# Keep warranty reviews separate from warranty decisions

Ask for a warranty-period review after a service visit is closed in the record, never while a claim is open. Keep the review workflow in a different lane from intake, coverage decisions, scheduling and completion. A buyer's review, good or bad, never changes response order, coverage or their access to the warranty process.

## Why must warranty reviews have a separate workflow?

After [handoff](/process/handoff/), the buyer is living in the house while your crew is on other jobs. Check the warranty documents and the current service record; do not assume a universal coverage start or end. Requests cover workmanship, manufacturer items, maintenance and things outside the written warranty. Those distinctions need records and responsible people, not a comment thread.

A reviews program captures how intake, communication and service felt to the buyer. It cannot decide what is covered. A five-star rating is not evidence that every item in the house is closed.

The other [reviews and reputation articles](/articles/reviews-and-reputation/) separate warranty feedback from active-build [reviews and reputation](/articles/reviews-and-reputation/) recovery.

## When is a warranty review request appropriate?

Ask after a defined service event reaches a recorded disposition: a completed visit, a documented explanation or another endpoint your warranty process defines. The service owner confirms the status, not the marketing calendar.

| Service status | Review action | Reason |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New request received | Do not ask | The issue has not been reviewed |
| Inspection scheduled | Do not ask | The buyer is waiting for an operating step |
| Trade return pending | Pause | The service work remains active |
| Visit complete and record updated | Eligible under the program | The buyer can assess the service experience |
| Coverage explanation documented | Eligible only under the standard rule | The process reached a disposition, even if the buyer disagrees |

Do not ask only after favorable outcomes. Record the same milestone across every eligible outcome, documented denials included. Give each paused request an owner and a recheck. Check the platform's current rules on request selection. The milestone logic in [when to ask a buyer for a review](/articles/reviews-and-reputation/when-to-ask-a-buyer-for-a-review/) applies here, with the service owner added as a required check.

## What should the warranty review request say?

Name the closed service event and ask for an honest account of the experience. Do not ask the buyer to confirm the issue was covered, repaired or denied unless that matches the service record. Do not hint that a favorable post helps keep future service.

A neutral version is: “Our record for the recent warranty visit has been updated to complete. If you would like to share an honest account of the intake, communication and service experience, you can use this review link: [link]. Your feedback does not change the warranty process.”

Adapt the wording to your own documents. The examples in [review request scripts for builders](/articles/reviews-and-reputation/review-request-scripts-for-builders/) give shorter email and text structures.

## How should a builder answer a critical warranty review?

Find the service request first. Check the intake date, the description, the photos, the inspection notes, the responsible trade, the communication log and the current status. Decide whether the post raises a new issue that needs its own intake record.

1. Preserve the review and link it to an internal reference.

2. Notify the public response owner and warranty owner.

3. Verify the service status from the source record.

4. Create a new intake item if the post raises an unrecorded concern.

5. Draft a brief reply that protects the buyer's private information.

6. Move details to the builder's established warranty channel.

7. Record the public reply and operating follow-through separately.

Never announce coverage, deny responsibility or quote the buyer's private request in the reply. Acknowledge the concern and name the private channel: “We are reviewing the service record with the warranty team. Please use [channel] so the current issue can be handled through the documented process.”

The full fact-check and reply structure is in [responding to negative builder reviews](/articles/reviews-and-reputation/responding-to-negative-builder-reviews/).

## What can warranty reviews teach the operation?

Group feedback by process step: intake clarity, acknowledgment, scheduling, trade arrival, explanation, closure. Read the comments beside the warranty log. A review can expose unclear instructions even when the record shows the work got done.

Compare the public wording with the handoff binder and the service messages. Record the step the buyer describes, compare its status with the source record and send any mismatch to the warranty owner.

If buyers keep using the wrong channel, look at the handoff binder and the warranty page. If they cannot tell whether a visit is scheduled, look at the acknowledgment messages. If trade callbacks have no closure notes, fix the field-to-office handoff before you touch public copy.

The [warranty and aftercare pages guide](/guides/warranty-and-aftercare-pages/) shows how to publish the intake path and buyer expectations. The [Search presence stage](/process/search-presence/) assigns profile and response ownership; the [operating profile](/glossary/operating-profile/) records the warranty workflow those pages describe.

Our agents sort public feedback into approved categories, check for missing service statuses and draft replies from verified notes. People decide coverage, direct trade work and approve every reply.

## Questions about warranty-period reviews

### Can we request a review after denying coverage?

A warranty review request after a coverage denial should follow the same recorded service milestone as other outcomes. Keep the invitation neutral and independent of the decision.

### Should a public complaint count as warranty intake?

A public warranty complaint should be recorded and routed to the established service intake owner. Do not rely on the review platform as the warranty system.

### Can a review affect service priority?

Warranty service priority should follow the builder's documented process and request facts. Keep public praise, criticism and review participation out of that decision.

### May we publish photos from a warranty visit?

Before publishing warranty-visit photographs, confirm permission, privacy boundaries and the intended use. Service documentation alone does not establish approval for marketing.