TotalProtect Home Service Plan Review

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Contributor, Benzinga
October 18, 2022
TotalProtect Home Warranty
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TotalProtect Home Service Plan is a home warranty service provider operating throughout the United States. TotalProtect offers three plan options and a variety of add-ons you can use to customize your coverage to fit your unique home components. Though TotalProtect’s monthly plan pricing is affordable and competitive within the industry, its $100 service call fee is exceptionally high.

TotalProtect’s plans provide basic inclusions you’re likely to find on competing home warranty policies. However, plans are unique because they include damage resulting from rust and lack of maintenance, which can make TotalProtect’s plans appealing to homeowners who live in older properties. Claims reporting is available 24/7 over the phone, but TotalProtect has not yet introduced a way for customers to submit a claim online.

Pros
  • Covers damage resulting from rust
  • Covers repairs needed resulting from a lack of maintenance
  • Affordable appliance plan is less than $20 a month
Cons
  • No online customer portal access
  • Expensive trade fee

TotalProtect Home Warranty Ratings at a Glance

TotalProtect Home Service Plan Product Offering
Customer Service
Customer Pricing
User Benefits
User Experience
Overall

TotalProtect Home Service Plan Product Offering

TotalProtect Home Service Plan is a home warranty plan provider offering policies throughout the continental United States. As is the case with other home warranty providers, you can purchase a plan from TotalProtect over the phone or online. TotalProtect’s pricing and plan inclusions are straightforward, and customers can easily view a sample contract before contacting the company to request more information.

Before diving into the details of TotalProtect and its plan options, it’s important to discuss what is and isn’t usually covered under a home warranty policy. A home warranty is a policy you can purchase to protect you from the often high cost of replacing or repairing your home’s major components in the event of a breakdown. Home warranties were developed to fill some of the gaps in coverage left by your homeowners insurance. Instead of providing a reimbursement after one of your major home components is damaged by something like a fire or electrical storm, home warranties offer affordable repairs that result from normal appliance or system wear and tear.

When you sign onto a home warranty plan, your policy contract will include a list of appliances and home systems covered under your home warranty. Do not assume that any home component is covered on your plan unless you see details explicitly laid out in your contract. In exchange for maintaining your coverage, you’ll pay your home warranty provider a monthly premium similar to the premium you pay on your auto insurance or health insurance.

If a component in your home breaks down, call your home warranty provider. The company will review your contract to determine whether your breakdown is covered. If it is, a technician will be dispatched to your property to provide a diagnosis and repair as needed. Instead of paying the full price of the service you receive, you’ll pay a previously agreed-upon service fee. Your home warranty provider will cover the remainder of the bill, regardless of the actual value of service that you receive.

TotalProtect Home Service Plan offers three policy options: the ApplianceProtect appliance warranty, the SystemProtect system warranty and the all-inclusive TotalProtect plan. The following home components are included in coverage under each plan.

ApplianceProtect

The ApplianceProtect plan offers limited coverage for the following home appliances:

  • Clothing washer
  • Clothing dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Built-in ice maker
  • Range, oven and exhaust fan
  • Dishwasher
  • Microwave
  • Trash compactor

This is fewer appliances than are found with some other home warranty appliance coverage providers. Competing home warranty service plan providers like Choice Home Warranty and Select Home Warranty include extras like coverage for a ceiling fan and garage door opening mechanism with their appliance plans. However, at a lower price point, the ApplianceProtect plan can fit your needs if you’re only interested in basic policy inclusions to save money.

SystemProtect

The SystemProtect plan is TotalProtect’s home system plan option, offering coverage for the following:

  • Air conditioning system and heating system (two units total)
  • Ductwork
  • Electrical wiring
  • Ceiling fans
  • Garage door opener
  • Smoke detectors
  • Interior plumbing and gas lines
  • Garbage disposal
  • Water heater
  • Sump pump
  • Plumbing stoppages
  • Whirlpool/jetted bathtub
  • Emergency lodging reimbursement up to $1,200 (one claim per year)
  • Repair to rough finish ($1,000 maximum)

TotalProtect

The TotalProtect plan is TotalProtect’s all-inclusive home warranty plan option. It includes coverage for all of the systems and appliances found on both of the prior plans listed above. This plan also includes reimbursement for up to $1,000 of your homeowners insurance deductible in the event that your damage is classified as resulting from a covered peril rather than normal use. 

Optional Coverages

You can add optional coverage for the following home components onto your TotalProtect Plan: 

  • Faucets 
  • Outside gas line
  • Outside sewer line 
  • Outside water line 
  • Premier Upgrade (includes $500 to $1,000 extension on coverage limits for qualifying appliances and systems)
  • Septic tank and septic tank pumping 
  • Standalone freezer 
  • Surge protector 
  • Swimming pool and/or spa
  • Heater for swimming pool and/or spa
  • Water softener 
  • Well pump

Each optional add-on comes with its own additional monthly charge. This charge is added directly to your monthly home warranty bill. 

Customer Service

TotalProtect Home Service Plan offers only one method for customers to file a claim or get in touch with customer service.

  • Via phone: To contact TotalProtect over the phone for general customer service inquiries, call 866-259-4374. If you already have a plan and you need to file a claim, call 800-474-4047.

Specific customer service hours are not offered on TotalProtect’s website. However, the company confirms that claims reporting is available 24/7.

In the future, TotalProtect can work to make claims reporting easier for policyholders by instituting an online customer portal, like those seen with competing home warranty providers. This feature allows homeowners to keep and upload records of damage and maintenance directly to the home warranty provider. 

Customer Pricing

TotalProtect Home Service Plan offers standardized pricing throughout the United States, and you can view pricing before you request contact from a representative. This transparency is refreshing in the home warranty industry, as most competitors require that you consent to phone calls from representatives before learning more about pricing. The chart below summarizes pricing for all three TotalProtect plan options.

Plan nameApplianceProtectSystemsProtectTotalProtect
Price per month$19.95$37.95$47.95

These monthly premium prices are competitive with other home warranty providers. In particular, the ApplianceProtect plan is more affordable than most other appliance warranty policies, which start around $30 a month. This can make the ApplianceProtect plan an appealing choice for homeowners who are looking to add some level of home warranty protection to their list of home coverages without overspending.

While TotalProtect’s monthly prices might be competitive, the company’s standard service fee is not. TotalProtect’s current trade fee is set at $100, which means that you’ll pay $100 to your technician every time you call for a repair or replacement through your policy. By comparison, most home warranty plan providers have service fees of around $75. This high per-incident charge greatly reduces the usefulness of your home warranty coverage.

Like your homeowner’s insurance coverage, every home warranty policy includes limitations on how much the home warranty company will spend each year fulfilling your claims. If you hit your coverage limit, you will be responsible for repair and replacement costs beyond what your plan provides.

Specific coverage limits on each item vary by policy and component — you can view a complete list of exclusions and coverage limits in your contract terms. Some coverage limits on the TotalProtect plan include:

Home componentCoverage limit
Plumbing system$1,000 per claim
Cooling system$1,500 per contract term
Home deductible reimbursement$1,000 per contract term

Additional coverage limits apply to optional add-on items.

Low coverage limits reduce the effectiveness of your plan and make it less valuable. Be sure to know exactly what is and isn’t covered on your home warranty plan before you sign onto any form of coverage. 

User Benefits

TotalProtect Home Service offers a few unique benefits over other home warranty providers, including:

  • No maintenance records required: TotalProtect does not require you to submit home maintenance records when you apply for a home warranty policy. It also does not deny coverage for failures that occur because of a lack of maintenance. If you haven’t been keeping up with your home maintenance schedule or you just moved into a home and haven’t received maintenance records from the seller, this can make TotalProtect an appealing choice.
  • Rust coverage: TotalProtect’s plans include coverage for damage and breakdowns resulting from rust and corrosion. These factors are excluded from coverage under most competing home warranty plans, which is another great feature for homeowners living in older properties that may be at higher risk for damage from rust.
  • Affordable appliance coverage: TotalProtect’s ApplainceProtect plan is available in most areas for less than $20 per month. While it includes coverage for only a few basic appliances, this low-cost protection can be accessible for homeowners on a tight budget. 

User Experience

The process of buying a plan from TotalProtect is straightforward. Customers can view pricing and contract details before requesting contact from a representative, which makes it easier to compare plan prices and inclusions between companies. When you’re ready to buy, complete an online form, review your coverage contract and pay for your policy. Most homeowners will be able to sign onto coverage in five minutes using TotalProtect’s intuitive buying process. In the future, it would be great to see TotalProtect continue to make its customer experience as simple as possible by introducing online claims submissions. 

TotalProtect Home Service Plan Versus Competitors

While TotalProtect’s policies do offer benefits to homeowners, they are not the only home warranty service provider on the market. Companies like Choice Home Warranty, Select Home Warranty and AFC Home Club also offer home warranty options with their own set of inclusions and add-ons. 

Benzinga offers insights and reviews on the following home warranty service plan providers. Consider continuing your search for the right home warranty coverage using a few of the links below. 

Overall

Overall, TotalProtect Home Service Plan is a basic home warranty policy offering. Though monthly pricing is competitive, per-incident service fees are higher than average at $100. TotalProtect offers an easy buying process, but you can only submit a claim to the company over the phone. Still, TotalProtect can be an appealing choice if you’re searching for a home warranty that will cover you when rust or a lack of maintenance causes your breakdowns.

TotalProtect Home Service Plan Video Tutorial

Frequently Asked Questions

Q

What is the difference between a home warranty and home insurance?

A

The difference between a home warranty and a home insurance policy is determined by when you can use your coverage on each plan. Home warranty policies cover you when your home’s systems and appliance break downs resulting from normal wear-and-tear. Home insurance covers you under a series of named perils that are likely to cause damage to your property — like a fire or electrical storm. Homeowners insurance is also usually required as a term to buy a home using a mortgage loan, while a home warranty is considered optional.

Q

How does a home warranty reimburse you?

A

Most home warranty policies do not typically reimburse customers, as they require the customer to use the company’s technicians. The home warranty company then pays the technician directly. If you have a home warranty that allows you to choose your own contractor, you will usually claim a reimbursement directly to your linked bank account that you use to pay your premiums. The method of reimbursement used may vary between home warranty providers.

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Sarah Horvath

About Sarah Horvath

Sarah Horvath is a highly respected freelance senior copywriter specializing in insurance content. With a wealth of experience, she is recognized as one of the top insurance copywriters in the industry. Sarah’s expertise encompasses various aspects of insurance, including home warranties, life insurance, health insurance, and more. Her insightful articles and guides are regularly featured on major finance sites, providing invaluable information to readers seeking to navigate the complexities of insurance policies. Known for her clear, concise writing style and comprehensive understanding of insurance products, Sarah is dedicated to empowering individuals with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their insurance coverage.