When the Kitchen Sink Clogs and the Warranty Wears Thin

When the Kitchen Sink Clogs and the Warranty Wears Thin: My Experience with Select Home Warranty

It was a typical Friday when disaster struck: my kitchen drain clogged. Not a slow drain or a mild annoyance—this was a full stop. Water wouldn’t go down. I did everything a reasonable homeowner could do: cleared the standing water, ran a 25-foot drain snake, even dumped in some Liquid Plumber. Still nothing.

Before I picked up the phone to call a plumber, I remembered—I have Select Home Warranty. A quick scan of my agreement revealed that, yes, drain clogs are covered! Relieved, I jumped online, logged into the Select Home Warranty site, and submitted a service request.

Sort of.

The website was clunky and unresponsive. After submitting the ticket a few times and seeing no confirmation or update, I gave up and called. Thankfully, they confirmed the ticket had been received, even if their website didn’t reflect it. (For comparison: while Choice Home Warranty's service was mediocre, their website at least functioned properly and showed ticket status clearly.)

Unfortunately, I soon learned that Select Home Warranty doesn’t operate on weekends—no technician dispatch, no approvals, no progress. And since they work 6am–6pm EST (I'm in the Pacific Northwest), I’d need to hope someone touched my ticket before 3pm local time. Spoiler alert: they didn’t.

The Weekend Wait

• Friday: Nothing

• Saturday & Sunday: Closed

• Monday: Still nothing—called, told to wait another 2–3 business days

• Tuesday: Called 2–3 times, still “in process”

• Wednesday: They can’t find a technician. But! I can hire my own plumber, pay upfront, and maybe get reimbursed.

So I called a national chain, Rescue Rooter. They came out, confirmed the blockage, and quoted $535 to fix it—plus $99 just for showing up. We called Select together at 2:53pm PST to get approval. After 30 minutes on the phone—where I had to reconfirm all my information twice—we were told that their authorization department had just closed. It was 6:02pm EST. I was now looking at a $535 gamble, unsure what, if anything, would be reimbursed.

The Next Morning: The Real Cost of Warranty Games

I called first thing Thursday morning and was finally given a reimbursement amount: $175. That's it. No prior approval. No warning. Just a vague promise and a shrug.

I asked if they could just send their own technician for that price. Nope. They had tried, they couldn’t find anyone, and now I’d need to start the process over with a new ticket—plus another 2–3 day wait. The support rep genuinely sounded apologetic, like he hated having to deliver the same disappointing news to every customer. I believe him.

And now, I was out $99 for the service call—because I trusted the process. Because I believed them when they said they’d “cover it.” That’s when I realized: this isn’t about fine print. This is about smoke and mirrors. When I asked the tech support line how much I’d be reimbursed ahead of time, they refused to tell me because I wasn’t a technician. That’s not fine print—that’s a shell game.

The Solution That Actually Worked

At this point, I canceled the national rooter service and called the best drain cleaner I know: Steve from AAA Drain Cleaning. He’s based here in the Portland/Vancouver area and he’s exceptional—honest, reliable, and reasonably priced. He’s cleaned drains at my house multiple times over the past five years, and every single time, he’s been a pro.

He came out, snaked the line four times, cleared the clog completely, and made sure everything was working. Total professionalism, no games. If you’re in the area and need help, call AAA Drain Cleaning at (503) 766-5422 or visit https://aaadraincleaningportland.com.

What Now?

I paid Steve directly (worth every penny) and submitted the invoice to Select Home Warranty for reimbursement. As of now, I’m still waiting.

Conclusion: Lessons Learned

If you’re considering a home warranty service, here’s what I’ve learned:

• Select Home Warranty may reimburse you—but they won’t confirm how much until it’s too late.

• Their website is unreliable, and support is only available during narrow business hours.

• You’ll need to be your own advocate and possibly your own technician liaison.

• $175 reimbursement doesn’t go far when your out-of-pocket is $500+.

Most importantly, sometimes the best service isn’t the one you paid a premium for—it’s the one who actually shows up.

If Select updates me (or reimburses me), I’ll update this post. But for now, let this be a fair warning: your warranty might not be worth what you think it is.

Got your own experience with Select Home Warranty or a better service provider to recommend? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear how others have navigated the home warranty maze.