American Home Shield (AHS)
Home Warranty Plan Details and Reviews for American Home Shield (AHS)
Premium: $360
Deductible: $60
Effective: Immediately after payment
Web: ahswarranty.com
Deductible: $60
Effective: Immediately after payment
Web: ahswarranty.com
Coverage Area: USA - All States
Offers plans to cover pre-existing conditions and lack of maintenance repairs, for an additional fee.
| 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. |
We do not endorse any company in particular, however you should ignore the reviews that are overly negative or positive. Such reviews are not likely to offer a balanced view and some of them could be fake reviews posted to promote or demote a company. It is always a good idea to check BBB ratings and make sure the company is licensed to do business in your State by contacting State Insurance Commission. Try to avoid paying annual premium and keep your cancellation rights
Reviews
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Pages: « 75 … 19 18 17 16 15 [14] 13 12 11 10 9 … 1 » Show All
Same A/C problems as everyone else. I do annual maintenance as recommended by AHS. The first tech that came out this year said my unit was improperly installed. I asked for a second opinion. The second tech found no sign of improper installation. (Units are over 15 years old.) However, he called it in as a serious lack of maintenance and said my unit needs to be replaced. I had asked the tech if I should go ahead and do the maintenance this year and he said it would be pointless because the unit needed to be replaced. Of course AHS won’t cover it now because it was called in as lack of maintance. I could fight this like others, but I know it will prove to be pointless and a waste of my valuable time. I’m ready to join Frank in Dalls with a class action suit. I too will file a complaint with BBB – OH – and will not renew!
Like the others, I have now faced the denial department. Had a cooktop that had 3 valves frozen. Repairman from (Lake Area Appliance Service, Garland, TX – which I would never allow in my house again!) told me AHS would either replace the valves or more likely provide a new cooktop. Got a call from AHS saying the cooktop valves were frozen due to improper maintenance (which was not written on my paperwork from Lake) and would not be covered. When I responded AHS, a Will Hutch, floor supervisor of the call center, told me I could get a second opinion, but it will cost me another $55 if the second opinion is the same (which you know it will). I asked to speak to his manager and he told me he reported to “no one”! Wish I had that job. So I guess my point is there seems to be no escalation point and basically some idiot in a call center gets to make the final decision. I think for the price you pay per year and the service fees, AHS is not a good choice. They are a band aid repair service. Unlike a real insurance company, you really can’t speak to someone to get an investigated resolution.
My AC went out 3 weeks ago. I still have not had the faxed items I requested showing the figures and how they arrived at the numbers they are offering on a cash out. I am at the third tier of customer service providers within the AHS system. This has gone on long enough. I will never renew or recommend AHS to anyone. I am a REALTOR and have found their response horrible for myself and for clients. Years past they were a decent company but that was then and this is now. They are horrible. I am ready to join a class action suit and will be filing a BBB complaint against them today.
I will not bother recommending this company. I have them for years and have been paying on time. When i needed them most, in repapring my AC, they gave me a hard time and did not cover it. And once I had it fixed by someone else, and showed the the receipts, it has taken over 6 months now and still they have not restated the coverage on my AC. I am switching to Blue Ribbon and it seems way much better. DO NOT SIGN UP WITH AHS!!!
I had this company for a year. I requested to have the water heater fix due to a pipe rupture. It took 24 hours later to get some sub contractor to look at it; just to say “t will not be covered by the policy.” During all this time, I did not have water in the house (no sinks, toilets). On the 3rd day I have to pay $300 out of my pocket to get the problem fixed. I will not recommend this company!
I submitted 4 claims with this company. All my claims were always denied. he company always find a way to reward tje policy to get away from covering the claims.
Ignore what I said about Coldwell Banker Home Warranty. I discovered that they are now administered by American Home Shield, meaning it is the same AHS customer service people making decisions on your claims. I would stay as far away from AHS as possible.
In fact, I have decided to dump my home warranty altogether. In reading about these companies it does not appear that there is one honest company out there.
My advice to anyone buying a home is as follows: 1) Have the furnance and AC inspected throughly. Not just by the inspector that inspects the whole house but hire a heating/cooling contractor to come inspect just the furnace and AC. It will cost you probably $200 or less but they can give you a much more accurate assessment. 2) If there are any problems, tell the seller that they must repair them before you will buy. They may have a sellers warranty and then they can argue with the warranty company instead of you. I’ve bought two houses and in both I had to replace both furnace and AC within the first year. I got screwed by a bad inspection, lying owners, and then the warranty company. 3) Put $50 a month into a savings account the first year you own your house and do not renew the home warranty at the end of the first year. Put the money that you would spend on renewing the warranty into the savings account and use that money for future repairs.
Ignore the post by the attorney that is very upbeat about suing warranty companies. Sure that is an option if you have no other choice but don’t enter into a contract thinking that you can just sue them if they don’t pay. These companies are created around the concept of not paying and a lawsuit is not going to miraculously make them see it your way. Also it seems that the companies with better ratings are the companies that have posts from the company itself. In my experience if you ever speak with someone claiming to be the “CEO” of a company that is a scam company. Do you really think that Bill Gates personally reads internet reviews?
I currently have AHS Home Warranty on a home that I purchased almost a year ago. I have used AHS many times during the past year, I’ll estimate 15 times. Many of those repairs were simple things like plumbing, but I also had a large repair/replacement of heating/AC. In nearly every single instance their was an issue of AHS covering the repair. 1. Policy Exclusions: This is the biggest problem with this company. They always find some exclusion as a basis for not covering certain repairs. Often they will pay for part of the repair and I have to pay the rest of the cost (in addition to the $60 I have to pay AHS). Eamples: Plumbing is covered but not the valves to your sink or toilet. Electrical and lights are covered but not anything outside, not even your front porch light. Heating and air conditioning are covered but not the “evaporative cooler” (essential to both heating and AC). I had to pay $2000 myself for that part. If they cut a hole in the wall to access plumbing or tear out a doorframe to access the furnance they are not responsible for repairing the damage. (They won’t tell you this but read the policy and they have to close a hole in the wall to a “rough finish”, meaning they cover the hole but you have to hire someone to retile the shower that they dismantled.) I could give you many more examples but you get the idea. Also be aware that their interpretation of the contract will always be different that yours. Really the only way to protect yourself is to do business with another company. 2. Timeliness: Allow 3-4 business days from the time you call AHS for repairs to be made. In one instance the contractor turned off all water to my house during a repair job that he could not finish because he didn’t have the right part. I was without any water for 3 days during a time that I had guests visiting. The heating/AC issue took over three weeks from the time I called AHS until it was finally resolved. 3. Quality of work: The warranty for a contractor for AHS is only 60 days. You pay $60 for the contractor to fix something and if it is not fixed properly you have to pay the $60 service fee again if it has been more than 60 days. And once a company has been assigned to an issue, you are stuck with that company no matter how incompetent. AHS told me that they have complete discretion over the choice of contractor and the repairs to be made. When I was quoted almost $6000 for the furnace/AC issue I asked them to hold off. They refused to do so and shipped parts that day. I was refused a second opinion and if I wanted to make any decisions about the repairs I risked being charged their shipping costs. Ultimately it cost me $2000 which I accepted after my conversations with the contractor and AHS made it clear that I risked being stuck with the entire cost of repair. 4. Customer Service: I won’t even go into details other than to say that I have never experienced any other company take smug satisfaction in telling you “no” or “not covered.” 5. Contract Renewal: I would not have purchased my home without a home warranty and when many items that needed repair I did not hesitate to use the home warranty. AHS has already notified me that they will not renew my contract. I paid an extra premium to have “pre-exisiting conditions” coverage. After purchase when pre-existing conditions emerged AHS fought paying for those repairs and at their first opportunity they want out. Since they penalize those who pay for and use their services, I wonder if they reimburse those who pay for their services but never use them?
I previously had a home warranty through Caldwell Banker on a previous home. That home also required replacement of the furnance and AC and I do not recall ever having a single problem. I’ve only skimmed the surface of all the problems with AHS and would advise anyone to chose a different company. Had they not cancelled the contract at the year’s end I certainly would have.
What a nightmare. It only took 10 minutes and 1 phone call with an enthusiastic sales rep to get 2 warranties: 1 for my home, 1 for my rental. It has since taken me over one week of my time and 8 different phone calls to cancel.
My credit card was charged the next day for both contracts, yet when I called to place a service request, they knew nothing about one of the properties. And where did that exuberant sales person go? Now I was dealing with folks that clearly kicked a few cats, kids and old people before they got to work that day.
WHen I wanted to cancel the warranty on the rental, the attitudes got worse. I was put on endless holds, and at least 2 different “sales” people tried to talk me out of it.
When i got my mortgage statement and saw the payment was added to it in addition to the credit card, I was really hot. AHS blamed the mortgage company, the mortgage company blamed AHS. All I wanted to do was cancel and be done with them. I of course had to listen to someone try and talk me out out that too. Never again.
I am currently a customer of American Home Shield Home Warranties. The service was offered through Wells Fargo Bank who holds the current mortgage on our home in Ventura County California. Each time I have requested service on a covered appliance they have found a reason not to honor the request. Our dishwasher motor seized ansd stopped working. Their repair person said the malfunction was due to a foreign object falling into it. He showed me a small screw he removed from the dishwasher. We rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher and we certainly do not eat small screws. We have no idea where the screw came from. Thus they said it was not due to “Normal” wear and tear and was not covered. When I asked the repair company they sent what it would cost to repair the quote was $300.00. It was a Sears Kenmore model that could be bought new from Sears for $320.00. We bought a new dishwasher from Sears. I advised them of our dissapointment in how they handled the issue and complained to the California Insurance Commission. Since they carefully claimed that the malfunction was not due to “Normal Wear and Tear” as stated in their agreement nothing was resolved from that effort. When the front glass panel on the front of our Sears Kenmore Oven Range shattered their technician said that also was not due to “Normal Wear and Tear”. That was after telling me that he would order the part and call me to schedule the installation of the new glasss. A few days later I receivwed a call from American Home Shield advising me that the repair was not covered due to operator caused breakage as described by the technician. I sincerely have issues with the industry since most of the companies who provide this service seem to use the “Normal Wear and Tear” as their umbrella cause when they choose not to cover the repair. We are just very dissapointed with American Home Shield however including their selection of repair comapnies who seem to be incented to find reasons not to repair home appliances. As soon as I find a company that seems to provide better service with different terms I will cancel the agreement with American Home Shield.
This is the most useless company I have worked with in my life. The service contract came and told us he has to order for parts. It’s been 7 months and we are still waiting. called AHS and they said it’s too late. Nothing can be done.
I live in Arizona..Please do not buy this Warrenty Service from American Home Shield! I am still fighting with them to cover my A/c coil that the wacky repair man they sent out “peaked” at thru a corner of my unit and declared it “clogged” and said that it ruined the A/C unit and Furnace..He never ran the unit nor did he take the door completly off the front of the unit.He also said that AHS will deny every claim they can and by the way, I need $60.00 right now and left. He was at my house for about 10 mins..Save your money…they will rip you off !!!
The service men (contracted by AHS) failed to return calls and did not come when scheduled. I had to continually call them directly. I am very dissappointed with AHS and will not renew my service contract with them. I’m researching other companies and plan to go with one that has a higher rating on this site.
I have been with AHS for over 10 years and have seen a progressive decline of service. I am tired of AHS sending non-qualified people out that drive beat up trucks and smell of smoke wearing rags for cloths. It seems their customer service department is focused on making sure the customer is not satisfied. I’ve had it and will be shopping for another provider.
My central heating quit working. AHS contractor came out the next day. Technician said the problem was a cracked heat exchanger. AHS said it was not covered by the warranty because I could not prove that I had had regular maintenance done on the unit. Same contractor proposed selling me a new heater for $3500. I got a second opinion (that I had to pay for). Second contractor said the heating unit was fine. When I notified AHS, the company said that my warranty was void until I proved to them that I had replaced the heating unit.
My biggest problem has been the quality of the service people with whom they contract. 3 Simple plumbing leaks each took 3 visits to fix. A freon leak in my airconditioning took 5 visits as their repairman kept doing quick fixes. Because the leak took more than 30 days to reappear, I kept having to pay for the visit. When my electronic pad on my stove broke, the repairman ordered the wrong color, although the color that should have been ordered was readily available. They indicated they were not responsible for color and expected me to live with. The customer service representative even suggested that I repaint the kitchen to match the wrong color on the electronic control pad. They said that it would cost me $250 to reorder the right color. I finally won that one. So, I am definitely shopping.
My washer would not spin water out of the cloths completely. The first tech installed a new motor. I still had the same problem. The second company stated that the problem was the transmission, they even ordered a new transmission. After the guy came out with the new transmition, that he diagnosed as bad, he stated that the transmition was not the problem but that the washer needed some kind of switch. He came out and installed the switch and I am still having the same problem. My frustration comes from the fact that it has taken 2 months and (over 6 visits from supposedly certified techs) and my washer is still not fixed. I’m also upset because I did not ask for a payout or a new washer, I simply wanted my washer fixed. Being a customer for over 9 years with about 4 service calls including this one, I expected better service. I am making it my business to spread the word about AHS!!! There should be a 0 on this rating scale because that is what they deserve. Customer service gets a 2 simply because they answer the phone.
My repair claim was some time ago, back in 2000 but my real estate agent (a friend) purchased a home warranty for me as a thank you and I was very grateful to her when 30 days after moving in, my 60 year old boiler blew apart. It was late spring so the time of repair on the system was not really an issue. AHS processed my claim quickly and covered a large portion of the repair cost. The contractor and his employees were professional, timely and capable. The installation of the new boiler was clean and fast. I think it is really luck of the draw with the contractors sent from a home warranty company, and perhaps I simply got lucky. I feel that I received exceptional service from AHS now that I read all the negative reviews, but had to share my experience with this company.
It is now 5/18/2009 (we started on 4/21/2009), and we are finally getting a contractor over for a second opinion so AHS can decide if they will repair or replace our refrigerator. The timeliness of this survice is worthless. We have been living out of an ice chest since this happened! I hope I can stop the contract after the fix, so I can switch.
This Company is a MAJOR SCAM. They take their time responding, they send BELOW AVERAGE contractors (in our case, a plumber) out to tell you that AHS will not cover the work to be performed, and the cost is no where near the $60 trade service fee, and to top it off, the Guy still wants the $60 for coming out and doing nothing! What a Joke! What a Disgrace to all of the honest plumbers, and home warranty companies out there! A Pure Waste of time and a year of Home Warranty payments down the drain. Completely Disgusted with this Company…….Will be reporting to the Better Business Bureau….
I have been with AHS for two years now. Before AHS, I was with Allied.
For the most part I feel that my service calls have been returned in a timely manner. Nonetheless, I have never received same day service from any of their vendors—even when I phone in at 4:00am. When asked to contact another in hopes of obtaining same day service—AHS reconnects with me within the hour and claims that they cannot locate a company to accommodate my request. My gut tells me that AHS did not really attempt to contact another and only waited out the “token” hour to appease me.
ASH sent out a plumber last year and when I mentioned to the plumber my preference to have had the sink repaired the previous day, he told me that his company only received the order that morning, but would have come out the previous day if contacted. This level of conduct is not a total deal breaker for me, but it is a red flag.
That said—last year I also had my refrigerator repaired. We had to wait a few days for the part to come in, but all-in-all the job was completed professionally. My washer was also repaired last year without any incident whatsoever.
My contract with AHS is up in July; therefore today I am on this site to compare competitive pricing. In doing so, I came across some of the worst reviews I have ever read—especially that of National Home Warranty. I had NHW on the phone just ready to switch when I requested to check things out online first. Subsequently, I “Goggled”—then ended up here. Point being—if not for the Internet and sites such as this one, I would have made the mistake and signed with NHW.
As for AHS—I think I’ll wait it out just a bit longer.
Julie
I feel AHS has no compassion for its clients…
We are still trying to get satisfactory service from AHS. We started on 4-21-2009, it is 5-13-2009 and we are still calling for a response. The contractor finally determined that the compressor is bad, now we have to fight for a decesion from AHS. We will switch as soon as this situation is completed!
On 5/06/09 I called AHS to report that my AC was making a popping noise. The customer service rep. set up a ac repair company to come out and repair. They came on 5/08/09 on to disconnect my compressor and said it was burned out and put the cover back onto the ac unit, and told me that I should call the AHS because another compressor can be ordered today and would be installed as soon as they get it.
I called AHS as instructed to only be told that they will not cover it because the dog broke the AC system.
I asked, how can a dog break an AC system, she couldn’t explain it, then offered to send out another company to take a look at the ac system .
They 2nd company came out on 5/12/09, he look on the inside and seen where the 1st company disconnected the compressor and ask what was it doing, I explained that it was making a popping noise and smelled like burnt wires, he said ok then called AHS and began taking pictures then said that the warranty company is going to call him back later on today and then he’ll send the pictures to them and see what they’re going to say about it.
I called AHS, only to be told that the AC repair company is going to call in and give a report on what they found, I told her that he ( the ac company) said that you all ( AHS) was going to call them.
Now here I am sitting at home caught in the middle between these 2 companies one waiting on the other to call them, it’s a in the mid 80′s here and even hotter inside. They called this morning May 13, 2009 and said the damages to the ac system are not covered by them.
This sound like breech of contract, I will be letting an attorney have a close look at this for sure.
AHS will leave you hanging when you most need them.
I called in a service claim 15 days ago that my refrigerator was not cooling. As of today, it is still not fixed and will probably be next week according to the technician. Still waiting for the parts to come in, and no one knows when they will be in. AHS sent out a technician 2 days after the original call was placed. This was the first company. Two days after the service call, now 4 days after no working refriderator, and 2nd company calls me to schedule an appointment. I told them it had already been evaluated and they replied to me that AHS wanted them to take a look ( a second opinion). AHS NEVER INFORMED ME THAT A 2ND COMPANY WAS TO COME EVALUATE. The owner of the second company informed me that AHS wanted this 2nd opinion. So now, 9 days after the 2nd evaluation and 15 days after the first call to AHS, I STILL DO NOT HAVE A WORKING REFRIGERATOR AND STILL DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE IN WORKING ORDER!!! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!