American Home Shield Air Conditioning

On Wednesday, 20 Jul 11, Mr. Maurice ** called in a service request for a nonworking air conditioning unit at our home. He was advised that United Air Temp would call us back to schedule an appointment to come inspect the unit. After several follow-up calls, a technician by the name of Dan called to say that he would be the servicing technician. Mr. ** (an electrician of 20 plus years) had a brief conversation with Dan regarding the previous repairs he made to the unit including a contractor and fuse replacement and advised that it may be a bad compressor causing the problem.

Dan arrived at around 11:00 AM on Saturday, 23 Jul 11, to inspect our unit. My daughter, Patrice, and her sister Pamela were present as we were out of town. Dan determined that the unit was more than 20 years old and agreed that the compressor had gone bad. Additionally, he noted on the service invoice that the coil had 50% cloggage and the unit needed replacement. He also advised that the next step was to have his manager come out to verify replacement and options.

If, at the time, Dan inspected the unit, he could determine that the 50% coil cloggage was the reason for the AC unit's expiration. Why would he send a manager to verify? Anthony's (a manager with United Air Temp) visit was merely to sell his business. After he inspected the unit, he immediately contacted AHS and we were advised that a replacement unit would not be authorized due to lack of maintenance.

We informed Anthony and AHS that Mr. ** maintains the upkeep of the unit. Anthony insisted that what Mr. ** has done in the past was not considered maintenance. Obviously, we disagree, given that we have not had to contact AHS previously for this dated unit. Anthony then proceeded to want to discuss options. We were not interested and advised that his services were no longer needed.

While this may not be Mr. **'s area of expertise, this unit has clearly outlived its life expectancy. Mr. ** has been responsible for properly maintaining the up keep to this unit to reduce cost to the family since moving to this property in 2004. He regularly replaces the filter, cleans and replace parts as needed but admittedly not on any particular schedule other than the filter.

Tuesday, August 16th, our A/C stopped cooling. Upon investigating the problem, I found the condenser unit outside not running. It had blown the breaker. This, per a conversation with my Dad who happens to be an A/C Mechanic, indicates either a blown capacitor or compressor. The same day, I called American Home Shield (AHS) to request service for the unit. Thursday, August 18th, an A/C mechanic from Shelton's Pride (assigned the job from AHS) to diagnose the problem. I am not sure why, but neither at this point nor on Friday did the part get ordered. I was told it was ordered on Monday, August 22nd but they (AHS) ordered the wrong part and they waited to order the right part on the 23rd.

Friday the 19th, I got a voicemail from AHS stating that we would be responsible for the $410 charge for the freon recapture and disposal of the old compressor. I spoke to my Dad about the charges because they seem to be excessive. He confirmed that he only charges around $45 dollars for these things and he works on commercial units which are much larger. Monday the 22nd, I called AHS for a status and they told me that the part was ordered. Tuesday the 23rd, I waited for a call all day to schedule the repair but did not receive a call. I called AHS again to get a status check and they told me that the wrong part was ordered and they had to reorder the correct part and that it would be on its way to the contractor the next day. I made it known that I was very unhappy with the amount of time this was taking to obtain a part and the fact that we were trying to live in this house during temps over 100 degrees. They offered a reimbursement of $75 that could be put toward a hotel room or a fan etc.

Wednesday the 24th, still no call from contractor to schedule repair. I called AHS to get the status and was told that the part was ordered and is in route but they could not give me an ETA. I told them again how dissatisfied I am and asked that they extend another $75 reimbursement for another night in a hotel, which was refused. So I spoke to a supervisor who apologized and also refused the additional $75. I asked to speak to her supervisor and was told that they would have to call me back in two hours. I declined the call back because it was already 11:30PM by this point.

Thursday the 25th, still no call from the contractor to schedule repair. I called AHS to get the status and was told that their computers were down and that they would have to transfer me to a different call center if I required assistance, I asked to be transferred. I explained the situation to Lakisha who told me they haven't even found the part yet. I asked to speak to her supervisor, Tammy. After explaining the entire situation to Tammy. All she did was apologize and did not offer any solution, so I told her that I do not want the part. What I want is a whole new condenser unit. She advised that she would try to get to the bottom of the issue with the allusive part and said that if she could not by 12:30 the next day (August 26th), that she would consider a new condensing unit.

Friday the 26th, I called Tammy two times and did not get an answer. I left a message for her to please call me regarding the replacement of our condenser unit. I did not get a call back. I called AHS's regular line and found out that the condenser was ordered. However, they could not/would not provide proof that it was, in fact, ordered. The agent said she could not give me an ETA on the part so I requested a supervisor. I was connected to Alisha. Alisha told me the ETA was Tuesday the 30. Saturday the 27th, I called to check the status, tried to get a tracking number and was told that we would have to call the contractor to get it. I was told the ETA was still Tuesday the 30th.

Monday the 29th, I called to check status, tried to get a tracking number and the agent said she would call the procurement department to get it and call us back. I was told the ETA was still Tuesday the 30th. I called back in the afternoon and was told that they could not give us a tracking number until after the ETA date. I requested a fax number to fax a demand letter to and was given another runaround, so I requested a supervisor. The supervisor gave us her fax number. Tuesday the 30th, I called to check status and again, tried to get a tracking number and was told again that we would have to call the contractor (Sheltons Pride) to get the tracking number. I advised the agent that Sheltons told us to call AHS to get the tracking number.

Shortly after, Sheltons Pride called to schedule the installation for the next morning. Wednesday the 31st, the brand new condenser unit was installed. The AHS contract/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."

A total of 15 days without air conditioning during the hottest period of Texas summer. Temperature topped out at 112 outside. This was a major inconvenience in time, as well as, a financial burden to me and my family. The service provided by AHS was completely unacceptable. The whole purpose of having AHS, in the first place, is to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses and inconveniences of home appliance repairs. AHS is definitely not working for the well-being of the client.

To say I am dissatisfied is a gross understatement.

I am paying $600.00 a year for nothing. My AC has broken down several time over the past 5 years and it seems they will not repair anything because it's always the result of something else that went wrong, "Sir, we won't pay for a new motor because the Evap coil is not covered and that's the reason your motor is not running. It should have had a Evap filter which is missing". I told them, "No **, the company you hired removed it on a previous repair and now that company is out of business. Also why in the last 4 years did none of the other techs sent out notice the problem?". The reply to me was, "I don't know sir, you would need to ask them." Then why am I paying $600.00 a year?

Whatever you do, if you deal with this company, I would recommend recording every conversation that you have with them if possible. Our air conditioner broke this summer during a heat wave while we had a 10-week old baby. The service contractor who came over asked AHS if he could recharge our freon just to get the AC working temporarily. The technician had the phone on speaker phone when the AHS person gave him the authorization to recharge the freon, but now they don't want to reimburse us for it. They said they listened to the tapes but didn't hear us receiving authorization. Of course, they won't let us hear the tapes. What can we do? We are completely helpless and we spent over $500 that they told us they were going to pay us back for. This company knows that the homeowners are helpless and completely takes advantage of you.

The A/C in my home has been breaking down. Since the same company is always called (Air Touch Services #305 822-2242 in Miami, FL), the same company comes and tries to fix it, over and over again. Every single part in the unit has been changed at least once, some twice or more.

I have been given excuses that a lizard bit the cable (when asked about cable and lizard, the tech manager didn't have it anymore on hand, although he was still in process of doing repair). Another reason was that the part came from China and they don't make good parts, so it came in faulty. In other words, "It wasn't their fault."

They have been to my house a total of 6 to 7 or more times in 3 months! Just for that.

I have tried to talk to everyone in American Home Shield and requested another company to come and fix it once and for all. But their answer is that the same company has to come. If another company comes and it's something wrong the first one did, then the first company has to come back and fix it (since the company has changed every one of its parts, now I'm stuck with them for life? Calling them every week the A/C breaks down again?).

When I asked the tech manager what was going on with the A/C, he replied, "If I have to sit here and explain everything to you, it would take me about 4 years. Since that is how long it took me to get a degree on this," then he packed his stuff and left! Later, he sent another tech to fix problem.

After I told AHS about the rudeness of this company, they offered to then send another company if it falters again. It only took 7 tries and a disrespectful company for them to offer this!

The latest, and most current, is a call I made on Thursday regarding my garage door opener. I had to wait until Tuesday for their contractor to call me. When the company called me (#1 R&R Electrical All Star with # 772-621-8184), the earliest appointment was for Wednesday at 7:00 AM. I explained to the woman on the phone that I live in a gated compound and I am not allowed to have service done before 9:00 AM. She then started being very rude, raising her tone of voice and said, "Well, this is how we do our business and we do the repairs early in the morning."

I again repeated and apologized and said I wouldn't mind if it's late at night or even on the weekend. I would wait because I know it's an inconvenience, but it's not me, it's my compound rules that I cannot change. She repeated that that is the time they do business. Sarcastically said that she would do something or other and then hung up the phone on me!

I called American Home Shield and they apologized and said that they would send another company. I just received a call from their customer service saying that out of all Miami, they don't have another company to send! I explained what happened once more and she said that she called for 2 reasons. Number one was to see what has happened and number two was to tell me that they don't have another company to service me.

I told her that the company is the one not working with my hours and that they haven't called me back since Tuesday. And they won't, considering what the other woman said and how she hung up the phone. She then said, "Well, I will transfer this to another department and see if they can find a company for you. But I'm telling you that there isn't one."

This company is driving me crazy. I don't understand how a company made to alleviate your household problems is only creating more of a stressful environment. And contracting vendors that are so rude, impolite and unprofessional.

18 days without AC. I never talked to the same person twice and could not get anyone who could make a decision. Correspondence on work request never seem to be documented, like you never called and spent 2 hours on the phone with a representative. Too many details to write here. I ended up paying out of pocket to replace the AC unit because they wanted me to wait another 7 days (total of 25 days, insane!) to save themselves a couple of hundred dollars. Now, they don't answer email or Claim Reviews. I am very disgusted with AHS and their runaround tactics. I am canceling contract and seeking legal representation. Bad business.

AHS (and the service techs they choose) are a nightmare.

Saturday morning, August 27, my seven-year-old A/C broke. With a heat index of 100+ in the Kansas City area and an elderly resident in the house, this was definitely an emergency. I spent 45 minutes waiting for a human at AHS to answer the call. After answering, she promised that I would get an email confirming my service request.

I got the email. I also received a (recorded phone message) telling me that, "Someone would be coming out between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m on Sunday, August 28." It confirmed that the service technician would "telephone me to confirm the appointment." This is standard operating procedure and I awaited the phone call from the technician as we sat on our back porch beginning at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. All of the windows were open in the house and we anxiously awaited the technician's phone call--and arrival. The name of the first company chosen by AHS is: Allright Heating & Cooling. They are not all right.

As we waited for the phone call ("I am in the area and will be at your house in 10 minutes" or something like that) and were sitting on the back porch, we noticed that a business card had been taped to our front door. It was a business card from Allright Heating & Cooling. On it, the technician had scribbled the words: "Was here at 8:33 a.m."

What? How? **? We have been waiting 28 hours in sweltering heat and the technician did not knock on the door? He did not ring the doorbell and he never called us on the telephone! It turned out that he parked his truck in the street, quietly tiptoed up to our door (as witnessed by our neighbors) and quietly taped his card to our glass door! He then quietly snuck away, got in his truck and drove out of the neighborhood.

Why he did not ring the doorbell is beyond us. Why he did not knock on the door is beyond us. Why he did not telephone us--as he was supposed-- to is beyond us. Why he drove all the way out to our home only to sneak away and not do the job is beyond us. Perhaps he had a hangover? Perhaps he "double booked" another customer and wanted to be able to tell AHS that he had tried to come to our home? We have three dogs who would begin barking like crazy if a butterfly were to land on our front porch. Even the dogs did not hear the jackleg technician from Allright Heating & Cooling. He clearly and obviously did not want to do the job. Puzzling.

But it gets worse, much worse.

It was now 8:40 a.m. (only seven minutes had elapsed since he had taped his card to my door) and I called his cell number. When I asked why he did not call, he said, "I do not have to call you". When I told him that he is supposed to call (it is right in the email plus the AHS customer service people told me to expect a call) as a standard operating procedure, he again told me he did not have to call anyone AHS connected or not. When I asked if he could turn around and come back to my house, he became argumentative and told me to, go ** yourself! Needless to say, after waiting for 28 hours in sweltering heat, this was not the right thing to say to a customer.

Now, the AHS nightmare began anew.

I telephoned AHS (waited 66 minutes on hold) to report what just transpired. The customer service rep did not give a ** about the rude treatment I just described to her. She said, "You can write a letter of complaint to PO Box 849, Carroll, IA 51401." Of course, I still have a malfunctioning a/c unit and the sweltering heat. When I said that I knew of a professional a/c company that could come to my home right away, AHS refused! They claimed I had to try another one of their companies before they could get authorization to have an outside contractor work on my a/c unit. And, all they could do was leave a message for J&N heating and cooling in Grain Valley, Missouri. They said, "If they do not call us back in four hours, you can call back and get an authorization for your own contractor."

Needless to say, the illiterate monkeys from Grain Valley never called me. I told the AHS rep that this company would never call me and that this was just delaying the inevitable by four hours. I was 100% correct.

So, I called back again and waited 45 minutes on hold again. This time, the customer service rep cut me off the phone once she answered it. I had to re-dial again and wait 77 minutes on hold. This time, they told me that I could use an outside company. He would just have to call AHS after diagnosing the problem and tell them his estimate and he would be given the go-ahead to fix my a/c. That, too, was a lie.

The tech arrived and determined that my entire a/c system died. Even though it is a seven-year-old Lennox and even though it has proper maintenance for the last seven years, the unit has died. So, I called AHS to get them to speak to the tech and give him the OK to fix my unit. I waited 28 minutes on hold this time (the technician refused to go on hold with AHS and I don't blame him). After I described that the tech was ready to speak to AHS, they said I would have to be transferred. You guessed it, another 30 minutes on hold. It was now 8 p.m. Sunday night and we were sweltering. When the technician finally got on the phone with the AHS tech, we learned that they would not give him any authorization unless he had the exact serial number(s) of the new equipment that he intends to install. Also, they wanted him to produce a detailed estimate before proceeding. As you can imagine, the technician did not have a computer nor a printer to create a professional detailed estimate. And because this was a late Sunday night, he did not have all of the materials with him.

But wait, it gets worse, much worse.

I learned today that the entire unit, including the evaporator that sits on top of my furnace in the basement, will have to be replaced. Since the newer evaporators are larger than the one that needs replacing, they have to install an entire new furnace also. I did not design these machines -- that is just the way they work. AHS is balking and fighting with the contractor and me. It is now three days since the unit went out and I anticipate a multi-week battle with AHS.

I will be reporting them to the department of insurance in Missouri. And, if necessary, I have the skills to sue them in court, which I will do if necessary.

The worst part? AHS does not seem to care. They do not care about the treatment that I received from Allright Heating & Cooling. They do not care that we have a health situation with an elderly person in our home and that the heat indexes are expected to rise over the next several days. They do not care that their other vendors never responded when messages are left. And, they do not care that I have been a customer of many years and I am unhappy and will take my business to another warranty carrier. They do not care how I was treated by Allright heating & cooling -- and I am sure they will remain one of the vendors that AHS uses.

AHS will care, however, when I sue them in court for non-compliance with the very contract that they issue to their customers. It is too bad that I have to take the time and money to get an insurer to comply with the law. Obviously, from the comments here, I realize that I am not alone and that there are many, many people who are very dissatisfied with AHS.

I will update this post as this nightmare unfolds.

The A/C unit at our home stopped operating. I called AHS Customer Service and was placed on hold. With the speakerphone on, I waited approximately 30 minutes. At that point, I called costumer service on another phone and placed them side-by-side. Interestingly, at the 63 minute point, the second phone gave me a live person. What about answering in order of call?

During that time, I had also placed a service request online. I was given the name of a contractor. I called the number and was told to call back during regular business hours. While waiting on hold, I did call SCE and was told to check the breakers (duh!) and found that the circuit had tripped. However, I wanted to find out if this would reoccur and if this was going to be an ongoing concern.

When I finally did talk to the CS representative, she merely asked if this was a life-threatening situation. I told her not at the moment, but with an outdoor temperature of 114, if it occurred again, then it could be life-threatening. She again asked if it was life-threatening. If not, then we would be contacted on Monday. I didn't want to "cry wolf", so I thanked her but wanted to talk to her supervisor. After another 21 minutes on hold, I got the voice mail of her supervisor to leave a message and said she would return my call "at her earliest convenience".

After reading other posts concerning AHS, I'm quite disconcerted. Like most insurance companies, you don't know how good the company is until you file a claim.

As the saying goes, AHS provides great customer "non-service". And what is meant by life-threatening? In that case I'm dialing 911.

American Home Shield is stealing all of us blind! It seems that AHS seeks every possible way to avoid fixing anything that is covered in their policies. After you spend a great deal of time requesting service, you are given every reason under the sun why it is no longer covered! I have called AHS out on an air conditioner problem that occurs year after year. They have yet to fix it and seem to be patching it together to avoid replacing it. Do not bother with this company!

I have a Home Warranty. I have to go online and fill out a form to get someone out to my house to look at my air conditioner. Several times, American Home Shield just canceled the service work order as if I never even called. The last time I called AMS, they gave me the name Action Heating & Air conditioner in Wylie, Texas to come out and look at the air conditioner. I have been patiently waiting for service now for 4 weeks. I called today to talk to Action Heating & Air and they said, "Oh, are you sure you called here, because we don't have your name down?". I am getting the runaround from everyone. You pay for a Home Warranty and you expect to get service well within the time limit of 4 weeks.

Air conditioner at 89 degrees. I placed service call and was told we would hear back from someone in two hours. Not so. I called back and was told the call was placed out and we would hear from a company the following morning.

Not so. I called again and was told they'd put in another request for service. I told them we had a local company who could respond that morning. AHS provided pre-authorization for local company and the local company fixed the problem.

A week later, temperature was at 89 degrees. The local company came back and said it was compressor. AHS would not authorize. They said we had to have a second opinion. We waited another 24-hour period for another company. We are now three days w/out air. We ended up having to wait an extra day because the technician did not get the message to call me 10-15 minutes prior to him heading to the house so I could be there on time. Tech arrived and then called me and told me he couldn't wait.

When I called AHS and requested for another company, I was told I couldn't do that without an additional charge. Well, three days without air, new tech shows up and says compressor is working and it should be fine, but there are other parts that should be replaced and he'll submit info. Three hours later, temperature is 92 instead of 97 degrees in the house. I called AHS and was told they had not received any info from the company reporting findings. I called the company in the morning and they had not yet submitted info to AHS. I was told they would submit report to AHS in one hour.

Two hours later, no report yet to AHS. I called the company back and requested a copy of the report. They told me I can't get it from them, that I have to get it from AHS. AHS told me this is not true; the company should provide it to me.

All in all, company says it's six to eight hours worth of work, and they can't get to it until the following Monday. That's six nights without air conditioning. AHS says we still have to use this company, even though they were only called out for a second opinion.

AHS does not follow their company's mission, vision or values. We will not be renewing with AHS in the future. Customer service reps in general are courteous. Company policy is despicable.

WARNING: This is a con operation! Complete runaround when I called to get AC service. I called and emailed 6 times and kept getting "we'll have someone to contact you", but no one EVER did. Meanwhile, it is 104 degrees and we're without AC for 6 days. I finally called a service company and paid for it out of my pocket. AHS said they would reimburse me but never did.

These people are pathetic. The air conditioner went out two weeks ago. It is more than a hundred degrees here in Texas and I am still waiting to get a new compressor installed.

We have had AHS insurance for about three years. Our air conditioning has not been working since 8/4/11. We called AHS right away and was referred to one service, which won't be able to come until 8/8.

We called back to AHS and they referred us to another company for emergency service, which came to look at it on 8/6. The technician diagnosed that the motor of blower was burnt out and took away the blower and motor. Since then, we have tried to call AHS and Airmax. The needed parts were not ordered until 8/10 and has not arrived as of today, 8/16. The outdoor temperature in our area has been over 100 degrees F for 40+ days consecutively.

On August 6, 2011, the AC in our home went out. We called AHS. On Monday, a contractor came to our home and said the compressor went out. The part was ordered on Tuesday.

It is now Monday. I called the contractor. The secretary has no idea where the part is. It hasn't been delivered and I already paid $60 for the visit.

I called AHS and their computer systems are down as usual. No one can give me any information on where the part may be.

I feel helpless. My wife has horrible allergies so we cannot open the windows. Fans only blow around hot air. Every time I call AHS, it takes an hour on hold to finally speak with a rep. They say they will do things but they never do. I really believe we have been scammed by AHS.

It has taken over one week in the Houston heat of 100+ degrees to have American Home Shield (AHS) address our A/C repair/replacement. Finally, having attained the AHS's "ok" to replace the outside condenser (which took considerable patience and effort on our part), their replacement process is unworkable and the amount of financial reimbursement is laughable. Better to have handled it directly with a local company, avoided the red-tape of AHS and saved the annual fee for the indignity of trying to work with them. Just ridiculous.

On June 12, I called in an A/C repair for my small unit upstairs. 60 days later, my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. AHS has accommodated me with around 7 contractors out to fix/replace the system. The first visit was Certified Services. On the first visit, the representative inspected the system annotated low pressure on the ride on the condenser. He added freon and left. I called by and AHS sent him again. He diagnosed the valve needed to be replaced. The valve was replaced but I called again because my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. The representative then diagnosed the compressor replaced last year needed to be replaced again.

Certified Heating Air replaced the compressor to be called two later because my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. AHS sent Harlow Heating and Air service. The representative told me he thought the unit needed to be replaced and he was going to report this to AHS. He did not provide a written diagnosis. The AHS representative called me and informed Harlow reported the compressor will be replaced under warranty. Harlow services came in three days. I called the AHS representative two days to report my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. Harlow services came again and the representative thought my filters were advanced and putting a strain on the systems. We pulled out both filters and he would return two later hoping for a better report.

I called two days later to AHS to report my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. Harlow services came out and provided freon. I called AHS the next day to report my A/C is still not cooling upstairs adequately. Harlow services representative inspected and informed me that the valves needed to be replaced. I called AHS four or five days and requested a diagnosis. The deceptive report was, " the system is working properly and suggested the home owner install attic fans" (Harlow Services, 11 Aug 11). When I spoke with the AHS representative, she said she did not see all reports I recalled.

I could not be more disappointed and appalled with deceptive business practices. I asked to receive a copy of all the contractor service calls out to my home and the representative informed me I could not receive what they see in their system because it is read only. I know I could get all by court order. I need AHS to provide the service which I paid for on a regular basis. Can you assist me or force me to seek restitution?

I have had the contract almost a year. I have never used them until my air conditioner went out on 7/13/2011.

It is 08/11/2011 and my unit is still not fixed and they don't have a solution. I have had two service people from different companies come out and the cost to fix the unit can't be negotiated down by AHS so I had to wait and am still waiting to have my unit fixed. Meanwhile, it is 108 degrees outside.

I called again today for status and no answer. I asked to cancel the contract and want my money back. It states in the handbook that refunds are made. We had credit card fraud and had to change cards, thus my July payment was not made but I was contacted by AHS to add my new card, which I did immediately online. They claimed this last payment was not obtained and therefore I am not allowed the refund.

They will take your money but they won't perform the service nor refund money.

The air conditioning unit overflowed thru the ceiling in the living room. I called American Home Shield and I was told someone would contact me. I called back this afternoon and after 37 minutes of waiting for an advisor, I was told that since the problem is causing secondary repairs I would be put on an emergency list and would hear from someone within two hours.

It is now over 24 hours and I have not heard from anyone. I was also asked if I turned off the unit. It is 100 degrees here and I said I would never turn it off, I'm not crazy. If this is the kind of service I'm getting, I'd be dead from the heat before I even get a call back from someone. I will never call them again. I am calling the a/c company that does my regular maintenance and I am quitting AHS because $600 a year is ridiculous for this kind of run-around.

I have a home warranty on my major appliances and heat/cooling system. The warranty cost me $500 a year, with a $50 service charge for each call. On Saturday I called for service on my air conditioner.

The technician that American Home Shield (AHS) sent to look at the unit told me that it was old (30 years old) and inefficient. He said he would have to get an authorization to repair it and it might be more reasonable to replace it. The technician said he would get back with me on Monday and charged me $50.

AHS denied the claim because the unit needed to be cleaned. This is an outside unit and it has been windy, rainy, and hot and muggy. This is August in Texas. My family has been at each other's throats because we are hot and uncomfortable. And I still have to buy another unit that I thought was covered under the warranty.

Currently, I am awaiting installation of an OFF BRAND 10 SEER air conditioning unit. Fortunately, the temperature has lowered to the tolerable low 80's. I have been told that the contract calls for AHS not to replace with the same or like brand, dimensions, or color air conditioner.

We are furious because we feel that it could cause potential damage to the value of our house. Beside the $60 service call, I find that I will also have to pay $225 for the disconnect and recapture of the Freeon. I am a Realtor, I have had AHS since the 1980's. I have sold AHS to clients, and I can say that I am probably not going to renew.

I have been waiting since the beginning of June for my air conditioner to be replaced per my warranty agreement with American Home Shield. I live in Virginia and temperatures have reached the upper 90's this summer. AHS does not care about my safety, the loss of rental income, and the extra expenses I have incurred (purchased window AC units & fans.) I had to have 4 companies come to give a "second opinion" that the unit needed to be replaced - and of course I had to wait weeks between visits. My new unit was supposedly ordered on July 11th - but here it is Aug 1st and the status is still unknown.

I have been calling AHS almost every day for 2 months - yet the customer service reps seem clueless as to my situation. I have, however, received at least 6 letters in the past 2 months reminding me that my policy will expire Aug 31, 2005 and to send me my payment for renewal. I will not be renewing. I would like compensation for my suffering, the time spend on the phone and waiting at home for companies (that AMS selects)to look at the old unit, the loss rental income, and out of pocket expenses. Please let me know if there is anything you can do for me, in the least make others aware that AHS is much more trouble than it is worth.

Consequences:

I lost an upstairs tenant because the 97 degree temperatures were too much for himself and his cat. The rental income is $750 per month. I spent over $300 on window AC units for the back of the house (not permitted in the front due to home owners association rules) and fans. I have wasted at least 20 hours between phone calls and waiting for AC companies to give a "second" opinion to AHS.

Because of this, I replaced the outdoor unit, the drain pan, and will still have to repair the sheet rock. The representatives at AHS were no helpful than a spurned IRS agent. I have spent $1,137 so far for what I thought I had purchased an AHS contract to protect me from. They used every loophole in the book to prevent having to pay for what would have been a simple repair. They get an F- in my book.

If you have an older home BEWARE of this company. You will think your system is covered when in fact they will claim "IMPROPER INSTALL" and deny coverage. American Home Shield Contract states "During the contract period, American Home Shield of Texas, will repair or replace the systems and components mentioned as protected in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract so long as they: 3. Are in good working order on the effective date of this contract; and 4. Are properly installed throughout the term of this contract ..."

When the air conditioner began leaking, they sent someone out who cleaned out the line and said that if that did not fix the problem we probably needed a plumber to check the pipe. Two weeks later it began leaking again. When we called Home Shield and asked for a plumber they decided it was "IMPROPERLY INSTALLED" because is was OLD PIPE and they "only cover PVC pipe" ...

They told us we were entitled to a second opinion but if the second tech agreed with the first we would have to pay yet another 50.00 for the "service call". Since we were being told it was the pipe we declined. When I complained to the head of customer service that I felt this "improper install" business was a scam his response was to ask why we had kept Home Shield for over 5 years if we thought it was a scam and started reading me the history of our service calls...

When our water heater went out the guy they sent us wired it wrong. It shorted out and caused a fire. This was on a weekend so they refused to call it an emergency. When our dishwasher went out (the door catch would not lock to start the machine) the guy they sent was rude and said that because my husband had attempted to fix it first he was reporting it as "dishwasher abuse" and it would not be covered.

They came out several times on the dryer. It never stayed fixed and we ended up also buying a new dryer at our own expense.

I contacted AHS about service to my A/C unit. I was informed that they would not service it due to the fact the routine maintance had not been performed. I was told when the work was perfomed I was to forward them a fax or mail a letter to them letting them know the work had been done. We contacted an A/C company to come out to perform the work the work was done and the information was sent to them. The next day I contacted AHS again to find out if they received the fax. I was told the information I sent was invalid. They still will not service my unit.

Our home is still without air. We have contacted another A/C company to repair the unit. We will spend $300 trying to get our unit serviced. That is the reason we invested in the warranty service to save money.

I am out of pocket over $2,000 for drywall repair. I live in Santa Clarita heat without AC. My carpets are dirty from workmen and drywall. I am angry at the quality of contractor AHS contracts with.

Now I don't have to tell you that for the month of August the temperature has been well over 90 degrees everyday. I am six months pregnant and have suffered heat exhaustion and dehydration due to the unberarable heat in my home which was over 95 degrees everyday and night. At this point I am very stressed and upset due to AHS policy and handling there customers. As of yesterday August 26, 2002 the technician still have not received this unit. I am requesting cancellation and refund of all monies that was paid to this company from the begining of this contract to now.

I will have to stay at a motel for $60/night for the next 2 nights. Then, when the tech comes out Friday who knows if he will be able to fix the A/C that same day. Which means the week-end in a hotel. AHS rep, Jan Thelen, kept quoting the contract they had that specifies this. I don't have a copy so I have requested one, which should come in the mail in the next 2-4 weeks but they weren't sure. Once the A/C is replaced I will discontinue paying my premiums and will not use AHS again.