American Home Shield Reviews

Then, the electrical company hung up the first time I was trying to schedule an appointment. I called a second time and the guy was extremely almost abusive on the phone. They were rude and that's the weirdest thing I've ever seen in 20 years. I tried to let them know about this particular individual company but they were not very interested and serious and it's hard to get to a supervisor. I begged AHS to send me another electrical company. At first, they said they had nobody but then, I tried again and called another day and they said they have another. It’s very variable who you talk to.

After putting 3 lbs of freon in he said it would take a couple of hours for the house to cool down. After 3 hours I noticed the temperature starting to rise again. But this was after hours on Saturday. I called Monday (approx 945 am) and I was told someone would follow up to resolve this issue. Waited all day and no return call. Called Tues afternoon (approx 210pm). The representative said the earliest they could fit me in was Wed 05/10/17. This is outrageous, especially since I already paid $315 for the freon. Also, when asked about a receipt for the $315 cash paid, I was told it would be emailed. Nonetheless, I never received an emailed receipt. My house gets as hot as 88° during the day and takes forever to cool down in the evening. Furthermore when trying to contact American Home Shield directly I get nothing but long wait times.

Updated on 05/15/2017: Still cannot get a response in regards to A.C. unit break down and cost of the buyout. Poor service repairs and customer service response. Folks please join me with this class action against this overcharged rip off company that takes consumer funds, poorly trained tech just and awfully company. Imagine your evap coil is damage and you have to pay $700 and they pay $500 due to poor tech work.

He calls the next day at 6:00AM wanting to come to our unit by 7AM! When he finally came (he was late!!!) he was ARROGANT, RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL and would not listen to my husband about the problem with the AC. He just walked out. I then called AHS to file a complaint. They had me on hold for 20 minutes, disconnected my call and when I called back, had to go through everything again. I asked to speak with a supervisor (Tamika) and she was worthless. Again UNPROFESSIONAL AND DID NOTHING. AGAIN - DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY BUYING A WARRANTY OR DEALING WITH AHS.

UPDATED ON 05/09/2017: This company is the WORST company I have ever dealt with - and I run my own small business! Their service technicians are unprofessional, rude and provide horrible service; customer service is completely WORTHLESS and when we tried to get our contract cancelled, I kept playing telephone tag with the supervisor. When I finally got the telephone number to cancel the contract today, it was beyond the 30-day limit (they had wasted over 1 1/2 weeks with my time) so couldn't get a full refund. They do this purposely so their prorated refund is less if they waste your time.

DO NOT PURCHASE A WARRANTY THROUGH THEM. READ OTHER REVIEWS AND BE WARNED - wish we had before buying this contract. Got sucked into buying this thinking it was a good investment. Such a waste of money - but more importantly, my time and frustration!! So glad to be rid of them though!!!! DISHONEST, UNPROFESSIONAL, UNETHICAL COMPANY!!!

I called American Home Shield, waited 35 minutes on hold, the representative stated she saw the repair requested and said she was going to call a company on her list that I knew was an hour and twenty minutes away. I asked to be called back to confirm that there was a service company scheduled to come to my home. Another day is here, and no communication from American Home Shield, which seems to be the norm. I am also a realtor who has recommended this company to new homeowners. Very disappointed.

What was something that it didn't say was the $75. Before, I had to pay them a check through the provider. The last claim that I did before this recent one was a refrigerator and it was after the service was completed. On this one, it was right after I made the service call and I made the appointment, the $75 gets charged to my credit card and the thing hasn't even been fixed. That's different and I didn't like that, especially because with this one, I didn't have any problem. The previous one with the refrigerator was a freaking disaster. I had already paid the $75, so I was really upset about it. The website doesn't tell you'll be charged for this at this moment. We changed our policy and it doesn't tell you. I had to find out because I got an email from my credit card company.

When I had the problem with the refrigerator, it took a month for the provider to fix it. It was one month without a refrigerator so it was either to get a new refrigerator or call somebody else. When I called somebody else it was more than $75. It was more expensive but they could get out there to see my refrigerator that same day. With the provider that AHS gave me, they called me and said, "Oh, my next available is in a week." I said, "Yeah, but I don't have a refrigerator." It's not just something that can wait that long. He said, "Well, that's the only time we can." They gave me a huge window from 8:00 to noon.

When I called, they said, "American Home Shield canceled the parts that we ordered, and they reordered the parts." I said, "Why did they do that?" They said they didn't know. I called AHS and I told them, "You really need to expedite that because it's been two weeks or three weeks." At that time, I was desperate. I did not have a refrigerator. American Home Shield said, "No. We cannot expedite it. All I can tell you is when we can expect the parts." So they were not very helpful.

The guy that I called who I got from Angie's List said, "Okay. I can go out today. I'll be there around 4:00 and I'll give you a call before I leave." He was more straightforward, more reliable, and convenient. However, having AHS is convenient. Whenever something goes bad, you want to have the insurance, but it's depending on if it's worthy of paying. My impression is that it was the cheapest guy who was sent here and got a lot of business somewhere, not because they were good. The guy who came was super rude. He didn't fix it because he didn't order the part. They've had to cancel, that's why it took a month. I actually filed a complaint with them and to American Home Shield. That's the only reason I wouldn't recommend it.

Then there was a little hiccup. The wrong water heater stalled us a day and then there was a little discrepancy in what my out of pocket cost would be between AHS and the plumber. AHS' amount is lesser than what the plumber had originally asked for and AHS was correct so, that was positive news. Also, my water heater was a Bradford White and they told me that it will be replaced with a similar brand but it ended up being a company I've never heard of in my life. Like what happened a couple of years ago when we had an air conditioning replaced. It seems to be a pattern and it's always some other company that nobody's ever heard of. But all being considered, the whole water heater was replaced and we're happy with that.

We had to make another appointment once the part came in to have them come out and fix the washer. The service man was nice and my washer worked fine after the repair. However, the first time I did a load, it cut off again and gave an alarm. We had to go online and there is a reset thing that you have to do to the washer when you've had it serviced. The tech did not know that but that was something we were able to fix quickly. However, to me, if they are servicing LG products, that would be something they should know. At this point, I don’t see the bonus in using AHS, especially if I’d still have to get the parts because they can’t for weeks. So, for us, at our location, I wouldn’t give it a high rating if you have LG products. Not because the service is bad, but because of the inability to get service in this area.

The service person told me that there's a certain limit for how much the home warranty will cover when it comes to the repair of furnaces and he wanted to make sure that I knew that because he said that my furnace looked like it was starting to get old and that American Home Shield wouldn't cover replacement. I was not aware of that because I asked questions about what policy would be right for me and the different things in the house they would cover when I called AHS before signing on. They told me that the furnace was totally covered so I found it a little shocking and disappointing that they won't be replacing it, but fortunately, it's not at that point yet. I'm happy with the service but I was disappointed and I felt I was really misled in terms of the policy.

The first 2 times that I called AHS about my situation, the customer representative tried to contact JMS but​ had no luck, and then they told me to call back another day. I'm tired of calling for status updates and living in a hot house. I want my a/c repaired. I chose AHS because I heard good things about them from my friends, but they're not making a good first impression with me.

We called back AHS and they sent out A&R Services who was very helpful and worked with us to get this solved. The technician had to come out once for the main issue which was the inlet hose that slipped off and didn't work. But it was still leaking out of the catch at the bottom which they didn't notice at first because it had been overshadowed by all of the water coming out. So, they came out again, deemed the dishwasher a loss and took it away. We ordered the new dishwasher and it came. Then, GE came out but they said they don't know how to install it because I have hard pipes and they need steel pipes. They said they don't do copper pipes and the pipe was straight into the washer as opposed to the little bendy one.

So, the technician had to come out again to install it and all of it was for the $75 which was great. I will request A&R Services every time and I will specifically request them if I have any other issue. Also, the new dishwasher is fancy, good and definitely better than the Kenmore we used to have. AHS was more than fair. There was a little bit of trouble at the beginning but overall, it's worth it.

The only problem was I figured out how to stop the leak. I just turned the water off in the refrigerator. I figured out from all these was that I can't get them easily if I have an emergency. However, once I figured out that I can turn the water off, then we could wait two days for the guy to come out and tell me, "You got a frozen line." All they have to do was throw out the frozen line and turn the freezer down to a warmer temperature. We haven't had any problem since. We went away and came back and it's still working. We did the same thing. We turned the water off and turned it back on and it's making ice. They fixed it and they did a good job. The guy was nice and relatively personable for a repairman. This was the second time he's been out for that similar issue, but not the same problem. If I didn't have AHS, I might have been motivated to try to figure it out myself, but it cost me $75 not to figure it out myself.

They didn't do the work and didn't even call and tell me that they weren't gonna do it. I had to call AHS and find out why it wasn't getting fixed. AHS needs to look into Three J's, the first contractor, and their guy who came because they’re no good. I would not recommend this contractor. Also, when I went online and looked, they had a bad rating and were not even on the Better Business Bureau. I also called them and I asked if somebody else could come fix it and they said no.

On the other hand, the second contractor, Country Care, was awesome. That guy from there was nice, on time and did the work quickly once he got the parts. I would have liked to have had it done sooner but I understand that they have more than one contract to do. But since the repairs, the refrigerator is running greatly. Also, the stove is so old that I really thought it was gonna be replaced but the contractor fixed one of the wires. I had gotten shocked by it and had to take it out which was scary but the stove's working now.

The first contractor that came out cut the breakers off and tried to see if it would work but it wouldn’t. They left and said it couldn’t be repaired. The thing that stood out was that they cut the breakers off and when they did, I was not aware that they had not put them back on until a few days later when I noticed I couldn’t get my stove to work and my dryer wouldn’t work. There were a couple of breakers lines they had turned off and we couldn’t get them cut back on so I called them and they tried to help me do it over the phone but I didn’t know what I was doing. When my husband got home, he called them and they tried to walk him through it but he couldn’t do it.

We ended up having to call an electrician which we had to pay for which I didn’t like. But they were saying that it was due to something in our electrical system that it wouldn’t cut back on. That was a week without being able to use my stove or my electric dryer. When the electrician came out to our home to fix it, he said all they had to do was turn on the switches that they had turned off. We had to pay for that service when it wasn't necessary and I wasn’t too happy about the fact that it wasn’t anything due to our electrical system. AHS said they didn’t cover it because this particular company kept saying it was a faulty system that we had. We also didn’t have an alarm system and I couldn’t use my stove or my dryer because they said it was our system that was faulty. My recommendation for them would be to have a person come back even if it's the next day when they cut things off and they don't work.

Then, when the tech put the stovetop in, the exhaust downdraft kit that came with it didn’t fit so we still don’t have that working. We can use the stove but it gets smoky. AHS said that that wasn’t covered and we have to have that person to come do that so I’m in the process of doing that now. I’m trying not to complain because we got a new stovetop. Other than that, I don't have any complaints and everything else has been fine. Also, I had a great experience because I was able to get a replacement in a short amount of time. When the lady put the order in, I got a call the next day and they were here two days later. I was pleased with that. Overall, it's a good program. I would definitely recommend it to homeowners.

The tech came and he was very nice and very professional. He explained what the problem was and he was able to get the washing machine working but for safety purposes, he couldn't just leave because he just bypassed the switch. They scheduled the service tech to come out about four days later to replace the switch. They were able to schedule it as the first stop in the morning so that I was just a little bit late for work rather than waiting for a five-hour window. Also, they sent text messages when they were 20 minutes away with a picture of the technician that was going to come out. Even the tech would follow-up with a phone call to make sure that somebody would be home and to let me know that he was on his way and how long it would take him. The whole process has been great and very easy.

My only concern is that the turnaround time should be a little faster than 24 hours with the call to schedule and come out if it's a heating or plumbing issue because these are real-life things that happen. My sump pump failed the last time and when I told the company, they said that they have the time to schedule contractually so they don't have to come right out like there was no empathy on the contractor's part and understanding that it's a crisis mode. My basement was already flooding and I had to call somebody else to come out right away. The loss was almost $30,000 worth of damage and I'm not happy with those types of things.

Original Review: April 29, 2017

I've been a AHS for some years now and have always had good service until now. To start the contractors they sent to my home (Bell Cow Heating & Cooling) they said they would be to my home between 12:00 and 4:00 to service my A/C and I taken time off work to be there when they arrive... No one showed up to look at my A/C and after calling repeatedly a serviceman showed up at around 7:00 in the evening and was somewhat rude when he showed up LATE!!! to service my A/C. After he Serviced my A/C he determined my A/C compressor was bad and needed to be replaced (Apr 17). AHS ordered the compressor and Bell Cow returned Apr 26 to repair my AC after canceling my previous appointment due to weather.

The servicemen realized the AHS ordered the wrong part and they would have to contact AHS to order a new one (taken time off work for this as well). After calling AHS to find out the status of my order I was told that my part would take 3-5 business days to arrive and afterward I would have to set up another appointment for service. I immediately called AHS back to ask if they could expedite the order because the temp in my house was around 85-90 degrees and was only going to get hotter due to the outside temperature. AHS then connected me to the authorizations dept. and from there all they could tell me was, "Sorry for your inconvenience"! And that there was nothing they could do for me.

I then asked to speak to a manager and was connected to their escalations dept. and was basically told the same thing and I still didn't get to talk to a manager. And when I asked again can I speak to a manager I was told that they would forward my concerns to a manager in a email and someone would get back to me in 24 to 48 hours... This is UNSATISFACTORY!!!

And when it's all said and done they want me to pay the contractor an upwards of $500 for refrigerant after they fix my A/C. I would understand this if AHS made the correct order and I had to wait for it to arrive but AHS ordered the wrong part and I the customer is the one who has to suffer! I also mentioned that to the escalations operator and was told that this happens a lot and basically just wait it out!!! I find it crazy that in this age of Amazon, eBay etc. that AHS could not do more to expedite the delivery of a part especially when they were the ones who made the mistake in ordering the wrong part... Very dissatisfied with this whole process! House is around 90 degrees today and I'll probably be forced to go out and buy a portable unit (Out of my pocket) to try and cool my house down!

I called him first because I did not want to call the office and complain. I said this is what happened. He said, "All right. I will come back and see what I can do." He never came back and he stopped returning my calls. I called his office and spoke with someone in the company and she said, "All right. Let me investigate." She called me back and she said that she spoke with the owner and the owner said that they are not responsible for this. I said, "Well, who broke the door of my refrigerator? Me? I didn't do it."

I called American Home Shield and I told them that and they said, "Well, we will try and get hold of them or the company and talk to them." That did not lead to anything so I said, "All right, so it's my big loss." I didn't pursue any further. I called them last time and I said, "This is really bad practice and I will give you a bad review". However, I like their automated system. It sends instant messages and notifications about a work order. The website is also fairly decent. It's lacking a few things for me but overall, it's a fair experience.

To me this was completely unacceptable and not part of a AHS' contractual service policy. So I contacted AHS to assist me in rescheduling a technician to come out. The AHS representative was very accommodating and went out of her way to find a company (Premiere Appliance) that was able to come out immediately on April 29 Saturday between 8 AM and 12 PM. I then received an email from Premier Appliance stating that they would like to schedule my service for my refrigerator. I responded immediately advising that it was my washing machine and not my refrigerator that needed service. I also let them know that I already had a prescheduled appointment for Saturday, April 29 between 8 AM and 12 PM.

In Lieu of communicating via email at this point, I called Premier appliance directly. The representative on the phone said it was impossible that I had a scheduled appointment for Saturday between 8 AM and 12 PM because it is a first come first serve process and AHS cannot confirm an appointment without the vendor actually speaking with the client and the soonest they could come would be Monday between 8 AM and 12 PM. Being that I do not trust the four hour window and did not want to spend money on having somebody come and wait for the technician, I contacted AHS again. I spoke to a different representative by the name of Tiffany so that I could try and get the originally scheduled appointment for Saturday between 8 and 12 PM.

Tiffany proceeded to contact premier appliance and was only able to get the schedules for Monday. I then requested a specific time to avoid a four hour time window and offered the technician to come as early as 5 AM if needed to schedule their day properly. I was told that is impossible to do and I must have a four hour window to wait for the technician. All of this with AHS knowing the situation at hand and the horrible service that I had been given up until this point. I am now waiting for a supervisor to contact me because the supervisors are not available after 4 PM central time. Wish me luck.

Updated on 09/23/2017: AMS consumer affairs personnel Ms. ** reach out to me for me to explain my experience, once I did she did some research and offer to refund me for damages... NEVER receive the refund, a return call/email. AHS is fraudulent and really do not handle business as they should. Call/wait time is awful, I spent an hour on hold and still got no response. There clearly has to be a better vendor who offer customer service, professionalism and operates with integrity. Ethical is a competency that any company should be part of their CORE Values. I hate I was lied, misled and out of pocket for almost $300 for a replacement of water heater and still having water leakage.

They told me that the system should not have charged me, it was a computer glitch on their end. I was passed from customer service to sales and then to billing. I was given an email and told to send a company of my bank statement to get a refund!!! How can I get charged and pay for the entire contract year on a cancelled contract? And the system was still showing it was going to collect monthly payments on the cancelled contract that had been paid in full to term end in August. Thanks for nothing AHS.

Original Review: April 28, 2017

I put a claim in online under "leaking pipes" to find out after the service appointment was made that my warranty did not cover "yard leaks". I had written "yard leaks" in my notes. The plumber required by American Home Shield came out, parked in my driveway, then called and told me he couldn't look at the leak during the terrible storm. He then put a report into American Home Shield saying that I had a leak from the meter to the road. How did he know? Because I told HIM. (I had my water company come out). He then made up an estimate. He NEVER got out of the truck.

I received a call from AHS saying it wasn't covered, (ok, so why send the plumber?) and that the plumber had given an estimate. I asked "How? He didn't get out of his truck?" They said they didn't know. Then AHS charged my checking account. I had put online that I would pay at the time of the service. The check is sitting on my kitchen table because I did not receive the service. AHS says because he came to my house, he made a service call. I don't have an order number because HE NEVER GOT OUT OF HIS TRUCK. My sister (who was in the house at the time), did not sign for services.

Original Review: April 28, 2017

I have been an AHS member since 2006 and have two separate properties/contracts with this "coverage". This season my A/C isn't working and they said that they will not cover replacing it. I have called for minor issues (garbage disposal, washer, etc) but no item has been diagnosed to see "can't be fixed" until my A/C unit. The initial contractor is unreliable and not trustworthy (ATR Heating) and I would not recommend them to anyone. He told me one thing and told AHS another so imagine my surprise when AHS told me the A/C wasn't covered because it wasn't normal "wear and tear".

Now keep in mind I have more than paid for the cost of replacing my A/C over the last ten years with the increasing monthly costs but alas like others have told me in the past AHS only wants to place band aids on appliances and will get out of REPLACING appliances. AHS told me I can get a second opinion from another company. This company (Harbor Air Services) doesn't have working phones, doesn't respond to voicemails or emails. Customer service for AHS and the companies they use aren't satisfactory. If I am paying for an advertised service and have been paying then that company should perform those advertised services. At this point if my A/C isn't replaced I will cancel my contract and look for a better company that doesn't try to get out of paying for replacing appliances - which is the "service" they advertise.

I decided to contact another independent plumbing company who stated I was being overcharged for items that were not needed. I called AHS once again to ask if they could review the extra items being charged and was told the contractor has the ability to charge whatever they deemed appropriate. AHS would only cover the expense of replacing the water heater and cost of labor. I asked if the new company could take over the order as I was given different pricing. The customer service representative gave the number for the new plumbing to call and take over the assignment. I was told to give the new plumbing company my dispatch number and to call 1800-251-1608. They would authorize the new company as long as they were licensed.

The new company called and was told that they couldn't get authorized as Jed Mechanicals had already been authorized. So I once call customer service, if anything was needed from my end to authorize the new company. Little was shocked to find out, the process doesn't work that way. AHS couldn't authorized a secondary outside contractor to work on my order as one was offered and available within my area. So basically, I stuck with Jed Mechanicals. She apologized for the incorrect information I had been given and offered a Cash in Lieu as I could then contract whomever I chose. The rep states it would take 2 days before I received any call to estimate the amount I would be awarded. Finally after a long wait, I call AHS to find the status of my Cash in Lieu and was told that they would only pay $794 to cover for both my 75 gallon water heater and to pay for labor.

I was stunned to hear the ridiculous amount I was being offered and told the representative that 794.00 would not even cover the price of the tank. She responded in a unprofessionally by saying "At least you have 794.00 in your pocket that you didn't have before". I have never dealt with such incompetent and rude employees. The rep stated AHS does not cover the retail value of the water heater as they have contracts with these companies to supply them for a discounted price. No wonder Jed Mechanicals wants to rip me off with 600.00 to make more money out my pocket.

I asked if I could appeal the amount and was told there is no such process and was told another representative would call me by the name of Colleen **. Every time I call it's a new different story and more pieces to be added to the puzzle. I beyond frustrated and at a complete loss with this company who will not look after your own interest but only theirs. So by the end of the day, either I pay the 600.00 out of pocket or accept the 794 which doesn't cover anything. FYI my water heater cost between 800 to 1000.

But more often than not, the contractors are just not good. Either they send what seems to be new or inexperienced people, or they are too busy to show up in a reasonable time, if at all. This results in having to call AHS multiple times (and wait up to 20 to 30+ minutes on hold) to get a situation resolved and constantly having to alter your work schedule. From my refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, to my sump pump and ceiling fans, the frustrating details of these experiences are too numerous to put in a review. (And at the time of this review, I STILL have the wrong ceiling fans).

WORD OF ADVICE TO ALL READING THIS: Instead of paying AHS a monthly fee ($67.00 or more) and a $75-$125 service charge for each visit, simply put that money away, and when something goes wrong find a contractor that is reliable and you can trust, and simply pay them. In the long run you are MUCH better off. With such low regard for paying customers, quite frankly, I’m not sure how AHS even stays in business. (I will submit this post to not only this site, but other consumer advocate sites as well).

The actual vendor who worked on my dryer was very nice. He was able to handle the situation even though he didn’t have a part in. The part came in the following day but he was not able to put it on until after two days. But it was fine because they kept me abreast on everything and the vendor was able to have the dryer produce heat and I was able to dry my clothes. He did make sure that the fix was not half-baked and that even though it was a quick fix, I was comfortable in knowing that nothing bad will happen because of it. After he put the part in, everything was fine. The dryer guy probably worked no more than an hour. The vendors were very professional, prompt and made sure things were done as soon as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed their services so I will recommend American Home Shield to a friend. In fact, I have recommended them to a coworker.

A/C won't work because the 2 parts can't work together then you haven't fixed the problem. Therefore YOU need to replace the condenser to make it work...NOT ME! When you have a warranty on a system...you have to fix it until it works. You can't replace one part and not the other if it don't work together. Seriously. Can you imagine going to get warranty work done on your car, let's say the transmission and the new transmission won't work with the motor so now you have to buy a new motor? You going to go buy a new motor? No...the dealership will have to fix it. If fixing one part requires you to replace other parts in order to get the system properly running then you can't just stop at the "broke part"...you've broken the other part now and made it incapable of working. So now said "motor" or condenser in my case is broke. So fix it!

Do you see this is the same thing American Home Shield is doing here...only replacing the broken part but the new part won't work w/ the rest of the system so I have to pay to replace something that's not broken. If you can't replace the unit with something that makes the A/C work then you haven't fulfilled your commitment. It's not working until I replace a good condenser for $4000. Obtw...they are only having to pay around $700-$900 to replace their piece - the handling unit. Sounds fair right. Well you can bet I am not going to let this go. I have researched the contract and asked them to show me where this "policy" is in writing and they were unable to give me anything. I will be contacting the BBB and will take them to court. I see others are taking them to court so maybe we can get together. Feel free to contact me ** if you've had similar issues or would like to add anything to this case.

We’re continuing to have this problem. And if after three times that service doesn't work, they offer another vendor. But this time, I would have to pay money again for the vendor for a service that wasn't rendered complete the first time around. It’s also raising the cost of my electric bills because the HVAC is not running efficiently. Also, the reps from American Home Shield are not very knowledgeable, but they’re polite. It's been a mediocre experience.

I've been with American Home Shield for about eight years and I’ve had some bad experience with them regarding air conditioner stuff. But when I recently had another issue with my air conditioner outside as it was not cooling, Anthony, the technician, was really nice. He couldn’t come right away because he was having some health problems but he came a couple of days later and checked the unit. He asked me when’s the last time I changed my filter. I had changed everything but the filter. I put a new filter and it started working.

I handed the phone to the tech and he was told by the city that they never purchased the permit. He said that if I insisted on them having the permit then I would have to reschedule. I called AHS 4 times and after explaining what was going on, the customer service people would just hang up on me. I called AHS back and spoke with a nice gentleman who actually listened to me, called the vendor (vendor would not answer the phone when I called a few minutes before) and vendor claimed they were going to get the permit. But they refused to tell me how long my family will be without hot water. I'm out of the service fee already - and the monthly fee to AHS. How is this legal?

Original Review: April 27, 2017

The company sent out two very unprofessional contractors to address our service request. The second contractor failed to show when scheduled. After numerous communications, Contractor 2 and an associate visited our home and needed to remove the toilet to reach the clog. However, they failed to remove all the water from the toilet bowl and tank. This resulted in water spilling out and coming through the ceiling into the first level living area. Unfortunately, Contractor 2 did not cable the plumbing drains properly, and this leads to the misdiagnosis of a foreign object. After having to pay two service fees for the same service request, we were left with no solution and no help from AHS or the contractors. We had to spend over $750 to pay a competent plumber to come fix the issue and the issue was resolved by this plumber in less than an hour. If AHS vetted and utilized competent contractors my review would be much different.

When I called they explained that they don't cover 2nd party losses and NO the unit is not fixed yet as I type this. Ironically the other A/C unit failed on Friday the 21st as well. They did send a company out on Tuesday the 25th. The contractor shows up, goes up in the attic, tells me we have a bad fan motor but he needs help removing it because there is a strap in the way that's holding the unit up and he leaves. I get a call the next day from the contractor and he advises me that they will not work on the unit unless I agree to pay an additional $225.00 to move the strap. Baffled I sent my son up in the attic to look at it. He pulled the entire fan cage out and put it in the garage in 10 minutes. I called the contractor and told them the unit was out on the floor ready for repair.

This has now been going on for 7 days, we are in Florida and the young girl at American Home Warranty had no answers. When asked for an answer she repeated to me "I can't answer that question" 5 times. THIS HOME IS LOCATED IN FLORIDA, IT'S HOT IN FLORIDA.

3 days later they send another contractor. This time GE service. GE comes to my house to tell me they can't repair my refrigerator because it has been turned off. Why should I keep a broken refrigerator running??? How was I supposed to know? GE says, "AHS should have told you." He said, "Call AHS. I can't fix your refrigerator unless it runs for 24-48 hours." He also said he can't repair my refrigerator because the manufacturer's warranty expired. I told him, "AHS is my warranty. I don't need the GE warranty." He said, "I don't know what they will cover so I can't fix it anyway." You would think AHS' contractors would understand how AHS works!!! So I call back AHS and again ask the rep why the contractor was unfamiliar with AHS coverage and why didn't they know the refrigerator had to be running. No reasonable answer.

The next day, AHS sends GE back to my house with an appointment between 8am to 5pm. GE called me at 3:40p to say they will not be sending a service man because my warranty is expired. I again explained that I have AHS and they will pay for the repairs. GE said they didn't care who was paying, they won't repair my refrigerator out of warranty. We call AHS again, frustrated as you could imagine, only for the rep to say she is sending another contractor asap! Would you believe they scheduled SEARS again!!! The same contractor that said they don't repair GE refrigerators??? It is so frustrating. None of these AHS reps show continuity of information. Not to mention every time you call it's a 25 minute wait on hold!!!

I called to escalate my service to a manager and the AHS rep says, "There are no managers on call right now. The dept is closed (at 6:30pm)." How are they working without managers??? This is a customer service based company!!! So here I am, paid $3600 to date for this service, and I have a broken refrigerator my appliance insurance company can't get fixed. Mostly because of complete ignorance. 8 days later and I don't even know what is broken on my refrigerator!!! I am stuck in a loop of AHS reps that have no idea what they are doing. They continually take my call, schedule a contractor unable to fix my appliance, only to get my call again to reschedule with another bad contractor. They make a reservation, hang up the phone and don't care if it gets fixed. I am at a loss. Only option now is to cut bait and cancel. What a waste of money!!! Certainly not what they advertised.

The technician that came was very good and knew his stuff. He looked at it, goes to his truck and fixed it for an hour and a half. While he was fixing that one, another hole sprung which he also fixed. It was a good thing he was there. He looked at it and everything was fine. I haven't had any problems since. That was a very pleasant experience and I can't complain. But I had to call two additional times, which is fine because I know that their policy is if it's not on the ticket, they won't even look at anything. I called two hours before my scheduled time frame and the lady had to call the dispatch and let them know. All was good.

I usually submit my claims online. It's a lot quicker because sometimes I'm on hold. I called this time because I had a question and there was no way to indicate my other issue on the same ticket, or even on the original ticket. I don't remember that there was a comment section that I could put what I wanted. Their on-hold times have gotten better. One time, I was on hold for 20 minutes and then when I called back at 7:00 or 7:30 in the morning, they answered right away. Somebody usually comes out within 24 or 48 business hours, which doesn't include weekends. But if it's a weekend and an emergency, then they will find somebody.

The hard thing is that for them to replace something, you have to have harder problems and multiple issues. It took forever for them to replace my furnace until I had the right technician and said it was a hazard cause the furnace was rusting. I also have had numerous calls on my washing machine and it was the same issue which was a leak. If you had the same issue and call within 30 days, they come out for free but it was five months later. The hose becomes undone in it and I dealt with it. I don't use the bleach dispenser. But they've probably been out here a number of times for my washer so it's hard for them to get things replaced. But they replaced the hot water heater so I can't complain about that.

I've been in this house for 32 years and I canceled for 5 or 10 years but knew my house was at the point that things would be breaking so I started back. AHS has improved over the years including their customer service. I'm at $56 a month so, roughly it's $600 a year. I don't think that's too bad. It's gone up from $30 but the monthly fee is worth it.

But at least three days after that happened, the condenser up in the ceiling, not the actual unit outside, had a clog in the drain line and it’s been like that for a while so all of a sudden my ceiling started leaking. So I called and then the same day that happened, the same contractor came out and replaced all of the stuff up top. He put a float up top so a leak shouldn’t happen anymore and if it gets clogged up, the air conditioner should not turn on.

The two claims that happened right next to each other, it was the same person that came out both times and he was really helpful. I told him what I thought was happening and he came over and told me what was actually happening and showed me if I asked questions about how anything was. They were two separate issues on the air conditioner so it was the normal $75 fee each time. I also had to get the drywall for the ceiling replaced on my own but that’s okay. It's been a cost-efficient experience with AHS. My warranty expires in September and I will definitely be re-opting it.

The claims reps are prompt and do what they're supposed to do. They're also very good at following up, sending a text and letting me know when my appointments are. However, sometimes, the contractors don't know how to service some brands like, Miele dishwashers or Vikings, for example, so AHS has to send somebody else which has happened many times to us. Also, the whole process takes a long time and most people wouldn't have the patience for this.

One of my most recent claims is not resolved yet. We haven't had a water heater upstairs and it affects the upstairs bedrooms, the kitchen sink, the dishwasher and the washing machine. They sent somebody out and he didn't know how to fix it or what it was that he needed to order. I think that's because it's a higher end item. He had to call his manager and then the manager had to come out two days later and he had to order a part and he said that they could possibly get a one by last Friday. But the part wasn't right and it wasn't gonna fit our power vent. So, they ordered it and it is still not in.

We also had an issue with the built-in, very large KitchenAid refrigerator we have. The particles on the plastic hosing were supposedly breaking down and they had to replace that. The first guy that came out said he never had this problem and didn't know what to do. Then, another guy came out and he was good but he had to order some parts. It took four days for AHS to approve it. Then, he forgot that the two bigger hoses for the water to turn it off is down in the basement and he pulled out the fridge which flooded my basement. Our refrigerator ordeal lasted for about a month

For higher end items, it's difficult because AHS doesn't always have people that know what they're doing and you're not allowed to really request. You can ask but you don't know if they have the company that you want. Other than that, AHS is good for air conditioning and basic garage doors. We've had three garage doors and the third one finally went and they fixed it. They're thorough and it's great for what it is. They are good for us and I'm glad we have it.

One person told me that "we will change it if the contractor recommends that it should be replaced." I called the contractor and asked, "Do you recommend changing this unit?" Answer "yes". I asked him to call Home Shield and let them know that he recommends changing the unit. He told me he can not do that, because Home Shield can charge him 2500 if in fact the unit can be fixed at any cost. So I talked to another person and I asked what happens if I have a complaint. They told me that "it doesn't matter what your complaint is because we don't do anything with the complaint. We just put it in the system. Nobody looks at it. We will continue to fix any issue as long as it's repairable. Doesn't matter how much it's going to cost."

That blows my mind. We're going to spend 3 to 4 times more on repairing this unit, as it is to replace. New units would save the money in the long run but they don't want to listen to logic. They're not worried about the expenses but more than that they're not willing to satisfy the customer. They want to give me a cash out option, they can't tell me how much that would be. A supervisor is never on location of the call? I have to wait 3-5 days for a supervisor to call back? This just sounds like a scam, I am getting frustrated and very angry with this company. I think I will look for a different company

Original Review: April 26, 2017

This company has been HORRIBLE. I called in for a refrigerator and ice maker repair 03/06/17. My refrigerator has not been cooling property. They have sent AT Appliances to my house around 6 or 7 times and my issue has not been fixed. Rather than replacing the refrigerator they keep sending this guy that seems to have no idea what he's doing. They've ordered about 4 parts and it's now 04/26/17, and they still keep giving me the runaround. Could you imagine being without a fridge for nearly 2 months. I've called back and requested a supervisor on multiple occasions. They are never available and they never call back. Please, please don't deal with this company! At least give me my 500 dollars back and cancel my contract so I can buy a new fridge. Or better yet, replace my fridge as stated in the contract. Nope... they rather leave you hanging.

Finally someone answered and took my request to cancel. It has been 3 weeks and no cancel confirmation. Called last week and was on hold over an hour and cellphone finally died. I am now on hold. (Supposed to be 15 minutes or longer. How about 25 minutes now and still no answer.) Looks like it is easy to get a policy but nearly impossible to get one cancelled. I will wait another 10 minutes and will just hang up. I will also contact my credit card company and dispute any payments they might bill. The AHS value to me is poor.

I have filed claims on the air conditioning two or three times and for the same reason but this time, American Home Shield told me that they were not gonna pay for certain things and that I would have to pay $1,300 out of my pocket in order to get it fixed. I purchased American Home Shield to avoid high costs like that but instead, they will not fix my air conditioner unless I paid $1,300. So it's not working for me.

They previously fixed that same AC unit, but it broke within 30 days, so they had to come back out. I paid $175 for Freon that time, which I thought I don't have to pay but I had to. I filed three claims on the AC and AHS came out to do some of the fixes, but then within the next year, I had to call them again. One time they came out twice within 30 days for the same unit and it was not repaired the way it should. And now I got to pay $1,300. They told me there was nothing they can do and their resolution is that I can file a complaint through their 800 number. They also gave me some address I could send a complaint to.

Some of the lights in the house went out and when he went out to the circuit breaker box and flipped the switch, something in the garage blew. It blew so bad that we had an extension cord plugged in, but there's nothing attached to the extension cord at that point. It was just plugged into an electrical outlet and the whole end of the extension cord blew off. The end of the extension cord was frayed and burnt. We were freaking out because not only did that blow, but a whole bunch of other outlets quit working. On one side of the room, outlets worked and on the other side of the room they didn't. It had to do with how weird the house is wired, so we said, "You know, your first guy that came out said he can't find the problem but we're not satisfied that we have to wait for forever and a day. Can you find someone else to come out?" and they did. They sent Hanneman & Sons.

The second person that came out was Hanneman, Craig Hanneman himself came out. It took him a good six hours to find the problem. When he figured out exactly what had gone bad, which plug was shorting everything else, he fixed it. The little device that he had plugged into this various outlets around the house that weren't working started humming, and he knew he had fixed the problem. It was something in the basement that was attached to everything else. There were several things that were all somehow linked in to the same thing. It's the weird way that our house was set up on the electrical circuiting.

Craig said, "Somebody else would have just walked away from this." We said the first person did. Craig stuck with it and did a really, really great job. He was really professional. He said, "This would have been really tricky. But you don't give up and walk away and tell the people no big deal." I also hired him to do another job for me and he came out and did that job a couple of weeks later.

American Home Shield sent out somebody who couldn't find the problem but they followed right up with somebody else who stuck with the job until they did find the problem. I was really happy because we didn't get neglected. AHS turned right around and said, "That's unacceptable. We'll send somebody out." So I was happy.

I’d like to get the water heater in because I have three kids and a wife and they’re going to their grandparents’ house and gyms in order to get some hot water. So I’m not happy right now. I called them yesterday and they have no answer for me as to when it will be delivered. They can’t tell me if it’s in transit. They can’t track it. Tracking would be good because the plumber can’t set up an appointment until I have it. And they’re busy everyday so I’m badgering them saying, “As soon as you get it, can we schedule?” And they tell me, “We don’t even have it yet.” But I’m not upset with AHS. And from what I’ve seen overall, they’re still a good product.

They're now cutting back as much as they can on what they replace, and it's definitely for them to save money. But it seems stupid to send a repairman out here who stated himself that the part and his time cost more than if they had just given him a new microwave to install. Everything has been working since the repair, but I'm worried how they're going to fix the problem if something else happens. .

Another issue was that I didn't understand why I had to pay tax in addition to the co-pay. That was new. In the past, I just paid the co-pay to the contractor that they sent. Initially it was $50. Now, it's up to $75 and I have to pay tax on top of that, so that added almost another $5 over what I was already paying. So now I'd like to find a company that gives me the kind of service that I think I should be getting. In all their advertisements on TV and on the radio, AHS says that they replace the parts or appliances that are broken, no questions asked, but that's not the case. They just put a Band-Aid on it.

Original Review: April 25, 2017

I called AHS last year to file a claim pertaining to standing water in my refrigerator. I must say they were quick about getting my ticket assigned to Sears for repair. However, I wasn't expecting to trade time for experience and resolution. The first tech came to my house and told me he had to run to Lowe's to pick up a replacement part and 2 hours later he NEVER returned. I then contacted AHS pertaining to the tech not returning and they informed me he was unable to purchase the part due to the charge card he had for the company! First, why did I have to contact AHS to find out he wasn't returning. Not only that. He took my $75 fee prior to leaving.

I had to schedule for another SEARS tech who again appeared incompetent, because he told me, "Oh well the door cannot be fixed. You have to live with it being like this." But then turned around and order a part to fix the door. Little did I know this was only a temporary fix. Now the problem is back again! Not only that. I called pertaining to an issue with my hot water heater and was informed I had to buy a part that should fix the issue. The part was $225 but at Home Depot it is only $35.

I asked the representative why would I purchase a part that did not come installed on my hot water heater to fix the issue. She informed me because the tech said it would. Not knowing the tech informed me that installing the expansion tank was a temporary fix and eventually I will need a new tank. Who pays $225 for a TEMPORARY fix then when it stops working again I will have to pay another $75 service fee! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! Then I received an email, mailing, and phone call about renewing my warranty... NO! NO! and NO! SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! BUYER BEWARE!!! Horrible service.

I'm using American Home Shield now with my water heater and I've been very happy with the service. I called yesterday and one of them called me this morning. He's coming tomorrow. I'm very thankful for that because people want to make sure that everything about their home is in tip-top condition. It's important to have the service when people are home. American Home Shield worked with me to make sure that I don't have to wait long to get a vendor to come and if there's a problem, they intervene with the vendors to make sure that I'm satisfied. I've recommended them to somebody who now has American Home Shield. My sister and one of the ladies I know also use them, and I will get a call from someone who will sign up with them.

Submitting claims over the phone was easy. But after the initial installation of the compressor, they said they would waive the $100 service fee, which was on the record, but I kept getting phone calls and invoices. And then every time I would call, they'd say, "Yes, we see it," and I don't even know if it's rectified at this point. AHS should do an overhaul of companies that they use because Quality Air has horrible reviews. If AHS continues to do business with them, then they will continue to have someone go behind Quality Air and fix their work. But I never had any issues with anyone as far as not being friendly or helpful and I am satisfied.

Initially, I have seen that they select some people to send out, those people don't come out and do their job. So, we go back to them and say that their people haven't done it. After a couple of trials and errors, at least their office is a little responsive in referring contractors and are ready to hear about the scheduling and timing. But the first time they came out, they always just grab their $100 or whatever the deductible is. They don't try to identify the problem the first time around. It's multiple visits every time. The problem is if I don't call in within a certain period of time, then I'll have to pay my deductible again.

We're all working and it's difficult, especially given the timeframe that they only give you, a six-hour window so that means I have to take off and sit at the home or work from home. We have to make arrangements. It's always that we have to accommodate them. There has never been a scenario where they have accommodated to our requirements. In spite of telling them that there are existing problems, they would come around and they don't properly identify it. Or, they can see it and they try to circumvent it instead. Our initial claim with them was satisfactory and It was fine. But even then, when we actually need help, they are not there to help. It does seem like they just wanted our money more than solving the issues that we have.

So I called American Home Shield to see if I could reschedule with another company. I was on hold for 15 minutes to speak to a rep and when I finally got somebody, they were very nice. I explained what I needed and they completely understood it. They said that there was no way that they could change it. What they would have to do was to cancel it and then they would have to put in another claim for it. When she was putting in the claim, then she would specify a different company.

I was put on hold and when she came back she said, “We’re actually having computer problems. Is there a way that I can call you back and just tell you that I've done this and tell you what company we’ve assigned you to?” I said, “Sure.” I get that. Computer problems happen. Maybe that’s why I had to wait so long. This was at 10:30 in the morning. She said she would call me back that afternoon and I haven’t received a phone call back yet.

The original claim didn’t get canceled. That company finally got in touch with me through text, which I felt was a bit odd. They came out and replaced the ice maker which fixed everything. It was probably what the first guy should have done but they told me they can’t replace it the first time, that they had to try this fix because sometimes it works. So the first company didn’t fix it, the second company was kinda sketchy and the lady didn’t call me back like she said she would.

The way American Home Shield handles it is pretty easy. Unfortunately, when you have a return visit issue within a certain amount of time, you can't request it online. You have to call them so that they can force it through the system. This way, you're not being charged the fee for them to come out. The policy with American Home Shield is that they come out to fix the same thing, you don't get charged for the return visit, which is a lot nicer.

Also, with American Home Shield, they pay their portion and then if you wanted an upgrade, that's up to you. You pay the difference and they were fine with it. In the other company, you didn't have the opportunity to upgrade your equipment. You were stuck with what you had. I understand I wasn't expecting them to pay the difference but I should have, at least, had the option to pay the difference and I wasn’t able to. For example, my friend had a standard hot water heater, the tank type, which he didn't want. He wanted an instant-on type. He wanted an upgrade and American Home Shield said he has to pay for the difference which he did. In my case with the other company, I wanted my water heater to be replaced but they said that they would only give me what I have.

The contractor AHS used was awesome and I was surprised at the quality of their work. The contractor was a good, local company and I was happy with that. However, when it came to the actual coverage, it was necessarily misleading. AHS does not cover Freon. They cover $10 per pound but the cheapest Freon is $70 a pound and some can go up to $130. It seems like a slap on the face because the repair I needed required the entire system to be completely recharged of $1,000 worth of Freon and AHS said, “Oh, yeah. We’ll cover $80 of that.” And then they covered the part that went bad which is $216. It was like, “Well, hey! This is a warranty company and you guys say you’re going to fix my HVAC unit, then why am I having to pay an extra $1,000 when it’s all said and done?”

However, the contractors can be a different story. It's hit or miss. There's always gonna be some bad apple in the bunch. The good contractors would come very quickly after I submit a claim. If I get a bad contractor, they're gonna make it convenient for themselves. However, if I have a problem with a contractor and I call American Home Shield and let them know that this particular contractor is not up to par, American Home Shield goes above and beyond to fix the problem. They tend to be on my side because they are the ones that I have the warranty with. They're the face of my contract. If the contractor does badly, it makes American Home Shield look bad. So, American Home Shield is very good as to intervening between me and the contractor, and if needed get me another contractor. And they'll deal with that contractor on their own. American Home Shield is a good company. They do what they say they're gonna do. They stand up for themselves and that's a good part about them.

To make a long story short, I put my house up for sale and the inspector came by to say he needed to put a tip-over clip on the stove. I said, "Fine." But he never told me he put it on the wall. Usually they mount them on the floor. So when the repair guy came out, he couldn't get the stove out because they had tacked my stove to the wall, which nobody knew. Nobody knew until I had a cause to remove it. I had somebody come out and pull it out. Then a lady or the people who run the company called me on a Sunday and said, "You know what? We got the part in. Can we come out and install?" I like and really appreciate that they called and worked on a Sunday. They did come the following day and the contractor who came out the first time installed, repaired and pushed it back with no problem. They were very friendly and very efficient.

The only challenge was that the technicians came out, did the assessment and they ordered a part, but it took them a long time. I didn’t hear anything so I was in limbo. I then called and they said they would be back the next day. Other than that, it was awesome. They came, they did it, and cleaned up after themselves so it was fine. They also kept me in the loop. Overall, it was a great experience. They performed the service that I needed. With AHS, I don’t have to think about my appliances because I know I’m covered. I would definitely recommend them.

I called about the ceiling fan the last time because it's rocking. If I turn it on the second speed, it looks like it's going to fall. I called AHS and the electrician was out, and it took about a week for me to get a callback. The lady I was speaking to said that they do not cover it and I went ballistic. I paid too much money every month and then $75 for a visit, and I can't get what I need to be done. She said she could call the electrician and pay for $200 to $300 but I still refused. Their service is getting worse because when I first joined them 10 to 15 years ago, I got more bang for the buck but now, I get very little.

Whenever I'm not satisfied with the service done by the technicians, I'd tell AHS not to send them back and AHS complies. However, the price goes up every year. I used to pay $45 and now, I'm up to $75 every time a technician comes out, plus what they take out of my automatic payment every month. Also, if I ask them for a washer or a dryer, I have more than deposited enough to cover that because when I got a washer seven years ago, the cheap ones that I was eligible to get without having to put up more money toward it, that thing is all rusted out now. The one that broke was good, sturdy, Sears-made and had been in the house for over 20 years but the replacement one didn't even last five years. I haven't even bothered to call because I know what they're going to say. So, every time I wash clothes, pieces of rusted metal fall off into the washer. I used to recommend AHS to everybody but they dropped in my books in the last few years.

The two contractors who came were really nice, though. They pulled the fridge out, tried to figure out what was going on with it and tried to fix it. AHS was trying to get a third opinion regarding the fridge but I refused. And since they could not find a number to order the part on the fridge, AHS told me that I could have the fridge replaced or I could get the money to buy another one with, which is what I'm trying to do. What I'll be getting is a downgrade from the fridge that I have. But they've been really working with me and I should have the other fridge in place tomorrow, so I was very impressed.

American Home Shield has been prompt and they return my phone calls. I've called them a couple times and it takes a little while to get somebody, but if you're able to stick it, they get on. They emailed me and answered my questions. I have not gotten the check for the fridge yet, but I sent them a copy of what I paid for the other one I'm getting. I'm waiting to get my money for that and get everything taken care of. They showed concern and acted pretty quickly in understanding my situation with my mom and the medications and getting this thing resolved. It's been a good experience and I would recommend them to a friend.

There were two different companies and they were great. The plumbing company was phenomenal. Super friendly, communicative, they kept me abreast everything that was going on, when they were coming, and follow up. The plumbing company went above and beyond. The HVAC guy was also great. It's actually why I ended up getting American Home Shield because I don't need to be stuck having to do this on my own. I'd rather have a home warranty and have people have them vetted and all that. They were great. There was a lot of communication, which I'm a huge fan of. Everything was very clear and concise. I have recommended them to one of my co-workers.

Then last week I am told that the part was shipped to the contractor 2 months ago but they cannot get a hold of the contractor so there is nothing that they can do. I feel as though this a SCAM and that I am given the run-around every time I call them so they don't have to replace the cooktop. To date they are still giving me the runaround and have not replaced the broken part or replaced the cooktop. Not sure what this warranty had provided outside of frustration and hours of wasted time calling them waiting on hold and then repeating the same story to a different call center rep that sounds like they could care less. Just finished a call with their Escalation Service Support area which told me they can't do anything for me. I am done with AHS!!! Canceling my policy.

Original Review: April 21, 2017

American Home Shield has service my house on numerous occasions. This particular time they sent a crappy contractor name James from changing Wind heating and air conditioning. He was extremely rude and this shows you how AHS will send out anybody to do service at your home. He didn't show up the first day and when he came he diagnosed my air conditioning. Called me back the following day very disgruntled and rude when he thought I was going with another contractor. Then AHS wanted me to pay him and expected me to pay another contractor as well. Terrible experience.

I contacted AHS to have someone come out to check it out and fix it, but it was very difficult communicating. I was told that I wouldn't have to pay the $75 charge 'cause they have to come out, evaluate and see if it was bad workmanship. But the company tried to charge me $75 and we paid it. I contacted American Home Shield about it and it's been a couple of days. I have to call them and find out what's going on 'cause no one has gotten back to me yet if they're going to fix it. Also, the guy who was sent out for the evaluation could barely speak English and he had a lot of trouble understanding what I was saying to him.

American Home Shield is usually good about getting somebody out. A lot of times, they go back and forth with the tradespeople regarding whether or not they're going to cover something that goes on or they wouldn't. Usually, it's not an issue and it's just a process. Overall, I had some stuff resolved but right now, it's a bad time. I have open issues and it's difficult talking with people. Also, I have two homes with American Home Shield and I'm supposed to get a 50 discount but I never got it.

Original Review: April 21, 2017

My HVAC system had failed to cool for the third or fourth time in only a few months. I’ve been dealing with this issue since November. I’ve submitted a claim online to American Home Shield and they've been responsive, but they fail to provide a permanent solution. They seemed easy enough to work with, but they seemed really reluctant to replace the AC. Now they've spent probably more than it would have cost to just replace it. And they're working on this 10 to 15 plus year old HVAC, and it's over and over and over again. It even stopped working again the other day, but I didn't bother to call them.

When I file a claim, I'm usually put in contact with a contractor within a couple of hours. The contractors were fine but I don't know if it was them who are trying not to replace it. But they've been pleasant and they've done a significant amount of work. The HVAC keeps having problems with the air handler. There have been leaks of the cooling fluid, so they replaced some caps. I went out and looked the other day and there's tin foil wrapped around the caps now. The work they did for the most part is okay, but it's a lot of work to put into HVAC heat pumps that are that old. They did $4000 worth of work before we ever moved into the house. That was the condition and they've got to be close to $10,000. We could have replaced both of them by now. AHS, replace it, please.

The second company that American Home Shield sent out was a mechanical contractor company. Two guys showed up on my front door and my wife was scared to let them in. They did not appear to be affiliated with any type of professional company whatsoever. I allowed them in and they cut a series of random holes in 2 rooms of my house (family room under my master-bath whirlpool tub, and the spare bedroom next to my master bath. Disaster! Wet drywall mud and dust everywhere! This company spent about 1 1/2 hours trying to diagnose my issue, only to tell me that I needed a whole new tub because the tub was cracked by the drain! If the tub was cracked by the drain, why does it only leak when the jets are turned on?

Oh, and by the way, they asked me if I had any beer in the house while they were there working. Ugh. This is the type of company that American Home Shield contracts to perform home warranty claims!? This company spent 30 minutes on hold with the AHS approval department trying to get approval to complete the repairs. They finally wound up leaving because they could not wait around on hold all day.

A few days went by and I had not heard anything about my claim yet, so I decided to call AHS and inquire. I was told that the mechanical contractor stated my tub was cracked which was not covered under my warranty, but if I wanted I could hire them to replace the tub at a costs of $1800. Uh, nope. I asked AHS for a THIRD opinion and asked them to send out another plumber for a diagnosis. They did, 2 weeks later.

The third "plumber", after making 2 additional holes in my spare room wall, discovered that 3 of the 6 jets were cracked and leaking (the tub itself was not cracked as the previous mechanical contractor stated). He stated that this happens all the time because of the builders quality of the whirlpool tubs they install in house these days (my house is 12 years old). Again, after being on hold with the AHS approval line for around 20 minutes, he said he needed to leave and he would stay on the line and submit his diagnosis and get an approval for a repair. Two days later AHS called me at 9:30 in the evening and stated that my warranty does not cover the jets of a whirlpool tub, or anything else involved mechanically with a whirlpool tub. Huh? AHS stated that if I wanted to have the repairs made it would cost $1175. Again, huh!

If my warranty states that whirlpool tub are covered, but nothing mechanical is covered for a whirlpool tub (motor/jets), or the actual tub itself (fiberglass shell), then what is left? The faucet? I just don't get it. If I would have looked into this company a bit more before shelling out the $415 for the "fantastic features" of an American Home Shield warranty I would have noticed that on the Better Business Bureau website that this company has 476 negative reviews OUT OF 505!!! Seriously? This company is still in business? And, on the BB site, there have been a total of 8043 customer complaints filed against this company! How is it possible for a company to be this terrible and still remain in business?

They came back out and said, "You have hammering because your pressure is too high." We said, "We didn't have it before you changed the cartridge. And if the pressure is too high, then why is it not affecting other faucets in the house? Why is it only the one that you just replaced?" We went back and forth with this for almost two months. It's near the end of March. We called the company back to come back out and they did three to four times without any success of identifying. They kept saying that the water pressure was too high. We need a pressure relief valve.

So finally, they got sick and tired of us calling them back to come just fix it, like that's all we wanted, is just fix it. And they got tired of calling us back. We told AHS, "Please send another plumber out to diagnose this. We're telling them it's a water pressure issue and they're just not listening to us. This is what they're telling us." We called them back two or three times, one of the times, the people that came were curt and rude to my wife, and they wouldn't listen to her.

So finally they sent out another plumber. He came out and he said, "Yeah, your pressure is too high." I think they told them that's what the other people said so that's where he looked. So we had two of them come out and say it. So, American Home Shield basically said, "The cause of this problem is your pressure is too high. You don't have a pressure regulator and it's what is causing this problem. You're gonna have to put one in." That was our problem to deal with, not theirs. And so I said, "Okay." We called our old plumber, the one that we have always used and who we liked and trusted and was an honest guy. If we have to pay for it, we're gonna choose who we want. So we told him what was going on, and he said he'll come out and do it.

So our plumber came out and installed a pressure regulator valve and said, "I reduced your pressure back to 60 pounds". He said it was only at 80 anyway. He said it wouldn't have caused this problem. He went upstairs, turned the water on and played with the valve and turned it to cold, then turned it to hot. He then said, "I know what your problem is." He figured it out in three minutes. He said, "Do you hear that sound?" Then he would turn it cold and hot and there's this little thump. He said the balancer wasn't put in right. They didn't seal it right and the balancer is moving which was causing this problem. So he took the thing apart and pulled it out and he found inside a used part. So one of the times AHS came back out they tried to put back in the original part to see if that will fix the problem. And that what-what they probably did the last time they came. So our plumber went out and got a new cartridge and installed it, problem solved.

So we called on February 1st to have a leaking faucet repair. By the end of March, we were frustrated. Besides that, we had a big hole on our wall where the guys had cut in the wall to try to secure the pipes because of the hammering. They're thinking that pipes were just not secured. AHS is doing a drywall repair on that at no cost. So that's getting taken care of. We took care of our problem but it cost us $415 which was $270 for the pressure regulator and the installation of that, which we didn't need, and another $145 for the new cartridge and the installation of that. So it's $415. I mailed a certified return receipt letter to AHS on the 10th of April requesting a letter explaining everything and asking them to cut us a check for the $415 that we spent that we should have never had to have spent.

I sent the bill that our plumber gave us and I gave them his contact info and said, "You can call him. I don't care what you do." But we were out of a shower for two months. There is an inconvenience factor there. But all we're asking for is for AHS to cover the cost, the $415 that it cost us to resolve the problem after they didn't do it for two months and then because it was the fault of the plumbers that came and did the job wrong in the first place and misdiagnosed the problem. We didn't need a pressure relief valve. We got one now.

If my plumber was an AHS plumber and they sent him out, he would have come, replaced the cartridge, done the first time. We had two months of inconvenience. My daughters were using our shower in our master bedroom. The shower couldn't be used for two months, while these incompetent people were messing with stuff. I understand that American Home Shield isn't necessarily the people doing the work. But, if they open a ticket on the first of February for a leaking faucet and we're at the end of March and they got people in a home that can't use their tub, they need to do something about that as a company, right? They need to take care of their customer. We pay premiums every month, automatic deduction right out of the credit card, the way they like it. Cash rolling in for them but they fail when it's time for them to step up and listen to their customer.

The other problem is, the people who take the calls at American Home Shield, are low-skilled call center people who just know how to open a ticket. They're not problem-solving people. So if I have a discussion with them and say, "This is what's going on. Something is not right here. We need to get this properly taken care of," they don't know the technical parts of it.

American Home Shield sent different contractors but the same company. For my air conditioning claim, BreezeWays wanted to charge me $900, and I said, “No, no, no, ‘cause I talked to my warranty company and I agreed to $700 and something, and that’s what you initially said.” And so I was told, “We’ll go ahead and settle with the $700.” But they wanted to charge $125 for the pads to set the compressor on and mine was a concrete pad. There was no reason it should have been replaced, and so they knocked that off.

I tried to complain to American Home Shield that I didn’t see why I was charged that much because it was all included in my home warranty, including the air conditioner package deal and furnace. But the girl I spoke to didn't know what she was talking about, and said, “They have to retrofit all the things in order to hook up the system.” I said, “All they have to do, ma’am, is disconnect what’s there and re-hook the other up.” They didn’t use new wiring or re-plumbing, but I had to pay $700. I wasn’t really happy about having to pay that additional charge. When you have a warranty to cover the air conditioning system, that should be covered, no matter what has to be done to it. But overall, I was very pleased with the sincerity and how fast American Home Shield responded.

I spoke to someone and she was able to dispatch it as an emergency because we’ve been having this ongoing stoppage at the residence. The emergency plumber came out to do everything possible. He flushed all the drains and all the pipes. It was great for one month but it came back again. So, we don’t know exactly what the problem is. I just put one claim in over the weekend and we have an appointment with United Air Temp on Thursday. The rep from American Home Shield has been great. She’s very detailed and told me exactly what I needed to do for my claim and how long it’s gonna take. She was even putting out suggestions that can help remediate the problem before the plumber showed up.

For example, I had a leak in my ceiling. Initially the plumber came in and had to make a hole in the ceiling to fix the leak. But now, I'm having to deal with the drywall guy to come in and patch it up, and all they'll do is patch it up to a rough finish, not to what it was before. So, even though there's an associated damage, wherein it leaks into the seams, it's more than that piece that the plumber had to pull out that really needs to get fixed. But they're not going to fix that because that's not part of the warranty which doesn't make sense. Still, AHS is a good safety net to have, but be ready to spend more money than what they advertise.

Original Review: April 19, 2017

Placed my first service request for my garage door thinking that it would be covered. The part that was not working was not covered (a spring above the door). I am just disappointed that the warranty didn't cover my need and now I'm concerned that should I need something else fixed that it will not be covered either. It also took me calling American Home Shield back twice over a four-day period before the garage door people called me with my service request. Guess I should have read more of the fine print or maybe the fine print needs more of an explanation of things covered and not covered.

Original Review: April 19, 2017

Firstly, the customer service hold times are for the ages. No one should have to wait for several hours to get their call answered. Secondly, components can fail for many reasons and when they do they should be covered since it is normal wear and tear. I have several issues that are hazardous and could cause health and property damage concerns. American Home Shield (AHS) is trying to avoid paying coverage. I am going to escalate to my attorney if they don't address soon! Lastly, most of the vendors take too long to schedule an appointment after I open a service request. Why should I have to wait a week for help??

The service guy let me know that he was on his way. He called me when he was in my driveway and said, "I'm here and I'm going to come to your door. So if you have any dogs, please put them away." He interacted with me, and listed exactly what was going on. He went upstairs, and then he went outside. He then came back to the door and knocked on the door again.

He explained what he found, told me it would take approximately 30 minutes to fix, and that he'll knock on the door again when he's ready to come in and test the system. He did that and after it was all over, he said, "Please contact me if you have any issues with it whatsoever. You do have a limited warranty on the work that I did today, and I'm more than happy to help you out any way that I can and answer any questions." He was very thorough. My experience was very pleasant, and they had awesome followup. I just renewed once again because the product is wonderful. The services have been good throughout the year.

Otherwise, when I call for service, they usually set something up. And I had service people sent to me that I've called and complained to American Home Shield about. I don't want them and I don't want to see them again ever. But in general, the service is all right. I received great service for the last work done for the house on Flintwood. I'd give the service company itself the highest rating possible. They were very good, very responsive and very quick to order up. We also received great service for the work recently done for the Hosman house. The contractors were quick to set it up then they came out when my son was there, took care of what they needed to and ordered what they needed to. Then they came out and put it in.

On the 9th, American Home Shield called me back, I spoke with Spencer and he said that Mc Gee Services never called them back either. So he sent another company, Barry Johnson Electric, who came on the 10th. The tech said that the electrical looked fine though he replaced a junction box outside. I called American Home Shield on the 11th and they contacted Comfort Force again whose guy came back out today and said that the air conditioner was still not working. He said he could tell the junction box was loose, so he wanted to make sure that all the electrical connections were okay. He said he had to report back to American Home Shield and they'd tell him the next step to take, which might take one or two days.

He said that the system keeps flying the electrical wire and that's why he wanted an electrician to come out to make sure that we had the correct amps. When we bought the house, the system was put in brand-new and it worked. So whatever company the previous homeowner hired, I'm sure that they were bonded, licensed and authorized. My husband has respiratory problems and COPD. Everybody that I talk to at AHS is like, "Oh, okay." They can't possibly understand someone who has respiratory problems. We have every fan on in the house and all the windows are opened. It's misery. We're going to have to go to a hotel at some point. We have American Home Shield for peace of mind but at this point, I'm so frustrated and at wit's end.

Yet ANOTHER week goes by (keep in mind it's my washing machine and I'm down to wearing bikini bottoms for underwear when I can't get to the laundromat) and I get a call that AHS isn't putting it on the work order for the tech to be paid. I call AHS and am on hold TWICE for 45 minutes and they continue to tell me the water heater is fine. I KNOW IT IS! I received a call from the 2nd tech today that their entire work order was cancelled. I called AHS and they are sending out another random company to "inspect and get a second opinion - it's the THIRD" and saying that there is no need for replacement parts and after the inspection IF they decided it needs to be replaced they'll set another appointment. This is insane! I work customer service on a daily basis and feel I've been more than understanding whilst they have no urgency to get my washer working after 3 weeks and now a minimum of 1.5 more. Disgusting.

In the future I would need to call in for every service call to make sure they didn't assign one of the poor service tech companies to my issue. This resulted in me being on the phone for extensive periods to just place a service call to get something fixed. The AHS service desk was often rude and not helpful. Needless to say I have cancelled my contract and found a better home warranty company that has great prices and great customer service. Two things many companies are lacking these days.

Later that day, I called again when I had the name of the washer along with what the issue was and the serial number if needed. Well, the customer service agent cut me off multiple times and said, "We don't need any of that info." I thought giving them that info would help the tech bring the right part out. But, what do I know. She then says she has NO record of me calling in earlier in the system and she had to recreate it. Are you kidding me? While doing that she talks to Sears and they say they have a record there and they will be out from 8am-12pm!! What the hell.

So, later that day, I get an automated call from Sears saying now that a technician will be out between 10am-2pm. Another change. Well, sure enough at 1:30 no sign of the technician. I call AHS and they call Sears and they were told by AHS that I canceled my appointment and that the washer was fixed! This was after I waited 20 minutes on the phone again with AHS to even hear this update. I took the day off of work, we still have no working washing machine, and Sears and AHS took no accountability for this. NOTHING. I was so upset and NO one would help me. The AHS customer service rep would not send me to a supervisor, "no one was available" or would possibly call me back and no one apologized and in fact accused me of canceling my own appointment!

YOU GUYS ARE THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE AND COMPANY EVER! We all know that they don't give a crap because they will still make me pay $75.00 when someone finally decides to come out and actually fix the damn machine. I hate you AHS and Sears! You take no accountability for anything for customers that really need you! You suck!

Prior to this event this unit had a freon leak for years. Every summer (sometimes multiple times in a single summer) I'd have to have freon added because of a leak in the downstairs unit. In each occurrence I contacted AHS to have a vendor come to my home to add freon and check on the leak for years. Apparently, one of these vendors added dye to find the freon leak without my knowledge. I suspect it was the last vendor who worked on the unit to add freon because the leak stopped. I cannot be sure because they didn't tell me they added dye... or sealant. Apparently you are not supposed to use dye in AC units because it can cause damage (or so the last vendor told me). The dye event was not documented by the offending vendor so this information was not included on any invoice. This is important because it is the root of the current breaker issue.

The currently breaker issue is due to too much dye being introduced into the unit. The dye overworks the AC unit which is burning out the motor which now trips the breaker. Two contractors (both sent by AHS) have confirmed that the unit needs to be replaced. None of the contractors that previously worked on the units are admitting that they used dye because they know they would have to make repairs at their cost.

American Home Shield will not approve the repair because they are saying that the problem is not due to normal wear and tear. My position is AHS sent a vendor (or vendors) to my home that damaged my AC unit beyond feasible repair and now is denying the claim. I believe AHS is at fault because they will allow and work with vendors who use dye on customer jobs which can and does damage AC units. Even one of their authorization reps told me this today on the phone that this is a normal procedure to pressurize and dye the line to find freon leaks.

Additionally I consider this a bad faith insurance practice as they unnecessarily delayed the claims for weeks/months by not responding to my open claim in a timely fashion (weeks) and requesting multiple vendor visits and second opinions. I had to reach out to them every single time to get an update over a series of weeks to get information as they never returned any of my calls or met the called back appointments that they set with me on the phone. I had re-explain the history of the problem every time I called them even though they had a complete record of all of my calls. This happened no less than 6-8 times. I believe they were actively engaging in business practices designed to deter my claim from being addressed in hopes that I would quit calling... or get fed up and drop the issue and pay for it myself. Very dishonest. I've missed about 5 days of work dealing with this issue over the past month.

When I contacted the vendors directly for more information they made similar claims about AHS that AHS seemed to be actively avoiding their calls for clarification on my claim. One of them stated that they treat their vendors as badly as they treat their customers. AHS claimed that the vendors has not called to provide them with requested information on the quotes (which the vendors insisted they had already provided and were quick to give me great detail about their discussion with their AHS contractor/vendor reps). Vendors also stated that they needed to get the autho limit increase in writing because the AHS reps would tell them one thing, but then act differently... leaving them to pay out of pocket on some jobs. Again VERY dishonest. AHS repeated failed to report on their findings on my claim or their "investigation" (which I'm not sure was ever really done) and they used unreasonable excuses for not paying out on my claim.

After almost a decade of being a customer... I feel cheated, lied to, swindled and exhausted. I'm paying for the AC unit replacement out of my pocket. It's the principle of the matter for me at this point. Today I filed a complaint with the BBB and the Attorney General of South Carolina and I'll be filing a lawsuit this week or next. It will be expensive, but I don't care. It's the principle of the matter for me at this point. This is the first time in my life that I've ever posted anything like this and I'm doing so in hopes that I will save someone else a terrible prolonged experience with American Home Shield.

When they finally came, it's a good company and they did what they needed to do. They said it was fixed but the very next day, I had the same problem again. So, I had to call them back and they said I had to call AHS to get them to redo the order first. I called AHS and they okayed it the next day. Then, the next day the contractor called back to set up an appointment and, again, it took about five days for them to get back to me. Normally, AHS gets to me quickly. The garage door company must have been very busy because I've never waited that long for someone to come in. But they came back, looked at it and the guy realized they needed a new computer board in there. So he put in a new computer board and it's been working fine since then.

Then, in between the time that I was getting the garage door fixed, my toilet cracked. I called one evening and put the claim in. The next day, the vendor that AHS assigned called me and they came out the day after that. They looked at it and the guy realized what happened to it. He said he'd put in a request and it would take three or four days for them to get a new toilet and to get the approval. They came in within three days and replaced the toilet. That was pretty good and quick.

I'm okay with the coverage but sometimes I don't get the information I need or I get the wrong information and that upsets me. I was gonna call back and question about the refrigerator because I'm not very clear on it. The lady said I have to get the number off a Home Depot. Then I go to their warehouse and get it but I have to pay Home Depot the taxes and the whole amount had to come out of my pocket. That's what I don't understand. AHS is not paying for it and I don't know what kind of stuff people have at the program.

Then, recently, my mortgage sent me a letter and they said they're no longer paying them and I had until March 16. So, I called in early March and had to pay it from my account. So I talked to someone and he set it up. Then, I called back again to make sure everything was set up right. I spoke to somebody and she said it's set up but the guy needed to reverse it because he’s gonna be in a different account. They're no longer gonna get it from the mortgage so I have to change it to a new account and she could never change it. I gave her my information and she's supposed to call back but she didn't. I called them back but they didn’t say anything. Later on, my daughter told me I need to call them because it looks like I'm gonna get charged double.

I called back the third time to make sure everything was set up and I wasn’t getting charged double and to let them know that USAA wasn’t gonna be paying after March 16th. The person that I spoke to said I'll be in another account because it's gonna go up to $50 because I was gonna change to another company. I talked to this person and told him about this other company and he said that that’s why they had the incentive about the refrigerator. I don’t know anything about this program and so he transferred me to another person. I asked about the program and they explained to me how it works. That was the last time I talked to anyone at Home Shield.

When I got this message on my phone, I was shocked. I shouldn’t be late. I said I wanted to change my date but the guy said they got something coming on the 1st. I thought about it later on and told him to leave it like it is and then I'll call back again and see if I could change the date because the only reason why I come out on the 3rd is because that’s when my mortgage has to be paid. So, I was really upset, disappointed and angry. I did this really early, I know they sent me a letter, I called them and did everything I'm supposed to do and I'm late. I'm gonna get out of the system and I'm gonna lose my contract. But I said I got the contract and I know they're gonna change because it says it's gonna increase to $50 because I never have to do anything unless I'm discontinued. They renewed my contract and that’s all I have to have to do.

I don’t know if they know what they're doing. Somebody said I got two accounts. One was supposed to be when I was with the USAA and the other one was what the guy set it up for me so it can be a smooth transition. I don’t know who did what as I've talked to three people. I said that I need to be shown that they’ve made the mistake or they didn't want to tell anybody because they deleted it. It's got to be corrected, but then by doing this they might lose their job but this should not have happened. A lady from the sales who was really nice called me back and said she is trying to investigate, go through it and figure out why I had two accounts. She’s gonna try to straighten it up and will call me back before leaves. She said I won't lose because it should have been coming out of my account. I said they have to really change the date now because they got me saying I'm late but I just paid my payment. It's all screwed up now. But overall, my experience has been fair.

Here is a synopsis of the situation: When we first called American Home Shield regarding our air conditioning, heating, and duct work, your company sent Setpoint Mechanical Inc, CA License #**. When the technician arrived it was obvious he was in a hurry and barely completed a cursory review. He indicated that there were no problems and quickly replaced the thermostats which we are already have had problems with, although we clearly indicated our fears as we smelled a burning smell and noise when we turned on the heaters. In addition the air conditioning units were severely vibrating. They have a burning smell and were making a lot of noise. We are extremely concerned regarding a potential fire or safety hazard.

We were so worried for our safety that we had an independent Air Conditioning & Heating company review our systems. They indicated that the blower motors in both heaters should be replaced and that both exterior air conditioner condensers were bad and should be replaced. They were also concerned as these problems could be a fire hazard. We again called American Home Shield regarding this problem and your company agreed to resend a technician from Setpoint Mechanical Inc at no additional cost, we requested a different technician however the same technician returned.

When the technician arrived he was clearly pressed for time as he stated that he had a lot of appointments. He checked the heater blower motors first and agreed they should be replaced, however he indicated that only one would be replaced at this time which caused me concern. At that time the technician removed the blower motor and indicated that he did not have a replacement motor readily available and he would have to procure a new motor. After taking the motor out the technician left the heater area in a complete state of disrepair. Please see the attached photo to the point that if a part or screw got lost he would be unable to find it. The air conditioning ducts still have never been checked.

We then proceeded to the outside air conditioning condensers, where the technician inspected them and indicated they were both bad, and severely rusted to the point of being a hazard, however one was worse than the other. At that point he called his supervisor and went over the details with him including make, model and type. In addition he sent photos to his supervisor. A few minutes later the technician clearly stated that they had authorization to immediately replace the one condenser and would review the other condenser upon his return. Work order date 1/13/2017 states under the item or part description, parts and freon for the condenser and under request for service it indicates the condenser is rotted out.

Once the technician received the authorization from his supervisor to replace the air conditioning condenser he immediately began to work on the evaporator for the same unit. The evaporator/condenser is now non-functional. As of now both my units are not working. A few days later the technician contacted me and indicated he had the blower motor available. I asked if he was going to replace the air conditioning condenser at the same time when he told me that he waiting for authorization. I immediately asked what was going on when he previous stated he already had authorization and was already working on the system. He said, "Call American Home Shield."

My phone records will provide exact documentation. I promptly called American Home Shield and your representative told me that she was reaching out to the technician, however she was unable to contact him and for the next 45 minutes she tried to reach out to the technician or Setpoint Mechanical Inc, she did not receive a reply. Your representative indicated she would also reach out to the contractor relations department. Your representative promised she would call me back by the end of her shift. She never did. You can verify the information from your recorded calls.

I called again on Sunday 1/22/2017 and was told the contract still had not submitted any work orders, nearly a full ten days later and that the contractor was still within his time frame to submit the documentation. I have made multiple attempts in good faith to get this resolved in a timely and correct manner. Update 4/17/2017 - As of 4:34 pm I HAVE BEEN ON THE PHONE FOR 2 HOURS AND 11 MINUTES and having repeated my experience with no less than 5 separate representatives and the last one was kind enough to hang up on me.

Original Review: April 17, 2017

I have had numerous A/C issues since the last 8 months or so. Every time I call AHS, a tech gets sent out, issue is temporarily patched, I pay thousands on refrigerant cost, then the issue reappears again after 2 months. Problem is every time this issue gets out of the AHS recall period, this is treated like a new issue, with a new service fee and refrigerant cost all over again. This issue started Oct. 2016 and is still ongoing without resolution.

My current state is -- all 15 lbs of refrigerant has leaked out again (from the same place as before), and I am again required to pay thousands more on refrigerant cost for the same issue that is not being fixed properly. If the 1st tech who came to my place in October '16 had fixed the issue correctly, this would have been resolved for me. I am tired of constantly going through the same cycle of registering claim for the same issue, paying service fee, and being told that only $10/$80 per pound of refrigerant will be covered as per policy.

AHS needs to take ownership of the problem, and either replace my A/C unit completely or assume costs for refrigerant moving forward since I have already paid up more than $1500 so far towards the same issue. Just going by the 2 month recall period definition and classifying the same issue as a new issue every time I call just over 2 months is unethical. I would understand if this was a case of multiple leaks over a varied period -- but no, it is the same problem that keeps reoccurring. Having an insurance is meant to help the consumer when I pay the premium. This is turning out to be a total nightmare for me and my family. I live in Arizona, with summer about to hit anytime now, and still without a valid resolution to my A/C issues.

However, I'm not really satisfied with Sears when they came out for my washing machine. We had the $100 deductible but they charged $107 and they said it's taxes that we have to pay. I don't feel that's right on their part. The plumbing company didn't charge that. The AHS representative said that Sears is the only one who does that. I don't know how they get by with doing it. So, paying that extra $7 wasn't very pleasing.

After the technician did my washing machine, he told me to wait to do the first load because he had used some adhesive in it. So, I waited till the next morning. He had turned off my hot and cold water to work on it, and when we turned it back on, our faucet for that house part was leaking and that leaked from under the tub. I had done a couple more tubs of laundry and the leaking quit. So, I'm assuming where he had it leaned back, there was water somewhere that had settled. It's working okay now, though.

We've been satisfied so far but I'm not happy that my price went up $9 a month. They said that was from taxes which made me wonder why I'm paying another $7 to Sears. But they said that was more on North Carolina's charging taxes. I'm supposed to have a $75 credit for my service call since I wasn't aware of the increase and it hit us without notification. So, I'll just wait for my next service call. Overall, I'm very happy with AHS. In fact, my sister has AHS and that's how we got it, and I also spoke to my neighbor about it too.

The other contractors have handled everything very efficiently as well. They repaired whatever my claim was and I haven't had to call them back. However, I went through a lot when they had to change out my oven three years ago. They couldn't get the original one repaired and they ended up having to put a new one in. I went through quite a bit of time on that. Overall I've been very pleased with American Home Shield's service which seems to have worked fairly well.

I've dealt with a few vendors, and Michael and Sons is one. The work order before this was my kitchen sink that was stocked up. I put the request into American Home Shield and the vendors called me. They couldn't get to me for 45 days and I thought that was unacceptable. I called American Home Shield back and I asked for another vendor. I called that vendor also and they still couldn't get to me for 45 days. I called two outside vendors, and one was able to come and see me the next day, while the other one was able to see me the same day.

I know AHS is a big company, but when things like this happen, I evaluate to see whether it's really worth it. The service I received from the outside vendor was really good, granted it probably cost me significantly more. With AHS, I pay about $600 a year, and then I'll have to pay the $75 trade fee or visit fee, but they don't cover everything. When I had to replace my sink's pipe and also had to replace my faucet in the kitchen, I don't think American Home Shield covers that. I'm going to keep it now even though I did get a quote from an outside vendor that was quite lucrative and quite competitive, as the scope of devices that I can get covered by American Home Shield is much broader than the scope of devices I can get covered by an outside vendor, so I still do think they're competitive.

AHS could have more customer friendly and professional people for the refrigerator, the dishwasher, and the washer and the dryer, as well as more vendors that offer better availability. I had called back the person whom I was assigned to fix my dishwasher, but they don't want my business because they haven't even called me back to say that they know I called but they couldn't talk to me that time, and ask if I still need their service. I know it's a competitive environment, but when I read through my contract with AHS, granted there are lots of things that the contract covers, there are also tons of stuff that I'm not covered for. There are all these loopholes that are in there, and AHS could have better value for the service, overall.

I called them more than once and I was told they'd contact the gentleman. The gentleman called me and said that he went there to get the part, but they told him that someone else is on the job and that someone else came to pick up the part. He also called them before that. He didn't look for someone else 'cause his truck was not working. He said he thought that I had my unit fixed after two weeks of calling back again. It was a month's wait before he started again. The gentleman finally got it together, came out and got the heater fixed. The gentleman was real nice about it and he tried his best to help me.

I was still upset about what happened, though, especially waiting for a long period of time for someone to come and configure it. Any other time I called for something, they got right there. Someone came and let me know what they're going to do. When they came back the next day, they did what they were supposed to do. The performance after the repair was usually good too. My recent go around was difficult but otherwise, the service was great. American Home Shield is a good program to have and technicians come one time. I would recommend them to someone.

I also didn’t like not to be able to name request because if I have somebody who's come to me before and were awful or haven't been very good, I don't want them to come back. We've had some that have been great, but I can't name request the great ones. I argued with them one time because I had an issue with my swimming pool pumps and stuff. They wanted to assign me somebody and I said, “Absolutely not. The person who fixed everything on my pool is on your list. They’ve actually installed most of the stuff on the pool, so they are the ones who know this pool, and I don’t want anybody else working with it.” They did finally succumb and let me do that.

I've been in touch with this person from their cash out department. She asked for the receipt and when I submitted all the documents to her she responded quickly except that after the approval, I don't know what happened. It's been over four weeks and I still have not received the check from AHS. I'm still waiting and I was hoping to get a little bit more than $100.

I contacted her yesterday and she again took my address. I hope I'll get the check today or tomorrow. Sometimes, I have to work extra hard to get something done through them. I usually get the contractor and say that they are copay. And if there's anything wrong, they bring in their own parts. But sometimes like in this case, I have to buy my own parts. I hope they have a better system for situations like this. Also whenever I'm on the phone with them, I am put on hold for minimum 15 minutes before somebody comes online. They would do well if they improve on that. But generally, AHS has been good. I've been with them for many years.

I called AHS, informed them of the HORRIBLE customer service. I was informed that was the only company that could service my order. I told the young lady she can cancel my order. She said ok. I explained to her I had been a customer for 3-4 yrs, I pay my monthly payments faithfully and I've only used AHS 2 times... therefore I would like to discontinue my service with them and just pay out of pocket expense. She transferred me over to the dept. that does cancellation. I explained to the gentleman, he apologized and cancel my request. It's not AHS fault on how their company customer service is, but to only offer one company that's ridiculous.

I tried backtracking the valves to see if there’s a valve off but I know he didn't touch any. I spent a lot the time watching him when he fixed the hot water tank, and there were some valves that he touched. And when the tank was changed out, it was going to take too long for the water to heat up so he had to leave and had other jobs to go to. So we never went around and checked the hot water and all the different tabs and showers. It's frustrating because now we have to take our showers and we don’t have company right now, but we do have company on a frequent basis. I would call the guy back, but I don’t want to pay another $75. And so I don’t know whether this would be associated with putting in the hot water tank or not, because other than the leak we had everything was fine.

Now, we’ve had one other plumbing issue several months back and the plumber came out on a Sunday. There was no extra charge. He just charged us the $75 and then went ahead and did his thing. I would like to see if they would send someone over to rectify that issue. It might be something of a valve. But I spend a lot the time down there watching him, just because I’m curious, and there were some valves that he did touch. It’s so confusing the way the whole thing is set up. It’s frustrating because now we have to take our showers but we do have company on a frequent basis. As far as showering goes, we have to sharedthe same bathroom at this point in time and that’s not making me very happy. Overall I’m not displeased with the service but I leave room for a little bit of improvement.

We also had another issue with another AC unit and called AHS to inform them there was a leak because the previous owners told us there was one. Apparently, they had this issue prior. But they made us refill the Freon and we had to spend hundreds of dollars for it so that they can prove there was a leak and then repair it. They came back and we had to pay for more Freon. It didn't make any sense when the other contractor already said it was a leak then. I was a little frustrated with that.

On another occasion, we didn't have any AC in our house because it broke. We had a newborn and it was in the midst of the summer, 100 degrees plus in the house. They said it was not an emergency so we were going to have to wait five days for somebody to come out. That was not acceptable with a newborn. It was the same thing when we didn't have any heating. They said it was not an emergency because we had heating in one other room. We ended up having complaints in order for them to acknowledge it was a serious condition. Luckily, the realtor who we bought the house from had a contact in American Home Shield to get stuff sorted out. But if that wasn't the case, we would have been stuck with no heating or with no AC. We would have had to stay in the same room when the heating went out and it was one room that had no beds in. It would have been crazy with a newborn baby.

Overall, the experience has been somewhat interesting. The phone people were terribly well first in what they can do and what they can't do. A lot of times, it required speaking to a manager to get stuff resolved and for them to acknowledge it was an emergency. Maybe AHS should revisit their definitions of what an emergency is and what isn't. The last couple of occasions were good with American Home Shield, but I'm not going to renew it and the likelihood of me recommending it is slim.

The contractor, Tru Blue, is great. When they came out, they told me what time they would be there and were right on time. They diagnosed the problem, showed me everything they were doing, walked me through and once they got done, showed me what parts needed to be ordered, what they were taking out and why. And now, they're coming back tomorrow to complete the job.

American Home Shield is an awesome company. I've been with them now for over 10 years now and the only one thing I wish they would change is the call wait time when I call in. I tried to file claims online but sometimes, they still end up calling about it so they'd know I was giving the right information. So, I say, "Why put it in when you’re gonna call me?"