American Home Shield Reviews

I called American Home Shield, and they told me it can take 48 hours. They were going to have Third Generation Plumbing service my call. I asked them what does plumbing have to do with electric? I have informed them that my mother has COPD and I need the unit serviced. They asked me what COPD was. I told them that I had contacted MY AIR NOW, and they are able to service the unit tonight.

I was told that they don't cover that company and I have to be serviced with their company! After 40 minutes on the phone, they tried to contact their company which told them I would have to wait until Thursday, 2 days from now! They told me that I have to wait 2 hours and if they can't find anybody who will cover my unit, they will give me an approval for MY AIR NOW to fix the unit!

I don't understand why they can't do this now. She gave me a number and told me to call back within two hours! In the meantime, I have to wait!

After fighting with AHS for more than a week and temperatures over 98 degrees, then they approved the company to change the compressor unit, which was a Carrier. They replaced it with a cheaper unit under the condition that I paid $400.00 to the a/c company to remove the other compressor unit. I told them that we could remove it ourselves, but they said that they would not install the other one unless we paid the $400.00 to the company they sent to do the work, and so we did. I thought my mother and children were going to die from the heat.

The technician named James installed the unit, and it was very noisy. A couple years after the main board burnt and when AHS sent another company to see what had happened, the technician noticed that the compressor unit had been left with the electric cables out and that it created a short. The weather and rodents had eaten these wires just laying on the grass next to the unit.

After that, and just last year, the a/c stopped again. AHS sent out a company by the name of Barkers a/c. The technician just went top the attic and said that the fan motor had burned due to the fan motor being dirty on the top. But he did not check anything; he just saw that. He called AHS, and they denied the repair. I fought this company back and forth, and no one took responsibility. They wanted to charge almost $600.00 for the repair, and my husband got the part for $11.00 and changed it himself. It was not the fan motor; it was the capacitor.

I hired an a/c company to do maintenance on the a/c 2 times a year, and they were just over last week to do the spring/summer maintenance. My husband asked them about cleaning the fan motor, and they said that the dust on top of it is absolutely normal and that it won't cause anything to be damaged. My husband vacuumed it himself.

A month ago, the compressor unit outside broke. I called AHS, after I had already cancelled with them, since the compressor had to be under warranty with Carrier (well, their cheaper brand). It was, and I had to pay $565.00 for the company to install it. They stated that the compressor was never installed properly, and the constant vibration (the one causing the big noise) caused the plug to break and the compressor burnt out.

I highly recommend not to use AHS. It is better to have a separate savings account and put the fee you would pay them monthly, and use it whenever you need repairs. I was told by the technician that installed the compressor the first time (the one that did not do it correctly) that AHS trains the companies they use to find something wrong that is not covered under the warranty, so that the customer has to pay for it. In my case it was the a/c, and he tried by blaming it on lack of maintenance.

2. Today, I had a problem with my thermostat continuously running and hitting 90 degrees in room. A heating specialist was sent, again another $95.00 given and he said the problem was the thermostat and I needed a electrician and he called AHS. AHS then called me back and said I was not covered for whatever had to be done with the thermostat. I will never pay them another penny since this company is robbing insurance holders and should be investigated. This is an abomination. I would like to know what steps I can take other than cancelling my policy. This is downright robbery. I cannot complain about the servicemen just the thievery of AHS charging high premiums and not delivering.

I fail to see where it is my responsibility to seek reimbursement from the company that American Home Shield not only referred me to, but left me no other choice but to allow them and only them to perform the AC repairs. American Home Shield is who my contract was with and they are the ones who are liable for the acts of their authorized agents. If American Home Shield does not make this right within the next 30 days, I will be filing suit against them for specific performance and seek actual and punitive damages.

After four days without heat, my dog made a great recovery. I was so happy until I found out from the company that I had to pay for to come out that my dog and my entire family had been probably suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning because of the condition of our heat exchange. It was said that the exchange had needed to be replaced for at least six years but probably longer and after I cut off 6" of my hair thinking my headaches were from that, I have to agree. We have had issues with our heat for over five years but if we ever got it working then it would stay on for the season. Thank God, it didn't this time.

We took pictures and had our company just replace the 17-year old unit out of fear and paid for it out of our pocket. After talking with at least 8-10 mostly mean people, I was put in touch with Joy S. who spoke with the company I used which by the way I used then after being told Home Shield would take care of it, only to find out as they called AHS with the ref# and diagnosis. AHS refused them and wanted to send the same *** back out maybe in two days. We chose to have heat that day since the high temp was 30 again and the rep for my company informed them of the dangers and everything we were put through.

After I sent my pics to Joy, AHS agreed to pay me half of what I paid for the unit, which shocked me. I thought I was just out of over $5000 because it could have been repaired but after almost killing my family, I was scared. I tried to cancel AHS and they will not cancel or refund my fees for the remaining six months I don't want. As I said, my dog was sick, seemed to recover, then my cat died January 15, 2010. My dog never fully recovered and had to be put to sleep on March 5, 2010. Both animals were old but very healthy until this. I paid $5,125 out of pocket for new heater. I was reimbursed half in Feb. I've had undue stress from every person representing AHS.

I checked the oven and it was working again. About nine days later, a box from Sears arrived with the two parts in it that the repairman supposedly installed. I called AHS and they told me the repair was completed and they had already paid Sears. I called Sears and they told me their records showed that the repair was completed and they asked me to let someone come and pick up the parts. A few days after their repairman picked up the parts, my oven stopped working again. I called AHS again and reported that the repair was not completed. They scheduled a different repair shop and told me I was going to have to pay another $60 fee. I demanded to have Sears come out and finish the job properly. Another appointment was scheduled for March 12. At this point, I have been without a working oven for more 30 days.

When Sears arrived again, their repairman said he did not have the parts and would have to order them. Now, stick with me here. They knew what the make and model of my oven was from the last visit and what the problem was well before the appointment. He told me the parts would be ordered on a rush basis and the would arrive on March 16th. He scheduled the next service call for March 17th. On Monday, March 15, someone called my home and asked if the parts had arrived yet. My fiance told them they were not expected until Tuesday, March 16. The person thanked her and promised to find out why the parts have not arrived yet. The next day, March 16th, the box arrived with the parts. On March 17, I took the day off of work to wait for the repairman from Sears. He never showed up.

I called Sears and they told me my appointment was reschedule for April 12th (without my knowledge) since the parts had not arrived on Monday March 15th. I could not believe what I was hearing. I told the woman on the phone that another 30 days without an oven was unacceptable and I wanted my $60 back so I could contact a different organization to make the repair. She told me I would have to take it up with AHS since they were paying for the repair. I also asked her to connect me with her supervisor. She told me he was unavailable but he would call me. He never did.

I called AHS and they told me I could use a different repair service but that would cost another $60. I asked them to refund my $60 in accordance with their satisfaction guarantee and the woman told me that Sears would have to refund my money, not AHS. I finally got my oven repaired but it took more than 45 days and I never received so much as a "We're sorry we made a mistake" from AHS or Sears. Today in the mail, I received a notice from AHS asking me to spend $765 to renew the policy with them. Not after countless hours of wasted time and the total corporate runaround. No way, AHS! You've just lost a customer for life.

The home I have purchased has a 15-year-old water heater. It will heat to an acceptable hot temperature only when set on 'very hot'. So I called AHS and reported this; the repairman came quickly. However, when he called this into AHS after examination of the water heater, he was told that he was not to replace the unit unless the unit was leaking. And that he was only to flush the water heater and see if that would 'repair' it. Apparently, the water heater had already been flushed as there was only a small amount of sediment that came out. He could do no more, and said that I would also have to flush it again several times over the next week.

I demanded my $60 'deductible' check back and he gave it to me, and left. Now, I know that AHS will probably not come out for any other problems that may arise, even though the seller paid $528 for the 'core level' plus 'service for undetectable' problems. So, all in all, AHS is no longer a warranty company at all; they accept sellers’ money, but never intend to replace problem units in a newly purchased home. There are no damages to report at this time; but I do feel it necessary to report to you that AHS does not stand for or behind what they sell to consumers. I see no point in ever calling AHS again and I will not renew 'the contract' after the year is over.

I defrosted the entire fridge and still no cooling. I called AHS to schedule, yet another service repair and another 60 dollars. The technician had noticed a hole in the back lining of the freezer and indicated that it was the problem and couldn't be fixed. AHS denied the claim the very next day. I spoke to the supervisor and the market research department in charge of denied claims. I was informed that they would not pay the claim. After 120 dollars and approximately 60 dollars a month, I am without a refrigerator and had learned a valuable lesson about this company. Needless to say, I have ended my relationship with this company.

Our children were sick from mold and my family had to go without hot water in very cold weather. We are suing American Home Shield and the plumber for the damage to our home, health, and living conditions. While American Home Shield tries their best to get out of being responsible for the damage, they also sent us a letter saying that they are not renewing our contract. Ouch! Talk about insult to injury.

2nd complaint: Basement drain from laundry flooded into basement and basement bathroom. AHS covered nothing, cost $1,000 deductible (thankfully our home owner's insurance covered the damage) plus $225 for plumber to come fix the drain.

3rd complaint: Sump pump failed, AHS did not cover it being fixed since we could not prove it was the sump pump failing over our (nearly new) roof "leaking".

During all of this mess we were promised contact within 48 hours. Emergency service fees would be waived if we could just wait a few more hours. With so many apologies it would make your head spin. So my husband and I renewed our policy because we thought it was a good deal! Little did we know what was going to happen next! After speaking to numerous "supervisors" our electrical outlet is still not fixed and the customer service representatives were beyond rude! Now we are in the process of trying to cancel the renewal policy and are just waiting on that drama.

I contacted the electrical company direct to see why they haven't contacted us. The electrical company stated they informed the warranty company they were out of town on business and would not be back for several weeks. This information was never relayed to us. This is the most frustrating insurance company. I will never buy a home with this "free" insurance option ever again!

In speaking with the contractor, he has stated to AHS that the unit needs to be replaced completely and could have the unit done in a couple of hours, due to the problems it's causing and having to replace the motor every couple of months. AHS will not replace the unit instead only wants to continue to replace the blowing fan that has been replaced four times since September 2009. It is February 2010.

I can only assume that this is just a one-time issue with customer satisfaction. But, I do not think that is the case. I have contacted a lawyer for this issue, under the law (a certain law), this should not be happening. The unit should be completely replaced. Normally I would not be this upset but I have a little girl (infant) that breaks my heart that I can not see her or be with due to no heat at my home. I hope that someone reads this and will think long and hard before considering AHS for service!

If this has a legal merit or not, I am not sure since I am not a lawyer but it feels horrible being a customer with American Home Shield and we will terminate our contract as soon as they open their phone lines again. The other time they said that they issue, a broken pipe was not covered since it was outside the house, but yet charged $60.00 and that might be in the contract. But even so, that is a crappy and questionable business practice to charge for something that you will not cover as an insurance company. We will cancel our contract ASAP and recommend that nobody else ever, except my worst enemies, to use American Home Shield since they are a, in my opinion, just collecting fees and are doing everything to avoid paying out and helping clients with their claims! And I am sorry that they are still in business.

Judging from all other complaints I have found now, I am surprised they are still in business. But I hope they will be taken down by some powerful lawyer. In short, my recommendation is to stay away from American Home Shield!

AHS was called to be alerted that the service promised to be provided was not in fact provided. The oven is still not working and the repairman isn't coming to fix it. AHS was unwilling to reschedule the appointment, unwilling to cover any repair fee costs and unwilling to contact an alternate service for repairs.

This part lasted up until February 11, 2010. The technician who put this part in wasn't available, so another was dispatched. Not even an emergency basis. They replaced my relay again, but the fridge still didn't cool. He then had to order a thermostat control. Two more days went by, and he replaced the thermostat and said to give it 24 hours and see if a bowl of water freezes. It didn't; I gave it 4 days. All the while, I'm living out of an ice chest. He said I needed a new fridge and he would tell AHS.

Two days went by, and he didn't call. So I called on a Friday. They had him on the phone, and he told them that I needed a new fridge. He however faxed over that he doesn't work on sealed systems and referred it out. Monday, I got a call from the tech who originally replaced my relay, and he also said I needed a new fridge.

10 days have gone by, and now, Sears comes and says it's the compressor and they authorized replacement. It will be delivered in 3-5 days. Then I called for them to put it in. I am going on over 3 weeks without a refrigerator, and AHS can only say "I'm sorry, but that's how it is."

I paid my monthly payment every month and pay my co-pay when called, which has only been twice since I got it in the last two years. I am a single mother and have no fridge and have lost now two refrigerators full of food because of this. They could care less!

As a result, since the appliance was not inserted into the space properly, the range hangs out in front of the counter space by three inches. The workers stated to me that since the gas line valve feed from the wall was too high, and the back of the new range had a stainless steel back that allowed no room for the valve to fit, therefore the range could not be fitted properly into its respective slot with the space restraints of the existing pipe.

My other complaint is, with the quality of the replacement appliance being substandard and causing additional with the smoke detector in my kitchen being triggered from one steak being cooked in the broiler. In addition, I boiled two pots of water for vegetables on the cook-top and when I was finished with cooking, I observed noticeable amounts of brown stains within three locations on the surface of the range, the metal burner caps that are located on the top of the gas burner heads, the fan vent that sits on top of the stove and the metal grates are inundated with gross brown stains from one cooking event. I removed the stained items and attempted to clean them with Dawn detergent and a soft cleaning cloth as prescribed in the range manual to no avail. The stains are there and appear to be permanent.

The very next day, they sent a plumber who came out and looked at the pipe. After a few minutes, he said that the broken pipe was not covered under the warranty because it had "Green corrosion on it." I explained to him that all copper will have some sort of green corrosion on them. It's called oxidation. That's why the Statue of Liberty is green. He informed me and AHS that copper does not turn green and that the green color was due to an improper install. He said that the installer should have cleaned the pipe before he installed it and that would stop the pipe from turning green. I asked him what product he used to stop copper from turning green, and he could not give me an answer. Well, as you can imagine, upon hearing the plumber's explanation, AHS denied my claim.

First and foremost, I have lived in this house for 13 years and have had very few plumbing problem. Furthermore, when there's a plumbing issue, doesn't that mean something is usually wrong? AHS's brochure shows comparable pricing with their warranty as oppose to without one. It shows thousands of dollars in savings which are simply not true if they continuously denied consumer's claims.

I decided to call AHS myself and ask why they were denying the claim and while on hold, the plumber from Yankee's Plumbing decides to up and leave. When I finally got a representative on the line, they stated that they would get another company to call me that afternoon because it was a dire emergency. Needless to say, no one ever called and when I called them back the next day in the afternoon, they assured me someone would call me back before the end of business day. By 4pm, no one still had called and when I called them, they said they were still looking for another company to come out.

I was on the phone with them for about an hour and they could not give me a definitive answer as to when the other company would be contacted. I then asked what companies had been contacted and if I could get their names and numbers and contact them myself. I was told that wasn't an option and that I simply had to wait and that there was no time frame as to how long the wait would be. Not happy with that answer, I asked to speak with a supervisor.

Finally, a supervisor got on the line and told me that she personally had contacted a company who would be at my house first thing Friday morning. So, I took a full day off work and waited for the plumbing company to come. They called me in the morning time and told me they could not come until Monday, Feb 22, 2010. It's Friday and I have already been without water since Tuesday night! It will be almost a week before I will have a second company come out to my home.

Something needs to be done about this company, even if I need to file a lawsuit against them myself.

When we bought the house, we asked for the warranty, which was included in the closing of the house and included the well to be covered, but American Home Shield never sent us a copy of the contract so we could see what was and was not covered. What it turns out to be is that unless you get the premium package, Hose Bibbs and the 2 feet of piping connecting them are not covered! Now, the third time dealt with the well and pressure of the pump building up way too high. We told them what was going on. I even found someone who would work with them because they did not even have a service provider for wells when we got the warranty, and they sent the guy out (for the $60 copay/service fee) and the technician was told by American Home Shield that nothing would be covered. Why would they waste my money to send someone out to not do anything?

After 24 hours and no call, I contacted them to see what the hold up was. At that point, I was told that I could contact a Heating and Air company myself and pay for it and be reimbursed. I was able to find a company online that was able to service my heat within an hour! This is the biggest rip off I have ever encountered! No one has been able to resolve the dishwasher problem! A simple repair has taken over 4 months and no one at American Home Shield can even give me a solution. I am sure that I can contact someone on my own to fix it within the hour but unfortunately they already have my money. Beware, do not use this company!

I decided to cancel my AHS policy. I emailed them because the wait time on the phone was always more than 15-20 min. I was told someone would contact me within 48 hours, which, not to my surprise, never happened. I have now been on hold on 3 separate occasions for more than 17, each time with no response.

I will be contacting the news as well as the Better Business Bureau in regard to this and many past problems I have had with the business ethics of AHS. Thank you for time. Being out hundreds of dollars, I still have to pay out of pocket for most all repairs anyway, and being without heat in our home in winter conditions for a month.

On Wednesday, January 2010 we called about a plumbing back up in the down stairs bath at the covered property. American Home Shield set up a claim under the claim number ** at that time. They told us that Service Contractors of America, AHS's delegated service company, would call us and set up a time. Service Contractors of America called us on Wednesday and told to tell if or what the problem was as their instruments was would not work in the wet conditions due to the rain and snow. On Thursday February 13 was the large snow in the Dallas area. Their original excuse was they were over booked. We said well it is an emergency, may we call a local plumbing company and allow them to do the fix? American Home Shield refused to do any thing to help with this demanding that Service Contractors be the only company to do the work.

Friday: same thing. Too wet, too much snow. American Home Shield's required company could not or would not make the call. All this time the people in the home had no bath and no use of toilet. There are four children in the home and mother and dad. Saturday morning, Service Contractors at last sent a man. He arrived and looked at the back up in the down stairs bath and toilet and then asked if the home was on septic. He was told yes. He then went outside probed the location of the tanks. Then advised he would have to call AHS on this; he told AHS the home was on septic and in his opinion the system was stopped up. He did not ask where the clean out was located, he did not attempt any fix, and he just left. I was called within 3 minutes of this as he was leaving the drive way. I then called him within 2 minutes and advised him where the clean out was and demanded he at least check out the system inside the home before he left for good. He told me he was already in Plano, TX, which I drive every day and it is a 45-minute drive. He lied. He told me he would have some one else from his company make another call and help with a fix. He did not. American Home Shield does not at any time intend to live up to its insurance policies and should be shut down for fraud by intent.

The people in the home ended up in a motel. My wife is in tears. I may lose my tenant at $2,000.00 per month. If I lose the tenant, I may not be able to make the payments and lose the home. Loan balance is $220,000.00; current value is $350,000.00. I paid the $800.00 to American Home Shield for protection from stuff like this. They took the money and promised under an insurance contract to do their part. They never had any intent to preform under the contract. Fraud.

He stayed out side for about 20 minutes, came back in and demanded service fee and said American Home Shield would call me. I gave service fee and he left. About 10 minutes later, American Home Shield called and said my warranty did not cover my problem. How did this guy properly diagnose my problem with just a 15 second look behind a crammed hole. He even told American Home Shield that it was an improper repair when he told me that it was built that way. I asked for a second opinion and American Home Shield said, I would need to pay for a second service fee. This company is [bad] and a complete ripoff! [They] are ridiculous and should be taken to court. I paid 60 dollars for some ** to say, " I ain't crawling down that hole."

American Home Mortgage file for bankruptcy and change their name to AHMSI (ahmsi3.com), and they advertise false help in the webpage. You call them, and the people who answer are located in India and offer no help. We never received letters from AHMSI, Inc to offer anything for us to retain the property, and they went ahead and foreclose without any proper posting in the property or certified mail. I will like for this company to stop taking advantage of hardworking families and stop being so greedy.

Since 1-28-10, I have made phone calls every day with updates. On Friday was told tech never sent report in. Then was told tech went away for the weekend. On that Monday no report from tech, Tuesday no report from tech Wednesday no report tech. Now, today, Thursday again no report from tech then told one hour later on on voice mail the liner is not a covered item. I then spoke with a supervisor Will ** and told him about the sparks and fire. The tech never told them about that and now am waiting again. The liner was no problem it was the fire in the microwave. I am making a complaint about their tactics and not getting reputable contractors who do not file accurate reports.

Their solution was to relocate the door bell 4-5 inches higher. Of course, they don't cover anything but attaching the screws to the newly relocated door bell. Of course, it is ridiculous to relocate the doorbell, to open a hole in the wall and to cover the existing hole just to avoid running a new wire as their technician recommended. Ridiculous. Stay away from this company. Take your business elsewhere. Beware! It took $60 for a 2-minute inspection and didn't cover anything.

We were given an American Home Shield work order number, and instructed to use one of our own choosing, pay them out of pocket, and send the work order number along with the a/c invoice to American Home Shield for 'prompt reimbursement'. As instructed by them, we found a professionally state licensed and registered repair man who could come out the following day, and the work was completed to our satisfaction. We paid the a/c company out of pocket, and submitted a copy of their invoice along with the work authorization number as per instructed.

Three months later, I hadn't received the check and called American Home Shield. They denied all responsibility for payment, saying they never authorized the work, and that a work authorization number wasn't god enough for payment. What?! We have paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars in premiums to cover our household products, and one of the first times I need them, American Home Shield, refused coverage even after it was promised. My wife and I have wasted countless hours on the phone being shifted from one customer service representative to another, multiple levels of supervisors, always to no avail.

Trying to work with this company has been a nightmare, costing us thousands of dollars, countless hours of phone time, and needless stress and aggravation. Finally having enough of the whole thing, I called the dedicated cancellation number. The recorded voice said wait time exceeds fifteen minutes. No wonder they're lining up to cancel! American Home Shield appears to be a clever conspiracy with one goal - bill consumers out of costly premiums while using every means necessary- legal and illegal, to deny paying claims.

A month ago, I noticed the tub leaking again. This time, it was due to something around the overflow. I decided to get in touch with AHS online because I figure it won't hurt for them to send someone out again, in case this isn't a case of faulty craftsmanship. However, when I went online to set up the appointment, I noticed "plumbing" was suddenly gone from my list of choices. What am I paying these people for, if they can slice and dice whatever they want off my list of problems whenever they feel like it? How is it that I don't have plumbing covered when my contract isn't even up yet? Come June, I'm dumping these crooks. I hope they get the plumbing sued out of them.

After many phone calls, freezing temperatures in the home, days missed for work, late arrival of technician, a letter to the President of American Home Shield and an email to American Home Shield, finally 2 and 1/2 weeks later, on 1/7/2010, our heating system was repaired. However, the work was sloppy. The ductwork was dislodged causing heat to pour out from under the house and we still have not received the free $60 service fee card from American Home Shield as promised. They also advised us that we would be reimbursed for the purchase of space heaters which we still have not received either. We would never recommend American Home Shield or Strong. After getting online to do some research, it appears that there are many complaints about both companies.

I then contacted American Home Shield to have a repair completed on the furnace in our rental home. The full cost was $75.00. Our portion was $60.00 (Service call fee). Our monthly policy cost is $45.00. Total savings was $30.00. Yes, I was out $30.00 more than I would have been if I would have just paid the full amount of the repair. Later, we contacted American Home Shield to have plumbing repairs on the kitchen sink of our rental home and for a water supply problem in our personal home.

When I contacted them regarding the water supply stoppage, I asked again, "Is this covered by the policy?" Again, I was told, "Yes, as long as it is within the home and not outside of the home". That was the only response I received both times I asked the same question. Again, I paid the $60.00 service call fee for both homes totaling $120.00. They repaired the plumbing under the rental homes kitchen sink which would have cost me $80.00 had I just paid the full amount for it. Again, including the monthly policy fee, I over paid again by $25.00.

Now, the plumber arrives at our personal home. He states that the blockage is from calcium build up in the pipes within the home and American Home Shield will not cover it. He also stated that American Home Shield is not worth the money in his opinion because they will not authorize the replacement or repairs for most of his work and that as soon as his companies contract is over he will not renew it. I then contacted American Home Shield about this issue.

They now stated that they will not cover blockages caused by rust, corrosion or chemicals. The last I checked, Calcium is neither of those. I then asked why I was told two separate times that the blockage would be covered as long as it was within the home. They then stated that they can not explain every part of a warranty, that's why the policy is mailed to the consumer. I then asked if it was so easy for them to state that to me over the phone when I was filing the claim, why could they not explain that to me when I asked, All I got was a tap dance.

In my opinion, American Home Shield is a scam. They will only disclose enough information to the consumer to get the sale. I have filed BBB complaints on this and they will not follow up on it. I have since spoken with several other contractors in our area and they have all stated that if American Home Shield is supposedly covering the work, they require that the homeowner pay for the repairs and then file it with American Home Shield for reimbursement because American Home Shield does not pay as they say they will.

All of the contractors have also stated that they have never seen American Home Shield authorize any full replacement of any appliance as they claim they will. I'm sure there are some very few instances out there but not many. It is a much better financial decision to just save the money in a savings account and pay for any needed repairs that way. I am now out several hundred dollars and I am sitting on a repair that will cost me $2,800.00 to complete. The cost of the coverage and the cost of the service calls far exceeded the actual cost of repairs. There is a $2,800.00 repair that still needs to be completed. I am not pleased with their performance and I have not received my money back.

There are reputable businesses in our area, but they bring in these small businesses that have to travel an hour or longer to get up here. They do not have 4-wheel drive to drive in our snowing climate. They get stuck. It is just a joke. American Home Shield is just a joke. It costs us more money because we pay the service fee for nothing. We have to hire a company to fix the problem. We have already waited 3 -5 days just to get someone up here. It is hard not having your appliance in a timely manner.

There is a similar problem with my dishwasher. First they said they couldn't repair it, even though the things were broken when we moved in. Then they said they would replace, but offered me only one dishwasher, which didn't fit in my space. The cash out allowance was $300, but every other dishwasher was $550 and up with their"delivery fees and installation fees." So I could have bought a dishwasher at Lowe's and replaced it for less than the deductible and now the difference in price for the only dishwashers available to fit in my space. Then I had to wait another week for them to get my power of attorney because at no point in dealing with me on the phone did they say that I was not named in the Home Owner's Warranty. My husband is in Iraq, and next year we will not be renewing this warranty. This is too expensive.There are too many things they don't fix or replace.

Then a week later, our hot water heater went out. I happened to be vacuuming my son's room and discovered a wet carpet. His room shares a wall with the utility room. I opened the door and there's water running down the hot water heater. I call my husband, who walked me through turning off the valve. He came home, called AHS, and they gave us the name of a company. That was Martin Luther King day. They didn't tell us that no one was there. We waited, called several times to get a recording and then left a message, thinking someone will get back to us. Five hours later, AHS told us it will probably be the next day. They only have one company that does that work in the area. We're one day without hot water. My husband is a mechanic, no shower tonight.

The man showed up, and at first he said there was no leak. I had to press him and said that I wasn't blind, I saw it pouring out. After it warmed up, it started leaking, so he determined it needed to be replaced. He then warned me that AHS doesn't pay for everything, he's very familiar with AHS. He said it's typical that the owner has to pay between $500-1,000. He said if I didn't have home owner's insurance, it would cost over $1800. I get it, it's like health care, they have to write off what they don't cover.

So, when he added up the code violations that he had to fix, and called it in, we ended up having to pay $619 on top of the $60 for the trip. My husband tried to argue with the lady, but she would have none of it. How was it our fault that code changed after this unit was installed? Isn't that why you buy a home warranty? You're banking on it breaking in a year, and they're banking it doesn't? We lost the argument and have to fork out $679. We'll see how it goes because we have to spend another night with no hot water heater because he had to leave without replacing it. We're supposed to get it tomorrow.

No call but a plumber did show up the next day. I was delighted! He didn't look at hardly anything around the toilet tank, and said my pipes were probably froze and if I started hearing water running in my basement, turn the water off. He showed me how to turn the water off in the basement. He informed me that my pipes probably were not wrapped for winter weather before I bought the house. And now that American Home Shield knew that a water pipe was frozen. No other plumbing would be covered in my house.

My sister came over the next day and had to use the bathroom. I told her, "Okay we're going to have to fill the tank back up until the pipes thaw out." She came out of the bathroom saying, "It might help if the water was turned on to the toilet!" It flushed on it`s own but the hose at the top of the tank into the toilet isn't tight and leaks. So the pipes are not frozen! Never were frozen! I need a good hose hook-up! Seems easy enough for a Home Warranty plumber to do, right?

He looked in my Michigan basement and said, "it's a job but not one for me," because he is a big man! He told me, "if my brother-in-law was smaller, then he was to see what he could do. Yeah, seriously. I'll take a polygraph on this statement any day." I told him, "My brother-in-law is bigger than you are. And that's a fact, Jack!"

All in all, I do not have frozen pipes! Never have. Since American Home Shield Warranty people sent a plumber out, the plumber told me, since you've had frozen pipes, Home Shield Warranty won't cover any other plumbing problems you might have in the future. It's just totally wrong and AHS is going to send me a bill for $60.00. The plumber told me the day he came out, "You don't have to pay me if you don't think it's right. I don't work for these people. They'll just bill you later." "Bill me later, for what?" I thought there was a real plumbing problem going on.

Why didn't this Amer. Home Shield plumber see such an easy fixable problem?! My real state agent is on this like an aggressive pit-bull, and so am I. My own sister had a problem with roofing flashing when she bought her house and she actually paid for American Home Shield right after she moved in. Small problem. But they told her it was caused by hurricane Ike, and was a Natural God Disaster. Yes, all the way to Ind., my sister paid $60.00 for a roofman from Amer. Home Shield to come out. They gave her an estimate for $837.00. She paid $55.00 to have it fixed, by an Elkhart Roofing Co. So, I am writing this, printing this and sending it to J. Warlarsky, to let all home buying citizens know to be aware of American Home Shield. My agent is livid after H.S.W. people came into their office at Cressy and Evrette and gave such a gun-ho-speech. She even gave me the name of the Home Shield Warranter.

It doesn't make sense for the repair people to fix something that will cost more than AHS will reimburse. So they throw out the trump card. AHS gets my annual cost, and the repair person keeps my $60. Kind of sweet on their part.

I called AHS and spoke to Leroy and he said denied claim stands. How can they sell warranties without inspection of my home and say denied? The kitchen cook top that is to be looked at on Wednesday the 20th could be denied as well because of the door opener. This is Leroy’s words to me. Why would he say something like that? They charged me $60.00 for the service call and said sorry we denied the claim. This isn't right. They had the right to inspect my home before selling me the warranty contract. I called AHS on 1/14/2010 at about 7:10 pm and spoke to Leroy **, authorization supervisor. And again at around 7:35 pm. I had to call twice; he hung up on the first call. This has upset me to the point I just don't understand why they do these things. How could he say cook top could also be denied because of a door opener?

The temperature inside my home was 48 degrees. No one contacted me and by Friday I contacted both AHS and the contractor and was told nothing could be done till Monday or Tuesday. On Monday I called again and was told no compressor was ordered by either the contractor or AHS and to call back in an hour. As of now, the compressor is to be delivered to the contractor on Thursday, tentatively, and I will be contacted when installation can take place. I am also being charged for the removal of the old compressor and for the freon.

A word to the wise: Do not buy any home warranty policies, you will just get ripped off! If you have a policy, cancel it and put the policy money aside in a bank account for future needs. You will come out a whole lot better that way. American Home Shield should be sued by all the people they have ripped off and cheated! I had to call in a heating and cooling company and pay out of pocket.

I called them back, and talked to Leroy for half an hour or so. I expected a professional, helpful, respectful AHS representative, but Leroy was anything but. I asked Leroy if AHS was responsible for incorrect work done by their contractors, and he didn't answer. He would put me on hold and then get back on the line and say, "okay, do you have anymore questions". It is true that the second contractor jumped the gun, and replaced the thermostat without AHS approval, but I have nothing to do with that. This really was an issue with AHS not communicating with their contractors, and vice versa.

He told me that AHS contractors cannot do work without authorization, so I told them fine, and they need to contact the second contractor, and work it out, but he said they don't need to. He told me that they will not pay for the second thermostat, to which I reply that I won't either. I asked who will pay for it then, and I get silence. I asked him to please transfer me to someone else, and he puts me on hold. After he comes back he, again, says "okay, what other questions do you have for me?" This is my second year with AHS, since I paid the $400 or so to re-up for a year. I expect to be treated with respect, and for them to want to help their customer, but this particular AHS representative did not care. After my warranty expires this time, I will not re-up for another year. Many of my friends own a home with warranties, and I will share this story with them. Maybe another rep would be more helpful, but if anyone calls AHS with an issue, and gets Leroy, immediately ask to speak to someone else, but remember, he won't transfer you.

Since AHS would not call their contractor back to square the issue away, I had to. I called the second contractor back, and he admitted he jumped the gun. He was understanding and helpful. We settled on me sending him the $60 fee, and he'd have to eat the rest. AHS should have called their contractor, and worked this out, but they wouldn't. This could have been handled differently, and AHS might have kept me as a customer. Instead I had to do the dirty work, that they simply refused to do.

Today the inspector came out and stated exactly what was wrong after an Air National Tech came out Saturday and said "there is nothing wrong with it". Two hours after the inspector leaves, a second tech comes to the house (this time my BF is home) and the tech tells him that the unit was put in wrong to begin with. I come to hear that the way the unit was put it was that once we fired up the furnace that the area which the service guys installed "would smolder and smoke". But their website boldly states "Air National has experienced and professional service technicians that will treat your house like their house. " Would they install a unit in their own home that would smolder and not pass inspection? Well, since this is not over, we will see how this plays out!

Here it is in the middle of winter in Florida and it is in the low 50's as a high and this heater blows out cold air and will not go above 72 degrees. On Dec. 29 or about that date, I called Air National to advise that the heating unit that we have not used since it was installed is blowing out cold air. After speaking with Rachel, she stated that all management is on vacation and that there is one manager that is local and she would get in contact with him to get approval for a tech to come out to check the heating unit. To this day the heating unit will not go above 72 and we never gto any explanation on how to use the unit and all of the new elements.

We have spent multiple days off work, countless hours on the phone with Patric, Sarah and Rachel only to get no satisfaction service. I am still awaiting on that local manager to respond to my request for a tech. When we first fired up the unit, we did not sleep well at all the first night in fear of fire. So we would like to be repaid for lost hours waiting and babysitting your tech over and over again as they continued to do a shoddy work. They failed inspection three times and we believe they may have paid off the last inspector to get the project to pass no matter what happens to the house. We want some sort of liability coverage that if the house does catch on fire because of the heating or air conditioning, Air National will be responsible. Total amount desired is $3000 for raising two people's blood pressure, for poor/shoddy workmanship and denying it was done wrong along with the liability agreement!

The second customer services of AHS, Coco provided me with the number to Air Doctor, but the number only had an answering machine to take their calls. I left a message and waited for a response. While waiting, I called back to AHS and received a very bad treatment by the next customer service person. Because of the condition of the house getting hotter, I felt the need to call and seek another company. But this customer service person would not provide any assistance. I requested to speak with a supervisor and was refused.

The following morning, I called back to Air Doctor and made an appointment for a tech to come out between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Mr. ** had contacted AHS that same morning, and the customer service person called Air Doctor and informed him that they were scheduled to come out that day. Mr. ** was under the impression that AHS made the appointment, but I made it.

At 2 p.m., I began to inquire if someone was going to actually come out or not. The receptionist at Air Doctor stated I was next to get service. I called again at 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and gain at 4 p.m. when I got the answering machine. I was not aware that Mr. ** was also in communication but through AHS by having a customer service person call Air Doctor at 3:30 p.m. where he was informed that as soon as the tech finishes with the job he Is on, he will be to my residence.

Mr. ** continued to communicate with AHS, trying to get them to get in contact with the tech to expedite the order, so we would not have to spend two nights in a house over 97 degrees. At around 4:45 p.m., the technician showed up. He arrived, walked over to the outside unit, and without touching it, stated with stuff or some sort of tobacco in his lip, that the compressor was out. I asked if it could be fixed. The tech blasted me by saying "You think I carry this type of equipment around with me? It will take at least two to three weeks before we will have it."

The tech stated that Air Doctor was the one who installed the unit and that the previous customer was having problems with it. He began to write up the service receipt and then stated that it will be $75. My thought was "For what?" He never took the unit apart, looked inside, or nothing really. If he can provide a diagnosis without touching a unit, he is in the wrong profession. I refused to pay the service fee and gave him a few choice words as I sent him on his way.

I then went to the phone book to find a reputable company that was concerned about the customer and spoke with Pat of Air National. They immediately dispatched two techs out who took the unit apart and gave it a good diagnosis. They stated that they could do a temporary repair, but in the next couple of months or more, it will go out. This was not new information to us, because (as you will see with the attached document) Joe ** was dispatched out by AHS last year who told us the same thing when they replaced the compressor on 09-02-08.

In the mean time, Mr. ** was on the phone with AHS customer service, attempting to get a diagnosis from the Air Doctor tech who ignored the emergency calls placed to him by three customer service persons and two by Mr. ** to contact AHS ASAP. One of the customer service reps did offer to compensate us with a room for a night at $60 per night rate, but we would have to send in the receipt to get reimbursed. Another customer service person stated that if we went outside of our contract and used a outside vendor for the services, we would be liable for all expenses.

By this time, the conclusion was pretty clear that we needed to get air by any means necessary. So Air National installed a complete unit that evening. Their service techs did not leave our resident till 2:15. They returned the next evening and spent another three hours completing the task and insuring that it was operating properly.

On Thursday, I contacted AHS and inquired about the service from Air Doctor and was told that we needed to contact the vendor and to handle any complaints. After speaking with Air Doctor and to have them state that they are standing behind their employee and attempted to justify the reason why the diagnosis was not called in the prior evening, Mr. ** called again to AHS.

The customer service person stated that the information was received and being processed as we were speaking. Mr. ** requested to speak with a supervisor and was refused. The customer service person stated that because my name was not on the account, I could not speak with anyone higher. After being told that Ms. ** would have to authorize his name being added to the policy and being put on hold, miraculously the customer service person stated "Your name has been added to the policy."

By this time, we were done with AHS and informed the customer service person that we would be canceling our service. She stated that she would be informing the cancellation department and that within 48 hours, someone would be contacting us. Mr. ** called Monday after getting no response. Because AHS did not hold up to their end of the agreement, we ended up paying $7000 for an entire inside and outside unit that is still today not working correctly.

Because of the anguish and heartache that ASH caused Ms. **, she is now taking high blood pressure medication and has not been able to maintain control of her finances since this occurred. She has failed classes, which she has to retake coming out of her own pocket, to achieve her Master's degree in Business. And she has to pay this outrageous money for the new unit which has caused an increase in our monthly electric bill. So by having AHS, we lost all the way around.

After more phone calls, they stated that it would be covered. The first company that they sent out stated that it would have to be replaced. The second opinion stated that he could repair it. Initially, I was told that the the first company would be fixing it. Then, they changed their mind when he stated that the heater needed to be replaced. Now, I am being told that I would have to pay $450 to have the unit cleaned. I contacted another company to have yet another opinion on the unit. They refused to clean the heater and stated that since it was so old, it needed to be replaced. I contacted American Home Shield, and have yet to hear anything, and that was months ago. So my children and I are without heat. Being a single parent, I can not afford $4,000 for a heating unit.

This is the worst treatment I have received. I got in touch with a manager and told her I either get heat in the next couple of days or I am calling the Insurance Commissioner of the State of WA and the Attorney General of the state. AHS already has class action suits against them. They have lost, so you would think they would learn! To go without heat in the dead of winter and not care about living up to your contracted agreement is bordering on criminal. Let alone, civil violations. I am awaiting their reply.

The company came out on August 6th to repair the heater and was to be here between 1-5pm. They did not show up until 6:00 PM after I placed several calls to ask when I could expect them. The person who answered the phone from their company was very rude and said they were on another job and would get to me when they were finished. They never gave me a time. I questioned the repairman about the cost of the permit and asked to see the permit. He told me he did not have it with him and said that an appointment would be set up for a county inspector to come out August 10th to inspect the work. The county inspector never came to inspect the work. So I called the contractor back and asked when the inspector would be by and he said a master plumber had to call them to set up a date to come out.

A man named Robert called and said he would be at my house on August 18th to inspect the water heater and would call me with a three hour window. No one called and no one showed up to inspect the water heater installation. I spoke to Dave ** WSCC (301) 206-4003, and he told me a postcard permit in the amount of $50.00 was required and had to be pulled prior to commencement of work. He informed that as a customer, I should have received a copy of the permit prior to commencement of the work, so I could schedule an inspection after the work was completed. I called Waldorf Water and Gas and spoke to Wayne. I informed him I had spoken to Dave ** WSCC and that the permit they need is just a postcard permit costing $50.00. And he said he had to charge me an additional $100.00 because someone had to go and stand in line to get the permit.

On August 17th, I called Dave ** WSCC and found out a permit was never pulled on my address for replacement of the water heater; therefore, the contractor should not have replaced my hot water heater without having one. He advised to contact Tom **, Chief Plumbing Inspector WSCC or send him an email and let him know the problems I was experiencing. I sent an email and letter to Tom ** on August 17, 2009, issuing a complaint against Waldorf Water and Gas stating they had replaced the water heater in my home prior to pulling a permit, did not give me a copy of the permit and charged me $150.00 for said permit.

To this date, I have not received any response from Mr. **, WSCC, or seen a permit so I could call an inspector to come and out and inspect the newly installed system. I feel that not only have I been ripped off my AHS but the company they referred me to and WSCC for not doing anything to resolve the complaint I filed with them. I don't feel like I should have paid $150.00 for a permit. I think AHS is in cahoots with these service providers. I could have gone to Home Depot or Lowe’s and bought a hot water heater and had it installed by a plumber. In fact, I have a plumber who told me that the heater should not have been installed without the permit being pulled and giving me a copy of the permit prior to commencement of the work. An inspector should have inspected the work after it was completed.

I feel that I have been ripped off by both companies. I now see that there is a class action suit against AHS, and I can see why; and I want my name added to the list as an interested party. I am seriously considering cancelling my home warranty with this company after reading all the complaints. I can take the money I pay them monthly and put in an interest bearing account and call who I want to come out and replace things in my home. I am paying them over $500 a year for what?

I was charged $535.00 for a new water heater and none of the compliances were taken care of prior to installation, no inspection to ensure the installation was done correctly and nothing to show that the company every pulled a permit and charged me for one. I feel like I should have paid AHS the $60.00 fee and the work should have been done for that fee.

The 2nd plumber came out and said that the first job was done wrong and that he'd have to order parts. I called both companies to complain about me losing money from work waiting around for someone to do this job right. Roy (mgr. of Service Connection) dismissed me by saying the job wasn't botched; AHS apologized but refused to prorate or refund my service fee because of this inconvenience.

I insisted that AHS send someone with a brain to detect the problem, since it was obvious it was the heat unit. The man they finally sent seems to be extremely knowledgeable and found that not only was the ignitor bad, but the fittings on the new heat exchanger were the wrong size and leaking as well! He immediately disconnected the gas and said that we were extremely lucky we hadn't had an explosion that would have not only leveled our house but put my neighbors in harm's way as well! I insisted that AHS do away with High Quality (aka Expert Service, Joe's Expert Service, aka at least 3 more names)! They supposedly blackmarked them from my file to never send them to me again.

I then have trouble with my washer, and guess who they wanted to send! I am still pursuing they discontinue using these idiots as a service provider. If my home, with or without family and pets inside, had blown up, they would never see daylight again with the lawsuits thrown at them. They are letting these fools put their clients in danger and allowing them to continue servicing other clients!

I informed AHS that my plumber inspected the unit and could not find anything wrong other than it being an old unit. I paid my plumber to replace the unit and was done. I accepted the fact that AHS would not cover the unit and bit the bullet. Then, my bathroom faucet stopped working, and when I placed a service request, I got a message that they could not receive any service requests until I paid the service fee from the second opinion. That upset me, so I contacted the Better Business Bureau and reported them for trying to charge me the service fee, and submitted the invoice from my plumber for the replacement of the tank. On the invoice it clearly showed in writing that the unit was up to code and went out do to age. I finally received a call from AHS about the complaint and was reimbursed for the replacement.

Fall rolls around and my heater would not come on, so I placed a service request on 9/30/09. Neil's Heating and Air came out and looked it over. They said a relay switch had gone out and that they would contact AHS for replacement. After a week goes by with no calls, I called the contractor and AHS. The contractor said "Oh, has AHS not called you?" The relay switch that needed to be replaced was not made any more for the heating unit. So I called AHS and of course got nowhere - just promises to call me back that never came.

After another week, I called the contractor. They said "Oh, has AHS not called you?" The contractor said that they were looking for a replacement relay that may be compatible with my unit. After another week, I called and got the same results. Finally after 4 1/2 weeks, the contractor called and said that AHS could not find a replacement and would replace the unit. "Great!” I said, but then the contractor said that there were some things not covered, and he rattled off a bunch of stuff that I could not understand until he said my part would be $1300.00.

By this time it was getting very cold at night. I called my own heating guy who said they would do the entire job for $1600. I called AHS and told them that I wanted the cash out option. A few days later, some grumpy old man from AHS' cash out department called me and rudely told me that AHS would only pay out $707.00. I called AHS a day or so later asking for a breakdown of what they were paying me for the reimbursement. Since only basic installation and cost of the heating unit was covered, I wanted to see how much was being paid for what. Karen said she would mail me the breakdown. After 2 weeks, 4 calls and 3 emails, I still had nothing. I went ahead and replaced the unit, covering the entire $1600 out of pocket.

I finally got a call from AHS regarding the breakdown I had asked for. The rep said that it was against AHS' policy to disclose what they pay for repairs to the customer. I asked them where they got the $707.00 figure from and they said it was what Neil's Heating and Air quoted them to do the repair. I called Neil's and they said that since I took the cash out option they did not have to send or tell me anything. They did say that the $707 was for their cost for the basic installation. When I was talking with the AHS rep, she said that the $707.00 was for the unit and that they did not cover the cost of basic installation when you take the cash out option.

I am still fighting with them for the breakdown and have just recently submitted the invoice for the work that I paid for, for reimbursement. I know that several weeks later, if I'm lucky, I may get the $707.00 reimbursement. I have already reported them again to the Better Business Bureau and wait patiently for their response.

Now we have been with them for 5 years in Florida, never called them except for our air conditioning, again always filling it with freon. There never was a fix, now we had someone else to take a look at it and they said we have a leak in the coil. American Home Shield refuses to fix it! Also, they have been calling and arguing with me daily. Their service providers are horrible!

It seems that we should have been experts in air conditioning, who knew? We paid to get it cleaned many times but it was not good enough for American Home Shield. It seems we are always at fault and nothing is really covered. They charge us 55 dollars a month and 60 dollars each time someone comes out, to tell us it is not covered, or tell us they will come back and fix it, then to call the company and tell them some other story; then American Home Shield calls to tell us we are not covered!

It turns out we wasted $660 a year, also thousands on calls. We could have saved money by not using them!

Needless to say, I informed my husband and he called AHS (America Home Shield), the insurance we decided to try (I was thanking God for the fact we got it). To make my story short, here's a quick... AHS called Arctic Air here in Lubbock. Arctic Air showed up perfectly on time and the man was well dressed, groomed, and very nice. He looked at our heating and air and said "Oh my gosh! It's a huge unit, kinda old." He doesn't see very much like that.

Our emergency heat didn't work, our Auxiliary heat is an air conditioner - much like emergency heat - and the Arctic Air guy said our sequencer was out and he'd have to get a new one. Lucky for us, the Arctic Air guy said we could use the heat by heating it one digit at a time. My husband stayed home that day and was able to raise the heat back to 70. It's still blowing cool air but if the heat runs constantly we can keep the house close to 68 degrees, sometimes cooler, sometimes warmer. "I feel like we're carrying the heater on our backs"...

So the heat upstairs and now downstairs is running 24/7 trying to keep the house warm (I can't wait to see the heating bill)... Arctic Air called us and said the part for the heater no longer exists. So they're having to get someone to make the part (boy, I hope that works). The highest it's been lately is 50 degrees, lows have ranged to 14 degrees.

Arctic Air says that it'll take about 8 to 10 working days to get the part in (which we hope works). We called AHS to find out what to do with the cool house, and the constant heater going. They pretty much said, "tough luck." We had an upstairs heater, we can live in our bedrooms if it gets too cold, and they couldn't help it if our electric bill shot out the window - not their problem.

So now we're waiting. We will see what happens We will see the bill later, and hopefully maybe in three weeks we will have the heat. Otherwise we're keeping our three kids bundled and hoping the weather gets warmer, not cooler during Christmas.

A month passed, the repairman came to replace the parts. I ran the dishwasher that night and it was not fixed and it leaked all over floor. AHS sent the same contractor on Sept. 9th to fix and now there was another problem in which a part is needed to be ordered. Numerous calls to AHS with each representative promising to find out and call me back and here we are on Dec. 9th with an unrepaired dishwasher. Today’s call ended with AHS rep telling me the claim had been sent to their complaint dept. and I should hear from them... blah, blah, blah. At this point, I would accept the $280 to replace, but AHS said I would have to repay for the work already done which surpasses $300. My call today ended with my explaining I was contacting the BBB and the rep said “Go ahead.” This is a nightmare! Help.

Then lo and behold, only five weeks later on 12/8/09 did an installation person come. I will not be renewing the contract with AHS. They are dreadful to work with. Lowe's would have had a new 2009 GE microwave delivered and installed on 11/6 for a mere $320. That only validates the obvious, you are throwing your money away at $500 annually to AHS plus the gall of the $60 fee to the I-don't-know-a-thing and parts order that never work, that ultimately end up with the d-r-a-w-n out affair for the approval, order, delivery and install sham.

The real complaint was my refrigerator. The door would not close unless you pushed it shut. I called AHS and they send out a repairman. He looked at the door, made some adjustments, but could not fix the problem. He said my floor was uneven. I knew he was lying, because I had just had my kitchen remodeled. I called AHS and they sent out another guy. He looked at the refrigerator and took the door off. He made some adjustments and the same excuse - the floor was uneven. I called AHS again. They sent out another guy, and if he had said the same thing, they could not do anything - it was my floor.

The third guy came out, removed the door, adjusted some screws, and said he could not fix it. By that time, I had discovered that it was the wheel at the bottom of the frig that needed to be adjusted. After the technician put the door back on, I said, “Why don't you look at the bottom?” He did and then adjusted the part. The door now closes. If I had not told him what to do, I would have paid the $59.00 service call and my door would still not close. They seem to send out people that do not know what they are doing or are told to do very little.

I bought the house over a year ago and used it almost every day. It has a copper tube line that comes from another area and the dishwasher is like new. I found out it is shy 20 years. It has been hooked up for 20 years and now something is wrong with the hook up. Every time I call AHS, they have an excuse. I will write to the Better Business Bureau and try to get some of my future money back. I hired a plumber and buying a new dishwasher, installed $200.00. It's not the money. It is how they treat you and don't care for you as a customer. They are a ripoff. Has anyone got their money back?

The next year our washing machine stopped working and it was determined that our model was a lemon (thank you Whirlpool), which required a new electronics module. After numerous discussions with AHS, we were informed that they would pay for the replacement of the module, give us a new low end GE model or give us the cash equivalent of the cost to repair our old unit. We elected to take the cash and purchased a more expensive front-loading model, which we are very happy with. What we have learned is that they will not necessarily replace with a comparable model, but we understand that. We have also made other calls to AHS for service on various problems in our house and have been very pleased with the quality, promptness and level of service that we have received from them and the company’s technicians, who they have sent.

The dishwasher claim was a whole other issue. The service company came to service my dishwasher three times. First, to access the problem and order part. Second, to replace part (which wasn't needed as it wasn't the source of the problem) third time, pick up dishwasher, and take back to shop to determine the problem. When the technician picked up our dishwasher, he stated someone from his company would contact me and let me know the problem. I had to call everyday and never received an answer as to what the problem was with my dishwasher. Finally, after three weeks I received a call from the service company and their representative said they would be out in my area on Thursday to repair my dishwasher (three weeks after picking up my dishwasher). She was the same representative I had left numerous messages with asking for a technician to call regarding the repairs to my dishwasher. (Very obvious she had no clue what was going on.) I explained to her that they were in possession of my dishwasher and her response was, "Oh!".

When the tech arrived to install my dishwasher, he was unable to secure the dishwasher properly under my sink because the previous tech had broken the brackets. He said he would raise the legs on the dishwasher so it would be secure and not lean forward every time the door was opened. Approximately a month later, the dishwasher started leaning every time we pulled the top basket out. November 30th, I called regarding a stoppage in my kitchen sink. The lady I spoke with was rude. I explained my plight and she said, "Not an emergency, you will be seen when the plumber has a no emergency appointment available today unless you pay $60 plus $75 emergency charge". That was the last straw. I failed to mention prior to placing the claim for the stoppage in my kitchen sink and other drains in the home that were slow to drain, I had to pay $60 for the past service call which I was told I would not need to pay!

After all the run around and waiting on hold for over one hour, I spoke to a floor supervisor who wouldn't identify herself, other than to say she was the floor supervisor and she didn't have a supervisor over her. I explained my plight and she wasn't helpful at all. I let her know I wanted to cancel my contract for all the above reasons and as a licensed real estate professional, I will never refer another client to AHS Warranty (As of date, I referred 6 clients), no more! I just checked my email and they placed a claim for the dishwasher company to come out and collect another $60 to repair the bracket which they broke. As I said, last straw! I've now read all the complaints against this company and felt compelled to document my results to other consumers. If you're looking for a company that holds true to their word, focuses on customer satisfaction, and doesn't charge more than stated, stay clear of AHS Warranty. The employees they hire are rude and cannot articulate a sentence much less help you with a service claim. As consumers, we do have a choice of vendors and I'm writing this so to warn other consumers to stay clear of AHS warranty co.

I decided to call a plumber to come and repair the stoppage on the day requested. I had to pay $225 out of my pocket to get the stoppage repaired, so I could go out of town on business as scheduled and not worry my home would flood. I will not pay another $60 for the appliance company to repair something they damaged in the first place. I will call Whirlpool directly and order the brackets and replace myself. My reputation as a real estate professional is on the line when I refer clients to a company that is less than professional and isn't customer focused. In this business, if you don't have a good reputation and partner with honest ethical vendors you're finished. As for a dollar value, priceless!.

So on 9/22/09, AHS reassigned it to Airwise who has replaced almost every part (compressor twice, hard start relay, 2 contractors and now the brain/circuit board unit) and the unit is still not running. Every time they have to order a part, it takes another 2-3 weeks to get it, and they are ordering parts one piece at a time. AHS has done very little in trying to get this expedited and get this repair done. At one point, Airwise had requested AHS to replace the unit because the unit was so old and they weren't sure it could be repaired and AHS refused the request - so here we sit 3 months later, still trying to get it repaired.

We have renters in the house who have been hugely inconvenienced and we are hoping we don't lose them. We have had to constantly make calls to find out what was going on because the communication has been very poor. They recently assigned a Gilda ** to work it, but she really can't make any decisions and I can't reach her by phone even though that was supposed to be the whole point behind assigning her to the problem. Today, 11/17/09, I tried calling her 5 times in the afternoon (because she was supposed to call me back and didn't) and I could not reach her. I left a message and still didn't get an answer back.

My advice to anybody whose home is not brand new, don't buy American Home Shield. They are no different from the Snake Oil salesman on the street. My contract is going to expire in 3 weeks and this is the only time I called for services and they refused because my home was old and not up to their building standard.

When I talked with the lady with American Home Shield, I told her that the trolley should be covered. She said, "yes, the trolley was covered but the board that pulled away from the wall was what caused the problem and that was not covered." When I called to complain about this service, you could tell that the person on the other end of the line dealt with complaints all day and was not interested in mine. Do not use this company. I wish I would have done my research better.

Even AHS's own contractor--who had gotten it working for a short time--put on his invoice the same thing that other contractors had told me for several years: "Heat exchanger is very rusty. There are a lot of rust particles in bottom of burners. I would be afraid to clean." Numerous contractors told me previously and now that there was nothing that could be done to stop the rust inside the furnace, and they would not be allowed to (or would not, if they were independent contractors) clean the rusty burners (which would require removing the rusty heat exchanger to do so), or the rusty heat exchanger, because it might poke a hole in the heat exchanger or cause it to crack, thus allowing carbon monoxide leakage, and creating potential liability for them for causing it.

One previous AHS contractor had warned that AHS would not cover the furnace for lack of maintenance if it was rusty, and wanted over $400 to clean it, but warned me that he would not be responsible if that caused it to fail immediately (which was several years ago), and that he would have to tell AHS that it was rusty and it would not be covered if his cleaning caused it to fail, and he couldn't guarantee that he could clear all of the rust out. I had then contacted several heating/ air companies, who all said what I had previously been told, that rust couldn't be cleaned out, and trying would likely to cause it to fail right away, whereas leaving it alone might let it run for several more years, and they would not clean out rust for fear of potential liability for causing carbon monoxide leakage. As is was, it ran for at least eight years from the first time I was told that it was rusty and failing, but would probably last about 2 to 5 more years if left alone.

This is not the first time that American Home Shield's crooked contractors have tried to rip me off to make extra money, or that AHS has refused to honor its contract (besides performing late or incompetent service). My water heater failed a year or two ago, and their contractor refused to replace it unless I paid him an extra $4,000 to disassemble and re-assemble the furnace in the same upstairs closet), so I had to pay Home Depot nearly $1200 to replace it (without touching the furnace), but AHS reimbursed me $127 for the "replacement cost." I had also provided maintenance records for the normal maintenance that had been done prior to the time the systems got so old and rusted nothing further could be done. Prior to that, I had already had the motor inside and air conditioner coil on top of the furnace replaced as part of the normal, routine maintenance.

On October 6th, I called you requesting emergency service. The service man you sent from Air Zone also indicated the accumulator was leaking and put in another 4 lbs. of Freon just to keep us somewhat cool. If we had lost that amount or more in a week's time, there was a serious leak.

On October 8th, when I contacted your offices for status, I was advised that you were looking for a Lennox dealer to come take a look which could take another several days. So much for "emergency" service. If your representative had bothered to ask me when I called in the request for service, I could have told her the type and size of unit and saved some time. Perhaps you should add this to your "script" for customer service reps.

It was 93 degrees that day in Florida with 84% humidity giving us a heat index of 100+. I have a 95 ½ year old mother (the reason for the request for emergency service) who lives with us and I was concerned about her going into cardiac arrest or suffer from heat prostration should the unit give out entirely while you got your act together. I contacted Senica and had a new 4-ton compressor and an air handler installed that day. Senica is holding the old Lennox compressor (S/N 5894B56139) for your inspection since I believe we are entitled to some remuneration for this claim.

Finally, on Nov. 5th, it was determined they could give me $27.50 for repair costs. So much for their "emergency service" and "replacement" promise. I will NOT be renewing my contract in Dec. and as a real estate agent, will be informing my fellow agents and clients of my experience with this firm.

The temperature in my home in the basement was well over 100 degrees. I contacted AHS about this and they said that they were not responsible for any of the cost incurred to me. I have not had an air conditioner since and I could not afford to buy one. I found out about this lawsuit and tried to call them. Originally, they were very helpful but since this last June when I spoke with one of their representatives over the phone, I began to feel a little less assured about what they were saying to me. I was told that the court case was still pending and they thought it had been continued and that they were going to be in court in a couple of days. The representative then gave me a number and told me that she had my information in the computer and to look for a submittal form again in the mail. It is now October of 2009.

When I tried to call them, the number that they gave me is always busy. I had to get on the internet and find a new way to contact them and get someone to answer and talk with me. It has been a long time since I called that repairman, and a long time to not have an air conditioner. I should think that they would have to live up to their end of the bargain sometime. I have since installed an attic fan as this wasn't as expensive but as anyone knows that lives in Missouri, this sometimes still is not enough.

American Home Shield was ordered in the escrow for the house, and it said plumbing was covered. I did not think they would cover the extensive problem, but I figured it was worth a try. They were called, and they sent out a plumber from Rescue Rooter in Haltom City, Texas to check problems with my plumbing. (I have a plumbing company that I am happy with, but they sent one of their own.) Their plumber charged me $60.00 and ranted and raved about my plumbing and bad-mouthed the plumbing company which had completed the last repair. This company did not install all the plumbing or have anything to do with most of the problems with the plumbing.

American Home Shield called and said they could not cover extensive plumbing problems. That is not a problem to me. I really didn't think they would. It was worth a try or would have been if they didn't sent someone who just wasn't interested in dealing with the problem and wanted to bad-mouth the other company. I told this plumber that I did not believe a word he said to me. His response was "Don't get mad at me. I don't work for American Home Shield." He apparently doesn't work for Rescue Rooter, either!

I called back that same day and complained that I never touched the unit. AHS said they had to go by the serviceman's report, but would send a different company out for a second opinion for another $60.00. I had no choice. It is now eight days since my first call and nobody has called or come to look at the unit. The temperature last night was 34 degrees! Who can put a stop to these criminal actions?

I was told that the ductwork was not covered. The contract reads: Duct Work: "Covered: Ducts from heating and/or cooling unit to the point of attachment at registers or grills and flex ductwork." The customer service representative stated to me that we were not covered based on an exclusion under "Section G, Limitations of Liability, paragraph 5" which reads:

"AHS is not responsible or liable for secondary, incidental and/or consequential loss or damage resulting from the malfunction of any covered item including but not limited to food spoilage, loss of income, utility bills, additional living expenses, personal, and/or property damage, or authorized contractor's service or delay in service."

The damage to my system is a direct result of the system failure, and my claim is for the repairs to the system and the ductwork only. I called AHS, thinking I would get a fair deal and get my system restored to working order. What I got was the plumbing lines to the AC unit blown out cleared and a full diet of the classic runaround. Well now, I plan to turn the heat up on them.

To add insult to injury, a person called from AHS to check on my satisfaction and I was advised that if I am not happy with the diagnosis, they will send out another ("independent") HVAC firm for second opinion to diagnose the problem and that if they still deny the claim, then I would pay another $60 fee. I refuse to be screwed. The denial of my claim is wrong and unfair, and I advise anyone who considers AHS to think again. The internet can be an excellent tool for growing your business. It can also be a company's worst enemy.

I then called AHS and told them what the repair person had said. They had no comment other than to state they had not heard from the repair company yet. I told them that I didn't believe this opinion was right. The pool heater is a covered item under our contract, and as indicated in the agreement, it will be replaced if it is deemed non-repairable. This is, after all, why we obtained insurance with AHS in the first place. They stated that they would review the claim and get back to me.

AHS contacted me by phone about two days later. They indicated they would not be paying this claim because Southwest Pool and Spa Repair had reported to them that the heater was not repairable due to homeowner neglect. I advised them that I disagreed with their decision and requested a second opinion. They agreed to send out another company to look at the heater.

The second pool company, again handpicked by AHS, was Golden West Pool & Spa Repair. Their repairman spent more time examining the heater by taking the top section off and looking inside. He also removed the front panel and checked the electrical wiring inside. After he finished his assessment, he told me the heater would have to be replaced. I asked him if he found anything at all that would lead him to believe the heater was not working due to homeowner neglect. He stated to me that he found no evidence of that and would contact AHS with his findings.

I waited a couple of days and then contacted AHS and told them what the second repairman had said. Their response was that Golden West Pool & Spa Repair agreed with Southwest Pool & Spa; i.e., that the pool heater was no longer working due to homeowner neglect. I was extremely upset over this complete turnaround by Golden West Pool & Spa. Why had they changed their mind? I came to the conclusion that someone was obviously being told what to report to AHS, so that this claim could be denied. I told AHS that I believed I was being scammed and that their business practices were very questionable.

I later contacted Golden West Pool & Spa Repair to get an explanation as to why they changed their opinion. Of course, they had no comment other than to reiterate that the pool heater needed to be replaced - a job they could do for a bargain price of only $3,000.00. I told them not only no, but hell no! I strongly believe my previous service request should be reviewed and the Denied Claim overturned or revised.

I called AHS and told them that I didn't trust their first estimate, that another trustworthy company had told me that my unit wasn't excessively dirty and requested a second opinion. AHS told me I was just in time to request a second opinion, they give you one week, but, never tell you about the timeline. AHS told me that if the second opinion was the same as the first I would pay a service fee. AHS sent out another company. The tech spent a lot of time on my unit. I called AHS within an hour after the tech left my house. The lady that I spoke with at AHS read the tech report and told me that the second tech didn't agree with the first tech and that my repairs would be covered by the warranty.

The AHS representative explained to me that I could cash out and hire my own tech since I refused to have the Sunn Corporation in my home again. The AHS representative told me that I would be contacted later to find out how much the cash out amount would be. Four hours later, I received another call from AHS from a male representative telling me that the technician who came out found that my unit was too dirty and that was the cause of the broken compressor. I explained to AHS that he must have the wrong information as I had spoken to a representative earlier who told me I would get cash to repair my unit. I tried to explain to the representative that he needed to look at the notes from my earlier call and listen to the call, as they tell you when you are on hold that the call is being recorded. The tech acted as if I must have imagined the earlier call as all he knew was that my warranty wouldn't cover it because the second technician said the unit was dirty.

I could never understand how four hours earlier, the technician said it wasn't dirty and now it is. I called the manager of the second air-conditioning/heating company that came out and told him I wanted to verify what his technician reported to AHS. He told me that he couldn't verify what the technician said because, remember this is just two days later, that technician no longer worked for him because he didn't have the proper license. That means the second technician, who can no longer be contacted to verify his report, wasn't even licensed to come into my home and work on my unit. I asked for a manager from AHS to return my call after I told AHS about the unlicensed technician.

I never received a call from the manager and I made numerous calls to AHS. I could never get a manager, only representatives who read my notes, had me tell the story from the beginning again and tell me that a manager would call me. Two weeks later when I called back, the AHS representative reprimanded me for letting the time go by. I explained to her that I was a mother of three who worked full-time and didn't have time to keep calling AHS when they never returned my call. She told me that the picture that the second technician gave AHS showed that the unit was dirty. I told AHS that if they are only going by a picture to determine if my warranty will cover the repair and not the opinion of the tech, I could have sent a picture of my unit for the $35 that I pay a month for my warranty. The AHS representative told me that she would forward my file to the manager who would review my file and call me back. I left my cell phone number, again, as a return number to call.

Two days later when I hadn't heard from anyone, I called and left another message. The next day, I came home and my ten-year-old had taken a message from AHS telling me that my repair wouldn't be covered. When I tried to call back, I could only talk to another representative who could again, only read my notes. We have moved on and found a new air conditioning/heating company to replace our entire unit. It is now mid-October and our house is too cold to wait any longer. Now, AHS is sending me a bill for the second opinion that they claim agreed with their first opinion. I keep thinking that this AHS company is a complete scam. I want to refuse to pay the fee that AHS is requesting, but, I don't want them to ruin my credit. Since you can never talk to anyone of authority at AHS, I feel completely taken advantage of and I want my money that I have paid so far with the monthly payments back!

Taking several days to "fix" the problem at our expense (Florida is not a cool place during summer), the technician continues to stall. Months pass, multiple service calls later, the technician finally did a test called the "Dye Test", what he explained was injecting a colored dye on the system to "see (visually mark) where the leak is located". Instructing to call them when the system stops cooling, we do, and they return few days later for the analysis of the test's results. Not being able to find (at whatever lack of effort or professionalism), they state that the leak should be under the house in "the line" that feeds ext. to int. units and that they will notify AHS about it. AHS informs me that they do not cover this line, justifying that AHS may replace this line if they report something that implies the total installation of a new unit.

In a separate conversation, AHS explains that they do not cover the line underneath the house, which was fine, so I had to call a new technician to fix the air conditioning entirely. This technician comes and shows me that the leak is obviously in the condenser coil and not in the line, as his expertise was not necessary in showing the Freon sensor's readings indicating the leak is clearly underneath the coil itself and not in the line. I called AHS back and requested another company's second opinion because the leak is evidently in a "covered" item (the coil) and not where the first company's technician opinion held (the line).

AHS told me that they "refuse to authorize second visit”, thus refusing to fix or replace the unit they clearly cover. At this point, I realized that I must choose to engage with a lawyer and pursue the case full steam, as I have been a client for 29 years (despite multiple issues I have had in that history). I seek to blow the whistle on American Home Shield's serious unethical business practice, at whatever degree this occurs (even a superficial online research exhibits a sea of relative complaints).

They claim we can return and “Go buy your own,” and they will come pick the two up. But AHS wants to charge $160 for picking up the oven and $90 for the microwave. Neither appliance comes close to matching our other appliance colors, comparable value and again "tough luck". They told us they will contact customer service, and by the way, "Customer service doesn't have a phone number, but they will call you." This has been a continuous runaround for 2 months. In mid-2009, we had our well pump go out. We called AHS and were advised, “Your well pump is not covered.” We proceeded to call well repair since you simply need water.

We then find out later it was covered. AHS can't find the call and who advised us it was not covered. AHS rep advised us to send a letter to their reimbursement department with only a PO Box number; again, they had no phone number, so we did. 2 weeks later, we receive a generic rejection letter saying, "Read your contract. You must use our providers; therefore, your claim is denied." We sent a rebuttal letter late September 2009 again stating, "It was your service rep that denied service," and asking to speak to a live person, and without a response to date. So satisfaction of comparable value is in their print only and not their mission. Our premiums have doubled in 2 years, which is okay, but service and quality of replacement has decreased beyond what any company can provide. AHS has to be a fast falling company.

Their customer service is a laugh. I asked how would you like to be without an appliance for 2 mos. and I was told they won't have a problem with it. Another idiot told me that if I didn't have a model/serial # that the service people have a Big Book with pictures and it would not be a problem for them to pick the right picture. They never call you back. You have to constantly call them to find out what is going on. They never have the number or it is the wrong number to the cancellation department either. Then you are on hold for a half hour because so many people are trying to cancel. This company is the biggest rip off going. Don't waste your money, you will be so sorry.

I called the AHS customer service and was told to hold while they tried to call. Back on the line, I was told that they had also left a message. Bear in mind that all this time, there is water coming out from under my disposal every time we use the sink. Her advice was not to use the sink. Duh? I needed it fixed. I have cancelled the order and called another plumber. It is going to cost me $600 to replace the disposal. I won't be renewing my contract with American Home Shield although I have been a loyal customer for 13 years.

We then had a plumber we knew come out, and they found the leak and told us we needed a new toilet within 1 minute of being in the house. We have been arguing to AHS that we wanted to get someone ourselves because they didn't know what they were doing and didn't want to help us. All they want to tell you is what the contract says. Well they don't know their contract that well, because they sent out a 3rd company. We had to move the toilet into the garage because of the leak and odor it was causing.

AHS knew this and still sent the plumber out and told us we were at fault because we moved the toilet. Well, in the contract it states the modification has to cause damage to the toilet. It didn't. So they are fighting us tooth and nail, because they didn't want to replace the toilet the first time. They are a piece. I am surprised they have not been shut down yet. They are only supposed to call for two opinions, and if they can't figure it out, then they have to pay us to get it fixed or replaced. Nope, they rather have a plumber live at my house then put a stupid $99.00 toilet in. I want to do something about these people. They are just ridiculous.

So we continued putting bleach into the pipe, and then our oven went out days before a holiday and we called American Home Shield and they stated that they would send a "contractor" out to repair it. The following week after the holidays, the "contractor" came out, didn't even examine the oven and said that a new seal was needed and that he would have to order the part. Two weeks later, I was calling in to American Home Shield because the oven still was not fixed and they stated that they were still waiting on the parts.

Then magically, 2 days later the parts were shipped directly to my home address. I called American Home Shield again and they stated that they would send the same "contractor" out to finish the repairs on the oven. The "contractor" came in and put the parts in, then left and the oven still didn't work. I called American Home Shield and they sent another "contractor" out who finally did the repairs correctly on the oven after we had been charged the $60 service fee multiple times.

Then the a/c unit started leaking again and the power in 2 different rooms went out, so we called American Home Shield again to be charged 2 different service call fees for a recall on the a/c unit and for an electrician to look at the problem in the rooms. The electrician called my mother to schedule a time to come out even though she is nowhere on our contract and does not have permission to speak on mine or my husband's behalf. My mother advised the "electrical contractor" to call my phone number to schedule a time as I am the one who pays for the house and the warranty program payments, to come out to look at the problem, but he never contacted me at all.

The electrician came out to my home and luckily my brother was home; however, the electrician got mad because there was no payment waiting for him and my brother was under 18 so he could not charge him for the service. My brother stated that the electrician did not look at anything, just wrote out a bill and left it on my counter and said that the problem is not covered under my warranty and left. I tried speaking with American Home Shield about this instance several times to no avail. When they finally sent someone out in regards to my a/c again, the "contractor" stated they fixed the problem and I was again charged the $60 service fee and the contractor stated that if we had any more problems to call him directly.

Well, a couple of weeks later, we noticed that the a/c was leaking again and tried multiple times to contact the contractor with no return response from him so I called American Home Shield again. They stated that they would send someone out again and there would be another service fee charged. When I explained to them again that they had contractors out here several times in regards to this matter, they stated that they would list it as a recall and I wouldn't be charged a service fee "this time". When I asked the American Home Shield representative about the damage done to my home from the leak that supposedly had been repaired, she stated "American Home Shield does not cover the secondary damage." So I asked to speak with a supervisor who restated that same thing that the representative advised me and gave me the "Corporate Office number".

I contacted the corporate office number I was provided several times and left multiple messages with no return response. Then the a/c contractor called me back to schedule a time to come out after they had contacted my mother to schedule a time and were advised to contact me. It wasn't until the actual "contractor" called me and I stated that I was pursuing legal action against American Home Shield and their "contractors" that this particular contractor (the same one that told me previously to call him directly if there were anymore problems with the a/c) came back out and said that the problem wasn't the a/c, that it was the plumbing that ran from the a/c under the house and outside that was packed up and that he would call American Home Shield to send a plumber.

American Home Shield sent a "plumber" who ran a couple of feet of line through the pipe and then said that there was a crack in the plumbing piping outside and that our warranty didn't cover that and charged us the $60 service fee and left. Since this plumber left on 9/23/09, the a/c has been flooding my dining room and my daughter's bedroom which is on the other side of the a/c unit with water, rocks, mud, and pebbles. I have tried multiple times to reach anyone at corporate office and have left multiple messages with no return response provided by the company. I have again tried to contact the corporate office and have been hung up on several times by a supervisor in the Iowa Call Center and the Georgia Call Centers.

We had no control over how the previous owners maintained these units and the units were in good working condition when we purchased them. The contract does not state that the units had to be properly maintained since installation, only that they be maintained throughout the term of the contract. Shouldn't AHS be required to cover these items? Do we have any recourse? I would welcome being contacted by an attorney!

Two men came to the house, spent thirty to forty minutes talking before telling us that they could not work on the unit where it was, and then told us that it was our responsibility to move it to our porch. Then after they had repaired the unit, it was up to us to replace it and another part had to be ordered. (Part #3 arrived about September 19/09.) September 17/09, I called AHS and spoke to "Daniel". I told him the story to which he said that he was sorry and canceled the policy. He asked if there was anything else he could do and I told him that he could get the boxes moved out of our house. On September 26/09, I was called by the workmen who asked if the parts had arrived. I told him that I had canceled the contract and that he must get the boxes (must be moved) or that they will be trashed. He indicated that he understood (Condo law). This will be relayed again to AHS on Monday, September 28/09. If they are not moved, the boxes will be trashed on the next day September 29 /09.

I paid the plumber the required $60.00 fee when he came by to check it out. The plumber told me that it was not covered, and that he could not do anything anyway, since it was not a plumbing issue. He referred the AHS work order to an appliance repair company. I called the appliance repair co. to ask why I wasn't told that it was not covered in the first place. They indicated that I needed to take it up directly with AHS, and that I should have read my policy where it stated that it was not covered. Again, the AHS customer rep never told me this, and I know that I mentioned to the AHS rep that the repair needed on the refrigerator was related to the water dispenser also not working.

My other concern with AHS is that previously, when I had requested a microwave repair, I also had to argue with AHS. This was for a handle replacement in my built-in microwave. I insisted that it should be covered under my policy since I simply could not open the microwave any other way. AHS was denying this claim request, since to them the handle was seen as an aesthetic feature, not necessary for the operation of the microwave. I insisted that it was not for aesthetic reasons, as AHS was stating. In other words, I have experienced resistance on the part of AHS to follow through with repairs based on reasons that favor AHS and not the consumer.

AHS wants insurance customers to pay them, but will refuse claims based on any unreasonable explanations and technicalities that AHS can and will use to deny a customer claim for appliance repair coverage. The current economic downtown will not allow me to spend on frivolous home (appliance) warranty coverage that don't benefit the consumer, since every penny counts. I have other real financial obligations to meet, and I can't afford to throw money away.

I told him that I was done, and asked him to please leave. His van left oil stains on our driveway. I called AHS to complain. This was the last straw. The technicians they have been sending out were substandard. We told them we did not want to do business with them any longer. They had the audacity to turn over the $53 monthly charge to collections.

Oh, and by the way, there was a leak in our downstairs water closet. We contacted another contractor and his son went to our house the next day. The 19-year old felt behind the toilet and could tell that the wall was wet. They had to tear out our cabinets, drywall and flooring - replaced the leaking toilet, cabinets, and flooring. And AHS wants their $53? This is a company with no integrity.

Despite my numerous calls to AHS (over 5), nothing positive has been done. I am repeatedly told that they will check the tapes and call me. After my last call, I was told that if I paid the amount to upgrade my contract immediately, that they would handle my claim. The catch was, the upgrade amount included the monthly difference of my original contract, going back 4 months. I advised AHS that I had no faith in them that they would even repair the air conditioner once I paid that amount. I also advised them that due to the lack of return calls from their company, I had lost faith in their dedication and ability to serve their customers. At this point, I would not recommend AHS to anyone. They sound great but do not do anything (in my experience) except take your money.

I called AHS, they sent out a tech from Third Generation Plumbing and Mechanical. The tech had a new water heater up and running in no time. I paid the deductible and was done. Well, now several months later, in the heat of the summer, my AC has seemed to crash. I called AHS on Friday night. They informed me a tech would call me Monday morning. At 8 am Monday, I got a call from a company called the Air Doctor. They sent a tech out late that afternoon. I explained to him that with the 90 degree temps and 80 % humidity, it is unbearable in the house especially having a pet there all day. He gave me a brief diagnosis on the spot, told me a bunch of components were fried, and he didn't have anything on his truck to get me going that night. But he told me to go to Walmart, purchase a window AC unit, keep the receipt, use it until I get my main AC fixed and then return the window unit. That I did not do.

By Wednesday, I had not heard a word from either AHS or Air Doctor, so I made some phone calls. I come to find out that the tech had not even sent in his diagnosis to AHS yet. I emphasized the severity of the humidity outside and heat temps. I finally received a message from AHS on Wednesday about 12:30 pm. They informed me the tech told them it was lightning damage and they would not cover that but I should call my homeowner's insurance company. After 6 days in 90 plus heats with 80% humidity, I needed to have this fixed now. I called AHS and informed them nothing else electrical was damaged in the house, there were no storms and the diagnosis was inadequate.

An AHS rep told me if I felt that way, I should get a 2nd opinion. After hanging up with her, I called Third Generation Plumbing and Mechanical Co (who was AHS approved to come fix my water heater prior). They had a tech at my house within 3 hrs of my phone call to them. Their tech proceeded to examine the unit to discover that the transformer which amongst other things that were diagnosed to be fried by Air Doctor, were in fact perfectly fine. However being that the unit is roughly 30 yrs old, the fan motor went out (which AHS should cover).

Third Generation had all the parts and pieces needed right on the tech's truck. He informed me the motor was a bit pricy, but it was what had to be done to get the AC back running. I agreed to pay him the necessary costs to fix the AC unit, approximately six hundred dollars worth. After Third Generation fixed my unit and left, I decided to call AHS to explain the situation. AHS informed me that I did not properly report my claim and they couldn't do anything. But the woman on the phone gave me a website (which I still can't seem to locate) and a fax number to type out a request letter explaining myself and the situation, fax it in and in 2 to 3 weeks, I could get a reply. While looking for this supposed website, I came across this Consumer Comment Form, lo and behold, third story down I read was Hurbert of St Petersburg FL, having very similar problems with the exact same AC contractor (Air Doctor) and AHS which inspired me to post my experience with AHS.

It was winter by then and we traveled early this year. But when we came back and turned the a/c on, sure enough, it was not working again. We had another company come up and he said the freon must have leaked and it ended up damaging the coils. We knew we had a freon leak problem last year. The guys just kept topping off the freon, but never fixed the leak.

So now, AHS will pay for the coil, but not for upgrades (which I understand and am not arguing about). But this company is charging $850 out of pocket. We had a similar problem on another unit two years ago and they charged us $450. So I am requesting AHS to have the option of checking out other AHS providers so I can lower the out of pocket cost. But I do not have that option. It has been a while since I have asked them for the cash out option and they have not got back to me yet.

I have a toilet flush that was replaced two years ago. I realized very soon there was problem and it was flushing on its own every two minutes. By the time I realized this (it is an upstairs toilet that we do not use often), it was outside the 30-day period. I called my handyman and he said they had done something strange and I need to call them out. AHS said I have to pay $60 again. I never called them out, but the toilet still leaks.

We are buying a new dishwasher and microwave on our own even though they are both not working at all and even though they are under warranty. The reason--we have already spent service fees. The guys turn it on, see that it turns on and say it works fine. They never wait to see how it really works and do not care. I am incredibly frustrated now and have just decided to cancel the contract. This way, I, at least, won't have to feel the frustration of being at their mercy.

I heard from another contractor that in very rare cases they cover everything. I asked them about water heater and I heard that if it costs $1,400 to replace one. AHS will provide about $400. I do not know how true is this as I have never got it done.

The house has 3 Carrier 38TDB036 air conditioner units and 3 furnaces installed in 2003 and have the city’s inspection sticker on them. They were installed to run only on high speed even though the units are two-speed capable. On July 17, the kitchen unit stopped blowing cool air. ACH sent Neil’s Heat and Air. The tech filled refrigerant and the unit started blowing cool air again. On August 19, the kitchen unit stopped blowing cool air again. The thermostat flashed error code E5. Neil’s Heat and Air was recalled. Their diagnosis was ‘bypassed, etc., etc.’ On August 20, AHS sent A-1 Heating & Air-conditioning for second opinion. Their diagnosis was ‘unit wired to run only on high capacity instead of two speeds’.

AHS told me to get this changed before the coverage continues. On September 1, Comfort Inc., a Carrier authorized and recommended company, diagnosed the unit and found the unit wired to run only on high capacity instead of two speeds and the evaporator coil has a leak that can be repaired. They replaced thermostat wiring on all 3 units, wiring them for dual speed. This was done only to keep AHS satisfied. All of this was done at my expense of $1,225.

On September 2, AHS recalled Neil to look at the unit. In 30 seconds, the tech looks at the thermostat, punches two buttons and leaves saying, ‘my boss said not to do anything more, I don’t care if there is a leak’. Neil reports back to AHS that the unit is still badly installed. Tell me this, how are these three units working since 2003? If the kitchen unit failed due to ‘improper installation’, how are the other 2 units still working? How come a Carrier authorized company and A1 Heating and Air-conditioning reached a different conclusion than Neil’s Heat and Air? What part of the ‘improper wiring’ caused the leak? Why isn’t Neil continuing diagnosis, even after the wiring was completed on September 1?

After this, we called back, and after paying we still have no air. The answer was "we have 24 hours to respond". It has been nine days. Maybe if the man would have evaluated that we also needed a breaker, this would have not happened anyway. This is not the first time. We had a problem with a garage door. They came, charged us and still the garage door after three months stopped working. So they say it is another $60 if we want somebody to come. The same with a microwave, it took them three weeks to change the door. This was last month, we do not know whether we will or won’t have problems, probably we will.

The next day, American Home Shield called to inform us that they were not going to pay the claim because the technician had told them that the freon leak had been preexisting. The home was 18 years old, so yes, the unit was old. But after sitting outside through all kinds of weather, how is it not going to have a freon leak at some time or another? We fought many times about this. We had this "insurance" for two years without a claim, and the one time we need to use it, they deny it. A few days after that, our hot water heater went out. Not knowing how old the system was, we just replaced it at our expense due to whatever reason caused it to go out that was probably going to be preexisting. We ended up paying out of our pocket $4200 to get our air conditioner fixed and we immediately quit making payments to American Home Shield.

We contacted AHS and they were very nice, saying they would send someone out on Monday. The technician called and showed up as scheduled. My wife paid the $60 service call fee. He checked out the air handler and found a bracket was broken on the squirrel cage motor, commented on how nice our house was and left. My wife called me at work, telling me how pleased she was with our decision to purchase the plan. About an hour later, I received a call. An AHS representative told me that there is evidence that the problem was pre-existing and would not be covered. Furthermore, because we only had a 4-ton heat pump and a 2,500 sq. ft. house, no repairs to the A/C would be covered anyway.

I explained to the rep how illogical it would be for me to keep the policy since I had no control over who was sent for the repairs, did not have time to keep up with their obvious list of exclusions, would be out the $60 if my repair was on the list of exclusions or at that point, would be more subject to raping by the company for the repairs. They sent a technician from 45 miles away. I would rather choose a reputable local company for the repairs to my home. I was out $60 for the service call and $135 they said they spent on the call. Total cost $185 and no repair. I will fix the problem myself.

5 hours later, no call. I had to contact the A/C company and set the appointment. They scheduled me for 12 noon on 09/02/09. The next day, 12 noon came around and no service. 1PM no service, 2PM no service. I called Tri's Heating and Air. The rep told me no one is coming to my house because they don't have enough repairmen. Don't call me, fax me or email. Just don't come. I called AHS and the rep contacted another company and gave me their number. I called this company and they came out within the hour to my house, Dave Broussard Heating and Air. I have nothing but good things to say about them. Excellent.

The service tech examined the A/C unit and let me know it's the condenser and the a-coils. They need to be replaced. 30 minutes later, I got a call from AHS explaining what it is and they are going to fix it by Friday. The service tech lets me know that they will be out Friday when the parts come in. An hour later, I got a call from the tech letting me know that AHS wants a second opinion. Think about this, they don't trust their own companies they contract with. I called AHS. They want to send out the same company that didn't show up the first time to get a second opinion. I've talked to about 5 reps now and they all said it's to protect me.

Well, today is 09/03/09 at 12 noon and no contact from Tri's Heating and Air. I've called the home office and am trying to contact the president of the company, Dave Crawford. He has some type of president's committee to handle complaints. I called at 8AM this morning and have not received a call yet. The labor day weekend is coming in two days, Thursday today. It doesn't look like I'll have an A/C until the next Wednesday or Thursday because Monday is a holiday. My advice is don't buy your warranty with American Home Shield. They don't trust their own service people and don't honor your business.

Very late that evening, I received a call from someone with AHS Authorization Dept. She said that she had spoken to the "repairman" who reported that the problem was with the hose and that is not covered under my policy. She said that she was going to close the work order. I protested stating that the repair had not been made and that the person sent was not qualified to repair central VAC equipment by his own admission. She insisted that he is an electrician and therefore she was going to close the order based on the information he had provided. The next morning, I called AHS customer service again and tried to explain what had happened. I got the same argument that the matter was closed because the hose is not covered under my policy. I explained that the electrician told me that he knew nothing about central VACs and that he was not able to diagnose the problem much less make the repair. The electrician who readily admitted to me that he was not qualified to do such repairs did not tell AHS that. So that put me, the policy holder, at odds with AHS. I went round and round on the phone insisting that AHS send out a central VAC repairman. I felt like, I was having to "pull teeth" to get any cooperation. But finally, he reluctantly agreed to send out another repairman.

I had to take time off work a second time to meet someone who was qualified and skilled to do the job. He diagnosed the problem and repaired it. The repair is covered under my policy. I had to take more time off work than would have been necessary if AHS had simply sent a central VAC repair service to my home in the first place. I had to spend much time arguing with AHS to get equipment repaired that is covered under my policy. I paid $2200.00 for this policy. AHS looked for every way out of covering this repair.

AHS sent a new plumber and this new plumber told us that AHS would not cover the repairs. The pipes were too close to each other and installed incorrectly. Our home is ten years old and we have never had a plumbing problem. He told me AHS would call. They never called, so he left and I called them. Disconnected from the customer service line twice, I explained the details of the conflicting information. The first plumber was on the floor making the necessary, simple repair. He needed more space, so we spent $125 for a carpenter. The plumber could not wait, so he left. We expected him to return to finish the work.

A new plumber was sent and conflicted his co-worker's original plan, thus making AHS deny our claim. More importantly, the plumber said he would replace the original part, without replacing all of the piping for $325. Apparently, AHS can't pay for a service call and repair, but we can? It's safe enough for him to make the original repair, now that he's claimed faulty installation.

Shortly after moving into the house, my husband and I decided to install a shower stall in the basement. I shut the water off at the main shut-off valve to the house to do this work. When I went to turn the water back on, the knob just spun in place and the water wouldn’t turn on. I immediately called American Home Shield to send someone to fix the problem, approximately 6pm. I was told that the issue was being processed as an emergency and that someone would call within an hour to let me know who was coming out.

I went about cleaning up the mess from installing the shower and wasn’t really paying attention to time. Before I realized how quickly time was passing, I realized it was 9:30 pm and no one had called me. I called American Home Shield to alert them that no one had called me. I was told at this time that no one was answering the emergency call out and that I should go ahead and hire my own plumber to come out and they would reimburse me the cost minus the sixty dollar service call fee. I called Roto-Rooter to come out that evening followed by an immediate call to American Home Shield to find out what I had to do to seek reimbursement. It was during this phone call that I was told American Home Shield has a Do Not Use list and that Roto-Rooter was on that list. If I chose to use them, they would not be able to reimburse me. I hung up immediately to call and cancel Roto-Rooter as I knew they were on the way.

I phoned another plumber who assured me that it was nothing to worry about as long as there was no physical leak. He agreed that he could come out first thing in the morning, the very next morning (Thursday morning). This was mainly to save me money by not having to pay an after-hours service call fee. Approximately four in the morning, I phone American Home Shield again; this time was to check on the status to see if there was an estimated time of arrival for their plumber. If their plumber was only going to be a couple hours later than the one that I hired, then it was financially better for me to pay the sixty dollar service call fee rather than paying for the entire bill and then sitting back waiting on reimbursement. It was during this phone call that I was told ”American Home Shield has no one to service your area, so you’ll have to hire your own and we’ll reimburse you.”

I demanded at this time to cancel my warranty service with them because what use was the warranty if the company had no one to service my area?! I was told that I was locked into a contract and that there was no way that I could cancel it. Frustrated, I hung up the phone still not knowing what I need to do to seek reimbursement. Shortly after 8am, the plumber I hired called to let me know that he was on his way. I immediately phoned American Home Shield to again ask what I need to do to seek reimbursement. I was told at this time “Don’t hire your own, we have people! Let me put you on hold while I send someone out!” I was told they had a plumber that was going to be coming out and provided with a number to verify an estimated time of arrival for this plumber.

I immediately called and cancelled the plumber that I had hired and followed up with a phone call to the plumber that American Home Shield told me was coming out. I was surprised to hear from the plumber American Home Shield hired that he was not told this was an emergency and that had he known it was an emergency, he would have never taken the call. I asked him how soon he could get out to help with my situation and he responded that the earliest he could get out here was Saturday morning maybe Friday evening at the earliest.

I immediately phoned American Home Shield and was told “That is all we can do at this time. If you cannot wait until Saturday for the plumber to come out, then you’ll have to hire your own!” Trying to imagine going Thursday, Friday and goodness knows how long Saturday with no running water, I asked “Can I stay in a hotel or somewhere until you can send someone out?” I was told that it was not American Home Shield’s policy to provide such accommodations and if I was not satisfied, I should hire my own plumber to come out and fix the problem. I ultimately just fixed the problem myself; something I should have done from the beginning, but felt that if it was covered under the warranty it made sense to report it to the warranty company!

After this incident, I began noticing things that were wrong with the house, and I kept going back to my conversations with Deb ** who told us that we would not have to worry about anything at all, this policy would protect us from having to do any major repairs in the first year! The first thing I noticed was my light outside that illuminates the stairs was not working when I turned the light switch on. I tried changing light bulbs and a few things like that before calling American Home Shield as I was certain this should be covered by the warranty. American Home Shield stated that this was not covered and that the warranty only covers the physical structure of the house.

The second thing I noticed (and this may seem odd to most, but it’s one of the things that attracted me to the house) is my front porch is actually part of my basement. By that I mean the house sits on one part of the basement, and the porch rests on top of another. So from the ground level entrance, you actually walk under my front porch to get to the basement under the house. I noticed that where the cement porch connects to the house, water was leaking into the basement. I called American Home Shield and was told that since it is part of the porch and the porch isn’t a physical part of the house, this leak would not be covered!

A few weeks ago I had a leak from my bathroom into my kitchen. I called American Home Shield to send someone out. They sent someone out who removed the ceiling tiles and fixed the leak. I waited a few weeks to call them to send someone out to replace the ceiling tile. I explained that my house is from the 1940s and the ceiling has wooden slats with what appears to be cardboard or press-board tiles stapled to it. I was told “We only do Sheetrock, we don’t do tiles!” leaving me stuck with about 5 or 6 tiles missing from my kitchen ceiling and apparently doing this myself too.

Presently I have a hole in my ceiling that I am going to have to repair myself. I have older appliances in my house than what I should because I thought if the appliances were covered (as I was told by Deb **) then it made sense to get rid of my appliances and use the ones covered by the warranty! My appliances that I got rid of were about 5 years old or less; the appliances that I have now are about 15 years or older!

Unrelated to the oven, they chose a contractor in response to a plumbing leak at my other house. The contractor repaired the leak and was paid his $60 in cash. Apparently, he reported to AHS, however, that he had not been paid. So twice AHS has sent crooks to my home and offers only labor costs (at their contract rate) in compensation, parts be damned. There are other companies that provide this service. If the oven contractor has not called me in 3 days to come install the part, I will cancel the contracts I have on both my houses and find someone else to deal with. Even if he does call and installs the part and it results in repair of the oven, I will probably cancel both these contracts anyway. I don't need incompetents and crooks sent into my home. I will say, however, that we have had our AHS contract for 10 years and before this year, we were satisfied with the service we received from them.

It seems the companies that work with AHS are paid on how many calls they can deny by finding loopholes in the coverage. Then, when none can be found, the company drags its feet on making payment or fixing the problem and the customer must call in and follow up a minimum of 5 phone calls just to get a status. The main idea seems to be to make the process so difficult that the homeowner gives up and pays the claim themselves rather than continue to waste time tracking down AHS. I have no idea how this company stays in business by providing the service they do. They should be ashamed of their tactics. God forbid they just cover the things that are obviously covered like any respectable insurance company does and stop trying to screw their customers.

My argument with AHS was not about the pressure reducing regulator. It was that the hot water heater is not part of the plumbing system as per their contract. Excessive water pressure and pressure reducing regulators only apply to the plumbing system, according to the contract. The section of the contract that describes the plumbing system makes no reference to the hot water heater. The hot water heater is referenced in a different section. Bottom line, the contract does not define "excessive" and lists a hot water heater separately from the plumbing system, but applies the faults not covered in the plumbing section against the water heater. I had to pay a $1,800.00 homeowner's insurance deductible to cover the damage to my home (the hot water heater is in the attic). I had to pay AHS $60 for the service call. I paid $380 to have the regulator replaced (not covered in warranty).

But just this week our 9 year old Amana washer broke. It had been on its way out for some time. Finally, the axle gave way and the tub tilted off center, stopping mid-cycle. What happened next is a story of deceit and incompetence. First I submitted an online service request to AHS. They wrote that the Greenway Home Service in Nashville would be in touch. When no one called, I phoned them only to find out they had just one technician and he was booked into the following week. That was unacceptable, so I called AHS and they said they'd find an alternate repair company, which turned out to be Sears. Sears was supposed to come out on a certain morning, and when it appeared they wouldn't show up before I had to leave for work, I called the number AHS gave me and was told the tech would call me back to reschedule. But instead of calling me to reschedule, he left voice-mail on my cell phone and went ahead with the service call while I was not at home! He reported to AHS that I had overloaded the washer and broken it, so of course AHS denied the claim as being beyond normal wear-and-tear.

When I told them the washer was 9 years old and had been showing signs of breaking for some time, they offered to send someone out for a 2nd opinion. In the meantime, some company called A & E Parts called saying Sears had ordered a "massive amount" of parts for my washer and asked if I wanted them. I said no, since there had been no contact with the repairman (not even paperwork was left) and I hadn’t got a clue what he ordered. Days later a couple of guys showed up for the 2nd opinion from a company called DirectTech in Donelson. They couldn't have been much over 20. They were sort of glassy eyed and one of them never even opened his mouth. I told them about the visit from Sears and that I wasn't home to inform the tech that the washer didn't just suddenly break from abuse but had been showing signs of wear-and-tear for some time due to normal use and age.

Shortly I heard from "John" at AHS and he said the 2nd team corroborated the Sears report, adding that the unit was rusted from exposure to the elements. When I said it was in an enclosed utility room next to the furnace with a dehumidifier running constantly, it made no difference to him. He said he always tried to err on the side of the customer, but that he was obligated to go by the technicians' reports. He added some nonsense about the appliance being in proper working order, and I said emphatically it had worked for nine years! (Besides, if it was in working order, why would I call for repairs?) I told him I strongly disagreed with their assumptions and asked how to appeal. He gave me a number to Customer Relations/Disputes and a very curt man who gave no name told me bluntly there was no recourse. So, I decided to call the customer service number listed on the AHS website and talked with a woman who seemed to be very empathetic.

She agreed that the team from DirectTech couldn't have known for certain if I was running too heavy loads and that the location in an attached, enclosed laundry room should not have affected the decision to deny my claim. I expressed my concern that the same type of arbitrary decision could be made about the furnace if and when it broke. She said she'd look into and put me on hold (for 10 minutes!) and came back saying her supervisor said the claim denial had nothing to do with location, but was solely based on the abnormal wear-and-tear to the unit which my warranty did not cover. She also had nothing concrete to say about my furnace question. I told her I was very disappointed because I thought she was going to be more of an advocate. It was obvious she'd been put in her place by her boss and couldn't help if she wanted to. So, I said I wanted to terminate my contract. She connected me to yet another department and a disinterested party closed out my account without even asking why.

So, the hundreds of dollars I paid to AHS were wasted and now I have to buy a new washer myself. I wish I had taken these other peoples' stories more seriously back when my mortgage company (Regions Bank) first sent me a flier advertising AHS. This company and the vendors it contracts with seem to be in a conspiracy of fraud and deception. I will never do business with a company owned by ServiceMaster again. In fact, I called Terminix to cancel my policy simply because they, too, are owned by ServiceMaster. I may even confer with my attorney as I imagine a lawsuit would not be hard to win.

My advice is to pay close attention to boards like this one where consumers have taken time to post how they've been misled and robbed by unscrupulous companies like American Home Shield. I wish I had done so years ago.

After the A-coil was replaced on a Monday, on Friday we noticed water in the formal dining room with water coming up from the cracks in the wood. A-1 was called on this Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with no answers or response back from the owner. Mike the owner of A-1 did call me back at around 11:00 am on Monday morning and I explained the whole issue with him. He stated that he needs a work order from AHS and I told him a different scenario because this is warranty work from the A-coil he just put in on Monday. He stated it would be a few days before he could get someone out to the home and advised me to turn off the unit. Two days later a service man named Chris came to the home and spent 45 minutes looking at the unit and talking on the phone and left and stated someone would be in contact with me over the issue. It was 48 hours after that when I made contact with AHS to find out what was going on and when I could expect someone here to fix the unit because it’s now been 3 more days with air.

A-1 showed up and replaced the A-coil once again and 4 days later it was once again leaking water. I once again placed a phone call to AHS to get another company out here to fix the air conditioning. AHS stated they could not do that because A-1 was the one that put the A-coil in and they needed to be the one to fix it. On the same day I received a phone call at 4:52 from Cool-Heat and they stated they would be out tomorrow to look at the unit. A service man from Cool-Heat showed up at 3:30 and looked at the unit and took some pictures. He stated that someone would be back in contact with me over the issue. It was also noted that we did not have any air for 24 hours prior to Cool-Heat and he replaced a fuse on the outside unit and it started running once again. The service man from Cool-Heat left and about 2 hours went by and the unit was blowing hot air inside the home. I attempted to make phone calls without any response.

So now it's been another 24 hours with air inside my home. I have talked to AHS three times today and there’s nothing but the runaround of when, what, and who is going to fix my air conditioning unit. We have lived in this home for right at 5 weeks and a total of 17-18 days without air conditioning. I was told just a little bit ago from AHS that someone would be getting back to me sometime tomorrow. I know that this unit will not be fixed prior to the weekend, so that is going to be right at 20 days without air conditioning. We paid money to AHS and I would expect for this company to uphold the rights of the customer. Nobody should be expected to be pushed around this much and to make a family suffer this much. I will be the first to say that when I call AHS I'm not the friendliest person, but I want something done about this. I have talked to Scott the person with Cool-Heat and he knows what needs to be done to make this unit run and AHS needs to let him do his job.

My house was built by a reputable builder. How can he say that it was a design fault when it worked for 13 years? Apparently, if the technician declares that there was a design fault in the installation, then automatically, AHS will not cover any work. Well, that was a good excuse to refuse service. Telling you that it was a design fault will always be subjective. All a technician will say is it's a design fault, then it's not covered even if it was the original design of the house. What a lame excuse to refuse coverage. I did not know this is how they work. They told me that they can send another technician for a second opinion, but I have to pay for another service fee. If AHS is really serious about their service, then they should have sent another technician to corroborate the opinion of the first one without any additional fee from the customer.

Last year, my water heater broke. They sent a company who wrote me an estimate of $386.00 for extra charges on upgrades, since they said that these upgrades had to be made in order to put the new one. American Home Shield said that they have to go by what the technician says, and I had to pay for the upgrades. Last night, the fan of my A/C broke. AHS put an emergency ticket at 6:00am. At 11:00am, I called to see when they were coming and they knew nothing about it.

After they called the company they had chosen, they came back to tell me that their secretary had not gotten the fax because the fax machine was out of paper. They put a call to a company called Barker A/C. They came and the technician looked at the A/C fan, but did absolutely nothing. He said that it had dust over it. Well, of course it had dust, what doesn't get dust in an attic? My husband gives maintenance to the A/C every winter. The technician over charged us for the visit, and he left without leaving an invoice, or saying what was wrong with the fan. The company then called AHS and told them that the fan had burnt out because of lack of maintenance because of the dust it had. AHS said that they will not cover it, and got very sarcastic over the phone.

I believe that AHS is as bad of a company as the companies they use. The technician that changed my compressor 4 years ago explained to us that AHS send their contractors to training, and that they specifically train them on how to find whatever the problem is, and then turn it around and blame it on the customer, or on something that the contract does not cover. He told us that they do it on purpose so that they can back themselves up by saying that it’s due to lack of maintenance and then they do not need to cover it. I recommend not to waste a penny on this company. Trust me, I have been paying them for 6 long years and have had a lot of expenses besides the $55.00 service fees. Thanks.

I explained to American Home Shield that anyone living in my home could have gotten seriously injured or killed because of their shoddy service. I suggested to them to send an intermediary to assess quality of work that this particular vendor is providing to its customers representing their firm. They (Kim and the supervisor I spoke with at 4AM, August 21, 2009) told me no and when I described the water damage and I requested to send them pictures of the extent of the water damage in my home - they refused. They told me that American Home Shield only covers the initial damage to the air condition unit and they are not responsible for the structural damage to my home caused by the failed attempts to control that water leak coming from my air condition unit in the ceiling of my home. The damage occurred on August 21, 2009 at 4 in the morning.

On August 25, 2009, today, I had to nearly beg them to send a technician out to assess the damage and to repair the problem to my home, so that my homeowner's insurance USAA could start making plans to repair the damage caused by the vendor AHS sent to my home to repair my air condition unit. My insurance adjuster came to my home on Monday, August 24, 2009, the same time that American Home Shield told me that a technician would come to my home and they did not show up. I have assisted with trying to minimize the water leak problem by paying for additional parts (float shutoff switch) that the air conditioning technician told me would fully resolve my water leak problem by automatically shutting off the air condition unit once the water in the drain pan gets to a certain level. I did this noble act on July 30, 2008.

Now, I am stuck in a quagmire of repairing major damages caused by American Home Shield for poor judgment in selecting the best qualified vendor to resolve my water leak problem caused by my air condition unit. I don't deserve this type of response to a situation clearly caused by mismanagement and misassignment of quality air condition sub-contractors. I pay over $500 a year to protect my home from these unplanned and crazy circumstances along with a $60 service fee. Now that everything has spun out of control, they (AHS and the vendor) want me to pay for the entire bill to repair my home, while they sleaze their way out of being fair and honest by assuming some responsibility for damages they caused to my ceiling in my home.

Secondly, when I called several times during the week, AHS assured me they would return calls. They never did. Their contractor came back out 8 days later with whatever he needed to check the leak and consequently the next day, we got a call saying they were denying our repair. This is the same old story with this company. They really need to be put out of business. Is there any existing class action suit that I could take advantage of? I wonder why they don't come out when we ask to add extra coverage for our air conditioners and take pictures, review them and then tell us honestly that if it breaks, they would not be responsible and not take our additional $150 for those additional appliances.

I am so disappointed and upset and I want to know what avenues are available to me to make sure others do not suffer the same loss in money that we have. This is truly a scam. It is a shame that people like this can prey on honest, hardworking Americans. If nothing else, could we please have the name American removed from their name? Thank you for your time.

The tech showed up at 11AM and said it was the evaporator and he had to order the part through AHS and would call when it came in. Fine, still hot. We wrote him a check and he was on his way. We got a call on Thursday from AHS and they said they approved the part, however, Polar Air is requiring $375 to install it. I asked why that wasn't covered by our warranty, wasn't that part of the repair? They said we would have to take that up with Polar Air because that was their fee. I just don't understand how this company stays in business. All the realtors should be informed not to use this company when recommending sellers to buy these warranties. I agree that a class action suit needs to be taken!

Their customer service was extremely rude and I was never able to speak to a supervisor. Neither of the people I spoke with will give me their last names. I will not refer them or renew the service. This has been the worst agency I have ever dealt with. Their staff is inexperienced and has no clue how to treat their customers. They do not return phone calls and could care less the customer situation. My family has been without air conditioning for two weeks waiting for them. I have a small child and pets. This has been the hottest two weeks this summer in NJ.

Additionally, their customer service is rude, non-existent, not the least bit helpful or courteous. It took more than 3 calls to convince them that it's the downstairs unit, not the upstairs unit this time that has the problem. My upstairs unit appears to be working, but after repairing a leak and then what they claim was 6-9 pounds of freon. How can that be? It's hotter than blazes in my downstairs and I'm only close to comfortable upstairs where that heat pump unit seems to be okay, but that little tiny unit is running all the time to cool this entire 2,000 sq. ft. house.

AHS never called me back, but within an hour the plumbing company called me and offered to return my check, which they did that same day. In the meantime, I still have no hot water or gas at my house, so I called a friend and got the recommendation for a plumber. They were out the same day and had my hot water repaired and new gas line laid all in the same day. The charge was 1/3 less than the AHS preferred provider had estimated. Now, here's the rub. Guess what? Since AHS didn't recommend the plumber, they aren't going to cover the repairs. Nice, huh?

Two months later, I had the same problem with the air conditioner and the leaking water. I contacted AHS and they sent a different contractor out to inspect the problem which cost me another $60. The new contractor told me that the problem was not fixed the first time and they could not do anything because they did not do the first repairs. The original contractor came out two days later to inspect the problem and told me it was the coils that needed to be replaced and that it would cost me $405 to fix the problems. I paid the $405 and had it repaired.

Two weeks later, the same problem occurred. After contacting AHS, I was told that they could not find a contractor to come out to fix the problem but they will continue to locate someone. All of this was happening when the temperature inside the house was 95 degrees. Now, the ceiling has began to fall apart because of the continued water leading from the inside unit. AHS has told me that the damage to the ceiling is something that they will not be responsible for.

Later that day, AHS called me and told me, without referring to any state of California or LA city codes, that now my water heater, new install, isn't covered but it would cost me $1,100 to get a new one. Can you believe that? A total rip-off. The whole point of using AHS is to deal with extended warranty problems, but it's like a crap shoot that they just don't want to pay. You get the feeling calling customer support in Georgia they have no idea what they are talking about and are just reading off a script.

I refused to give them the copies and asked for a form to change the bank information. She refused saying I had to send in my license because it was a picture ID. I reminded her that since I hadn't sent it in before, they had nothing to compare it to and didn't know what I looked like anyway. I canceled the policy. Two years later, the $600 GE refrigerator, which turned out to list for $499 at most stores, won't freeze or cool. The serviceman said the bill would be at least $250 to fix it. I'm disappointed in American Home Shield for deceiving me about the cost of the thing and for requiring more ID to change bank info than for setting it up in the first place.