American Home Shield

The initial guy that came out was great, and he was very helpful. The leak is outside of the building, and it’s from the pressure release valve. And so, he changed the valve. That didn’t work. So, then he changed the actual pressure regulator. He said maybe that’s gone faulty, and that actually made things worse. And that’s when the guy that did all of that said, “You know, I really don’t know what else I can do.” He was kinda stumped. He didn’t know what to do. So, they sent in a different person, and he came in yesterday morning. He checked it, put in his pressure thing, and he said that the new regulator is not working properly. And he said, “I can’t change it because whoever changed it supposedly bought a new one, and they need to go wherever they bought it and get a refund and get a new one,” which made sense to me. The problem is every time this happens, I have to stay home between 11:00 and 5:00.

Usually, I leave but I'm staying home today because the first plumber said he’ll come today. But he hasn’t given me a time yet either. So, I’m stuck at home. I told him, “You know what, call me by noon. I would be home until noon anyway." But I also said, “If you can’t make it by noon, call me and let me know exactly what time you can make it, and I’ll make sure I get back home.” I’m just running errands. At this point, I’m not gonna go to work. It’s just little things. But I don’t know if that’s any of the insurance’s fault.

The garage door claim has been going on for a long time too. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with the garage door thing. I have to call AHS and find out because I didn’t fully trust the technician that came out. He said six different things like, “Oh, I have to replace this, and it’ll work.” This has been going on for almost a month and a half. And he replaced something, and it didn’t work. Then he came back and replaced some other part, and it worked for a few days, and then it stopped. Then he said he had to order a part. He was here yesterday, and I heard him kinda arguing with AHS because he was saying that he’s replaced every single piece of this equipment and nothing is working and that we should get a new one, and that it’s not worth trying to fix anymore at this point. I heard him saying that over the phone, and then he hung up.

I talked to him, and then he said, “Well, it’s going to cost you though. Even though it has a lifetime warranty, I talked to the home insurance, and they’re gonna want you to get the newer model. And the newer model is more expensive, so you’re gonna have to pay the difference.” So, I started asking him just out of curiosity how much the whole unit will be. He said it’s really expensive and that I'm gonna have to talk to AHS. And then he said, “But I’ll come back. Whatever they give you, with an additional $200, I’ll put a new one.” I thought, “What do you mean whatever they give me?” And he said, “It might a couple of days for you to call them and talk to them.” So, it kinda went back-and-forth like that.

AHS hasn’t contacted me yet. They were on the phone with him, but they didn’t contact me. The service person kept telling them, “I’m not gonna replace any more components of this because I’ve replaced all the major components, and if it’s not working, that means it’s just dead.” So, I plan on giving AHS a call today and seeing what their decision is and how they’re gonna handle it.

The contractors have been very professional and very nice. And they all seem to be doing their best. It maybe that these two jobs that I’m working on are things they never really handled or it’s just a fluke. I had a different home warranty last year, and AHS has been much more responsive and quick. I call, and I can get through to a live person. For both of these requests, immediately, once I put them in the computer, someone called me within a few hours. That never happened with the other home insurance. It would go days before anybody would call me. AHS has been very good about sending messages through the phone in terms of, “Technician is on their way. They’ll be here in 15 minutes.” Things like that have been very helpful. And I got none of that paying more for the other home warranty.

I’ve been very happy because, at least, I feel like when I try to get a hold of someone, or when I have an issue, they’d respond. Even with these things, they immediately sent somebody else to come check it. The initial plumber came in the next day. He called me that day, and he came in the following day. That was very quick. And with the garage, they gave me some options, but I was working so it didn’t work for me. And for me, the garage not opening was not a big emergency, so I told them I would rather do it on a Friday, and they accommodated me for that. The plumber called right away and came right away.

I had one other claim with AHS with my faucet. It was very minor. It was leaking in the kitchen underneath. And the same plumber came for that and fixed it in 15 minutes, and that was great. In some ways, I’ve learned that the home warranty is not for big emergencies. I have my own plumber, and if water was gushing out of somewhere, I would probably just call my own plumber and have him check it. But I’d like to have AHS as a backup for things that come up that aren’t emergencies. And I’m happy they’re responding.

Then you will have to wait on the line sometimes, due to the volume of calls received during the time of your call. Once you get past this, you'll finally get to a customer service agent that will listen to you. However, they all tend to read a scripted response, instead of listening with the intent to learn, then respond appropriately. Why so apologetic is the question that always looms in my mind over time I call. "I'm sorry to hear about that so & so issue that your experiencing, blah, blah, blah."

Onward to the solution portion of the call for help: They will place you on a brief hold, and then return with the assigning of a technician, or company. They'll ask if you have any additional questions or issues that need to be addressed, and finally confirm the payment of the $75 co-pay to end the call. You'll have to be somewhat understanding in regards to the date/time of the assigned technician's arrival to your residence from anywhere between 24 hours to a couple of days depending on the number of previous customer's they have ahead of you in line.

The assigned company's initial call, and assignment of the technician to come to your residence: You will usually get a call from the customer service agent associated with the company fixing the problem shortly after they have been assigned from American Home Shield to finalize when they will be able to come and complete the work intended. You'll also receive an e-mail, text to your mobile device or combination of both. Don't delete this important information. This is your confirmation of who is scheduled to come to your residence. In the event that they fail to reach out to you, you'll have this information so that you can get a hold of them. Just remember that in this digital age of things, some things indeed do fall apart including calls, and emails. If you don't hear from them, don't hesitate to reach out, as a rule of thumb, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

When the company gives you a call for scheduling note that they are mostly friendly, professional, and attentive; they're also willing to work around your schedule if you need them to. When I state "mostly friendly", is the fact that they are human, and as with all of us, we all have bad days sometimes. This shouldn't reflect on how American Home Shield operates, nor that of each company which is an independently contracted company working with American Home Shield to help you resolve your day to day issues involving your home.

The arrival of the technician to your residence: Prior to the technician arriving, in most cases they'll give you a courtesy call to confirm that you are home, and let you know that they are on the way. I have in some cases received a courtesy text message introducing the technician, with a photo, contact information, licensing information, as well as a chance to rate them with their company once the job was done. That is an awesome feature, and in my opinion should be included with every technician assigned to come to your residence; as these days it is sometimes hard to trust the folk that enter your home.

When they arrive, they will first have to assess the problem to see what is the exact problem, then come up with an appropriate solution for repairs that have to be made. Technician may be able to fix the problem immediately, in a lot of cases this is true, and your heart-ache is relieved. Though sometimes they'll have to leave your home to go get parts, and schedule a return time/date (if needed) to complete the work.

* With regards to scammers, and hood-winkers: It is best practice to have a printed copy of your contract so that you can reference it if the need arises. Some contractors will try to tell you that based on their assessment, you'll have to pay an out of pocket expense that isn't covered by your American Home Shield warranty; ranging from a couple of dollar's to upwards of thousands in some cases.

The remedy is to: First know what your coverage contract states you are covered for *(address discrepancies in coverage before you have a problem), do not fearing telling the contractor that you want to request a second opinion through American Home Shield, not be in so much of a haste to fix the issue that you fail to research the solution *(knowledge opens the eyes of the blind), request to have discounts applied to the final bill as an American Home Shield customer, any manufacturer's rebates, and any online discounts that you can find to help reduce the overall cost; in the event that you have no choice but to pay an out-of-pocket expense. You can even see if it's possible to buy the part directly at a cost savings store to help you save even more, then ask the technician to install it if they're willing to go that route.

Prior to them leaving: After the work has been completed: ask them to show you what was repaired, if parts were replaced, you would like to see/have the new packaging to verify that it was newly purchased, check the operation of the repaired item if possible to ensure correct operation with no issues such as leaks if water is involved.

Finally finished: Once everything is complete, good or bad tell them about it. Write a review, call the company that fixed the issue, and write a review on American Home Shield, this venue, and/or The Better Business Bureau. Consumers need your voice to help them make educated decisions, help navigate through sophomoric insight, lateral issues that others have experienced, and the understanding that reporting bad workmanship might help the company through educating their tech's, relieving them of their duties, or in the worst case scenario lose their contract with American Home Shield. I hope that this review helps within the how-to department of ratings. Wishing you many blessings going forward in all of your future endeavors, and I thank you sincerely for reading this review.

When I didn't hear an hour later, I called again and left a message. No one ever showed up. My husband took off to be there for them. When I called the company the following week, they said that the gentleman who was supposed to come into my house said no one ever called them back. It was on Friday the 4th of July weekend. I think he probably just wanted to get his weekend started. I had to call back again and get someone to come out. My husband took off and met them. They said it was repaired.

When I tried a day or two after that to use the dryer, it was drying but it was at such a low heat. It was like it was set on gentle. I had a very small load of just two sheets and two bath towels. I had to start it five times and let it run for an hour five times to dry those few things. We had to call again and someone came out last Saturday. It was supposed to be between 12:00 and 5:00 but they called at 11 o'clock and said they were on their way. I was not home yet. I had to call my husband and have him meet them.

The gentleman was there and my husband got on the phone with me and said that the serviceman said that it was not a problem with the dryer. Apparently, the hose from the dryer to the exhaust was clogged and that was a homeowner issue and it was our problem to take care of it. I asked to speak to the gentleman who was there and he told me the same thing. He told me it ended up to the attic and we needed to go up to the roof and check it to make sure it was clean. He had disconnected it from the dryer because it was a fire hazard and it wasn't safe for us to use.

I told him that he was the third person who looked at the dryer and no one mentioned that there was an issue with it before. He had no comment to that. He said he replaced a thermostat and a heating coil while he was there. I asked him about that because I've had this dryer repaired before through American Home Shield. If they had ever found anything in the exhaust hose, they would have cleared it out and told us. But the guy was only allowed to work on the dryer. He wasn't allowed to work on the house.

He left the hose there disconnected for my husband and me to take care of so we did that. This weekend, my husband sat me up on a chair near there so I could see what he was doing and he got back there. There wasn't even a handful of lint. There were some little pieces. We snaked it all the way to the wall. First of all, it doesn't go to my roof and not even to the second storey. It vents right behind the dryer. My husband was able to go to the outside and take the long thing that we haven't cleared from the outside all the way in.

The dryer's working now but I don't know what their deal was. The first guy came out here quickly and he called ahead. I thought everything was great. But the contractor's service was terrible. It took several times to fix the dryer and the repairman lied about my calling him back and not being there that afternoon. After taking a couple of months off for surgery, I couldn't just keep taking time off to go and deal with it. I will never have them set foot in my home again. It's just ridiculous. We have had Hotshot Appliances out to our house at least twice for the same dryer, washer, dishwasher, and range. American Home Shield almost always sends Hotshot and I never had a problem.

When one of my air conditioners went out, American Home Shield repaired it and there was a specific company that they had come out to do it. Since that time, if I ever called to have somebody come out, I request that company. I have before requested Hotshot. I'm sorry I didn't do it this time. American Home Shield was fine and everything happened very promptly. They got the work orders over to Astro very quickly but they need to get rid of Astro Appliances.

I've had American Home Shield for a number of years. There was a time when we started to have a problem with the toilet in our powder room, with clean water flowing from the toilet up over the seat. It had something to do with the connection between my washer, dishwasher, kitchen sink, and the toilet that are all within about 25 feet of each other in the house. Technicians came out several times but couldn't find a problem. We even paid extra to have the camera snaked down the line. It happened again one time after we had our floors replaced with laminate. My laminate's a little warped because of that.

After that, American Home Shield wouldn't renew us for a while. But it wasn't my fault. Technicians had come out four or five times for the same toilet in a six month period. But after they kept sending me emails asking me to sign up with them, I waited about six months and I signed up. I fully expected them to call me back and say "No, we can't do it." But they went ahead and set it up.

I also had my thermostat that went out at the same time. So, the next day, I used some air conditioning people. They used to be with American Home Shield. That’s how I found them. But they're no longer with them. But they did my checkups and things, and he found that my thermostat was not working. I called American Home Shield and told them that all of my equipment was working and that they thought that it was in the thermostat. They called Baxter Air Conditioning and Heating here in Mansfield. Their response was quick, which was good. I had a good experience with them. They replaced the thermostat and it's working within a short period of time. So, those experiences recently have been very good. However, I had a real serious, uncomfortable, undesirable, terrible experience with AHS and with the plumbers they sent out. I was really, really upset and concerned about what happened.

Back in January, we had a plumbing problem. My sinks stopped up and both our sinks in our master bathroom were stopped up. They were clogged and it was awful. I called AHS the next day and I told them that we had a problem. They said, “Okay. Your plumber will be SDL, and they're out of Seagoville.” They had a plumber come out the very next day and he came out with a little hand Roto-Rooter. We had cleaned out underneath both the cabinets so that he could get through, but he never even looked underneath the cabinets at the sinks. He tried his little hand rooter and said, “I'm gonna have to go down through the vents.” Then he came back and said, “Well, I can't get through the vents. You're gonna have to have somebody come in here and go down, and it's gonna cost $589.”

I called AHS and talked to a guy and he said, “Yeah. These are good people. They really do a good job. I'll have somebody go to him. This is what has to be done and what needs to be done. You're gonna have to pay that. American Home Shield will not cover that. That’s your expense.” So the guy came out, and he had brought a supervisor from SDL. And they couldn’t get down through the vents, so they said, “Well, we're gonna have to go underneath the slab. We're gonna have to do a lot of work. And it's gonna cost you $6,000.” He was gonna send him out the next day or so to do some stuff. But AHS said they needed to get a second opinion, which was smart. I'd give them credit for that.

And so, AHS sent this guy from F6, the ones that I used for recently from Alvarado. And the guy walked in there and I told him what was going on. He said, “Let me show you how to unstop a sink.” He got his Roto-Rooter out, his snake, and then within an hour or less, he had everything completely cleaned out and working wonderfully. The other contractor was gonna try to charge $6,000 for all this other stuff. And thank goodness, the person in authorization department said they needed to get a second opinion. If you go online and look at the SDL plumbing company out of Seagoville and read their reviews, you'll notice that most of them are all negative. It is a scam, con company.

I said to AHS authorization department that I needed to be reimbursed. They said, “Well, that’s between you and the plumbing company.” And I was out of $589 for nothing. They were trying to scam me for $6,000. Now, I'm not making any accusations when I make this remark. It sounds to me like somebody, somewhere is getting a kickback. The guy in the AHS authorization department was the one that recommended and confirmed with the plumber that going down through the vents was needed to be done. So, someone should be held responsible.

I wasn’t happy about not being reimbursed. I've been an AHS customer for 16 years but I'm now considering looking at other companies to do the kind of warranties like this. Nevertheless, I'm pleased with F6, the plumbers that I got this last time. I'm pleased with the air conditioning guy too. I still stay with AHS because it's a heck of a mess to try to change over and get things. But I told the people in the authorization department, “Don’t ever recommend SDL to me again. Those people are crooks.” And some of the reviews that you read online will say the same thing, almost identical to what I had said. The authorization department is responsible for that. They need look at reviews and say, “This is a good vendor or this is a poor vendor.”

I have called in before and I know the service people that do a good job and those who don’t. And they said, “Well, this is the one that pops up, and we can't send them out.” And I said, “Look. I'm your customer. I know who is good and who is not.” American Home Shield had sent me some smart people in the past. And I said, “Look. They know me. They know my equipment, etc,” and they finally would agree and would send the people I requested but I've had them to argue with me. Now, many of them have been very courteous, very kind and considerate, but some of them have been downright almost ugly.

However, I'm still upset over the fact that I was encouraged to have someone go down through the vents, which cost me nearly $600 for nothing. Somebody needs to get with SDL and straighten them out, or AHS needs to drop them as a vendor. They should be made by AHS to make that reimbursement. But they're not gonna do it because of the fact that that guy in the AHS authorization department said, “We're not gonna be responsible for this. It's between you and the plumber.” And that’s their cover. And so, I don’t think I'll ever recover that $589, which I'm not happy about. I'm a retired senior citizen on a fixed income so that's fair. I'm not really angry at American Home Shield. I'm disappointed though that they didn’t try to do more, didn’t try to go to the company. And if they continue to recommend people to use that company, in my opinion, AHS does not go as high as it used to.

Recently, I called in and asked for Cowtown Pools and they said, “We can't send anybody." I talked to Cowtown Pools and I was told, “Well, just call back and tell them that we can take them.” I called back, and AHS said, “No, We're not gonna do that.” That happened with Cowtown. So, I just waited until Monday and called back. And I got through quick, and they were fine. Also, this last situation with replacing the flush valves in my bathrooms and then replacing thermostat went through great, and so I do give an A plus on those experiences.

Then, that Thursday, my daughter and I were home all day and between 11:00 and 3:00, I did not go anywhere. I waited for the guy to show up, but I never got a confirmation phone call or text about the appointment. I never talked to the person ever. I didn't even have a conversation with them except through text. 3 o'clock rolls around, the end of our window, and I had things I needed to do. I didn't know if the guy was coming and if I was still on his schedule book. So I called the number that was sent through the text originally. It went to voicemail and said that Clark's appliance repair was busy with a client and on the message, it said if I couldn't leave a message, then text. I left a message saying my appointment was between 11:00 and 3:00 and asked if anybody was coming that day. I also sent a text. The guy texted back asking for my address.

I sent him my address and he said he was going to a call out in Chandler and then he would be coming to Mesa. By that time it was 3:30 and I had to leave to go pick up my husband at the airport. Chandler is like over half an hour away from where I live anyway. We were talking 4:00 or 5:00 o'clock traffic and I had no idea how long he was gonna be at that call. I told him I needed to leave and go pick someone over in the airport and I would be back. I asked if it worked with his time frame. He said he would call when he was on his way and if he couldn't make it that day, then we would reschedule for tomorrow. It sounded great. I was on my way to the airport and at 4:00, Clark's appliance repairs texted me he was not gonna make and he would schedule me for the following day.

I asked what was his anticipated time frame for the following day because I am a nurse and I work night and I sleep during the day. I took Thursday off, so that I could be up all day long with him being here. He asked what time I go to sleep. I said that I sleep at noon and all he texted back was, "Sounds good." He said he would be here before then. I asked what time because if he was talking 11:45 and he was gonna be here for an hour diagnosing the problem, then that means I don't get to sleep till 1:45 and I have to get up at 4:00, so that doesn't work for me. He said he had an appointment and he had to go out to Apache Junction first before he comes to me. So, not only was everybody put before me on Thursday, now we were rolling into the second day and he was still putting people before me. And I was supposed to be on between 11:00 and 3:00 on Thursday.

He never called, he never said he was running late, nothing until I finally reach out to him and said, "What's the deal?" I texted him and said that he seemed really busy. I told him to go ahead and just cancel my work order with American Home Shield because I have already taken a day off and I couldn't take another day off Friday. I said I was gonna have to call and schedule a different appointment. He said he would cancel my work order with American Home Shield. He wished me luck finding somebody to fix it by the end of the following week instead of the following day. That was the last time I heard from him. He didn't text or anything else after that.

AHS has always been great. I've been a customer of theirs for 15 years. I was a real estate agent and I use to buy a home warranty for American Home Shield for all my clients. So, I've never had a problem with American Home Shield, but he was not professional or appropriate in any way. He did not reach out. If he at least, let me know, "Hey I'm running behind," then I could have made different arrangements to get my husband picked up from the airport. But he didn't even do that. He didn't give me any time frames.

The next day, I called American Home Shield and explained that situation that I've already paid $75 copay, I couldn't go back online and request service again without having to pay another $75 copay. And the guys never showed up and then didn't get in touch with me until later in the evening when I texted him, still never called and I need to get my dryer fixed. I was on the phone with the first lady, she hung up on me with American Home Shield.

Then I called back and talked to the second lady. I explained the situation again and while I was in the phone with her, she asked if she could put me on a brief hold and try to find a vendor in my area. I said, "Sure." So while I was on hold, they called him. She said that Clark's Appliance repair called her and he told her he had been out to my house twice on Thursday. He said I told him I had to go pick somebody up in the airport and he would try to reschedule to come back later in the afternoon and that I couldn't reschedule it. Everything he said was a total lie. None of it was true.

I have all the text messages and times conversation of when I actually had the conversation with him and I never received a phone call from him. My daughter and I were here all day. I even texted my neighbor next door and said I had to leave and go pick my husband up from the airport. My daughter was gonna be here by herself and she knew to let the guy in to fix the dryer. I have all these on text, times, dates stamp, everything, and this guy completely lied. AHS said that he said the job was done and he has completed the work order. And I canceled it, but completed the work order and was sending a bill to American Home Shield anyway even though he never came to fix it. We would have known if he would have even come and knock on the door. Even if we were in the back of the house, we would have known if someone was at the door.

I still don't have a dryer. I took today off again because I'm here today, between 12:00 and 6:00, somebody named Jarred is supposed to be here to diagnose my dryer, not fix it, and then, they're gonna have to order the part. And God knows when they'll be back to fix it. So, I'm going on four weeks now without a dryer. I'm a little bit frustrated but the second lady that I talked to with American Home Shield was very helpful and very understanding. She put in a whole new work order so that I wouldn't have to pay another $75 copay to have somebody come out and fix my dryer.

Even though he didn’t end up doing any plumbing work, I would definitely use that plumber again. I paid the copay before he came and it was all very easy, including the process. I've been with American Home Shield for 12 years and in the past, it’s been an exercise in frustration and I haven’t had to call in quite a while, but this time, everything was great. I got a response within a couple of hours then the plumber AHS used was willing to come the next day (he was on time too). It’s unusual for my prior experience, but this experience was really good.

A Water Solution was out as soon as they could after they got the hot water tank. But there was an issue where the installer switched my cold water and my hot water, so my washer was running hot when it’s supposed to be running cold. They came right out and fixed it. There were no questions and no problems. My unit had been working perfectly.

They really did a great job. They were no-nonsense. They did what they said they were gonna do and they didn't hike up the price. It was really good because two days after I got a new hot water tank, my sink backed up and I had to call a different plumber because I didn’t know A Water Solution did it. He looked at what A Water Solution did and he said that they would have charged over a $1,000 for it.

I've had issues with American Home Shield before. They get annoyed when you're asking for something, especially when you don't call like a whole year. And if you read reviews on some of the contractors, it looks like the only reason they're getting jobs is because American Home Shield is giving it to them. I had one guy that every time he came out, there was a different problem that would break. It got to the point that we just gave up, stopped calling and bought new washers and dryers out of pocket because it was getting damaged.

To get something done, it's like you have to jump through hoops for people to even send the work order out. I've already paid them more for a brand-new washer and dryer set just with the $75 hit each time. You have to pay $75 just to have somebody come out. With the first three months membership, it was free. I was paying $75 five times for the washer and dryer claim and the set never got fixed. They wouldn't replace it and they kept sending people out. They paid $2,000 for the dryer, to get a new drum, to get rid of this and that. It would've been cheaper to buy a new dryer. I have the old school washer and dryer and they're like 400 a piece. If you're spending $1,000 and it's not getting fixed, just squash it out. It doesn't make business sense to pay to fix something if it's worth less to buy a new one.

Everything is great now. The guy was honest with the bill. I knew exactly what I was gonna pay when they came, and he was pretty quick to get it installed. It took less than an hour and a half from start to finish. So, they were really fast. I’ve used AHS on a couple of things and I haven’t really had any complaint. For what my policy provides, they are straight upfront and tell me, “Hey, this is what you’re gonna have to pay ‘cause your policy doesn’t cover whatever.” There are no surprises with anything from them.

Everything is going good now, except for the built-in microwave that quit. The contractor came out today and he totaled up the parts. He called it into American Home Shield and there's one part that they can’t find. And if they can’t find it, then they’ll have to replace the microwave. But I don't think they make the one I have anymore. It was more of an institutional one and that one will do everything but dance. But I trust American Home Shield. It’s the second house I’ve had that I’ve had them on and they seem very reasonable. So, whatever their decision, it’ll work out.