A local veteran said he’s spending the Fourth of July in the heat because his home warranty company refuses to fix his air conditioning. NBC 5’s Samantha Chatman shows us his struggle to stay cool on the holiday.
On a day where many are out celebrating our nation’s Independence Day, Chuck White is at home, just trying to keep cool.
"The day that it got hot and I turned the A/C on and it wouldn’t work, it was just blowing hot air," he explained.
White called his home warranty company, First American, to fix the air conditioning unit. He said an inspector found several problems with the unit, including an issue with the condenser coils, which would need to be replaced.
He thought First American would take care of it without a problem, but he was wrong.
The veteran said he was told it would cost him $1,700 to fix the A/C.
His daughter, Sarah Webster, is furious.
"When I came here today and walked in I couldn’t believe he has been living like this for months. It’s ridiculous. It's hot. I am sweating," she said.
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NBC 5 responds reached out to First American Home Warranty, and a spokesperson responded, saying in part:
"It is important to understand that in order to provide our customers with affordable home warranties, our coverage is limited to the terms of our contract. As a result, we are unable to pay for repairs or replace items not covered."
But if you take a look at White's home warranty policy, it states that an air handling unit is covered.
When I pointed this out to the spokesperson, he told me, ”please refer to our statement.”
And to make matters worse, White said he received a call from the company stating that they don’t care how much he calls NBC 5. They aren’t changing their mind.
"I’ve got three branches of service under my belt: Army, Marine and Navy," White said. "I'm just saddened by the fact that I am not the only veteran going through this. There are other veterans out there going through the same thing. I just feel like nobody cares that’s how I feel. I feel like nobody cares."
The local veteran said he's doing what he can to cool off and fight the heat on a day meant for celebration and honoring those who served.
Chuck said his daughter is happy to have him stay with her, but said he shouldn’t have to do that, and doesn't want to be a burden.
We’ll keep checking on White's situation and will keep you updated.
ONLINE: Our partners at Consumer Reports provides a list of things you should know before buying a home warranty.
