American Home Shield Reviews

After going through AHS, he agreed to come back out, but he never showed up! AHS transferred the ticket to Sears. The first tech had to order parts again, while the second tech couldn't complete the job because he said the first tech should have known to order special screws.

Today, February 21, the 3rd tech from Sears came to install the screws only to find out that the 2nd tech only ordered 1 of 4 screws. I just spoke with Brandy, a supervisor with AHS, and she said human errors occur! Last week, AHS sent me a debit card to use for my next service call, go figure!

These two companies are the worst, most disreputable, unscrupulous, inept and incompetent businesses that I have ever encountered. They should not be allowed to do business, period. Now, I will become engaged in World War III over this charge, which the inspector said was bogus and that there was no reason, whatsoever, for for them to assess any charges. When I began the coverage with AHS, they said that there was a monthly fee, and that I would pay a service charge.

Never, never, never never, never, never use American Home Shield or their contractors. They are predators of the worst kind. Is it apparent that I am infuriated?

The next day, I receive a call from AHS saying that they will not pay for anything because it was my mistake to overload the washer. I said that I did not overload the washer and they said that this was what the technician told them. He didn't mention anything about overloading to me the day before and when I called his company, they were very rude and said that he doesn't have to communicate with me.

I will file reports about both these companies, AHS and Factory Service Appliance Repair. Something is definitely wrong here. They seem to work together in ripping people off! It looks like AHS's company policy is to not allow anything major to be fixed.

And in addition to it all, I am a real estate broker in two states and have sold 100's of your worthless warranties (which is of no personal benefit to me). As of yesterday, I removed all mention of your product from my website. I have also called all clients that are closing on their homes this month that neither I nor the seller was going to pay for an AHS warranty and revealed to them that I cannot in good conscience ever promote your product again.

Because of AHS sending an incompetent contractor to my home to repair an active leak under my home, he ,in fact, did not repair it, but we didn't know that until weeks later. I am now faced with moisture damage, standing water under my home and as I type for you, I have no water because we were forced to shut it off only turning it on to bath, and use the bathroom.

I will make it a priority to warn everyone I can, by email, internet or any other means what kind of business you actually run. I have a meeting tomorrow morning. I will be speaking and this will be one of my subjects. As a senior broker, I will warn all of my colleagues about promoting your product as well. At the end of the day, as a business you will be exposed for who you really are.

Their technician came and did not do nothing, and they charged me $60 and wanted the gas on to do diagnosis. I informed them it can't be connected due to fire hazard as the heater was bad and they have to shut it off. Also, I complained a lot to them, and I suggested if they insist to reconnect the gas, they have to be fully responsible for any accident that can happen. This is based on the gas company recommendation.

This company has violated and breached their contract agreement. It's an untrusted company, and unfortunately, I discovered a lot of bad reviews on them and directed to your site, hoping we can protect other people from misleading contracts and bad faith promises.

Due to the delay in getting things done it also cost us an additional $175 in wasted utilities. Next, we called because our stove top was not working. They said they would have someone out to look at it. No one ever came out or called. We ended up fixing it ourselves. Last of all we called them about another plumbing problem with a clogged drain. They sent out the same plumbing company. AHS said that clogs are covered; however, this clog is in the wall and so that was not covered. So all in all, they covered nothing, gave us the run-a-round and ended up costing us a lot of extra money. This company is a scam.

I called AHS and explained what happened. She just wanted to call Sears and reschedule the repair. I live in a rural community that is 93 miles from where the repair tech comes from. I told her I did not want to take more time off work and I asked for an outside authorization so I could get my washer repaired by someone here in my town (which I have done before) and I was told that because Sears is available to repair my machine, I could not have an outside authorization.

I am not happy at all that I took time away from my job with no pay so I could sit at home and wait for someone who not only did not show up, but no one from Sears even called me to tell me that they could not fix it today. I am also not happy that AHS was not more accommodating to me (the customer) so I would not have to take more time off work on another day. I would have to wait another week to get my washer fixed because Sears only comes to my town on Mondays. I requested a phone number for their discontinue department so I can discontinue my account with them. If they are not willing to accommodate their customers, I don't need their insurance.

When I got home about 8:00 PM, my spare bedroom carpet that butts up to the garage wall, was soaked! The water had even gone into the next bedroom. I immediately called AHS, and they told me I still had to wait for the plumber, who was scheduled to come on Tuesday, between 4:00 and 6:00, and that they were very sorry, but AHS does not cover secondary damage anyway! I would not have had any other damage, had a plumber arrived on Monday morning! Needless to say, I called a different plumber who came out immediately on Tuesday morning, and replaced the heater, and told me what I should have done to avoid the leak into my bedroom.

I have now spent $1,400 for a new water heater, and $1,500 to dry the carpet, etc., in 2 bedrooms. AHS couldn't have cared less. They told me they handled my problem as an emergency, and that they only had to have a plumber out within 24 business hours to be within the guidelines of the contract. Of course, I am cancelling my contract, as soon as I can talk to a representative. Good luck getting through on the phone. I had been warned about this company and failed to follow my friend's advice. Do not use this company. They do not care about the customer, and their contract is totally one-sided. I wish I had read these complaints before signing up again with this company.

Their choice was they would give me the cost of the part $113.00 to buy a new machine or they could try fixing it again. I had to put new carpeting in my home because of the two floodings. I do not feel confident that the problem is going to be resolved. This is nothing new with AHS. Every time you call to see if something is covered, the answer is always no. This company needs to be investigated for business ethics. They are a disgrace!

My first call to AHS was on 9/11 for my refrigerator/freezer (I have a size by size). It was not staying cold. I called to request service for my refrigerator/freezer that was not freezing or staying cold. You have a 48-hour window for the contractor to call you to setup an appointment. Well, I always have to call AHS back to get the contractor to come out. AHS would have to call them to see when they would be available. AHS would come back with an appointment within a week or a week and half before anyone would be available. I would say you only have one company that service the District of Columbia area. I have not had any cold food in my refrigerator since 9/11. Thank God for winter because I have been putting my food outside to keep cold; this is inaccessible.

AHS is very disingenuous. When I initially called for a repairman they send out the same personality tech but different company. Before the tech left he would be told that refrigerator is not working; that did not matter and he left anyway. AHS customer service employees are programmed to say “I am sorry.” Whenever you spoke with a lead person you get the same attitude, “I am sorry.” You get tired of hearing “I am sorry” when you know they are lying. I could go on the unacceptable service I have received from AHS but this complaint would turn into a book. But I have given you enough to never use their services. Someone needs to make them go out of business because they are taking undeserved money from honesty people.

Just a note: The persons I have spoken with were less concerned if my refrigerator/freezer got fixed. I would suggest that you never contract with AHS!

Ha, that's a joke! The original plumbing company has yet to contact us, and neither has AHS! This has been two weeks going on three weeks now. AHS did, however, call to offer us $90.00 to fix our ceiling! They stated that they could not find a contractor to come and fix it. I told them no, that the plumbing issue had not been fixed, and that they needed to continue to look for someone. What makes me think that I can patch my own ceiling with $90.00 if they can’t find a contractor to do it for that price? Hence, I sit here with no shower; thank goodness we have a second one to use! Calls to American Home Shield get me nowhere. And calls to the original plumbing company Perfect Plumbing have not been returned. Contacting the first company that came out and identified the issue and most likely will have to pay out of pocket, which is sure that's what they want at this point.

The company informed me they would not call or speak to AHS as they were not allowed to. I called AHS at noon and informed them that I had found a company that was willing to come to my aid, but the company would not contact AHS. AHS told me they would not be able to reimburse me for this service since the agent of my company would not speak to them. AHS was unable to provide me either reimbursement for the service nor provide me with a refund of my insurance premiums. They failed to provide the advertised service, which was to get my heater repaired. They also failed to provide a refund.

The final conclusion is that they don't cover the access. After several weeks of hearing nothing, no call back from the plumber. Not to mention, I was denied the use of another company despite the fact that I have complained in the past about the Aaron Plumbing. Never hire this guy unless you just want him to mop up a water link. He provides inadequate services, slow to response and totally unreliable.

I don't feel AHS fulfilled their contractual obligations. I believe that in the beginning of contract all is well and good work. Once you renew your contract or a job cost extends a threshold, you will have problems having the repair done. I believe this amount is the based on the amount you pay for the warranty. I am disappointed and they were not willing to correctly rectify the issue but I was expected to only accept what they were willing to give me. No true customer service or accommodation, not to mention the surveys they email you regarding the contractor. They are aware of the poor quality of the contractor but continue to force them on you. Finally, the issue with available contractors with living in a city as large as Chicago. Not having more then one contractor option is ludicrous.

I had to hire another plumber to get the work done. AHS only offered cash out of $300 after I have the work done and send them a bill. By the way, the $300 is what Aaron Plumbing would have charged minus his initial charge for accessing the problem and the service fee (deductible) that I would have paid if he did the work. Bear in mind Arron Plumbing never contacted me once. He made the initial visit over three weeks prior. I never heard back from him once he told me he would call and setup a time to complete the work. I never heard back from him or AHS.

In early fall we discovered that one of the heat pumps wasn't providing heat. We called AHS. An HVAC technician was dispatched and arrived in good time. He quickly identified the problem, told us he would order the part, and that his office would call to schedule installation. We waited a week without hearing and called AHS to find out what was going on. AHS called us back and said the contractor would call us to schedule the repair. Two more days passed and we called the contractor directly.

The contractor told us the technician was no longer with the company and they'd send another technician out as soon as possible. Two days later, two technicians showed up--but without the part that was supposed to be installed. They spent a long time up on the roof with the unit and subsequently advised us that a part was missing from the unit. We subsequently received a call from AHS denying the repair since it was contractually excluded. The AHS contract did contain a provision excluding repairs when there was a missing part. Since the AC worked and heat is only needed occasionally in our climate, we decided to postpone a decision to replace the unit.

The next spring we were surprised to discover that the AC on the same unit was not working. Since the AC had worked perfectly the previous summer, we called AHS to have it checked out. The technician who was dispatched by AHS turned out to be the same technician who had worked on the AC the prior summer. After inspecting the unit he told us that he couldn't get the AC to work because a part was missing from the unit. We asked how that could be possible since the AC worked perfectly the prior summer. The technician said it was very suspicious since he would have noticed a missing part before. He suggested we file a complaint with AHS.

Full circle. Now we had a unit that suddenly had a missing part and wouldn't provide either heat or AC. We filed a complaint with AHS, alleging fraud. The missing part clearly had been removed, either by the technician who mysteriously left the company or by the two subsequent technicians, so that AHS could deny the repair. But we had no concrete proof since neither of us had climbed up on the roof to personally supervise the technicians. AHS advised that we look to the contractor for any remedy.

Since our AHS contract was due to expire, we did not renew. However, before we purchased a new unit, we wanted a second opinion. We asked our handyman if he knew anyone reliable who could take a look at the unit. He did. The guy came, diagnosed the AC problem, ordered and installed an inexpensive part, and recharged the freon. Voila! AC for a total cost of $100. Unfortunately, since the AC and heat functions are separate, our heat still doesn't work, and the missing part is no longer available because of the age of the unit. We now have to replace the entire unit if we want heat.

We called AHS back requesting a Wednesday service call. The Wednesday appointment was set for a 3 to 6 pm window. No call, no show until we received a call later that night at 8:30 pm from the contractor saying they would be at our home in 30 minutes. We were not home, so he had to reschedule for Thursday morning (9 to 11). Contractor came around 10:30 am on Thursday, assessed the water heater, and contacted AHS.

AHS would not replace the water heater because it had been disconnected and the contractor could not tell the reason for leak. I guess we needed to let all of the water just leak into the house until the 50 gallons was gone as long as the water heater stayed connected. The contractor said he could replace it if we liked, but it would cost us $1250. AHS has lost all integrity in our opinion. We have been loyal customers for years, but the last five years dealing with them have been horrible. Their customer satisfaction and appreciation has deteriorated greatly. Our $600 annual premium may only be a very small drop in their bucket, but we can at least give that to a company that has integrity and one we can trust. For a company that once was so great to be associated with, AHS is a tremendous disappointment.

When I called today, I was told that they had only two companies on record that service the area: one from Shelby (Sears, has deplorable service) could come out on January 4th and the other from Gastonia could come out on January 3. This was unsatisfactory to me, therefore, I asked them if they would call a local company that had serviced my washer a year ago but was told that the company was no longer on their list but since they could not get a service person to come out within the 48 hours as stated in their policy manual. I could request service from this company and pay them upfront and get reimbursed.

AHS is very disingenuous. When I initially called for a plumber, I requested my local plumber who was not on their contract list, however, they permitted me to give them his name and telephone number and they sent him out. Now, I am told I cannot do that and it has never been permitted. I have always had good service from the technicians because I only use my regular techs that I suggest to them. The one time that AHS sent out their tech, Sears, the service person arrived late, sat in the car after he arrived talking on his phone and was not able to service my stove on the spot. Had to come back several days later. When my service terminates in September 2012, I am not renewing.

Just a note. The person with whom I spoke with, initials PAM, could not have cared less if my refrigerator was leaking water on my hardwood floors and my food would ruin in seven days. I would suggest that you never contract with AHS!

The service company that came out did not have any knowledge of how the system is supposed to operate or how to repair. After notification of the service order submitted to AHS they tried to called other companies. Before accepting the appointments we called the companies and asked if they were familiar with the system.We found out that none of the companies technical representatives had no experience or knowledge of working with the system. It has taken several weeks of waiting and trying to get some results from AHS and no communication.

We decided to contact them and we were giving the run around from one department to another and no one could make any decision on what was going to take place. Finally, we contacted them again and we were told that they would pay us $1,500.00 toward the replacement of installing a new unit. The company we contacted ourselves, had an estimate submitted to us and the unit cost to replace is $3,875.00. I am not pleased with the results and expressed to the customer service person (Rae). This person had no other option to try and resolve the matter with a higher amount towards the cost of a replacement because they could repair.

Every contract holder is provided a copy of their policy and renewal information. If you are on an automatic payment/renewal option, it is the homeowner's responsibility to call about upcoming renewal. Letters by law are sent out prior to renewal of prices changes for premium and services fees, however, most homeowners do not bother to read this information only to later be stunned when they learn of a price increase. That is not the fault of the warranty company but a result of homeowner's laziness. Also, most homeowners do not realize they are responsible for routine maintenance too as part of their obligation of the contract. Non-emergency Service is provided in what is determined to be reasonable by the warranty company and typically within 2 business days (Monday-Friday) during the contractor's normal business hours (8-5).

Emergency service is provided within 24 hours. Emergency service however is typically confused of that of a health care setting which is not the same. Customers also tend to assume the warranty company is responsible for providing emergency generators, heaters, window, a/c units, cash, food, medicines, hotel stay or lost income. These are secondary losses which are the homeowner's responsibility and not liable by the warranty company as the warranty company did not cause the mechanical failure and only are responsible for cost for covered repairs. Also, homeowners get upset that an item fails at some point in the future. That is the entire point of having a warranty service. You can repair anything but it does not guarantee that it will not break down again in the future. Wear and tear continues even with new parts.

Most contracts include a maximum service repair work guarantee (see your particular contract for details). That brings up the next major issue. Denials. Homeowners too often assume that because they have a warranty, it will be fixed regardless. That is untrue. Contracts state the cost of covered repair issues will be paid if the failure is from normal wear and tear. Dropping heavy items on a glass service, pouring thick paint down your drains, failing to change filters (months after the filter is nasty and full of pet hair) or attempting to make your own repairs and failing and then calling your warranty company (mind you, these are just a tiny sampling of the causes of failure) are not normal wear and tear. Any licensed tech can tell the difference which is why the warranty will not accept a homeowner's diagnosis.

Homeowners do have the right to dispute and request a second opinion. If the denial is overturned by the second company's diagnosis opinion, the covered repair costs will be approved. Cancellation also don't take months either. 2 business days typically is the average (because calling, yelling at a CSR and saying cancel me and hanging up is not a legal cancellation request). Warranties have special departments that process cancellations and refunds are processed according to the cancellation terms as stated in the contract (which again, most don't bother to read and remain ignorant of their rights and responsibilities).

It was a waste of my time to be home all this time in vain without counting the time calling, holding the line and speaking to a million of employees. Yes, I recorded the name of each one and the date. Almost nobody returned the calls, neither supervisors nor regular employees. I was fuming the whole day on the phone. Now, I am in search of finding a good one which respects the contract and gives a good customer service answering the phone fast. Do you know one? I do not wish now to hire Global Home since I read the bad reviews.

I have requested for another service appointment on 12/14 and made sure that I was there to see what the technician will do but just the same, no tools. The technician simply ignited the equipment and left. He worked less than an hour and after that no hot water again until today 12/17. I made 2 more requests and I was told that the latest would be 12/19. I don't see the guarantee of peace of mind that they spoke about when I signed up. It was just one phone call and no hassle but it's winter and just imagine how hard it is not to have hot water.

Unfortunately, they collect $60 each time parts are ordered (so they tell me),and then days later, they'll tell you that the claim has been denied. They are nothing but a bunch of crooks. When you speak to the repair service, they tell you the service will be completed. This contract has cost over $500, and I have received nothing but aggravation, and time lost from my job. No repairs have been made, which included my water softener, two plugged drains, and two leaks. Everything has been denied, but they still got their $60. I want the trade service fee refunded to me. I also want all costs associated with this contract, since date of inception. Again, they are crooks!

AHS does not keep a repair department or an experienced parts department of their own. In both situations, you will end up relying upon the local contractor that has an agreement with AHS to provide service and or parts to repair your appliance, plumbing, HVAC system, etc. according to guidelines established by AHS. Those guidelines are set by actuarial tables based upon the age of your home, the listed appliances, and any previous records of repair from your policy or a policy that may have been in effect before you purchased a home.

I expect that realtors all over the country will contest. But the reality of the situation is that your realtor was "spiffed" or otherwise paid a commission to recommend that you accept a home warranty as a part of your purchase contract. In some cases, they receive an increased stipend when a home for sale has been "under policy" and the new owner continues the policy "in effect" at time of purchase. Please don't deny this tactic.

AHS is notorious for delayed, non-existent or inconsistent handling of the claims process. If the policy that you have purchased were sold and regulated by insurance commissioners in your state, then they would very likely be out of business.

If you do have a policy and you do have a claim, please be very consistent about documenting time of calls, exact descriptions of the problem, repairs that you are quoted to receive, and be certain that before you authorize repairs, that AHS has been contacted and approved your claim to the "authorized contractor".

Now the contract states that if your appliance cannot be fixed, they would replace it. I guess, they do not want to live up to their contract, what a disgrace! I refuse to call them again for the same issue or to pay any more money to AHS. I also had an issue with my range, and again nothing was done about it. I am finished with this company.

I am free from them at last. The little guy can do something and that's cancel your contracts and go elsewhere.

As a result, American Home Shield denied our claim. Our dishwasher is now very badly damaged and we must buy a new dishwasher and pay for our home warranty. We will cancel our home warranty immediately! We have only had the home warranty service for 20 days and payed $60 and $549 for no repair.

My pipe burst just the other day, November 12, 2011 and a technician came out but told me that I would have to take the wood off my house for him to get to the pipe because his company cannot be responsible for doing that and they would not replace it either. They also said that the work would not be covered under my warranty because it was not due to ‘wear and tear’. The plumbing company wanted me to sign the form and pay $60 service fee. They must be crazier that a dumb blonde wearing a red clown suit in a bull’s fight if they think I'm that stupid to pay for something that has not been fixed. Who's ready for a class action lawsuit against American Home Shield?

When the technician called in to AHS, their computers were "down" for an unknown amount of time. I called and specifically asked if we were going to have problems since AHS was having technical difficulties. They said no and to submit the claim. I sent in a claim and was denied because the vendor didn't call. AHS then says that they won't reimburse because they don't use that specific company. They are criminals.

I’ve been with this company for six years before I finally documented all their scam routines. When caught red handed at scam, their reply was to file a written letter to their headquarters back East knowing full well over 50% of most people will not follow through. No complaint department phone number to contact or to speak with. This is purposely done to discourage complaints. The Attorney General needs to look into this company that operates nationwide. Scam, scam, scam. Don't buy their sales pitch. You will seldom receive any coverage for service.

On Saturday Oct 15, 2011, the AHS vendor scheduled service between 8am and 12noon. I made more than five calls to inquire about the time of arrival. After calling both the vendor and AHS after 12:30pm to notify both about the repair personnel not showing up, I finally left my house to run errands at 1pm. The vendor called at 1:30pm to say that he was en route to my house. I told him that it would take at least twenty minutes for me to return to my house. The repairman agreed that if he arrived before I did, that he would wait. However, when I got to my house, he had left a post-it note saying that he had left at time: 1:45pm. On Monday, Oct 17, a vendor for furnace repair was scheduled to arrive between 8am and 1pm. The vendor was repeatedly (four times) called to confirm the arrival time. The vendor finally called after 11am to say that they would not be able to arrive until some time after 1pm. We rescheduled for the first appointment on Wednesday, Oct 19.

On Wednesday, we tried to reach the vendor three times in the morning, and they finally responded that the vendor would be there at 10:15am, even though they claimed at 8:30am that they were 30 minutes away. I called AHS at 1001 to register a complaint about the services, and told them to cancel my contract once the current month's payment period was over. AHS then called the vendor and told them that we had no contract and when the repairman arrived, he stated that we had no contract and sped off without confirming.

I was on the phone with AHS which stated that our contract was good until Nov 7, 2011, even if we decided to cancel that day. AHS offered no compensation, such as a refund for the monthly fee. I believe, I am due at least a refund of the monthly fee ($45.00), given that AHS services did not meet the outline in the contract. Further, I want a refund of the fee ($35.00) assessed for terminating the contract, given that their service is unacceptable and tremendously unsatisfactory.

Our refrigerator broke on Sept 25, 2011. We had to transfer all of our food to a neighbor's house so we didn't lose it. We have since been transferring enough food to make an occasional dinner, and have spent a small fortune eating out. My wife phoned and was told that a Sears repairman would be sent, but would not able to come until Oct 4 to look at it. After asking to look for our own repair person, we were denied and told under no terms that this was not considered an emergency. At that time, they told us that they would try and find someone else to come out and take a look. The repairmen showed up on Sept 28 and diagnosed the problem as a broken fan motor, but never contacted us back to let us know if they had the part, or when they would be back. After another phone call from my wife to the repair company, they said that they would be back to install the part on Thursday Oct 6. Sears would have already come out and probably had it fixed by that time.

We have since gone 17 days without a refrigerator. We had to purchase a mini refrigerator so that we could keep a small amount of food and drink available. This cost us $250, plus the $60 that we had to put out for the repair. It has also cost us a lot of money driving to pick up food for the evening. We signed with this insurance company to have our appliances covered in case of emergency, and to have them repaired in a timely manner. All we have at this point is a total fiasco. We have found the help desk people to be rude, and usually have to talk to a supervisor to get anything accomplished. Why are we paying good money for this? We have had people to the house on three occasions now, and they still cannot figure out what is wrong with the refrigerator. This is totally ridiculous, incompetent, and the service is almost non-existent. This has made our life a mini hell trying to feed the family, and keeping enough food around just to make sandwiches and have something to drink, let alone the time that has gone by with no satisfaction whatsoever. It has been nothing but a lot of stress and inconvenience. I expect we will be looking for a new refrigerator soon, as they can't seem to get this right. Had we just gone out and bought one in the first place this nightmare would be over.

I spoke with a another AHS rep in billing. I was told that I was being charged the service fee because nobody put anything in their notes. I asked to speak to a manager who basically just referred it over to another department so they can investigate the claim. It could take 2 weeks. Meanwhile, I am still on the hook for the $60 until they make a decision. They cannot even defer the due date on the fee, pending the outcome of the "investigation". So, I will be responsible for any late fees associated with the claim. Then, I asked the ultimate question: why is the handle not covered and why does AHS consider an oven door handle "cosmetic"? We are talking about an item that can reach temperature of 500 degrees. It hardly seems cosmetic. I was told that I should have checked my warranty and that no handles are covered. I was also told that she could appreciate my difference in opinion but AHS considers all handles cosmetic. I experienced all of this over a stinking door handle. The translation is regardless of what you do or say. You pay! I held off canceling until after the contractor was paid. But after this, I am done with them.

A few months ago, they decided to go up on my premium of $300 without my authorization. This caused an item to bounce in my checking account. I have been trying to get this resolved since September 9th. I called four times and have been on the phone at least 35 minutes each time only to hang up with merely a promise to have someone call me back.

Finally, today they tell me they don't know why this was done and put me on hold for about 20 minutes. I eventually rolled back to the main line and had to give them my info all over again. This happened 3 times in one 45-minute call. This isn't rocket science, I can't understand why they couldn't look in their system and fix the error.

I am extremely disappointed with the lack of customer service and consideration for my time. I cancelled my policy and will be writing a letter to their legal department requesting a refund in the amount totally the unauthorized increase.

I called AHS back on Saturday morning, after not hearing back from anyone, and beg to get someone to do something because we had no running water. Some "dude" came in (he looked like someone you would not let into your house) and he said that the only thing he can do at that point is to get the cold water running so at least we have running water at home.

AHS said that the water heater will be installed Monday. I called the company first thing Monday and was told that we are not on their service schedule for today. I called AHS and I was told that since it happened over the weekend, paper works needed to be done. They are just getting the service order started and most likely, the water heater will be installed tomorrow, Tuesday afternoon!

Finally, they came to replace the heater. I recently turned on my heat on October 1, 2011 to find it was blowing cold air. Trying to be optimistic, I ran my heat for a day thinking it had to warm up. I turned my thermostat up to 90 degrees for hours but my house's temperature stayed at 68 degrees. I called AHS, who said they would have to call the company back and I would have to pay the $60 for them to come back out and look at my furnace, although it was less than a year old. I spoke with Tonya and Aubrey who seemed uncaring and did not even respond to my concerns, except to say that there was nothing that they can do. Tonya even replied, "we are not even sure that your furnace is broken" after I told her I sat over my vent for 15 minutes and it blew cold air. Aubrey, who was a supervisor, got on the phone and said I had 60 days to report that the heat was not working for them to fix it without the fee.

However, when my furnace was replaced, the weather was getting warm outdoors so I had no reason to turn on my heat for more than 2 weeks after it was replaced. Initially, it worked well so I was unaware that it was no longer working. Since I have young children, my only option is to do what they say and pay the fee although I paid for a new heater less than a year ago. I feel bullied and not valued as a customer. I have gave them no arguments in the past and complied with everything in the contact, but I believe this is highway robbery and they are getting away with it.

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

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

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

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

I told AHS I had someone locally and they totally ignored my request and instead found two other companies and they turned the job down as it was too far for them to travel. Again, I recommended the local company who had already been to my house. They put that company through so much BS, that they told me they would not accept the job from AHS regardless. Then AHS found a company 75 miles away, and they came and repaired the HVAC stuff 3 times and kept telling me it was electrical, which it wasn't. They finally got it running okay (AC only) as they told me the heat was causing the high electrical draw. The high draw was from the motors which in reality needed to be replaced but AHS would not consider that as the motors were part of the air handling and that was not part of the heat pump.

We had to start over with a new claim number, when the same company grudgingly came out, they got the motors running. So it would not blow a 100 amp fuse. But they took away my heating electronics and told me they would have it fixed. Now, five months later, I asked them to finish the job and they can't remember it, plus they are 75 miles away. I reminded them I told them that and they accepted the job anyway. It's still not fixed and AHS is constantly asking for the payment which we have not paid. What a worthless company, always trying to screw someone!

He immediately turned on my faucet and said, "You've got no water.” I said the angle stop is turned off due to the leak, it’s rusted and stripped. He then ponders and says "I think you've got an obstruction, I'm going to have to take this wall out and replace the pipe. I do these all the time.” I said it’s a 7-year-old custom home, there's no obstruction, and I just want the leak fixed and the angle stops replaced. He then put in a work order for "no water pressure due to obstruction”.

Well, we all know this isn't covered. The claim was denied and AHS phone rep tells me, “Your whole house is denied. We don't warranty homes with pressure issues." I said, “Did he mention why I called you out? I don't have pressure issues. I just need the simple leak fixed, along with angle stops replaced.”

Well after the investigation, AHS claims the computer went down on that day and the rep only wrote by hand "low water pressure" and nothing was said about a leak. After speaking with four people, finally a superintendent gets on the phone who has any concern and a brain. His name was Charlie, out of the Iowa office (they seem to be much brighter than the Carolina and Memphis call service). He said, “Sir, due to your inconvenience, we're going to fix whatever is wrong with your sink and drain the lines and obstruction in the pipe." I said, “I don't have an obstruction, or drain issues. Just repair my leak, which is covered in my contract. What’s so difficult about that? You've got a vendor who is trying to rip you off of a $2,200 service call and I'm now a victim of it canceling my plumbing warranty." They set an appointment, only for it to be canceled hours later by some moron named, Zoe **, evidently head of authorizations.

No one in this company cared that I was caught in the middle of a vendor creating a ** job for himself. And my home is flagged with dropping my warranty due to his false claim. I've invested over 10 hours in this just to get a $250 at most repair job done. I'm dropping this service once I cash out. Not only is their lack of service not worth it. They don't deserve my money. This is undoubtedly the poorest run, most unprofessional service-oriented company I've ever dealt with. Unfortunately, this posting is of little service for protecting consumer’s rights. Though, I appreciate the forum.

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

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

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

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

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

Shortly after, Sheltons Pride called to schedule the installation for the next morning. Wednesday the 31st, the brand new condenser unit was installed. The AHS contract/booklet states, "Commitment to your total satisfaction", "That's why we back every job we do with the unique money-back guarantee shown on the back of your home warranty", "AHS guarantees that all approved covered service repairs will be completed to your satisfaction. If for any reason you are not satisfied with that service received, we will work with you until you are satisfied or we will refund the trade service fee."

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

To say I am dissatisfied is a gross understatement.

The repair company tried three times to fix it, and said it's no good. AHS offered me $300 for my $900 machine and when I said no, they suddenly said the repair company could fix it (even though the repair company said it's irreparable). Now neither company wants to step up. Either fix it or replace it. Isn't that what the AHS warranty states? Not true!

The plumber called me when he was en route (he was eating and had a mouth full of food while he was talking to me). We discussed that I had a Bosch tankless water heater system with a dual unit. He seemed very familiar with the unit and said that he didn't like Bosch and he was going to put in a new unit. This was before he even arrived at the house to have it inspected.

When he did arrive at the house, he looked at the Bosch tankless water heater for 30 seconds, and then came down and told my wife that there was nothing he could do as he was not qualified to work on tankless water heaters. I called AHS and they said that they were sending out Lindsey Co. to take care of it. I asked if they would upgrade the ticket to urgent due to sending out the wrong company to resolve the issue the first time. The dispatcher replied, "Yes, Mr. **. We have marked your ticket as urgent."

I hung up and called Lindsey Co. They said that they could come out on Tuesday. I asked if the ticket was marked urgent and they said no, but they would call the dispatcher. When they called the dispatcher, they were told that a 'no hot water ticket' could not be marked as urgent. I was shocked that the dispatcher would have lied to me like that.

Our AC broke every year and we finally paid the original installers to come out and look at it. They said the AHS company was using the wrong parts which are inadequate for the size of the AC I have. They won't cover my toilet that needs to be replaced. They don't cover ice makers on a refrigerator. I have paid more money on trying to get my dishwasher repaired than it would cost to buy a new one because it keeps breaking and now they won't cover my reverse osmosis system under plumbing. This company is absolutely useless.

So, I waited. I got no phone call, so I called back. I was told that they contacted a company that would come tomorrow. I told the AHS representative that that is not emergency, but next day service. I told them then to authorize me to do the reimbursement as I was told. They said no. They said that according to them, service within 24 hours is considered emergency. I am glad to know now what are this company's values are and what an emergency means to them. I guess the bottom line is more important. What the company really should understand is that what makes them valuable is customer satisfaction. After 10 years of being a loyal customer and spreading the word, now I truly understand how they pay back loyalty. They have poor business practice. I was forced to get service at my own expense. I am glad the hospitals or ambulances follow this meaning of emergency.

I am writing every place I can complain to and get the word out about this company. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I foreclosed on my home. I cannot afford this. I want a refund. Do not use this company. Guess I will have to just cancel my charge card.

We have an oven that came with the house we purchased that is obviously old and falling apart--the reason we bought the warranty in the first place. We have had two people out to "fix" it in the last six months or so. After the first guy, the oven started acting up about a month after, but we didn't report it in time and had to pay another 60 dollars to have someone come out and "fix" the same problem.

The very next day after they came, our oven just turned off in the middle of cooking. My husband has spent way too much time on the phone complaining about how long it is taking for service, etc.

There is no concern for the customer. They are just happy to send someone out to "fix it". Last night, the outside of my oven was burning hot while I was broiling something. I had to turn it off because I have three children and did not want them to get burned. I called today expecting (I dont know why) for them to say they would replace the oven, and they are yet again sending someone out. I think they have a really good thing going between the contract workers and we are the ** paying them.

I ended up paying $1,016.00 for repairs on my own. Because of a contract clause, they could not and would not budge and try assisting me in some return. To put it bluntly, they suck.

Two days later, I tried again. Again, I was put on hold for over an hour. Finally, a lady named Brenda answered just as my phone was about to die again. I asked her to call me back immediately on another line. Much to my surprise, she did, and assured me that she would cancel the policy. She even told me that she had done so as we spoke. I was overwhelmed with relief that it had been taken care of, and I would never have to deal with them again. Yeah, right.

When we got our bank statement, a $22 charge had been drafted from AHS. We gave AHS the benefit of the doubt, assuming that I had contacted them after the draft had been made. However, when the next month's bank statement came, a second draft of $22 appeared. I emailed AHS with my complaint, but the email wouldn't go through. I'm at wit's end, and have better things to do than spend hours on the phone waiting for it to die, or writing emails that won't go through. Who knows if they would even be read if they did go through? This whole ordeal has been a complete nightmare. If you decide to go with this company, don't come crying to me when they ** you over. You have been duly warned!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Regarding the contractor, I received a call at 3:30 PM. The person asked me if I needed assistance, and when I told her that the AC was working, she merely said she would close the request. I told her I had one simple question concerning the breakers. She re-iterated her first response. I asked again if I could get one question answered. She again reiterated her first response. At that point, I gave up. I still have not heard from AHS regarding this matter.

I had to wait 48 hours for one of their companies to call me, which was American Plumbing. The lady was so rude and had an "I could care less attitude". She then told me that I had to wait another 48 hours for someone to come and check my plumbing out. They sent a plumber who was in a hurry to my house; the next day was Good Friday. He fixed the problem with our basement toilet. However, when it came to our garbage disposal, he told us that it would have to be replaced.

He went back and told his company that he found bottle caps in the garbage disposal. He lied. He flat out lied. There was nothing in the garbage disposal because we hadn't use it due to the fact that the water from the dishwasher would back up into the kitchen sink. This, in turn, would cause the water to spill out onto our kitchen floor because our kitchen sink was divided. Even if there were, the warranty states: All components and parts, including unit are covered. I warn you, this company is the pits.

We understand that the there was no permit for the second water heater filed. I called our county for an inspection date and realized that no permit was filed. This is a violation. We are still waiting to see how long Star will take to contact us regarding this. We'll take up the matter at that time. Also, we have had a/c repair jobs almost every year. They would make us spend $500 or so out of pocket for some upgrades every year and do patch up jobs. Finally, last year, when they said that we have to spend $900 for a unit, we declined as we did not want one more patch up job. The evaporator coil was leaking but they refused to fix it. We have decided to change out the a/c units on our own. We asked for a cash out and they offered $400.

Our dishwasher was busted and they gave us a cash out of $100. The new dishwasher was $900, which we bought out of pocket. We are still fighting for the $100 claim from AHS. They have taken our money for 11 years. I think they push the customers out after 10-15 years. That way, they can keep the money before the claims start coming in, or somehow, they'll claim that it is an upgrade and make you pay. AHS has been the most frustrating experience, along with Terminix Termite protection being a close second. However, I hang on to it and AHS thrives on! Thanks to a few dumb customers like us! I was also told by them that they do not need our business and to feel free to cancel it when I told them I have outstanding claims that I have been fighting over.

Get a second opinion and double check with your local code enforcement agency to keep them honest. Don't accept AHS saying you have no choice, pay what contractor says, or accept a buy out. AHS isn't interested in keeping the contractors honest. All they care about is collecting the premiums from the home owners and keeping their out of pocket as low as possible--even if that means that their contractor is overcharging the home owner.

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

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

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

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

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

But it gets worse, much worse.

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

Now, the AHS nightmare began anew.

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

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

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

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

But wait, it gets worse, much worse.

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

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

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

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

I will update this post as this nightmare unfolds.

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

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

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

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

I do think there is something significantly wrong with their contractor network, and while I worked for them, that was my biggest internal concern. I have personally caught contractors ramping up non-covered cost and "bringing up to code" issues numerous times while I worked for AHS and when I caught it, I dealt with it and made the contractor to back off. I went as far as calling local code enforcement personnel to validate contractor information about code violation corrections and found out some of the contractors were stretching the truth just to make the extra buck. Why would they do that - because AHS does not pay them enough, simple math. I just wish I kept that documentation (it's still in the AHS logs) because if I had, I would launch a class action suit against them, because I know the consumer is getting ripped-off by this dirty under handed secret that the AHS company officials like Dave Crawford turn a blind eye towards.

Now, for my own personal home repairs, I had 4 contracts with AHS on my personal home, my mother's home, and 2 rental homes. At one of my rental homes, in the winter of 2010, we had a gas leak and the utility company shut off the gas, thus no heat. I immediately called the order in around 9:00 am on a Saturday morning and was promised that it would be escalated to an emergency and a contractor would call me within 4 hours. So far, so good and within the procedures outlined in the contract.

I did get a call from Quality First Plumbing who told me they would be out at 1:00 pm that day. They did not show up, and I waited until 2:00 and called them back. They said they got held up and would be there within the hour. This promise that they would be there kept going every 30 minutes that I would call up through 10:00 pm that night and then I got a call from AHS that told me the contractor could not come out to the home. I was totally pissed because I had called the contractor and AHS numerous times throughout the day and was promised would see a contractor today, and they understood the house was without heat.

I consider that as lying. If you can't keep the appointment, why would you lie and say you will be there when, if they had been realistic and honest earlier in the day, AHS could have found someone else to provide service. As it turned out it was a five minute repair and I lost a tenant over the entire deal. I was mad. Since my disability, the rental income is what my wife and I live on, and here I am, losing a tenant because the AHS contractor dragged this out all day long and then at 10:00 pm decides they can't do the job.

Now, here is the kicker in this whole story. I write Dave Crawford, President and CEO and emailed at ** and yes. I was angry and yes, I was adamant in my comments. I also called the corporate office and spoke to one of his assistants at **. All I wanted was an apology and an opportunity to tell Dave that AHS's biggest problem is their contractors and how Contractor Relations coddles the contractors to the point where the contractors end up border-lining, if not, crossing the line into dishonesty. That's it. All I wanted was an opportunity to do that. Did I get that apology, No; did he respond to my email, No.

What they did do was cancel all 4 of my contracts! They knew I had hit a nerve. I also think they did it because I was an ex-employee and knew too much about their inner workings. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job with AHS and in many ways they do the right thing. I did not leave as a disgruntled employee. I left because I was sick with Fibromyalgia and could no longer work. But after this experience and how they treated me, I would be pumped if someone had the resources to initiate a class action law suit. I know exactly how to investigate those so-so non-covered cost and code upgrade extras that the contractors charge the consumer. Not all the contractors are guilty, but there are some real dirty dogs out there and AHS does nothing about it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then, I have a drainage backup issue every year in my home as well as a running toilet. They will send two to three different plumbers out before the issue is temporarily fixed. In the meantime, the same toilet is running, the same two sinks drip constantly and the drainage issue will be back. I lost a wall in my bathroom because they said that it was the pipes behind the toilet but it wasn't. The biggest issue (as if that is not enough) is I have had constant air-conditioning problems. They replaced our unit in June 2003 but it has never worked as well as the original unit. We put a service request in on the new air-condition on August 2008, August 2009, May 2010, July 2011 and now, another one.

Last year, we were told that the unit was installed wrong and is too small for our house by the contractors they sent out. Of course, AHS has never heard this. This year, our air-condition unit, when it is working, only cools our house 15 degrees more than outside. But now that it is 96 degrees outside, our house is just in a normal 80 degrees! We are being told that this is normal for our unit. If your pets are having respiratory problems, no one can sleep because they are so hot and items in your house are melting, then, how is that normal? They will usually come out and adjust the freon but it only works for 45 days and would stop cooling again. I would pay another $60 and it happens again!

Now, I have been waiting over three days for the service and I just found out from the contractor that AHS never even called him to alert him that we were having a problem. They are ripping people off and not helping the consumer. When you tell them your issues, all they do is repeatedly quote policy or contract information.

On Monday, August 8th, I was told that a Sears service/repairman would be out to look at the stove on Wednesday, August 10th. Sears came out at approximately 2:00 p.m. and confirmed that there was not a problem with the stove; it was in the wiring. They (Sears) notified AHS and they contacted Thilsted Electric from Enid, Oklahoma to come out the following day. Thilsted Electric basically tore everything apart and informed us that the wiring and voltage is too small for the stove. The electrician also informed us that he would have to contact AHS to get approval to replace it with the correct voltage wiring. He said it would probably take a day to get in touch with them and he would call us back.

Four days later, I contacted AHS to find out what was going on. They informed me that their computers were down and there was nothing they could do for up to 30 hours. I'm not exactly sure how they determined that their computers would be up 30 hours later, but that is exactly what they said! So we have waited. Now, it's been almost three weeks and I still have no stove. A supervisor by the name of Tranita informed me today that the issue is now in their Research Department being handled by a Ms. **. She said that Thilsted Electric informed them that there was nothing defective in the wiring. I explained that something was defective because the brand new stove does not work! I also explained to her that our contract with them states that it will cover:

d. Undetectable pre-existing conditions which are defects or mechanical failures that could not have been detected by a visual inspection and/or simple mechanical test. A visual inspection of the covered item verifies that it appears structurally intact and without damage or missing parts that would indicate inoperability. A simple mechanical test is defined as turning the item on and off to ensure that it is operational. While turned on, the item should operate without causing damage, irregular sounds, smoke, or other abnormal outcomes.

The items listed above are included in the enhanced plan that we paid for. We were told by Thilsted and Sears that the improper voltage is a fire hazard also. I'm assuming that is why they tore everything apart and just left it dismantled. This company should be evaluated for its lack of customer service. I purchased the home warranty for problems just like this and now, I'm not getting any results or help with the situation.

Darryl **

My second experience, which was even more stressful, happened about a month ago. I had placed a service call to fix my cooktop range and they said that they needed a part. It has been about four weeks now and they still are waiting for the part. The vendor keeps giving dates for the part but with no results. The customer service agents and the supervisors were less than polite.

I have to manage without a working oven and inconvenient gas range for more than four weeks. It requires me to use a match to light the stove and I cannot let the two seniors use a match box. I don't see the purpose of having a warranty and paying close to $600 a year if I cannot get a response and a solution for more than a month. Otherwise, my claim will gets rejected for unacceptable reasons. Please help! It is companies like this that the consumers need to be warned about.

The second call for service was for the air condition on 7/13/11. The air conditioning was cutting on and off. I live in Houston, Texas and it's been 100 degree for the last 30-60 days. The technician who came out said that nothing was wrong with the system and that it's just so hot. The air condition continued to do the same thing, so I called AHS back and they advised that it would be 2-3 days before someone could come out.

So, I called my own serviceman who advised that only 1 thing caused the problem. I had it fixed, called ACH, and explained about the temperature and that the air condition went out. They refused to pay, saying I should have called them first. When I explained to them that I did, they said, "Sorry, we can't pay." My response was, "You can't pay, I can cancel."

We called AHS to re-open the service case and to request that we do not want to have the same company coming out to do the same job they kept ** up on. They denied us and would not budge. They told my husband, “Too bad. You have to have the same company again.” They took customer service to whole new level! And with all the other reviews I've been reading about this horrible company, they shouldn't even be in business anymore. Our request was simple but we were made to feel that we were being difficult. Enough is enough. Do not give these people our money. Find another home warranty company.

San Diego, CA

Let's not let the fact go that I had to call them on the 29th to get an update on what was going on. They had nothing and they had to call Ideal Services so I was on hold again. When he came back on the line, he said that the contractor's systems were down and he would try again later. To make a long story short, they were going to cash me out for $377.00 which was just for basic installation and to bring it up to code, I would have to pay for that out-of-pocket.

I went to Home Depot and exchanged the water heater at no cost, thank you GE. I bought the material for the installation, brought it up to code, for less than 100.00 bucks and I am in the process of cancelling the contract with AHS.

These people show no sense of urgency on anything that is going to end up costing them money. I would suggest that if you're considering AHS, don't. They are the worst!

I had problems with toilets and according to my coverage, it covered plumbing problems. I contacted them, and they arranged to send somebody to look at the toilets. One toilet was not fixed--the toilet still backs up. When I called them (AHS) back to report the problem, they told me that my contract did not cover water sediments.

I paid $60 deductible out pocket for them to show up and the report that the technician wrote does not mention any water sediment findings. AHS made this up to avoid paying to fix the problem.

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

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

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

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

AHS representative instructed my husband to return the unit to condition he found it (melted knobs and all) and call back the vendor. AHS vendor stated that he was not interested in this service call. Seven days later and approximately 14 additional contacts at AHS, repair was denied. AHS informed me that no other vendors can be found for a second opinion per AHS; the decline stands.

So basically, we have been told that under ANY circumstance, including the dousing of fire in a propane water heater; if vendors report permit necessary (false info), burner removed due to fire, and not interested in repair or replacing for AHS client, warranty is voided and we are stuck. After close review of contract, AHS stands behind their policy that only the $60 service call is jeopardized if AHS fails to provide service. No fee had been collected, except of course the $500 premium I paid in full for the last eight (8) years to AHS for service.

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

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

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

After five days and losing all of our groceries, we called another repairman. They replaced the ice maker and left. The next day we had the same problem. They came back and replaced the valve in the fridge and it is now fixed.

I think I am paying people to make sure it is not American Home Shield's fault. I will be canceling my warranty and I think anyone wanting one with them ought to reconsider. Thank you for listening.

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

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

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

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

When a company has so little flexibility that they will not spend an additional $150.00 to meet a 10 yr+ customer's request for fair treatment, something is fundamentally wrong with their business model.

Of course, we canceled our contract and will, like everyone else on this site, spread the bad new about AHS.

Take heart in the fact that they will fail in the long run. Never forget to seek out opportunities every day to spread the bitter truth about AHS. Ahhhhh....now I feel better!

Steer clear of American Home Shield for your home warranty needs. They are trying to get out of repairing a covered issue by making it such a hassle that I stop calling and got the items repaired myself.

I went through my file and called back on 6/21/2011 and spoke with Jonathan. I told him that the last people to work on my faucets was a plumber sent by American Home Shield and that if they were installed incorrectly, they were responsible. He told me that he would send Florida Plumbing Works back out for a second opinion. Florida Plumbing Works came out on 6/24/2011 and said it was properly installed and that they would be willing to repair it.

I never heard back from American Home Shield again. I called on 7/8/2011 and spoke with Karen. She said I needed to pay the $55 service charge for AZ Plumbing. AZ Plumbing had told me I could pay it when they came out to finish the work. So I asked Karen if I paid it, were they coming back out to repair it since it was obviously their fault. She said, YES. I gave her my credit card over the phone and she conference called AZ Plumbing and Florida Plumbing Works. (I recorded most of the conversation with Karen.)

I was told that Florida Plumbing Works agreed to do the work after AZ came back and reassembled the faucets. They left them sitting because they intended to come fix them. I waited and waited.

One week later, 7/13/2011, I called and spoke with Vivian (another conversation that I recorded). She told me that there was nothing that they were willing to do because of the dispute and that it would be handed off to customer service.

One week later I received a call from Kim in Customer Relations @ 1-866-343-5674 x 1286. She told me she would be handling it and get back to me as soon as possible. It has been another two weeks. I have left messages for her on 7/27/2011 and 7/29/2011. She does not answer her phone or call me back.

I am trying to locate an attorney to handle the case since the parts alone are over $800.00 and I have good notes and voice recordings of the conversations.

AM Home then sent AZ appliance repair. The repairman told me he would order the parts and return to fix the oven. I paid them $60 for the assessment and repair. When I contacted Am Home to follow up the completion of the repair, Am Home representative told me the repair was completed. I requested she send me a copy of the repair agreement that I signed. I have not received any paperwork from Am Home.

I am sending a certified letter to Am Home to request a solution. I will also be contacting the BBB.

The day came that I needed to use the service. My air conditioner stopped working...in Houston, TX. HOT is an understatement when it comes to describing the weather here! It has been nearly one month and has taken six, going on seven visits by the technician to figure out what's going on with my A/C. And the problem has yet to be resolved. Every time they send the same technician out, he finds something different wrong.

Why couldn't he identify the problem to begin with? Or if there is so much wrong with the system, why not just replace it? Basically, I have paid for this policy so that I can potentially suffer heat stroke while the ** that are contracted with AHS bungle about giving a different excuse every time I deal with them. On average, it has been 96 degrees in my house at any given time, even at night. Now they want to replace another part and charge me more money. What is this?!

You spend large amounts of time trying to talk to them, they never call back and they always have a reason for not paying. Oh, yes, the contractors they use never fix anything. They wear you down until you finally get a professional to come do the job. I have three homes supposedly covered by them and I'm cancelling all three. Proceed with them at your own risk, but I'm sure before the end of your contract you will be writing a complaint, too! A total rip-off!

My second issue arose when I was advised of the estimate by AHS. Not only did the contractor reported that the condenser coils needed to be replaced, but that in addition to this there were approx $500 in "non-covered" work that needed to be done to bring everything "up to code". The need for this additional work to bring things up to code was surprising to me seeing that the home was not even 10 years old, and HVAC contractors that I questioned were not aware of any substantial code changes over this timeframe. Secondly, I have had numerous HVAC maintenance service calls in the past few years, and none ever mentioned or identified any of this work needing to be done. When I requested that only the covered work be done, I was told by AHS that the contractor cannot do the warranty covered work without also doing the necessary non-covered upgrades.

Suspecting a fraudulent estimate on the part of the contractor, I asked AHS for a second opinion, only to be told that I cannot obtain a second opinion on non-covered items. Ultimately, I refused on principle to pay for these non-covered repairs and therefore was unable to get the warranty covered work done either.

I called a local HVAC company who came out promptly and informed me that NONE of the items that have been identified as needing repair or replacement by the AHS contractor was necessary, and they repaired the unit in short order for minimal cost with cleaning and refrigerant recharge. It has since worked fine.

The second incident I have had with AHS involved the hot water heater which had begun leaking. I submitted a service request on Tuesday, and still had not received a call from the contractor for over 2 days. Finally, on Thursday afternoon AHS called and assisted me in scheduling the appointment for Friday afternoon. I actually addressed my concerns about my prior HVAC experience with the agent, who stated that I would be able to obtain a second opinion if I disagreed with the estimate. Well, you can probably guess what happened next. Sure enough, I was told that the hot water heater needed replacement which was covered under my warranty, but that there was an additional $440 in "non-covered" repairs needed to bring my unit "up to code". See a disturbing trend here?

I own a number of residential investment properties that are much older than this, and have had to replace a few hot water heaters in recent years. NEVER have I been told that additional work needed to be done to bring anything up to code. Again, when calling AHS to dispute this estimate, I was told that I could not get a second opinion as this was non-covered work. I requested cash in lieu of the repair, called my own local service company who came out and promptly replaced the unit for less than $800. I verified with them that no additional work was needed to "bring the unit up to code".

I did receive $250 from AHS in lieu of the work being done by their contractor. Yes, I ended up paying about $100 more by doing this with another service provider, but I think this is how the AHS service companies calculate their additional non-covered work costs. It's always a just low enough additional charge to make it less costly to go through the AHS provider than going to another company!

To help visualize, here is a hypothetical summary:

Scenario A

$510 total repair cost

Scenario B

$550 total cost

The way they calculate it, as long as the consumer sees they will still be paying less with the AHS provider in scenario A, they'd be willing to pay. In addition, they figure you've been paying all these premiums to AHS so you would want to get your money's worth. Remember, the "non-covered items" are really not repairs that are needed, but you are unable to dispute this as AHS will not support second opinions for non-covered items. Nice scam isn't it?

In summary, AHS uses a very select group of contractors that are usually not local to their coverage areas (except for small appliances), resulting in long wait times for estimates and repairs. The question arises: Why would this be the case when there are numerous licensed/insured businesses in my metropolitan area (the 3rd largest city in the state with a population of near 200,000) that could provide adequate, affordable, high volume service? I think the answer becomes clear when you think about their reimbursement model. It seems that AHS grossly under compensates their contractors, requiring them to use the aforementioned fraudulent business practices to make profit. AHS benefits by not having to pay the contractors a fair price for performing their warranty-covered repairs. The contractor makes their profit than by charging the client for additional non-covered items that didn't really need to be repaired.

The only one who doesn't benefit is the warranty consumer, who not only pays their premiums to AHS, but also pays a $60 fee for the initial service calls, then pays the extra money for the "non-covered" items. The key is, when you add in the $35 premiums per month, the scenario B above actually looks way better financially. So, in conclusion: don't ever buy an American Home Shield warranty!

On or about July 22, 2011, I informed AHS that my AC was not working. I want AHS to fix the problem ASAP because of our health, me and my wife's. I will tell the hospital that I have informed you about the AC.

We heard nothing from the AC company, so we tried to call them and their mailbox was full or they did not return calls. We repeatedly called AHS, with waits up to 55 minutes. AHS kept telling us that they had shipped the new compressor and that the repair company should have it shortly. We couldn't get the AC company to return our calls. AHS kindly agreed to give us $125 for hotel stays or reimburse us for a fan. Of course, we have to make initial investment and hope that, before the end of time, we get reimbursed. (how many nights can you stay in hotel for $125?)

I talked with two supervisors asking them to trace the compressor and they told me that they could not trace a shipment. That's a bunch of bull. We were told that the compressor would be delivered to the AC company on July 20th but it didn't happen, also on the 21st and finally on the 22nd, it was delivered. The AC company said that we will be out mid-morning of Saturday, July 23rd (19 days from the time AC went out). They did come at 3:45, then they wanted $295 to take off the old unit and they would not install the new compressor until we agreed to pay them. What a rip off.

We will not be renewing our contact with American Home Shield. Everytime we have called AHS, we have had weeks of hassle to get anything fixed from water heater, dishwasher, air conditioner or microwave. Don't be fooled by them. Don't give them a dime of your money. They will get no more from us.

My suggested solution, which relieves them of their ethical obligation, was to refund the premium. This was done early to mid-June with promises of a response at that time. To date, there has been no follow-up from the company. Communications with them is difficult; at best a response to an e-mail will take several weeks (if at all ), and wait times on the telephone are in excess of 30 minutes.

They sent A to Z Plumbing to replace my water heater in Sarasota, Florida (A to Z Plumbing has branches throughout the state). Their plumber said he needed all kinds of additional work for another $600, to bring the installation up to the code, which AHS doesn't cover. I said skip it; I called two reputable and local plumbers, who couldn't fathom what A to Z Plumbing was referring to. This is a new house, and wouldn't have passed inspection if not up to current code. Save your money every month - don't throw it away on AHS ** and the crooked contractors they do business with!

AHS is a total rip off and has vendors that cannot succeed on thier own and must be on AHS payroll. Then AHS says they can get a second opinion vendor to come out BUT they cannot find one. In lesst than 10 minutes I found a AHS vendor in Tyler Tx. much much closer than the original one and would be happy to come out and check out my garage door. AHS said they did not recognize him and on 3-way call this vendor explained to AHS (gave work order numbers,etc.) that he had done work for AHS at least 30-40 times this year alone well within my service area. AHS simply refused to repair my garage door and refused to use a local AHS vendor to give the second opinion. If you need a home warranty and use AHS....bend over now!!! I think it is in thier training to refuse any and all claims.

Also, good luck at getting through to AHS, the normal waiting or on hold time is 20 - 30 minutes before you get to talk with a human and then it's like you stepped in thier ceral because when you finally do talk with a human they act mad and you can kiss any chance of getting anything out of this home warranty goodbye...If you someone trys to sell you a home warranty from AHS, turn the other way and run like ;your tail end was on fire. If they are on the phone, look at the number (remember it) and if they call back.....Don't answer it.

It would be nice if the person at AHS would have just taken a second to listen to what the customer was saying, without being nice, nasty or rude. This is the 2nd time I have not been covered under the warranty. It seems a little strange to me. But for the rudeness, there is no excuse. The service people were very nice though, and are coming back to fix the unit on Thursday. I have been a customer of AHS for a very long time.

On May 13th, 2011, a technician came out and we complained about the problems we had. The technician evaluated the oil boiler, and he found that the water pressure was down to 8 (it should be from 12 to 15). He said that the domestic coil gasket is leaking and causing the boiler to rust all around. The boiler itself needs to be replaced because it is not possible to get the coil out of the boiler; it got so rusted. Before he left, he added water into the system, raising the water pressure to 12. After that, we decided to call our home warranty -- this is the case when we needed it. According to our contract, the oil boiler is under coverage; and if it needs to be replaced, AHS will pay $1500 for the new appliance. On May 17, we called American Home Shield and explained the problem. They sent out technician from Anytime Air Conditioning Inc. (HVAC) on May 20th. He came out and said that he does not do oil boilers, only air-forced furnaces. We had to pay him service fee of $60 anyways.

We called AHS one more time and were told that they will send another company; and we will not have to pay call fee because it was their fault -- they sent the wrong guy. In a couple of days, we got call from Comfort Air Control and set up an appointment for May 25th. When technician came, we explained the problem, and he looked at the heater and asked if we have well or city water. Do we have water softening system? And he kept asking that question several times. Nobody in our neighborhood has water softener; we have city water. He told us that we need a water auto-feeder and an air eliminator scoop to keep the pressure up to where it should be; he pointed out that we have asbestos insulation in the boiler. He wrote down his conclusions and said that his company will discuss with AHS what will be covered. His statement is enclosed. Because writing is so bad and hardly can be read, we included "translation". Regarding his note in the follow-up section, "Pictures were taken by homeowner."-- that's a lie. We did not take any pictures of the boiler ourselves; he complained that his batteries in the camera were dead and we offered him new batteries.

The next day, May 26th, we got phone call from AHS saying that our claim has been denied because we have hard water and no water softener. When we asked on what ground they made that decision, we were told that it was based on the report they got from the service company. We asked for them to send us a copy of what they have because our report does not say anything about hard water. The AHS representative said that they do not have it; and we have to request it from the service provider. If we do not agree with the decision, we can call the dispute department. From that moment, we began to write down all our phone calls and conversations in order not to forget what was said and what was done. Before calling dispute department, we decided to call Comfort Air Control and get their report they have sent.

We called the technician through cell phone to figure out what report was sent. He told us he does not know anything, and to talk to his boss, Simon. We called their office right away -- it was closed, no answer. Next day, we called dispute department of AHS to request an official denial letter (came on June 3rd). The letter stated that because of sediments in the coil, claim has been denied, referring to the chapter G, paragraph 8 of the limitations of liabilities of the contract: "8. AHS is not responsible or liable for repair of conditions or replacement caused by chemical or sedimentary build up, misuse or abuse, failure to clean or maintain, missing parts, structural changes, fire, freezing, electrical failure or surge, water damage, lightning, mud, earthquake, soil movement, storms, accidents, pet damage, pest damage, acts of God, or failure due to excessive or inadequate water pressure".

There was no address or any word about how we could appeal to their decision, and nothing was said about that in the contract or on their website. On May 31st, we called Comfort Air Control. The dispatcher, Felix, told us that he does not know anything; we have to talk to his boss, Simon; but he is not here because he has an emergency. His mother is in the hospital, but he will tell him that we called. We did not get any calls back from them and we called again on June 3rd to know what's going on. Nobody was there so we left a message on the answering machine, requesting a full report to be sent to us. In addition, an e-mail message was sent to their e-mail address that we got from AHS. We did not get a call back from Comfort Air Control. We called them one more time on June 8th, and eventually we were able to talk to Simon. He told us that he does not remember what he sent to AHS; probably, the same report that the technician gave us, but he will look and will call or e-mail back. And he never did.

Because we felt cheated, and after reading AHS's reviews on the internet (**), we wish we saw them before we signed the contract. We decided to get an independent company that does not work for AHS to evaluate our boiler. On June 8th, Kenderdine's came out; their statement is enclosed. We were told that there is no asbestos insulation in the heater; the manufacturer used fiberglass insulation and the white powder around the domestic hot water coil is residue from leaking water around the coil. Their recommendation was to replace the heater -- the coil cannot be taken out without breakage; and if we decide to add a water feeder and air scoop to keep water pressure in order, it could widen the crack in the coil and water will flood the basement, eventually.

After boiler evaluation, we called AHS one more time to see how we could appeal to their denial. We were told that we do not have any options and AHS will stand behind this decision. The only thing they can do is, as a courtesy, is allow us to get a second opinion (no outsiders) from the company that works for them, and pay the service fee. And that we have only 48 hours to decide if we want to proceed with that. Remembering the reviews on the internet, we decided that it's just waste of money; we will get the same report in AHS's favor. On June 10th, we called Comfort Air Control again, and dispatcher Felix answered. We were told that Simon was not there for he had an emergency -- his mother needs to be at the doctor's office. He will be back in the afternoon and will call back. We never got call back from Comfort Air Control.

We called twice on June 15th, and nobody answered. We left a message stating that we will write a complaint if they will not respond before Friday, June 17th. We still have not heard from them. AHS sent us an online satisfaction survey to fill, and we put everything in writing in the comments section, and added that we do not have any choice but to file the complaint with BBB and the attorney general. We thought, may be after that, AHS will call us to discuss our dissatisfaction, but the only thing we received was an invoice to pay Comfort Air Control a $60 service fee. It was June 27th. We called AHS to complain. After 20 minutes of waiting on the line, we were told to disregard that invoice. We hope that they will not send same invoice next month.

We do not agree with the AHS decision to deny our claim. AHS and Comfort Air Control refused to give us the actual report on which basis the denial was made. AHS's claims about covering old appliances are misleading and untrue; and they breach contract. When they sell their contract, they know from the beginning that the heater will not be covered, because every heater has more or less sediment build-up, depending on its age. From our side, we comply with the contract -- we pay all premiums in time, and maintain the heater in good working condition, including cleaning and tuning it up every year. We feel that we are entitled to the coverage; in this case, it is $1500 for the boiler replacement.

In the past I had my dishwasher repaired and when that didn't go smooth I didn't think it was because of AHS but now I see that it is how they operate. I've read some of the posts here and experienced all of the things described about AHS and I can tell you for certain that they are all true. I am now going to end my contract with them. I would suggest that you do the same.

There was 45 minutes of hold time for each call.

I requested emergency air conditioning service as I noticed my a/c unit was seizing up and knew this could cause water problems. The AHS phone person stated that AHS will only take emergency requests if it is a matter of health. I stated it was a matter of health as I was concerned about mold growth if the a/c unit leaked. The AHS phone rep advised me that I would then be contacted shortly by a service technician. AHS contacted me by email to assign Kenneth Buggay Mechanical to service my a/c unit. This email from AHS did state that I could expect to hear from this contractor during normal business hours to schedule a mutually agreeable appointment time (copy of this email available for inspection)..As AHS provided the phone number for the contractor, I decided to call to reiterate the emergency service call. When I called Kenneth Buggay Mechanical, I was informed that I could not have emergency service as Kenneth Buggay Mechanical had only one (1) employee. I now knew that I had been duped by the AHS phone representative.

First Misrepresentation was deceiving me by allowing me to believe I would be receiving emergency air conditioning service.

Kenneth Buggay Mechanical did not arrive until 4:30 p.m. the following day on June 2, 2011, over 30 hours from the time I placed my call to AHS for emergency service. Although the a/c had been turned off in the 95 degree heat, the water from the a/c leaked and totally buckled my new hardwood engineered flooring.

The technician spent a total of forty (40) minutes at my home looking (and I mean simply looking as there was no taking the a/c unit apart to inspect) and he also took three (3) phone calls during the time he was checking my a/c unit. The conclusion the technician came to was my a/c unit needed an evaporator coil. The technician then stated that he did not have an evaporator coil and would need to reschedule an appointment for the following week. The outside air temperature was between 95 to 96 degrees making it now impossible to stay in the house.

For the record, this technician did not check the outside part of the a/c unit and did not respond to answering questions asked of him regarding the a/c unit. At this point, I was so upset that I was not sure what to do. After the technician left, I decided to call Kenneth Buggay Mechanical to ask a few questions that needed answers. I called Kenneth Buggay Mechanical speaking to someone named Ed and requested to speak with Ken, the a/c technician. I was informed that I could not speak with the a/c technician although this same a/c technician took three (3) separate outside calls while at my home inspecting my a/c unit. The man on the phone who stated his name was Ed, stated he would answer my questions. I asked him how could he answer my questions when he did not inspect the a/c unit? The AHS subcontractor from Kenneth Buggay Mechanical hung the phone up in my ear when I persisted that I wanted to speak with the a/c technician. It was now after 6:00 p.m. and another day was lost.

Within the hour, I received an email stating that another AHS subcontractor, Service Solutions was assigned to my case (copy of this email available for inspection).While speaking with Service Solutions and AHS , I pulled up their record with the Better Business Bureau and learned that Service Solutions had three (3) complaints with the Better Business Bureau and I did not deem this acceptable. Additionally, this meant the process with the a/c unit needed to start over at my inconvenience.

Second Misrepresentation was AHS subcontractor Kenneth Buggay Mechanical technician not completing checking my a/c unit and stating my a/c unit only needed an evaporator coil.

On June 3, 2011, I hired a reputable air conditioning contractor that arrived at my home within 2 hours of my initial call to them at 8:30 a.m. This a/c contractor spent over two (2) hours inspecting my a/c system and explained each procedure to me as well as encouraged questions. He proved to me that my a/c unit was beyond repair and needed to be replaced as there were several proven leaks in the outside part of the unit and parts were no longer available for the type of a/c unit I had. He also informed me that replacing the evaporator coil would only be a temporary fix and I would continue to have a/c problems. This company was One Hour Heating & Air, a subsidiary of Mr. Sparky, a well-respected company in several states. The a/c unit was changed out (copy of invoices available for inspection).

For the record, I contacted my broker with Coldwell Banker on June 1, 2011 when I realized that I had been duped by AHS. My real estate broker attempted to contact by telephone and by email Rhonda **, the local account executive for AHS but she refused to contact me even when my real estate broker asked her to do so in writing several times. In fact, Rhonda lied to my Broker by stating she would contact me but never did. I emailed and left voice mails for Ms. ** on June 03 and June 04, 2011 but it was to no avail. (Copies of all emails available for inspection).

Third Misrepresentation was an AHS employee, Rhonda ** misled my real estate broker as well as myself that she would contact me regarding the complaints I had with AHS employees (copy of an email from Rhonda ** stating she would contact me is available for inspection).

On June 6, 2011, I contacted the manager of the Coldwell Banker office, Pat **. Ms. ** informed me that Jeff ** from AHS would be calling me to resolve my problem. Mr.** did call me that day and identified himself as a vice president at AHS but he stated that he was driving to Birmingham and he would call me back before the end of the day. Mr. ** never called back as promised.

Fourth Misrepresentation was to deceive me by stating that I could expect to be contacted by the end of the day.

As Jeff ** proved to be useless, I decided to call the insurance company who held the surety bond for AHS, Liberty Mutual. This information is found under Letter "L"- Miscellaneous in the AHS contract and states as follows:

"Georgia residents only: This is not a contract of insurance, however, the performance of the Contract is guaranteed by a surety bond written by Liberty Mutual, a surety insurer that is authorized to transact surety insurance in the state of Georgia. If AHS fails to pay any valid claim within sixty (60) days after proof of loss has been filed, you are entitled under Georgia law to make such claim directly to Liberty Mutual at 1524 Hwy. 30, E Carroll, Ia. 51401 or you may contact **. "

I called ** and was unable to speak with anyone and left a message. Within a few hours, my phone call was returned and the person on the phone identified herself as Beau **. I then proceeded to describe what had happened and asked what could be done to resolve the matter. I stated that I had spoken with Jeff **, a vice president with AHS and Ms. ** asked who Mr. ** was as she had never heard of anyone by that name with AHS. It was at this point, my suspicion began to heighten. Ms ** advised that I would need to speak to AHS and that Liberty Mutual could not assist me.

Fifth Misrepresentation was Beau ** blatantly lied to me when she stated that she did not know Jeff ** as both Ms. ** and Mr. ** are employees of AHS.

On June 7, 2011, I again contacted Pat ** with Coldwell Banker. Ms. ** stated she would get with the Atlanta Regional President of Coldwell Banker, Charlotte **. I informed Ms.Nelson that I was unable to get anywhere with Jeff ** of AHS.

The following day on June 8, 2011 when I did not hear from Charlotte **, I called her office and spoke with her assistant Michele advising that I suspected fraud was being perpetrated upon me by AHS. Ms. ** returned my call at 12:15 pm by leaving me a voice mail stating I was to call the president of AHS at** or his cell at **. At 2:05 p.m. that same day, I placed a call to **.The phone was answered by Beau **. This was the same person who answered the phone for Liberty Mutual. I did not identify myself and requested to speak with David Crawford, president of AHS. Ms. ** stated, he does not speak to customers. Ms. ** then asked if she could assist and I stated that she could not assist me as she was not the individual that I was instructed to contact. It was now clearly evident I was being defrauded by the employees of AHS.

Next at 2:08 p.m., I called the cell phone number of ** also left on the same voice mail from Charlotte ** of Coldwell Banker as a number at which I could reach the President of AHS. When the phone was answered, I asked if this was Mr. Crawford of American Home Shield and was advised that I had the right number but not the correct person. I reiterated the phone number once again to be sure and again was told the number I dialed was not for the person I was calling. I did ask the individual that answered the cell phone if he was with American Home Shield and he replied he was not.

At 5:09 p.m. on June 8, 2011, I received a phone call from telephone number ** and the individual identifying himself as Jeff ** from AHS left a message. Kindly note,** is the same phone number that I called earlier in the afternoon where I was informed this was not the correct person or company. I then advised Charlotte ** of Coldwell Banker via email that I was not amused by her form of deception and relayed to her that I was surprised that someone in her position would stoop this low.

On June 8, when I checked my email in the evening, I had received an email from Jeff ** indicating that I was to contact "Beau **,**. Beau works for the Presidents line and will be your contact person". (copy of this email is available for inspection).

Sixth Misrepresentation was defrauding me by giving me bogus phone numbers.

On June 9, 2011, I directed an email to Jim R. Gillespie, the CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate in Parsippany. New Jersey. I was then contacted by Steve **, an Executive Assistant at Coldwell Banker in Parsippany, New Jersey who then referred me to Mitch **, the Senior Vice President-General Counsel for Coldwell Banker in Weston, Florida. According to Mr. ** email to me on June 10, 2011: "My office is reviewing the matter and we will respond in some manner before the end of the day".

Needless to say, Mr. ** did not get back to me as promised and I contacted him and Mr. ** stated he would not get back to me before Monday, June 13, 2011 indicating he wanted to be fair to everyone.

When Mr. ** did get back to me on June 13, 2011 via email, he was less than fair in his assessment claiming that Coldwell Banker had no responsibility to me. I attempted to contact Mr. ** to ask why he distorted the entire scenario and he would not respond to me. I had to contact the Florida Bar in Tallahassee, Florida when Mr. ** refused to reply to my emails. It was only after the Florida Bar contacted Mr.** that he responded to me in a very nasty tone on June 16, 2011. (emails are available for inspection).

On June 13, 2011, I received an email from Beau ** stating the following: "I would like to know if you had your own company out to repair the evap coil. I would like to review the invoice for possible reimbursement. Thank you."

I bought the house which was built in '93 with AHS coverage. I thought I would renew based on age, but I will not. I highly recommend that nobody else purchase their product. They are in to the bottom line and not the customer--cheapest "solution" first and not what is right. It's all around a bad deal. Also, the wait to get anybody on the line to talk is unacceptable.

In fact, the problem has now aggravated as the refrigerator is not able to maintain set temperature on both deep freeze and regular refrigerator side. On the deep freeze side it keeps on fluctuating between +8 to -5 even though we keep on setting it at 0 and on the refrigerator side it hovers between +33 to +43 in spite of setting it at +37. We have made several calls to AHS to explain them the gravity of the situation as we are vegetarians and all of our food items (including veggies, fruits, tofu, milk, etc. on refrigerator side and ice creams, frozen entries, etc. on the deep freeze side) are getting bad every other day. We are forced to throw them away and at times even go hungry as we find out last minutes the food in refrigerator is no longer eatable due to temp. variations inside.

The hard part is every time we call AHS, we have to explain them from the beginning. Not sure if their CSRs have to record notes of the customer call conversation in their systems as none of them would be willing to read at the notes first and then talk to us meaningfully. Off late whenever we tried to escalate the call to supervisor someone would come on the line claiming to be supervisor and totally ignorant about the issue, so we have to start giving them the background from the beginning. At the end of the conversation typically they would say they have to check with repair company and they will call us back.

As if repair companies are not required to send them report after the visit and they can not read the notes of repair company in their system. As any one would expect, of course there would not be any call back from any one so we have to call up again, talk to CSR and or supervisor again and needless to say these are totally new and ignorant of our issue. So we have to go over the saga once again. We are promised once again that someone will call up or their relationship group will get in touch with us. But nothing happens.

Oh well, this has been going on now for more than six months and by now it seems they have realized that no one has been able to repair or fix the problem so they will have to pay us to buy the new refrigerator since it is not repairable. Obviously they do not want to spend big money on reimbursing us for new refrigerator, which they are required to do by our contract, so they have very conveniently decided to hang us dry in spite of the fact that we were loyal customers to them since last five years and paid all the premiums on time. My contract has fallen due for renewal on 21st June and I have purposely not renewed the contract with them as I did not want my money to go down the drain with company like AHS.

This malfunctioning of refrigerator has caused real big distress in our family life and we are having needless arguments and heated conversations almost every other day as like any other human being. We have to eat daily at least three times a day and in today's world who has not to use refrigerator to store the food? The usage is even more when a whole family is vegetarian and mostly cooks at least two meals a day from scratch. With kids out of school and at home all day, every day has intensified the problem and many times it has happened that one of the family member has to go hungry as we find out last minute that food inside refrigerator has gone bad and not edible any more.

I am so frustrated and annoyed with AHS that I am planning to record conversations on my future calls to AHS and go to a lawyer with all the evidence of day light cheating and unethical behavior of large corporation like AHS. We have taken several pictures of frozen vegetables as proof of our persistent issue. If required I will take up this matter at multiple levels and with multiple agencies just to teach companies like AHS what is business ethics and what is the meaning of contractual obligation.

When I called American Home to request for someone to come back on Wednesday, I spoke to a supervisor Jennifer. She attempted to call Absolute Plumbing. She left a message and promised to call me back (still have not heard from her). I trust my phone calls were recorded and documented. Finally Thursday morning Joe comes back out only to tell me the faucet must be replaced, but I would need to make access because the faucet was behind a tile. I said no problem; order the part and I would have a neighbor cut the tile. This guy tells me I would have to call the office and make another appointment and prepares to leave. In the meantime, my faucet is leaking constantly.

Mind you, a technician from Absolute Plumbing cut the tile for another problem in December, but I had to replace the tile. I called Absolute Plumbing, explained everything making it crystal clear I did not want Joe back at my home to complete the work. About an hour later, I receive a call from Derek, telling me there is a code requirement and American Home Shield would cash me out. He did not know what the cash out amount would be, it would take between 7 and 21 days for me to receive a check (I really hope my calls were recorded). It became clear to me I needed to do something because it was Thursday, with the weekend a day away. I have a faucet leaking a gallon of water every 3 hours and cannot turn the water supply off over the weekend. Therefore, I purchased a new faucet at 5:30 pm (see attached receipt) and had a friend installed it to stop the leak. I avoided doing this before not to violate my warranty contract.

I cannot even begin to articulate the nightmare of not having a hot water heater. On Thursday at 3:05 PM, I received a call from (712) 792-7195. A message was left to call the options specialist at (888) 275-4965. I tried to call back at 3:08 PM only to get a recording the office was closed; office hours were 8 am to 5 pm central and to call back. I am central time, I use a cell phone I can verify every call. This morning at 8 am sharp, I spoke to Karen ** at (888) 275-4965. Now I'm being told I have to send an invoice and be reimbursed for the repairs. I have gotten several bids for the hot water heater and the replacement of the faucet. The lowest bid I got the hot water heater was $1,050.00 and for the faucet $450.00.

I was told American Home Shield would reimburse me $413.87 for the purchase and installation of the hot water heater. You cannot even purchase a hot water heater for that amount, let alone install it, or I could use Absolute Plumbing and pay them more for upgrades than American Home Shield would reimburse me if I have another plumber install the hot water heater. I could go on. I have made at least 10 phone calls to American Home Shield. I am flabbergasted to find out there is no provision for emergencies like these. I purchased this warranty for situations like this. Like most Americans living check to check, this warranty was my safety net for the unexpected. My hope is one of the news organizations I am copying in this e-mail will contact me, allow to talk about this nightmare to prevent others from such poor service and being basically ripped off. I have used American Home Shield since 1998. I will also let my mortgage company Bank of America know about this service. The stress I am experiencing has led to sleepless nights and a very elevated blood pressure.

They said the year had already expired. I was able to present proof that the A/C system broke and caused damage to my home during the year that was covered. American Home Shield chose what was financially best for them and not what was ethically right. American Home Shield does not put customers first. They put themselves first. American Home Shield did not follow a binding agreement which was to cover repairs during the one year coverage period. I now have to pay for sheetrock damage, a broken A/C system, water damage, paint, etc.

I was fighting through to the customer service line again and again I only to speak to another a rep with no clue having to review the file again and again. It took hours of my time on the phone with absolutely nothing accomplished on my behalf. I called AHS and was told Chase did not pay the warranty for at least 6 months and then canceled the warranty for non-payment. Payments were made on time every month and I continued to receive Chase statements showing the warranty was being paid out of Escrow.

I kept asking them where the money is. I called back continually, got them in a 3 way conversation with AHS and when I requested AHS to audit the account and send me a copy the next week, I get a “refund” check in the mail from Chase. All I wanted was Chase to send the money to AHS as agreed and supposedly has been done since 2000. Suddenly, Chase tells me their policy is not to pay “optional products”. Hello, it was part of the mortgage agreement!

At the least, these people mismanaged escrow funds for at least a year. Makes you wonder what other underhanded stuff is going on. Class action and audit Chase Mortgage. Somebody needs to turn over the rock for the consumer. They think I’m going to cash their refund check and solve their problem. I'm not until I find out exactly what has been paid or not paid to AHS.

A week later the AC is not cooling the house at all, so I called AHS again. They're telling me that they couldn’t get a tech out till half a week later. I said, well I’m upgrading this to an emergency due to the fact that I have small kids in my house and it’s well over 93 degrees. They send a tech out and he gets in the attic and finds leaks from the evaporator. So what do you know, it needs to be replaced. Now they want to charge me $300.00 for duct work to fit the new unit in. I found that kind of odd. So I asked for a cash-out option to find my own independent company to take care of this for me. It's now been 4 days and I've yet to get an amount from them as to how much I'll be getting. So I’m now going on my 3rd week with no AC. I am beyond frustrated with this company.

He came and stated that the breakers were the wrong size. This is a 12-year-old house and everything has been fine since it was built per code. I had 2 other non AHS electrical companies check the problem and it has absolutely nothing to do with the power. I had ARS Houston come out. As soon as he opened the unit, he saw the pig tails and stated the compressor is failing and it would be $2600 for them to replace. I called AHS back and they are sending out a different company. They refused to allow me to select a reliable company, so I keep getting these independent companies. I have every expectation that they are told to do everything possible to not replace a high dollar item like the AC, even though it's clearly a problem. It’s getting to the hot part of the year. If they will not approve the repair, then I will have to pay for it myself and file suit. They will only provide a PO Box for address so that is also a problem. They have no problem taking the yearly payments, but they do have a problem upholding the terms of the contract.

I called AHS on 5/08/11 to report it and they contracted Eagle Heating and Air Company to come out. They came out and stated that they could not find anything so AHS refused to authorize the repair. I spoke with Greg ** and told him what the gas company found and recommended, however, he still refused to authorize the service. I asked him to fax me a statement in writing that he was not authorizing the service and he stated that he could not fax or email anything out to me. I then asked for a statement in writing (letter) and he stated that he would have the letter sent but could not give me the ETA of the letter. I found him very unprofessional and unhelpful. I had to pay the $60.00 service fee despite having the service not authorized. I want AHS to authorize the services as per contract.

On Friday 5/6/11 the unit again had no flame & I tried to relight the unit myself but the thermocouple would not stay lit. I recontacted AHS & they indicated that no one could be available until the following Monday. I contacted GPS & Mike at that location also said that "No, hot water is not an emergency, just live with it" and they could not be available until the following Monday.

I would think that with all the 24-hour plumbing service companies in Phoenix that AHS could have someone available for us. AHS always states that their contract is written to be sure they will not be bothered with customer concerns, and that they will have someone available within 48 business hours. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was left on hold for 15+ minutes and never recontacted.

At the end of the week of December 6th, I wrote a letter to AHS stating I was going on a vacation and that would be out for the week of December 13. I was concerned about my plants in the room where the boiler heats and that I could not be contacted the following week. Of course, I received three calls that week, after I told them I would not be home. In the third call, the man was rude, and the man seemed annoyed that I was not getting back to him.

When I got back from vacation, and got the message, I once again called American Home Shield. They stated that they were having a lot of trouble finding someone to service the boiler. I stated that I could just call someone to get it fixed, and bill AHS. They said that that would require an outside authorization, and they would look into that. Now we are in the last week of December. AHS wrote me an email stating they found a company to service the boiler. Subsequently, the company stated that we were out of their area, and could not do it.

American Home Shield then left me a message stating I had outside authorization. This is where someone from outside the AHS network comes in and looks at the problem. They then call AHS while they are at my house, and speak to them. AHS decides whether the issue is worthy of paying for. When I called back to confirm this, I was told, no, I could not do that. I was told that the vendor needed to be in their network. I found out later, from another AHS person that this was not the case either, and that I could have indeed gone to an outside vendor. The message here is that AHS personnel were giving me conflicting information. Therefore, it went back to waiting for a repairperson to be found.

We were now in January. It is getting very cold, and the plants in the room are dying. They are big, and cannot be brought into the house. I was finally contacted by an outside vendor who was contacted by AHS, and they stated they could do the job. They then said they were out of our range and could not do it. I contacted AHS and they conferred about the repair place, and were able to set me up with an appointment. This was the first helpful thing AHS had done up that point.

Two days before the repair crew was to come, a pipe in the water line, in the baseboard where the room in question was, burst. It took me talking on the phone from work to my wife for a shut off procedure, which turned off the water supply coming from the boiler. When the repair crew came 2 days later, they stated they could not fix the igniter on the boiler because when they fired it up, the water had to be turned on. As I stated above, a pipe burst in the water line, so the boiler and water supply could not be turned on together.

The caveat here is that AHS does not cover water lines associated with the repairs. However, it is AHS’ negligence, misinformation, and lack of response in not finding me a repairperson for 1.5 months, which led to the delay, which led to the broken pipe. Subsequently, I am left with a repair, which I have to pay for. AHS stated that they gave me an option to go to an outside vendor at the end of December but the point they keep missing is that their own personnel told me that I could not do that, then, I could do that and to wait for a repair-person to call. Then, as I previously stated, they finally found a person after 1.5 months.

My renewal for AHS is in March. I am not going to renew. Their repair policies and response to issues are below par at best. American should be avoided at all costs. I am going to recommend to my friends, co-workers, post on Twitter and Facebook that AHS is not to be trusted, endorsed or used. This will not be slander, just a recommendation of not using them for lack of customer attention.

7. AHS said that it would automatically cancel if they don’t have my credit card number but they do have it and they will renew without your permission. The will not put anything in writing. This is weird.

At this time they have the monopoly in this area just like eBay does in auctions but one day they will both be put in their place.

I very, very often compliment good service and if you have a way to check records, I have several times with your company done so. This is my first complaint. Maybe the best thing that can happen from this is you recognize when a compliment comes and how much that individual is appreciated by your customers. Thank you.

Called as requested and the lady who answered asked a tech when they could make an attempt at repair and I was told maybe by Wednesday afternoon. Meanwhile, a refrigerator/freezer full of food going to spoil and AHS could care less. They had farmed to problem off to another outfit who didn't give a damn either. The home warranty came with the house and will not be renewed. It is nothing but a cash cow muck like the casinos, lots of money in and nothing out.

I called AHS and told them the story and said that had the original repair to the exact same toilets been done adequately there would not have been a second leak. It was the same toilets and the same mechanism and the same washers and they should have all been replaced. AHS disagreed. They told me I was outside the 30-day window for a return call and despite my apparent logic and the clear facts, they took shelter behind their policy. Their rep ends discussion with a can-I-help-you-with-anything-else" statement. I thought, "Anything else?" You haven't helped me at all in the first place. So I have a bill now that I won't pay and I'll look to AHS competitors for any subsequent contracts on my properties. I have an outstanding bill for $60 which I won't be paying.

In June, I was told HMS was contracted to put in a "new” condenser coil. The work was not completed until June 9 and did not fix the problem. In fact, a "new" coil was not replaced but rebuilt. On June 12, Meyers Air Conditioning and Heating LLC, an "authorized service contractor", was sent to repair the unit. They determined the unit needed a new evaporator coil. With that I received a call from an AHS representative indicating $650.00 worth of "code upgrades". A float switch, duct work, and auxiliary drain pan were needed to be done that were not covered by the warranty. They would not provide a second opinion and only offered a "cash out" and hire someone myself.

The cash out did not cover the cost of the repairs. I continued to indicate that code upgrades were not necessary to install the evaporator coil. In fact, Meyers never did the "upgrade work". And what they did do did not repair the air conditioning unit. AHS is well aware of the "out of contract" quotes given by their "authorized service contractors" and creates the situation which allows both of them to perpetrate this fraud.

If the work had not been called "code upgrades and duct work", the repairs would have been covered under the contract. The authorized contractors are well aware how to manipulate the system set in place by AHS and create costs to the consumer which directly benefits them. This scam was then run a second time when Cahaba Contractors ordered a new condenser and refused to install it until I paid a disposal fee of $150.00. Again, there’s a fee outside the contract. The unit was not properly repaired. And another "authorized service agent", Valiant, came out and replaced a part that Cahaba had incorrectly installed. I had to pay a $60.00 service fee.

The air conditioning unit again failed and Valiant returned. This time the problem was the "duct work". I was told that AHS should never have paid for anything because the wrong duct work is installed in the house. He wanted to charge me $750.00. AHS then took the position that this work fell outside the contract and they were not obligated to repair the unit pursuant to the warranty. This is the same scam new players perpetrated by AHS and its authorized service contractors.

I filed complaints with the AL Attorney General’s office and the heating and air conditioning licensing board. I finally hired a reputable company, which repaired the unit and had to redo the work of Meyers. I paid out of pocket $656.00. AHS continued to say they were not liable but to "settle the matter". They would reimburse me $741.12 representing the cost of repairs, return of the service fee, and the balance of contract fee of $25.12 less an administration fee.

I demanded the return of the cost of the contract and to cancel the last month of service with them. It has been their position that I am not entitled to a refund pursuant to their contract, even though AHS breached the contract, did not provide the services, and continues in a pattern of behavior which defrauds the consumer. It is a numbers game. They pay off the complainers but still get to keep the premiums.

Plus, the unit was working when I took ownership on 9/30/2010 and the basement did not flood while I've been in the house. Additionally, the Seller's Disclosure stated that there has not been flooding/water accumulation in the basement in the past. AHS called me a few hours later to say the repair was not covered due to water damage, and it would cost me +$500 just to replace the igniter and it would be another week until the part would arrive and he can schedule my repair.

I informed the agent that another plumber had a different diagnose and she said I could pay another $60 service fee to have another AHS plumber assess the issue a couple days later. Or, I could dispute the assessment, which would take several days and I would be without hot water for a couple more weeks during this review process. She also said, I could have it fixed, then dispute their claim afterwards. As a result, I called the other plumber for pricing and he said the +$500 cost was outrageous (and it wouldn't fix the real issue) and he could replace the entire unit for only $770 the next day.

Understandably, I used Attilio to replace my existing unit rather than have another one of AHS' plumbers rule in AHS favor. I sent a letter disputing AHS' assessment and got a response from Delphine on 12/1. She indicated that the first woman I spoke with on 10/7 should not have said that I could dispute after the fact. She said, they never give in to a dispute and once I declined their second plumber's assessment, I was out of luck (which was never communicated to me). My only course of action would be to hire an attorney to fight AHS. In short, this seems like a scam!

That AHS person told me that they cover it if it stopped working because of old age of the equipment. I told him that refrigerator is 10 years old already and it could have died because of that. Still they would not budge. This sounds like an excuse to not cover for the problem. I don't know who cleans the back of the refrigerator regularly though. We clean regularly front and sides every week, but not back of refrigerator though. I would not recommend AHS (American Home Shield) to anyone. I need to go buy a new replacement refrigerator which may cost me close to $1500.

I was not supposed to be billed. I requested a simple written confirmation by email or fax. She said she was not authorized to issue such statement, but I would receive it in a few days by mail. Certainly by the end of the week. I admitted she did not say which week. I have not received anything. I called again on Monday, November 15, talked to Gina who promised that I would receive a fax in 72 hours. Of course, with widely known performance of AHS' customer service, specifically billing, anyone could guess that I have received nothing.

Just Google AHS and you will see websites, pages and pages of angry customers. I called again on Friday, November 19. This time, I asked to be transferred to a supervisor. By now, you should have guessed. She did not have any authority either. I asked to be transferred to a manager but was told all our managers were at a retrieve and won't be back until Monday (meaning went shopping, it is Friday afternoon). At this point, I lost control of my anger, was rude, made not-very-nice remarks about AHS. I am sure I insulted the agent for which I sincerely apologize. No apology however to AHS and specifically to the ignorant and arrogant bean counters at the billing department, to whom the insults were directed. I do not understand how they can stay in business with incompetent agents and their supervisors who have no authority. In the meantime, I will remain in an overdue status with my account.

After about an hour during which time he was constantly on his cell ph. talking with the heat pump manufacturer's svc. dept. rep., he motioned me over and reported that the compressor had a major refrigerant leak. Since the unit was over 17 years old and the mfg. no longer was able to provide any parts for it whatsoever I was naive enough to think that AHS would replace it. BTW the tech tried to depart w/o replacing the electrical disconnect and also he had disabled the unit internally so I asked him to re-enable it and re-install the disconnect which he did.

While he was examining the unit I heard a loud scream coming from him and I perceived that he experienced a serious electrical shock because he was probing around the internals of the control panel with a large metal tool. I checked on him to see if I need to call 911 to rescue him. He told me that AHS would contact me regarding resolution. About 2 hours later I rec'd a call from an AHS rep. and she told me that even though the optional pool equipment coverage had been included in my contract, that heat pumps were excluded per their infamous H.6 list of excluded pool equipment (that includes nearly every conceivable piece of pool equipment that a pool owner would have). I told her that I had spoken to an AHS sales rep. shortly after closing on the property and specifically asked if pool heat pumps were included in the optional pool equipment rider and was told that they were.

I escalated my request to their Inspection Dept. and was told the same exclusion story and then was transferred to their Sales Dept. The Sales rep. with which I spoke told me that the Sales rep. with whom I had originally spoken must have misunderstood my question and assumed that I was asking me about the house heat pump, not the pool heat pump. How I wish that I had recorded that initial conversation when they told me that my pool heat pump was covered in my contract! Also if in fact pool heat pumps were excluded from warranty coverage then why did they dispatch a technician to fix it in the 1st place and charge me the $60 svc. fee?

This co. is clearly a very clever rip off artist and outraged consumers like those many folks who have already reported serious problems dealing with this co. in this website should have brought a class action lawsuit against them long ago in my opinion. Shame on Coldwell Banker Devonshire Realty in JAX for selecting this disreputable co. as their preferred home warranty provider; and shame on me for not reading the fine print in their contract (which btw excludes nearly ALL pool equipment--what a total farce their warranty is!)

Hot water heater burst, water everywhere. Call plumber, they came within 30 minutes, got water off, quoted price *99.10 with 10% discount, agreed got fixed within 3 1/2 hours service call and job complete. I was panic stricken because I could not get water stopped even with garden hose attached to tank and water cut off as much as I could.

Every time I have dealt with AHS has been very unsatisfactory. Call them, they call contractor, contractor calls (if regular business day with 4 hours maybe. If weekends/holiday within 48 hours to arrange for service. Water would have ruined my new laminated hardwood flooring installed 4 weeks ago. Help. I want AHS to pay what they should . I hope this finally goes through when I hit submit. Very short version of this situation.

Wednesday, the contractor called at 2:50, saying they had been scheduled to come at 3. I told them they did not schedule with me. They said, they would wait for me to call someone to meet them at my home. They called me back in an hour, saying no one ever came to meet them. My friend said, he had been at my house for half an hour. I called them back, only to learn they were at the wrong address. They finally came and said they needed a part, or would have to replace the unit. 3 days later, they called to say they were on the way. Again, they had not scheduled with me. I had a friend meet them there again, at which time they did replace the faulty part. While they were there, they noticed the hot water heater was leaking.

I called AHS, who called a contractor to come. Again, they came without an appointment. I called a friend to come meet them. They left an invoice stating I needed $1383 of work not covered by the warranty. The charges were exorbitant, unnecessary, or came on the actual hot water tank, which was covered. One example was a stand, $200, although I already had a good stand. Another charge was $90 to remove the old unit. I can provide the list they said was necessary and the actual repairs needed.

I told them I did not want the contractor to do the work at those prices. They said, they would pay for the tank and labor, $323.83, and $260, respectively; I could get whomever I wanted to do the work. They called back the next night, saying they would pay for the tank and the labor, $463 total. I questioned them, and they finally agreed to pay 323 and 200. They stated, I would need a licensed contractor or inspector to sign off on it, in order for me to be reimbursed.

I had the work done, with parts costing under $500 + labor. Then they said the person doing the work must be a licensed contractor, even though they'd told me previously I could get anyone to do the work if a licensed inspector inspected it. Now, I am being reimbursed nothing.

So what does it cover for real? Is this supposed to be a joke? What do I want a warranty for my house, if it does not cover anything, because this is the second time. It did not cover the pipes, when I had a leak. Let's see what they are going to do, because I will go to court with them, if they don't cover what they have promised. It's getting cold, and there is no heater in the house. I don't have enough money right now to cover it, but they should have let me buy a real home warranty.

I’m out of $60 for someone to tell me duct work is not covered. Contract states normal wear and tear for duct work. However, no one at AHS could explain to me what wear on duct work looks like. Technicians (who are contracted by AHS) are clearly working for AHS. I immediately canceled my so-called home warranty.

On arriving, he got his flashlight and started checking under the hot water tank, said "a lot of these problems are with the screen, very hard to get to, but I made a special tool to check it and also pointed to 2 PVC pipes which fed into the tank at the top and said they were not code. (Everyone has them in the neighborhood). I went into the house and the next thing I was told the hot water tank needed replacement, and he said it would be covered under the warranty for replacement and that I would be receiving a call from his company to schedule. The charge was $60.

On Friday morning, received a call from AHS and was told the plumber said someone had poked a hole in the screen probably trying to deceive the home inspectors involved in the sale of the house and it would not be covered. This was an elderly lady that owned the home and why or who would do such a thing.

We had been without hot water for almost 4 days now. After that call, I looked in The Villages newspaper and found pro plumbers and called them for service, Plumber Mandy came out and I told him what the other plumber said and he became bewildered and amazed at that statement. Mandy easily in front of me reached into the tank and pulled out the screen, which is not under the tank, and it was completely intact and not damaged.

Mandy also holds a special plumbing license which is above a master plumber and was initially involved supervising plumbing crews that did the plumbing work on these homes when they were first built around 2003, he also said that plumber had no idea what he was talking about and that those PVC pipes were code.

Mandy said the tank needed replacing and was I was charged $745. Under AHS rules hot water tank replacements fall under their rules.

On September 18, 2010, I was still waiting for the parts. I called Sears to find out how long before I get the replacement parts. I spoke with a customer service representative from AHS and they said that they needed 5 days written notification from the technician stating what the problem was. Five (5) days later, there was still no paperwork filed by Sears to AHS. On October 1, 2010, I received a phone call from Sears stating that they would replace the stove with a new stove. A program had just been started with Sears where they replace item/component to component.

They stated I would get a phone call from Sears telling me the details of when my stove would be there. On October 4, 2010 Monday, no phone call was received. I spoke with Connie from AHS and she said she would take care my situation. After Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I still have not received any contact from Sears. I waited at home for 48 hours. I never did receive communication from AHS either.

I tried all day for two days to get a phone call back from AHS and on Tuesday, I called Crystal back. She told me that Marilyn from Sears had contacted me abut the stove. No one has contacted with me. I was given another phone number to call. I was extremely suspicious about another party being involved. I went ahead and told them within the hour I was happy that Sears actually called me and I had never returned Marilyn's call. That was a bold face lie. Marilyn has never contacted me. I was so frustrated by this time that every phone call had been from me. I called and spoke with Marilyn, she told me that she had talked with me. I told her why would I be wasting my time telling people I have not received any calls, but she kept arguing with me. I simply stayed on the line until everything has been accomplished. She stated that a new range would be coming soon. I still had to pay $30 haul away fee as well as the $60 for the service fee they had collected.

Luckily Sears kept their word. A new stove came in the new morning. If it had been up to AHS, nothing would have happened. The last thing I would like to note is that my new contract was up for renewal on October 6, 2010. I had been put on hold with no communication until October 7, 2010. I find that extremely interesting how they roped me into another hold year by waiting until the renewal date had passed before taking care of the situation. I had to threaten AHS with a lawsuit before they would rectify the problem. I am fuming mad still. I am waiting a few days and I will contact someone about cancelling AHS service.

I will not pay another penny to this company. I lost lots of time waiting for AHS and Sears to get the job done. I Lost $60 in service fee, and suffered emotional stress and time waiting without any communication from AHS. It was extremely frustrating. I guess I should count my lucky stars that I did not have to fork out a lot of money for the new stove. I am still waiting to hear bad news and someone who will try to charge me for something. Extremely bad customer service from AHS.

I called first thing Monday morning and was told by the receptionist that they would not be able to come out until Friday, October 8th. I told her that was unacceptable because we were without any heat. I called AHS and explained what had happened. I was told that the contractors had 2 days to come out for repairs. I stated that this contractor was not adhering to the contract.

The supervisor had me on the phone for a half hour while she and dispatch searched for a contractor. At 3:30 she gave me the name of Daves Heating and Plumbing 304-823-3403 and said that I could call them in 2 hours if I hadn't heard from them. I waited until 4:57 and called Jo at Daves and was told that her boss was not in and she couldn't schedule me.

This morning, Tuesday, October 5th I called Jo and was told that they were going to call AHS to let them know that they had told them yesterday that we were not in their service area. Meanwhile I looked up AHS on the Internet and saw hundreds of complaints similar to mine. I called AHS and asked again to speak to a supervisor. They still had no one and would have another 2 days to get someone out here.

I told the supervisor that since I had read about the complaints through your office and another site, I could see that we were not getting heat any time soon. I asked to be put through to cancellations and was on hold for over 10 minutes. I hung up and called the first company I could which was Quality Home Comfort and was told if I was willing to pay overtime, they could be out here tonight if it was an emergency. AHS does not contact the companies as an emergency because they obviously do not want to pay overtime. None of this is stated in their brochure which states that they have customer service reps on call 24/7. They have reps but no contractors. I called AHS back and was on hold another five minutes until I was told that I would receive a letter within 14 days stating that I would be given a refund. I have been on the phone and contacting you for over 2 hours plus all day Monday and Sunday without heat.

I called again, and once again a technician came and said the compressor was once again bad. It was re-ordered over a week later, after 2 calls to American Home Shield, and them contacting the contractors. During this time we were assigned a case manager due to all the bad things that had been happening with this company. From that time on, we only had contact with company through the case manager. After talking to case manager after the 2nd compressor was installed, and the problem still existed, she requested another technician (twice) to come out.

The first one came in and said that there was no problem, as it was cooling, although it would only put out a 9 degree differential, which they refused to even check! The second one came in and said there was obviously a blockage in the line, and he would have to go back to office and find out what they would do about it and would call us back. The very next day we were informed that American Home Shield was called, and told that the system was fine, and had no problems. I blew my lid! She told us that since the technician had told her there was no problem, she could not authorize any more work to be done. I insisted on getting a second opinion, and was told that they did not have contract with any other contractors in the area, and that was that. Our problem.

I told her that the technician obviously lied, or was told to lie to her, as he had told us something entirely different. She told me that was too bad, and she was sorry but they told her all was well. She told me I could call the company, and ask why they told her this, which I did, and was told that the technician should have never told us there was a problem. however, for $674.00, they would come and blow out the lines, and install another line, which would solve all the problems, although they had told American Home Shield we did not have any problems.

I called the case worker back and told her what they were saying and she said she was sorry but she was told everything was fine and that was that. We then called out another company for second opinion (at our expense), and was told what the technician had told us, that there was a blockage in the line. I called American Home Shield back, and told her what the second opinion company had told me. Still she said, "too bad, we were told it is fine, and therefore no benefits are warranted". We then talked to the company we contacted, and were told by them, to continue to put money into a unit this old is ridiculous (which we understand perfectly), and we are now replacing the whole unit at our expense.

We feel we have been taken advantage of, not only by the contracted company, but also by American Home Shield for taking our money in good faith each month, for a warranty that was not worth the paper it is written on. Because they have no contractors in our area, other than the one who obviously lied, it is our problem, and no second opinion would be allowed, even at our own expense. When contacting area contractors for estimates for new unit, they all shuttered when told we had been working with American Home Shield from July- Sept, and still had the problem. They say they hear it all the time.

We were not able to sleep in our beds for approximately 3 weeks, due to no air, and I have been chronically ill since 2001, and the toll it has taken, has been rough, not getting the proper rest. We informed the company of my health problems which made no difference at all. My husband also had to work and never was able to sleep in bed (all bedrooms upstairs where unit was out), and as a senior citizen, really has not yet recouped from the lack of rest. Financially, our electrical bill went really high, due to the unit not operating right, which remains high, while awaiting new unit to be installed next week. The mental and physical toll it has taken on us, will not be forgotten soon for sure!

Since he now lives several hundred miles away, he felt a warranty program would give him piece of mind and be beneficial to his renters. During the seven months that his home has been under the warranty program the owner has utilized the warranty program twice now and has easily saved 50% of the total costs of these repairs as charged by local contractors. The repairs consisted of the air conditioning system malfunctioning. The condensing unit needed freon added. The other repair was due to a outside water facet on the house had freeze damage, when the water was turned on for this facet the split in the copper line caused ceiling tile damage and wet carpet in a basement bedroom.

The warranty only covered the plumbing repair. For this region, the contractor rates for these two repairs would have been a minimum of $150 each for labor and material. For the plumbing repair the actual repair cost was $176, which seems a bit high, but that was the amount per AHS. The homeowner only had to pay the deductible $75 per each of these repairs.

After reading many of the complaints on this site, in all fairs it needs to be understood by readers of these complaints that the contractors coming out to evaluate or make the repairs are not employees of AHS. They are independent contractors that have a contractual arrangement with AHS. In some cases, it may come down to the old scenario where the low bidder gets the job. But I'm sure AHS does due diligence on the contractors they use and they try to avoid using those with poor reputations to avoid having unhappy warranty clients. How many companies that sell products and services on a national level don't have a small percentage of complaints or unhappy customers? It's just not possible to make everyone happy!

The tech they sent was from MSTAFF out of Raleigh, NC. He replaced some items, recharged the freon, and left, telling me that I really need to consider a new EHP. From that time on, for the next four months, May, June, July, and August, I had to have a service man at least once a month. It was not cooling, and running non-stop. Each time the tech was told that it was always running, and each time the tech assured me it was because it was so hot, and the EHP was trying to "keep up with the heat".

Finally in September, I got a call from Tri County, telling me that I could no longer be on their "budget plan", because of the high usage of kilowatts. I called AHS and they were going to send MSTAFF yet again ($60), even though they had not found the problem. I told them I did not want MSTAFF, and would just call my own repairman. I was told that the $60, would only be paid if I used MSTAFF. I declined and had to pay $89 out of my pocket to find the trouble.

The tech this time, (not from their rep) told me that the Reversal Valve was stuck, and needed to be replaced. Again I called AHS. That time, I was told they would pay the $1000.99 if the company I had used would call, and give them the amount, however, I must pay out of pocket, and they would reimburse me. That AHS rep told me that if I want to use the $1,000.99 toward a new EHP, it would be okay.

The next day I called to find out how to word the request, and was told that it would be "considered" and gave me another address to mail it to, Cash out department. Well, meanwhile, I had to wait three days for the new unit to be installed, and all the while, my EHP was running non-stop. I ordered my new unit from a different company than the one who gave me a price on the Rev.Valve, but the man was kind enough to submit a bill for repair for $2,000.00 to AHS as instructed. It was mailed through registered mail, so I would know they received it.

The new unit works perfectly, and I hope for another 18 years, but meanwhile, my electric bill went to $1,892 and the new EHP cost me $4,679. All things considered, I think AHS should have been responsible for the new unit, and should reimburse me for the electric bill also, and also for the mental anguish that I suffered because of their unprofessional attitude. They have not even paid for the repairs, as they said they would.

Needless to say, I have cancelled my warranty, which was through my mortgage at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. I wrote a letter to both American Home Shield and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage voicing my complaint, and sent the bills to prove it. The only response I got was when their phone rep held me on the line for 45 minutes, as they had to be "told" in front of a Wells Fargo rep, that I wanted it cancelled. I am ahead 1 month on my mortgage, so though it is not due until Oct. 1, I also have lost the $42 charge for that month. They said that Wells Fargo would have to reimburse me, but to date I have heard from no one.

I have described the economic disaster it has caused me. Now, let me tell you about the physical damage. I am 79 years old and trying to retire. I had to take the money from my meager savings account to pay for their negligence. Mentally, I am a wreck. It leaves me with practically no savings, and who knows how much longer I will be able to work. I worry.

When I called the company back to let them know that the air conditioner had been fixed, they informed me that they would not pay for the service because I did not get prior approval. Luckily the telephone conversations I had were recorded and after several heated conversations I asked to speak to a manager. The manager said that they would listen to the telephone recordings and let me know their decision.

A few days later the manager called back to say that the proper procedures were not explained to me and that I was told that it would be o.k. to have someone of our choosing come out. She said that the payment for the services would be processed and sent out so that we could pay the contractor. Needless to say we have not received a check for the services yet. Today we called back to ask "where's the check"? They said they mailed it to an address we had 5 years ago. Now they are acting as if they do not have the correct address. We have to give them our mailing address every time we call them. This is absolutely the worst warranty company I have ever heard of. These people are stupid and horrible to deal with. I am making it my life's mission now to make sure everyone, including the mortgage company that sold us this trash knows how horrible they are to deal with.

I told AHS that Myer's was their contractor choice and that the A/C unit was still not working and I wanted to cash out and use the $1,500.00 cap money and have a new A/C unit put in. They said they would not do that and that their legal and claims settlement department would be glad to talk with my attorney or the better business bureau. On Sept. 23, I called Driver A/C and they sent a technician right away and after examining the A/C unit and reading the Myer's service reports and running additional tests, determined that most likely the coils had blockage and a new unit would be the quickest and cost effective solution. I asked what could have caused the blockage and his reply was that if the compressor was bad or if Myer's replaced the compressor, more than likely Myer's did not vacuum or clear the lines before installing the new compressor and consequently, the debris clogged the cooling unit.

After more than four weeks of 90 to 100 degree temperatures and without air conditioning, I feel that I am at least entitled to the $1,500.00 maximum cap allowed per the contract. I firmly believe that Myer's A/C contractors were negligent by not cleaning or vacuuming the coils before installing the first new compressor. I was there for the Myer's first compressor repair and I know that they did not vacuum the lines. I believe that the compressor was bad, but Myer's neglected to clean/vacuum the coolant lines before installing the first compressor. I believe that both new compressor were good and that by not vacuuming/cleaning the coils, it damaged my A/C unit. As a result, I have to spend $3,550.00 for a new A/C unit.

The tech. just looked at my AC said that AHS would probably reject the claim because the unit was dirty and had not been maintained. Also the capacitors were bad. In fact, the unit was not dirty. I had just changed the filter 2 weeks prior and it just needed the motor replaced, which had nothing to do with the cleanliness of the AC. They didn't pay and the tech., still charged me $60 for the call and did nothing.

I then called another HVAC company. They came out promptly, said there was nothing wrong with the capacitors , the unit was not dirty, and in fact the tech. had never opened up the unit to see if it was dirty or the filter needed changing. The new HVAC company fixed the AC for $400. That's was $250 less than what the AHS AC company quoted me.

The Attorney General of Texas needs to know that my claim was denied before the tech looked at my unit. He actually said " AHS" is denying lots of AC claims now because of lack of maintenance. This saves them money. This means that AHS is not living up to its contractual obligations and is practicing deceptive marketing and fraud. It is surprising that the TX AG is not prosecuting AHS now. This company is devious. Also, I want AHS to pay me back my $400 that I had to pay out of pocket.

I live in Arizona. I have been told that my unit will go any day and we are at 104 degrees. I lost my job in March and have been able to find employment since. Obviously, I do not have the financial means to have this unit replaced.

The final response was 'no coverage' from AHS. They said that the pipes were rusty and that there were spider webs (remember, the pool equipment is outside where spiders live). I argued and went from division to division. It is exhausting. Just awful! Finally, they said the best they will do (and this is proposed as a huge favor to me) is a credit of $100 if I buy a new pool heater and have it installed with a contractor that they can verify. I am of the opinion that AHS will not honor any promises they make. The reason is that I had also pointed out that pre-existing conditions were covered as per the contract with AHS. But they will not fix or replace the pool heater.

When they had viewed the pool heater, the motor and pump were working. Their own AHS company vendor saw that the pool motor and pump were working. Weeks later, with no pool heater, the pool motor and pump stopped working. I contacted AHS and they sent out another pool vendor. The results are quite predictable. AHS will not fix the pool motor and pump. I have been calling and going back and forth with the pool motor and pump and the best they would offer is yet another huge favor to me. They said that they would pay $210.00 only if I buy the pool motor and pump (which costs about $1,600.00) and only if they approved of the installer. Lies, lies, lies.

AHS cannot be trusted. The items above are covered in their contract and they do not live up to their promises. I feel defrauded by AHS. They use any excuse to rid themselves of covering items that should be covered per their own contract. Truly, all lies when it comes to their contract! I have thrown out all of the AHS brochures that are in our office lobby. Why subject any other innocent clients (with AHS they are victims) to this unbelievable misrepresentation! Does the Insurance Commissioner know about this activity? Does the Consumer Affairs Department know about this activity? I have invested lots and lots of hours in regard to these matters and I feel cheated by AHS.

And, in order to call AHS, you sit on the phone for up to 50 minutes to get through. Believe it. I've done it many times! AHS clearly does not stand behind their contract. The sales department at AHS will tell you anything so you buy their coverage, but there is not coverage! They don't live up to their contract! It's just terrible, really! I want my pool heater fixed. I want my pool motor and pump fixed. That is what my contract says. They should do it! It's as simple as that. Thank you.

For the two years, I had the warranty. I have probably contacted them three times for A/C, refrigerator and plumbing problems, none of which AHS paid to fix. In September of 2008, the A/C went out. In fact, it was during the Labor Day weekend. I contacted AHS and received a work order for a company. However, because it was a holiday, I had to leave a message for someone to call me back. Meanwhile, my tenants, who have three young children, including a six month young infant, needed the unit fixed ASAP. It was 98 degrees with a heat index of 104. I told them to go ahead and get it fixed since I could not reach anyone, so they did. They sent me a bill for $300 to replace the motor. I spoke to the company who completed the work, and they said that the unit is old and may not last much longer. AHS told me to submit the bill for reimbursement, and when I did, they refused to pay it because they said I didn't use one of their companies.

For the plumbing and refrigerator service requests, the companies that AHS sent out claimed that they couldn't find the problem and told me that the refrigerator was just dirty. These are supposed to be licensed companies, yet my tenant was able to locate both problems himself. The icemaker to the refrigerator was leaking, and there was a leak in the upstairs bathroom. Needless to say, they took my $60 service fee each time.

In early August of 2010, my tenant called to notify me that the A/C was not cooling. I contacted American Home Shield and they gave me the number for a service company who was extremely rude to my tenant when she asked them when they were sending someone out since he has a child in the home with severe asthma. They told her to get someone else out because "everybody has a problem." In other words, "we don't care that you have a sick child."

Because I didn't want a repeat of what happened in 2008, I contacted AHS and requested another company that could go out sooner and was more polite. They authorized me to contact my own company since they were treating this situation as an emergency. The company I called was recommended to me by the maintenance guy in the community. They came out the same day, made a diagnosis, and contacted AHS for authorization. The technician called me and told me that the unit was 18 years old and needed to be replaced. AHS contacted me and told me that they needed a second opinion. Mind you, this is now day 5 without a/c and this is supposed to be an emergency.

Their second opinion company did not come out until 3 days later. It took them three days to call in the report to AHS. Now we are over 10 days without a/c in 90+ degree weather. When the company finally called in the report, they told AHS that the unit was dirty and that's why it failed (the unit is on the roof, and it is exposed to the elements). AHS refused my company's diagnosis and used what their service company reported and told me that the claim was denied. Needless to say, I immediately canceled my warranty with these thieves.

The next day they gave me the number of another service company they used and they were supposed to be out by 7 p.m. Another no show. After this, I paid my own service tech that had serviced my unit each year for twelve years examine the unit. He said it had burned up the wires and the circuit board and needed to be replaced. Wednesday, September 8, AHS sent another tech from a very reputable company here in town out and he examined the unit and recommended that it be replaced also.

After him calling AHS, they said they would have to get another tech to come out and give a second opinion but he would not be able to come out until Thursday! I said to just forget it and called my service man back and he ordered the unit and it is to be installed in the early morning of Thursday, September 9, 2010. Total cost to me $2518. Total cost to AHS -0-. Just what they want and try to do. They know you will give up sooner or later and cancel, but they have all of your premiums up to that point. Avoid AHS at all costs and just put that money up each month for the repairs. You will be much better off.

What ever happened to customer service? Like I said above, I have numerous medical issues that are only made worse by sitting and sleeping in a hot humid house. I have to work to pay my bills so I have to impose on relatives to drive over here and wait in a sweltering house for them to come and service the unit. They never fix it correctly. My electric bills have skyrocketed during the times that the unit ran and didn't cool. Help me!

On 08/27/10 my outer unit shut down again and I contacted American Home Shield. This time, Juan arrived at my house on 09/31/10, and after tripping the breaker while fooling with my outer A/C unit, he blamed the problem on the fact that I didn't have the cleaning service done to my inside furnace area. I was further advised by tech Juan, and American Home Shield, that the repairs would not be covered by my warranty.

Over the next several days after many heated arguments with both American Home Shield and United Air Temp, it was finally agreed that United Air Temp would send a competent tech over to fix my A/C under warranty. Additionally, the manager, with cellphone number **, acknowledged that tech Juan tried to scam me, and his actions were inappropriate. He also stated that he had a conference with tech Juan, and this sort of thing would never happen again.

On 09/02/10, tech William showed up at my house. He came with the wrong fan motor. He briefly left, but came back with another wrong fan motor, which he installed. After installing the fan motor, he tested it twice prior to securing the power lines correctly. During both tests the fan blades hung up on the wires, and the blade was damaged. Despite this, tech William continued to to reassemble the unit. As a result, when tech William restarted the unit for the third time, the unit shook, vibrated, and made loud noises, to the point that it appeared that further damage was being caused to the unit. Tech William then advised me that he had to order the correct motor, and a new fan blade that would take another 3 days to arrive (over the Labor Day Holiday Weekend). He further stated that I could run the unit like it was, until the parts arrived.

Along with some heated words to William, I advised him that I would not be running the unit in that condition, and I made some choice notes on the work order he wanted me to sign. Since then United Air Temp, with American Home Shield approval, refuses to send any tech to my home to repair the mess tech William and tech Juan have made of my A/C unit. Further, American Home Shield has now resigned to giving me a cash-out, to have the work done by a company of my choice, but they will not let me know how much they are cashing out, or when I will receive the money.

To date (09-03-10) my A/C unit is still not running properly. Me, my wife, and my five year old son had to move out to my brother-in-law's house, until we can get someone to repair my A/C. I have lost 2 days of leave from work. My son has an upper respiratory infection, and is coughing with runny nose, due to sleeping a week and a half in a hot house, with open windows next to a box fan for comfort. I don't know if the cash out will cover full replacement, if tech William's botched repairs, further damaged the system beyond replacing parts. During these two weeks, we have been without A/C with temperatures in the Washington DC area reaching over 90 degrees, with 80 to 90% humidity.