A service contract is often sold by someone other than the company that pays claims. The seller may be an employee of a dealer, an independent agent, or a referral partner. The form usually names the company that carries the obligation, and it may also name an administrator that handles claims. Those names matter more than the seller's name.
Read the names on the form
Find the obligor, the company that promises to pay, and the administrator, if one is named. Check the address and the regulator listed for each. Then find the seller's name and whether the form says the seller acts for the company or only for you.
Questions to put to the seller
Ask in plain words who you would sign a complaint against. Ask whether the seller has authority to change the terms, to promise coverage not in the form, or to accept a payment on the company's behalf. Ask how the seller is paid for the sale, and whether that payment is shown on your paperwork. A seller who answers clearly can usually put the answer in writing.
What to do if the seller leaves
Ask what happens to your contract and your complaint if the seller stops doing business or changes firms. Ask whether the obligor stays the same. Keep the signed form and the sales summary together, because a verbal assurance is hard to prove later.
How to use this site
This guide does not rank sellers or name any company. The state pages of this site list the regulator and statute for each state and say whether a roster is published. Compare what the seller tells you with the names printed on the form, not with the seller's own summary.