Villages couple without air conditioning, blames home warranty

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A couple from The Villages told Channel 9’s Len Kiese they went three weeks without air conditioning after waiting on a promise from a home warranty company.

Robert Wishart and Donna Wishart said they pay $44 a month for the home warranty and are furious they have had to spend thousands more just to regain comfort in their own home.

"I keep calling them and saying, ‘You know, help us.’ We're here with no air conditioning,” Donna Wishart said.

The Wisharts said their A/C went out weeks ago, so they turned to their home warranty company, TotalProtect, for help.

"Just dragged on, dragged on, dragged on. Every time I called every other day, ‘They're waiting for the part,’" Robert Wishart said.

The couple said things got so bad, they spent $4,300 to an outside network company to install a new unit this week.

The couple said they now wonders what happens to the money they’ve paid over the past year-and-a-half for the warranty.

"Home warranties offer a variety of things for consumers, but consumers should be aware of exactly what those details are,” said Holly Salmons, president of the Better Business Bureau said.

The BBB recommends consumers read the fine print and be ready to deal with the company’s timetable.

Homesure of America, Inc., which TotalProtect operates under, has a B+ rating with the BBB, but Eyewitness News found more than 1,000 complaints from customers like the Wisharts, who said they’ve spent hundreds of dollars with no payoffs.

Contact Len Kiese for more on this story.

Cox Media Group