American Home Shield

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Home Warranties • National Home Protection Settles New York Suit • Home Warranties Not Always What They Seem • Think Twice Before Buying an Extended Warranty --- • More about Home Warranties

It seems like a good idea -- prepaid home maintenance, basically a service contract or extended warranty on your house.

The AHS booklet states, "Commitment to your total satisfaction"� "That's why we back every job we do with the unique money-back guarantee shown on the back of your home warranty" ... "AHS guarantees that all approved covered service repairs will be completed to your satisfaction. If for any reason you are not satisfied with that service received, we will work with you until you are satisfied or we will refund the trade service fee."

Unfortunately, consumers tell us it often doesn't work out that way, as David Wood reports in his report, . The complaints to the right break it all down into neat little categories ... whereas those below sort of sum it up.

Fred of Newbury Park, CA August 5, 2009

The week before 07/10, we had a plumber come out and fix an unrelated issue. When doing the camera work to confirm, they found a crack in a pipe under our slab in our master bathroom. On 07/10/2009, I called AHS, learning that they will pay out 1,000 of the work. They sent Right-Away Services out on 07/13 to survey the problem. Although we told the warranty company the work had been done once, and where the problem is, the technician that they sent came without any equipment or way to tell there was any problems. This cost me 60 for him to stare at my floor and tell me he couldnt tell and didnt have any equipment.

After 2 more phone calls to AHS, they approved camera work, by a new company (Contractor Connection - no problems with them, their techs were great) to come and camera the property. We specifically told AHS that the problem was at a pipe junction that required a camera from a roof vent. The first tech from CC came out on 07/23, and we had the same problem. He did not have authorization from AHS to run a camera, and could not do anything but stare at our floor.

Again I had to put calls into AHS to resolve the issue. We finally got the camera approved, again, and the next CC tech came out today, 08/05. This tech only had authorization to run a camera thru our toilet pipes 2ft from the problem. Unfortunately, as we told AHS, it was not possible to find the crack with the camera from this location. CC sent this info to AHS immediately.

After now talking to AHS, they will approve another camera, thru the roof, but, our warranty suddenly doesn't cover the roof access. The first company can come out to do the new roof-camera, at my expense (375) to try and again diagnose the issue. Assuming I have them do the work, I will now be out 435, with no guarantee that AHS won't find an additional validation or loophole to charge me with. I hate to let them off the hook, but at this point the potential 565 (1000 max payout) we could save (1000 - 435 paid to date) is not worth the possibility of being out 565 and having to still pay for the work ourselves (since there is no guarantee they'll pay out on the work needed). I am glad that this warranty was paid by the bank during closing, and not us. We will not be renewing with this company.

sherry of Los Angeles, CA August 5, 2009

I read the complaints on your site. I have the same complaints. Nothing I've called to have repaired has been fixed, except a clogged drain. The technicians they send don't show up on time, they don't spend any time looking at anything. They literally just say whatever it wrong is not covered. I had a garage door problem, not covered, not fixed, the person at the company literally yelled at me. I had to hire another company to come and fix the garage door.

My AC is broken now, the guy came over 2 hours late, took a quick look, said it was my fault, said it wasn't covered. I get to wait till he gets to the office tomorrow for him to call AHS, then they will request another technician, so I get to take another day off work, have no AC. No one they've sent has come on time. No one except the plumber fixed anything. There should be a class action lawsuit against this company.

vivian of terre haute, IN August 4, 2009

we purchased a contract on 4 bldg in June. They took 4 payments from our cr card. JUne 20th, I requested we pay by check. Was told that was OK, they would send a letter with address where to send the check. The letter didnt come by June 20th so rather than be late, I sent 4 checks to the Memphis add to cover July. Come time for Aug, still no letter but got a call that the 4 checks were being returned because they were dated 2005.

I am still anxious to see the checks as I dont believe they were dated in 2005 but as of today, Aug 4, 09, I cant call them and talk to anyone, I cant get to anyone and request the checks be returned etc. The checks I sent for Aug were all 4 returned, marked "return to sender". In the mail the end of july I recieved bills informing me I broke the contract and I was to pay the remaining balance "in Full" immeadiately. again, we tried calling, only to be put on hold. Never can speak to anyone

I signed NO CONTRACT and I REFUSE to pay them any more. I am requesting my June payment be put back on my credit card, my checks returned as they said and I hope, for AHS that I dont have anything on my credit rating. The best way to handle a scam is file a law suit which I may do if I dont hear pretty quick.

Betty of Selma, AL August 4, 2009

On June 11, 2009, American Home Shield sent an airconditioner repairman to check my unit which had stopped cooling. The AC repairman was with a company which I had not ever heard of before, there was no company name on the service truck, and the company name is not in the local phone book. He checked the system including the coils on the inside of the house and determined that the compressor was bad. On June 15 two men arrived with the compressor. Again, no company name was on the well worn company trucks. These two men also checked the system including the coils on the inside of the house. After 5 hours and a trip to get some "caulk grease" which they sprayed on the components inside the house, they were getting ready to leave. I asked for a paper to document that they had replaced the compressor and this was written on plain paper without a company name and signed by one of the workers.

By June 19 the unit was running continuously and the temperature inside my house was 88 degrees. I then made MANY calls to AHS and spent much time on hold "waiting for the next available representative". Finally, on June 22 I called my regular AC repairman and he found damage to the coils inside my house. AHS said they would replace the coils and would send their own repairman to do the work. AHS would not give me an estimate as to a date that the work would be completed and I was starting into the 3rd week without AC and temperatures still in the high 90's and low 100's. Also, I had become very leery of AHS and especially of the service people that they provide so I opted to cash out the claim and pay for a new AC unit myself. I feel that if I had not done this I would probably still be sitting here in the heat attempting to get the problem solved through AHS. I DO NOT recommend American Home Shield and I will not be renewing my coverage with them. I prefer to save the 500 yearly premium and then, when problems occur, call service companies that I know to be competent and courteous.

Zafar of Irving, TX August 4, 2009

My electric range went out of order third time in last two years. Americna Home Shield was contacted and they set an appointment with a private contractor after 4 days. Time range was 9:00 to 12 so we lost a day of work. No one showed up. Upon follow-up, we were told technician is running late ( no one have a courtesy to call us and inform about delay ). Finally, the so called technician showed up next day and charged us 60 and informed us the part has to ordered.

Week later, when we followed up with American Home Shield, we were told part is not available yet. I asked for Supervisor and was told someone will call you. It is already one more week ( 3 weeks in total ) I am still waiting " Supervisor" call with explanation. Today Aug04'2009, I called again and asked for Manager and was told no one is here yet.

Hubert of St Petersburg, FL August 4, 2009

On Tuesday July 28, upon arrival at home, I noticed that the house was really hot. I checked the air conditions thermostat to see a reading of 98 degrees. I immediately called American Home Shield to get an air condition person out here as soon as possible. The first customer service rep, Andrea, provided me with the name and number of US Heating and Air Conditioning. The representative for them informed me that the earliest they could get a tech out would be Friday.

The second customer services of AHS, Coco, provided me with the number to Air Doctor but the number only had an answering machine to take their calls. I left a message but and waited for a response. While waiting I called back to AHS and received very bad treatment by the next customer service person. Because of the condition of the house getting hotter, I felt the need to call and seek another company. But this customer service person would not provide any assistance. I requested to speak with a supervisor and was refused.

The following morning I called back to Air Doctor and made an appointment for a tech to come out between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Mr. McCloud had contacted AHS that same morning and the customer service person called Air Doctor and informed him that they were scheduled to come out that day. Mr. McCloud was under the impression that AHS made the appointment but I made it.

At 2 p.m. I began to inquire if someone was going to actually come out or not. The receptionist at Air Doctor stated I was next to get service. I called again at 3, 3:30 and gain at 4 when I got the answering machine. I was not aware that Mr. McCloud was also in communication but through AHS by having a customer service person their call Air Doctor at 3:30 where he was informed that “as soon as the tech finishes with the job he Is on he will be to my resident. Mr. McCloud continued to communicate with AHS trying to get them to get in contact with the tech to expedite the order so we would not have to spend two nights in a house over 97 degrees.

At round 4:45 the technician showed up. He arrived, walked over to the outside unit and without touching it stated with stuff or some sort of tobacco in his lip, the compressor is out. I asked if it could be fixed. The tech blasted me by saying you think I carry this type of equipment around with me? It will take at least two to three weeks before we will have it. The tech stated that Air Doctor was the one who installed the unit and that the previous customer was having problems with it. He began to write up the service receipt and then stated that will be 75.

My thought was for what. He never took the unit apart, looked inside or nothing really. If he can provide a diagnosis without touching a unit he is in the wrong profession. I refused to pay the service fee and gave him a few choice words as I sent him on his way. I then went to the phone book to find a reputable company that was concerned about the customer and spoke with Pat with Air National. They immediately dispatched two techs out who took the unit apart and gave it a good diagnosis. They stated that they could do a temporary repair but in the next couple of months or more it will go out. This was not new information to us because (as you will see with the attached document) Joe Cool was dispatched out by AHS last year who told us the same thing when they replaced the compressor on 09-02-08.

In the mean time, Mr. McCloud is on the phone with AHS customer service attempting to get a diagnosis from the Air Doctor tech who ignored the emergency calls placed to him by three customer service persons and two by Mr. McCloud to contact AHS ASAP. One of the customer service reps did offer to compensate us with a room for a night at 60 per night rate but we would have to send in the receipt to get reimbursed. Another customer service person stated that if we went outside of our contract and used a outside vendor for the services, we would be liable for all expenses.

By this time, the conclusion was pretty clear, that we needed to get air by any means necessary. So Air National installed a complete unit that evening. Their service techs did not leave our resident till 2:15. They returned the next evening and spent another three hours completing the task and insuring that it was operating properly.

On Thursday I contacted AHS and inquired about the service from Air Doctor and was told that we needed to contact the vendor and to handle any complaints. After speaking with Air Doctor and to have them state that they are standing behind their employee and attempted to justify the reason why the diagnosis was not called in the prior evening, Mr. McCloud called again to AHS. The customer service person stated that the information was received and being processed as we where speaking. Mr. McCloud requested to speak with a supervisor and was refused. The customer service person stated that because my name was not on the account I could not speak with anyone higher. After being told that Ms. Gabaldon would have to authorize his name being added to the policy and being put on hold, miraculously the CS person stated "your name has been added to the policy".

By this time we were done with AHS and informed the CS person that we would be canceling our service. She stated that she would be informing the cancelation department and that within 48 hrs someone would be contacting us. Mr. McCloud called you on Monday after getting no response.

Jeff of Kennsaw, GA August 4, 2009

On May the 14th, 09 I called American Home Shield to place a service request for my AC, (which I have to do every year, etc) They called a local AC service provider and they came out on the 15th. The service provider spent maybe 15 minutes looking at the system and made the assumption it was low on freon and charged the unit, etc..I paid the usual 60 dollar service fee, and we had AC for about 30 day's. On July the 15th, the AC went out again, and I called AHS. I placed another service call, and we repeated the same process.

They called the same vendor to fix the problem,etc.. only this tme the service repair guy did not show up for three days. When they did show up they told me the unit was leaking Freon and that the values on the system would need to be repaired, however they did not have the right equipment to fix the problem and would have to put in a work order to have someone else come back out. This was on a Sat. I finally recieved a call from the Service provider on Tuesday, and they told me that they could not come out until Thursday that week.

I waited on Thursday until 6 PM, when they finally showed up, etc..it took them 15 minutes to fix the problem supposedly..they did not ask for a service fee at that time. Two weeks later the system broke again, only when I went to place another service request, AHS told me they could not place the request because I had not paid the 60 dollar service fee. After speaking with one of their many incompetant staff, I finally realized I was not going to get anywhere with this problem, and stupidly paid another 60 dollar service fee.

However, I did request that I have another vendor do the work this time and was told that this was the only AC repair company available in my area..I live in Atlanta, and thier telling me this is the only AC repair company that can correct my AC problem.. I pay a great deal of money every year to AHS. When I first started working with them it was great, it was cheap, and the companies they sent out to repair my problems were good. Now the service stinks, you cannot speak with anyone at AHS that has a 5th grade education, and their prices and rules are ridiculus. After this year, I am looking for a new home warranty company..

Raquel of Willows, CA August 4, 2009

I did not authorize a renewal of my account and somehow they had information about my loan and stated that Wells fargo Home lender had called me on May 12, 2009 that I have authorized for them to renew my account. I did not renew this contract for another year

Rich of Baltimore, MD August 4, 2009

I've had an American Home Shield warrenty for several years and have only needed to call them for four claims. Each experience was worse than the last.

American Home Shield has terrible communication with customers and contractors to the extent that each interaction is frustrating. AHS is unresponsive to phone calls with customer service agents repeatedly making promises they don't keep. Important information is not communicated.

I have lost many days of work waiting for contractors to show up, and when they do they don't have the proper equipment, such as a ladder, causing additional visits. AHS does not whether the claim is handled to completion, nor do they have any sense of customer service. Calls and complaints are ignored.

Michelle of Norfolk, VA August 3, 2009

I believe it was 5/27/09 is when I called AHS to file a claim that my A/C unit was not working. They sent out a company the next day to look and I was unavailable to be there so had a friend meet with that company and give them my 60.00 cash for the deductible. Both AHS and their contractor had my work number but noone had called me all day to let me know what was going on. I had originally thought that my A/C unit just had to be filled with freon so had thought the problem was fixed by the time I would get off work. I had gotten home that evening and found out that the contractor had stated that my compressor had gone out due to the coils being 80% clogged and they could order a new part but they cannot do any work until I get the unit cleaned. He did mark off my paperwork that the deductible was paid.

I called the contractor back the next morning to see about scheduling a cleaning and to see about ordering the compressor and I had left several messages that day with no return calls. That afternoon I got frustrated and called AHS back and tried to find out what is going on and make them aware of the company they sent out to my home and how they have not responded to me. The service representative at AHS then told me that they did call me to advise me that there is no coverage because this is a maintenance issue so if this contractor is not returning my calls then I am free to use whoever I want. I asked them what numbers they were using because I received no calls from them and it seems they still had my old home phone number that I have not used in like 5 years. I advised her I have given them my new number and also put that on the claim when I filed it with them and I know they have my work number because the contractor called me to schedule the initial appointment.

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