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. |
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Reviews
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Pages: « 75 … 21 20 19 18 17 [16] 15 14 13 12 11 … 1 » Show All
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.
As you review the responses contained here remember there are people who have relatively good and bad experiences. No one here should be gripping like our friend from Bowie, MD. Reading your contract, if its like mine is very simple. Getting maintenance if required is a service call to your provider and will cost you no different than a complaint call.
The point here is the point of a contract is to work in good faith. Unfortunately AHS doesn’t work in good faith.
AHS does however work diligently to minimize their costs to increase their profit margin as an INSURANCE company. They are hedging their bet the more difficult it is for you to go through them for repairs the more likely you will be to get a needed repair fixed yourself and forego the hassle of using their CSR’s. This is how any INSURANCE company works.
It is clearly not the fault of a person to believe they have paid for a degree of service as a contract states only to find the fine print states otherwise. This is why we need more fair contract laws. This is not a liberal or conservative point. It is a point that a company needs to be regulated properly and AHS is on a fringe between regulatory agencies. How did our country get in its current financial condition? Poor regulation and advice like that from our friend in MD.
Please use your own best diligence in considering a home warranty (insurance) policy. There are few firms who will do what a homeowner wants, but fewer still who will actually provide quality repair/replacment other than what they can get away with (breaking state and local ordinances on workmanship and unskilled work crews.)
Don’t become a poor service statistic, do your own diligence, call your provider, call back when you get your service call, call the service representative in advance to confirm and describe your service need, call and remind your warranty provider of the service you get and confirm the repair meets your local ordinances (ask an inspector to verify it!).
IF you do these things you’ll at least get complete and sound service. It may be on their schedule, which may not meet your expectation and it may not provide you with the expected solution you want but it will be complete. Miss anyone of these steps and you could find yourself out of pocket for both your warranty fees and additional service fees.
It took us over a month to get our A/C unit replaced because, even knowing the problem and contacting the A/C company, America Home Shields (AHS) for some reason decided to take their time. We made numerous calls to AHS regarding when we were going to get the A/C unit fixed or replaced, and every time they told us they were waiting to hear back from the A/C company who hadn’t receive the new A/C unit. That as soon that happened they would come fix it. We ended up contacting the A/C company ourselves, and to our surprise, the A/C unit had been sitting there just waiting for over 15 days for the “Go!” call from American Home Shields. So back again we called AHS and told them the A/C unit was ready, that we talked personally with the A/C company, and still they made us wait like one more week. In the end, we did AHS’s job for them and still paid them the deductible!! Pathetic company, just pathetic.
Bought home Aug 2008. Got AHS as closing deal, upgraded to full-everything-coverage. Prev owners (93y/o m & 89y/o w) had AHS and had A/C repaired 2 wks before closing. Inspector never checked match of the inside and outside units. Fl Bldg Code says (02/08) NO mismatched equip by mfg or ratings. Have had 5 calls to AHS CSR’s 2 for dishwasher took 2 service visits 4 wks apart and band aide repairs (D/W is horrible); 1 for general code electrical, service rep convinced me he wasn’t to do anything with multiple ground loops in home, not an AHS issue (not code!); 2 calls for A/C repair (FL? 92F, heat index 100+) 3 wks apart, first repair said it was electrical and left, electrictian fixed the feed to the A/C but A/C still crappy, waiting on next A/C guy now (96F heat index 103F). Mismatched Payne and Carrier systems, have mismatch coverage but AHS is not interested in repairing right and keeping me as a customer for next year. Plan on filing code enforcement complaint on repair services for not doing the right thing and charging AHS. If AHS had been proactive and been easy to deal with I would have renewed my $1000 / yr agreement with them for ever, they haven’t and I’m not! Be ware of AHS unless you know you won’t have to pay for the contract or you would be better off saving your money in a bank account annually for home repairs. I won’t recommend AHS to anyone. SAD SAD SAD SHAMEFUL BUSINESS.
I have used AHS for almost 2 years. I have made 4 service calls from them. The first one was next day service. On the second one the tech. came in to look at the oven and overed a new part for it. It took almost 1 month to repair the oven. On the second call the airconditioning tech came in the next day and fixed both my heaters. On one of the heaters, the pilot light was off and on the other one the ignition light was set too high casuing somekind of error. On the fourth call was for a water leak on an old D.E. fitration system for my swimming pool. They ended up replacing the entire filtration system with a brand new one. So far, my only complaint is with the customer service. They promised us a free $60.00 certificate which we got, but is was several month later after calling and complaining about the long time it took to repair the overn.
AHS has really gone down hill with customer service, especially the poor service providers they contract with. AC just went out,called, on hold for 25 minutes. Was issued a contractor, told emergency status and given thier number to call. Contractor stated that I must wait for them to call me or have AHs call them.Was told minimum 24 hours. I called back, oh, 35 minutes on hold. Asked for a supervisor which was like pulling teeth to reach. No Damage control for customer satisfaction, even after I whined that its 100 outside, have 3 young children, one with asthma, pets and possibly a hotel stay or at the least run out and purchase several fans. Supervisor was insensitive, ooh sounds eerily familiar to the urgent care med facility down the street. Maybe the same owners? I assume all warranty companies are similar. Best to go with most value I guess.How do you guage? It’s a shame with this economy and the small business person begging for our services that AHS does not seem to care. SHAME ON AHS CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM,
Not very sharp!!! 1.My high pressure well siezed, NO water to the home. It appeared AHS, didn’t understand what NO water meant. They finally put in an emergency call..but I would have to wait 4 days..that’s 4 days with NO water. I had to go and buy a new pump and install so I could have water. AMAZING. 2. Pool filter regulater cracked. Called for service. No one in the area. They told me I could pick a company but the copmany would have to call for the okay. The only company that responded call and got the okay. I had to pay the whole invoice because the service man (owner) said he had trouble getting paid from AHS (nice). I Paid and did receive a check in 30 days.