Tag: Home Warranty

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Start a Claim Online

Start a Claim Online Is Here!

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Start a Claim OnlineHEY! Did you know you can now Start A Claim Online with America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW)? You did? Okay, alright… it’s been here for a minute, true. BUT! Did you know about…

All the benefits that come with it:

  • NO LINES: We know you love our award-winning customer service, but sometimes you just don’t have the time to talk! Whether you’re at work, out with the kids, away on a business trip—how convenient would it be to fill out three little things on a form and instantly get a claim number?
  • EASY TRACKING: Just log in, and from the moment you complete our simple online form, your claim number immediately arrives in an email—along with the ability to track all sorts of useful things, including any active warranties, all claims, claim status and updates, authorized contacts, payments, and more.
  • PERSONAL UPDATES: Need to update your contact phone or email? How about authorized users on your account (like a property manager or your parents if you’re out of town)? With Start a Claim Online, you have easy access to update these details on your account from any device, giving you the freedom to maneuver when you need it.

“It’s easy information and an easy registration process, with all your instructions right there,” said APHW Technology Administrator Tim Henderson, who led the design of the program. “You can validate all your information, add authorized contacts, and even dig deeper to get more detail about your claim. And you can see exactly what has been approved all the way through. We’ve actually gotten a lot of compliments on it,” he said.

“We want to ensure that our customers can always quickly and easily start a claim at any time, and get their contractor appointment set,” said APHW Vice President of Operations Mike Sadler. “Start a Claim Online can be especially useful to you during times with higher call volumes.”

Need more info?

Visit APHW.COM and click Start a Claim to get started, or call 800.648.5006 for more information.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty Donates to Flood Relief

Doubling Down on Giving Back — And Then Some

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty Donates to Flood ReliefA couple days ago we shared a video and information regarding America’s Preferred Home Warranty’s (APHW) contributions to the Keller Williams (KW) Premier Real Estate flood relief efforts in Midland, Michigan. Here is the rest of that story—including doubling down with an additional $100,000 donation to the charity organization Samaritan’s Purse.

Two Cultures, One Purpose

APHW and KW have a longstanding relationship that’s beyond just being business partners; they also have similar values. “Their culture very much mirrors our own in giving back to those in need,” said APHW Area Sales Manager Brian Heath. “So when they asked us to get involved with their project in Midland, it just made sense.”

KW initially asked APHW to sponsor a breakfast for the KW volunteers on Thursday, June 4th. But APHW President and Owner Randy Caltrider felt moved to do more.

“He wanted to do something on a larger scale,” Brian said. “God put it on Randy’s heart to help the KW relief efforts with a donation of $25,000 on top of the sponsored breakfast, and we also had several staff members volunteer to help that day.”

But Randy Wasn’t Done

After some research, he donated $100,000 to Samaritan’s Purse as well. “They’re just phenomenal,” Randy said. “They were the first ones on the ground in Italy when COVID-19 hit, and then they went to New York and set up a complete tent hospital in Central Park. The unselfish things they do all over the world brings tears to my eyes, and they’re in Midland right now.”

Between APHW doubling down, KW’s efforts, Samaritan’s Purse, and a LOT of other volunteers, Midland will soon become home again to its residents. “For me it was just a small thing of giving of my time and energy,” Brian said. “But for the families we helped, it was the world.”

Visit SamaritansPurse.org for more information about the charity, or to donate to their cause.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty, In Good Hands, Customer Service

In Good Hands – Literally

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty, In Good Hands, Customer Service

Sometimes ‘snail-mail’ is the only option, so it’s nice to know when you’re in good hands. This was the literal case for a potential customer, when Elizabeth Sokol personally delivered an America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW) brochure to her home.

As someone who typically works with real estate agents, the APHW North and South Carolina Area Sales Manager didn’t understand at first why she had received the request, or why APHW had mailed the warranty instead of sending it by email. “I couldn’t find her as a REALTOR® or a homeowner in our system, so I called her,” she said.

When ‘The Usual’ Isn’t Quite Enough

It turned out the homeowner wasn’t terribly computer savvy, so she was waiting for ‘snail mail’ to come through instead—but COVID-19 kept causing delays with the postal service. “And when I talked to her, I realized she was also an unaffiliated REALTOR®, who lives only about four miles from me,” Elizabeth said. “And she was so excited to have somebody local that she knew was attached to the warranty she was trying to purchase!”

Going the Extra Mile – Literally!

They discussed coverage options for a while, and the REALTOR® asked Elizabeth if she could come drop off a brochure at her home. “I said, ‘I’m almost at your driveway,’ and she just lit up over the phone,” Elizabeth said. “So I got there, stood on the front porch, and told her how the home warranty would pertain to her particular situation. She’s not selling right now, but she will be, and she wanted the best coverage.”

The REALTOR® originally discovered APHW through her Continuing Education training, where another real estate agent had recommended the company. “We’ve talked a couple times since then,” Elizabeth said. “And I’ll call her back again today with more answers about getting her registered as an agency.”

More Information

Are you a real estate agent? Call 800.648.5006 ext. 179 or visit APHW.COM for to see how APHW can help you grow your business—you’ll be in good hands.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty, Child and Family Charities Partnership, Home Warranties

APHW Partnership with CFC Boosts Efforts During COVID-19

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Child and Family Charities Partnership, Home WarrantiesChild and Family Charities (CFC) and America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW) have a relationship going back nearly a decade. The nonprofit has grown considerably over the years, and APHW has not only kept donating, but repeatedly increased donations, fundraisers, and volunteers. These increases have made a huge impact on CFC’s reach among mid-Michigan children, youth and families—particularly during COVID-19.

“APHW has helped us become a stronger organization,” said CFC CEO Julie Thomasma. “And because of their help, we felt better about going into this situation, being better able to offer support and increase our services where they are needed most,” she said.

Child and Family Charities assists mid-Michigan youth and families through 25 programs across 6 divisions. They have focused extra efforts around providing food assistance, childcare, shelter, and mental health services during COVID-19, Julie described, because so many more families need them these days, and so much more.

APHW’s support also helped CFC to keep their entire staff during COVID-19, and even expand it. “We’ve actually hired additional coaches to meet the need,” she said. “And we’ve been doing even more work because that need is so great. We’re in a really great position because of APHW.”

“The support from [APHW President and Owner] Randy Caltrider and APHW gives us that spark of hope to continue working with the populations and families we serve,” said CFC Director of Development Demphna Krikorian. “We’re seeing the increasing needs, and we’ll see more tomorrow and onward until we get through this. And we really couldn’t do it without that spark, that hope, that APHW gives us.”

Want to help? Visit ChildAndFamily.org or call 517.882.4000 for more information.

Luke 12:48 – “To whom much is given, much will be required.”

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Home Warranty, How to Choose a Contractor

Difficulty Finding a Contractor? We Can Help

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Home Warranty, How to Choose a ContractorI get to choose any licensed contractor for claims! But… this one over here said ‘they don’t work with home warranties…’ Having the freedom to choose gives you a huge advantage in claims—if you can get one to listen to you for half a second. We can help you with finding a contractor.

Here’s the thing: Your contractor doesn’t HAVE to ‘work with us.’ They are working with and for YOU. We’re just paying the bill.

So, the real problem here isn’t that they won’t work with home warranty companies—they’re just leery of the concept. We understand that this can cause difficulty for some of our customers, so we’ve put together some ideas to help you get the contractor you need.

Remember, They Work for YOU

After you’ve filed a claim and received a claim number, when reaching out initially, just tell them you have a problem that needs a contractor. That’s it. After your contractor has diagnosed the problem, ask them to speak with us over the phone before any repairs are completed.

We Need to Talk to Them

Our claim decision is based on your contractor’s professional diagnosis, which is why approval is required before repairs are completed. All we need from them is a few details about the unit, what caused the failure, and their price for repair or replacement. That’s it. Easy, right?

You May Have to Pay Up Front

We get it… the whole point is to prevent you from paying out of pocket. Though we do offer immediate payment by credit card over the phone, because your contractor doesn’t work for us, they’re not obligated to accept payment from us. This is why we also offer reimbursement to you for approved claims, with near immediate processing—most customers receive it in only a few days.

Lastly, much of a contractor’s business is gained through referrals. Tell your contractor if you might be referring their services—and let them know we refer their services, too.

Call us today at 800.648.5006 ext. 179 for more information on finding a contractor. We’re here to help.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty Gives You Control During COVID-19

Contractor of Choice Gives You CONTROL During COVID-19

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty, Control Your Claim, COVID-19With America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW), you can choose ANY licensed contractor for your claim. Seriously, ANY licensed contractor. Yes, we know… we’ve rung this bell a million times. But we still find a lot of people who don’t understand what a huge advantage this is, let alone the advantage it provides you during COVID-19. So… onward!

Most typical home warranties have a mixture of companies under contract to be on call for their customers. So when you have a breakdown, they pick someone under their contract, or offer you a specific choice between their contracted companies.

Here is why APHW strongly feels this decision should be yours alone:

  • You choose WHO comes into your home: Someone you know and trust.
  • You choose WHEN they get there: If you can’t get someone out fast from one company, you are 100% able to continue calling around until you CAN.
  • You choose WHERE they come from: When you have pipes flooding your basement, the opportunity to choose LOCAL can seriously minimize damage over waiting for someone who may be hours away.
  • The contractor you choose works for YOU, not us. This guarantees you a true third-party assessment of your problem, with no outside contract guiding what they can say.

Why is this especially important curing COVID-19? During this uncertain time, your local community is hurting. By helping to support local businesses, you are helping to support your local economy.

Take CONTROL and be a hero to your local contractors with APHW.

Call 888.351.3681 or visit APHW.COM today for more information.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty Payment Options, Home Warranty, Payment Options

You’ve Got Options: APHW Payment Possibilities

Posted on | by Clive Gillett

America's Preferred Home Warranty Payment Options, Home Warranty, Payment OptionsSo you have an approved home warranty claim. Now what? Here’s how an approved claim payment works with America’s Preferred Home Warranty (APHW).

First Things First

As you know, you can choose ANY licensed contractor for claims with APHW. This gives you control over who you have in your home, where they come from, and when they get there. It means the contractor works for you, not us, so you get a true third-party opinion. And then they need to get paid for their work.

That’s where APHW comes in, right? The answer is yes, with a caveat: Because your contractor doesn’t work for us, they are not obligated to accept payment from us. This is why we offer options for payment (once you receive telephone approval).

Payment Options

  1. Our first option is for us to pay the contractor with a credit card. They get right to work following approval, you verify the completed work with us, and we pay the contractor right over the phone—fast and easy with zero wait time. So why doesn’t every contractor take this option? Because not all contractors can accept credit cards. In some cases, provider charges also make it less appealing.
  2. Our second option is to pay the contractor by check in the mail. We offer near-immediate processing, so the check often arrives in just a few business days.
  3. Our third option is for you to pay your contractor up front (or purchase a replacement and have it professionally installed), email us the “paid in full” invoice, and be reimbursed your approved claim amount by check in the mail.

Our end goal is to ensure that payment gets where it needs to as quickly as possible, whether that’s to you or your contractor. We’re actively working to develop other payment methods as well, to hopefully move things even faster in the future. Your business is everything to us, so you can count on us to continue innovating and improving your experience every day.

Call 800.648.5006 or visit APHW.COM for more information.

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America's Preferred Home Warranty and Child and Family Charities, Home Warranty, Home Warranties

Child and Family Charities and APHW Working Together During COVID Lockdowns

Posted on | by Clive Gillett


We couldn’t be more proud to help Child and Family Charities (CFC – https://bit.ly/2LsBmGh), an incredible non-profit serving children, youth and families in Mid-Michigan, especially now as their services are even more needed. Beyond donations, our company fundraisers for CFC also help to build up our teams and share the message of the charity.

Want to help? Click here: https://bit.ly/2YTqV6N

(Special shoutout to UnoDeuce Multimedia for producing this video!)

Interested in a home warranty? Call 888.351.3681 or visit APHW.COM today for more information!