searching for information. If I had done the proper research I would have never done business with this TotalProtect; which engages in deceptive practices (LOOK AT THE MANY ONLINE NEGATIVE ARTICLES COMPLAINTS AND A RATING from 365 consumers of 1.5 out of 5 stars).

I'm an 84 year old senior citizen who lives with his 86 year old wife; we are both on a fixed income and can't afford to be ripped off like this. Shame on you Wachovia/Wells Fargo for partnering with this horrible company and betraying my trust. I'm now considering closing my Wachovia checking, money market, way2save, and Wells Fargo financial services trade account. This is what happened:

In Late November of 2010 I received a joint mailer between Wachovia Bank/Wells Fargo and Total Protect Home Warranty advertising two plans for a home warranty with the ease of being endorsed by Wachovia and the money being taken directly from my checking account. Read through the information I was sent and decided based on the marketing material and a one month free offer that it sounded like something worth trying and had nothing to lose. I mailed in the acceptance form and chose the higher pay option; $49.95 a month with a $75.00 dollar deductible on repairs/replacement.

Approximately one month later (late December) I received the warranty booklet and plan information advising me that the coverage would start on January 11, 2011. Part of the plan I signed up for offered a quarterly (4 times a year) preventative maintenance. This was without cost to me and was offered quarterly; I could choose from a list of covered appliances or systems. I called the 800 phone number listed on may warranty booklet on January 28, 2011 to arrange for a maintenance inspection on my air conditioning unit. During the last few weeks I noticed that my home was not cooling as quickly as it did before.

During the phone call to TotalProtect a service claim was opened for me and I was given the name of a local Miami, Florida company called Penguin Air that I could call to arrange for the service and was given a reference number. I called Penguin Air and they arranged to have someone come to my home on Monday, January 31. I was explained that if the service person finds something wrong with the unit he will call TotalProtect and a new claim number will be opened for a repair/replacement claim.

When the service person from Penguin Air arrived and inspected the unit, he advised me that it's low on Freon and he also detected a leak. He told me that it would not make sense to do maintenance work on it since it requires replacement parts for the leak. He said that a call will be made to TotalProtect; to which he did, and was advised to collect a $75.00 dollar deductible towards the new replacement part claim and a new service/replacement claim number was given to him. I paid the $75.00 cash to the service person; since up to that point it seemed to be in sync with the plan information I was sent.

On Tuesday, February 1, 2011, I was left a message to contact TotalProtect via the 800 number and reference my repair/service claim number. I called and spoke to ** who kept putting me on hold telling me she had to refer to the “notes” on my file. After the third or fourth time, she came back and told me that my claim was declined because they deemed it a pre-existing condition.

At this point I quickly realized that what I had been sold was deceptive and worthless since anytime I make a claim they can always use the pre-existing condition clause and nothing will be covered. So I asked ** about the $75.00 dollar deductible I was now charged for a repair claim they have now rejected. She told me that it was not refundable to me. Imagine my surprise, I'm now out $125.00 between the $49.95 monthly fee and $ 75.00 deductible and NOT one stitch of work had been done.

She proceeded to tell me that if the service person had not detected any problems with my unit and had done maintenance work then I would not have been charged the $75.00 deductible. So, in essence; work done = no fee, no work done = $75.00 deductible. I told her that a deductible is an amount paid by a policy owner on a covered claim that is in excess of total repair amount. ** and I went round and round; she was robotic and seemed to have rehearsed the terms and conditions many times before.

I asked to speak to a Supervisor. She reluctantly obliged and I was connected with a Ms. ** (unsure of the spelling). She proceeds to tell me the same thing ** told me. I told her that this was deceptive and did not make any sense to me and I obviously signed up for a plan full of loopholes to the detriment of the consumer. I'm skeptical of any insurance/warranty plans but was misled to believe that this was legitimate since it was cobranded with Wachovia/Wells Fargo Bank.

I asked Ms. ** to cancel my policy and as per the free trial offer, refund the January charge I was assessed. She told me that she needed to transfer me to Member Services. She transferred me to **. I asked ** to cancel my plan and she wanted to know why. After explaining to her how I felt this was a deceptive plan and how I now have to pay for a deductible when absolutely no work was done, she told me that she can cancel me but I will not be receiving a refund. I told her that I signed up as a trial offer and should not have been charged. She proceeded to tell me that my trial offer started on December 11 (that's when they received my enrollment request).

I advised her that after sending in the enrollment form in late November I never received any correspondence from TotalProtect until I received my warranty booklet in late December advising me that my coverage would begin on January 11, 2011. How in the world would I have known I was covered If I never received anything in the mail until late December advising me that my coverage would begin on January 11, 2011? This is plain deceptive and an outright fraud!

Complaint Summary: I was placed on a free month trial without ever receiving any information, policy, contract, or contact information. When I finally received my information and called for service I was on my paying month, so now after cancelling I will not receive my monthly premium refunded. I was charged a $75.00 deductible based on repair/replacement work needed on my unit. This deductible was collected at the same time the preventative maintenance was supposed to be done. I was then contacted and told my claim was denied and I lose the deductible.

I'm out $125.00 without any work being done; this is a fraud and is full of deceptive practices, steps, loopholes. Their intent is to get you passed a trial period you don't even know you are under and then charge you the first month, they then offer quarterly maintenance without a fee. When a repair/replacement issue is at hand they then claim it is a preexisting condition and deny the claim. Shame on you Wachovia/Wells Fargo for partnering with this shady company. TotalProtect is a fraud and has stolen my money!

MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE -- I read the other reviews of Total Protect Home Warranties, mine was sold to me by CountryWide home Finance, I thought it was a good deal for forty bucks a month, WRONG. My AC unit went out in July, 2008. I called it in, they were going to send me to a company 125 miles from my home, I said no, then they had me call a company who works out of their back yard and the guy who came out to inspect my unit was wearing women's clothing and makeup, said I needed a new unit and he would call it in. The temps was running in high 90's and due to health problems I needed my AC unit to work.

It took them a week to approve the replacement, then another week to send the unit to their repair company, the repair company told me I was going to have to pay them another 700 dollars as they were going to have to rebuild the air box because the new coil was not the same.

I went on line and found a the same coil I had from the company who made my old unit and a new unit like mine right here in my town, Total Protect said I had to accept what they sent and their install company said their charge was for the disposal of the old unit, disposal of freon and rebuilding the air box, I informed them that I was AC certified and would remove the old unit and dispose of it and do the rebuilding of the air box myself, I was informed by Total Protect that I would not be able to do that and the install company said that was their bread and butter and would not allow me to have the new unit to install it.

I finally went out and checked the unit myself, found that all it needed was a new fan motor, went and bought one for 56 dollars, changed the blade and installed the parts left off by the install company, my AC works great and blows ice cold. I paid my deductible when the girl/boy first came out to inspect my unit, he decided it needed to be replaced, and after I made many, many, many heated called and being put on wait for a supervisor who never was around, I finally had enough, Total Protect employees are some of the worse I have ever encountered in customer service.

I was in management for many years and I would never of let an employee treat a customer as I was treated by Total Protect and by Countrywide when I called them to complain of the warranty company they sold me on their letter head. I was misled into thinking this was a company owned by Countrywide, of course it is not, it is a very low sub-standard company who is only interested in ripping off the people who they are supposed to help. I wasted my money paying into this rip off warranty, I cancelled it and I am glad I did.

I would advise anyone who is thinking of buying a home warranty with Total Protect or Cross Country, or HMS to put your hand in your pocket on your money and run as fast as you can away from them, they will screw you every time. Look at their reviews on Total Protect Customer Reviews. On a scale of 5, they have a rating of 1.6 with a total of 321 reviews, 99 percent terrible. That tell you that the company is a Rip Off. The company needs to be disbanded and the people put into jail, they are all criminals ripping people off as they do every day. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.

FRISCO, TEXAS -- This is the worst company I have had to deal with ever! I am a mortgage customer of Countrywide and in 2006 they offered Total Protect to me as a Home Warranty service - and since it offered an easy monthly deduction along with my mortgage payment, I signed up. My front-loading washer broke down in early July 2008. I called Total Protect on July 9, and logged a claim. They assigned a contractor - Authorized Service Center (Garland, TX) to service my claim. STAY AWAY FROM AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER TOO...

On July 10, ASC sent a tech who pronounced the master control board in the washer defective, said they would order the part and be back. After a few follow up calls, the tech returned on July 17, popped in the replacement board and the washer would not work. He then said that Kenmores were not great - and I should have bought a Maytag and also said he had to program the board - however he did not know how to - cause there were too many models" and said he'd be back the next day to call the manufacturer and program the board.

The next day (Fri) he never showed up and after several calls to ASC they informed me they'd be back on Monday. The following Monday (7/21) when I called ASC - they informed me that I had to call Total Protect to send them a "recall" order - since they had FIXED the machine and it failed. In spite of my several attempts to explain that the washer had not been fixed ASC was adamant that since they put in a part the machine was fixed regardless of whether it worked or not! Even though I was incredulous I had no choice but to call Total protect. They promised to send the paperwork in a few minutes.

When I called ASC for a service appointment the next day (7/22) they claimed that they had not received the order. So for the next 3 days Tues, Wed, & Thu I kept calling ASC and Total Protect until they both relented and sent the tech out to my house on Friday - 7/25.

The tech came in called the manufacturer and was still unable to get the washer working. Apparently the manufacturer told him it might not be the board, it could be something else and asked him to check the door latch. Now the tech appeared totally clueless and asked me to sign something, which I refused to. I called up ASC's office manager who basically threatened me - "Do you want the tech to leave or for us to complete your work?" I told them that I obviously wanted the washer to be fixed. In any case the tech left and till this day (8/1) he has not come back.

After that I called Total Protect on 7/25, 7/28, 7/29 and 7/30. They stalled in connecting me to supervisors and when the supervisors stalled - I ask to speak to someone higher. They gave me the name of a director - with an email and fax #. I have written a 5 page letter to him outlining what's happened on 7/30 and emailed and faxed it - however there is no response or even acknowledgement of my complaint. The crux of the issue is this: Total Protect is supposed to pay me $500 towards the purchase of a new washer when they deem it unfixable.

The supervisor that last spoke to me on July 30 told me that they would pay me $300 - because they had paid $200 to ASC for fixing my washer. I debated with him that they had not fixed anything, and that my washer still does not work. I told him that in addition they had also "run" away with my $60 deductible, and that ASC should not get a dime. He kept sounding like a broken record and told me that I have to option to either take the $300 or they could send another tech from another company - and he would assess it and we could go from there.

I was also told that the service call for the new tech + any parts and labor would be subject to the remaining $300 cap and if they could not get it done - basically I get nothing. Also Total Protect would not commit to a timeline. I found this proposition ludicrous, and then wrote to this supposed Director - and I am yet to hear from him.

I have since purchased a new washer and am fighting my case to get at least $500 - my original front loading washer cost a lot more... I also am writing to Countrywide asking them to back up their promotion of Total Protect, and if there is no response from any of these guys - will complain to BBB and also will join any class action suit against Total Protect / Homesure of America Inc.

BTW I tried calling their membership services today and they sympathetically gave me a fax number to refax my letter to their director - and guess what? That number does not exist. Also my email to their director has come back as undeliverable - and that my mail system would try for another 2 days! All this reeks of TOTAL FRAUD. These guys must be put behind bars for misrepresenting and cheating unsuspecting customers. Buyers Beware!

MARYLAND -- UPDATED MARCH 28, 2008 (see new section below)

Total Protect is an absolute rip off. I will be reporting them to the BBB and to County, State and Federal officials as well as asking my Maryland Congressional offices to look in to what is clearly a "Total" unmitigated consumer fraud. I will be happy to join a class action lawsuit against them at any time. By the way, when they answer the phone they do not say Total Protect, they say HMS Real Estate Support Solutions so I assume HMS is hiding behind the name Total Protect to shield it from these numerous abysmal consumer complaints.

The HMS website says it sells new home warranties through real estate offices but I could find no mention of Total Protect Home Warranties whatever on their website and the Total Protect website does not mention HMS at all. I will ask regulators to look into that as well. My heat pump broke down in June 2007, during an extreme heat spell, and Total Protect could not have cared less. After 11 telephone calls over six months with not a single one returned, and after being outright lied to by several of their always-different yet always-incompetent representatives, I still have not been offered anything even resembling a fair settlement.

I just spoke to the "floor supervisor" who with the most obnoxious passive/aggressive "I am sorry you are not satisfied" routine, refused to let me speak to the head of the customer complaint unit. He ignored every request I made for reasonable follow-up on my previous 10 phone calls, gleefully repeating his mantra that they had made their offer (in other words take it or leave it, we refuse to negotiate at all), and then instead of attempting to help in any way insisted on giving me the address for the "disputes department" where I have to send in a lengthy written request. I can just imagine how much "Total" attention that will get! I asked for a telephone number for the disputes department and was told I could not have it.

My sad story follows: After sending several totally incompetent people out to look at my 15 year old heat pump (one of Total Protect's "expert technicians" stole the company truck and disappeared -- I couldn't make this up if I wanted too), and after several ridiculous arguments about whether the unit was repairable, Total Protect agreed to replace the unit, but only with a lower than builder grade model of their choice costing $2,100 (and labor was $700 of that price) when the exactly comparable Trane heat pump model cost $7,440.

Total Protect then helpfully pointed out that I would be responsible for a number of "additional fees" that would be charged by their "expert" installer, such as extensive rewiring that allegedly would be required. When I on my own had a reputable local dealer (with high grades from Consumer CheckBook), put in a Trane heat pump (since my other unit was a Trane model), I was informed that no rewiring was required. It appears that Total Protect was simply trying to get as much of their $2,100 back as possible.

Even after the installation was completed and when the company that did my installation had no need to comment at all they noted that Total Protect's replacement "offer" was totally ridiculous and in no way a good faith attempt to do a comparable replacement. Don't ever have anything to do with Total Protect. It warrants nothing but what it wishes to warrant, and It protects nothing but its own pocketbook, and its service is the absolute worst I have ever run into anywhere. I will check with the Maryland Attorney General's Office to determine whether it is possible to bring criminal fraud charges against Total Protect.

March 28, 2008 – UPDATE

I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Metro Washington D.C. The BBB wrote a letter to Total Protect dated January 29, 2008 on my behalf. In a letter dated February 19, 2008 BBB noted that they had contacted the firm and asked whether I was satisfied with Total Protect's response (as I noted in my earlier posting, Total Protect appears to be hiding behind a number of other entities as HMS of the Mid Atlantic States is the company that is rated by BBB in the Washington, D.C.

Area. Additionally, the claims correspondent who replied to the BBB noted that "HomeSure Services, Inc. has completed its investigation.") So what is the real company, Total Protect, HMS of the Mid-Atlantic States or HomeSure Services? In any event, I could not believe Total Protect's response. Relevant portions follow:

"The Company approved the replacement of Mr. ___ evaporator coil and air handler. The options offered were a 3.5 ton 13 SEER air handler Payne model PF1MNC04000, a 20kw heater model KFCEH3201F20 and the evaporator coil model B5248HX4QA."

"It was also explained to Mr. ___ that there were non-covered charges of $812.00 that were associated with the replacement of his evaporator coil and air handler. These charges were to be paid directly to the service provider... These charges include: Duct modification, disposal of the old air handler, air handler electrical upgrades and electrical upgrades which are not eligible for coverage under the Home Service Agreement."

"A second option offered was a claims credit of up to $2,107.65, towards the replacement of a new air handler and evaporator coil. This amount represents the cost the Company would incur had they effected the replacement of the air handler and evaporator coil."

"Regarding Mr. ___ statement that the Company did not offer him a comparable unit, please be advised that this statement is unwarranted, per the terms and conditions of the Homer Service Agreement, the replacement item offered will be a base model that meets all applicable federally mandated minimal manufacturers' standards, performs the same primary function, and has a capacity comparable with the covered item, when available with domestically assembled units..."

"Mr ___ also requested reimbursement of $7,440.00 for the replacement of his heat pump system; the Company respectfully denies his request. The Company has agreed to reimburse Mr. ___ a claims credit of up to $2,107.65, this amount represents the cost the Company would have incurred had they effected the replacement of the air handler and evaporator coil."

"Also, should Mr. ___ require assistance or wish to speak with a Total Protect customer service representative, he can contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-474-4047..." Signed Corinne Georges, Claim Correspondent."

In other words folks, Total Protect will not provide a nickel more than it offered from the outset, $2,107.65 which apparently covers a below-builder grade model that my own heating/AC company said no reputable company would recommend. And, of course, if you subtract the $812.00 in totally bogus charges, Total Protect would have been out $1,295.65 for an entire heat pump system, including installation costs. Does that sound like a fair deal to you? Does that match Total Protect's rhetoric (still on its website) that "Total Protect Home Warranty protects you and your family from costly repairs and replacement of your vital home systems and appliances."

Adding insult to injury they also advertise a "$15,000 total annual aggregate cap on claims." And a "Special Limited Time Offer: Increase my annual aggregate claims cap from $15,000 to $50,000 worth of repairs and replacements for all of your covered appliances and systems for just $2.00 more." Those claims alone should justify a class action suit for consumer fraud.

Of course, I replied on March 13, 2008, in a five-page single-space letter and told BBB that the Total Protect response was totally unsatisfactory and that "Total Protect simply took the same arrogant, condescending and unjustified position it has taken for the beginning -- accept our one and only offer because that is all you are going to get from us."

I ended the letter to BBB with, "If you are indeed in the business of warning consumers about companies that do not stand by their commitments, that defraud and deceive, that do everything in their power to mislead and lie to cover up their own incompetence and fraudulent activities, then I suggest you have found a prime candidate to add to your list. And, yes I would ask that you go back once more and see if you can move them off their intractable position, but I have to say after all this I don't think even the Better Business Bureau will be able to do that."

It appears as if I was absolutely correct. Last Thursday, March 27, 2008, my wife received a call from Total Protect saying they were desperately attempting to get in touch with me and they left a number and contact to telephone. When I called that number a very pleasant lady said she was responding to the BBB complaint and she wanted to know if I would be willing to accept the $2,107.65 offer. I asked if she were joking. I asked why I would now accept an offer that I found inadequate, fraudulent and totally unfair. She asked if I could hold for a supervisor. I said yes.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, she came back on the line and said she was sorry but the supervisor unexpectedly had been called to a meeting on her way to speak to me. I asked what I was supposed to do. She said the supervisor suggested that I call customer service.

I said do you mean you are suggesting I contact the same customer service department that I have spoken to over a dozen times, where I never had the same representative twice, where I had to explain the situation from the beginning each and every time, where their incompetence was only exceeded by their arrogance, and where never once, not once, did they have the courtesy to return one of my calls -- and she responded yes.

I asked if this was just a call to check the box so they could say to the BBB that they had honestly and in good faith attempted to resolve the dispute. She did not respond. I told her I now intended to escalate the issue by bringing in local State and Federal insurance regulators and consumer fraud authorities. I also told her it was my fondest wish to join a class action lawsuit that might close this company down. When it was clear that she couldn't have cared less, I said goodbye.

I can't wait to hear back from the BBB so I can report to them in detail Total Protect's good faith effort to resolve the dispute. By the way, the BBB rates HMS of the Mid-Atlantic States in the following fashion, "Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered complaint(s). They also report 105 complaints against this company over the last 36 months and 31 complaints processed over the last 12 months. There also apparently is a BBB listing in Florida under the HomeSure name.

Finally, BBB says this business operates under the following names: Cross Country Home Services; Haa of Virginia; HMS Home Warranty; HMS of the Mid-Atlantic States; Home Warranty Service; HomeSure of America, Inc., HomeSure of Virginia, Inc. And HomeSure Services, Inc. The address is HMS National, 1625 NW 136th Ave. Bldg. E-200, Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, FL 33323. I will update this posting as I do not intend to let this company get away with this. BUYER BEWARE!