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
Customer Service 
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 906 Rate this Company!
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 906 Rate this Company!
Coverage Area: USA - All States
Offers plans to cover pre-existing conditions and lack of maintenance repairs, for an additional fee.
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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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The service and the contractors they use are very poor and try to deny claim so the can charge you exorbitant price. Even though the appliances are regularly maintained the .company still would claim that it is not properly maintained .
AHS is a nightmare and will do ANYTHING to avoid replacing an appliance. They’ve sent technicians (2 different companies) over a dozen times between May – September. Each time, the technicians jerry rig something that doesn’t hold up. The technicians themselves were polite, but all stated that AHS gives them a very hard time.
I asked AHS how many times we have to go through another repair before they replace the unit. The answer was clear when I received a letter they’re not renewing the contract.
Sad thing is that as I look at ratings for other Home Warranty Companies, most look similarly horrible. The good ones will only underwrite you if your involved in a new real estate transaction. It appears the Home Warranty business in general is a scam.
We have had AHS since we bought our house 5 years ago. The first request we had was no problem getting fixed, which was our hot water heater. Then like most peoples problems, our HVAC went out. We fought with them for a month to get it fixed. Like everyone else, they tried not covering due to it being dirty and nonmaintenance. I think they just tell their contractors to say that upon their visits. They actually did grant us a second opinion. And they actually found the problem and told us it wasn’t due to nonmaintenance. We still had to fight to get them to cover the 13 seer stuff. All-in-all we were out the service fee and $200, which we had to negotiate with them. We decided to renew with them last year after lengthy calls and negotiations with their sales people. Which come to find out, those negotiations were not honored when we needed their service this year on our refrigerator. We will not be renewing again with them. Their service gets worse and worse every year.
All of the above problems! Google this company and you will find over (84) pages of complaints. We had three contracts on each property. In one year, we had to call a person regarding the washer. It took over four visits over a period of 60 days to get the problem resolved. The washer never worked again so I ended up purchasing a new one. The dryer’s heating element needed to be replaced, however the technician tore the belt in the process. This took over 90 days to repair, and the end result was that there was now black grease on the clothes coming out of the dryer. My basement flooded and I had a plumber come out to look at the sump pump. I was told that the pump was in working order. Another flood occurred in the same area. Another technician with another company came out and I was told that it was a combination of the sump pump and the A/C. One service call NEVER fixed anything. Frankly, the service was so horrible and I was so tired in having to schedule time off from work and then having no one show up. When I tried to contact AHS they would tell me that the technician came by the house and no one answered the door. What a rip off! Needless to say, this company is only interested in collecting your payment up front. Good luck in getting good service or any service. Wait until your contract is about to expire and then you will receive several calls from the home office with their “sincere concern” that your policy is about to expire and they appreciate your business. Best advice: Run!
We got AHS when we purchased our 20 year old home. I’m glad we have had them for the past year since we have encountered numerous problems with the house. 1)The upstairs A/C did not produce cool air. When the tech came, he checked the freon lines, and then determined that the problem was due to improper maintenance. Since we had only been in the house for 2 months I explained to AHS that if it was improper maintenance, it wasn’t our fault. They refused service anyway and I had to pay 1K out of my own pocket to get the ducting cleaned. 2) We noticed wet spots on the ceiling and then found a closet next to the downstairs A/C closet had flooded. Apparently the only thing keeping the unit from leaking was the amount of dust in the duct! AHS sent out a tech who said the problem was that the ducting was dirty. Once we provided him a copy of the invoice showing it had just been cleaned he angrily went to work on the unit and pulled the freon line out neccesitating replacement of the motor in the downstairs unit. Upstairs he sprayed the unit with some unidentified solution that he said would stop the condensation. IT DIDN’T! After 3 months AHS agreed to replace the upstairs unit (inside only, not outside) because the tech they sent over refused to work on it anymore. 3)We had a toilet upstairs that didn’t flush. The tech they sent out couldn’t find the problem and replaced the toilet, however in the process he broke the flange. A couple of weeks later we noticed wetspots on the ceiling again, and thinking it was the A/C again called in a claim. AHS sent a tech, he was helpful, he had to cut a hole in the ceiling which by now was completely wet drenching him when he cut, but he did determine that the problem was caused by plumbing, not A/C and called the claim in for us. The plumber came out quickly and determined the cause, however AHS initially refused to fis it since they said the problem was caused by improper installation. When I told them that their contractor had installed the toilet a couple of weeks previously they said they had no invoice for that and essentially called me a liar. Fortunately we save all of the invoices and were able to give them the invoice number. They finally agreed that it was caused by their contractor and agreed to fix the flange. But now we had a hole in the ceiling, black mold and a wet ceiling, all caused by the error made by the first technician. AHS told us it wasn’t their issue, that we had to deal with their contractor directly. I refused to do so, believing that they should deal with their contractor on my behalf. After a 1 hour phone call with their customer service rep, the contractor called and agreed to come out and fix the ceiling.
Overall I’ve been extremely frustrated with the service, but in reading this site and others I see that the problems I have encountered are typical of this industry, and in the end, even though it has taken significant time and trouble, all of the problems we have encountered have been taken care of.
American Home Shield – how to beat home warranty companies at their own game
I have discovered how aggrieved homeowners can turn the tables on home warranty companies and beat them at their own game. Please share this with everyone you know.
I’m an attorney and after having a problem with my home warranty company, American Home Shield, I decided to investigate whether other homeowners had experienced the same or a similar problem. What I found were web sites devoted to consumer complaints on which numerous homeowners had recounted incidents of fraud, deception, and rip-offs by their home warranty company. I also found a blog written by a former American Home Shield employee and another written by a former plumber for a home warranty company. Both recounted situations that would not pass the “smell test” in a court of law.
I also investigated lawsuits that had been filed against American Home Shield in Georgia, which is where I live. I found about 15 cases. The majority of cases had been filed in small claims court. As I reviewed the cases, I discovered that none of the cases had been litigated. In every instance, the case had been settled to the Plaintiff’s satisfaction although the details of each settlement were not part of the case file. With the knowledge that all cases had been settled to the homeowners’ satisfaction, I realized that American Home Shield would settle with an aggrieved homeowner before allowing a case to go to trial. My conclusion is that the only thing aggrieved homeowners need to do to beat home warranty companies at their own game is to file suit. The last thing American Home Shield wants to do is litigate a homeowner’s claim and the reasons are obvious to me.
The most obvious reason American Home Shield would not want to litigate a claim is that in most instances, the cost to American Home Shield to settle a claim would be less than the cost to litigate. The average amount of a claim in the cases I found was $3,800.00. Two were for less than $1,000.00 and only one was for more than $10,000.00. I’m sure far more than the 15 homeowners who have filed lawsuits in Georgia have had their claims denied. American Home Shield wins when a claim is denied and the homeowner does not sue, which is exactly what American Home Shield is counting on homeowners not doing.
Another reason American Home Shield does not want to litigate is because the company does not want to have to defend its craftily drafted contract or its questionable business practices, which is exactly what it would have to do if a case went to trial. American Home Shield also does not want such information to become public knowledge, which is also likely to happen. Additionally, a judge or a jury would also be hard pressed to return a verdict favorable to a company that engages in questionable business practices.
The final reason American Home Shield does not want to litigate is because a lawsuit actually places American Home Shield in a precarious situation. American Home Shield would have a difficult time defending any claim by a homeowner because the company has no first hand knowledge about the claim; it would need the testimony of the service contractor who, for its own reasons, may be less than eager to testify. The only knowledge American Home Shield has is what the company has been told by the service contractor. And any testimony from American Home Shield about what it was told by the service contractor is hearsay and not admissible in court.
To defend a claim, American Home Shield would need to subpoena the service contractor who actually made the diagnosis to testify about the claim. If the homeowner has done his/her homework, he/she would subpoena witnesses who could dispute the witnesses for American Home Shield. The homeowner should subpoena one or more service companies who had been called either for a second opinion or to make the actual repairs to dispute the testimony of the American Home Shield service contractor. The homeowner might also consider locating one or more other aggrieved homeowners to testify about their problem with American Home Shield. Another good witnesses for the homeowner to subpoena would be a former service contractor for the home warranty company or a former employee of a service contractor.
Since American Home Shield has at least three significant reasons why it does not want to litigate, the best and easiest way an aggrieved homeowner can beat American Home Shield at their own game (and most likely any other home warranty company) is to file suit. The one thing for an aggrieved homeowner to keep in mind is that if he/she does not sue, the home warranty company will win. But if he/she sues, the homeowner will most likely win. And that is how an aggrieved homeowner can beat American Home Shield at their own game.
My advice to aggrieved homeowners is not to stress over a denied claim, the denial of a situation as an emergency, repeated “band-aid repairs,” or a delay in authorization or in the repair of an item. I would also advise a homeowner not to waste time arguing with American Home Shield but to set a reasonable deadline for the appropriate action. Upon expiration of the deadline without receiving satisfaction from American Home Shield, the homeowner should then proceed as if they did not have a home warranty and then sue American Home Shield for reimbursement. The homeowner should also remember to document every action or inaction by both himself/herself and American Home Shield. Although the disadvantage to the homeowner is initially having to pay for the repairs, the advantage is that the homeowner can choose the service contractor and the brands and quality of products. I won’t guarantee all aggrieved homeowners will prevail every time but I have good reason to believe most aggrieved homeowners will prevail the majority of time.
For aggrieved homeowners whose claims were denied at sometime in the past, you may still be able to sue for reimbursement. To make that determination, the homeowner needs to research the statute of limitation for suing on a contract in their state. In any event, a homeowner should be safe filing suit for a claim that was denied during the past twelve (12) months.
Within the next six months, instead of reading homeowner’s stories about being scammed and ripped off by their home warranty company, I want to read stories about how homeowners turned the tables and beat their home warranty company at their own game.
If anyone has any questions, I can be contacted at LegalCohen@aol.com.
Good luck.
Horrible experience with a/c service. Their contractors are poor quality. Customer service is a nightmare brickwall!
If you need service, it better not be with AHS!
Featured Review
Like all insurance companies, there are limits to the policies, but there are also policy upgrades that you can buy to cover almost all contingencies.
I would say a fraction of 1% of all the calls are declined, mainly on my belief that AHS was being robbed. For example, the water heater that was leaking the first day the people moved in and the water stains were all over the floor….very obvious that the unit had been leaking before the policy was written. Things like that will get denied in a heartbeat.
I don’t get enough calls from AHS anymore. I have a feeling that the housing crisis is affecting them, too. It will be a sad day for all of you if it goes under.
Absolutely terrible customer service. Always has an excuse why something is not covered and why they won’t fix it. THey don’t send the cream of the crop technicians. Most of them don’t have a clue what is going on, they just take your service fee and the problem is never fixed! Don’t use!!
THIS WAS FOR 1997.!!!
Oceanside, CA.
(1) Garage door opener fixed.
$30.00 co-pay. $150.00 actual cost to fix.
NOTE: Back then, it would have been cheaper for them to just get a new one.
(2) TWO, yes 2 toilets fixed on same visit.
$30.00 co-pay (not $60.00). Unknown actual cost to fix.
I now own my father’s house and because of the great service they provided for my father back then I was going to get their service again. After everything I’ve been reading, I’m really wary about doing so.
So disappointing! Too much to write! Basically, a nightmare for a plumbing issue! No repair, just a diagnosis for $55.00. Cancelled agreement and would not recommend. A HUGE waste of my time!
I had a plumbing problem in my crawl space. I called American Home Shield so that they would send a plumber. The plumber came out, looked at it and said I needed to have the area cleaned up before he would do anything. Fair enough. He also said he would have to contact American Home Shield to make sure they would cover it but he saw no reason why they shouldn’t. I pay the $55 “service” fee.
So I pay quite a substantial amount of money to have the area cleaned. The plumber comes back about a week later just to say American Home Shield would not cover the repair because in the plumber’s view it was not installed properly to begin with. I have no idea why he had to come back out to tell me that. And why American Home Shield was so cowardly that they could not tell me themselves.
So basically I paid $55 and wasted a couple of days of my life to have a problem diagnosed that I already knew about, in addition to the large sum of money I paid to have the area cleaned.
American Home Shield is not a warranty company. And the “service” fee is actually a diagnosis fee.
I’ve had to email the president of the company twice. Once they were nice about everything. But the second time they refused to do anything.
If you want the run around for every service call and your claims denied then buy an American Home Shield policy.
I’m sorry so many have had problems with AHS. I have had good experiences. Six months after purchasing the coverage, my furnace died. AHS replaced it, no questions asked. I’ve also had a minor garage door repair and plumbing issue resolved for $55 apiece. I have no complaints.
Don’t waste your money and time with this company. Period.
Very disappointing! I have found service in the past and present to be sluggish and substandard. Specifically, when an a/c contractor come out to assess the problem sees that you have a zoning damper, but won’t investigate or assess, but summarizes that it’s beyond their scope, collects your money, make promises that someone else with the expertise will come out to repair, but fails to inform you that this is not covered under the contract. Poor, Poor, Poor!!!! Beware of Bishop Mechanical Air Conditioning and heating. He doesn’t even have current registration and inspection stickers on his vehicle! The one thing he did do is show up on time to collect the $60.00. Thanks, but no thanks!
Years ago this company was good. Then, they sent out a “revised prospectus” on their coverage, eliminating a good deal of their coverage, including spa coverage. Every year I needed repairs to my spa, so this was no longer available to me. When I examined the changes they made to coverage and what they had eliminated I no longer wanted to deal with them, so I cancelled. They have gone from good to bad. When customers can’t get coverage on items they had in the past, they lose their customers. They no longer offer the good coverage they once had and I am no longer a customer. I would not recommend them to anyone but my worst enemy.
The problem is not with AHS Insurance company and the inept companies they use, particularly the personnell that you must speak with not the technicians, they know nothing, cannot tell you when they will be there and constantly use (the warehouse)for parts as their out. Do not use AHS / American homesheild. ie: we reported our return air motor had gone out on Sat. and as of Wednesday afternoon they cannot tell me a damn thing. Going to find another company today.Had been customer 7 years will do everything I can to dissuade people form AHS.
Where did the old AHS go? Been a customer for many years but here in Texas now without a/c for 3 weeks. Technician said he would not be back for several weeks when he left with my compressor, pretty much the only truth in this repair. Every time I talk with a rep, I get a different answer as to why the repair cannot be made. Part not available, part damaged, part reordered, failed to order part, didn’t get work order…..any number of other excuses. I have pleaded for a new tech but they refuse. Hot and still waiting for repair!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do not use AHS!!!!! The customer service is bad and you will always get the run around in regards to what is covered and what isn’t covered. Twice I have been without water in my home for over a week because AHS couldn’t get their act together. I have had to fight with each repair. Please don’t use their services. You will truly be upset when you need a repair.
I have been an AHS customer for 4 years and DO NOT plan to renew my contract with them. I have had THE WORST customer service experience with them. My AC went out & the diagnosis was that the compressor should be replaced. The technician replaced it with a new one after 1 week of no AC with a heat index in excess of 100 degrees. It is now almost a month and the new one hasn’t worked since the day of installation. I’ve made countless calls to AHS, spoken with 2 Supervisors, taken time off work, made many phone calls to the Vendor and can’t get anyone to respond. This is totally unacceptable. Requested to speak with a Mgr @ AHS but was told he was ‘unavailable’ and would call me back. Never return the call. Horrible, horrible service and unreliable Vendors!
If you are thinking about AHS, I personally wouldn’t let the comments here scare you off. They have something like 1,000,000 warranties in force. If AHS was that consistently that terrible, you’d see 400,000 or more negative comments here instead of less than 1,000. I’ve always had very professional people come to work on things in my house and I have never had a repair or replacement (major or minor) declined. My water heater was recently replaced in less than 24 hours after I submitted the online service request. I’m glad I renewed again this year.
First off the price is $500 annually for a 1 floor single home. The deductable is $65.00 and the reasons for non-coverage are unbelievable.
American Home Shield is a joke. Called to speak to a supervisor and was hung up on twice. I certainly agree with the comments about sub standard contractors. Every time we filed a claim the contractor seemed to be a one man operation with no office and just a cell phone. That tells me there must be a reason why local established companies won’t have anything to do with them. Horrible, arrogant and rude customer service.
We just terminated our contact with AHS. This fall would have been 30 years of us having a contract with them. We were fed up with the poor quality, incompetent companies they send out for repairs. We’ve seen a steady decline in the customer service provided. Despite all our years of being loyal customers, they continually tried to deny claims or replace appliances that could not be repaired.
We had a problem with a blocked toilet and received a letter from AHS saying it was no longer covered by the contract because the plumber they sent out said a foreign object had been put down it. This was not true. They sent an incompetent plumber who tracked muddy footprints on our newly cleaned carpet, had no rag to hold his plunger or auger in, dripped dirty water all over the floor and carpet, and did not unclog the toilet.
Our water heater needed replacing, but they refused to do so. They said the water heater was installed incorrectly and this was what caused the problem. The company AHS sent out was the one who installed it. This was the final straw that caused us to cancel our contract. It wasn’t until my husband wrote a letter to the State of California Dept. of Insurance that they suddenly were responsive to our water heater situation.
I would get so stressed with each repair that was needed. A few years ago I had to wait 6 weeks for a part for my 3 year old washing machine because AHS would not get the part from Sears and used some other distributor. This gives you a clue of the type of customer service they provide.
They have no customer service supervisor to contact to try to get problems resolved. You have to repeat your situation to the person who answers the 800 number, and they have service centers in several states. You cannot speak with the same person. You have to start all over again describing your problem.
The stress of having poor customer service does not make AHS worth having. I now can call a local plumber who comes out and takes care of the problem quickly and competently. I told AHS that I will tell anyone I know not to use their service.