Oklahoma official fines and orders a home warranty company to stop sales. Is it yours?

Richard Mize, The Oklahoman
Oklahoma has cited and fined a New York-based home warranty company for failing to register with the state, failure to meet the terms and obligations of contracts with three consumers and failing to respond to investigators' inquiries.
Oklahoma has cited and fined a New York-based home warranty company for failing to register with the state, failure to meet the terms and obligations of contracts with three consumers and failing to respond to investigators' inquiries.

The Oklahoma Insurance Department has ordered an out-of-state company to stop selling and advertising home warranty contracts in the state because it doesn't have a license to do so, and because it failed to answer agency investigators' inquiries concerning three customers who complained that the company didn't honor agreements.

The department issued a cease-and-desist order against First Premier Home Warranty Corp., Brooklyn, New York, after complaints from a man in Oklahoma City, a man in Midwest City and a woman in Broken Arrow. The department also imposed penalties for several violations totaling $9,495.

The order notes that California officials shut down the company's sales there in 2021 for similar reasons.

The company has until April 15 to request a hearing. The company did not respond to a request for information from The Oklahoman.

"Oklahoma consumers rely on home warranty companies to provide essential coverage. Our licensing protocols are designed to safeguard consumers and uphold ethical standards. When companies fail to adhere to these standards, we take swift action to protect consumers,” Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready said.

The Oklahoma City man said that First Premier refused to reimburse him $482 for repairs to a water heater and HVAC system last November, then threatened to place a lien on his home when he refused to pay a $75 service cancellation fee.

The Midwest City man's dispute with the company involved repairs to a dishwasher in October and November. The Broken Arrow woman's dispute unfolded from April to October last year and involved repairs to an oven and HVAC system.

Consumers are urged to verify the licensing status of any company before purchasing a policy. Suspected instances of fraud should be reported to the Oklahoma Insurance Department at 800-522-0071.

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Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready.

Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize. You can support Richard's work, and that of his colleagues, by purchasing a digital subscription to The Oklahoman. Right now, you can get 6 months of subscriber-only access for $1.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Insurance Department cites First Premier Home Warranty Corp.

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