Thanks for the good, useful, comments about Home Warranty Companies. The home we're considering offers one as part of the sales package. If I have to use it or lose it, I'd prefer going with a company that has a good track record. The present house we're in is a good example of the BS from most of the companies. Again, it was a take it or forget it offer in the listing contract.
Our pool has a Hayward system of pumps, valves and controller, together with 2 remote heads for the controller. A few months after moving in, it became impossible to set the time, and thus the time the pumps and valves would operate. The clock was apparently the culprit and not the two control heads. I called the company and they sent their pool genius out to look. He fiddled with things and finally told me it wasn't a warranty item, since the warranty covered the pool system and not the clock. I asked him how/why the clock, integrated in the Hayward controller would be singled out as not part of the "system," and he said he wasn't there to argue with me, and walked away.
Trust me, good people, I'm not the type to sigh and write off something if it's a matter of principle. In this case, it was principle PLUS a new circuit board and labor, running in the $400 range. I had a "Come to Jesus" with the warranty company answering droid, his supervisor and then worked my way to the local real estate board and about anyone else who would listen, including letters to the newspapers. Finally, they blinked and "compromised" by locating a replacement board. I did the labor, which was no big deal, and that apparently let them feel they'd partially won.
As part of our little agreement, I agreed to not use their name when discussing my experience, and even after all these years, I can live with that. Let's just say that their name was one of the ones mentioned in this thread both here and elsewhere.