Why Denial Decoder exists
Why I built this
I built Denial Decoder after reading hundreds of posts from homeowners whose claims had been denied.
The pattern was always the same. Someone's water heater fails. The warranty company sends a letter citing "lack of maintenance" or "pre-existing condition," with no reference to any actual section of the contract. The homeowner reads it, assumes the company knows its own policy, and pays out of pocket.
But a lot of those denials don't hold up. Sometimes the exclusion the company cites isn't in that contract at all. Sometimes the contract puts the burden on the company to prove neglect, and the letter offers no proof. The information to push back is sitting in a document most people have never read past page two.
The problem is that the only people who read contracts that closely charge $300 an hour, and no attorney is taking a $1,200 water heater case. So the claims that get abandoned are the small ones — the ones where the amount is big enough to hurt and too small to fight.
That's the gap. Upload the denial and the contract, find out in minutes whether the denial actually matches what you signed, and send a letter that quotes it back to them. $14.99, one time.
— Daniel Will, founder
Why we're not a law firm
Denial Decoder is deliberately not a law firm, and that's the point.
A contingency attorney needs a claim big enough to justify their time. Most denied home warranty claims aren't. That leaves people with a choice between paying out of pocket and spending a weekend teaching themselves contract language.
We're the third option: a tool that reads your contract, shows you the specific clause, and drafts a letter you review, edit, and send yourself. You stay in control of it, and you never hand over a percentage of anything.
We don't give legal advice and we can't tell you what to do about your specific situation. If your claim is large or your contract has an arbitration clause you're unsure about, talk to a licensed attorney in your state — and we'll tell you when we think you've reached that point.
Contact
Questions, or something not working? Email support@decodemydenial.com and it reaches me directly. — Daniel