WHO IS EQUIGUARD RISK SOLUTIONS?

 Equiguard Risk Solutions (ERS) is a subsidiary of Equiguard, Inc. Equiguard is a closely held Illinois corporation that, for the past 14 years, has been the leading provider of Extended Service Agreements in the HVAC/R, Plumbing and Appliance Industries. Equiguard’s 80+ employees service over 25,000 contractors and 750+ distributors representing its products in North America. Additionally, Equiguard operates branded programs with the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and most of the publicly traded and private consolidated contracting companies.

Our strategic business partners are CISC, the largest warranty insurer in North America, and AIG, one of the largest insurance organizations in the world. These companies provide AM Best Company A-rated contractual liability insurance coverage for all of the underlying risks of the company’s product offering. The company is licensed in all states and provinces throughout North America and our agreements meet all regulatory requirements.

Equiguard Risk Solutions (ERS) was formed to address an increasing demand for services in the OEM marketplace. Today, ERS provides a variety of products from turnkey warranty and risk administration to custom extended warranty programs that meet the marketing needs for OEM’s of all sizes. 

The following are some of the services we provide…

Custom-Branded Extended Service Agreements

There is an increasing need from the market for OEM’s to provide optional warranties over and above the industry standard factory warranty offering. ERS customizes such programs with OEM’s so that they can be offered in conjunction with their products and compliment their existing product offerings. These optional agreements are marketed by the OEMs as an additional tool to help the contractor/ dealer close the sale and keep his customer. This type of arrangement is typically branded for the OEM and set up as a profit center. In some cases, our clients have already been offering similar products to their customers. These types of programs are regulated, on a state-by-state basis, and are becoming increasingly difficult for OEM’s to properly administer. To our knowledge Equiguard is the only company servicing the HVAC/R and Plumbing industry that meets all of these regulations. As a result, in addition to going forward with new programs, we often transfer that outstanding risk to an underwriting source for the manufacturer. If the OEM has properly reserved for the program, it typically results in immediate transfer of cash to the client’s bottom line; removal of contingent liabilities and significant tax advantages to the client.

Custom-Branded Warranties

 Some OEM’s are looking for easy ways to differentiate product lines either within their own product offering (line extensions) or to have a more marketable product. With those OEM’s, we design seamless programs that either start from day one or pickup where the conventional warranty normally expires. For these clients, we offer three options: 1) They continue to administer their own programs and we relieve them of any financial risk, 2) We will cover the risk and the administration, or 3) We will cover any existing outstanding risk and administer the entire program with the same favorable outcomes as discussed above.

Warranty Administration

 Many forward-thinking OEM’s are looking for ways to reduce the cost of delivery of their products. Because of the size and expertise of ERS, we are the perfect outsource for this service. Typically, we can significantly reduce the cost to administer a program, and at the same time, decrease the cycle time of claim processing. ERS is capable of handling every type of claim from paper to electronic to Internet. 

Service Delivery

Today, many commercial users of HVAC/R and Plumbing equipment are looking for a fixed cost to own and maintain their equipment. Through our extensive service network and call center operations, ERS can offer OEM’s the ability to include in the sale of the product a single price that includes, emergency service (24/7/365) dispatch, mechanical breakdown coverage and installation on a national basis. Today, we are successfully working with major OEM’s and national chains delivering these types of services.

 Additional Services

In addition to the above, through Equiguard’s extensive service network and industry alliances, we can arrange for initial start-ups, preventive maintenance, repair/replace analysis and wireless monitoring. We also offer a leasing program for commercial equipment that can bundle the cost of installation, ESA’s and preventive maintenance in a single monthly bill that guarantee’s service delivery over the term of the lease.

When it comes to service, marketing or financial needs in the HVAC/R, Plumbing or Appliance Industry, the risk management professionals at Equiguard Risk Solutions are eager to tailor a program to fulfill your needs.

For additional information call Equiguard Risk Solutions:

 (800) 886-9363 or contact Jim Kelly at 314-221-4337.

E-mail: jkellyhvac@earthlink.net or jkelly@equiguard.com