WALTON, Ky. — A Northern Kentucky family said they spent three days without air conditioning amid the Tri-State heat wave while struggling to get timely help from their home warranty company, Choice Home Warranty.
Bill and Ellie Soine of Walton, Kentucky, said their air conditioning quit in late June. With Bill needing oxygen, along with Ellie's elderly mother and her 17-year-old grandson also in the home, the family turned to Choice Home Warranty for help.
"(We) woke up the morning of (June) 30, the house was at 80 degrees, so we knew something was wrong," Ellie said.
The couple said they called Choice Home Warranty immediately, but the earliest appointment offered was more than a week away.
"They couldn't do anything before the seventh of July," Ellie said.
Ellie said after multiple phone calls, she was told she could find her own HVAC company — but only if the repair request moved through the warranty company's online system. She said that process also hit a wall.
“I go on to the website to try to put all of the diagnostic information," Ellie said. "I can't put it in either, because I don't have an EFIN number. I mean, I'm not a tech.”
Bill shared his frustration with the experience.
"If they say they're going to do something, it should be done," Bill said.
Ellie said the heat quickly became more than just an inconvenience.
"These companies think they can do whatever they want to because nobody is watching what they're doing," Ellie said. "And it shouldn't take someone being ill or ending up in the hospital with heat stroke before somebody takes this serious."
Choice Home Warranty currently holds a one-star customer review rating with the Better Business Bureau.
In 2025, the company agreed to an $11.8 million settlement in Arizona after the state's attorney general accused the company of misleading customers about coverage and repairs. The company did not admit wrongdoing.
I attempted to contact Choice Home Warranty directly but was unable to reach a media spokesperson.
Consumer advocates offer the following tips for homeowners dealing with a warranty company dispute:
- Call, but also email or message your warranty company through its customer portal. You want to have requests for service in writing.
- Make the emergency clear — especially if children, elderly family members, pets or others are at risk.
- Before hiring an outside technician, read the fine print and try to get written approval to do so.
In the end, the Soines said they are paying out of pocket to get their AC fixed.
"We'll see if I get the money back," Ellie said. "There's doubt that I'll get my money back."
Ellie shared her advice to other homeowners considering a home warranty.
"Dig deep before you decide to sign on. Read everything because they'll sell you one thing. But when it's time to act on that, it's not an easy process," Ellie said.
