By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

On April 26 a resident of Wall Lake, east of Fergus Falls, did not take the bait and did not become a victim of a home warranty scam. Instead, the resident called the county sheriff office after receiving a letter in the mail from scammers.

Legitimate home warranties cover service, repair or replacement of major home appliances and systems. 

Consumers are urged to stay clear when deciding to sign up for a home warranty when a claim process appears to be unclear or shady. Check a company’s website or speak with a representative to see how the claim process works. 

If it’s hard to understand how submitting a claim works, you might want to ask for clarification or look into other companies. It should be easy for you to understand home warranty coverage and exclusions, as well as how the claim process works.

If you can’t find any means of contacting a human representative at a company, either via phone call, email, or online, it’s likely that the company doesn’t want to be contacted. This is a big warning sign.

A good home warranty company will typically offer options to get in touch with customer service. You don’t want to be stuck without help if you have questions to ask.