American Home Shield Reviews

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.

Other than an approximately 2' section of material to wrap the duct where it connects from the new unit to the existing ductwork under the house, there was absolutely nothing else done to any ductwork. The new unit was wired directly back into the existing electrical service. We actually had to supply them with the new thermostat wire they used. There was absolutely no upgrade done to the electrical either. There was a new pad. My husband mentioned the fact that none of the upgrades had been done and the service guys said they just had orders to replace the unit and collect the $1,000. We paid them $1,000 cash (as per their request). Therefore, we feel that we are entitled to $725 for the upgrades that were not done. We were cheated out of $725 for services not received.

I contacted AHS at approximately 11:00 PM for a repair request. The call was taken by their automated service. I provided all the requested information and stated at least twice this was an emergency (witnessed by 2 people) and was told by the automated operator to shut the water off and AHS would get me a contractor of their choice.

He made a temporary repair that morning, 1:15 AM, because of the late hour and the amount of water in the area. He said he would return later in the morning to do the repair properly. The repairs to the pipe were completed at 12:00 PM.

I still hadn't heard from AHS or their contractor by the next afternoon. I called AHS determine the reason for the delay and to request compensation for the expense of the plumber. I explained in detail to the customer service representative what had occurred and why I had the repairs made myself. She said the call had been "logged in as a routine service request" by their service and, therefore, I wouldn't be compensated. If I wanted, I could fax a letter explaining why I felt it necessary to call a plumber on my own and a copy of the repair invoice to their claim office for further consideration. Already knowing this was an exercise in futility, I submitted the requested information.

As expected, compensation was denied even though it was their mistake that they marked my call as "routine." I am now out $841.00, a couple of rather large holes in my walls and ceiling that I must pay to have repaired, and the cost of a worthless insurance policy.

In the process it was discovered that the contractor knocked the holes in the wrong place and the leak could be repaired without moving the water heater. After being exposed as unlicensed and incompetent the contractor and AHS would not repair the leak, replace the drywall or pay to have the water heater reinstalled. Instead they sent me a refund for the $60.00 with a release attached to let them off the hook. I said no. I had to have all the repairs made and I'm out $900.00. I'm in the process of filing a claim with the CBI and Small Claims Court.

I got a call a week later from who I thought was Meyers stating there was a $460 charge. I waited a whole month then called American Home Shield they stated I should have called them; like its my fault and I know when the information and processing occurred on their end. I asked next step August 15 the worker said sir I'll call Meyers and I'll call you and let you know what we discussed about your problem. On August 17 my air was completely out cause Meyers left something unconnected, and I call following up and one African American service worker & her African American supervisor (and yes I know they were African American just like me) had the most ghetto uncustomer service trained attitudes I have encountered at a business in a long time. Made me ashamed that we had anything in common.

After constantly blaming me in this miscommunication as she called it, they never took responsibility for what they were suppose to do in July or August just 2 days prior. No one was called just simple notations in their system. Please, AHS, retrain your customer service people on customer service. Like another complaint, my house was 88 degrees inside with ceiling fans on and the supervisor said "I cannot upgrade the severity of your issue to emergency because this is a continuation from the July work order." What nonsense is this. I promise I'm drooping them the day I get Meyers to fix my unit and I'm being charged to replace the outdated parts to my unit because it is considered an upgrade even though I'd like the same exact parts used.

There were delays in receiving parts and finally a mechanic came out on June 28th with no motor and the wrong fan blade.

On July 2nd, I called AHS to complain about the poor service. AHS called Caviness and two mechanics came out on July 7th. They examined the AC and condemned it because the compressor was bad! Finally, on July 15th the AC was replaced. This all occurred during one of the hottest summers on record. The workman got the AC working; but they tracked in a lot of dirt and they burned holes in the vinyl flooring when they welded the parts connecting the AC to the furnace.

My daughter and I suffered through more than 6 weeks of some of the hottest weather on record before AHS and Caviness Mechanical managed to get the AC replaced. I suffered from an extremely itchy heat rash over most of my body the last two weeks without AC. The poor diagnosis of the problem, the ordering of the wrong parts and the many delays made this whole experience extremely frustrating and we are left with burn marks on the vinyl flooring around the furnace. I cannot understand how AHS can use such an inefficient company to carry out their requests for service.

So now another AC company came out today and they said that the AC company AHS had come out 1st time didn't install the coil to my AC correctly and they put way too much freon in my outside unit which caused it to over work itself. I should get some reimbursement for the wear and tear on that outside unit that's only 3yrs old because of the poor job AHS had that company come out and do. Now the new company wants est. $500 for the repair the other company made. AHS didn't notify me that it wasn't covered under the home warranty the very first time the AC company came out and instead the AC people continued to pick at what could be the problem and now AHS says I have to pay for it.

The first replacement machine offered was standard sized, and would not fit in the opening. When I called AHS, and explained the problem, I was told AHS was only obligated to replace with a standard machine, and was offered a small cash settlement, which I could use to purchase an appropriate dishwasher. After I reviewed the policy I called AHS again to explain AHS was obligated to replace the machine, with one of similar capacity. Several days later AHS agreed to replace the broken dishwasher with another compact dishwasher.

On 24 May 2010 I spoke with an AHS representative, about ordering and installing the new machine. I was told it would take 5 to 8 days to deliver, since they did not purchase locally. I told the representative that I was leaving town for 2 months, and not to proceed with the order unless the work would be completed by noon, on Friday, 28 May 2010. I left town and a week or so later I got a call from a local installer saying my dishwasher had arrived. I was dumbfounded, and replied it was not supposed to be ordered, if it could not be installed by noon on 28 May. The installer asked me what to do. I replied that I was several states away, and could not return for deliver, and since the order was not to be placed, it was a problem to work out with AHS.

When I returned to Urbana on 29 July, I phoned AHS to arrange delivery of the dishwasher. When told it would likely be delivered in 5 - 8 days, and delivery day couldn't be guaranteed, and since I would be away from home 6-9 of August, I asked that the order not be placed at that time. The representative also told me that I would have to pay a $50 restocking fee for the first machine AHS ordered. I explained that following my instructions the machine should not have been ordered in May. We agreed it would be wisest to place the order when I returned.

On 10 August I called AHS to order the machine. I was told about the $50 restocking fee. I explained the AHS mistake to the representative. She offered no solution. I asked for a supervisor. One returned my call on the 11th. She repeated the position that. AHS has procedures and we're not responsible for the mistake. I then asked to speak to a manager, and spoke with Michael **. He repeated the AHS position. No matter how many times I repeat, that on 24 May I directed that the machine should not be ordered, unless the work would be completed by noon of 28 May, Mr. ** repeated the AHS position- they have procedures, and can't imagine their procedures not working properly, and they are not responsible for the error.

Today a friend recounted conversations we had the week of 24 May, that I was very clear not to order unless work would be competed on the 28th. The AHS position implies the contrary, that I did not clearly instruct the representative not to order the machine, unless the installation would be complete by noon 28 May 2010. Though the AHS phone system repeats the warning, that calls may be monitored or recorded, Mr. ** told me that they cannot access those audio recordings, and disprove my statement. AHS claims no responsibility on the basis that their procedures are followed.

However, AHS first ordered an inappropriate machine. Second, AHS told me they would replace my compact machine only with a standard machine, and since such a machine would not fit the opening, offered a partial cash settlement. Only after I contacted AHS about the terms of the policy, and only after further delay, did AHS agree to replace my broken dishwasher, with one of similar capacity. AHS staff demonstrated they are capable of making mistakes in judgment and in fact. AHS only needs to admit they made another mistake. Hours of phone calls, weeks of delay, and still no dishwasher.

There was not a labor charge on either item. I just feel the services in which I paid for aren't being considered. Also, in viewing the various rip-off contractors that are noted in many complaints against AHS, it shows that the contractors utilized aren't the most ethical. I work for insurance in which I fully understand the need to control expenses, but the fact that there is nothing that this company can do for a service in which I paid fully for is just plain rude, inconsiderate, and customer service is void no matter who you talk to. When calling to cancel my service, the representative argued the fact and wanted to try to retain my business that way. I will continue to speak out against AHS due to the horrible experience that I had with them!

CI call AHS shield back and tell them still not cooling, getting hotter on the outside then it was and leaking underneath. Rico at AHS said refrigerator is cooling and freezing. And that it's getting up to 200 on the outside and getting burnt on it is normal. Sears comes out, puts another part, a motor and says no it's not normal for it to get as hot on outside as it is, but give it a couple of days and see if it cools down. No it didn't, it gets just as hot but the refrigerator is getting cooler. Mind you, I can't have children around the refrigerator or my grandchildren. One was burnt by it. But this is all normal.

I have talked to several people at AHS several Supervisors on several different dates, to no avail. Sears was going to call them and let them no still not working correct and getting very hot. Wayne, the Sears service man, said if this part he put on did not work, refrigerator was no good. Well guess what still have not heard from AHS however they are willing to send another service person. In the meantime, the refrigerator is still over heating and running power bill sky high. But this is normal!

AHS is a scam and you have to fight for everything. I tell everyone not to go with this company and when my contract expires in few months, I never will again.

On July 28, 2010 someone from AirOTemp called to let me know that they could have someone out at my house on July 29,2010. I informed her that I was not at home but I would be home on July 30. A time was set for the technician to come on July 30, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. The technician did come out and I was informed that the compressor to my air conditioner was completely gone. The technician got on the phone and called AHS and AHS called me back to tell me that my cost to have my air conditioner unit replaced would be $994 and that I must pay this fee (which I didn't mind). Becky from AirOTemp also called me on July 30,2010 to let me know that I must pay the $994 my Monday, August 2,2010, in order to set up the appointment for the technicians to install my air conditioner unit on Tuesday August 2nd.

On Monday August 2nd, I called AirOTemp and gave them my credit card information for the $994. I received a voice message on my phone and checked it after I had given my credit card information only to have a message from AHS to inform me that my air condition unit would not be delivered until maybe Friday August 6, 2010. I called Lisa from AHS back to inform her that there was no way we could stay in my house any longer because the temperature was 112 degrees. She informed me that I could either go out and buy a window a/c unit or some fans valued up to $200 and AHS would reimburse me. I also called AirOTemp and spoke to Heidi to let her know not to put any charges on my credit card until my a/c unit was delivered.

On August 3rd, I spoke with Andrea from AHS to inform her that we could not stay in my house because it was too hot. She informed me that she had to speak with her assistant Lisa to see if it could be approved for us to stay in a hotel. It is now 6:45 pm and I have not heard anything from Lisa or Andrea. Last year in November, I had problems with having no heat in the winter and also had the same problems with AHS. I would never recommend this company to anyone and every site that I can find on the internet to warn people about their crooked practices just to get their money, I will.

The refrigerant is hazardous material and can't be simply thrown in the trash. The $178 code support hanging kit (metal strips and nails, allegedly to comply with code, the installer will not re-use the current ones) I disagree with but might possibly be construed to fall in the category of construction. Not sure how they would install the unit without supporting it like it currently is supported on straps. The $154 float switch is required by code but not sure why the current float switch in the current pans cannot be reused.

The $274 Mastic Air Seal, I really disagree with and they have not shown me the language in the agreement that says it is not their responsibility. To replace the coils, it is necessary to remove them from the duct work. Reattaching to the duct work and resealing so the air does not leak out is a required part of the repair, not an option, upgrade, modification, new construction, etc. and is the responsibility of AHS. In addition, the mastic is about 5-10 minutes of work and $5-$20 of parts to apply it with a putty knife, and cleanup/disposal of the putty knife if a plastic one is used.

Furthermore, they indicated that only this one repair company can be used to do the work so they do not have an option for me to get a different quote to do the warranty replacement work from another one of their approved installers. This tying agreement with their installers makes them part of this transaction and essentially lets the installer recover its costs and profit on "non-covered" items. If I had the option to seek other AHS approved installers to do the work, that would be different than AHS mandating that I use this installer with its high costs.

The installer itself said that these charges would not be required if I were to take the upgrade option, using the buyout value that AHS would provide for replacement of the old unit. If the same work needs to be performed and doing it under warranty is a required, chargeable expense and doing it as part of a new sale is just part of the normal install process, then it calls into question if these are necessary or just a way of cost recovery and profit.

So, while the coverage is useful, the consumer needs to be aware of and fight the typing agreements that AHS has with its approved installers, that force the costs of the install to the consumer with no option for competitive bid to do the work. The work has not yet been performed and I have escalated the issue within AHS. I am in a take it or leave it situation due to the tying agreement between AHS and its installer that does not permit an alternate installer quote for non-required services. I am locked in to use the one they sent to diagnose the problem. Out of pocket for $731 additional, non-covered charges, delayed service on air conditioning unit . I live in Texas with temps in high 90s/100s and have my grandson (infant) that will be staying with us for a week who may be at risk due to high temps in house.

It's a really dishonest company, and will not reimburse me the money I paid them for the year. They kept me on hold for over 30 minutes, yelled at me, and treated me like I was some idiot. Do not hire this company, they are a fraud. We paid for the water heater out of our pocket in the end, over $2000.

It seems that this modification clause has been used a lot because most new coils won't just slide in into old systems. In essence it's like having your engine blow on your 1990 Chevy and you get a new engine but have to figure out pay to fit 2010 engine into your 1990 Chevy. It seems that this same clause also happens with people that get their compressor replaced. The old R22 lines don't work with new systems and lines and coils need to be replaced which again fall under this modification clause.

I would appreciate hearing from any other AHS customers who fell victim to this modification clause. The house has been 80-90 average for over a week. They mailed the coil but I have no idea when the technician will get it.

I then informed the supervisor Kelly for AHS that I did not want the same company to come back out to handle the service call on my unit because I did not like their service. She told me regardless of whether are not I like anything about the companies, AHS reserves the right to send who they want to send out and I could not refuse them into my home. Furthermore, Kelly continued to place me on hold until I was willing to give into her demands as well as talk over me while never addressing my concerns of the service I received from the last company.

I also asked Kelly the supervisor for AHS website in order to make a complaint. She said she did not know how to utilize the website and direct me to where I could make a complaint concerning the service I received from her. Also, she could not provide me with any number to contact her superior. She stated she would have him call me. As of 07/23/2010, I have not received a call from anyone despite the fact that I have continued to call AHS and make the same request over and over for someone to call me.

We called American Home Shield a second time to inquire about emergency assistance. We were told that there was no such service. We called a third time and asked to speak to a supervisor. A gentleman, who was at a home show, assured us that the company was attempting to locate an emergency company in our area (they had put in an emergency request) and that AHS would contact us within a few minutes. (As of Tuesday, July 20th, at 7:00 PM, we are still waiting for that call).

Finally at 9:00 PM and in extreme heat, we contacted a company who showed up within the hour, only to inform us that the control board was out and that a part was not available at that hour (at a cost of $159.00). That company called us at 8:00 the next morning (Monday, July 19th) to inquire if we wanted to order the part and have it installed that day. Thinking that our AHS warranty would cover this repair, on Monday morning, July 19th, I called Steinmetz but the receptionist could not find our work order in her piles of orders. Eventually, she found it in the cancelled pile. She asked me to contact AHS again to make another work request. I asked if Steinmetz would be able to service us that day, since it was so unbearably hot. The receptionist replied, "You and hundreds of others"--she didn't know if we could get service on Monday.

I called AHS again and asked if we could use a company that could get to us on Monday. We were given the name of Air Service of South Kansas City. I called them and was told that someone would be out between 1:00 and 3:00 PM.

At 2:00 PM, two service technicians appeared, wrote up the order, collected $60.00, and reported that nothing could be done without AHS approval. We pleaded to get our problem corrected that day. At 7:00 PM, I returned home from work and called AHS. I was told that they had received nothing from Air Service, and no decision could be made without a diagnostic report.

On Tuesday, July 20th, at approximately 8:30 AM and after spending the night with a neighbor, I called Air Service and was told that AHS was not going to cover the cost since the damage was the result of a power surge, and that AHS would be contacting me shortly to inform me of the decision. That contractor said that he would install our part if we wanted. He, like AHS, did not follow-up with me on Monday, so I declined his offer. However, the emergency contractor called a second time to ask if we needed assistance, so I immediately arranged for a repair which was completed by 2:00 on Tuesday, July 20th, for $528.00.

At 6:30 PM on Tuesday, July 20th, AHS called to inform me of the decision not to cover the problem. My point to this complaint is not about the money, although we have been customers of AHS for many years and expected this problem to be covered under our warranty.

Our primary goal was to get the central air fixed as quickly as possible. The issue is lack of follow-up and lack of addressing this issue in a timely manner by passing the responsibility around. As a result of this experience, we are cancelling our membership immediately. Our money will be better spent on handling our own emergencies. We endured a 90 degree house for two days and nights and spent $159.00 on an emergency call and $60.00 to AHS for nothing.

This past June, I called AHS and reported that my heating/air conditioning system was short-cycling and not cooling my home. They sent a technician, who, per the invoice, simply refilled the freon. The air conditioner worked for a month, but by mid-July, it started short-cycling again. I complained to AHS, who sent another technician (different company, again). This technician checked the motor and determined that it wasn't working properly. He told me that he had to order a part and would check with AHS to see if if this was covered under my warranty.

Well, lo and behold, I received a call from an AHS representative early next morning who informed me that the blower motor was wired improperly; thus, they would not cover the $300+ repair! I then spoke with her supervisor and complained that I report a problem with my air conditioning system each year, they send a technician, and not one of them had ever reported this problem before. Why? Either this has been the problem all along, or a previous technician must've messed with it.

He suggested that if I disputed these findings, he would send another technician to determine if, in fact, the motor was wired improperly, and if it is, I would have to pay an additional $60.00 fee! I informed him that I was extremely unhappy about this and I would not be renewing my contract next year. He simply thanked me for being a customer and for letting them know of my intentions.

They called me back and said that because the ducts in the attic was not tied up correctly, they could not fix anything until the problem in the attic was corrected. I asked them to fix the outside unit and I would get someone to fix the ducts in attic that has been like that for 15 years. They called back and said that they couldn't fix the outside unit because of the problem in the attic.

I called Harkins to get an estimate for the duct repairs and they never called me back. I was without air for two days going back and forth with them. The next morning, I called Calvin's Maintenance and they came out at 8:30 AM to put a new motor in and completed the job by 10:30 AM. The motor was under warranty so I had to pay $200 for labor.

I wasn't going to complain since we got a new refrigerator but my in-laws both in their 80's, temp 90 to 100 degrees, just got the warranty about six months ago; AC went out on Monday, July 12th and on July 14th 2010. She had to call them to see what they were going to do and they told her the reason it had broken was because it hadn't been cleaned in several years. She had to call Baton Rouge AC and they came out that Thursday with the part and fix the AC by 1:00 PM. It was also under warranty.

We both had to pay our $60 to withstand these high temps and way three days before getting AC fixed. To me, a scam is going on and Harkins AC in Baton Rouge is part of the scam. Beware!

After many calls back and forth, I was told by AHS that the faucet would be covered feature-for-feature by the terms of my warranty and it was just a matter of making an appointment and getting that replaced. It has been almost six weeks since my initial call and I am still waiting for that faucet. Between AHS and All Pro Services, I have made 20-30 calls over the last few weeks, each time spending about half an hour or more on the phone during my work hours and spending my daytime cellphone minutes.

Each time I have been promised a follow-up and resolution but to no avail. To makes matters worse, I now have water damage in the wooden cabinets under my sink because of the water leak (which I tried my best to contain using bowls, plastics etc). I have told AHS about that and they state that water damage was not covered. I explained that the damage would not happen had the leak been addressed on time and they said they will see if anything can be done about that. I have yet to get the faucet fixed or get any sort of assurance about doing something about the damage to the cabinets.

I spoke to a live person and was later told that this was a recording! It’s not possible! Anyway, I called another plumber that fixed both valves and fixed the running water in the house and checked thoroughly to be sure that all was in order before leaving. The cost was $465 that evening. I asked them to come back the next morning to replace the insides of two aging toilets for another $150. I could see AHS arguing about the second appointment but the first, so they also admit, was covered by the warranty. However, they denied reimbursement. I resubmitted my complaint and they have not yet answered.

I believe I will cancel this contract today and take them to small claims court. Their system was so difficult to follow in the eye of an emergency that I could not get through. Their records showed that I called and they refer back to the contract saying that I was not to call anyone else to do the work. Forget the house and the water spraying all over! Forget them! They also ‘fixed’ our dishwasher or just looked at it, fiddled around a little, then said it was ‘calc build-up’ which can always happen but didn't solve the problem.

For the toilet spray, we have had to make a home insurance claim with a $1,000 deductible. There was damage to the hall, carpet, laminate flooring in the bedroom, linoleum flooring in the laundry closet, wallboard and baseboard wicking and wallboard problems downstairs where the water leaked to. We were lucky it wasn't worse! Anyway, they had to use dehumidifiers and huge blowers for 3 days which are noisy and horrible, even though it is 100 degrees outside. Now, all the various parts must be repaired which is an expensive journey. All is covered by AHS, by contract, though they don't think so. Flimsy excuses and useless workmen.

I contacting AHS for support and assistance with helping me resolve my problem has not been a easy at all. I have spoken to 21 AHS agents, three supervisors (Emily, Rhonda and Andrea) and one contract relation representative (Ron). Rhonda and Ron got the ball rolling again with trying to get this problem solve but as before the ball stopped rolling. At this point and time, Rhona is on vacation and Ron is no longer returning my calls (per the 3rd supervisor, AJ, Ron has been very busy but had intention of returning my calls). I did not want to deal with Strong any more and Oxford Heating and Air was sent out for what I assumed was to complete the work. Oxford came out and realized two things that the company (Strong ) who installed the compressor did wrong: 1. the compressor was bad or 2. when it was installed they allowed debris to enter a/c lines which now would not allow coolant to pass and now freeze the entire unit.

Oxford refused but thanks to Ron that finally agreed (I assume). I received a call from Ron (AHS) on July 1st stating he had good news that everything had been work out with Oxford and I should be getting call to schedule an appointment. Beside waiting for more than three months to have my unit repaired, paying Strong $150 to remove a part that I now found that installed incorrectly (will have to be replaced again) and created other issue with my a/c that was not the reason for my first call. Ron calls me back (not Oxford as he promised earlier) and telling me I will not have to pay the $150 disposal fee again but now I have to pay $260 for parts that's now not covered by insurance.

I phoned Ron back and informed him that these new found parts that needs to be replaced are due to the error made by Strong Heating and Air. I never received a call back from Ron so I wrote the complaint department with AHS which was received on July 12th. Today (16July) Oxford finally called and scheduled an appointment for Monday (July 19th) between 8am-11am but stated there will be $460 due for uninsured item. I contacted AHS again and that's when I spoke with a 3rd supervisor, AJ at 3pm to get an answer as to will the fee be waived she had no answer and suggest I give them a call back on Monday to see if a decision has been made.

My elderly mother lives with and suffer from diabetes and the temperature in the house has reached over 90 degrees. I had to purchased three window units and was told by AHS they will only reimburse me up to $60 period and not per unit purchased. We have had to sleep with windows and, some days, doors open all night. I have lost all plants and inherited a boat load of bugs entering my home due to open doors and windows.

After looking myself, he was absolutely correct. I could see small holes on the top along with a ton of corrosion! He ran the water and then showed us the water coming out of the corroded valve fittings on the top of the water heater. I called AHS and they assured me this was something that would be covered. They sent a tech from Rite-a-way Services the next day. He spent about 5 seconds looking at it and told me there was nothing wrong with it! He didn't even turn on the water to check the leakage! He just shrugged his shoulders and told me everything looked fine. I then informed him that my plumber said as soon as he tries to run the new plumbing, the water heater will break. The tech then called AHS and told them I was going to purposely break it! What nerve of him!

Then, on top of that, he told me he could replace the lines for $100. There is nothing wrong with the lines! It's the valve fittings! I asked the tech if he could wait five minutes to explain this to my husband (who is a licensed contractor). He told me he didn't have time and just left. But, he had time to fix lines that didn't need replacing!? Hmmm... My husband and I own a construction company and would NEVER treat a customer like that! It's companies like this, that give other construction companies bad wraps.

I refused to pay him the $60 service charge, since he wouldn't even do anything to test it. He said no problem, they'll just bill me. Bill me all you want, you won't see a penny from me! What a waste of time! Glad I left work early for that! I'll just pay my experienced plumber to replace the water heater! I wouldn't even let that company plunge my toilet!

All in all after weeks of waiting for a washer, they will only give us $570. They also said that they could give us their "volume discount" which is higher than I can find on the internet, and they won't pay for delivery, installation or removal. If I want, I can have them repair the bearings just to still have a machine needing major repairs. I feel like I have paid a premium to have high quality service and the replacement of a washer that is in need of major repair. Instead I could have saved my premiums and bought a new machine for less myself. I had to do 48 loads of laundry at a laundromat and will still have to wait a few weeks to get this resolved. I have surgery next week and the last thing I need is to have no washer or repair men in here just to have it not work when they're done and have to go through this process one more time. Never use AHS.

I called AHS to complain and see if they could send a different company and the customer service (and I use that term loosely) said it was not an emergency. I said not an emergency for you because you have air where you are. She said they couldn't switch companies just because that company couldn't come when I wanted then to come. I said well ma'am isn't that the definition of customer service. I said well surely I don't want that company now that you have told them I called to complain. She said I didn't have a choice.

I even tried calling to speak to another customer service rep and asked for a supervisor. This was not the first time I've gotten crappy service from AHS and from reading some of the other complaints I see that it is a trademark of theirs. It has only been a week and it not working again. It seems I am going to have to call them out here for a third time in three months. It's going to be one long hot summer.

On 7/13/2010, after the 12 p.m. deadline, I contacted Waldorf Water/Gas twice to inquire about the status of the technician. The answering machine was put in only. There was no live contact and I left a voice mail to call me. I contacted AHS home office approximately 1:30 p.m. and explained the situation. I was asked to hold. The AHS representative informed me that technician is running late and would be at my residence within the hour. I assumed CS representative was in contact with Waldorf Water/Gas representative.

On 07/13/2010 at 4:30 p.m., I had no contact from Waldorf Water/Gas representative. I departed my residence to conduct personal business. I returned home approximately 5:45 p.m. and found a "Sorry, we missed you" notification on the door. This business practice is totally unacceptable. On a scale of 1 to 10, AHS's customer service rating is -10 and subcontractor's is -20. I will not be recommending their service to any more of my family and friends. In addition, I will contact everyone that I have recommended to them and relay the details of this particular incident.

Today is July 13, 2010. The part is not here and not expected until possibly the 16th, which is a Friday. So I am assuming that they will not put it in until week three. It is 110 degrees in Phoenix. My tenant's pet has died and now I'm paying for hotels (which I don't mind). I wish I had known there are so many people with no common sense in this world to make a decent choice to help an AHS member--mind you, for 20 years, at $600 per year (which is $12,000 that I have paid them and they have fixed only minute things. You would think they would find a way to get the A/C running for this single mother and her children and pets. I will cancel and never ever use them or anyone else for a warranty again.

I called and reported the problem with Ryan, but AHS definitely has PR problems. It will be Monday, 7/12 before someone calls me. One of the things they advertise is 24 hour service. That's a joke. Needless to say, no contract renewal! They are losing about $13,000 from my family and friends alone.

Now it has broken down again and when the repair man came out to inspect it, we asked how could they afford to continually send people out. He said, "because the LG parts are so cheap, it normally costs less to repeatedly repair than replace." We waited 10 days for the parts to arrive and another week for the repair man from Sears to appear. Guess what, it still doesn't work! Tomorrow I must start all over again!

It's 10:02pm, July 9, 2010, and my washing machine has not been repaired. I have a family of 5, and the closest laundry facility is 25 minutes away. I pay AHS every month on time, but I am not getting the service that my contract clearly reads I should get. This is unacceptable, and no one at AHS seems to care enough to do anything about it.

I called them and they said that the system was down. The next day, I called and they told me that they could not contact the technician, so I talked to the manager and he told me that he would investigate the situation. The next day, I talked to one of the employees and he told me in the computer, they had to charge me $138. I talked once again to the manager and he told me that the technician would charge me $325. In the store, a water heater costs $350. How is it possible that they charge the same price that a water heater costs? I once again talked to the manager and he told me that that was the final price. I paid $420 for the membership and $60 for the inspection. I would like to know if I can get my money back. Thank you for your time.

So today, the tech said that my drain pan was rusted out and would need to be replaced. He did nothing but check the unit. He did not have a ladder and asked if I had one, I ended up giving him a chair and put a towel over. He said he would need to blow out the line and gave me a consent form to sign. Within minutes he was finished (did nothing) and said he would call AHS because of the drain pan and would need approval.

I called AHS and they said the tech reported that my problems were due to lack of maintenance. I could not believe what I was hearing. I told AHS that was a crap. I had been having this problem for 3 years and none of the techs told me the drain pan had a hole in it. My filters have been changed, the vents and coils have been cleansed, so what would I know about a hole in my drip pan?

They said I would need a 2nd opinion and I would need to pay for it. I told them absolutely not and asked to cancel my contract with them. I was given a number for that department and the guy told me he would send out another tech for a second opinion and it would not be charged to me.

Ironically, they took out my payment today. I am not feeling any trust here. I am going to wait and find out if my problem will be dealt with. If not, I am going to submit a complaint with the Attorney General's Office.

I have been told by two certified Trane contractors, Acors Heating & Air Conditioning, Hull Street Road, Richmond, VA and Philip **, owner of Allen Mechanical, Turner Road, Goochland, VA, that the Bradley should have replaced the original dryer filter inside the heat pump with the uniflow filter (i.e., due to the internal plumbing configuration), or he should have removed and bypassed the original dyer filter inside the unit and placed it with a bi-flow dryer filter where the uniflow filter was installed.

In either event, the original dryer filter should have been removed because it was contaminated and the contamination would damage the newly installed compressor. I was told that the manner in which Bradley installed the dryer filter, without removing the original dryer filter, would result in contamination and premature failure of the newly installed compressor. I was also told that the heat pump will not operate properly in the winter with the uniflow filter (i.e., that it will allow necessary flow during summer when operating the air condition, but not during the winter).

We contracted a manufacturing representative of Trane, Ken **, who concluded that the repair performed by Bradley was incorrectly performed and supported his conclusion with the following excerpt from the Trane Service Procedures Manual: "Remove existing liquid line drier(s). Replace with new drier(s)."

Ken indicated that the new compressor would have a shortened life expectancy due to improper installation. I reported this to AHS on June 29, as soon as I discovered the faulty repair. I was told that I would be contacted by Contractor Relations, and was assured that the system would be replaced. It's been two weeks and I have heard nothing from AHS. I called again this evening and was told that I could make another service request, which would cost me an additional deductible payment.

The technician couldn't fix the fans and didn't have any fans on him. AHS over the phone authorized me to use a previously purchased fan and to purchase a second fan. I was told I would receive full reimbursement for both. I just had to send in my receipts. The end of May (2 months later) I get notification from AHS that they aren't going to reimburse me because there is no documentation in my file. I send them my notes, the notes I sent my realtor the day of the service, and the notes from the technician all verifying that I was told I would be reimbursed for both fans. I even provided the confirmation number provided to me by the AHS agent. They are still refusing to pay. Do not do business with this company! I haven't been reimbursed $230 for the two ceiling fans and the emotional crap of having to call them every week to check on the status.

I then had another A/C guy come out (not under the AHS plan), who was able to get to the root of the problem and fix the problem. I had to pay about $740. Of course nothing to be reimbursed by AHS! I called AHS to complain about this and my feedback fell on deaf ears. I had the contract cancelled. Do not use this organization.

The 2nd A/C company came & said the unit was so old (21 years old) & it needed to be replaced & the draining pan is cracked & broken. I called AHS to let them know that the company they sent out didn't know what they were talking about & this was the problem. Meanwhile this is already 2 weeks after the 1st call I had out to them. I was informed they will not take what my A/C guy said. They will send out another company to look at it. Another company came 2 1/2 weeks ago to look at it & sure enough there is a crack in the pan & that is why there is water gushing out into my hallway floor. They also informed me that AHS will not replace the unit just because it's so old that they will rig it every which way they can.

So therefore they were going to have to order a special pan to be made & it would take no longer than 2 weeks to be made. What? My A/C isn't working & it's gushing out water into my carpet & I have 4 young kids in a hot house all day & you're telling me this? Oh ,it just gets even better. They called me July 1st to inform me the pan is finally in. Great! I made my appointment for Monday July 5th between 2-4. I took the day off to be here for them to come. It got around 3:45 & They were still not here, so I decided to call them. Answering service picks up! Oh they worked half a day. I informed the man I had an appointment between 2-4. He called the A/C guy that was to come out & that guy said the pan did not come in & they were not coming to my house. No one even had the nerve to call me to tell me this & I missed a day of work with no pay.

I then called AHS & told them what this company did to me. I told the rep the company worked half a day & no one was there. She put me on hold & came back to the phone to let me know she just tried calling the A/C company but no one answered. Then the lady had the nerve to tell me to prevent the A/C from gushing water is to turn it off. It is 100 degrees here in Florida & I have 4 young kids & you want me to turn my A/C off for 1 month while they ** around & take their time fixing my A/C? I told the lady she was out of her ** mind! I just told her they worked half a day & no one was there!

She claimed they would call them the next day to take care of this matter. I still have not heard back from AHS! I called the manager of the A/C company this morning & he said the warehouse was closed & they couldn't get the pan. I asked why no one called me & he didn't know why. Supposedly they are to come tomorrow afternoon to install the pan. Needless to say I will never use that A/C company which is called 3rd Generation here in Florida & I will never use AHS ever again!

I went out, checked the coils and it looks like normal wear on them, and I'm not seeing the same thing they are reporting. I feel that they are sending technicians out that don't want to do the job and write up reports so AHS won't repair the broken parts. Another example was on 7/1/10, a service for my microwave. The technician comes out, says that it needs a certain part, however, it will take several days to come in because it has to be ordered. The part cost more than a new microwave. What sense does that make? I am more than sure that when this issue is over, AHS will never again get any business from me. I'm sure that when I finish blasting them on FB with my 1,000 friends, they will take a big hit.

The Sears representative showed up at the house at 1345, about an hour and forty five minutes late. The Accurate plumber showed up 20 minutes later than the scheduled appointment. This is not the first time I have run into scheduled delays from these types of contractors. As a matter of fact, my renewal contract with American Home Shield expires at the end of next month and I am not going to renew it. It was a total waste of money. Not only am I paying a monthly fee to American Home Shield, but I am also paying the contactor a $60 fee regardless of whether work is performed or not (covered or not covered) under the contract. This is a total scam and I do not want to be another victim.

Needless to say, after 12 years of paying into something that did not protect me when I needed it caused me to cancel this plan. I figure putting $60 dollars in the bank for 12 years could have purchased me a new dryer and air conditioner by now. What was I thinking! Take it from me, and learn from my experience. This company does not protect you; they just take your money and leave you high and dry when you need them. This is the first time I have ever written in a complaint on-line before.That is how compelled I am to make sure no other person gets taken in by AWS. If you have a policy, I pay another monthly premium for nothing.

On June 11, 2010, I received a call from AHS stating that a technician will come to the house on June 14, 2010. I was not told what for so I assumed it was to replace the fan. The technician shows up around noon and told me he was there just to do a second assessment of the situation. He looked and said the previous owner did not install the fan properly and it is a code violation so AHS would cover up to $250 for installation. He took pictures and left. On June 16, 2010 at 11 am, Brenda ** from AHS called me and told me that they will cover the cost to replace the fan and that for installation only $250 will be covered. She said that to correct the code violation installation, I would have to pay $350 out of pocket. Basically, she's saying it will cost $600 total for installation only. I told her that it's ridiculous that it would cost that much to install a ceiling fan and asked her about the cash out amount. She says she will research it and call me back.

On June 17, 2010 at 1:40 pm PST, I got a message from Brenda ** stating that AHS can offer a cash out amount of $340 and that includes the $250 toward the code violation installation fee. I called and left a message for Brenda on June 18, 2010 8:24am PST and told her the brand/model of my fan and how much it would cost me to replace the said fan. I also asked her to call me back. I did not receive a call back so I called once again the same day and she did not pick up. On June 26, 2010, I received a letter from AHS regarding the $340 cash out amount. This alone angered me since she did not have the courtesy to call me back before sending out that letter to me.

I called Brenda at AHS on June 29, 2010 at 10:38 am PST and she actually picked up the phone. I spoke with her and she told me the $340 includes the $250 for installation. I then asked her that they believe the cost to replace my fan is $90 and she says that is what the technician from Jesco Electric said, so that is what they went with. I reminded her of the brand/model of my fan and that to replace it would be $399 + $25 for the downrod. This amount doesn't even include any tax or shipping. She says that AHS doesn't take brand/model into consideration and said that the fan would have been the same color and same number of blades. I told her that's ridiculous and that I would like to know the brand/model that AHS thinks is equivalent to my fan. She kept saying that the cost I find would not reflect their cost and I told her I just want to know the brand/model to see what they think is equivalent regardless of the cost I find.

I am now waiting to hear back and am furious about this situation. I will never recommend AHS to anyone and will be sure to let this policy expire with no renewal. At this point I am contemplating even talking to a lawyer and seeing if anyone else would like to consider the same. AHS has already faced a class action lawsuit.

The next day, it still didn't work. Again after work, my husband and his friend looked at it. They found and hit the reset button, etc. They thought it could be the motor but they did not touch the motor! We thought it best to wait until Monday for the repairman to look at it. We thought we were doing them a favor by leaving the access panel off, etc. But according to AHS since it was off, they denied the claim! I understand they must say if it was open, etc. but the repairman said it was the motor which we honestly did not touch! They are saying everything was dismantled when it was not! It seems they are just trying to get out of their part of the warranty coverage. They are not upholding their end of the bargain!

We spoke to a couple CSRs and a supervisor to no avail. Instead of us paying our co-pay of $60, we had to pay for the whole repair over $350! We our beyond broke now. I would've been happy to work out a deal. They pay half and we pay half but they wouldn't budge! We have been with AHS for five years and can't believe they would treat a loyal customer this way! After this, I doubt we will be a customer for long! Because they denied the claim, we had to pay for the whole repair over $350, instead of what we expected to pay our co-pay of $60. We our beyond broke now.

I have not heard from him neither has American Home Shield. We then said we would not let the company replace the unit since they will not return our calls. What will happen if it is the new compressor? We have been two weeks without A/C and I called a new company at 4 pm asking about replacing the A/C. They will do it tomorrow 6/26. I paid $400.00 to American Home Shield for insurance and to take care of problems and they have not! I am paying out of pocket to have the A/C fixed tomorrow.

I then called AHS out of my mind with this gross misrepresentation and they said my part was $1,735.00. I then said that is absurd, I can get it done without the $600/year insurance for cheaper by a more reputable company like Bill Joplin that would never deal with American Home Shield. I then said I want a supervisor--no one to go to. I want an explanation. I want a cash-out option. They told me I would be notified in 48 hours. I called today for the status and they said it would be next Wednesday. Excuse me, why did you tell me 48 hours yesterday? On this same day they came out and denied my refrigerator claim. A refrigerator should cool at 40 degrees. Mine has been 64 degrees for 6 weeks. Came out once and replaced something on refrigerator. It still did not cool.

Waited 2 weeks to come out again and yesterday said the door seal needed to be replaced at the cost of $417.00 on an 18-year refrigerator. They have been out 6 times on this refrigerator and will repair it to the very end and then find a way to say it is something that is not covered. Ridiculous. I have called 3 other repairman and gone online and they all say is that if you think a door seal that is working according to the dollar bill test will cool an extra 20 degrees, then you are crazy. He said to defrost fridge and it will work fine. Defrosted all night and used hair dryer--no ice. Still is at 64 degrees today. I’m done. Emotional damage is horrible. Thinking you have insurance to protect you and now today I need to buy a new refrigerator and also spend $1730 on AC.

They agreed to fix the unit and I was supposed to reimburse for the service fee for the second repairman. I have been fighting with American Home Shield that they are going to reimburse my money. To date that promise to reimburse my service fee of $95.00 was not done. The fact that American Home Shield contractor put my family in harms way of an illegal hookup. I requested not to do business with them anymore. Now, I have no coverage for my property as result of the lies. So now I have to find another company who will cover my property.

I spoke to a supervisor at American Home Shield who gave me the OK for me to call an outside company in which I did. He also said he would refund me the money I paid the company. They came out and said the unit needs to be replaced. I faxed the invoice to Norman ** at American Home Shield 5 weeks ago and still got no refund. I need this issue resolved. These contractors they have working for them work for them and only them. I have called, e-mailed and wasted a lot of time doing this. It is stressing me out that no one is willing to help.

The following week, a different technician from AG came out and again fiddled around for about 35 minutes. He then informed me that someone had taken out the internal thermostat and "jumper" the wires. I informed him that the only work ever performed on the oven was a few months earlier and of course now. He said it looked like I needed a complete new board and that probably wasn't available, so I'd probably need a new unit. After a few days, I called AG and was advised the claim was denied. I called American Home Shield and got the runaround. Finally got to the denial department (30 minute wait) and I reviewed the entire matter with Carolyn. She basically scoffed at my story and said they weren't going to fix it.

We agreed that the unit was working after the Feb. repair and it was still under coverage. Her position was that, since a part is now missing I must have done something. Ridiculous. The tech at AG did tell me "unofficially" that sometimes if a thermostat is old and they can't get the part, they sometimes jumper it (remove it and reconnect the wires). I can't prove anything but I have a strong feeling the first AG tech tried this "fix" and made things worse. This is based on the amount of time he was attempting to fix it. In any event, the unit remains broken.

Oven was left only partially reassembled with screws sitting inside the microwave and the service ticket was "closed" at AG. I intend on taking American Home Shield to small claims court. That possibly means a trip to Iowa but I'm retired and determined.

I insisted they find the repair needed and stop the patch work that only allowed the unit to cool for a couple of hours. It was determined on the 5th repair visit that the compressor was not working and needed to be replaced. They ordered the compressor which took more than 5 business days to arrive, after many calls and Pro Air locating compressor, I was informed it would take another 7 business days to replace. For the past month, we have experienced extremely hot temperatures in Texas, over 90 degrees, much higher in a hot house. AC has not been repaired for over two weeks with extremely high Texas heat weather, house is not fit for occupancy until AC unit is cooling and running properly.

Shortly, AHS called and told me that my contract does not cover wet ground cleanup warranty and there is nothing else they can do.

It is absolutely amazing to me that the plumber AHS sent simply refused to do the work.

My observations are: 1) the plumber they sent simply can't perform the job because he's too big to fit in the crawlspace. The wet ground was just an excuse.

2) there is no incentive for the plumber or contact to do the job, unless the task is very simple and easy to complete, so he can collect his $60 with minimal time spent. The insurer, AHS pays these contractors too little, as an AHS representative told me, with HMO-like pricing. They pay a contractor a fix fee per job, probably, the $60 fee is all they get or probably less. So there is incentive for the contractor to not perform the task the first time. The more times they have to come, the more $60 they collect.

3) insurer like AHS also have incentive to delay any works unless it is a very simple task. If a task is expensive, the longer they delay the likelier the home owner will hire his own contractor to complete the work at his own cost. AHS then, can read you back the contract that all work must be approved by them. However, if you need approval from them, they will simply drag it as long as they can.

The bottom line is the system does not work. AHS doesn't pay the contractor enough to perform most tasks at market price. So the contractors have great incentive to refuse work, cooking up all kinds of excuse to delay work. Repeated visits generate the $60 fees.

Don't buy American Home Shield or any similar warranty. Save the money you pay on the premium for a rainy day fund.

The next day, AHS called and told me that Accurate reported to AHS that the problem with my AC was that the blower wheel needed to be cleaned and since this is a "maintenance" issue, it was not covered by AHS. I was also told that Accurate had estimated that the uncovered cleaning would cost $250. I told the agent that this was not what the Accurate service technician had told me. That he had said the blower wheel needed to be replaced. But the AHS agent said that AHS could only go by what the technician had filed in his report. At no time did AHS then offer to send in another contractor for a second opinion. Assuming that Accurate had made a mistake, I called them to explain what happened. They insisted that the technician had determined the only issue was a dirty blower fan, which they would come and clean for $250, independent of AHS.

Since Accurate had been dishonest either with me or AHS and since nothing would be covered by AHS, I did not want Accurate to do any work on my AC as they are not trustworthy. I had 2 other HVAC repair companies look at my unit. Both determined that the bearings in the motor had come loose and the blower wheel was broken. Ultimately, the blower motor and wheel had to be replaced, costing me about $950. I called AHS to see if we could come to a positive resolution. It was very difficult to actually talk to a real human being. After many tries, I was finally routed to the service department and talked to a young lady. She said that I have no recourse except to send a note explaining what happened and a copy of the bill for my new AC parts to an email address she gave me. She also noted that it was unlikely I would be reimbursed, but I could try.

In the course of our conversation, she told me that if I was not happy with the conclusion drawn by their AHS' designated repair service, I could have gotten a second opinion if AHS had suggested it (this is not noted anywhere in my contract and even the AHS admitted that I would have no way of knowing that AHS could have sent a second technician if they so chose). Of course, if a second assessment had been made, I would have had to pay another $60 for the service call. I wrote to the AHS email address I was given and asked that I be contacted regarding this issue. I also said in my note that I would not post a complaint on Consumer Affairs if they would contact me by June 14. It is now June 20 and I have not been contacted by AHS regarding this by anyone.

Now Ms. Lori ** from AHS, a customer Regulatory Claim Resolution Specialist, is stating otherwise. This is not a fair resolution. The contract states if it is agreed by an AHS representative that the refund would be honored. This is false practices and I will continue to take it further. The phone conversation was recorded and the refund of $89.99 should be honored. Therefore based on the terms of the contract, I should receive my refund! My Desired Resolution Refund of $89.99 that was promised to me for the cancellation of contract #**.

They got this company ARS (6/17) who has yet to call us. We have called both AHS and ARS several times and keep getting the same answer by both, "we are scheduled and they will call 30 minutes before coming out and they will be out today". It's Friday already and after calling ARS at 9:33PM (6/18), I was told they will call in the morning. We have been hearing this since 6/15. I am fast getting sick of this having to pay out the you know what for service and not getting it!

After half an hour I received a phone call from American Home Shield. They informed me that the plumber is unable to fix the broken flush of the toilet because it has been "tampered" with. They also informed me that my cost is going to be higher than the $60 that I was initially supposed to pay. Instead the plumber wants to charge me $250. This is after he had taken apart the entire toilet without my permission or knowledge. They also informed me that the plumber had told them that my other toilet was broken. He again had completely moved and taken apart this second toilet, claiming that there is something wrong with the pipes of the toilet and it is broken. This information was shocking to me, because for the past 12 years it had been working properly. And the cost to fix this new problem was at least $1,400. Both the $1,400 and $250 cost was not going to be covered by American Home Shield.

I found it astonishing that he had removed and taken apart the toilets and flushes without my permission. He left both toilets absolutely taken apart and decided to leave while I was talking on the phone to American Home Shield. American Home Shield basically said that they can't do anything about it, and that I'd have to pay in order to have my toilets back to normal before the plumber had destroyed them. And now after 30 minutes of being on the phone with American Home Shield trying to figure out what to do with this incompetent plumber that abandoned his unfinished work and left me with now two broken toilets instead of one, I still have no idea what to do.

It is baffling to me that American Home Shield has the audacity to defend this money hungry and moronic plumber. The plumber feels as if he can charge me such ridiculous price because I am a stay at home mom, and that he thinks I am clueless on these matters. But his ignorance has failed him and his greedy scheme. Sadly, this is the second time American Home Shield has failed to live up to what I pay them for. The first time was when they came to fix my dryer, and now it is working ten times worse than ever before. In conclusion, never ever trust American Home Shield!

Finally, at the beginning of November, I was told that the parts were in and that I could set up the repair. This is no longer cooling season in central PA where I live. I lost another day of work for the technician from York Mechanical Services to return to make the repair. After several hours of banging around in my basement, the technician told me that he needed to redo a lot of duct work to make the parts fit. I was presented with a bill for $212.00 for "Services not covered by my warranty". Neither American Home Shield nor the technician from York Mechanical Services warned me ahead of time that any of the repairs would not be covered by my warranty.

Under protest, I paid the $212 to York Mechanical Services. I complained to AHS and was told that the services were not covered and had to be paid by me. I also questioned the technician from York Mechanical Services as to how I would know if the repair was done properly, since there was no way that I could check air conditioning function in November to January in Pennsylvania (the work is only guaranteed by AHS for 60 days). He assured me that the repair was fine.

In March 2010, I did not renew the contract with American Home Shield due to my dissatisfaction with their services. In May 2010, I turned on my air conditioner and found a big puddle on the floor of my basement where condensate was leaking from the condensate drain tubing that had been installed by the technician from York Mechanical Services. I called American Home Shield and was told that they could not help me because my warranty was expired and 60 days had passed since the repair. I had the botched job repaired at my own expense for $85.03. A written complaint to the Better Business Bureau resulted in no action other than assertions by American Home Shield that they owed me nothing for the botched repair. Please file a lawsuit against these jerks at American Home Shield and put them out of business.

The other negative experience that I had is with the furnace guy who caused damage to the insulation and refuses to fix the problem. A second tech sent by AHS confirms that the first furnace guy did in fact cause damage but AHS will not pay to repair the damage caused. Please let me join a class action lawsuit against AHS. I hope there is one soon.

AHS had nothing to say. I didn't pay him his $60.00 service fee, because he didn't even look at the dishwasher but from a distance. I've now been on hold for an hour to cancel my warranty. It's a disaster. They should be shut down.

Our dishwasher was replaced a few years ago, but we had to pay several hundred dollars to get one that was acceptable. Sears installed it per AHS requirements and left brackets, insulation and wires showing. It looked terrible. Sears was not authorized by AHS to trim the dishwasher to our cabinets, so it looked very unfinished. When Precision Appliance (one of the only two decent contractors) came to work on the microwave/oven, once again they trimmed out the dishwasher at their own expense just so that the kitchen would look better. Oliver from Precision Appliance is wonderful! We still have an outstanding repair order (nearly two months old now) to have our whirlpool tub repaired. It took five contractor visits before the current contractor (the second decent contractor we've had through AHS) was able to figure out the problem, only to be told by AHS that they wouldn't cover the repair.

When I called, they said that the part that failed is not covered. When I questioned where it said that in the contract, all they could do is repeat, "Some parts are not covered, and some are." The part that failed is a switch that is a part of the whirlpool mechanism that relays power to the motor. I asked AHS how a whirlpool tub works without power. They said, "The motor is covered, but not the switch." Now, how in the world can an item be covered when a part within the item itself is not covered? The item is useless without this item. Don't Use AHS. You will be better off saving your premiums. We spent approximately $5,600 in premiums over the past 14 years, roughly $1,200 in service calls, and hundreds of dollars in "not covered" expenses. The cabinetry around the dishwasher was damaged by Sears through bad installation. We will have to spend close to $2500 to replace the microwave/oven combination due to the improper working condition of the microwave.

Our system was, at that time, leaking water on the inside, which was dripping from the cooling heat exchanger on the inside of the home and running down the metal surfaces on the inside and outside of the AC/Heater unit, and was actually dripping down internal wiring in the heater area and further down onto and into the blower motor that got replaced during the second call.

There was water and rust evident at all levels, but the technician shrugged on the first visit (the unit was not cooling adequately) and said the compressor needed freon, which he added. Repeat calls fell on deaf ears when I explained that the unit was operational but still dripping water inside the unit onto the wires and onto the motor, and from there through the bottom of the unit to the to the floor drain. I had requested that the technician check the A/C drip pan for a leaks during the second visit, but he did not comply with my request.

About a month later, the motor seized completely, and so All Right returned and replaced the motor. I noted again the problem I saw with internal water flowing over the internal wiring and the motor, but again, my concerns fell on deaf ears. This motor, now still less than one year old, broke off at 2 of the 3 mounts this past Tuesday. A call to All Right on motor warranty got the answer that blower motors are only guaranteed for 90 days.

So now we are looking at a total Air Conditioner and Heater replacement for a problem that was identified last year under your warranty but never addressed nor prepared. The new AC unit will cost about $8000, and I will be filing formal complaints with you and ServiceMaster, as well as notifying the realtors home office so they can tell agents what a shoddy job your company does.I would gladly discuss this further with you or your customer service department. Again, I am most unhappy over this entire episode with your service company. Almost $9000 to replace both the heater and AC unit when a much less repair would have prevented the issue.

I voiced my dissatisfaction with the situation. I was proactive in trying to avoid having AC issues and now my family has been without AC from 5/31/2010 to now, 6/03/2010. The tech from Air Tran tells me that our condenser went out on the AC and he has to have AHS approve ordering a new one, so now it will be 3-4 business days before he can return. This weekend, the temperature will be 102-103 degrees, and my family and pets will be without AC. Not a life threatening situation, I have found alternative accommodations for my family and pets; however, this company (AHS) draws $45 a month from my account claiming they assure 100% satisfaction of their service. They offered no solutions, and the customer service rep says, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, we'll be waiting on the tech to call us with his part order."

I have received the letter stating American Home Shield has denied my claim for the hot water heater I had to replace 1 day after moving into the home and almost 1 month before receiving any information about the Home Warranty that was purchased for the home. I am not sure how to say this any clearer. On March 23rd, 2010, I purchased the home; the Home Warranty is for the period of 03/22/2010 through 03/22/2011 12:01AM. I was not given any Home Warranty information at the time of closing on the home. I was told, by the closing attorney, the Home Warranty information would be sent in the mail by the Home Warranty provider.

On March 24th, 2010 (still, no Home Warranty information has been received) I moved into the home, at which time I discovered the basement of the house was under water. I determined the cause of the water to be the hot water heater. The hot water heater had water pouring out the front. I then turned the electricity and water off to my house. I called a repair man. The repair man inspected the hot water heater and stated the hot water heater needs to be replaced, it is not repairable. I then go to the local Home Depot and purchase a smaller hot water heater than the original, bring it home and the repair man installs the hot water heater. Still, no Home Warranty information has been received. I have a small child who lives in my home; we cannot live without hot water.

I was not going to wait the 3 weeks, it took to receive the Home Warranty information before replacing the hot water heater. My child's welfare is most important. Your denial letter regarding my claim states, "We will not reimburse for the service performed without prior approval." 1. If I had the Home Warranty information, I could have and would have called the Home Warranty provider, you, American Home Shield to seek prior approval. 2. I am not asking to be reimbursed for service (labor). I am asking to be reimbursed for the hot water heater (item) I had to replace. Not only did this impact me economically, but physically and mentally I was impacted from the stress of trying to deal with American Home Shield. I honestly feel I do not have a home warranty and this leaves an uncomfortable feeling in that if something else breaks in the home, I will be footing the bill.

Anyway, I speak with the customer service rep. Bernice who tells me how much she sympathizes with me for the inconvenience. She has no idea. I have small children and the SC weather this weekend is predicted to be in the 90's! What an exciting weekend we have planned after a long week of working! After being unsatisfied with my experience with Bernice, I was connected (at my request) to Joe in the Executive Services Department. Joe gives me the same scripted lines that Bernice did and the person before her and so on. I requested that they look at the history on the unit because it has been an issue for several years. Joe tells me that she cannot draw any conclusions and makes compares the unit to a car.

I expressed that that was so unfair; if anything you should compare the air conditioning in the car to the air conditioning in the house as opposed to my HVAC system and a car. It is totally different like apples and oranges. Anyway, my contract expires soon and I will not be renewing. The money I have invested in annual fees and trade fees, I probably could have bought a brand new unit or at least have made a pretty significant dent in the cost of a new unit.

Buyers beware. The best thing is to get yourself a trusted and reliable handyman that can be honest and not stiff you each time. These are really hard and tough economical times not just for the homeowner but for many businesses as well. What incentive would this repair company (Air Plus Services) have to repair or replace the unit after 5 years of failed tries? None! That would mean missed revenue from a consistently reliable customer! Hope this message helps the next person. An extended weekend with no air conditioning because we would rather, for 5 years keep patching a unit as opposed to replacing. Unbelievable!

One week later, the third company was finally sent out which confirmed that it was the compressor problem. After nearly another week since this third company figured out the problem, I finally got an update today that it would take at least another two weeks before they can get the part. Meanwhile, our two other A/C units stopped working. It is too much a coincidence. I have to wonder if these people accidentally messed up the two previous working units.

During the whole three weeks ordeal, AHS has been extremely unreasonably inflexible and showed no concern of their customer’s needs. It would have been so simple and easy to solve the whole problem and would not have cost AHS any more money to just have the outside company do the installation. But, "No, we have our rules to follow." We have paid thousands of dollars each year for this type of rare occasion. When something is finally covered under the policy, but found out that this is not the company that is willing to help.

As to date AHS and Superior Systems have done nothing to repay our cost of repairs despite a complaint to Superior Systems' insurance company or his bond holder. Our experience over the last 10 years is that AHS contracts with service agents whom are incompetent, lacking the expertise needed to perform much of the repairs required. At this date we are still litigating this matter. Superior's bond company sent out a representative to verify our claim and his finding was that the workmanship was shoddy and our claim valid for the damages but disagreed with the amount of our contractor's bid to repair the damage.

My 90-year old mother-in-law has been in the house, in 95 degree weather for seven days. Another two are required. I don't think "Please spare my mother-in-law" had any effect and fell on deaf ears. Neither AHS nor ACS expedited their service to assist the elderly. This is not the first time AHS has made it difficult. In another instance, they tried to insinuate that a dual over that was covered was faulty because it was cleaned with oven cleaner instead of using the electric facility for that purpose. It took my wife about two months to get that situation cleared up.

On Monday, 5/17, I had a second HVAC technician from a different company provide a second opinion, regarding the estimate for the work. He noted that the unit was a newer one (his best estimate was less than 5 years old), and that if there was a problem, it would likely be covered by the factory warranty. He turned on the heater, and evaluated the flames. He let it run for several minutes. He did not identify any evidence whatsoever, for a broken heat exchange, or the need to replace the furnace (the flames were blue, uniform, and no roll out was observed). Clearly, this was surprising news, since the A-US Air technician reported that there were problems, so significant that the entire furnace would need to be replaced. It is not clear what the A-US Air technician observed.

On Tuesday morning, Kenny from A US Air contacted me to schedule the replacement of the furnace. I stated that I did not intend to work with A US Air. He solicited additional information, and I told him the entire story, and expressed my concern that his company was attempting to up-sell and defraud me. He was very concerned about my experience, apologized immediately, and stated that he would get with the technician to understand what his side of the story was. He stated that I could expect a call from the manager later that day. I have not ever heard from the company again. I am writing a letter to American Home Shield regarding my experience.

As of today, AHS will not accept either rep's estimate, and said that my mother would have to wait until 5/21 for a new compressor for the A/C. Both reps said they could have the compressor here within 24 hours. In the meantime my mother's health is being compromised by the heat and the stress that this situation has caused. My mother cannot leave her home due to the medical and physical support in her home, plus her pets would have to remain there in the heat. I really don't know where else to turn, but I am going to make a complaint to the BBB, the Washington State Insurance Commission, and the AARP who many times will advocate for seniors. I have also contacted Shandra ** who is the assistant to David Crawford, the CEO for AHS (under ServiceMaster Inc.). Physical...my mom is one week out of the hospital for a stroke! This is an emergency and AHS won't respond. My mother does not have the money to pay for these repairs nor do I.

I also have a dishwasher that doesn't clean properly. They have sent three different repair people out for a total of eight times. They've replaced parts and the dishwasher still doesn't clean properly. They've told me everything from the water isn't hot enough (140 degrees) to "don't load it full, use only half the spaces on the lower level." I've tried to explain that for eight years this dishwasher has worked properly and now it doesn't and they still say they don't know what else to do. Their contract says they will replace products if they cannot be repaired but, after eight service calls to my home, they say they're not going to replace it. I can have another service tech out if I want one.

I will not renew with this company. Their people are rude, incompetent and totally untrained for this work. The contractors they send out are also incompetent and mostly stand around staring at whatever is wrong and then say they don't know what to do. I definitely want to be in on any class action suit that is filed on these people. They are liars and thieves. They take your money and don't honor their contracts. It has cost me money to hire my own contractors (I'm disabled and on a fixed income). It will cost me more because I'll have to hire more and/or replace my dishwasher because it won't clean properly.

Eight months later, The system suction line was freezing up. I contacted the A/C company that installed unit. A new technician advised me that the unit needed Freon and a coil was dirty in the air handler. The technician repaired a small leak in the system suction line on the unit that was installed where the line was soldered during the original install. The technician clearly stated to my son that the original install was not done correctly. He still billed me for 5 lbs of Freon and 3-hour labor and checking of the coils. He stated that the coils were clean. He was not at location for 3 hours.

I spoke to the owner of Higginson's who states that AHS only paid him $250 to install and has nothing to do with him. I asked the owner for some consideration and the owner stated that I was a thief. The owner stated that repairs only guaranteed 30 days. I told him that it has nothing to do with me on what the insurance company paid him to install the unit.

I threatened to go court to resolve this and the owner stated, "Go ahead." I advised that I would file a BBS insurance consumer complaint. I also contacted AHS and they refused to accept the responsibility for the A/C installer's actions. The representative spoke to a supervisor that relayed the message. I also asked for the CEO consumer complaint division. They just gave me an address and there's no phone available.

I had to pay $370 for repairs and the owner defamed my name over the phone. All I wanted was considerations for a repair not done right the first time and never did the company accept the responsibility. Because of the ** service, I cancelled my ** with AHS and quit paying.

So, not only do we have to scrape together that money by getting loans against 401K & premature IRA distributions, which has penalties to pay later, but we pay off the loan on 4/30. What do they do on 5/5 but take our mortgage draft and basically steal our money. They won't give it back. I'm already living on pennies and now checks are going to bounce. Bounced checks, tax penalties, no savings left. Thanks AHMSI.

My contractor called a heater technician friend (not a candidate for a sale) who said the same thing, and while he ran it to check it, the heater sent up so much smoke the detectors sounded off! At this point we talked about replacements, and I suddenly remembered the warranty. My calls to AHS were many; they assigned a technician to come, but he couldn't come till the next day. Then the next day, he called and had a rude conversation with me, and then apparently got in a car accident on the way here, so obviously did not show up. So that second night, they assigned another technician, who couldn't come till the next day, and pushed it almost till 5PM (quitting time!). This technician just jumped into the basement space to work on the heater, but since 4 experts had said don't run it for fear of fire danger, I wanted him to talk to me about what he saw and what he intended to do. He got angry and said he had no obligation to discuss any aspect of his work with me (the owner) and then he walked out, leaving me with a weekend of below freezing temperature and no heater. AHS claims to have offered me the "Band Aid" solution of $75 for a space heater, but in fact the gal I spoke with about 10 times on Friday said she was "trying to get authorization" for that, and never really offered it.

Because I had spent 8 days, 5 of them wasted by AHS, in freezing temperatures trying to keep my pipes from freezing, using space heaters loaned by new and caring neighbors, I called to have the heater replaced myself on Monday. We replaced it with a similar conservative model, for $3000 less than the brochure's stated "average" price for heater replacement. AHS ignored my problem Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday (a full week after my first call of no heat in below freezing temperature, a condition Idaho folks consider a full emergency), a technician called saying he was coming out to take a look. We were actually leaving town for Thanksgiving, and informed him it had been replaced, so not to come. We subsequently attempted to negotiate reimbursement, but the AHS company said we did not go through "proper channels" so they would not pay. We reported to the BBB, and AHS responded to BBB with a request for several reports about the previous heater, etc. in spite of the fact we had given full reports of all inspectors involved, receipts for the heater and wiring, several photographs of the old heater, close-ups of the problem areas. Because we bought a house in foreclosure that had been vandalized and with few covered appliances, we have now decided to request our premium back and sever our relationship as clients. We have not yet decided whether to engage our attorney. It's nasty to have your life be all about the fight when a dishonest company takes advantage of hard working consumers.

On April 5, 2010 I called AHS and told them that my air condition unit was not working. They sent a technician out the following day from a company that I had never heard of. When the repairman arrived, I showed him the unit that was sitting in my back yard. Be mindful that my unit sits on a level concrete slab. Not surrounded by tall grass or any other obstructions what so ever. After showing the repairman the location of the unit, I returned to doing some work on my computer. After about five minutes or so, I heard this loud noise and went outside to investigate. As I was heading for the location of the noise, I met the repairman coming to inform me as to what had happened. His exact words to me was "I think I have located your problem".

He proceeded to show me burnt oil from the compressor. He made me aware that the oil was also black and made references to the fact that this oil should be looking like Wesson oil. He then ran his finger over some oil that had escaped from the blown compressor and noted to me that there was metal shaving in the oil.

He surmised to me at this point that he felt like the compressor had had some internal failure and that is why it blew. He informed me right then and there that it would be covered under AHS Warranty. He told me that he was going to put it back together and that it would take about a week to get the repairs done. I thanked him for his services and said I will see you in about a week. After 8 days of waiting, I decided to call AHS to see what was the problem. I was told, after a long period of hold time from A calling B to see what C said, that my claim had been denied.Naturally,I asked why. And on the third day, I was told that this same repairman, who had told me 11 days ago that my unit would be repaired, has now changed his finding to my unit was 75% dirty and that voided my warranty.

I spoke with a supervisor at AHS and I asked her how can a claim be denied from the time the repairman left my home, until now 11 days later. She informed me that the repairman had still photos of the unit being 75% dirty. I said, lady I have still photos of it not being 75% dirty. I asked her what constitute 75%? I also asked if they would get a second opinion of which they said no. End of story and as soon as I finish this, I will be canceling my membership with this fraudulent company.

I am still without air and doing research as to the cost of having the unit or the compressor repaired or replaced. To date, the lowest cost for either is $1,000.00. A figure that I have surely paid to AHS over the years just for this purpose.

When we spoke to American Home Shield they told us that damage due to normal wear and tear were not covered. In the past these were covered. Now they say it is not covered. We were not aware that they changed the policy on us.

We are also putting a small addition on and therefore had to move the plumbing stack in the basement. We tore up some concrete and were just planning on cutting out the portion of pipe that was in the way. Then the plumber could tie into the existing pipe. Unfortunately, the 55 year old cast iron pipe is bad (it is clean but completely rotted through on the bottom). Since this was a large and unforeseen expense, my boyfriend suggested seeing if the warranty company would cover it.

I called AHS and explained the entire problem. They said they would cover up to $500 since it was under concrete (I spoke to two different reps in the same day who said the same thing). It seemed like a bit of a rip off since the new sewage line is going to cost way more than $500 but I figured it was better than nothing. I said they could go ahead and send someone out. The plumber came and agreed that the pipe was bad. He wrote this in an invoice too.

However, he called AHS and they said it wouldn't be covered. They left me a message saying they were off the hook because some of the pipe was already taken out (their crook terminology: "it wasn't properly installed so they can't obtain a proper diagnosis"). We kept the portion of pipe that we removed, it is visibly bad. What kind of idiot do they think I am? Why on earth would I pay some bozo $60 bucks if I knew they were going to refute my claim? That's the whole reason why I called them twice to verify that it was at least partially covered. I explicitly told the reps we already took part of the pipe out (that's how we realized it was bad).

At this point, I'm not going to settle for the $500 (we tore up all of the concrete so the pipe is now exposed, they can't use that convenient loophole on me). I have never even thought of filing a lawsuit before but this is injustice. I am in no way a litigious person. AHS is deliberately scheming people. It seems to me that people need to stand up to these swindlers. I am so disgusted that there are such crooks out there.

Then I called the AHS rep to tell her all of this and that the part was about a $200 part. She took down all the information then switched me to a Supervisor. I worked for State Farm as an Agent/CSR for 20 years and could not believe how nasty this woman, Diane, was to me, the customer. She did say that they would send me a voucher for one service call (there had been several) and was not going to do anything about taking the vendor who could not fix anything off their list or even review their complaints. She was not going to do anything about the laminate flooring I am going to lose because of this leaking refrigerator. If it was fixed correctly in the first place, I wouldn't be losing my floor. She told me that she'd been in the business for 30 years and that she'd never heard of this problem. I then asked her to take a look at how many times it had taken them to fix my 2 month old dual oven. I told her it was the same company and that they'd been out several times before they finally figured out what was wrong (bad lock on the oven door).

In closing, the techs that they send are terrible and their customer service is terrible, too. Who needs a snotty Supervisor when you are already upset to have to defrost your refrigerator/freezer again? I'm going to lose my laminate flooring in the kitchen which cannot be matched. I have the same flooring throughout my dining room and great room and hallways which are all open. So, this will never look the same. If it had been fixed right to begin with, this would have never have happened. I happen to like what I have now and I'm upset that it is not going to match and about the cost and time incurred to replace this flooring. It's not worth the stress, money and frustration to deal with this company.

They did not schedule the appointment for a week. Allison had been here for service on the same unit annually since we moved in 4 years ago. The tech was outside for 3 minutes, came in and first told me that the unit was dirty and that the charge to clean it would be an additional $60. I indicated that we would clean the unit if it needed to be cleaned (The same tech had not indicated that the unit was dirty during the last visits). Then he said the compressor was bad; he would order one and it would be about a week. He took a check for $60 with him.

Then, after waiting a week thinking he would be returning and I would be able to breathe and sleep again soon, I get a call from AHS indicating that he said it was dirty and that is what caused the compressor to go out. The short of it was that AHS was declining the claim! My feelings are that the unit was not dirty over the other times when he was paid to repair $60, but when it needed replaced, it suddenly was dirty and not covered.

I feel that AHS does not live up to their claims. We live in the Columbus area, yet the tech AHS sends is from Millersport. They are nearly impossible to get on the phone and untimely. AHS did not honor their claim. I have found numerous other complaints similar about Allison and AHS and other contractors and AHS. The repair companies they choose are less than top-rate. Additionally, it has been two weeks. I am suffering with my allergies and now I have to find someone to replace the system and pay for it myself. This is terrible, terrible service by Allison and AHS. One complaint said, "Worst possible service." I totally agree.

After involving three additional independent air conditioner companies, it has been determined in Bryan's presence, that the coil does indeed have a leak. The compression is 3lbs low of freon and the static pressure problem he describes was not found. Bryan still reports to the warranty company that the leaking coil is not the problem and my claim for service of the leaking coil and low freon is being denied. Bryan has displayed dishonesty and a lack of integrity.

Background: It was determined in Sept. of 2009 by another contractor of American Home Shield that the coil was nearly rusted through and the system was 3lbs low of coolant and the system was then recharged. The leak was not found, but pictures were taken of coil. The condenser started running rough again in Feb 2010 and was determined by two independent companies to be low on freon, and that there was a leak in the system.

Bryan was the service provider at that point and that is when he pointed the finger at the damper system. It has been determined by the manufacture's specifications that the damper system was installed properly, but that the static pressure relay could be moved to provide a more accurate reading and that issue has since been corrected. That item does not resolve the leaking coil, the low freon level or Bryan's responsibility to report factual data to American Home Shield in reference to our service contract.

Second was reporting that my sump pump was not working. Once again, the sump pump is covered but not the piping that runs from sump pump to the drain field. As they put it, 'we do not cover the things outside the foundation of the home'. Again, I wouldn't know because nobody tells you any of this when you're filing the service claim and I don't have a contract. The latest complaint is my dishwasher. It started making a really loud noise. I placed the service call to AHS and then I was contacted by Sears repair. Even though there is a Sears right here in my town that services appliances, this was a Sears service center somewhere else and the soonest they could schedule me was a couple of weeks out. I scheduled the service being new to AHS. I contacted AHS to see if there was anybody else in the area (my community) that could service my dishwasher sooner. AHS said they would look into it for me and someone would contact me to see if there was another vendor who could do it sooner. I waited for the call, but none was made.

Today I called AHS back to see what the status was of the service on my dishwasher. They told me the service call was cancelled. I asked why, they said I did it. That was a complete lie. I never told them to cancel. According to their records I did. Apparently when you request to have someone else do the repair, they have to cancel your original service call in order to look into having someone else perform the service. Nobody at AHS told me this.

Now I have two options. I can wait another 3 weeks for Sears to come to my house or I can pay from my pocket to have another vendor perform the work. And then the next catch all. You must comply with all the AHS guidelines in order to get reimbursed. However, they won't tell you what those guidelines are until you say you're going to take that option. Once you take that option in order to learn the guidelines, they have to cancel your service call and you get to start all over again. I expressed my frustration and they did not express any compassion to me the customer who has paid their premium. It's difficult enough these days spreading our finances and just getting into a new house, and then to feel like you can get the complete service answer you need and timely. Payment out of pocket so far is $906 plus cost of warranty plan of $1276.

Additionally, ARS guys would come out with no tools and just look at stuff without taking anything apart. I ended up paying for all repairs out of pocket. ARS always reported some lie to AHS who in turn would never cover the repair. ARS, of course, would always give me their cost to cover the repair which was always near or over $1,000.

Every repairman that I paid after ARS said the problem was something totally different and charged me a lot less! AHS solution is to send another contractor out with me paying the service fee for this person too! You aren't allowed to use someone you know to be trusted and experienced. Just the crafty techniques they hire. You can bet the 2nd contractor is going to confirm the 1st lie told by ARS. If the 2nd contractor by chance say something different, then they'll go with ARS. They can count on them to hold true to the original lie. AHS whole business is a scam!

I've paid nearly $2,000 in premiums and service fees alone. On top of this amount, I still had to pay for the repairs by qualified individuals. One plumber from ARS named Shawn fixed a leak in the basement apartment. He told me it was a problem with the toilet on the 2nd floor apartment and he fixed it (I thought it was strange there was no leaking in the 1st floor apartment). A week later, water was leaking in the basement again. I called AHS they said the Shawn reported that something was wrong with the 2nd floor toilet flange (which they of course don't cover)and the leak may appear again in the future. I told them the Shawn told me he sealed the 2nd floor toilet and the problem was fixed. I called ARS and got a hold of Shawn.

I asked him why did he tell me one thing and AHS something else. At first he said he didn't tell AHS anything about a flange. Then he admitted he did. I asked him why would he do that. He said he was trying to save me money. He then told me ARS could fix the problem for $642 minimum. I've hired an independent contractor to find and fix the problem. He says the 2nd floor toilet flange has absolutely nothing to do with the leak in the basement. As usual, he knew the exact amount it would cost for ARS to fix the problem in this case the toilet flange.

Talking with AHS about the problems I've experienced with them was equally frustrating. My requests to speak to a supervisor were never granted. The customer service reps, especially one named Nicole, treated me like I am the con artist. Two days ago I canceled my contract with AHS. I finally realized I was dealing with false security and was going to continue to pay for all future repairs. When I called to cancel, they told the department that handled cancellations wasn't answering the phone and they would call me back. I fussed and finally got a person in the cancellation department. I wish I had read all the American Home Shield complaints a lot sooner. I've paid nearly $2,000 in premiums and service fees alone. On top of this amount, I still had to pay for the repairs by qualified individuals.

He said if I was not there he would leave and I would have to make another appointment and said he does not come our direction unless he has 2-3 appointments in our town at least. So basically we have to wait until it is convenient for him to work on our equipment. Well, I told AHS about this and requested another contractor and they stated that they would have the dispatch company call me.

Well, 4.5 hours later, I called them back and they said they have not even looked at it and I am obligated to give them at least 24 hours to let them contact me. I said I have waited almost 4 days for this and they said they understood my concern, but they can't do anything else for me. AHS is the biggest bunch of scam artists I have ever seen. They make it near impossible to get anything out of them, so you end up having to call a contractor yourself.

Last summer 2009, our pool pump broke down (a plumbing/valve problem). Our spa continued to drain out. After a few service calls, AHS sent out several companies none of which fixed the problem. A couple of them were not in the correct service field; for example, they sent out a company called Platinum which turned out to be electricians. After multiple visits that spanned the entire summer with no pool and green water, they continued not showing up; and when they did they messed with the pump, cut pipes and generally made a mess out of our system because they were not plumbers. They left cut pipe and trash all around the equipment and they never got it working. The problem was never fully solved and we called in yet another work order.

This time we got a company in that fixed the problem and helped us clean up the mess. We took photos of the mess Platinum made out of the plumbing and yard. We were told by AHS that they had had other complaints about Platinum and that they would no longer be a contractor for them. Ok. That’s after 22 years of payment. Since then it is now April 2010 and we have had a couple of normal calls such as a leaky faucet and an electric breaker went out as well. Guess who they were going to send out? Platinum Electric.

When we inquired as to why we were terminated so abruptly, we were told that we had over 7 incidents in a year’s time and that we had been "flagged” for too many calls for repair. AHS never told us this would be an issue with our contract. No one cared that it was their bad business that they continued to send out the wrong service companies which resulted in more calls to them. In 22 years we have had other properties under contract with AHS and to this date within my family there are 14 members with contracts. I counted references that I specifically made to co-workers and friends and they totaled 11.

Needless to say all of my family is terminating their contracts at the end of May "after careful consideration" and so far 8 of my friends are as well. Most of theses people have never even used the coverage; some because AHS would either not cover the item or it was just too minor of an issue. Of the 19 members that will be terminating the contract with AHS, 7 have never made a claim, 5 have made one each and 7 have made two in the span ranging from 18 to 20 years.

Goodbye, AHS. I felt good about having you in the wings but now I believe that after all these years I could have paid for my "fixes" and saved money by not paying you. Nice way to treat a good customer after 22 years of collecting my money.

8:18pm AHS

I have spoken to the department for approval, as all calls were recorded for customer insurance! Got to love this... Lynn told me that in two hours, I can call; and if they haven't found anybody to repair my Air unit, they will approve it to be fixed by an outside company that I have picked!

It has now been two hours, and My Air Now is on their way! I called AHS and spoke to a guy about getting this fixed. I was informed that I will have to front the full bill and that it will be reimbursed within 3-5 weeks. I informed him that all calls was monitored, and I was told that it will be covered and bill will be picked up! Not on my cost but on AHS!

I told them about all the complaints that I have read and that the service that I got already was poor so far! I asked to speak with a supervisor and as usual, they always try to cover up things, because they don't want to lose their customers! There was another of my 30-40 minutes time wasted when I could have been taking a shower to cool down! I will have more updates!