American Home Shield (AHS)
Home Warranty Plan Details and Reviews for American Home Shield (AHS)
Premium: $360
Deductible: $60
Effective: Immediately after...
Web: ahswarranty.com
Deductible: $60
Effective: Immediately after...
Web: ahswarranty.com
Customer Service 
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 625 Rate this Company!
Service Timeliness
Repair/Replacement Service
Overall Rating
Total Reviews: 625 Rate this Company!
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: « 26 … 11 10 9 8 7 6 [5] 4 3 2 1 » Show All
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Poor Payment procedure. Will not bill monthly or quarterly. Will report to collection quick. but slow in telling collectiona agency to stop when payment was done. Why is it necessarry to report to collection when it is only late premium?, I will go to another provider that makes monthly billing or at least quarterly.
I have used AHS for over 8 years on three homes. I will clarify that I have never had a major repair to deal with but have had many small things over the years. I have always been pleased with the service from AHS as well as the contractors that I have worked with. When I had issues, AHS and the contractors worked to correct the issue. I haven’t ever had a claim denied. I am disappointed that their rates continue to increase over the years.
We have had AHS since we bought our home 3 years ago. We have only used them about 4 times in that time frame. The first two calls we made to them were handled great. The last two have been a major hassle. Both of these last two calls dealt with me not having heat in the winter. One my furnace was broken and this last time my water heater rusted through. Both times I called, I was told that my request was sent to a technician and I should hear in 2 hours when they were coming out. Both times after 4 days of hearing nothing, with no heat and no water, I called AHS back. Both times I was told that the technician had tried to call me over and over, and never got an answer or a returned call.
I work from home. I am here all day, every day. No one called here. I tried to explain that to the CSR, but they would not listen. I then asked to please allow MY plumber (who is licensed, bonded and insured) to come out and fix my issue. Both times I was told no, that it must be the technician they assigned.
It finally came down to – I could wait and wait to get my heat and hot water restored. It was already 4 days with no call… or I could just eat the cost and fix it myself since they refused to approve an outside worker.
I understand that for things like a washer and dryer, something non-essential but twice they have left me and my family with no heat in the winter, for days while they ‘try’ to get a tech to come out and fix it. And they refuse any other action. Sorry AHS, its cold, and we’re sick, we need our heat. I am going to look for a better company. I am wasting $600 per year with AHS, and just had to pay another $175 that I will never see again because AHS would not/could not get a service tech here and would not approve my plumber.
My A/C went out last summer after the summer before it went out every other month. The first person they sent out told me the compressor was out, but told AMS it was due to coils not being cleaned so AMS said they would not repair it. I ask for a second opinion and they said the wiring was done wrong when the house was built, so AMS said they would not repair it. After a month, i decided to call someone to get it fixed, since tempertures were close to 100 degrees. The guy said it was the compressor and put in a new system. Of course AMS would not reimburse me. My renewal is coming up this month and will probably not renew because of the A/C and since they have also gone up on the service call.
I’ve had AHS since 2 Sep 08, today is 30 Oct 2008. I called AHS to have my money refunded today, hopefuly I hear from them in the near future.
We bought the house we wanted and of course paid the 400 dollars for an insurance company to back us up in case something went wrong with the house.
2 days after moving in the A/C stopped working, we live in Tampa and it was HOT right after we moved into the house. Called AHS and spoke to a very nice operator to place the order in, well because of the long weekend, the company that was supposed to come didn’t show up until about 3 days after the long weekend had passed (We had fans to keep us less hot). Well, they show up “THE AIR DOCTOR” and those guys are sweating just like we were. They checked the unit and said,”your unit is overcharged and needs to be drained and re-charged in order to work right” but we have to contact AHS to see if it is covered or nor. I said OK assuming that AHS will give the go ahead to fix the problem. I get a call from “Air Doctor” that between them and AHS have determined that it is a pre-existing condition and will not be covered. I told them that I did not care how much it was, I NEED IT FIXED. 550 dollars later the unit was supposed to be fixed….. The A/C was still not working right. All I can see is my electric meter going around like a 45 record while the A/C unit is trying to bring my house to 82 degrees….. At night it would all stop as the temp would go down… Called the same contractor to check it out and they arrive way too early (got to take kids to school) and I was specific not to show up before 9am, but they were still here at 8 am.
Now it is October and the temperature has gone down quite a bit and cannot check if the system is really up to speed… I spoke to AHS and told them I wanted my money back. We replaced all appliances in the house with the exception of the water heater (if I need to replace it I can get it from Lowes or Home Depot for maybe 400 and my neighbor is a plumber), and the A/C unit I can just have the same contractor come back to check it out. MY ADVISE TO ALL READING, if your appliances look fairly good save yourself from the hassle of dealing with AHS. They will find a way not to cover what they promised. They already have their money, they don’t care if the service they provide is good or not…..
Well, I have it only for one year and thats it. I wont renew.
We had our 15 year old toilet leaking finally, AHS send a plummer and they said it is leaking because it is human caused issue!
He told me that here is a crack on the toilet tank. Well I told him that the ones using this toilet is are humans only.
He said if this problem occured in time by itself, then AHS would have covered it.
Well I told him that if no one used this tiolet believe me nothing happen to it.
This discussion did not go on for a long time and I called AHS and kindly asked them to cancel and not renew.
This is not the only incident we had but this was most ironic one.
They are expert on finding a reason not to spend any money on fixing things, all they care is your payments.
I’m sure AHS is not alone, but they do business with true bottom-of-the-barrel service providers. In particular, we have had nothing but problems with our plumbing companies, no matter which one(s) AHS dispatches. Furthermore, many of the companies we’ve used are sloppy about scheduling and meeting appointments. When I compare these providers to ones that I personally research and hire (for items in my house not covered by AHS), the difference in service is like night and day. I will abandon AHS as soon as I think I’ve found a suitable replacement.
Have had AHS since 2002 when we purchased our current house.
Summer 2002 – Upstairs zone AC failed – first maintenance call refreshed compressor gas – failed again within 60 days. Diagnosis was system failure. AHS replaced compressor and exchanger unit in attic (est cost $3000+ according to AC people).
2005 – Water heater failed – AHS replaced.
2006 – Attic fan failed – AHS replaced. The maintenance personnel install the new fan incorrectly and I had to remove and remount the fan over the roof vent.
2007 – Stove failed – AHS replaced but only after 3 months and 6 technical visits to attempt to repair old unit. We upgraded and purchased a new stove at considerable savings. THere were problems with the maintenance personnel knowing our 20 year old range and I think one may have actually broken it. The oven door would no longer lock for self-cleaning.
Dealing with AHS has been frustrating at times, but overall they have fullfilled their obligations under the contract and we are ahead of the curve (our payments to them have been less than they have paid out for our 4 equipment replacements.
This company is awful. We had their coverage for over 10 years. In the last few years, the quality of their contractors has diminished significantly, their customer service has become terrible, and they have denied claim after claim for no good reason. I would not recommend them to anyone..
I recently had a leak at my home and filed a service request through American Home Shield. The contractors the sent out, ARS Rescue Rooter in Phoenix, Arizona totally took advantage of me and began work under the presumption it was covered by the home warranty. When they were finished repairing the leak, they demanded $3,000 for the repair and told me that it wasn’t covered under my warranty. After several calls to American Home Shield trying to figure out what happened, they informed me they would only cover $500 for the leak. They assumed no responsibility, offered no sympathy and basically told me the work I had done through their contractor was between me and the contractor. To add insult to injury, they only paid me $431 dollars of the $500 leak limit because their contractor double billed. The reason why I give them a bad review is that I felt through the whole ordeal that they were defending the contractor who they sent out, who they owe nothing to, and not respecting or protecting me, THEIR customer. Instead they sent out a dishonest company and left me with the bill and offer no apologies for it whatsoever. What ever happened to customer service?
I had something break off of my hot water tank. Called AHS who sent out a repair man. The repair man sit in my driveway for 20 mins before entering my home. It was raining outside so his boots were wet. He never covered them, went straight to the basement all the while he’s still on the phone taking his personal phone call. Once in the basement he stayed on that call for an additional 10 mins. Once he looked at my hot water tank he state plastic doesn’t break and either someone broke this or put something on top of it and it fell off. I asked him to leave after a few words were exchanged because he stated he would tell AHS this so that it would not be covered. Why on earth would I break my own hot water tank. Needless to say I asked for a second opinion. The company that came out asked after the work was done who was sent out here first and I didn’t even give them a name, they knew who it was and stated they don’t know why AHS keeps using this company because it’s the same issue everytime. AHS keeps using this company because they DON’T WANT TO PAY FOR ANYTHING. This wasn’t the first problem I had with them however, it was certainly the last.
Their contractors were not always the best. We have had several incidence with unprofessionalism. AHS tends to ’side’ with their contractors over their customers. One contractor says they came out…. they never did. Continued to lie about it, and AHS would not credit the $55 Service Fee. I refused to pay for a visit that never took place. This was the deciding factor to switch companies.
slow to show on my dish washer repair, too many exclusions, I ended up buying a new unit.
I had a problem with a builtin microwave and the first person they sent out couldn’t find anything wrong with it (it worked just fine when he got to the house!). The second time, when it stopped working entirely, they sent out a tec from Sears and she was wonderful. She ordered the part, had it shipped to my house and another tec came and installed the part and it worked just fine. He even checked my dishwasher while he was ther to make sure it was OK so I wouldn’t have a second visit charge.
I had an issue with my furnace blower, and by the time they sent out the right person, I had damage to the blower. They wouldn’t cover any of the contractor’s over blown estimate. The people they use are shady, rude and dishonest, and their customer service is almost as bad.
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.