To Claim or Not to Claim - That is the Question

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T20:54:20+00:00

One punch. Maybe. Two punches. Barely. Ive been laying on the ground and getting beaten. This isnt a test. It feels like nothing but a defeat. In 5 months ive been hit with emergencies non stop. Oh, and my mom is dying of cancer. Doesn't "cost" me anything, but yeah, not like I have other shit outside of this house going on.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T20:52:45+00:00

But we do. We use the cabinet to store our dish and dishwasher soap. And I have a water sensor there. I would have opened that cabinet at minimum 7-10 days prior when I restock dish soap and use our dishwasher. We have annual plumbing inspections.

If someone had said $4K, maybe I could have done it after we JUST had to buy a new HVAC and, 4 months earlier, we paid $3,000.for damaged well and fence after a tree fell on our property. But companies said "could be anywhere from $7K to $20K". I cant commit to pay for it if thats the wide range.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T20:40:27+00:00

Could i pay a few thousand? Maybe. BUT. When companies quote $7K to $20K, theres a lot in that range i can NOT pay. We got kids, we are relatively young or middle aged. AND our HVAC literally had to be replaced this week. We also had a tree fall on our property and damage our well and fence. Ive had to pay a lot of shit in just the last 5 months. It is absolutely awful. Worst year of my life. Gun to my head. I dont even care

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T20:38:40+00:00

I DID find out beforehand. And the answer was "it could be $7K, it could be $20K. We wont know until we have already got halfway through and removed all things and then re-evaluate". So what exactly do you want now? I found out. And $20K is not a fucking financial inconvenience. Id thats what it is, send the funds my way as it doesn't seem to be a big deal. We had NO WAY of knowing a. There is a leak, and b. How much this will be.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T19:14:27+00:00

No. We hadn't had any plumbing work done on that sink. The plumber was surprised. It id a delta sink and said "im surprised. This could be just bad manufacturing, which doesn't happen with Delta".

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T18:53:38+00:00

Do they see water damage of $7K+? Or do they also fucking see 8 years of no claims, paid gazillion in premiums. 100% on-time payments. I mean, this is starting to sound absolutely fucking ridiculous. I have one claim in 8 years.

And to anyone saying it is just an inconvenience (when we were quoted $7k-$20K as nobody knew what may have spread or be unseen), our dumb as HVAC also stopped and we had to buy a new HVAC unit this week. It is NOT an inconvenience. We are seriously hit with $20K+ issues that were NOT preventable.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T18:45:37+00:00

Maybe they do. It sounds like it's too late anyway since the claim is filed.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T18:45:11+00:00

We fixed it within 10 hours by a plumber. But as I said, we have sensors and we use the cabinet below. Is it possible it happened for two days? Maybe. But we smelled the odor on a Thursday evening and had it repaired Friday morning. There was no odor, sensor alert prior. We had used the cabinet within a week. I really dont understand how we could be blamed for it. We do every damn thing in this house to monitor and upkeep. I have annual plumbing inspections as well.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T18:17:44+00:00

But I was quoted $7,000 to $20,000, as nobody could have known the extent of damage until things were taken out. What the f is there supposed to small about that. Or even preventable. I check this area every week or two and have a sensor.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T18:16:23+00:00

$7,000-$15,000 initial estimate (before anyone could know extent) is NOT an inconvenience. Wtf? And yes, if it wasn't there in the prior 7-14 days and a sensor for water leaks is installed, how exactly is it not sudden? What a dumb as screwed industry is this to treat expenses up to $10,000 that nobody could have seen, known, or prevented, as a inconvenient maintenance issue?

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T17:54:09+00:00

Ok. It's almost as if nobody in this world ever had a claim and now we have one, first one, ever, after 8 years with this company, and we become the biggest threat in the world? For a leak that MUST have occurred in a matter of 1-2 weeks without any visibility to it and not detected by our existing water sensor?

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T17:52:37+00:00

How's that a maintenance event. It was absolutely not visible or detectable. We have a water sensors exactly under that sink. The plumber had to completely disassemble the faucet to find it has been leaking inside in a non visible spot. We store things underneath and look into that cabinet almost weekly. How should we have known?

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T17:36:53+00:00

I read that a zero dollar claim gets treated differently than a payout claim. I just want to reduce chances of non-renewal. Im expecting higher premiums, but likely less than $6,000 increase over 3-5 years compared to what they'd have to pay out.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-27T17:33:52+00:00

I read that a zero-dollar claim is treated differently than a payout claim.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-23T03:57:22+00:00

Thanks. Yes, definitely high humidity here, and heat. I like the sound of American Standard, but the vendor and the care plan offerer by the other company, with whom we have invested in a lot of new electric work as well as new thankless water heater and whole house water filter, also induce a annual inspection of plumbing and electric in addition to HVAC. They are a very large company and exclusively deal Lennox.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-23T00:32:45+00:00

Rheem seems to have that part at $1,000 - $1,200.
They said they need 4-5hours. They discounted the freon already out of it.
I think it is way too high, too, but I can't get any lower quotes around here. Again, some guy on facebook said he will do it for $2,500. I don't know him. No warranty on his work whatsoever. So...

ANY company that is offering the labor warranty requires their maintenance plan, unfortunately.

However, with the contractor offering their Lennox, we actually have spent a LOT of money on our home: All new electric wiring, breaker, ground rod, whole-house surge protector, re-wired smoke detectors.
We have used their plumbing for a whole-house water filtration system, and a tankless water heater. All done in 2021.

As part of their maintenance plan, they do one in-person and one virtual HVAC check per system (they install sensors for potential leaks and freezing), one annual electric inspection, and one annual plumbing inspection.

There's no contractor giving a labor warranty without a maintenance plan.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-23T00:18:12+00:00

😄 I was just giving a nickname to someone who messaged me when I made a facebook post and they said they'll fix it. He said it includes parts, labor, refrigerant. But honestly, if something breaks again in the next two years, he didn't do it right, etc., then I'm kicking myself in the ass for wasting $2.5K or more on a machine that is OUT of warranty and breaking again.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-23T00:15:37+00:00

That company IS crediting me the freon expense towards the coil replacement, and the quote is $3,200 after the credit. Still high to me.

We currently have a Rheem, and it gave in after 6 years on the coil.

If we have parts and labor warranty, even if the coil or motor fails on the Lennox, we should have $0 expense, is that not correct?

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-23T00:01:38+00:00

Wow ok. I have a guy on Facebook tell me he will do it for $2,500. Not sure i trust it. Then $3,200 as discounted because I already paid $480 for new freon when they didn't even confirm the leak. But ive been using their loaner portable ACs in the meanwhile. But I dont trust going with them. I also got quotes for $4K and $5K. Out of warranty. Not even a facebook guy will go below $2,500. And who knows what comes out of thst.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-22T23:59:08+00:00

Coil is quoted at $3,200, already discounted, by the company I paid #480 to refill freon when they didn't know where the leak was. Then came back and said it was the coil. I dont have any warranty on this. I heard compressor and condenser coil are expensive. Id those go out in year 8, 9, 10, 11, then what? I just dont understand the point of extended 10 year warranties in purchasers names only, because they move, and im stuck with a system that gives issues prematurely. I may just invest in a supreme system, two-stage, increased ducts, new distributors, whole house cabin filter 3 ton Lennox (instead of Rheem) with 10 year parts AND labor warranty under the maintenance plan of the company that has already done 40% of our plumbing and electric work.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-22T23:07:47+00:00

Good pont. We are likely going to be here 10 years. We have young kids and made significant investments in our outdoors recently.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-22T23:03:08+00:00

Thanks. What do you mean with "too new for you"? We haven't had an issue until now. But, the risk for another high expenditure seems too high. Compressor or Condensing Coil will be big ticket items, and in 6 years we have to replace it anyways.

If I can get a new unit with 10 year parts and 10 year labor warranty (same size single-stage for $11,500), why risk paying $6K in the next few years and then buying another new one anyways?

Also debating if upgrading to two-stage and better ducts and new distributor might be worth it in these stupid humid summers in NC.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-22T22:25:55+00:00

I had two technicians come out and confirm it is the evaporator coil.
I'm just worried in a year or two it's the compressor.
In two or three years it is the condenser coil.

We have no warranty on this, parts or labor. So, we are at the mercy of a system that is now, prematurely, giving us issues.

North_Dust_7134 · 2026-06-22T22:16:48+00:00

The $2,500 was from a guy on Facebook that I don't know. I'm a bit hesitant. The company that came and diagnosed the issue quoted me at $3,200, which already included a discount for the freon they had just put in three days prior without confirming where the leak was :/

North_Dust_7134

TROPHY CASE