American Home Shield (AHS)
| Home warranty is a complex insurance product. Unlike home insurance, it does not provide blanket coverage for all appliances. Pre-existing conditions and problems resulting from lack of maintenance of appliance are are generally not covered by home warranty companies. Home warranty sellers may not state these factors clearly, and this will create dissatisfaction among customers. Due to these factors, you will see many negative reviews here. Don't be intimidated by some negative reviews here. If you have maintained your appliances in good condition and go with a reputed home warranty provider, your coverage will be fine. |
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Reviews
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I am writing this on July 1st 2009. I live in Charleston,SC where the summers are very hot. In the end of April tis year my central air went out. I called AHS and they sent an A/C tech out a few days later. This company has a “Hawaiian” name and they were like hiring a bunch of six year olds to supposedly fix my a/c system. So I called back AHS and said they need to send another company out to fix the ongoing problem that has been existing from April 28th until now July 1st 2009. My complaint is that if you provide a service to the masses you should cooperate a little right? Not so with AHS! I was told after several arguements with many mnangers at AHS that they can only hire the same company to fix my a/c as the one that could not fix it in the first place. It took tis company 5 trips to get my a/c working for two weeks. So this is their customer service! What a joke! Before you buy into a contract with AHS think about my three year old daughter who wakes up covered in sweat every night since I cannot get my central a/c fixed by a competant technician. With all of the money I have spent on this terrible company by keeping the warranty, I could have bought and paid for an entie new central a/c unit! So take it from me….. don’t do it and steer clear of AHS. They are out to get their money and not help you , don’t waste your time or money. There should be laws in place to protect the consumer from big companies like AHS who prey on their customers like a snake on a mouse!Once they get you they GOTCHA!
Marty in Charleston,SC.
Do not buy American Home Shield coverage. It is not worth the money. It took them 5 months to diagnos a problem with a leaky shower. After 10 phone calls, we finally got another plumber to come out. He spent 20 minutes and determined it was a caulking problem (different then the other plumber). When the plumber called, AHS caulking wasn’t cover (which I completely understand). The problem is that I spent 5 months trying to get them to do something. If they would have told me the problem right a way I would not be upset. This place is all smoke and mirrors.
I am canceling my policy with this outfit. We had a severe storm here in the area which caused a power outage which in turn caused a sump pump to fail. The water backed up and got into my washer/dryer, my water heater and the furnace. The repairman informed AHS (and me)that the backup sump pump was to small for the job. Mind you AHS replaced the sump pump about 2 years ago as part of the warranty with the previous owner. They replaced the original back up sump pump with a smaller without consulting with us. When it failed this time around they denied me because it was,according to them, “an act of God”. So I am out of $60 for the repairman, $560 of premium and the damaged appliances. I wish I had read these reviews before renewing a year ago. My policy will expire in a month and there is no way in heck that I will throw more money down the drain with this company.
Changes contract each year without informing they did. Drop covered items without notifying or letting me know until a claim is made.
Poor repair people. Doing improper work and then when the item fails again they tell me it’s my problem.
Now, I’ve been informed there is a Class Action suite against them for these kind of issues.
They dont know the meaning of EMERGENCY, 3 days after my service request , no service yet, with a 40 weeks pregnant women as tenant in the recidence. The are full of BS. $535 a year + $60 a call($535+$60×5+$835 dollars a year) It is better to buy a new A\C unit every 3 years and will keep some money in the banck ($835×3=$2,505). The rpoviders are some ok , but the client service deparment are a ton of dunkeys. Will never pay a cent to them again.
Find another home warranty service. Do not use American Home Shield. It has taken me two days to finally reach a customer service “person.” I finally quit the service!!!
Overall my experience has been relatively positive. When major items needed repair they did provide service and bear the majority of cost. With big items there was typically, some outside the contract cost which was bore by the customer (this is cause for some grumbling), but overall they did what it took to make things right. A few times the services guys were not the “A” team, but AHS responded by sending new people (at no cost) when I mentioned my dissatisfaction.
So overall I would say it has been a positive experience.
Had new heatpump instaled in nov. when I needed air found out it was’nt hooked up the installer did’nt know how to make a genric heatpump work with a lennox air handler.so now I’m on my ohn to get it to work
Wow!! I wish I had read all of this one year ago when looking into various home warranty companies. This is not a home warranty company, it is a home non-repair, non-replace, non-care, total nonsense company, with absolutely no compassion for the consumer, and both eyes on their own wallet. My experience was a total disgrace and I will not renew my contract with them. Does anyone know any reputable ones that could be recommended? In sum… A man came out to repair the hot water heater. Living in Florida, our water is very bad and causes the sediment to harden on the lower element of the hot water heater. They sent a repair man out and while he was fixing this (for which he did a very good job and for which the HW heater now is working great), the AC unit kicked on. It was so loud that he said “You should have someone out to look at that.” My response was that a company had come out to repair it a couple of times, and they stated that it did not need to be replaced. He asked how old the unit was, which I replied 18 years, and his response was “You definitely need a new air handler and compressor, and if AHS called me and contracted me for the job, I would recommend replacement.” He went on to explain that the other company who had been out to look at and repair the unit is a smaller company and it is not in their best interest to recommend replacement because it would cost them too much. He said his company can buy in bulk so it is easier for them to recommend replacement. When I called AHS to ask that the other company be allowed to come out and provide a second opinion, there response was “Once you have started the repair process on an item with one company,” then they can not contract out another company. I thought this was a line of total BS!!
I have just cancelled my contract with AHS, due to denied coverage of an AC blower fan motor, which failed after 15 years. The reason given was lack of proper maintenance, but that decision was reached without even bothering to ask if I had maintenance records — which I did! I firmly believe that the technician was told to find some reason to deny coverage. It’s one thing to cover the small stuff — a garage door opener or a garbage disposal; It’s another to cover a major system — for which extra fees are charged, of course. The gap between the promotional and sales rhetoric and the performance of this company is in my opinion hugh.
Currently we have a very green pool because of AHS and the lousy vendor that they use. It has been almost a week since the pool vendor diagnosed the problem with our pump. Could’t fix it last Saturday because he had to obtain AHS approval. Finally obtained that on Monday and ordered the part. Still waiting for them to come out and fix the pump. Meanwhile the pool is becoming greener and it will cost us more to clean it up once it is fixed. We had the same problem last year with the pool vendor they were using. Changed the company, but not the quality of the vendor. We call both AHS and the pool vendor several times a day. AHS just says there is nothing they can do and the pool vendor doesn’t return calls. I do not recommend this company.
They have found every excuse not to cover service. For a water heater repair I ended up paying out of pocket more than the original water heater. We have found that it is better to do it ourselves than to pay for a visit and then to be told that the repair has been rejected. The few times we have had to call for service it has taken multiple call backs to get the AHS to return our calls. Never would I recommend this service.
I have had several issues with appliances to call about. Twice I called AHS to have someone out to fix my AC unit and it took them 5 days to find someone then another 3 days for them to get me scheduled. Also, I had them come to look at my dryer and it took me 5 calls to get the needed parts ordered. With the visit fee up to $95 per visit it is much cheaper to just find someone on your own.
I am totally dissapointed in their service and process for going about getting repairs.
Not worth the money.
I WAS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR 3 YEARS, IT STARDED OUT O.K. YOU DID YOUR JOB,MADE THE CUSTOMER HAPPY,AND GOT REPEATED WORK FOR A JOB WELL DONE, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SHUT MY CALLS DOWN, SAYING IM NOT GETTING ENOUGH DENIALS, AND I SHOULDNT BE REPLACING THINGS LIKE WATER HEATER, AND GARBAGE DISPOSALS EVEN THOUGH THEY LEAK WATER CAUSING SECONDARY DAMAGE, BEING A ONE MAN SHOP I PRIDE MYSELF ON GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE, MOST OF THE CLIENTS I HAD WOULD ALWAYS REQUEST ME. AHS PROMISES THE CLIENT THE WORLD UNTILL THEY GET YOUR MONEY, THEN THEY WANT THE CONTRACTER TO FIND A REASON TO DENY YOU,I WOULDNT PLAY THAT GAME, IM A CONSUMER ALSO, AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE RECIEVEING END, I KNOW WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT, NO WONDER THEY LOST THAT LAW SUIT,
I would give Zero. Unfortunately, there is no option for Zero. Very bad service, rude behavior on the Phone and totally agree to substandard plumbers they use. I have been AHS customer for 5 years and had water heater problem. A plumber from AHS contract came in and moved the furnace pipe and said the water heater is fine and the leak is from the ceiling as i had my water heater in the attic. I called my Home insurance for the leak in the roof and they have given me a certificate that the roof is not leaking. I called in AHS within 15 days of service (of course they charged me another $60) and the same plumber came in and said Water Heater is leaking and is caused by leak from the roof. I brought this up with AHS and they said they will send a second plumber to review. I had checked with another plumber of AHS contracter and he said it was a scam that all claims have to be rejected as replacing would cost the company more and they will find all loop holes in the contract to deny any cost to them. Thats what is happening to me. I strongly recommend not to contract with AHS. This is one company sure to file for chapter 11 soon
If I could give them a zero,I would. They have yet to fix or replace anything that I have called them about. Currently, I have been waiting on one of their companies to replace a toilet. But since the tank is broken they only want to replace the tank on a one unit toilet. It has taken a month and it has cost me more money because I may have to end up calling someone else. I cannot tell who benefits from AHS truly it is not the customer or the repair company. I am in total agreement with one of the other commentators below who says that AHS must substandard plumbing companies.
We have been a customer of American Home Shield for nearly two decades. We have had nearly no claims. But we did file a claim on a double oven. They refused to provide us with a like unit, without extra cost to us. This year we had a claim for a ceiling fan replacement on our back porch. We were denied after they sent out an electrician. Although not stated in the contract, AHS said the ceiling fan on the back porch was not covered because they wanted the porch to be screened in. Of course, we are still on the hook for the $60.00 service fee. After paying thousands of dollars to this company, we am looking for a company that will honor their contract and not do whatever it takes to avoid paying out claims.
I have been with AHS for nearly 10 years. They used to be really good. But now they are uncaring, lazy, greedy, and unwilling to work with me on anything. I have spent over four hours on hold trying to get my AC fixed over the last three days to no avail. They keep putting me on hold for a half hour at a time. Then they come back on the phone, tell me they are trying their hardest and then I am on hold for another half hour and stll I get no answer. This company has gone down the tubes quickly. I will be canceling my contract as soon as this AC situation is resolvede.
AHS vendors (more specifically, their plubmer) are a big scam! We purchased a home less than a year ago and have used AHS five times. I am upset with their substandard quality of the plubming company they contract with. In every ocassion the plubmer would rather get away with fixing a leak with a “band aid” rahter than replacing a pipe. I have had to call AHS to dispatch the same plubming company to refix the problem they should have fixed the right way to beging with. Their plubmer never returns my calls so I can ask exactly what type work they did and how to avoid further issues with the “repaired item, but it is impossible to deal with these people. I have only a 30 day window from the time of the repair in the event the same item fails again which it happened to us twice! Then you have to pay the $60 deductibale again! What a scam! Their vendor do crapy work and WE WILL NEVER USE AHS AGAIN!!! Thats why I am on this website today
I called in for a service and was told my AC cannot be repaired and that I would need a replacement. I called for a second opinion and got the AC repaired without any problem. AHS sucks big time.
AHS contractors get paid so little by AHS that they try not to fix whatever is broken (thus collecting their $60 without having to spend anything) or by adding on charges that are supposedly not covered by AHS. Our water heater sprung a leak so, since they could not find an excuse to not replace it, they did replace it with a new VERY POOR QUALITY one but then charged us $90 for an “earthquake strap” and $90 to get a building permit TO REPLACE A WATER HEATER, $50 disposal fee for the old one and $65 for a pressure/temperature relief valve. I could have done the job myself for less money and gotten a better water heater. When our plumbing started to leak in the crawls space under the house the plumber said it was “inaccessible” and refused to fix it. It took several days of going up the chain of command at AHS but finally they sent a different plumber who fixed it in 1/2 hour. I had a shower faucet fail and the plumber they sent said it wasn’t covered because (he claimed) I had tried to fix it. I did not. It was just very old. Nevertheless, I told him I would pay him to replace it. He took a Sawsall and cut into the wall and right through the power serving most of the house. He replaced the faucet but did not repair the wall. The plumbing connections he made leaked, incidentally, and I had to call an electrician to repair the electrical damage. It took months to get reimbursed from the plumbing contractor for the electrical repair — and then only after threatening to go to the Contractor’s Board. I finally got fed up and dropped AHS. It is not worth it.
I’d give them a zero but your scores start a 1. Called to have heater serviced. Tech said heat exchanger was cracked. It had been fine when I had heater serviced the year before. I’d had my warranty for at least 6 months, but did not have it when heater was serviced the previous year. They claimed crack was pre-existing and would not cover replacement. There was NOTHING in my contract about pre-existing conditions.
The experiences above have not been my experience. I guess angry people tend to report more than satisfied customers.
I’ve had AHS on a rental property for two years. They have helped me get plumbers to fix two plumbing problems (same day service). No problems.
They also came out to fix an AC unit that was not cooling. The AC was dirty and so they fixed it but told me I had to have the thing cleaned or they wouldn’t cover it that time. The repairman they suggested wanted to charge $300 for the cleaning, I got a guy to do it for $200. As long as I have a receipt showing the work, it should be good as long as maintanance is kept up and I can prove it.
Anyway, For those calls I paid $60 deductible, so I spent about $180 for what would have cost me at least $600. That alone paid for the AHS costs AND saved me $200. AND I have the peace of mind knowing that if the AC goes out, they will replace it. If it takes a week or two, so what? It would save me THOUSANDS of dollars, I can wait and sweat for a short spell.
extremely poor, watch out for them. thugs.
American
We had an AC blower unit replaced two years ago. The company who did the work also completed some additional work on the other AC unit. They did not seal the duct to the AC unit. Our utility bill the next month was 4 times what it was the previous month because the duct came off of the unit and was blowing into the attic the entire time.
Now two years later, we had water running into our bathroom from the attic. Service technician came out and looked at the system. He immediately said it was installed incorrectly. AHS says they will not cover it because it is insulation. The technician tells me that the previous company did not install correctliy. He called the company and told them the same. AHS says they will not cover insulation or duct work. The point of contention here is where the duct work connects to the blower at the plenum. I spent more than two hours on the phone with them.
Terrible customer service. Rude behavior. Laughed at me for asking questions. Offered to have a second opinion but only if I was willing to pay an additional fee for them coming out. NO WAY! They already know it is not installed correctly and now they want to send out another person at their chosing to tell me it is not correct.