When the Kitchen Sink Clogs and the Warranty Wears Thin

When the Kitchen Sink Clogs and the Warranty Wears Thin

My Personal Experience with a Drain Clog Claim

This post documents my personal experience and reflects events as they occurred.

The Initial Problem

On a Friday afternoon, my kitchen sink drain became completely clogged. This was not a slow drain or partial blockage—the water would not drain at all. Before contacting a plumber, I attempted several common troubleshooting steps, including clearing standing water, using a 25-foot drain snake, and applying a drain cleaner. None of these resolved the issue.

Remembering that I had an active home warranty, I reviewed my agreement and noted that drain clogs appeared to be covered. Based on that understanding, I submitted a service request through the Select Home Warranty website.

Submitting the Claim

The online submission process did not provide a clear confirmation or status update, so I contacted customer service by phone to confirm that the claim had been received. I was told that the request was on file.

Because the claim was submitted late on a Friday, I learned that technician dispatch and claim processing would not occur over the weekend. In addition, since Select Home Warranty operates on Eastern Time business hours, any updates would need to occur before mid-afternoon local time in my area.

Timeline and Follow-Ups

Over the next several days, I followed up multiple times to check on the status of the claim. During those calls, I was advised that the claim was still being processed and that Select Home Warranty was attempting to locate a technician.

After several days without a technician assignment, I was advised by Select Home Warranty to locate a plumber on my own, pay for the service upfront, and submit the invoice for reimbursement.

Independent Repair and Cost Information

I contacted a plumbing service that confirmed the blockage and provided a repair estimate of $535, along with a $99 service call fee. Before proceeding, I contacted Select Home Warranty again to understand the reimbursement process.

I was later advised that the maximum reimbursement available for this type of repair would be $175. At that point, I asked whether Select Home Warranty could dispatch a technician at that reimbursement level. I was informed that this would require opening a new service request and waiting additional business days.

Given that the sink was still unusable, I elected to proceed with the repair using a local plumber and paid the invoice directly.

Reimbursement Outcome

After submitting the invoice, Select Home Warranty issued a reimbursement check for $175, which I received.

While I appreciate that reimbursement was provided in accordance with the claim determination, the process required significant involvement on my part. This included filing the claim, following up multiple times, waiting while technician availability was explored, and ultimately locating and coordinating my own plumber at Select Home Warranty’s request.

My Takeaway

From my perspective, this experience highlighted the difference between coverage and convenience. Although a reimbursement was ultimately issued, resolving the issue required considerable time, coordination, and upfront payment by the homeowner—particularly for a problem that was time-sensitive.

This post is shared to document how the process unfolded for me and to provide transparency into the experience. Others may have different outcomes depending on timing, location, and service availability.

If additional updates occur, I will update this post accordingly.