American Home Shield Reviews

Original Review: April 19, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Original Review: April 17, 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A year ago, I had a complaint with AHS. I would pay my premium one-time for the full year. But, someone in billing put me down to pay monthly. I haven't noticed that until I started seeing money coming out of account that I didn't authorize. I had to call back and get everything straightened out. They gave me a $75 credit for the inconvenience. That's the only problem I've had with AHS for the past 10 years. Other than that, my experience with them has been good so far. I recommended AHS to other people that I know are first-time homebuyers.

So I tried to initiate a second request online, but they have no option for requesting a callback online. The instructions are we're not required to pay a second co-pay when we call within that shorter window of time. They say, "Call us." So I call and I'm on hold for 20 minutes and get disconnected without talking to a human. And then I was on hold again for 20 minutes and then finally get a human.

Now when the rep I got was wonderful and she said there's no charge. She gave me a dispatch number, and this particular time I don't think it was entirely their fault because their systems went down for the entire day on Friday, she told me. She said it's a nightmare because they had all of Friday's business that they were still behind on. But there are many occasions wherein if I have to call, that's where the nightmare is although if I file online, it's great. So the repairman came back out on Tuesday and discovered what was wrong and he has ordered the part. We're just waiting for them to come back and install it. So overall, I think I would be happy with what the results will be on this one.

But some of the vendors they have are horrific. It may be partly because I'm in a small town and the availability of vendors that will negotiate with them is more limited although my mom who lives in Jacksonville, Florida has an issue with them, too, because she'll really never know who she's gonna get. And last fall, we had an issue. We live where the eye of the hurricane hit us in October. My air conditioner wasn't working, but the weather wasn't too bad and so knowing what people had suffered on the island, we are fortunate that our house was not damaged.

So I was being patient about having the air conditioner repaired. But it took six weeks, and they were sending out this air conditioning company which I don't even know if it was legitimate. And then finally we said that they sent a different company and that second company found that the first one had installed the thing wrong. So we had gone all this time waiting for people to come back. And if I don't get a vendor that I like and specifically request them, it's a Catch-22.

I spend a lot of money to maintain a policy with them but overall, the good outweighs the bad. I've gotten a new microwave from them and have a brand new clothes washer from them. I also have brand new ceiling fans from there where my old one broke beyond repair. And they've come and repaired my refrigerator and my pool multiple times. So over the 10 years, I really feel like I've gotten my money's worth. I just have to be patient and be willing to work with them. I recommended them to people like my mother but she's very critical.

For the most part, we've had positive experiences with the contractors that they've sent out. A negative one was when we had a plumber come out who told us one thing but told AHS something completely different. That resulted in a lot of confusion on our part and a lot of arguing with AHS over something. We then ended up getting a second opinion that completely disagreed with what the said contractor told us and AHS. The vendor was also very rude to my wife. When I spoke to the Home Shield representative, I explained all of that and I also said if and when we need more plumbers, we don't want this one coming back out. They were understanding and said that they'd note the account and that it wouldn't happen, which was appreciated.

With that same experience, we ended up having to go out-of-pocket to repair a water heater. The first issue was covered but the water heater wasn't. They said it’s because we could have at any point had them come out and fix the first part. But from our perspective, we had absolutely no knowledge that the first thing was broken. So, it was a bit disappointing that they weren't willing to work with us on that. But we still chose to renew with them even with that.

In the very beginning, I called them out four or five times and all they did was they kept filling it up. They said their policy was they refill it the first time then after that they'll do a leak test on it. But it took them four times before they actually did a leak test. I was disappointed about that. We're not breaking anything. Why fill it up once first? It's really going to leak out again. I’m just throwing my money down the drain. They pay $10 a pound for the Freon and we got to cover the rest. I talked to the guy now, I think he said, "It looks like $180 a pound." If you're paying for three or four pounds, that's l$500. They just kind of fill it up just to prove that leaked out. The money I gave for the Freon is going to be for nothing. And I have two ACs. I have one for downstairs and one for upstairs.

As far as any other calls I did to them, I had them come out to fix my dishwasher, which they found out was bad. So, they had to replace it. Then, my refrigerator stopped cooling. He came out and found out a lot of the coils underneath were all clogged up. He cleaned it out and did all that stuff. They're great but when it comes to the AC, I hate calling them out because they're just going to band-aid it and I pay the service charge at a bare minimum if not more than that if they have to do anything. I'm glad they cover the parts because some of the parts are expensive. But other than that, I've had no problems.

The people that they contract with are professional. There's one guy I didn't really care for, but the rest of them are very knowledgeable and very experienced. The last guy we had, he was very good. I had a really good feeling about him. They need to figure out how to train the young people that don't have much experience. They need to be working with somebody who has experience, not just dump them out there on their own, by themselves. For the most part, I'm happy with the service I got from them. Been with American Home Shield for three years. It's just with those two units, it didn’t work.

Now waiting for plumber to call. Am sure it will be at least a day or two before work will be done. Have been AHS customer for about 10 years with mostly good results. This experience has been most frustrating. Trying to get in touch with your customer service is another lesson in frustration. Long holds, etc. Again the lady in Authorizations was very efficient and did her job once I was able to get through. Terrible website.

Updated on 4/19/2017: My microwave has not worked since early December. AHS has sent numerous (>6 times) technicians to fix the problem. The same part was replaced twice and I was charge 2 service calls ($150). After my first review American home shield responded with the same robotic response that they give every review posted on this site. I responded asking them to call me. They did on April 13th. At that time the AHS representative assured me that her supervisor would call me later that day. I never received a call.

Today 6 days after I was assured that a supervisor would call me with a resolution I received a garbled voice mail from AHS that I cannot respond to because I cannot understand it. When I called the number that left the voice mail I was connected to an AHS representative that no record or notes regarding my issue. Bottom line I am out my premium and $150 and I still do not have a resolution to my problem. The service I have received from both AHS and their technicians is terrible. Beware of this company!

I recently had an electrician come out for an electrical problem. But I wasn't very happy with the contractor. First of all, I told him that the problem could be a bad circuit breaker, but he didn't think it was a bad circuit breaker, so he went around and tested all the outlets, which all tested good. He then thought it was a bad surge protector and he removed it. And then the circuit breaker wouldn't trip when he was there, and about an hour after he left, it tripped. So, I called him and let him know that and he was supposed to come back Friday but he didn't. He didn’t call me, so I called him on Monday and he said, "Oh, you didn't get my phone call and my messages?" I said, "No. I don't have a phone call. I have a message. I don't have any missed calls from you." When he finally came back out, he then said he would replace the circuit breaker. And that could have been done five days ago. Other than that, I haven't had any issues with the breaker since.

I tried to do the automation and I thought it was gonna give me a live person but it didn’t do that. It did the whole set up and tried to give me a different company, so I had to cancel that ticket and talk to a live person to say, “I need him to come back out ‘cause he’s already aware of the problem.” So that’s why they set it up back with him. The claims rep who I talked to this morning was friendly just like the lady that I talked to the last time they had to come out and changed out something for another unit. Everybody I’ve talked to has been really professional and nice. However, I haven’t heard from the AC guy yet. He’ll probably call me later in the day or late tonight as that’s usually how much time usually passes by. Nevertheless, I’ve been very pleased with American Home Shield.

Original Review: April 12, 2017

I wasn’t too happy with American Home. The first time I called, they were reading the policy and it said that we should agree upon the time. The guy called me up and didn’t give me a time that I was supposed to be home. That didn’t work out. So I tried to schedule for the next day and they couldn’t come until the following week. I had to make rearrangements for that. They only had one person that could deal garage doors in the area. Then the guy came that Monday, he said the circuit board was bad. When American Home Shield called me up, they said he told them that it was a surge that went through the garage door opener. No surge went into anywhere else in the house, and all of a sudden, it goes to the garage door opener, which they don’t cover. That didn’t make sense to me.

The guy told me one story, and then by the time he talked to AHS, the story changed. They're supposed to fix or replace it, and now they're not going to do either. So I have to get somebody to install a garage door opener. The representative I spoke with said I could dispute it but I can't dispute it with somebody I select. They want to select somebody as well. So if you’re going to select somebody they’re going to tell you exactly the same thing the other guy told you. That’s stupid.

Finally, Tuesday is here and the electrician comes out only to tell my husband it is not covered! He takes $75 from us and then when we ask why it is not covered we are told it is because the meter is outside. We asked them how they can cover the air conditioning unit then and the first woman said that isn't covered either, which is wrong. So I wonder if they even know what they do actually cover. So now on the 5th day we are waiting on our own electrician to give us a quote while we still have no power and have to have extension cords run through the entire house so our fridge can run and we can charge our phones. I'm disappointed and will never renew this contract!

By 4/2/2017 I had received nothing, so I concluded I was still not insured. I phoned the AHS customer service line and the message said I would have to hold for more than ten minutes. I held for twenty minutes, but nobody answered. I gave up, did some online research, and bought a home warranty from a highly rated company that has always answered my phone calls promptly. Then on 4/8/2017 I received an email from AHS saying I was insured and giving me my new policy number. I immediately phoned AHS customer service, but the message said I would have to hold for over ten minutes. Knowing that meant probably holding for over twenty minutes, I hung up. At the AHS website I discovered there was no way to cancel my policy online, and no way to send an email to AHS. At 10:40 pm that same night I phoned AHS customer service and got a live answer.

The representative asked for my address and said her computer told her I did not have a policy. She also had a wrong phone number for me, so I gave her my correct phone number. I read her the email policy number I had just received by email, and then she agreed that I had a policy. She told me she could not cancel my policy at my request, but that the cancellation department would phone me back.

Two days later (4/10/2017) I still had not received a phone call from the cancellation department, so I waited until 10:35 pm and phoned AHS customer service. They had not corrected my phone number on their computer, so I gave them my correct phone number again. This representative was kind enough to give me the direct phone number of the cancellation department, which I phoned early the next morning. That worker told me I could not receive a cancellation notice by email, but that I would receive a cancellation notice by mail by 4/25/2017. I only hope her promise is true, and that this will finally be the end of my struggles with AHS. Incidentally, I never had a problem with AHS service department: they always responded promptly to a repair request by sending out a competent repair person.

The contractor first came out when I could do it, on Tuesday. Then the second time, he came and he accommodated me for the afternoon. The third one was a little tricky because the receptionist didn't want to do it on my hours, but I was insistent. She said it was a two-hour job and he couldn't do it from three to five like I normally do it. She said it had to be at 12. I said, “Well, I can’t take off ‘cause I work at a school. I can do anytime after two or three. A three to five works out better.” So, they did it on my time and the tech only took an hour to fix. They are flexible. I liked their repairman. He was great and did his job and my dog likes him, which was very important. He even brought dog bones for him.

I have called six times, each time they took down my service request and assured me I would receive an email and/or call from a contractor, but that has not happened. When you call, there is always a message that they are "experiencing an unusual volume of calls" and have to wait for half an hour. It is a nightmare. I am cancelling American Home Shield. It is not worth it, just a huge headache.

We had an issue last summer with our air conditioning and one of the contractors took the $75 check and we never heard from him again. We called again and got another contractor but there was a delay because they had to get parts. It was an ordeal, and none of it was the responsibility of American Home Shield. Other than the first contractor, everything else was what you would expect.

It was a big and expensive job and now, this air conditioner is humming away. It’s a must where we live. The pollen here is so thick, you need your windshield wipers. We close the house up, otherwise it turns green on us. You don't want to air your house out, so we're very pleased with the work that was done. I like that you pay the $75 online by credit card. I would prefer to pay it to AHS first though, and let them deal with it because then, they have to show up if they want to get paid. I've recommended AHS to a lot of different people.

But I was not pleased with the second guy that was sent out. A piece was broken off at the bottom of my refrigerator but he said that it was ripped out. There's only me, my husband and my son living in the house. I'm sure my son pulled the ref out too far and the piece broke off. I found it on the floor and I'm sure that's what happened. He said okay but he wrote that it was ripped out and we tried to repair it. Who tried to repair it? My husband can't fix anything and I know I definitely couldn't fix it. He also asked about my warranty on the refrigerator but I don't have a warranty. He then said he had another customer that had this refrigerator just like mine. The same piece came off their refrigerator and it's not covered under warranty. I wondered what's the purpose of me getting a service if it would never be covered.

He also barely talked and he didn't want to shake my hands. When he fixed the stove, I had to ask him what's wrong with it. But I shouldn't have to ask him what he's gonna do and what's the next process. That should be part of his report with the customer. But everybody works differently. You have people who are super friendly and you have people who are not as talkative. I work in customer service, too, so I understand that. But the first guy who came had a way of doing his system. Also, there was a handle on my refrigerator that was loose. The second guy must have tightened up only one side because now it's wobbly. So, they said they would send somebody else to come back. I had to call twice. The first time, the young lady said I would have to call back because it's nighttime and speak to a certain department. Then, I called back and the young lady said that their computers were down and they can't do anything so I'd have to call back.

My experience with AHS has been great. They’re very responsive and quick. The only negative that I've experienced is that if you try to call in your claim, you've got to wait eight to ten minutes until you talk to somebody. And if you do it online, it's the same if you’re not sure what exactly the problem is because you need to have the company call you. But as long as you know what you want, it's better to go online.

The second claim was for my range because the cooktop broke. AHS sent out a contractor who looked at it and said that they had to order the part. But, when they got back to their office, they found out that the parts were no longer available. So now, they're gonna replace the range. They were supposed to get back to me, but I didn't hear anything so I called and they said that the approval process hasn't been completed. They were waiting to hear back so they can do the next step. I had expected a quicker response time on the range than what they had said. But other than that, it's been a good experience so far so I probably will renew it.

I had a problem with our washing machine. I called them up and told them about what was going on. They're easy to talk to and easy to get in touch with. They set me an appointment for someone to come out and dispatch somebody to weigh the situation. The people that came out were very experienced. I could tell they had been doing it for a while because they just took things apart without even reading any instructions. They ordered the part and when the parts came, they called me up to let me know. They then set up a time to come back out. They took the machine apart and they repaired it. They were very fast and they did a great job.

I was glad that American Home Shield chose them. You would think that they would just send you anybody, but the people who came out were quality contractors. They were people that I would've been looking for myself if I had to go out and find someone to repair my stuff. When they fixed the washer, it’s just like new. I was going to buy a new washer because it was over 10 years old. Now, my wife is stuck with that for about another eight or nine years. Even though my coverage is going up and all the fees had gone up, I'm going to renew my warranty.

I encourage everyone considering AHS to run. Do not use this company. I will spread the word in my area and will never consider them again! What in the world did I pay for? Grief? No, I didn't- I paid for competent people to make sure my payment is handled correctly. They sure didn't hesitate to deduct the amount from my account, but they are quick to assume my service charge isn't paid. In summary, NEVER use AHS again! I certainly won't!

In the past I was referred to the manufacturer/maker of the furnace. I was forced to do research on my own to no avail. I was informed that "The contractor forgot to put an exterior rack between the furnace and the return drop." A filter rack would take up between 1-2" and a mechanical cabinet would take up about 5-6". I was informed that I could be causing a short in the high or low voltage passing through to the furnace circuit board. He informed me that If I had a properly installed rack or cabinet and wanted to change the filter there would be no problem. He informed me that in order to install an exterior rack or cabinet, the heater would need to be uninstalled and a rack would be secured to the return drop, then furnace reinstalled, the heater would be pushed out from the wall 2" to 6". I would like this issue rectified immediately before it causes a fire to my home.

Then I got a phone call from American Home Shield saying that the technician had said my washing machine had obviously been broken for months, so they would only cover the dishwasher. When the technician came back to look at the dishwasher, I told him what AHS said he had written in his report and he said, "No, I didn't." AHS knew it's going to be a big expense and didn't want to cover the washing machine.

Then the electrician replaced the breaker in the garage and the dishwasher worked twice, but it quit working again. We're sending the electrician back out after working the electricity, which is a waste of time and money. The electrician came back again and said that there was no issue. Then the technician came back again and saw that it was the control panel. So now we're going to order parts and the technician will be back for their fifth visit for the dishwasher. In the meantime, I spent $800 for a new washing machine. AHS didn't fix one of my problems so I'm not happy with my first experience with them.

We had to contact them again and finally got a service tech back out only to tell us the wrong part was ordered and he went on vacation so Sierra (customer service or lack thereof) of course didn't know what was going on so they had to get back with us after calling Carrier and waiting on said service tech to come back Friday from vacation to see what he did or didn't do. Meanwhile, we are running space heaters which is not cost effective or safe in a house with a 1 year old, 5 year old, and 11 year old. Finally, I call Sierra and pretty much exhausted all of my patience and good nature and put a fire under them. Moments later a rep from AHS calls and tells us that the wrong part was installed on the furnace to begin with which voids the terms of the contract.

Since we've bought the house in 2013 we have not had any repairs or services done on the furnace. We have been with AHS (American Home Shield) since we purchased our home and have been a loyal customer probably paying out over $2500 for services we've only needed twice (first time was a garbage disposal which was a 2 minute fix). Now, after 2 months and high utility bills we are held accountable for the parts and labor that this incompetent company is going to replace because they couldn't tell us a long time ago the part was wrong. If we knew we were going to run into this kind of problem we would have used our own local HVAC company. It feels like we were handled and treated like 3 rate customers simply because we had a warranty.

As soon as they came in, they went upstairs. They were professional, efficient, skilled and didn't leave a mess. They knew exactly what the problem was as soon as they saw the toilet and they fixed it. The good thing is they send one contractor, which makes it beautiful because then, the contractor is familiar with the house. Our house is old and it has old pipes. But it's nice that I've never had an issue that wasn't covered. I got with American Home Shield when I bought the house 11 years ago and I've been with them ever since. I have no intentions of leaving them, I’m very satisfied with my experience.

On the other hand, I used to submit claims online but I started calling it in because they've recently changed their processes where you have to enter either your bank account routing information or your checking information to place a claim. You also give them your name, address, phone number, account number, everything. Anyone with your ZIP code and your address can access your account. So, I no longer use their website because it's not secure and there's no way to prevent fraud. In addition, the only main complaint I have is it takes so long to get someone out and you're stuck with the vendor once it's assigned. Sometimes, it takes a week to two weeks before they can schedule stuff. It's like jumping through flaming hoops if there's a problem with the contractor or if they can't get out. They have quite a few gaps that they have problems with and I wish the process was easier. But overall, I like AHS.

They came for the AC unit two times. It's the same AC that I've been calling two years ago when I first got American Home Shield. So we had to get another contractor because this one wasn't fulfilling this need. But I had to pay another service charge because it was over the 30 days warranty for the same problem. I got upset about it because I don't know about the warranty, but if I'm continuously calling about the same issue, there's got to be an issue somewhere. Also, I can't predict when the AC is gonna start acting up again. But if it was over 31 or 61 days or how many other days, it isn't my problem. In fact, now, when I go in the garage, I always see this water from where the AC made a leak and there's too much water, although it isn't an issue yet.

But that was the only major issue I had. Some situations are pretty good, so I can't bash the whole organization because of that one incident. AHS is just paying these contractors and they have no idea what's going on. One experience didn't mess up the whole thing, that's why I give everybody the benefit of the doubt and give them another chance. Overall, AHS is good.

The only people AHS had contracted with was somebody up in Westchester. I told AHS that if the contractor can't provide service, I'm going to get my own service people and AHS should pay them. I kept telling them to get rid of their contractor and get another one but it fell on deaf ears. AHS said that they'd let contractor come back one more time. The contractor came back and said they can't fix it and it needed to be replaced. I waited three days, called AHS and they said the contractor called them and said everything was fixed, which was a lie.

After a couple of weeks, I finally got approval to get my own contractor. I wanted AHS to know my grievance so I called them and I went first to the people who first take it in. I then escalated to the highest I could go to and they took care of my concern. I started on November 11th and the dishwasher was finally replaced sometime in January but not without total aggravation. This is a dishwasher with my daughter and three children. I'm not sure it was worth it. It was a total nightmare. Also, getting someone from AHS is not so easy. I'd be sitting and waiting for 15 minutes and I was on the phone for hours and hours. Moreover, they have to have people locally to do it or else, they'll give the approval to get someone locally to do it. It so hard to get service and I was thinking of not using American Home Shield anymore.

In addition, they had a service guy who didn't know what he was doing and I knew that from the first time he came in. After 10 minutes, I looked up on YouTube what to do and he didn't do any of those things. I was the one who fixed the problem. But other than all of those issues, the last claim was a great experience. I got a call right away after I put in a request for my heater. I was very happy they came within a day and they fixed the problem. That's how it always was. I have a contract 'til July so, I'm hoping I have no more bad experiences.

What is wrong that the system rewards doing less work. I have had great experiences with some of the other contractors but the plumbers are a disaster. AHS offered to send another plumber. This happened in the past and they found in my favor but the process can take days. I need my washing machine working now. Terrible experience with their plumbers.

My guess is they are so busy with complaints that they do not have time to be helpful. I was wary of going with AHS after reading so many complaints and hearing them from friends, but we did anyway. They have not covered any of our requests to our satisfaction and their customer service department is a joke. Buyer beware.

I'm just waiting right now to see whether I'm going to get billed from the water company and either American Home Shield or the plumbing company's going to have to pay it. But I would get American Home Shield again. I have a sister that's bought a new property and I suggested for her to get them too. I just wish that some of their contractors, especially when it's a condo unit, would be someone that know something about that condo unit.

Now, I’m still waiting for them. They called yesterday but I was out and they haven’t gotten back to me. I’m assuming they have the new board and they want to set up the time to come. I’ve been without a microwave for about a month. I just assumed that it would have been done a little quicker.

The plumber disagreed that there was anything wrong with the heater. He didn't even agree that there was a gas leak. I told him that he needed to fix something because the gas company was here and their machine beeped so there was certainly a gas leak. And so, he tightened up the valves, replaced a pipe and repaired what he could. Then, he said I had to call somebody else to fix the furnace.

At that point, the furnace guy calls me and said he was going to come the next day. This was last week when it was very cold and I was going on my second night without heat. I said "no" and that he needed to come tonight because I didn't have heat. He said that wasn't the way American Home Shield called it in and that AHS didn't say it was urgent. He also said he didn't know anything about a gas leak or heat and that he only got a service call. And so, I called American Home Shield. They switched the service call to urgent and the guy came at 9:30 at night and fixed it.

But the recent air condition guy is a very decent and nice guy. He is awesome. He's very honest and he knows what he is doing. I had a claim for a contact of the compressor within the conditioning unit that was bad. It was just middle of the summer and the guy knew that I am stuck. He had the part and replaced it. Then, after two or three weeks, we had a noise. He came by and said that there's something loose but it isn't time to fix it. He did something so that the noise doesn't bother us and told me that a year or two later, we'll have to fix it. AHS didn't charge us the $75 and I was satisfied.

In the past I’ve had AC issues and it was the same one coming out every single time which was frustrating. I’m not sure if the contractor was as completely honest with me as far as what the issue really was with the AC. Because I later on found out that the tenant wasn’t keeping a filter in the AC and I asked that several times. And the only thing he was trying to do was push me using their filters. And I found out from another contractor that it was because the filter was never in the AC. But outside of that they’ve been fine since it was fixed. It would be good if they choose better AC contractors.

There was one time that we had to call multiple times, but the issue was neither with the contractor nor with American Home Shield. The issue was with the part that the contractor received from the factory. Working with people and the contractors is not the easiest thing in the world and American Home Shield is also waiting for the contractors to get back to them as well. Considering that fact, the customer service team at American Home Shield has been very prompt. Overall, it's been a very positive experience with American Home Shield and I would recommend to a friend.

In the past I have spoken to AHS' agents. They're usually knowledgeable but they're not very flexible. I mostly made these claims over the internet like the last claim that I did for the garage door opener. It was a little frustrating for me because they sent the contractor and he did something. I was told that if anything goes wrong within a month, I have to place a call back. Then, garage door opener stopped working again. I called the same guy back and then they told me that this is a different issue so this has to be a different claim. But, it was the same appliance that was not working. Within one month, I have to raise two different claims and pay twice to fix it.

I hope AHS represent my interests better. Their approach seems to be giving me a sense that they are just out to take advantage of the insurance they offer. That is absolutely not my intent. Just in the way the message and the way they process my claims, if AHS gives me the feeling of caring for me better, that will be helpful.

The second one just happened this evening where it's under 40 and my oil heater is not working, so I have no heat and no hot water. I spoke to a very nice customer service rep who went above and beyond to help me. The problem is she contacted 10 different heating contractors and either they didn't call her back or they weren't available today which is Saturday and some of them actually refused to come out and work on a Sunday even though she said this was an emergency. The ones that she talked you told her Monday afternoon at the earliest.

It's early April and I can't go without heat until Monday. I am incredibly dissatisfied with the service and I will be cancelling the contract. I'm really upset because I would've only paid $70 service fee with American Home Shield, now I'm paying $400. But thankfully the people I called dropped everything and came out here to help us.

Original Review: April 1, 2017

My experience with AHS had usually been a positive experience until my most recent claim where I have contemplated the value of the service. After my garage door failed open I contacted AHS where I was able to get a great repair company out the next day and great to work with as they quickly identified the issue but once they explained the damage I received a call from AHS stating that though this part IS covered, the reason for the malfunction is NOT covered.

The reason stated by AHS was because the garage door rubbed against the rails causing the eventual failure. Please note that I explained that the garage door has been installed 14 years ago according to the repairman and this just became an issue (I purchased the home 2 years ago). In my opinion the Home Warranty is meant for just this type of situations that you would have never known about. Now the repairman gave me a quote of between $400-$600 to repair the garage which of course there is no assistance from AHS even though I purchased the Plus version that is supposed to cover more instances.

The reason I am considering cancelling my contract even though I have referred countless friends to this service is because I am worried that if I ever have another large failure such as my AC, water heater, or any large items, AHS will send me a similar letter stating it was not installed properly which removes their liability. As I mentioned though you think it’s peace of mind until there is a loophole which prevents coverage.

Original Review: April 1, 2017

We had a leak from our washing machine, we called on a Monday. 2 days later no phone calls back from any vendors. I called again to get a name of the vendor and left message for them to come repair leak, meanwhile water was leaking from Basin for 3 days. No returned phone calls. I had to call our realtor. They contacted someone they knew that was a manager. By time they called our floors were ruined. That was five days later. I had this company for 1 year, I have nothing good to say about them, had other repairs that were never done on time. We were never given 2 vendors to choose from and was told that if we had outside company repair anything would void a warranty.

I've been using American Home Shield for over five years and this is the toughest time that I’ve had with a contractor. And this is the first time they sent somebody out and I found out that they didn’t cover the part so I had to give them $100 which I don’t get. Then I had to pay another $100 for the other guy to come out and take a look. But the rest of the time has been great. The guy who came out the last time for my dryer was wonderful. I would definitely recommend American Home Shield to a friend.

Within the next day, somebody did come out to check out the garbage disposal which was leaking. The guy was very professional and very nice. He explained how the garbage disposal broke and had a leak. He gave a couple of other tips on how to make sure it does not happen again and also to make me sure to keep the area clean. And I had a couple of other questions that were not related to the garbage disposal but he had no problem helping me and explaining a couple of things that may resolve those issues as well. He went above and beyond and since the repair, the garbage disposal has been perfect. I haven't had an issue. It was a quick and easy experience with American Home Shield.

I got a call from the technician within 24 hours. They were able to come the next day and it’s pretty quick. We’ve had someone come out four times already and each technician did something different to fix it but then it happened again. The last one figured out what was going on and he was very knowledgeable. He told me that changing out the sensor board is going to alleviate all the issues. Then, he got the approval to order the new sensor board and said that he’d call me within three to five business days once the part comes in and then they’ll install it.

Over the next 14 hours we had to sleep in total stench while our basement continued to flood with sewage containing feces all because American Home Shield refused to pay a plumber after hours pay to respond to an emergency. After all the clean up required I should have paid a plumber myself the after hour rate to come out. With a $75 deductible and no emergency coverage the warranty is a rip off.

The first time they said that the cap was left off. I had to pay $650 for coolant as they would not cover it. The technician said that it was the prior technician. Called them up and they said sorry but I had to pay. AC has broken again 5 times after. Every two weeks. They will not replace it. You are better off using the money for that warranty and saving in a separate account. I have paid for a new AC being a member of this TERRIBLE company. Told them that I want to cancel and I have been on hold now for over one hour. DON'T waste your money as Peace of mind is the LAST thing you will get from this company. Wish I would have known! :(

So, I called AHS and told them they need to send somebody else. I need a second opinion. The next guy from Quiet Corners Mechanical came out and I had him come out before. He's a really fair guy. I asked if he thinks my furnace hasn't been maintained. He looked through and said that there's a whole record on the side. It's well-maintained. He said he was gonna report what he sees and that I just have a faulty thing that's easy enough for him to fix. He would report that to AHS and if they would accept it, then he'd come back out and fix it. I hope that AHS take back the co-pay that I gave the first gentleman because it's like I had to write him a check for $100 but after his report, I wouldn't give him five cents.

There's also the plumbing company, Malangone Plumbing, that they use out of New Haven and believe me, I would get my plumber before I'd call them back. I've had issues with them. They've come out and said, “Okay. Well, we're gonna try to tighten this [try?]" So they take the whole thing apart and they do their thing. But it's still leaking and they said they'd come back in a couple of days and bring some other parts. They came back with some other parts but it wasn't working either and they're gonna have to come back in a couple of days. It was three days off of work for them to be able to do that and that's ridiculous. So, what I do for plumbing now is I don't even bother calling AHS unless they have somebody other than Malangone Plumbing.

So, I have an issue with who they've contracted in the state. I've had a handful of bad ones and I think they don't have enough people contracted here. But I know the good ones and I make sure I go and do ratings afterward. I never did on the plumbing thing because I was so disgusted after three times and having to take three days off. Now, I don't have the convenience of being able to take the days off anymore. I have to rely on neighbors to be able to come over here and that's just ridiculous for now.

I've had AHS for 17 years and I probably paid a lot more into it than I've really gotten out, but it's been a pretty good mutual thing. The only thing is most of my things are more on the newer side now. So, my concerns are, when I go to renew this year, will be questions: If I do need my furnace replaced, what are the caps? And what are the limitations on it? Because I know that with the higher-priced items there’s gonna be limitations.

Original Review: March 28, 2017

I called in to report my washer was leaking on 3/11/17. AHS said since it was a Saturday no tech would even call me until Monday & then they have another 48hrs to schedule an appointment. The earliest appointment time was 3/16/17. Tech made diagnosis & said he would call it into AHS for approval. I never heard from AHS or the repair company so on 3/17/17, I called AHS & they said the tech never called in the service order & usually they do within 24hrs.

I asked AHS to contact me after the request was sent over. AHS said they do not call customers back & it's up to customers to call them. I asked to speak to a supervisor & they said none were on duty but they would have a supervisor call me on my cell# the next day. I never received a call but when I came home there was a message on my home# but when I returned their call they were already closed.

I called AHS on 3/20/17 for an update & they said parts were ordered & it would be 3-5 more business days before the parts were in. I also asked to speak to supervisor & again they said they would have one call me but no one ever did. I called on 3/27/17 to the appliance repair contractor & they said AHS told them not to order the parts & were looking into replacement options for me. I was shocked because AHS never told me this & I thought the parts were already ordered.

I called AHS & they said the repair was going to be $542.48 so I needed to call the AHS Parts Department. I asked to be transferred & he said they were closed & that I would have to call them tomorrow. I felt like I was definitely getting the runaround & the worst customer service I have EVER experienced. On 3/28/17, I contacted AHS Parts Department & they said I could go purchase a new washer but the most they would reimburse would be $402.48. I asked why the discrepancy in prices & she said she did not know. I asked to speak to a supervisor & she said there was none available but someone would contact me within 24-48hrs. Again, the runaround continues with this company & I have been without a washer for 2 1/2 weeks now & need this issue resolved ASAP.

I called a couple places to get quote also, an item another contractor will charge $35. AHS contractor charges me $85. And AHS will do nothing to negotiate for me. And the contractor would not deduct the $125 service fee from the job (they basically did nothing and made thing worse during the first visit). It is just a total ripoff. You will be much better off saving your $600/month premium and have your choice to pick your own reputable contractor. So I don't recommend AHS at all. I am cancelling after the contract after my contract ends.

Original Review: March 28, 2017

I had an issue with my heating system. American Home Shield sent the guy over and replaced the aquastat. A couple of days later, the heat went off again and I called back. The guy couldn't get here so AHS sent another company. It's the aquastat again and they replaced it. Then it went again on Saturday of last week and the contractors couldn't get here on that time. It happened to be like 20 degrees and the heat is going all through the house. They came Monday and the contractor went through everything. He replaced the aquastat, the gas valve and the other part that connects everything to it. He even called Honeywell, the manufacturer of the aquastat and the company said that the contractor should replace all three parts because it's very unusual that the aquastat would go three times. The low voltage part of that aquastat kept blowing it for whatever reason.

Then it happened again. I called American Home Shield and they said I passed my $1500 on my heating part of my agreement at the time the contractor replaced three parts. I said to them that their guys are not finding what the problem is that's causing the aquastat to blow and that's their responsibility. The guy that replaced the three parts called me up and said that AHS won't authorize him to come. So I called their customer service in the Resolution Department and spoke to somebody there and they gave me the same answer. I told them that I want to speak to a Supervisor and they said that a Jerri would call me back. Then Jerri called when I was in a meeting. I told her I could not talk and to call me back in half an hour. I haven't heard anything since.

I still have no heat so I called a friend of mine and asked who does he use and he gave me a name then the guy came right over. The guy was so concerned, he has never seen an aquastat blow three times. He called the manufacturer, Honeywell and got their tech support. He reviewed with them on the phone how everything is being connected. When he told them where this ground was plugged in, he said that it could be the problem as it's not plugged in to the right place. So he rewired this ground to a different place where he told them to do it. So far, it's working and that cost me $775 yesterday.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But I still have not heard back from American Home Shield. I'm gonna take this up to the President and, if necessary, social media will get a hold of this thing too. I'm out $800 where I pay every single month fee and I've been a customer for quite a long time. I also have other friends who are customers too and they're waiting to find out what I'm doing. I'm thinking about canceling and going with another company because the type of issues that I've had this time was terrible. I'm very dissatisfied. Right now they have one very unhappy customer.

From the initial phone call on a Saturday night, it was fixed the following Wednesday because once they knew that the problem was a boiler, they had to get permission from AHS and then they had to order the part. They were very apologetic that they couldn't have it done any faster. But, the second company was fabulous. They did everything they could. We’ve had AHS for a very long time. I didn't realize that because it's a rental property, the maximum that they pay on a boiler is $1,500. And so, it ended up costing me an additional $3,000. I called to see if I could get a different policy, but there was none. Other than that, my experience with American Home Shield was fabulous.