Secure Home Warranty was a home warranty company based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the company went out of business in 2017 due to a slew of poor customer reviews, repeated claim denials, and the company not performing per contract terms and conditions.
Keep reading our Secure Home Warranty review to learn exactly why the company shut down and which home warranty companies we recommend as alternatives.
Our Preferred Home Warranty Alternatives
Today’s Homeowner recommends a few home warranty companies to our readers. Below, you’ll see our latest suggestions and their money-saving deals. You can also read our review of the companies with similar home warranty plans to learn more about these top picks.
Why Secure Home Warranty Went Out of Business
For years, Secure Home Warranty had been widely reported as a home warranty scam after consumers complained of insufficient service and claims constantly getting denied. Numerous customer reviews from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) also reported unsatisfactory customer service, poor communication, unexpected credit card charges, and frequent payment delays.
Other scam home warranty companies, such as Endurance Home Warranty, 365 Home Warranty, and Pride Home Warranty, have received similar complaints.
Secure Home Warranty Background
Based in Philadelphia, Secure Home Warranty was established in 2015 as Secure Home Warranty LLC, and it wasn’t long before issues came up.
Company Drawbacks and Customer Complaints
Some of the dominant complaints filed against the company were:
- Misleading tactics to get consumers to purchase coverage
- Weeks or months spent trying to file claims or get in contact with the business
- Credit cards charged without consent
- Denied claims
- Consumers getting repairs done themselves
- Rude and unhelpful customer service
Secure Home Warranty also wasn’t available nationwide and didn’t allow plan members to get free second opinions on covered issues. The company became known for its poor communication with members, offering no online chat support and failing to return customer calls. Even when customers were able to reach a Secure Home Warranty representative, they reported negative interactions that were unhelpful and misleading.
The company officially shuttered in November 2017 without addressing countless complaints.
The Lawsuit Against Secure Home Warranty
According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office, there were 437 unanswered BBB complaints over the last three years and a lawsuit was filed against the company’s officers, Alan Maleh and Elliot Ashkenazie, in the spring of 2019.
This lawsuit suggested a permanent ban on Maleh and Ashkenazie from operating a business in Pennsylvania. The suit also sought restitution and damages, requesting $1,000 per violation and $3,000 for violations against senior citizens.
Secure Home Warranty Plans
Secure Home Warranty offered three plans with many add-on options:
| Plan | Covered Items |
| Core Plan | – Plumbing stoppage – Heating – Water heater – Plumbing – Ductwork – Air conditioning – Electrical |
| Appliance Plan | – Clothes washer – Refrigerator – Clothes dryer – Stove/oven – Garbage disposal – Built-in microwave oven – Dishwasher – Cooktop |
| Elite Plan | – Plumbing stoppage – Water heater – Heating – Ductwork – Plumbing – Air conditioning – Electrical – Clothes washer – Clothes dryer – Garbage disposal – Refrigerator – Stove/oven – Built-in microwave oven – Cooktop – Dishwasher |
Secure Home Warranty Cost
Both the Core Plan and Appliance plan cost a total of $419.99 per year, which can be broken down into payments of just $38 per month. The Elite Plan has an overall cost of $499 per year or $42 per month. The service call fee is $75.
The extensive list of add-on options ranges from $3.33 per month to $8.33 per month. This allows you to add the specific coverages you need and avoid the items that don’t apply to your home.
Secure Home Warranty Claims Process
When Secure Home Warranty was in business, its claims process was convoluted and prompted many complaints. Ideally, the customer would submit a claim, Secure Home Warranty would arrange for the service to be handled and the client would be charged the service call fee.
What our research revealed was that numerous customers were given the runaround for several days when attempting to schedule a service appointment. They were also often told they would need to cover the expenses out of pocket then be reimbursed by the company.
After this, when customers called Secure Home Warranty to arrange the reimbursement, they were either put on hold for several minutes and then returned to the automated menu, or were given instructions to fill out a form and send it to a certain email, to which they never received a reply. In nearly all cases, no money was ever given back to customers, and the warranties were rarely honored.
Secure Home Warranty reviews
Below are a few Secure Home Warranty reviews that have been published on the BBB’s website:
Final Notes on Secure Home Warranty
Secure Home Warranty faced litigation for defrauding over 160 customers out of thousands of dollars. It’s no surprise that Secure Home Warranty customers have been very vocal about their negative experiences with the company. Looking them up provides a myriad of complaints and problems that former customers of Secure Home Warranty have faced.
Reputable Alternatives to Secure Home Warranty
If you’ve been scammed by Secure Home Warranty, or if you’re hesitant to find a new home warranty provider because of stories like this, know that there are several reputable home warranty companies out there. We’ve researched many providers to find the best ones. American Home Shield is our top choice.
You should also explore our review of endurance home warranty. Comparing these companies will go a long way in helping you make the right decision for your home warranty needs.
Best Coverage: American Home Shield
The industry founder, American Home Shield, has been in business for nearly 50 years. This amount of time should give you confidence in the company and its ability to support customers. As we’ve learned from Secure Home Warranty, it’s hard to pull off a scam for very long. American Home Shield has paid out more than $2 billion in the past five years.
American Home Shield has three plans with increasing levels of coverage. Its base plan, the ShieldSilver Plan™, covers 14 major systems, including plumbing, heating and cooling, and electrical systems. The ShieldGold Plan™ covers the systems covered by the ShieldSilver Plan™ and adds coverage for major kitchen and laundry appliances up to $2,000. The ShieldPlatinum Plan™ covers all 23 systems and appliances in the ShieldGold Plan™ and adds $1,500 of roof-leak coverage. It also increases the coverage limit on appliances to $4,000.
We like that you can pick your service fee ($75, $100 or $125). The company is currently BBB accredited with a B rating. It averages a three-star rating from almost 6,000 customer reviews.
Home Warranty Rating Methodology
To help you find the best home warranty, our reviews team researched numerous home warranty companies, analyzing their coverage plans, pricing and customer service, among other factors:
- Coverage: Home warranty companies that provide extensive coverage and protect important systems and appliances, including your air conditioning, refrigerator and heating, scored higher than companies with minimal coverage.
- Plan variety: A provider with more coverage plans allows for more flexibility among customers. In general, most home warranty companies provide an appliances-only plan, systems-only plan and combination plan.
- Pricing: We scored providers based on their monthly plan prices and service call fees compared to the industry average pricing. Companies with more affordable coverage received more points than companies with more expensive plans.
- State availability: Where you live will determine what companies are available in your area. Home warranty companies that covered more states received more points than companies with a limited state availability.
- Trustworthiness: There are some home warranty companies that are scams and don’t follow through on their service agreements. We rated companies based on their years of experience, ratings on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and customer reviews.
To keep our data current, our team regularly updates the data points for each company to ensure their coverage offerings, pricing and availability are accurate.
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