American Home Shield Reviews

After a month of calling Sears daily and waiting through four missed appointments, two repair parts allegedly lost by UPS, and still no repair, I called AHS for help. AHS informed me they would not reassign this to anyone else, would do nothing about the damages, and suggested I was free to hire someone else to perform the repairs at my expense. A month later, after two more missed Sears appointments, two more "UPS lost" shipments, dozens of calls to Sears and AHS, nothing has been done. When asking AHS to pass calls to supervisors or managers the calls either mysteriously disconnect or go on endless hold. I've tried to wait out the hold game but twice I just gave up after an hour.

This company is a joke. They sell a "warranty" they won't honor, deal with subcontractors that won't make repairs, and simply don't care. This is a ripoff aimed at home sellers. Avoid this useless company.

After 10 day AHS denied the claim because they said the unit was improperly installed and that is how the pan cracked. When I called to complain they agreed that it was unlikely due to improper installation and agreed to send a second contractor out. I still have no air and no one will allow me to talk to a supervisor. Today I finally called the Attorney General and the Insurance Commission.

So this week, the third week of calls to AHS, they started with the same story. I explained at this point the company they contracted is clearly not reputable, given no one can get in touch with them for a month, I don't want them fixing my microwave and you should not want to use them. I have already wasted $100, in addition to paying for this insurance, for nothing. I said I wanted a new contractor sent out and I was told I would have to get in a queue for a new contractor and begin the process all over. We are now 5 weeks from the initial call, just trying to get a microwave fixed, and we are no better off than we were to begin with. I am hoping I will not be writing another review once we finally find someone, anyone, to fix this microwave.

The second tech comes out, say he has to order the part, and went on his way. A week later the part was shipped to my home, the technician came about out...and that part didn't fix the machine. The Sears tech was on the phone with the AHS support line troubleshooting. The tech takes the newly order part, says the machine is not reparable, and someone from AHS will call me the following day to discuss replacing the unit.

Now this is the interesting part...AHS called four days later to say they can fix the washer for $600 or I can take that amount and apply it to the purchase of a new washer. All I have to do is shop around (local stores or internet sites) and call AHS back with the models I am interested in. They will then provide me with a price I would have to pay for that model. Excuse me, WHAT? I explained what the tech said, explained that it had been almost a month without a machine. She promised there was miscommunication and another part would fix the machine. If the machine could be fixed, I wanted it fixed.

Who buys a new washer without buying a new dryer? I wasn't looking to make a large purchase like that unless I had to - so fix it! Isn't that why I called the first time? Now AHS tells me Sears has to come back out to my home again to look at the washer again to find out what needs to be ordered again. Seriously? Wasn't the second tech on the phone and knows what needs to be done/ordered? AHS tells me Sears won't disclose that information to them and its policy for the tech to be dispatched. Sears tells me AHS was provided the information and won't give it back to them to order the part. I felt like a ping pong ball. I've taken time off of work on four other days to get this resolved so what are two more days? So third service call was placed...

The tech calls to confirm he is on his way. I ask him why Sears has to come back out to look at something they've already looked at and to my surprise, I find that he was the last tech that came when he said the machine couldn't be fixed. He said that AHS told him they would replace the machine. He didn't understand why they didn't replace it and he know what the issue was because he remembered. He also did not believe that ordering this new part would fix the machine but he would do it. We agreed he didn't need to come out again so he placed the order for the part and I was spared leaving work early this time. So week later, the part was shipped to my home, the technician came about out...and that part worked...sort of. It worked when the tech ran a test load but the first real load with actual laundry we tried gave us the SAME ERROR CODE.

I called AHS again today. The service department was to wanting send a tech out to see what is wrong with the machine - again. I lost it. I told her no more service calls. The issue is well-known. My washer has been broke since APRIL 12TH. 52 days after my first phone call, my washer is no more close to getting fix than when I first called. I told her I wanted it replaced so she told me I had to call a different number. She couldn't transfer me - I had to hang up, call back, go through the prompts again, wait in the queue, re-explain the situation. So I did.

This lovely lady told me that service misdirected me because I had to have a technician come back out before I could call for a replacement. 52 days - she has the records of the calls and errors - $50 a week at a laundromat, and she wants me to hang up, go through the whole process again, and she isn't the slighted bit remorseful or understanding I'm a little upset? I asked for her supervisor. She said I could speak with a service supervisor but there was no one in her department to assist me. Her supervisor wouldn't take my call because I had to speak with service first. At that point I am beyond upset.

Back to the service department now - after explain everything AGAIN - I ask her if a tech comes back out to my house, when will it end? When will they stop ordering parts and I will have a working washer. She had the nerve to tell me it could have ended when AHS offered me $600 towards the purchase of the new machine. OMG - did she just really say that to me? AHS told me the washer could be fixed. They assured me when I questioned them about the difference of the two stories that the tech just misunderstood. Now this woman has the audacity to say this to me? So my response is - can I speak to a supervisor?

So now I am waiting on a call back from a supervisor. There was no one available to take my call of course. We'll see what they have to say. My contract is up in 20 days and I have not renewed. I do not plan on renewing. The customer service I have received is a total joke. There is no ownership to resolve my issue. I have no sense anyone cares about my situation. I. Am. Done.

Another time I was never even notified that the contractor couldn't make it out and I waited several days for him to come. The customer service reps are so rude on the phone - you can tell they hate their job. Very frustrating - I just cancelled my account. Save your money - you will end up dishing out more money when you could have just purchased a new appliance for a lot less.

Subsequently, AHS immediately called me and said that the 2nd plumber company "could not find a leak." I have invoice documentation from the plumber that shows a leak was found and Valve stems "Need to be replaced" and No Service Fee is due. AHS lawyered up and said, "maybe that was a suggestion and he really did not mean that you had a leak or needed stems replaced." Still waiting on "Escalation" person from AHS to call me. Moreover, I called plumber supervisor number (out of state) who said that they ceased work with AHS and he did not care if they were employed by AHS on the date in question or not but his company will not return - regardless of the situation. Moreover, the State License number does not match the business nor does the licensee own such business yet AHS entrusted them to do work for the customers.

Moen sends free valve stems and they wish to "ESCALATE" this issue? They are so wrong in every level. What is even just as awful is the AHS representative that spoke with me was "fighting" mad and basically said "I don't care what your invoice said the plumber told me this" (the same plumber that dropped the ball, lied because he no longer works for AHS). She shut me down and did not even pretend to care, apologize, feel any compassion for, etc. This freaking suck.. Really irrational and bad business. They need to be exposed.

It's well documented with AHS that my original claim did not include a pool heater that didn't work. But because I wasn't home for the contractor, they said my pool heater was leaking and it's not covered because it's not normal wear and tear (remember the pool heater worked fine but had a small leak that I never even knew about). What's normal wear and tear on pool heaters because all pools have chemicals or salt systems? By the way they did send a 2nd opinion twice and one of the contractors said my heater should be covered because of it's age and normal wear-tear. Of course when they called it in, AHS denied it. The issue is that they don't want to pay for something that's expensive. AHS customer service is unprofessional and have canned responses with denial as a core value. They allowed my policy to lapse without fixing promised items and are now denying everything regarding my claim. Very shady company.

So I called American Home Shield and told them so they sent another plumber out here. That plumber agreed that it was the drain but he said it was the wrong drain and so it won't be covered either. So here I am stuck with a house that I can't fix and don't have the money to fix all because there were exclusions that I was not told about. AHS is a rip off company. I know why the realtor didn't tell me who they were using because she knew I would do a review on them. I'm a single woman and I don't have anybody to help me fix this leak. AHS has their money so they don't care. They are looking for reasons not to pay and to not get my shower fixed. I have already contacted an attorney and I will take legal action. They are discriminating against me because I'm a woman. Isn't there some law against that?

I'm filing a complaint here and I'm also going to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau plus I'm also going to file a complaint with the insurance commissioner. And I will look to see if there's anywhere else I can file a complaint to save somebody else from the heartache that I've had to deal with with these people. Shame on them for discriminating and taking advantage of a woman who is by herself.

Updated on 07/29/2015: Our air conditioning issue that I first noted on this site has not been resolved. This has now been going on since May. I'm uncertain as to why American Home Shield would report the issue as resolved on my original review. The faulty air conditioning unit was removed and has yet to be replaced. We are in the third straight week of temperatures in the 90s and have not been given any indication as to when it will be replaced. This problem was reported to AHS now over two months ago. Completely unacceptable.

AHS called me later that week and told me that they would cover the cost of the condenser but I would be responsible for a portion of the freon cost ($450). I then spoke with Hurrell Home Services and they recommended that the entire system be replaced due to the age and the fact that it was going to continue to leak freon so I would have to continue to replace. They then quoted me at $10,000 to replace the entire system with a mediocre brand.

I asked what AHS would cover and I was told "they are a repair company, not a replacement company" which is totally different than what I was told when I bought the plan (which I have in writing). I ended up finding another company which replaced the entire system including duct work with a better system for less than half of the cost! AHS needs to find better companies to work with and be honest when selling the plans. It's been almost a month and I am still waiting on my $400 reimbursement check from AHS.

American Home Shield said they could get an itemized quote from their contractor and I could personally get another contractor to do the job. American Home Shield said they would "cash me out" what their contractor quoted once I have the job complete (they specified they will still only cover $10 a pound for the R-22). I pay for the home warranty for protection and convenience. American Home Shield is providing me neither and my house is still hot.

Since that time I have requested service twice. I was not called within 24 business hours to schedule an appointment, I actually had to call the company to schedule service. I just requested service for a blocked drain and have not been contacted by the service provider. I went to AHS.com to get the contact information for the company and my account page is completely blank. I called AHS and informed a representative who was supposed to be calling the company. She hung up on me and never called back. I called again and spoke with another representative. She called the service provider and said their mailbox was full but she would send them an email. Meanwhile, my drain is backed up and I cannot wash clothes. I have now started service with Choice Home Warranty. Their reviews were great and hopefully, I have better service.

Then AHS wanted a second opinion, did they tell me this? No, I just received an email that a new service company would be setting you an appt. They came out on May 22nd and came to same conclusions, reporting to AHS on the May 25th. I called AHS on the 25th and was told that the part would be ordered or they would replace it. It is now June 1st and I called again and they just now today ordered the part, which will take 3 - 5 days to come in and then the service company would call me and set up another time.

This is not the same company that I started out with years ago, which is unfortunate since now there is so much competition in this area. After all, it's just a microwave, what will it be like when it's a major appliance?

They stated that next contract period coverage will contain these new 13 SEER coverage enhancements in addition to other changes to coverage and limitations. Between now and then, to ensure you are adequately protected, AHS would like to extend an opportunity for customer to purchase AHS new 13 SEER coverage for the remainder of your current contract, for a one-time charge of $30.00. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST A POTENTIALLY HIGH-COST REPAIR NOT COVERED UNDER YOUR CURRENT CONTRACT. After reading this letter I paid $30.00 for upgraded 13 SEER if I have problem arise in my ac and heating system.

Last July 15, 2008, I asked AHS for my a/c leaking and multiple contractors came to fixed problems but last contractor came in Sept. 2008 decided that my air handler inside unit needs to be changed. My original unit was TRANE Brand inside air handler and condenser outside unit and they both manufactured 1989 or 1990. AHS approved ARS contractor to changed my air handler inside unit to PAYNE BRAND WITH SERIAL number 2708A83942. Last March 2014 called AHS about a/c not working and they asked United Air Temp Contractor Company to do the job and revealed that unit is operational. Technician also stated that my current unit not upgraded to 13 SEER and if I decided to upgrade to 13 SEER the inside air handler and condenser outside unit needs to be changed. Technician found out I have PAYNE BRAND inside air handler unit and TRANE BRAND condenser outside unit that was manufactured 1989.

Last MAY 13, 2015, called AHS that my outside condenser unit not working. They sent HARRELL HOME Contractor Company on 5/15/2015 and found out compressor not working that I need to pay $900. I did asked the technician about my inside unit air handler about SEER rating and he definitely told me "NO, NO". Then I told him, I will call AHS for update. Then I called AHS, spoke with **, on 5/15/2015 late afternoon about what the technician recommended and she stated they will ask for second opinion. Then around 8:12 AM on 5/16/2015 received call from **, AAA ALL BRAND APPLIANCE will be in my property between 12 – 2 PM. ** came in at 12 noon on 5/16/2015 and assessed the situation. He found out that compressor needs replacement.

On 5/18/2015, I didn’t hear from AHS what their plan of action regarding second opinion and I called around 3:36 PM to AHS and spoke to ** and she mentioned that I NEED TO PAY $385 non covered item. Explained to her that I paid last 2006 to upgrade to 13 SEER that American Home Shield neglected when I had problem on my a/c on 2008. She gave me authorization specialist for further assistance. 5/18/2015, 8:50 PM called AHS and spoke to ** and further discussed the current situation and read to him the letter that I received 2006 regarding upgraded to 13 SEER and explained that company neglected the upgrade status. I just want to get this things done in the right way this time. I should save a lot of money from 2008 if they committed to their promise that customer will have 30% efficiency improvement and protect customer against potentially high-cost repair.

On 5/21/2015, 4:46 PM, I called AHS since didn’t hear from them and spoke to Joseph that AHS WILL replaced heat pump (inside air handler and outside condenser unit) and I have to pay $135 for hurricane pad/strap, flow switch, safety taps. 5/22/2015 7:08 PM, received call from technician ** from AAA All Brand Appliances that he will come tomorrow, 5/23/2015 first hour of the morning and he will installed CARRIER AIR HANDLER INSIDE UNIT and BRYANT BRAND OUTSIDE UNIT. I asked him how come I will received different brand from inside and outside unit. He mentioned currently on stocked right now. I told him to hold it until I speak with **, manager of AAA ALL BRAND APPLIANCE IN ORLANDO.

8:15 PM, 5/22/2015, called ** letting him know that technician ** will installed 2 different brand and asking is there any way to wait for stock for CARRIER BRAND AIR HANDLER INSIDE UNIT AND CONDENSER OUTSIDE UNIT instead getting 2 different brand. He disagreed since AHS who ordered this way. I told him to hold until I speak with AHS PURCHASING DEPARTMENT TO VERIFIED WHAT BRAND THEY ORDERED TO MY PROPERTY. 5/26/2015, 9:15 AM, called purchasing department and spoke to ** and clarify about what contractor telling to customer about different unit will be installed in my property and he mentioned that they ordered CARRIER BRAND. Left message to contractor ** that spoke to purchasing department that I should have CARRIER BRAND.

TO SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT SITUATION: Living in Florida without a/c for 2 1/2 weeks and with 2 kids and currently has eczema problems is too bad. I hate to deal this type of People who doesn’t have license to protect and sits to the office and wait for the next paycheck to come and I feel sorry for them if this things will happen to their mother, father and children with medical condition. Until now 5/30/2015, we don’t have a/c and I have been asking to speak with AHS SUPERVISOR TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION BUT SEEMS THEY DON’T CARE and continuous to say that company will not give me the same brand. People have different point of views and interpretation once they read it in the system.

I’m hoping the I can speak to a knowledgeable, professional, accommodating, reliable, trustworthy manager from AHS to address my grievances and family medical situation right now. We don't deserve this type of treatment since we have been invested with AHS SINCE 1996. Please help us.

The contractor called me the next morning and was at my house at the precise time he and I scheduled. ** and his assistant, **, were so kind, courteous, understanding, and asked no questions except, "Where are the leaks? We'll get right on them." They resolved the leaks and cleaned up after themselves as if they had never been in the house. I received a "PAID" receipt when I paid my service fee, and ** assured me that I could call him anytime if there were any problems with the service. ** asked me to be sure and complete the service survey from AHS, so that AHS would know how his service to us was. Thank you A1 Rapid Rooter, and thank you AHS.

And finally, a week later (seriously, it took him that long to put the crappy report together?!) a denial of the claim a week later and $75 less what we paid the tech for the <10 min eval of the appliance. Yea, AHS was "kind" enough and offered a second opinion but we would need to pay another $75 for another eval (what a ripoff!). Hell Nooooo! Cancelled immediately just to be told I can come back anytime I want (really?!). We did our own research on the cost of the bearings and seal for our washer and the parts are very inexpensive for the washer to be "unrepairable due to the cost". RIP OFF BIG TIME, PEOPLE! Well, lesson learned and shared!

I spoke again to AHS, but they told me it was a common complaint, and they had no intention of fixing the problem. This was a deliberately designed system to allow the local contractor to pad the bill by labeling everything "code upgrades" so that AHS would not have to cover charges. Don't believe me? Check the contract, they don't specify what a code upgrade is, but they only cover a tiny amount, so that contractors can charge whatever they want and get out of pocket costs from the consumer. AHS not only didn't try to fix the problem when I spoke with them, they made it clear this was a feature not a bug.

Updated on 6/16/2015: This is an update. It has been 3 weeks since my complaint was submitted. I HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE FROM AMERICAN HOME SHIELD! They are a real piece of work, are they not?

I called AHS back and explained the situation and they said they would send another tech. The tech called me and asked about the issue and I told him that there was no longer a dishwasher to be fixed and he said that there was nothing he could do either. I called AHS back again and explained the situation, AGAIN, and the first lady said she would get back with me and did not. I called again and explained the situation, AGAIN, and the next lady said that since there was no dishwasher that there was nothing that could be done.

We paid the $95.50 for a service call that resulted in basically no action to fix the problem. We are totally disgusted with AHS at this point. I manage real estate for a living and as of now, I will never recommend anyone to use your service, or should I say NO SERVICE. I think your company is a scam and as of right now I will make sure none of my clients use your company. I will recommend to the ones that have your service to cancel immediately and move to another company or just get away for the home warranty scam system altogether. Very disappointed.

I spent a good 15-20 minutes trying to get them to cancel on the property I no longer own. They said that someone would call me on Tuesday, today is Tuesday and after 12 noon my time! No call so I started the process again. They said that I was connected to the wrong department I needed the Real Estate Sales Department to complete this transaction. The Real Estate Sales Department they connected me to said they had to send it over to another department and they would mail me a friggin cancellation form. I asked why they just couldn't email it, they said it had to come through the Real Estate Sales Department and they would mail it. Good Luck dealing with this company. I'd never go to this particular group nor recommend it to anyone.

AHS has online, phone automated, and live-person options and their contracted workers always respond within a day to the service request. They are great about letting us pay over the phone so tenants do not have to deal with contractor's fee and, so far, our tenants have always been satisfied with the work the contractors perform. There are companies I dread having to call due to their incompetent, ineffective customer service. American Home Shield is a company that makes maintaining a home (especially one occupied by tenants) a lot easier!

I also have a repeated calls on a pool pump both for my property and a rental house. They've been out for the same problem probably once every six to twelve months. The vendor for the pool company has basically said the pump that's been here is a very bad pump for pool. It's not necessarily efficient. It was found to be a semi-defective brand after a while. The problems that they have is they keep burning through motors. So they had recommended at one time that I just replace the pump. However, AHS would not authorize the replacement of the pump even though I'd have them out there five times. And they could've bought the pump in just the cost that they've had to pay the repair company. Plus, it's frustrating because I've had to pay $70 every time they come out. So over the course of last two-and-a-half years, I probably paid $350 servicing the same problem.

I even tried to call them and negotiate. What if we forget the difference between your service, what you're paying in service calls and maybe share the cost of a new pump. I can buy one online. The pool company even said, "We even buy one online probably cheaper than we can provide it, and willing to install it." Nobody was interested in doing it so it has been frustrating as well. It hasn't been terrible or exemplary. It's kind of normal, all in all.

AHS soon called and quoted a contract paragraph to disallow a service request due to "the coil appeared to be leaking over a period of time". So wondering what baseline is used for judging a "period of time" i.e. weeks/months etc went unanswered. Was hoping for some homeowner peace of mind with this service but now just left with the feeling of I just got fleeced. I don't need a service that doesn't step up and take care of items that in good faith happen to break...

They were very unphased, uncaring, and unhelpful. At 2:30 a technician arrived. He was at my house for a total of 4 minutes. He went upstairs, looked at the unit, and replied "well we have a problem because your roof unit isn't working but I don't climb roofs because I have a bad knee." I said that might have been nice to consider seeing as how I informed them on our earlier call that the unit was on the roof. I asked when they would send out another contractor and he replied that it "wouldn't be today." I then again explained the sleeping situation in hopes that he would offer to try and help. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders, said someone would call me, and walked out. No one called. Instead, my fiance spent an hour the next day on the phone with AHS trying to find resolution to the situation.

We were then told to be home between 10-2 the next day. This was problematic as I had spent 4 hours of the previous day out of the office for this reason. At 11:30, when I was already home waiting, we received a call to let us know, due to rain the night before, they would not be coming out. This is now a full 3 days since we contacted AHS. I called and spent an hour on the phone with AHS. They were apologetic, seemed embarrassed of the situation and scheduled the contractors to come back the next day. I requested that another contractor be sent due to my complete lack of trust in Service Contractors of Dallas to perform competent service. I was told a supervisor would call me to help with a new contractor, that customer service reps don't have that authority. Again, no one called.

We received a call today stating that the SAME contractor was on their way to the property. ** arrived, went up on the roof, then came back to tell me that the "unit was disabled on the inside so he couldn't properly diagnose it." Then he handed me a quote for 8k for a new unit!!!!!! The unit wasn't disabled on the inside as I had an HVAC company come to look at it on Monday to see if it needed freon. It was at that time I was told the compressor had gone bad and I should contact AHS. I feel the unit was purposely disabled so that it could no longer be considered under warranty and the quote was given in an effort to make 8k.

I have no issues with paying for a new unit but I quickly informed the contractor that it would NOT be through his company. So here I am, I haven't slept in a bed in over a week, have experienced unbelievably bad customer service, have wasted 12 hours of vacation time, made multiple complaints, and all to be told there is nothing that can be done for me. I could have solved this a week ago by simply calling a TRUSTWORTHY company and having a new unit installed. Now 10+ days of rain are forecasted so it looks like the week that AHS wasted, cost me another week of living without an air conditioner in Texas heat. The policy was a mistake and the company should be ashamed. I would recommend saving your money, your time, and your sanity.

Isn't that the whole point of insurance? It's a risk-related business and some clients are net gain to the company and some a net loss. Beware of this warranty company that takes your money in the good times, but fails to protect you when you need it. Why would anyone subscribe to such a warranty program?? It's cheaper to pay for repairs directly since your service will be cancelled if your repairs cost more than you pay them in premiums. No service = no customers = bankruptcy. Not a great business model, AHS.

I called the contractor back and got voicemail. Left message that AHS rep contradicted his technician that they could have ordered the compressor (I would later learn, AHS only lets them order locally if it is the same price they can get, which they don't). Monday came and no call from anyone. Called AHS, Local contractor had not filed report yet. Rep 3 way conferenced me in. Contractor said he knew about our claim but hadn't gotten around to submitting it yet. He did not know I was on the call yet. He lied and said that I had called 6 or 7 times (in reality only twice asking for an update and a call back). I asked AHS to escalate things and follow up with me for next steps and the rep agreed that would happen. No call as of yet. Called AHS back today (Thursday). This AHS rep was WOEFULLY incapable of the job. He couldn't pronounce the name of my town (Brandon - not that exotic).

Asked him to conference me in with Contractor for update. And made clear that he understood I would be on with the two of them to hear the conversation and comment as appropriate. Put me on hold for several minutes and came back on to tell me the gist of the conversation he just held with the contractor...without me! Contractor said that AHS parts had never been received. The rep from AHS would have to call their internal parts department. I asked how long a response would take from them, he replied "Well they don't have email".... Is the kid really that incompetent? I was trying to keep my manners. Asked for supervisor - "Impossible", he said. They have to return calls in order of supervisor request submitted. "I have to follow the protocols. Would be within 4 hours". (Surprise - heavy volume of supervisor complaint requests).

I asked him what next action item was for my AC unit. "Well, the supervisor will call you within 4 hours"..... Let's try again, stay with me guy. Putting the supervisor call aside, what is AHS' next step for getting my AC fixed? Have to see where the part is. Asked if he could update me with a call when he found out. "Yes", he said.... I said I was not too trustful of the promise of a return call and update from their performance (lack thereof) so far. We shall see.

Sum it up - In my opinion, this whole warranty thing is a racket. Take the premiums up front, hefty trip fees upon claim filing, then delay delay delay responding to minimize expenses wherever possible. I asked for a copy of the T's and C's, and was told there was no soft copy, that I would have to request a hard copy to be mailed to me in 7-10 days. All so you get frustrated with the wait and pay out of pocket to a reputable local contractor is my strong suspicion as well. God help the people on a fixed income or living paycheck to paycheck who may view this warranty coverage as a lifeline. You may wind up in South Florida with no AC for a week plus with miserable young children in a hot house that makes it impossible to sleep. Good job AHS. Hope the bottom line is healthier for the misery you appear to cause with, what seems to be the consensus opinion of many posts I see, your standard operating procedures.

He came back the next day. He asked me if I could go and check the breaker and come to find out that that's the reason why it wasn't cooling off. He fixed that and it has been working fine ever since. I thought that him coming back the next day to fix the problem was nice. I really like American Home Shield. I had them at my other house for years and I haven't had any problems with them yet.

I will be contacting Better Business Bureau as well as Consumer Affairs. I have suffered since the 13 of May. That's too long for anyone to be in a hot house, under those condition. One would think by now AHS would of sent out another company to fix the problem, that's because they don't care. Shame on AHS. They claim my satisfaction is their guarantee. Yeah right, well AHS I am not happy now fix it.

The second claim was an electrical issue with the living ceiling fan light kit. Electrician suggested replacing the ceiling fan but was not covered with the warranty. I replaced it myself and it still did not work. With my small amount of electrical knowledge I quickly realized the fan was wired wrong and there was nothing wrong with the old fan. $300 down the drain for something the electrician should have fixed in 10 minutes.

The third claim was a simple toilet leak. I did not have time to fix myself so I filed a claim. The 10 minute service repair went well but did not make up for the first 2. My policy expires in a month and I have no intention to renew. I'll put money aside for the major repairs that may come up and find a YouTube video for the simple repairs instead of wasting hundreds of dollars with this company and taking a chance that something is not covered.

Also, the contractors are very professional in every way and were very helpful. The last person I had offered me suggestions on trying to avoid having them come and you never hear that! Though neither of the suggestions worked, they made an attempt which impressed me and I found very comforting. Though there aren't a lot of things that I've been 100% happy with, my wife and I both agree that it's still money well spent. It's a serious premium every year and don't always get to that point where it pays to have it but it's nice to know that when you need it, it's there. Moreover, AHS gives me a good estimate so I'm glad I have it and it works for me.

Original Review: May 18, 2015

I have had a home warranty for over three years. I put in a claim because my washer stopped working two months ago. The first contractor AHS sent out just no showed us. This was very frustrating since we had to leave work early. The second contractor they sent out informed us that it was the control board. They ordered the part (it was covered). The part took over two weeks to come in. The contractor came out to fix it and the washer only worked for 2 hours and broke again. The contractor came back out and said the control board was faulty on 5/4 and that we need to order another one.

It has been over two weeks and the parts have not even been ordered! The contractor is blaming American Home Shield.. and the American Home Shield is blaming the contractor. I am going on almost 2 months without a washer. I have two young kids at home and we are spending about 30 dollars a week on laundromat fees. Add in the 75 dollar service fee... and I don't think this warranty has saved me a dime. Beyond frustrated that it has been two months since the appliance went down and it's still not fixed!! I requested a new contractor and I was told that no one can look at my washer since someone else already started the repair.

As of June 9, I had not received the reimbursement so I called. At that time, I was then told I would receive it within 7-21 business days. It is now June 17, I have yet to receive any reimbursement. No one has followed up once throughout this ordeal to see if this was resolved as was promised. I rate the service a 2, only because my appliance was eventually repaired (after 2 months) but definitely not because of the service. The service I rate a 1.

Original Review: May 18, 2015

My washer machine broke about one month ago. American Hone Shield sent the first serviceman out to repair it but he was unable to. I had to call up to find out the status and see if someone else would be coming out to fix it. About one week later, another serviceman came out to repair it and stated that this machine is not a good machine. The washer machine is about 1 1/2 years old. It is a Samsung AquaJet VRT Smartcare. The second serviceman suggested I take what American Home Shield would pay and suggested I get another machine. American Home Shield is going to have it repaired. Fair enough. American was only willing to pay for the parts which was $100.

So I sit here waiting to speak with a representative. Currently, 25 min to speak to someone. When I dial the phone number, I always have to call up more than once to be able to reach the computer phone system not even a live representative. It has been over 1 month and the parts have yet to arrive. When I do reach a representative no one can tell me when the parts will be in. First they tell me 2-3 days. I call back after 3-4 attempts and I am told the parts will be in on May 12th. Well it is past May 12th, currently holding on the line for 30 min to speak with a representative. I finally disconnected from the line without being serviced. I will call back again when I am not so angry. I am highly dissatisfied with the service.

Well, four hours later and water still leaking and no response from the plumbing company. At noon I called AHS back and was assigned a new plumbing company. Again, I called to speak with someone and ensure they were in the office. I was told someone would come out, but the office was a hour and a half away from the home. Now, this company does not get to the home until 6pm. Came in, cut a hole in the 1st floor ceiling beneath the leak. Now, I thought we were finally accomplishing something. No! Was advised not to use the bathroom until they could get authorization to repair the leak. REALLY???

My dishwasher needed repair in January. This dishwasher has been in service since 1997. The same dishwasher broke down again in mid-April, and I called again for service. This is when the issues began: it more than a week to get an appointment, and I had to call, asking to cancel my contract. A very kind employee (**) talked me out of it and got me an appointment. The contractor came and decided we needed a second opinion because the dishwasher was not fixable in his view. The next appointment was set for May 5, and the phone contact with the second company was unpleasant, with a very short-tempered individual. I complained to customer service but was told I couldn't be transferred to any other person, this was my only option apparently, I was stuck with it.

The second contractor seemed to take the repair very personally, insisting he could fix the dishwasher and ordered parts. Told me someone will call me when the parts were ready. This never happened. May 15, still no call. So I called contractor #2, and was told the earliest I would be accommodated was May 23. The parts had arrived but no one had bothered calling. That date did not work for me because I was on call for work, and no one would give me another closer appointment. Instead, the contractor called AHS to tell them I was declining appointments and not responding to calls, when I was the one who had to call them and check on status update! I even got the manager on the phone, and he was unprofessional and rude, bragging about how they were fully booked and how I was being unreasonable to expect the dishwasher to be fixed after a month.

I called AHS twice. The people I spoke were professional but unhelpful. I was not able to get a manager on the phone. I asked to cancel my contract, because this was becoming a waste of time and money, and was told the "retention department" was not taking calls. To make matters worse, when the second AHS employee tried to get me an appointment, she was pushed from May 23 to June 1! SO I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT SIX WEEKS IN TOTAL TO HAVE A VERDICT ON DISHWASHER.

Last but not least, they could have simply told me they would not replace it and I would have budgeted for a new dishwasher. But everyone seems to think it's ok to wait 4-6 weeks for a repair, and I'm told by various employees that I have "limited availability" (I have a full time job and can basically have the technician over any time after 5, and the company has 5-8 pm slots), I was also told that this time frame was normal. None of this is true or logical, and being treated this way is unacceptable.

Bottom line, AHS service and the quality of their contractors has gone down so much that I don't want anything to do with them, but I can't get the retention/cancellation department on the phone to quit. I guess all I can do is block funds transfer from my bank. I pay ~$56 per month per house, and I expect reasonable professional service, not referral to third class, unprofessional contractors, then a bunch of employees who won't let back out of a contract that has become unproductive.

About a week or so later, the contractor made a second visit to install the pump. After the installation, the dishwasher still did not function correctly so after additional inspection, the contractor determined the dishwasher required a sump which would require another visit to install. About two weeks later, the contractor made a third visit to install the sump. After the installation, the dishwasher still did not function correctly so after additional inspection, the contractor told me he would ask his colleague to accompany him to my home on another visit to see if the appliance was reassembled correctly. A few days later, on a Saturday, both contractors made a fourth visit to my home to inspect the appliance. After about an hour, they determined that dishwasher needed a new control board. The contractors informed me that the board would be ordered and another visit would be scheduled.

The next day, I contacted the contractor's office and was told by the owner that she would be ordering a check ball for the appliance not a control board. I then contacted AHS to file a complaint against the contractor. I feel after 4 visits the contractors are inept. I spoke with an associated named **. She assured me that my case would be placed in escalated status. She also told me that the case would be researched and I would receive a call from AHS within 24 hours. I waited 48 hours and did not receive a call from AHS. I contacted AHS and spoke to **. She informed me that there were no notes indicating that my case was escalated or referred for research. ** contacted the contractor on my behalf and confirmed that a new part had been ordered and that the contractor would contact me the next day.

The contractor contacted me and scheduled another visit to install the new part. Within a day or so, the contractor made a fifth visit to my home to install the check ball component. After about an hour, the contractor informed that the appliance was not working and he could not determine the cause of the malfunction. The contractor then departed my residence without completely reinstalling and reinserting the dishwasher into its appropriate space. The appliance it is still partially exposed.

I contacted AHS to request to speak with a Manager. An associate named ** handled my call. He told me that speaking with management would not solve my problem. Instead, he told me that he would refer my case to contract relations and would have someone call me. To date, no one from contract relations has contacted me.

On May 15, 2015 at 9:17 AM, I called AHS again and spoke with **. I then demanded to speak with a Manager. ** informed me that all managerial staff were in a meeting but one would call me back later. On the same date at 10:46 AM, I call AHS again and spoke with **. I again asked to speak with a Manager. ** informed me that my case was referred to a Manager and one would call me back within 4 hours. On the same date at about 1:12 PM today, I received a call from ** (AHS). ** listened to my complaint but told me that her hands were tied until she received documentation of the last service visit from the contractor.

I feel I have exhausted all means for relieve from AHS. My appliance has been nonfunctional since early April, 2015. The contractor has made at least 5 visits to my home. Each visit required that I make special provisions to meet the contractor. On occasions, AHS did not properly document my case as promised and has failed to return phone calls as promised to remedy my complaint. I pay a significant amount of money to maintain my contract with AHS and I have never missed a payment. I should not have to fight to receive a service that is guaranteed in my contract.

I was given an estimate for around $700 (Freon cost $80/lb) for my out of pocket to replace the coil. After I complained to corporate they sent out a second opinion contractor who looked at the system and, without performing any checks, offered to sell me a whole new AC. We asked him to leave but not before he demanded his $75 co-pay. AHS finally offered us a cash out. All of this in Florida heat! I immediately found a contractor who replaced my coil and put Freon in for less than a couple hundred dollars out of pocket.

My contractor showed me the coil he replaced. It had information on it that showed the date of manufacture to be the same as the original unit (15 years old). This is the one that was "replaced" by an AHS contractor a few years ago. You figure! Other issues with the AC involved the motor on the outside unit "screeching" so loudly (I have a video of it) all the time that we had to turn off the unit at night so our neighbors could sleep.

I was told by AHS that they cannot replace anything that had not completely failed. Within a week it failed and it was replaced. I asked the corporate person if her AC was doing this what would she do? She did not reply. On another occasion one of the hot water faucets was giving only a trickle when turned on full. The contractor said it was caused by sediment in the water heater and AHS will not cover it since I did not properly maintain it. I always drain the water heater properly once a year. I paid the contractor to clean the tank. After he tried the faucet again the problem was still there. It turned out that that the actual hot water line to the faucet was blocked. He still insisted that the water heater had caused the problem but I did not persist with AHS about it.

These are only a few of the problems I had with this company and I gave notice that I do not want my contract renewed when it expires in June. I was transferred to the retention department and spoke with the nicest person I spoke with at the company so far. Of course she was only trying to get me to stay but I did not relent.

On Friday night, the owner of the contract company called and said that he recommended an upgraded system, and that he could give me a good price. He wanted to know if I wanted to go along with that. I told him I needed more details, and that I wanted to hear from AHS first. On Monday morning, first thing in the morning he called again with a price and told me that it was a good price. He also told me that it would cost me $720 for Freon.

I told him that I was told that the unit only needed 8 lbs not 12 lbs. This made me very distrustful. Again I told him that I wanted to hear from the insurance co first. As of Tuesday afternoon he still had not contacted the insurance co. AHS contacted him and he told them that he was waiting on my decision before they contacted AHS. The AHS rep told him that I wanted the information sent to them BEFORE I made a decision.

Meanwhile it has been hot here and I feel that this contractor is not dealing with me fairly and honestly. I feel that he was trying to get me to circumvent the insurance so I just hire him to do the upgrade. I have called AHS about 4 times and told them this. The people on the phone just listen and "Yes Ma'am" me. They offer me NO feed back.

I called AHS again on Wednesday. I reached a man who finally actually talked to me. I told him my story and he found out that the contractor finally sent in his diagnosis and was authorized to replace the compressor and fill it with 8 lbs of Freon. I asked how much money was authorized for the job and he told me. I asked if I could get another contractor out since I was uncomfortable and did not trust the first guy. I was told that that would cost AHS money and that I could take a cash out. However I'm afraid that that would only cost me even more money since I have already gotten quotes for the repair at much higher cost that what AHS would probably give me as a cash out.

I feel that I made a big mistake getting this insurance. I feel that I am not being dealt with fairly and that for it to cost me the least amount of money, I have to use a contractor who I don't trust. Lastly, I have tried to contact the cash out department and can never get through. I was told that they would call ME but they never did.

Updated on 5/20/2015: Warning - Do not trust American Home Shield. I have a very bad experience with AHS. The AC broke down and they have found ways to deny the claim by saying the AC had wires that were disconnected. As an example, if your car engine is under warranty but the warranty complain denies your claim saying that the battery was disconnected. In my situation, AHS first claimed that the AC was not installed. The AC had been installed for years! Then later another rep said that was incorrect and that the AC could not be tested properly because the AC wires were unplugged. These are not legit reasons to deny a claim. If you want to sue AHS they will tell you that in your agreement you agree not to sue them and have to go through a company they selected to arbitrate a dispute. The company they selected will charge you at first $200 to file. AHS scheme is to have many obstacles in hope that the customer will eventually give up.

1. AHS will not honor their contract by interpreting their contract in ways to deny your claim. 2. AHS is very disorganized where when they deny your claim, different representatives will give you different reasons and will even tell you the previous reason was incorrect. In my case, AHS had changed 4 different reasons. 3. AHS avoids ways to be sued by requiring you to go through arbitration with a company they selected and this company will first charge you $200 to just file the dispute. Thus AHS set up this method to intentionally discourage any disputes.

My recommendation is to AVOID American Home Shield. When I first signed up they told me other warranty companies would give you the runaround if you make a claim which is exactly what AHS had done to me. They will make their warranty sound very easy and that they will repair whatever breaks. But I have found through direct experience that this is NOT the case. AHS will do everything they can to deny your claim and avoid their responsibility. I believe there were a few class action lawsuits against AHS for bad business practices. If you have a bad experience you can contact ** in hopes to slowly develop a class action lawsuit against AHS bad business practices.

On the other hand, American Home Shield ought to call customers and ask about the experience they've had with vendors/contractors. This one company that they use in my area is doing more harm to them than good!! Can you only imagine calling in AHS on Thursday evening in the winter to report a leaking water heater and then hearing from the vendor on Saturday morning just to say that they will not be in the area till the following Thursday? Like we can be a whole week without hot water!! LOL, Please AHS high execs, be on top of your customer service reps and vendors!!

Over a period of 3 days I repeatedly reported the non-cooling issue to AHS, on the last call the CSR told me a repeat visit was not need because the unit had been repaired. I argued the difference and sternly request a recheck of the non-cooling of my home during higher ambient temperatures. I also called and left a message with the vendor. The vendor made a return visit and corrected the problem with the unit. This repair took 4 trips by the vendor and numerous call to both to get corrected. This was the worst service related experience by far in my 30 plus years as a home owner.

Fast forward to this weekend when the hot water heater started leaking all over our garage. Luckily this happened within the 60-day window of the first service so we did not have to pay a repeat service fee to have the hot water heater looked at again. The service provider confirmed that the hot water heater needed to be replaced this time and AHS only covered a portion of replacing - we had to spend close to $500 out of pocket. While this was going on yesterday, I had to call AHS a few times and consistently had to wait for 30+ minutes to speak to someone live. Additionally, I was told twice that a supervisor would call me back and I'm still waiting on a phone call back. Now I want to cancel my policy and that is proving to be the most difficult! I hate posting in a public forum, however want to find out how I can reach someone at AHS who can actually help me. Please let me know.

Today I got a confirmation message stating that another tech call to set up another appointment. I have been without refrigeration since February 9. I have contacted GE Corporate and they offered a discount on a new refrigerator but could not assist with American Home Shield. I have lost loads of food, my electric bill has skyrocketed and have to intrude on my neighbors kindness to store insulin medication. I'm glad so many people have had success with this company but I haven't had much luck. It is very hard to live without refrigeration and I really don't see this ever getting resolved.

I had a stopped up water line, my kitchen sink was back up with water. I filed a claim. After waiting well over 20 hours the plumber still did not call me. He finally called, came by to look in the sink and confirmed with my son that the line was clogged but he refused clear the line. He took my money (another $75 and AHS took my premiums) but would not do any work. I called AHS to complain and asked to speak with a manager, which was last week; I'm still waiting for a call back. I found a friend with a snake and we unclogged the drain ourselves. Do yourself a favor and find another company, one that values their customers.

The first contractor they sent was horrible. I tried to call the guy and left him three messages and then when he called me back, I was at work and he said he could be at my house that morning. I was like, "Well, I'm already at work and I'm 45 miles away." And then I never heard from him again so we wound up getting somebody else. It took us like three and a half weeks to finally get it replaced. We were kind of mad about the way things were going with the first contractor. But then when we got our new contractor, everything was great. He diagnosed the problem and had everything switched out pretty quick.

Such a blatant disregard of customer's welfare with intentional neglect. Sorry but we just cancelled our contract with this company and will never return again. Prove me wrong on this: Call their enrollment/purchasing or payment department they will answer right away. Call their claims dept and you will be on hold for more than 30 minutes.

That is when the actual problem begin, I canceled my warranty on Feb 7 just one day after the 30 days trial period. They charge me administrative fee prorated cost of warranty and sent me letter saying that I will get my refund in 10 days. It is more than 90 days till date and I did not get my refund yet. Every time I call them they say different reason. One of the call rep told me that they did not have my address to issue my refund. One call rep said that they issued me a refund a month back. And she promised that she will cancel the refund check issued and re-issue a new check. And it's been over 2 months and I did not get my refund yet after they told me that they re-issued me a check. One call rep told me that they are doing a check search and came back to me after 24 hours and told me they can find my refund check. So be away from AHS. If you want to get into trouble then go for AHS. I wish I could give a negative star.

Fast forward 2 1/2 weeks of back and forth phone calls with AHS (horrible customer service representatives, with nasty attitudes) and still at square one. Sears is to repair a 15 year old washing machine that probably cost $900 new this afternoon (they received a budget of $800 dollars for the repair, yet I would only be given 720 towards a replacement).

Spoke with the "appliance discount program" department to see about putting it towards a new machine and it is not a discount at all. Their prices are determined by the manufacturer and are not a "discount" (10%, 20%, etc). A Maytag washing machine selling for $900 at all major retailers is $1050 through AHS "Discount Program".

I would not recommend this product if you haven't bought in already. You are better off saving yourself the headache and the money you would spend on this warranty. I was extremely displeased with the way I was spoken to by all of the AHS representatives during this encounter. No one has a straight answer and the departments that supposedly do have the answers do not speak to customers. And no, I do not want a case manager to contact me. You had close to a month to have management internally handle customers' concerns. Contacting after the fact because it is negatively reflected on a website does not constitute good customer service.

We ended up having to call a local plumber ourselves because AHS said they had to let the contractor do the job even though they admitted that they couldn't. Worse though, a few weeks later we got a 75 dollar bill from AHS for a service call. We went round and round with a couple different people and finally they told us we didn't owe the bill after all. Now, weeks later, we received another bill. This time past due. Now when we called they say we have to pay the bill because the vendor tried to come to our house. Even though he was 5 hours early without notice and never actually made it to our house. We are cancelling our account. I'm baffled that they actually want us to pay for no service! This company is awful.

The guys also were here on Monday as well because one of our toilets was leaking. They came here to fix something that's not a cut-and-dried issue. They had to look around to find out what the problem is. These guys were actually fine to stand there and listen to me - I'm disabled so sometimes my cognitive is way off and I'm not always able to express myself well, but these gentlemen were very courteous. They listened to what I had to say and they got right to it which was great.

The plumber arrived late Tuesday afternoon and noted that the water heater needed to be replaced but he could not do the work until the AHS estimator approved the repair. It's now Wednesday morning, day 5, without any type of hot water in my home and no approval from American Home Shield. I have made numerous calls to AHS and they state that they are following their policies in the warranty contract and there is "nothing they can do." The terrible customer service continues when I have requested to speak to a supervisor. No supervisor has taken my call or returned my request for updates. They took my premium and have provided nothing in return. I would have been better off without the warranty.

Then I explained that I spent $300 out of pocket for replacement due to first person I spoke to. Manager told me that I need send in the invoice to some physical address and no guarantee for reimbursement and takes several weeks for review. I asked for email so I can scan and email invoice. Manager told me no email available for this. At that point I had had it. Told manager I just want to cancel warranty. Was told someone would be back in touch with me with 48 hours. It has now been 72 hours and no contact from anyone. Find a different company... You will save yourself a LOT of frustration!

He stepped into the attic and looked at the hot water heater. He did not inspect the pipes, nor did he go into the second level attic to see if the pipes were leaking. He told me he did not get paid to go on the roof so he would not inspect the "stack". This is a three story townhouse. He told me I would need leak detection, which his company did not have. The only alternative was to have him come back with another man and spend 8 hours cutting holes in my wall to find the leak. He told me he was going to call AHS and tell them he did not find the leak and we needed someone with leak detection.

He also told me the area the leak was coming from was not sewage (as he opened the sewer cap and looked inside) and was contained to one wall so I should just have someone drill a hole on the outside of the foundation to let it drain out. This was very unprofessional. He told me someone from AHS would contact me. No one did.

I called AHS the next day and spoke with another customer service rep. I was told that ** Plumbing would be the next vendor to try. I have requested, several times a vendor that has leak detection. They could have come out earlier that ** plumbing but they were denied because they are not approved vendors. Another company I would like to use is a vendor; they have a vendor number, and have done work for AHS in the past.

Here is their email they sent me when I inquired about them as they were the only ones listed to do leak detection in our area: "we are already a vendor for American Home Shield. Our vendor number is 1037902, I don't know why they keep saying we are not one." On April 30th my mother that owns the property called AHS and was told that ** would have to be dispatched to repair the leak. The company we want to use was not approved and we could not use them to detect the leak.

On May 1st ** called me to schedule an appointment to find a "stoppage". I explained it was not a stoppage it was a leak and asked if they had leak detection. They told me their equipment was broken and they could not find the leak. The person I spoke with told me she would call AHS and tell them they could not fix the problem. On May 1st My mother, who owns the property called AHS and again explained that the companies AHS have dispatched cannot fix the problem. They told her once all the vendors were exhausted we could hire our own. It is now going on almost two weeks out and one of the girls in the house has a severe autoimmune deficient disease. The standing water on the slab needs to be fixed immediately. It is not a water leak, it is a drain leak. Turning off the water cannot fix this problem, plus the girls that live in this house are in college and this is extremely disruptive to their final schedule.

Today, May 5th I spoke with an AHS customer rep, who suddenly told me I was no longer allowed to speak with a supervisor about the issue. My mother had previously added my name as a contact on the account, however now I was not permitted to talk. Again another company, ** Plumbing was going to be dispatched. I called them while I was on hold with AHS. They DO NOT DO LEAK DETECTION!! I am trying to get approval to have our plumbing company, which states they are a vendor, to detect the leak. They have tried calling AHS to be approved, but have been told (even though they have a vendor number) that they are not authorized. Can someone please, please, please authorize them to come repair the leak? They can come tomorrow, May 6th. The issue is becoming an extreme health problem.

I called the water facility and was told that they pump at 80-120psi which is the standard for the city, and advised that 95psi was normal, not high. They also told me that 95psi could not cause faucets to leak, H/W valves to stick, or faucet handles to be loose. I then called another plumber to make the repairs. He advised that the slop sink was leaking because the washers needed to be replaced -- done and no more leaking faucet. He went upstairs and repaired the handle with a special tool he had. Next, he repaired the shower's H/W valve so it could now be regulated. He told me that the reason given by AHS, that 95psi pressure was high and caused these issues, is simply untrue, and the claim was wrongfully denied!

Second incident, I had a leak on a sink and requested service. They send me a plumber that wouldn't be able to give me a time when kids have to be picked up on a regular basis. The plumber would only work 11 AM - 3 PM. I asked if there is a day that they can come before 11 AM, and they said, "NO"...not ever. I asked for a different plumber and AHS won't assign a new one, citing that I have to be "flexible." I've had 3 service requests. 2 turned out bad. Only one incident, to clear a clogged pipe, that was actually done. HORRIBLE COMPANY!!! Don't buy this company or any other company. They won't fix anything but gladly take your money!! They will not fix your covered items just by citing "PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS" -- total lies.

Original Review: May 4, 2015

I have been trying since April 13 to do what AHS wants to complete - a claim for an outside vendor. I have jumped through their hoops, and have decided they want to wear you down so you will not pursue your claim any further. I cannot help that they do not have vendors that can work on my covered item. My experience with this company is less than stellar. Stay away from American Home Shield! ** in claims is horrible. ** has tried to help but unfortunately I am here due to frustration of this run around.

Do not get a home warranty through this company. They will waste your time, use any reason necessary not to cover your items (check your “Additional Limitations and Exclusions” section carefully because they will use all of them. Also note, they had to have an “Additional” section because the first “Limitations and Exclusions” section was not big enough) and never attempt to resolve a problem.

Here are the details of my experience: In early April 2015, I called in a service request that my air conditioner was not cooling properly. They said they would have their top service company come out and repair the issue. I scheduled an appointment two days later from 9-12. They called at 11:55 saying they will be here at 12:20. At 1:45 I called them to ask if they were still coming – they said they would be here at 2:10. They show up at 2:30. I told them the problem and 20 minutes later they said they fixed it and were done. I went upstairs to check, and they did nothing but clutter my attic with trash, the unit still did not work properly. I asked them to fix it and they said they couldn't. They left shortly after.

I called back 3 times over the course of 2 hours to get another contractor out to my house to fix the problem. The next guy showed up on time, but again left within 30 minutes. He said he would report the problem and have someone else to come out and fix the problem!? I asked about his diagnosis and he said that American Home Shield would tell me, but he would not. I called in the next day to American Home Shield and his diagnosis was completely incorrect. He did not report air leaks, and that was the only thing I knew that was wrong with the system. He also reported numerous extra problems that were not there to make extra money. I took pictures of these issues and had to send them into another contractor to verify this.

Three days later a 3rd contractor came out and came to a completely different diagnosis than the second contractor. His diagnosis was covered under my contract with American Home Shield, but American Home Shield would not cover it because they claimed it fell under the limitations and exclusions section of my contract. It took me 4 separate calls to get this information, with one of the first 2 saying they would send another contractor out to my house. One of the remaining two wanted to call back the technician and get more information. Read your contract carefully, because if there is any chance they can claim it under “Limitations and Exclusions” they will. It has been 3 weeks since my initial call, I have wasted nearly a day of my life, my air conditioner still does not work and I am trying to figure out what American Home Shield actually covers.

I also had another person at the Memphis corporate office 901-597-8000 tell me, "We are not fixing it, you have been contacted within the policy of the company." I said "I had spoken also to a **." And she said "There is no **... I asked for Mark Berry - the president of the company and she said "Oh he quit and no longer works here". What this company does is they want you to wait until they decide to fix your appliance, heater, etc. so you fix it on your own, so they do not have to pay for a new one or the repair.

When you call, you are on hold for at least 10 minutes and the customer service people are rude and not helpful. The corporate office states that it is up to "their discretion on what items are priority items". I asked ** if she would wait 5 days to take a hot shower and her response was, "Of course it is not a life or death situation. I would take a cold shower for week". I have read on the internet bad reviews on American Home Shield because they do not honor what they state in their contracts. They take your money and do not provide the warranty service...

Updated on 5/13/2015: AHS assigned Cool Pools for warranty of our pool pump. After being difficult to reach and get to our home, a refurbished pump motor was installed and we now have a leak that wasn't previously there. The pump is against minimum requirements for Private Swimming Pools and Spas per Kern County Code of Building Regulations. "Pump sizing and flow rate including system piping shall comply with the requirements of CEC Sec. 150 (P)." California Energy Code states, "Pump motors used for filtration with a capacity of 1 hp or more shall be multispeed." Cool Pools also removed our timer without authorization. Contact by an AHS case manager was offered as a response on this website, however no one ever called.

When calling AHS direct, I was told I could not speak to a manager. According to the rep at AHS, Cool Pools said the pump is actually variable speed and we need to scratch out the information on the casing that says it is not. I had another company come out and verify that the pump is single speed and against code. I also have a picture and email from the manufacturer stating that the pump is single speed. AHS has been unresponsive and unwilling to resolve. We have spent over $1,000 towards warranty coverage and $125 for a deductible. We still do not have a pump that meets code.

Original Review: May 1, 2015

My dad has the 3x3 combo plan. His garage door spring broke and he called American Home Shield to have it repaired. He was told it was not covered. So on 4/30/15 I called American Home Shield and spoke with a representative after we had submitted the claim for repairs. I asked the representative twice if the Garage BROKEN SPRING was covered and TWICE she assured me it was covered. So since I was told it was covered I called the dispatcher and confirmed the contractor to go to my dad's house on 5/1/15 between 11am -1pm. The dispatcher shows up at my dad's house at 10:30AM. (All time is Central Time). The dispatcher calls American Home Shield to confirm coverage, what is he told? That NO, that the broken spring is not covered. So my dad had to pay his deductible for nothing.

I called back American Home Shield and spoke with representative ** to complain. I asked them to have a supervisor pull up the conversation between myself and their representative dated 4/30/15 at 1:52pm where I was told TWICE that the garage door broken spring was covered. I was told the supervisor had 24 hours to call me back after they review the conversation. So I am waiting, hoping they honor their word. I will keep you all updated once this situation has been resolved. Thank you!

The contractor has sent out 3 different technicians a total of 4 times (meaning 4x5 hour block windows I had to set aside) and each time the tech said "no problem, just need to order the part and I'll be back in a few days". Not once have they come back. Not once did they call me to say "oh, guess the part is not available" or anything like that. Not once did they say "hey, it's been 3+ months maybe we should look into why this claim isn't closed", and that goes for AHS as well! To be fair, every single one of the tech were friendly and seemed competent. But whatever inventory and follow up process this contractor is using (or likely NOT using) has been a complete failure.

After calling to find out what was taking so long for this part... or more importantly the follow up to let me know what was going on, I was told that the estimated date of the part availability was changed automatically by the supplier they go through. So evidently, they would just sit for years and let this automated system just go through and change the estimated date a few days in the future without ever actually having the part and the contractor would not bother to figure out a workaround. And worse, AHS seems to think it's OK that the claim hasn't been closed and has been just as bad as the contractor as far as keep me in the loop on what was going on... or more accurately what they weren't doing still.

There is no way this should take 3.5 months (so far) and not have any real and definite date on when this will be completely. We have already gone through two major holidays without the use of our burners when we definitely needed them. Not to mention the inconvenience every other regular day that it would be nice to be able to cook with. My stove isn't so old that they would have to find an antique dealer to find the parts. I actually wouldn't be surprised if they weren't on Amazon... though I'm afraid to look as finding them there would likely send me in a terrible rage lol. The service center employees are friendly and try to be helpful. The contractors tech are friendly and seem to know what they are doing, but in the end, if they can't finish a job and then completely drop the ball when it comes time to follow up and do what is needed to actually finish the job then what use is having AHS?

I have tried to contact them for a week. No one can get me a supervisor. They all say a supervisor will "contact me in 24-48 hrs." It has been a week of daily phone calls on my end and still no supervisor call. HORRIBLE customer service. They obviously don't care about the customer and apparently no supervisors EVER WORK THERE or maybe they have no phones. I am calling the Better Business Bureau, my local news channel, and my attorney. I am paying for a service they are not providing and have paid for a new unit already in the 10 years I have been with this company. If this is how they treat a loyal customer of 10 years, imagine a new customer. RUN AWAY from this HORRIBLE company!

Original Review: April 30, 2015

Following a power outage on April 22nd my Whirlpool electric oven stopped working. I called American Home Shield immediately and for a $75.00 fee on April 23rd they sent a contractor to look at it. He verified that my oven doesn't start anymore and he said: "This oven is dead." He also informed me that the oven was at least 20 years old - which I didn't know and couldn't tell, since I purchased the house where I live in last July, and the oven was already there. A week later I called the contractor company to ask for a status update and they said that the part needed to fix the oven is no longer in production.

I then called American Home Shield asking what would happen next and rather than replacing the appliance with a new one, they insisted that they want to try to repair the unit by rebuilding it using I don't know which replacement part at this point and that it will take 4 to 5 WEEKS to get the oven rebuilt!!! The other option they are offering me is to take the money they would spend for the repair ($229.00) and use it as a credit towards the purchase of a new oven. After talking to 3 different American Home Shield representatives, but never to a manager they won't transfer my call to one - I find this situation extremely unfair.

First of all, I have safety concerns. I need American Home Shield to replace the appliance rather than attempting to rebuild it because, after learning that my oven is at least 20 years old and calling Whirlpool myself, for safety reasons I've been discouraged to attempt to have it repaired without its original part, or to have it repaired period. It's 20 years old, it did its job and now it died. We are talking about a built in oven which is underneath a gas stove so I am nervous that a repair or a quick fix on such an old appliance and without its original part available - could lead to something more serious. I don't want to end up with my kitchen blowing up or catching on fire, because this old patched-up oven could short out under the gas stove.

Also, it is unacceptable that I will have to wait for over a month to have a working oven back. The oven is an essential appliance of the house. It is used on a daily basis, especially in my case since I am a stay at home mom with 2 kids. I only have one oven and I've already been without it for over a week, so it's unheard of that I will still need to wait 4 to 5 weeks to be able to use it again. It is simply unfair to inconvenience a family in such a way, when in a matter of one day American Home Shield could have a new oven delivered to my house.

Last but not least, I find American Home Shields offer of accepting a $229.00 credit towards the purchase of a new oven at my own expenses a joke. If I had the money to buy a new oven I would have purchased it already, rather than staying without one for this long. I have American Home Shield for a reason! And that reason is to cover the appliances in my house that are not working anymore, so that I don't have to buy a new one. However, unfortunately, I realized that American Home Shield is not here to help its customers. Instead, it will inconvenience them even more and try to screw them. I will not renew my policy with them and I am filing a claim against them with the Better Business Bureau.

He then sat in his van for 45 mins to an hour outside our house before ringing the doorbell saying he would like to check the attic to see if we might want to/should have the whole system replaced. He was up there for maybe 5 minutes and then went back to his van for maybe 10 more minutes and finally left. NOW for whatever reason AHS refuses to replace the unit or fix it. They claim that the unit never worked when we bought the warranty, but we've been using it for the last 2 years and most recently all of March and April as our power bill shows. I understand that they wanna cheap shot it and merely replace the compressor, but to not fix the problem and then make outrageous claims about the unit's past condition is beyond absurd. You won't be taking any more of our money but believe me, everyone I know will know not to do business with this company. If I could, I wouldn't even give you a single star.

When the plumbers showed up, they didn't even touch anything, they promptly called AHS and it was determined that the repair wasn't going to be covered, but guess what, I'm still out the $75, exactly what I was trying to avoid by checking with a rep before they sent someone out. We have had a similar problem before when they sent out the WRONG type of service provider... Still out the $75 then too, just twice (once for the wrong one and once for the right). I cannot and will not recommend them to anyone and you can bet that I am not renewing my contract when it expires.

A call to AHS complaining about this lack of response was met with resistance when I asked to make a complaint! I asked to change providers and AHS said I would have to wait longer (longer than four days from my request for service for NO HOT WATER???). I had to call Bear Plumbing TWICE just to get them to commit to a time -- and then they changed without telling us!! I am thoroughly furious with the plumbing company. AHS has gone way DOWN. IT'S A RIP-OFF!!! They are doing whatever they can to get out of covering our broken appliances. Isn't that what we've been paying for? We didn't break our washing machine. We deserve better response and coverage on our water heater. Their repair people do not inspire confidence!

I call local company to get info. They say call AHS. AHS says "Why'd they say that?" LIKE I WOULD KNOW!!! I call local and they say they must not understand. (At this point I am believing they may not want to stand behind the "WARRANTY" because the system doesn't work. EXACTLY WHY I WOULD PURCHASE A WARRANTY.) Day 15 - local contractor calls me and tells me they have been authorized to do $1,900 worth of work to "upgrade" my system because the HVAC was old. (A replacement system would go for around $8K - $12K). Local contractor is now telling me I need to call AHS again. TO BE CONTINUED...

I called again today, over 2 weeks since the tech was out. I was told the part is no longer made but it could be rebuilt which would take 6 to 8 weeks. That means the tech would come, take the current thermostat and 6 to 8 weeks later come back with it rebuilt. This also means that I can not use the oven at all for this period of time. AHS did offer me $240 toward buying a new range instead. This is completely unacceptable. I have to be able to use my oven. Dinner is made in the oven at least 4 times a week. We are having 30 people over for Mother's Day and I won't have an oven to use? AHS will not offer me any other resolution. Having this warranty is a complete waste of money. I will be canceling my warranty ASAP.

They do not call you back, some of them, not all, are downright unfriendly, and the follow up is horrible. And, they will not put a supervisor on the line, period. You have absolutely no recourse but to keep calling. AHS you should be ashamed!

On 4/23/15 the contractor came out and checked our HVAC system. His diagnosis was that we needed to replace the condenser, but he said given the age of the system he recommended we replace the whole system. He told me he could either tell the warranty company that the condenser needed replacing OR he could tell them I needed to replace the system. If I went with the latter, I would at least get $3,000 from the warranty company to put towards a new system. I asked the contractor for a written quote so I could consider my options.

On 4/24/15 I followed up with the contractor again requesting a written quote for the two systems we had discussed. The contractor replied with the following, "Upgrade to Trane xr14 complete heat pump system. Customer balance 8400.00 after all credits, rebates, discounts." I asked for a detailed quote including labor, the equipment cost, and anticipated rebates, credits, and/or discounts and was told that their systems were flat rate and the quote was better than most. I was still not provided with anything other than a verbal quote for the second system (7500). Both quotes "included" a $3,000 credit from the warranty company.

On 4/25/15 I contacted the warranty company and explained that I was having a hard time getting detailed quotes from the contractor and asked if they could put me in touch with someone else within their network as I had some concerns. I was informed that I could not work with anyone else until the contractor provided a diagnosis. I asked if they had an in-network provider list that I could use and I was told that under no circumstances could they share that information with me until the first contractor got back to me. I was beyond shocked that the warranty company would not let me work with anyone else especially when I clearly stated that I had some concerns about the business practices of the first contractor. Nice to know they stand by their contractors, not their customers.

On 4/27/15 I had a different contractor come out to look at the system. He provided a much clearer diagnosis of the problem and provided a detailed quote for replacing the whole system. His quote came in $800 lower than the quote that included the "$3000 home warranty buyout"! The same day the first contractor asked me how I wanted to proceed. I asked him to provide the warranty company with his diagnosis. He asked if I wanted him to repair the unit, replace the unit through him, or replace the unit through someone else. I explained that we would work with someone else. He said he would take care of it. It's the end of the day 4/28/15 and my service request is still on hold. The warranty company said they have not heard from him and he has 24 hours to respond. If he keeps dragging his feet THEN they'll put me in touch with another in network provider and I would get to start the whole process over again.

I am extremely disappointed in how difficult it has been to get the warranty company to provide me with a contractor I can trust. Apparently I have only one option - go with their guy or get absolutely nothing from the home warranty. We have an actual problem here and their contractor is not filling out his paperwork and seems to be engaging in some dishonest business with AHS's customers. As a result we will have to address the solution and pay for everything out of pocket.

I thought the home warranty would provide us with peace of mind during this first year in the home. Instead I now have to continue to deal with a contractor with whom I am not comfortable doing business and I have to make multiple follow up phone calls to get AHS customer service to try to move this along. I now regret purchasing it and would advise others against wasting their money on a policy. I will have the new contractor document everything they find as they work on our heat pump and hopefully that will help as I follow up with the warranty company.

AHS called and confirmed that there was no electric fire and that the motor was bad. AHS told me that it was a high estimate and that I needed to use their original contractor to do the repair or they are not going to pay for it. Like anyone would have Affordable Appliance come back out to do the repairs after their bogus estimate. So now I am out the repair costs, the original service charge and my monthly charge. Never get AHS, it is not worth the hassle.

We immediately called back American Home Shield to complain. They said they knew nothing about any waiver and had nothing to do it. They apologized. We expressed again, that we NEEDED a working refrigerator ASAP as our son is diabetic and his insulin needs to be kept cold. They set up ANOTHER appointment for 7 DAYS LATER- with another repair company affiliated with Sears appliances. That was two weeks ago! My son's insulin is still sitting in an ice bucket on our back patio. The stress is incredible! The repair guy from Sears finally showed up last Friday. He was nice and seemed to know what he was talking about. He said he could repair our refrigerator, but he did not have the part. The part needed to be special ordered! He said the part would be special ordered and delivered directly to our home and he'd be back this next Friday to fix our refrigerator.

Today is Monday. No new part and our refrigerator is still broken! And, my son's insulin is still sitting in a ice bucket in our backyard! American Home Shield's answer to our crisis today- is their "NEW generous offer" to reimburse us, if we buy a small $100 beverage type of refrigerator for our garage! They'll pay us up to $100 for a small refrigerator and all we have to do is send them the invoice! (Wow! How generous! NOT!) Fact- For three weeks this rip off insurance company has given us the run around and made us suffer with no working refrigerator! And, their answer today is to replace our standard sized refrigerator with a small beverage sized $100 refrigerator to sit in our garage?!? This is totally unacceptable!

On the scheduled day of service, the contractor informed me that he could not assess my A/C unit as he is not licensed to enter the roof. I thus paid a $75 service fee as required by American Home Shield and contacted American Home Shield for another contractor to come out and assess the issue. American Home Shield called three companies before it found one that was licensed to enter the roof. This company was AirSolutions USA, Inc. based in Woodstock, Georgia. I scheduled an appointment with AirSolutions USA.

A technician from AirSolutions USA came out to assess the problem on a Thursday. The technician informed me that a part needed to be ordered and they would call once the part was received. I heard nothing on Friday. I called AirSolutions USA all day Monday, leaving messages - no one answered the phone and no one returned my calls. I attempted to contact AirSolutions again on Tuesday morning to no avail. I finally contacted American Home Shield Warranty who was able to get a hold of AirSolutions and scheduled an appointment for Friday, as the part had since been received.

I took the day off Friday and when the noted time frame had elapsed for when AirSolutions was to arrive, I contacted the company to learn that the company had ordered the wrong part. At this point, I have been without A/C in Atlanta on the 5th floor of a condo complex for two weeks. I contacted American Home Shield Warranty and was informed that no other contractor with American Home Shield was licensed to enter the roof and thus, the representative recommended that I do a cash out option; that is, American Home Shield pays me what it estimates the cost to repair the A/C will be and American Home Shield Warranty will write me a check for that amount so that I may contract with an independent contractor to fix the issue.

I thought this was great. I was informed I should receive a response on the cash back option within 48 hours. 48 hours elapsed with no word from American Home Shield Warranty. I contacted American Home Shield Warranty inquiring into the status of the cash back option. I was informed that no decision could be made because AirSolutions USA refused to contact American Home Shield Warranty with the exact issue. Now I am over two weeks without A/C and thus asked to have the issue escalated.

The issue was escalated per American Home Shield Warranty protocol. I was then contacted by the owner of AirSolutions, John, who stated he would come to assess the issue on Wednesday. To no surprise of mine, AirSolutions contacted me Wednesday evening to inform me it would not be out to asses the issue. We rescheduled for Saturday. After initiating contact with AirSolutions USA on Saturday, John informed me that he would not be out to assess the issue, but could reschedule for Monday. I informed John that our working relationship had been terminated due to poor customer service and lack of reliability.

I immediately contacted American Home Shield Warranty who informed me that another contractor would be contacting me to schedule an appointment. Mind you, I have been without A/C for over three weeks and I was previously informed that AirSolutions USA was the only contractor with American Home Shield who was licensed to enter roofs. Now, I am informed the opposite! After much resistant, I was finally able to speak to a manager; I wanted my repair request expedited. I was informed that I could not expedite the request even though I have been without A/C for 3 weeks in Atlanta. Also, during this time, I incurred an ant infestation because the windows and doors had to be open to cool my home.

I am highly disappointed in American Shield Home Warranty. I have been over three weeks without A/C and there is still no resolution in site. I have yet to be compensated for any inconvenience I have encountered. American Home Shield Warranty has shown a complete lack of interest in my needs and concerns. I will NEVER purchase a home warranty through American Home Shield because of this incident and I recommend others do not as well. American Home Shield should monitor and censor their contractors. AirSolutions USA has negative reviews on every social media site and all reviews pertain to the same type of situation that I experienced. If American Home Shield Warranty truly cared about its customers, it would terminate the contract with AirSolutions USA and only contract with contractors who were reliable and provide customer service.

Later, I called AHS because I felt I had been "scammed". I was actually told that I may have been "taken advantage of" because I was a single female. I also found out that the plumber had lied and said my pipes had burst due to freezing weather. It was 56 degrees and the damage was inside not outside. They fixed the problem but nothing was replaced. If I had a pipe burst due to freezing conditions, then there would have been an obvious crack or break in the pipe.

The representative said she (**) would call me back after researching the problem but never did. I placed 5 calls afterwards but no one has called back. My question is....Is it normal practice to employ a company that takes advantage of extreme situations? I am so disappointed and afraid to have other companies come into my home. What will the next contractor do? Rob me?