Cinch Home Services Review

Company Overview 

Cinch Home Services is a home warranty company that offers three tiers of plans that cover home repair costs. While home warranties are sometimes known for what they exclude, Cinch Home Services stands out because of what it includes: coverage of all knobs, handles, and drawers, which aren’t typically covered. They also include a credit toward changing filters in air conditioning units or refrigerators. 

While Cinch Home Services does cover quite a bit, they are also on the more expensive end of home warranty systems. Additionally, pricing is determined by your location. The low starting prices on the their website are only offered in select locations. Those living in more expensive areas will pay much more for their plans.

States Covered

Cinch Home Services is available everywhere in the United States except Alaska and Hawaii.

Available Plans

Cinch Home Services organizes their plans into two categories–appliances and internal systems, with an option to cover both in their third plan. All of their plans are backed by a 180-day workmanship guarantee.

In addition to covering all the appliance and built-in systems plans, the total plan also includes reimbursement of $500 for any deductible paid on a homeowners insurance claim. This credit is only available once per plan year. 

One advantage of Cinch Home Services is the breadth of items covered under its plans. Items like doorbells or smoke detectors are not often included in standard plans. 

There are optional coverages available as add ons such as pools and spas, septic systems, and well pumps but prices are not advertised on the site. 

Real Estate Plans 

Cinch Home Services plans are available to realtors and sellers as well, although there is no mention of what might be different about the realtor warranty plans or pricing on the site. They do offer real estate business resources and optional business coverages with these plans though.

Plan Pricing

While the plans for Cinch Home Services offer a lot of value, they also charge a higher price for them. Plan pricing is very dependent on your location in the country. We looked at pricing for several states and found very different plan pricing. Those living in more expensive areas can expect to pay more for their plans. However, if you are in an area that gets the low prices that are advertised on the website, Cinch comes out to be very affordable. The $150 deductible is on the high end for the industry which adds to your costs, when needing service.

Optional Add-Ons

Coverage is also available for the following systems: 

• Pools
• Spas
• Septic Systems
• Well Pumps

Pricing is available during the quote process and some information on these coverage options is available in the sample contract as well as in the FAQ.

Also offered, is the Premier Upgrade Package. This provides an extra $500 or $1,000 to cover otherwise non-covered charges during warranty service. It can be used twice per agreement with an aggregate limit of $1,000 or $2,000. It cannot be applied to items or damages not covered by your plan.

Types of Damage Covered

All home warranties stipulate that the damages covered include only normal wear and tear, but Cinch Home Services states that they cover quite a bit more than other companies, including 

• Undetected pre-existing conditions
• Rust, corrosion, and sediment
• Parts including handles, knobs, and drawers

Plan Exclusions

Cinch Home Services has many of the same exclusions as other home warranty companies such as: 

• Performance of routine maintenance
• Commercial grade appliances
• Repairs or replacements covered by other warranties
• Subject to recalls
• Located outside the perimeter of the main structure
• Located in a detached garage
• Damaged during a remodel or unauthorized repair 
• Damages due to misuse or neglect
• Pet and animal damage
• Damage from fire, flood, earthquake, smoke, flood etc.
• And much more

As always, read the contract carefully to understand what is covered and what is not.

Payout Caps and Limitations

Cinch Home Services uses an aggregate model for payouts. While there are specific caps on individual appliances or systems, typically $1,500-$2,000, there is also a maximum of $10,000 for all claims.

Repair Times

When disaster strikes and you need to make a claim, Cinch Home Services offers some of the fastest response times in the industry. If the claim is made within business hours, they promise to find a service technician within two hours. If it’s after hours, they work to find one within 24 hours. You can make service requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Customer Service and Claims

Cinch Home Services offers online, email, and telephone support. Their digital dashboard offers an easy and streamlined way to make a claim, pay bills, and track progress. Once on the website, clicking ‘request service’ takes you through a series of questions to diagnose your needs and trigger a service call. Customer service is available by phone and email 24 hours a day.

Customer Satisfaction 

Cinch Home Services gets mixed reviews online with a 3.0 out of 5 stars from more than 2,000 reviews.

Competition: Cinch Home Services vs Choice Home Warranty

We compared Cinch Home Services to Choice Home Warranty. Both companies offer simplified plans with broad coverage.

While service fees are higher at Cinch Home Services, their plans cover more items and more parts than Choice Home Warranty, making them a clear winner.

Q & A

How Do You File A Claim with Cinch Home Services? 

You can file a claim by calling their customer service number or submitting a claim online. 

What Does the Plan Cover? 

There are three plans available–appliances, built-in systems, and complete home, which includes both. All three plans cover breakage and failure due to normal wear and tear. 

Can You Cancel The Plan For Free?

You can only cancel for free within the first 30 days and if no claim has been made. If a claim has been made or it has been more than 30 days since your coverage began, you can still cancel, but charges will apply. Details can be found in the contract. If you should find yourself in this situation, it would be advisable to discuss canceling with a customer service rep to know exactly how much you would be charged. That way you can decide if it makes more sense to pay the cancelation charges or simply pay the rest of your warranty contract until it expires.

Methodology

There are several aspects to consider when evaluating a home warranty company and its coverages. To assist in your decision process, our methodology for reviewing home warranties includes a quantified scoring system that evaluates four major categories - total plan cost, coverage and support, customizability and transparency. Within those four major evaluation categories we look at 18 core features that include annual plan fees and service fees, claim response times, payout caps, states available, contract length range, customizable coverages, ability to use own repair person, free cancelation, plan pricing, plan exclusions and other plan provisions available online. We assign fractional score values ranging from 0.00 to 1.00 points for each feature and then weight those feature values according to subject matter expert advice and consumer survey importance ranking.  We also compare features for each company to industry average values determined from our data collection for the top 25 home warranty providers. Third-party ratings and customer satisfaction scores are factored in to help assess a home warranty company’s overall quality, suitability and value.