NJAW sewer and water line protection policy, BUYER BEWARE

I personally never purchased the protection plan(s) that NJAW offers, when I looked at the fine print it did seem like they would deny more than they would cover. Seems I was right.

Relative purchased their plans, it covers both water lines and sewer lines. Some small stuff was covered in the past (less than $2,000 in plumbing), but then the sewer backed up. Of course, clean up for the sewer back up (think poop and used toilet paper all over the basement) isn't covered, but the $1,800 for that clean up is peanuts compared to actually fixing the line, and at least they'll fix the sewer line, right? Wrong. They sent someone with a camera and said the line isn't cracked or broken, it is "bellied." They don't cover "bellied" lines. So even though it is causing back ups, and even though there is a policy on the sewer line, they are refusing to cover the approximately $8,500 bill to fix the line. So approximately $10,300 in clean up and repair costs, exactly $0 of which will be covered by NJAW's awesome sewer line protection plan.

So my advice to you is use extreme caution before buying their policies.


That's terrible! Thanks for the warning.


I'm not going to defend that policy however;

FYI: A "bellied" line means a sag or a dip in the line. Sometimes stuff can cause a blockage in that area. Such a blockage can often be cleared with an auger which may explain why the water company would not be eager to dig-up and replace such a line.

The clean-up sounds awful but I would never expect the line replacement policy to cover that.



steel said:

I'm not going to defend that policy however;

FYI: A "bellied" line means a sag or a dip in the line. Sometimes stuff can cause a blockage in that area. Such a blockage can often be cleared with an auger which may explain why the water company would not be eager to dig-up and replace such a line.

The clean-up sounds awful but I would never expect the line replacement policy to cover that.

We had two back ups in less than a month due to this issue. Actually, much less than a month, it was two back ups in less than a week. Before we knew of this issue with the sewer line being compromised we had actually thought that the plumber hadn't cleaned it out correctly from the first back up because the second one happened so quickly after.

Oh, and NJAW says they're going to cancel the policy because they don't want to keep paying to unclog the sewer line. So they're claiming the line isn't damaged enough to fix, but acknowledge that it will most likely keep backing up and they don't want to pay for that either. This policy is not worth buying. Again, buyer beware.


Sounds like they are saying you need to fix the problem if you want to keep the coverage.

Policy actually seems fairly clear about what it covers and does not cover and is fairly cheap. There are other policies available from other sources - and those that cover more cost more.



Why call it a sewer line protection plan if it won't cover repairing the sewer line? People buy these things so that big bills will be covered, not to be told "too bad, that's on you."

Like I said, when I looked at it years ago for my own house the fine print made it seem like they wanted more than enough wiggle room to get out of paying for big repairs. I refused, and still refuse, to buy the plan. Big repairs are the whole reason to buy these things in the first place. I've seen people highly recommend them here on MOL in the past, on multiple threads, and I wanted to give a real life example of why it isn't as great as people seem to think it is. If someone only sees the "NJAW protection plans are awesome, you should buy it" without hearing about the very legitimate downside, they may buy something they otherwise would have avoided.

If someone still wants to buy it, fine, I just feel that people should be fully aware that it might not cover everything they think it will.


Copy and paste from their own website (emphasis mine):

You own a piece of real estate. Now add peace of mind.

Home is where the heart is, and hopefully with no disruptions to your everyday life. At American Water Resources, our job is to help you protect that home life – affordably and easily.
Protect your Home Plumbing and Electrical.

Every house has a water pipe, sewer pipe and internal pipes – they can all wear out over time. External pipes are even subject to shifting ground and invading tree roots. Whatever the cause, the results can be leaks, breaks, clogs, blocks, and overflows. Additionally, there could be hundreds of feet of electrical lines running inside your home that could fail at anytime - requiring immediate attention. And, homeowners’ insurance typically doesn’t cover the repairs.

Easy, affordable home protection.
American Water Resources offers 4 great programs for homeowners: Water Line, Sewer Line, In-Home Plumbing Emergency Protection and Interior Electric Protection.
Proven company – Our parent company, American Water has been providing communities with the highest quality water services for over 125 years. This tradition of service excellence continues with AWR as we put the experience of American Water to work to protect our over 1.4 million programs
Prompt, professional service – One call does it all – no hassle searching for qualified contractors.
Great protection – claims covered up to $5,000 for water; $8,000 for sewer; $3,000 for internal plumbing; $2,500 for interior electric
Committed to our customers

And here is the copy and paste from the page specifically about sewer line coverage:

Low-cost sewer line protection helps you avoid expensive repairs.

Your home’s sewer line is under constant use and stress, which can cause clogs or blocks - which may cost thousands of dollars to repair, and most homeowners’ insurance does not cover. These problems can happen anytime because of invasive tree roots, shifting soil or too much waste. And without sewer protection, the unexpected repair bill could be devastating to your family budget.
Get affordable Sewer Line Protection from American Water Resources.
Up to $8,000 in repairs for your residential sewer line – that’s the pipe between your home and the sewer main in the street. Protection includes $4,000 for sewer service line repair, and $4,000 for road and sidewalk repairs. You pay only a flat $50 service fee for repairs within the protection limits – whether it is nighttime, a weekend or a holiday.
Prompt, professional service – One call does it all – no hassle searching for qualified contractors, getting permits or handling inspections.
Covers repairs for a blocked sewer line, and basic site restoration by an approved American Water Resources contractor who is prompt, courteous and respectful of your property.
Sewer line protection for only 30¢* a day. Affordable terms with convenient monthly billing on your water bill*, or pay by check or credit card.

I'd like to point out that they specify holiday. When the original clog and back up occurred on Christmas Eve the response was they would have someone out in two days. So much for holidays being covered.

Looking under the fine print they do exclude bellied lines under the "improper design or installation" clause. So we're to believe that this line was improperly designed or installed 98 years ago and only now failed?

Interestingly, they also won't repair a sewer line that is broken or leaking if there isn't a clog or blockage. I am not making this up. Seriously, these plans aren't worth the paper they're written on.


call one of the TV stations to see if you can get them to raise the issue and gt it covered



new207040 said:

call one of the TV stations to see if you can get them to raise the issue and gt it covered

I will recommend that to the person who purchased the plan. Personally, I thought these plans were bunk years ago and have steered clear. But now I have an actual solid example of why they are worthless rather than "I read the fine print and I don't think it covers much."

Looking through past threads, it seems there are others who have had similar experiences. But I've also seen too many "it's a good deal and gives you peace of mind" recommendations.


how much was the sewer plan? Definitely annoying that's it's worthless but I think they literally cost a few dollars, right?



conandrob240 said:

how much was the sewer plan? Definitely annoying that's it's worthless but I think they literally cost a few dollars, right?

$25 a month. After 12 months a year for nine years, approximately $2,700 was paid in the hopes that something like a sewer line repair wouldn't result in large out of pocket bills.


Oh, that's higher than I thought. Makes it much more annoying then.



new207040 said:

call one of the TV stations to see if you can get them to raise the issue and gt it covered

Bamboozled column in the Ledger will be contacted once documentation is received.


I'm not defending them, but was the sewer line plan $25, or the whole plan? Water line, etc.?


Sewer plan was about $5 per month. Recently went up. Definitely no where near $25.

Home owners insurance should cover clean up inside the house, no?

spontaneous said:



conandrob240 said:

how much was the sewer plan? Definitely annoying that's it's worthless but I think they literally cost a few dollars, right?

$25 a month. After 12 months a year for nine years, approximately $2,700 was paid in the hopes that something like a sewer line repair wouldn't result in large out of pocket bills.




yahooyahoo said:

Sewer plan was about $5 per month. Recently went up. Definitely no where near $25.

Home owners insurance should cover clean up inside the house, no?
spontaneous said:



conandrob240 said:

how much was the sewer plan? Definitely annoying that's it's worthless but I think they literally cost a few dollars, right?

$25 a month. After 12 months a year for nine years, approximately $2,700 was paid in the hopes that something like a sewer line repair wouldn't result in large out of pocket bills.

Person in question has two protection programs, "Customer Protection In Home" and "Water/Sewer Line." Not sure what the difference is.

Breakdown is as follows:

Customer Protection In Home: 4.49

Customer Protection In Home Tax: 0.31

Water/Sewer Line Insurance: 18.00

Water/Sewer Line Protection Tax: 1.26

Total Protection Line Program Plans: 24.06

So yes, it was not $25 per month, it was $24.06 per month. I was off by $0.94 cents, since my earlier posts were from memory I'm sure you can forgive the difference of less than a dollar.


I was referring to sewer line insurance only. The issue you had was with the sewer line so the water line insurance is not part of the calculation. Also, the cost was just recently increased.

I pay $8.00 for "Customer Protection Sewer Line" plus $0.56 in tax, per month.

Regardless of the cost, NJAW will fight any repairs to the death. I suggest you threaten to get lawyer involved and contact state regulators.

spontaneous said:



yahooyahoo said:

Sewer plan was about $5 per month. Recently went up. Definitely no where near $25.

Home owners insurance should cover clean up inside the house, no?
spontaneous said:



conandrob240 said:

how much was the sewer plan? Definitely annoying that's it's worthless but I think they literally cost a few dollars, right?

$25 a month. After 12 months a year for nine years, approximately $2,700 was paid in the hopes that something like a sewer line repair wouldn't result in large out of pocket bills.

Person in question has two protection programs, "Customer Protection In Home" and "Water/Sewer Line." Not sure what the difference is.

Breakdown is as follows:

Customer Protection In Home: 4.49

Customer Protection In Home Tax: 0.31

Water/Sewer Line Insurance: 18.00

Water/Sewer Line Protection Tax: 1.26

Total Protection Line Program Plans: 24.06

So yes, it was not $25 per month, it was $24.06 per month. I was off by $0.94 cents, since my earlier posts were from memory I'm sure you can forgive the difference of less than a dollar.




yahooyahoo said:

I was referring to sewer line insurance only. The issue you had was with the sewer line so the water line insurance is not part of the calculation. Also, the cost was just recently increased.


I pay $8.00 for "Customer Protection Sewer Line" plus $0.56 in tax, per month.

Regardless of the cost, NJAW will fight any repairs to the death. I suggest you threaten to get lawyer involved and contact state regulators.

I will forward that recommendation to the person with the policy.

My point in general is that some people think these plans are a good deal, but most people who think that seem to have not had to have any major repairs done, and major repairs are why these plans are purchased in the first place. This particular plan was for both water and sewer, but I don't have any faith that if a major failure had happened in the water lines they would have been any better in responding, so the same warnings apply regardless to if it was just sewer or both sewer and water. It is money being wasted.

When my (then 80+ year old) water line went I paid $1,500 to have the whole line from the street connection to my house replaced. It's done, and I now feel secure in it lasting decades, if not longer. Searching old threads I came across someone who had a leak in their water line and had a policy, NJAW refused to replace the line, they repaired the break. Then they got a second leak, NJAW repaired that too. Sure, NJAW fixed the issues, but why deal with multiple leaks and repair jobs and a company that refuses to replace a busted line. Reading that I feel my $1,500 was money well spent, the entire line was replaced and it was done correctly instead of doing spot repairs on a pipe that is falling apart.



jerseyjack said:



new207040 said:

call one of the TV stations to see if you can get them to raise the issue and gt it covered

Bamboozled column in the Ledger will be contacted once documentation is received.

--- as will N.J. Department of Consumer Affairs and N.J. Department of Insurance.


I think that @joy posted about a bad experience with them a few years back also.


thanks for the clarification of the price. I certainly wasn't concerned about 94 cents. I had thought it was a much smaller part of the 25 bucks. But I do agree with you. I don't have the plan for the same reason as you.


yeah - better to pay out of pocket than to get the plumber that bid the lowest to get the contract.


Sewer line caution: One of the major causes of blocked sewer lines comes from pouring used cooking oil down the drain. If the person in question is doing this, s/he should be cautioned to pour the used cooking oil into a non-recyclable container and throwing it out with the trash.


Also, baby wipes don't always decay as advertised.


baby wipes should never, ever be flushed, "flushable" is a ridiculous claim


Yeah, a different relative had to have a clog cleared from their sewer due to a build up of "personal wipes." They were lucky that it was just a clog, not a repair, so it was only a couple of hundred to have it cleared out.

joan_crystal said:

Sewer line caution: One of the major causes of blocked sewer lines comes from pouring used cooking oil down the drain. If the person in question is doing this, s/he should be cautioned to pour the used cooking oil into a non-recyclable container and throwing it out with the trash.

Actually, THAT would have been covered under the plan. Ironic that something you can cause yourself (baby wipes, person wipes, cooking grease, etc) is covered, but something you can't control (bellied line after 98 years of use) isn't covered.


With regard to cooking oil, the Township does accept such at the recycling center.

TomR



jerseyjack said:



jerseyjack said:



new207040 said:

call one of the TV stations to see if you can get them to raise the issue and gt it covered

Bamboozled column in the Ledger will be contacted once documentation is received.

--- as will N.J. Department of Consumer Affairs and N.J. Department of Insurance.

On Friday afternoon, they finally agreed to refund the money I paid to hire an emergency plumber when they couldn't provide a plumber on Christmas Eve. That was after pointing out that I had the address of their facility in Bound Brook to where I could send notification of a small claims suit. I pointed out that they, as a corporation would need to be represented by an attorney at a cost that would likely exceed the money they will pay after they lose the case.

I am now working on getting them to replace the sewer line. I pointed out my focus would be on deceptive advertising. Then I asked them to look up the record of the class action law firm in San Francisco that I was planning to contact. They "will get back to me."

Their problem is that I am retired and with a lot of time on my hands. Reminds me of my friend, Willy Wong who won continuous arguments with planning and building authorities in Summit. He would tell us about his victories and finish the stories with, "I tell them, 'you picking on the wrong Chinaman." (I sure do miss Willy.)

Same with my mom. Like the time she walked out of the Millburn Town Hall with a check for over $9,000. "Well, what would you do?"

Well, I don't know if I will get the sewer line replaced but one thing is clear. They're picking on the wrong guy.










JJ, Nice. go get them.


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