Blue Ribbon Home Warranty Review | 2021
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Everyone has homeowners insurance. It's there to make sure that if an emergency does arise, that you will not lose everything. However, it's more likely that small appliances will break in your house from normal wear and tear over time. A home warranty plan will help pay for repair or replacement for these essential appliances and systems. Home warranties can be compared to healthcare plans. You pay a co-pay every time a service technician comes to your home to repair or replace parts, in the form of a service fee.
Our goal is to be an unbiased source of information for home maintenance. We do all of the research and present it to you so that you can make the best decision for your home. In this article, we researched one home warranty option: Blue Ribbon Home Warranty. We looked at the company's plans, add-on options, costs, claims process, quote process, customer reviews, and more.
With so many different types of home warranties on the market, it can be difficult to find the best choice for your home. Thankfully, we have a team of home warranty specialists in our artillery to analyze the best home warranty companies. Keep reading for our review of Blue Ribbon Home Warranty and how it stacks up against our top pick, American Home Shield.
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty Overview
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty has been providing home warranty plans since 1985 to Colorado residents. Its plans are designed for homes both involved and not involved in real estate transactions. The three plans offered for homeowners range in price from $325 to $4,845 depending on the term length and home type.
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty Plans
Plans
Blue Ribbon Warranty has three plans, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, which build off of each other.
Covered by all Plans: Heating system, ductwork, plumbing system, water heater, built-in whirlpool tub, sump pump, electrical system, garage door opener, central vacuum, doorbell, kitchen & bathroom exhaust fans, refrigerator, oven/range, dishwasher, over the range microwave, garbage disposal, trash compactor.
Covered by Gold and Platinum Plans only: washer, dryer, central A/C, evaporative cooler, heat pump, or whole house fan
Covered by Platinum Plan only: Blue Ribbon Premier Upgrade, preventative maintenance check and cleaning, second garage door opener, three items from add-on list
Add-Ons
Here is a list of the individual add-on options that Blue Ribbon Home Warranty offers:
Refrigerator
Stove
Built-in double oven
Over the range microwave
Dishwasher
Trash compactor
Central vacuum
Garbage disposal
Washer
Dryer
Garage door opener
Gas fireplace
Sump pump
Roof
Well pump
Septic tank
Sewage ejector pump
Pool
Hot tub
Pool and hot tub
Heating system
Water heater
A/C, evaporative cooler, or whole house fan
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty also has three add-on packages. The Blue Ribbon Premier Upgrade is already included in the Platinum Plan and provides additional coverage for the following:
Appliances: rollers, racks, removable baskets, rotisseries, handle knobs, buckets, lights, lock and key assemblies, and shelves
Air conditioning: window unit
Garage door: hinges, springs, and remote
Plumbing: main sewer line cleaning, faucets, shower heads and arms, toilet tank and bowl, urinals, power flush mechanisms, hose bibs, pressure regulators, and hot water dispenser
Heating system: registers and grills
The Preventative Maintenance Check and Cleaning Plan included in the Platinum Plan allows for one preventative check per item upon co-pay during the term of your contract. The included items are the following:
Kitchen appliances
Laundry appliances
Water heater
Heating system
Cooling system
Garage door opener
The Supplemental Coverage provides additional coverage for the following items:
Boiler: circulating pump and fill valve
Tankless water heater: all mechanical components
Code upgrades: heating system, air conditioner, and water heater
Power vents
What is Not Covered?
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty's coverage is extensive. It covers almost anything you could want to cover in your house. The only item missing is an add-on option for spa equipment.
For more details on the plans, check out this brochure.
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty Cost
Plan Prices
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty has a price range of $325-$4,845 depending on the home type, plan, and warranty length. The company offers terms for 14 months or for two years. The table below indicates the prices for 14 months. There are also military and senior discounts that change depending on the plan and home type.
Single Family: $375 (Silver), $475 (Gold), $795 (Platinum)
Condo/Townhome: $325 (Silver), $425 (Gold), $745 (Platinum)
Duplex (separate heating): $685 (Silver), $856 (Gold), $1,495 (Platinum)
Duplex (shared heating): $625 (Silver), $795 (Gold), $1,405 (Platinum)
Triplex (separate heating): $965 (Silver), $1,295 (Gold), $2,255 (Platinum)
Triplex (shared heating): $895 (Silver), $1,165 (Gold), $1,985 (Platinum)
Fourplex (separate heating): $1,275 (Silver), $1,715 (Gold), $2,855 (Platinum)
Fourplex (shared heating): $1,145 (Silver), $1,525 (Gold), $2,575 (Platinum)
Service Fee
When a claim is filed, you will be charged a co-pay of $65, which is cheaper than the range of $75-$100 for other home warranty providers.
Add-On Prices
Below are the prices for the add-on options, which range from $40 to $195 for a 14-month contract.
$40 for 14 months (each): trash compactor, garbage disposal, sump pump
$50 for 14 months (each): stove, dishwasher, over the range microwave, central vacuum, washer, dryer, garage door opener, roof, septic tank
$60 for 14 months: gas fireplace
$75 for 14 months (each) : sewage ejector pump, Blue Ribbon Premier Upgrade, preventative maintenance check and cleaning
$90 for 14 months: well
$95 for 14 months (each): water heater, refrigerator, built-in double oven
$125 for 14 months (each): heating system, A/C, evaporative cooler, whole house fan, supplemental coverage
$150 for 14 months (each): hot tub, pool
$195 for 14 months: pool and hot tub
Get a Quote for Blue Ribbon Home Warranty
Get a quote by visiting this page on Blue Ribbon Home Warranty's website. Scroll to the bottom where it says "price estimator," and answer just three questions about yourself and your living situation. This gives you a price range, but if you would like a more accurate number, you can fill out this online form or call 303-986-3900.
How to File a Claim with Blue Ribbon Home Warranty
File a claim by filling out this form on Blue Ribbon Home Warranty's website or by calling one of these numbers: 303-986-3900 or 800-571-0475.
Our Verdict on Blue Ribbon Home Warranty
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty has 34 years of experience in the home warranty business. The company has had success during that time, which is evident by its A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau. This rating is partly due to its extensive plans that covers almost everything imaginable and its great customer service that is available 24/7.
Blue Ribbon's main downfall is that it is only available to Colorado residents. It is also expensive, especially if you want full coverage under the Platinum Plan or you live in a multiplex. It also doesn't provide an add-on option for spa equipment.
Despite Blue Ribbon Home Warranty's history of good coverage, it is expensive and only protects residents in one state. Because of this, we recommend American Home Shield instead.
Our Recommended Provider: American Home Shield
Unlike Blue Ribbon, American Home Shield is available in all but one state (Alaska). With over 48 years of industry experience, top customer service ratings, and customizable plans, they are our top overall selection for home warranty coverage.
With American Home Shield, you can choose a plan to cover your major systems with the ShieldSilver™ plan, or a combination of both systems and appliances with the ShieldGold™ and ShieldPlatinum™ plans. For your service fee, you can choose from a $75, $100, or $125 service fee, which will adjust your monthly cost as well — you'll pay less each month for a more expensive service fee.
American Home Shield maintains a network of 15,000 licensed contractors across the entire country, and they are constantly re-evaluating their customers' needs to get the best service possible.
Runner Up: Choice Home Warranty
Our second pick is Choice Home Warranty. This provider offers comprehensive plans at reasonable prices, as well as a number of add-on options to customize your coverage. It's also available nearly nationwide — in 48 states, excluding California and Washington.
Choice Home Warranty's Total Plan is equivalent to Blue Ribbon Home Warranty's Platinum Plan, but the price difference is considerable. The highest tiered plan from Choice Home Warranty costs around $44 a month, while that of Blue Ribbon costs around $64 per month for 14 months on a single-family home. That price from Blue Ribbon increases even more when you upgrade the plan to two years or cover a multiplex.
While Blue Ribbon has fewer customer complaints on the Better Business Bureau website, that is probably due to the fact that Choice Home Warranty services a lot more customers with its coverage of 48 states in comparison to Blue Ribbon's one state. This limited availability by Blue Ribbon means that the company has to please fewer customers at one time.
Best Home Warranty Companies
Best Overall
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Best Basic Plan
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Best Discounts
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Best Plan Variety
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Best Membership Perks
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Home Warranty Comparison
We lined up our top picks against Blue Ribbon in the table below, so you can compare the options for yourself:
American Home Shield
3 plans
4 add-on options
49 states covered (excluding Alaska)
30-day waiting period
$75, $100, or $125 service fee
48 years in business
BBB accredited, BBB rating: B
10, 978 BBB complaints
Choice Home Warranty
2 plans
9 add-on options
48 states covered (excluding California and Washington)
30 day waiting period
$85 service fee
11 years in business
Not BBB accredited, BBB rating: B-
5,280 BBB complaints
Blue Ribbon Home Warranty
3 plans
9 add-on options
1 state covered
30 day waiting period
$65 service fee
34 years in business
BBB accredited, BBB rating: A+
12 BBB complaints
At the end of the day, we recommend you consider all of the best options on the market. It's in your best interest to get a free quote from the major providers to see which would best suit your needs.
Home Warranty Rating Methodology
The Home Service Research Team at Better Homes & Gardens strives to provide unbiased and objective reviews to readers by compiling relevant information on home warranty companies and rating the providers on a variety of factors.
Here's what our review process looks like:
We examine each provider's website to determine plan details, coverage, customer service offerings, and other benefits. We also speak with company representatives to get more insight on plan details.
We read sample contracts from each home warranty company to analyze and compare coverage details, limits, and exclusions.
We read at least 100 third-party customer reviews for each home warranty company to determine the real-life benefits and drawbacks of each provider.
We gather cost information for a variety of home warranty plans in different states by completing online quote forms and speaking with sales representatives to simulate the quote process.
We revisit each company's offerings on a seasonal basis, ensuring that we include the most up-to-date information in our reviews.
We also created a 100-point rating system to score companies based on objective factors, such as plan options, coverage, and customer service:
Overall, the Home Service Research Team has reviewed over 70 home warranty companies to select the top-rated providers in the industry.
