Squaretrade wants me to find repair facility for my compressor.

[Maximus]

Bought an 80 pound residential air compressor for home use from Amazon in 2018. Purchased an additional Three year warranty from Squaretrade. Compressor has failed. Claim filed and approved.

. The issue is that Squaretrade wants me to find a repair facility and haul it there. Google search reveals a few facilities about two hours away. If they can repair it I have to pay for the repair and will be reimbursed.. This was a $330 purchase. A four hour round trip with an 80 pound stand up air compressor is not what I expected. Most of these repair shops look like they only handle industrial type compressors. There will be a troubleshooting fee and perhaps no repair.

Anyway to get Squaretrade to offer a better solution for me?

 

[Walt34]

Other than posting nastygrams on Yelp and the like I can't think of anything.

 

[JT90505]

good to know how squaretrade handles their warranty repairs.

 

[REWahoo]

Although it has been a few of years, I filed two Squaretrade claims and was reimbursed in full for the purchase price of both. No attempt to repair, no returning the item. One claim was for a countertop ice maker that failed and the second was for a digital camera (remember those? ). Both items were under $200 so that may have influenced the outcome of the claim.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Email the repair facilities to try and get a rough estimate of what the repair might cost at a minimum if you were to drive there and it was repairable, hourly rate, diagnosis fee, parts etc etc. Send it to Squaretrade asking about their mileage reimbursement rate to you if you make the trip. Hopefully you can come up with an amount higher than replacement cost and see if they will bite and just replace it for you.

 

[OldShooter]

... Any way to get Squaretrade to offer a better solution for me?

Any options you have will be detailed in the insurance contract. What you see there is what you get. There is probably an arbitration procedure if things come to that.

Extended warranties are intended to be sold, not to be used.

 

[Jerry1]

Do you have any idea what’s wrong with it? Is there any mobile repair options that could repair it on site for you?

I’m wondering if it would be possible to fix it yourself and get reimbursed for the parts if it’s not too involved to fix it.

I assume you mean an 80 Gallon compressor? I just did a quick search and those seem to be going for a lot more than you paid in 2018. If what I see is correct, definitely worth it to fix it and a repair place is not likely to turn it away as “residential”.

 

[Maximus]

Do you have any idea what’s wrong with it? Is there any mobile repair options that could repair it on site for you?

I’m wondering if it would be possible to fix it yourself and get reimbursed for the parts if it’s not too involved to fix it.

I assume you mean an 80 Gallon compressor? I just did a quick search and those seem to be going for a lot more than you paid in 2018. If what I see is correct, definitely worth it to fix it and a repair place is not likely to turn it away as “residential”.

Its a 10 gallon that weighs 80 pounds. I am not good at troubleshooting or repairing things. At a purchase price of $329, troubleshooting, repairs and parts might eat most of that up. I think I will try emailing the repair facilities. If they are not interested then perhaps I can get Square trade to settle up with me.

 

[jazz4cash]

When they say find a repair facility and hss as il it there, what happens next?

Haven’t they authorized a a maximum value on the claim? At the price paid, I’d lobby for full refund. If you call a few shops and describe the unit and systems they might offer a range of most common failures and ballpark the estimate. I doubt that many units in that cost range get repaired unless it’s some very basic failure.

 

[38Chevy454]

A 10 gallon air compressor is likely considered a non-repair item. Use it and when it fails replace it. Unless it has a simple fix. It is probably an aluminum cylinder oil-free compressor. Those are basically non-repairable for the cost and design. When they fail, it causes too much damage. If oil-lubed and cast iron cylinder, it is better quality and may be worth fixing depending on what failed. But most all of the repairs are probably not cost effective by a shop and paying shop rate labor. This is DIY territory.


I really do think your best bet is to try to just get a settlement check. Then if you are somewhat handy you can try DIY repair. If not sell on FB marketplace as a nonworking compressor. People will buy it if the tank is good and not rusted through.


OP Maximus, can you describe what is wrong? That can help for opinions on what the repair needed may be. Does it pump up, but only to low pressure? Does it sound real bad when running? Does the motor even come on? etc

 

[Jerry1]

Its a 10 gallon that weighs 80 pounds. I am not good at troubleshooting or repairing things. At a purchase price of $329, troubleshooting, repairs and parts might eat most of that up. I think I will try emailing the repair facilities. If they are not interested then perhaps I can get Square trade to settle up with me.

You’re on the right track. They’re not likely to repair something like that and getting a settlement may be your best option if they’ll cooperate. Personally, I wouldn’t even bother trying to contact a repair shop. Best of luck.

 

[OldShooter]

... If they are not interested then perhaps I can get Square trade to settle up with me.

Perhaps. Have you read the insurance contract yet?

 

[Maximus]

Update Success

Contacted five compressor companies up to two hours away from me. Only two responded and both said not worth repairing. Sent the email screenshot to Allstate Squaretrade. Check is on the way for the full purchase price. Thanks again for the sage advice.