American Home Shield [AHS]
Reviews and Complaints

In June of 2021 our central air unit was replaced. It was not cooling the house, and AHS said to replace it. This was after a long period of waiting and waiting for resolution. Now almost two years later I just recieved a bill from Ackerman Heating and AC for 488.46 for the amount that AHS would not cover. I then on 3/17/2023 called the [protected] number and spoke to a gal with poor english skills, I was unable to understand most of what she was saying. What I gathered was that the modification to the AC lineset to hook it up and the electrical to hook it up is not covered. No where in the contract does it say these things are not covered. I request that the remaining be paid to Ackerman for the service. I have read the contract and no where does it say that these things are not covered.

I contacted AMS on Feb 23 for my washer, went through their [protected], and was assigned a local repairman. He never called me, so I waited 3 days and phoned him and left a message. I kept calling and reached him to set up an appointment. on 2-27 . He arrived, worked diligently, and said the washer was not repairable. I called AHS the next day after he told me he had submitted his report. I called regarding the next steps since it was unrepairable, and the customer service representative told me that wasn't true, so we called the repairman and connected him to our call, and he stated it couldn't be repaired. He said a requirement from the company was to list necessary parts, so he did that or wouldn't be paid. It sure sounds like a bait-and-switch scheme to not comply with the replacement option. Since then, I have been phoning at least biweekly and finally had a discussion with (a supervisor is what I requested) when I was notified by customer service that parts had been ordered to fix the washer and sent to the repairman without any approval from me. I had been seeking information on the next steps, and no one could help me. Today March 17th, I called again since there has been no action and was told I didn't have a current service request but pursued and have been told again I would get a call back because Jess had expedited my request. Didn't help the last two times this was done. I have requested a copy of my file notes - don't have the ability to email then told today that after not reaching the service vendor they were emailing him, so I asked to be copied on that - can't do it. So many missteps or intentional roadblocks. I asked for the home office in the US's contact information and was told to call the same number I called today, but I found your site, so I made a complaint. I plan to pursue notification of the better business bureau and my state's Senior Citizen Fraud line once this is finalized. HELP!

Dear Mr. Tibbens,

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the recent service AHS Contractor - United Air Temp. for one of my rental properties provided in fixing my water heater. AHS assigned United Air Temp. to fix my water heater, and AHS assured me that the repair would be done in a timely manner. However, the repair took much longer than expected (one week) and was not fixed by contractor, and I was left without hot water for an extended period.

Despite several follow-up calls with the first and 2nd line AHS support team and promises from your end, the issue was not resolved promptly, and it caused me a great deal of inconvenience. As a result, I had to hire another contractor to fix the issue, which resulted in additional expenses.

Given the delay in the repair and the additional costs incurred, I am requesting a refund for the services rendered by AHS ($100.00). I would also appreciate reimbursement for the cost of the out-of-network contractor ($175.00) that I had to hire to fix the issue.

I hope we can resolve this matter promptly, and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

AHS sent me an incompetent plumber the first time I made a claim regarding a leaking bathroom faucet. Water was dripping then streaming from the cold water part of the faucet. He didn't repair the issue and I had to submit the 30-day warranty request for him to come out yet again. And again, it wasn't repaired. After the first time the plumber came, the dripping, then streaming water came from the hot water side. After he supposedly fixed the leak the second time, that evening, water began dripping. The following day, I shut off each valve and found the hot and cold to be leaking and it's coming out in a steady now, even with the valves shut off. This evening I called AHS twice and one of the agents said I could have the same plumber come out for a third time. I said there is no way he's stepping foot in my house and that I want a new, competent plumber. The agent said I would have to open a new claim and another $100 service fee! I said AHS should be paying that fee since the problem is even worse than before, using the same plumber, not to mention that it's still leaking. Also, this original plumber had the nerve to bring a stranger into my master bathroom without my permission. This plumber was talking with me for at least 45 minutes before starting the job so he had this other man sitting in the truck outside all that time. This other person was his employee who deals heating and air conditioning. The plumber took all of maybe five minutes to complete the job. I couldn't see what he was or wasn't doing because this man blocked the bathroom entrance.

On March 15, I notice on my automatic payment that AHS increased my monthly service fee from $45.95 to $56.99 without my approval or notifying me. They did the same thing during 2022. In past two years my bill have increased from $35 a month to now $56.99 a month without any notification or reason. I don't understand why AHS is increasing my monthly payments without notifications.

I am beyond frustrated with AHS service! I have PATIENTLY waited for service on my bathroom ceiling for well over 6 months! First and foremost, my bathroom ceiling was leaking. It took 4 service technicians to come out to my house to finally figure out what type of service tech. was needed to fix the problem. Honestly, the problem is NOT fixed. It is band-aided! I now have a huge hole in my bathroom ceiling that I was told not to worry about. After the repair was completed, AHS would have someone out to fix the hole. It has been over 3 months since the dispatch was placed. I am being told they don't have anyone to come fix it. I cannot believe that you can't find a company to fix a hole in a ceiling! I can hire someone to fix it, and they can reimburse me for it! This is ridiculous! EVERYTIME I call, I am told someone will contact me w/in 24 hours. That has NEVER happened! I contacted the BBB twice in regard to this situation.

At this point something beyond the repair needs done. This repair needs scheduled ASAP or I am going to contact an attorney. AHS then have the edacity to contact me about paying my bill. I did pay it, but you should be ashamed of yourselves. You should have offered me the next 6 months for free since I have been dealing with this issue for 6 months. I still cannot believe how no-one has even called me to apologize, try and see if I can find a contractor and send you the bill, nothing! You all have just ignored this issue!

I want a response by Friday. If I do not get a response by Friday, I am contacting a lawyer. This has gone on long enough.

We requested service for our plumbing/hot water heater on December 9, 2022. It wasn't until December 17th, until we were contacted by HomeServ on behalf of Greenway Home Services to schedule an appointment. It was originally scheduled for December 21 then 23 then the 28 and they cancelled or rescheduled each time due to road conditions or emergencies. On the 29th, a technician, who was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, we could smell it, showed up and he went upstairs to check the plumbing but we explained to him our hot water heater was in the crawlspace. He didn't want to even check it but he did maybe for a total of 2 minutes and then left. We didn't hear back from anyone until January 3rd, indicating that we had charges that needed to approved but no one had actually given us a report as to what was needed to be repaired or what the out of pocket expenses were. I contacted AHS and they indicated that Greenway informed them that a standard hot water heater needed to be replaced but it would require modifications and our portion would be $550. I explained that we did not want this company to do the install since we had such a bad experience with that technician, and asked if they could send another company. AHS replied yes we could have a second opinion, or take the cash offer but then the representative said unfortunately, we do not have any other contractors in your area so we would have to use Greenway or take the cash offer. At that time, we were told it was a standard hot water heater and under our warranty, AHS would pay for the water heater and labor and those costs would be sent to us for us to find a plumber to install. However, it wasn't until we had 2 other plumbers to come look at it that we were informed that it WAS NOT just a standard hot water heater, it was a direct vent 40 gallon gas short hot water heater, which those alone costs over $1,000 even with a discount. We have been given estimates of over $2,500 for the replacement and labor for this hot water heater and all AHS gave us was $550. When I reached back out to AHS, I continued to get a run around and they basically said "sorry we can't help you because you took the cash offer". First of all, we would have NEVER taken the cash offer if we had known it wasn't just a standard hot water heater, nor would we have accepted it if AHS could have found another reputable company to send out but since we didn't want Greenway we had no choice according to the AHS representative. Even though, they were asking us for an additional $550 for uncovered costs for modifications, our warranty states that AHS would pay up to $1,000 so Greenway was either charging $1550 for modifications and AHS was paying up to $1,000 to them but AHS never paid us more than $550 for the replacement costs and labor of a hot water heater. We offered to even return your $550 in order for AHS to get someone else out here since we were told they now have another plumber which could give us a second opinion. We have 2 homes with AHS warranties and have been great customers and paid for over 2 years for both and we do not believe we should be out of pocket over $2,500 since the Greenway reported to AHS the wrong information regarding the hot water heater.

To Whom it may concern,

Please refer to the documents I have attached to this email.

I recently had an issue with my Heat / AC unit. Originally, I contacted my own contractor as when I initially moved into the house I had a problem similar in nature which turned out to be caused with low refrigerant level.

My service contractor ( B & M Contractors) invoice attached was called ( as at the time I thought it was the same issue) as shown on invoice ( attached) on February 10, 2023) or three weeks prior to the contractor your company provided in 1st week of March 2023.

See that invoice – also attached.

I contacted AHS on February 28th (Dispatch No. [protected]) when I noticed the unit was having the same issue with same symptoms. At that time I felt that there was a larger issue going on and I wanted to utilize my AHS contract for any repairs that would be required.

At this point, your company provided a different contractor (Comfort First Heating & Cooling ) invoice also attached. They arrived and did an extensive leak check and one of the pipes at bottom of the unit was found to have a hole and the refrigerant was all leaking out.

I was informed by the technician that I would be responsible for the cost of the refrigerant which I had no choice as by that time the temperature inside my house was 59 degrees. I am 65 years old and at that juncture was sleeping in hoodie and sweatpants.

The point of my issue is that once I received the invoice, I noted that with my service company I paid $32 per pound (three weeks prior) for the “exact” same refrigerant product that the contractor your company provided charged nearly 4x more or $125 per pound.

Now, I do understand that AHS do not have control over prices the different contractor charge. However, I also know that (a) your contract customers do not have the option to pick their own repair contractors, and (b) the your company negotiates prices that contractors would charge back to your company for your referrals to your customers.

My problem is that as a result my O.O.P. expense was greater than 4x more than my service contractor for my heating & cooling unit which comprised only the cost of refrigerant.

The bottom line is I paid $898.80 more for the refrigerant and added to the $107.oo claim fee from your company equals $1005.80 that I paid O.O.P. which ultimately is comprised of refrigerant and that I would have paid had I been able to use my own service contractor.

I am retired, 65 years of age, and now living on a fixed income.

My trouble with all this besides the disparity is cost for the same product is that AHS customers do not have the option of choosing the contractor used along with the quality of work and/or pricing. That is all determined with the agreements AHS has with the contracts that you refer to your contract customers.

Bottom Line:

(My contractor) B & M  Refrigerant = $171.20

(AHS Contractor) Comfort 1st  Refrigerant $1070.00

 One Time Fee$107.00

TOTAL $1348.20

Monthly AHS payment = $84.52 x (12 months) = $1014.24

So, with this incident alone and the O.O.P. expense I have incurred; I would only have spent

$333.96 more if I had no AHS contract at all.

NOTE: The $439.10 repair that AHS paid would have been no charge under my current service contract with B & M Contractors.

Having said this, it would appear more financially prudent if I had just set aside the $84.52 / month instead of sending it to AHS. In this instance, it would only cost me $333.96 more over course of (12) months but the monthly $84.52 or ( $1014.24 ) would still be in my control and not lost to monthly expense never to be seen again.

I would appreciate an expedient response to the disparity in cost for refrigerant between your provided contractor and that of my own for the exact same product. This ultimately resulted in my paying O.O.P. hundreds more than if I’d had the option to use my own provider!

Regards,

Paul Christman

AHS Contract # [protected]

(email) [protected]@gmail.com

Having been a customer for several years, we are very disappointed with ahs and May hvac. We requested service on or about 11/15/22. Virtually no communication from May hvac and continual runaround when calling in to ahs. We were continually told May was contacted and would respond, which never happened. I left voice mails with no return calls, only one response to emails Not until the Attorney General's consumer protection office became involved did May seem concerned at all, that was about 2/16/23, by then being aggravated and fed up with the situation. I had a local company replace the complete system at a cost of $8,671.00

Good Morning American Home Shield,

I am looking to get a new contractor on my list for Heating/Air. South Placer Heating and Air have been no-shows multiple times without giving me information as to why. Very difficult to get a straight answer from this company and they seem to use the same "Cookie Cutter" excuse to why their technician didnt show up and to why they didnt contact me about it. Very unprofessional business. In summary this company has very long wait times to schedule an appointment with them (weeks ) and when the day comes they dont show up. Extremely frustrated by this company and i have brought that to your attention two times now. So for the last time please remove them from my contractors list or i will drop your warranty service and go with someone else.

Thank you,

Kirk

We had an account with AHS home warranty service for 13 years. We used them several times for small things and a few times for slightly larger things. We had no problem with smaller issues but seemed to really battle with larger issues. One of those issues was a few years ago when our hot water heater burst. The company that contracted with them said to be sure they did not replace our hot water heater with a lower grade water heater than what we had because they usually give you the cheapest they can find at that time. They would only replace it with the cheapest hot water heater and we refused to have something less than what we already had. We chose a better water heater and assumed we would have to pay the difference between what they were going to provide and what we got. They ended up paying us much less than the value of the cheapest water heater. They said if we do not accept what they give us, they give us a "buy out" price which is whatever they decide to give you. We gave up fighting with them and paid the difference.

Our 2nd issue came last year when we had a drain in the basement backing up. They had snaked that drain several times in the past with no problems but this time their snake got caught. They put a camera in the line and determined there was a leak. They dug a hole in the concrete floor to fix it and our contract only allows for the pipe fix but not the concrete. We couldn't argue that because the contract says that, but I feel this is not a good business practice and they should have to fix both.

Our latest situation was a leak in the ceiling in our basement bathroom around June of 2022 which was from the toilet upstairs. The contractor tried to fix it a couple of times through the hole from the light fixture but were not successful. Inevitably they had to cut a hole in our ceiling and replace the entire pipe. We checked our contract and it says they pay up to $500 to fix the ceiling in such cases. The contractor that fixed the pipe offered to fix the ceiling because his employees knew how to do so but AHS would not allow them because they are only contracted for plumbing and electrical. They said they would get someone that was contracted for such things to fix the ceiling. We kept waiting and contacting AHS and all they said was that they were working on it. Finally, my husband got furious and was on the phone with them for quite a while. They ended up telling him that they do not have someone contracted in our area to do such things so they would give us a "buy out" amount of $100. First of all, it isn't our fault they don't have someone contracted and $100 would not cover the charges. We kept fight with them and got nowhere. They wouldn't even give us the $100 until we got it fixed and sent them the bill. This was around December of 2022 and in the meantime, we had a hole in our ceiling with a can light hanging down. I finally got a relative to fix it the best he could for $170. I submitted the bill and they did pay the $170 but we should have been able to hire a contractor for up to $500.

On 2/4/23 I called AHS regarding our washing machine that is covered under our Platinum Policy. The washing machine is not turning properly and it is making a terrible screaching sound.

A repair tech came out on 2/9/23 from Affordable Appliance and told us our machine needed a new gear case. He said it would take about 2 weeks to get the new part and that he would file his report by that afternoon.

Fast forward to today 2/27/23. We are still waiting to hear from AHS regarding this.

On 2/21/23, I received an email from AHS, entitled, Dispatch [protected] saying our repair had been approved and to contact the repair company. I contacted the repair company and they told me that AHS had denied the claim and closed the case.

I called AHS and was told that is not true. That the repair company had not yet filed a report with them. Today, a Supervisor, AJ, called from AHS to tell me she was following up on this and would get back to us as soon as she heard anything. AJ called on 2/22/23 and told me the same thing and said the repair company is not responding.

On 2/22/23 I called the Authorization Department and they told me they were contacting Contractors Relations Team and would follow up. So far, nothing has been resolved.

I am confused why was I sent an email from AHS on 2/21/23 saying our claim had been approved (I have the email) and now we are getting a complete run around?

We paid for a 1 year Platinum Plan in good faith to cover our appliances. The only thing we have received so far are lies and a huge run around. Obviously, we will never waste our money on another plan with AHS.

We are retired college professors living on a fixed income and can't afford to run out and buy a new washing machine or waster our money as I recall about $865 for a policy that is absolutely worthless.

I filed a service request for my dishwasher in November. AHS sent out a vendor, after multiple visits and replacing some parts it was still broken. They sent a second vendor that was not capable of fixing this brand of dishwasher. They sent a third vendor that came out and replaced parts 2 different times to no avail. They then required a "senior" specialist to come out. The dishwasher is still broken and they are refusing to replace it. This has been going on for 4 months at this point.

My washer broke on January 23, 2023. I contacted AHS the following day, January 24, 2023.

The gave me a dispatch I.D. number and connected me with a local repair shop called, United Appliance Services LLC. I made an appointment with them, but needed to cancel. I did so the day before the appointment. We made an appointment for the following day and the technician called to say he was on his way. They give you a 4-5 hour window as a time frame for them to show. After he called I realized I needed to leave and would not be able to keep the appointment. I tried calling him back to cancel, but he did not answer. I then sent him a text on his phone. When he came to my door, I told him that I needed to leave and could not keep the appointment. I asked if he could go to his next appointment and return later that afternoon. He said no and told me to call the office to reschedule. Later that day, I received an email from United Appliance Services LLC telling me that they did not want to service my washer and that they had no afternoon appointments available. They instructed me to call American Home Shield and request a new service company.

I called AHS and they issued a new service request and set me up with a company called, All Desert Appliance dba A.D.A. Repair. I called ADA and requested service, giving them the new dispatch I.D. They said they could not service me for a whole week (7 days). They also said that because the service request was a transfer from another repair company that they could not send out a service technician, but would need to do a video chat. Again, the time frame for this appointment was a 5 hour window (8 am - 1 pm). I asked why it would take a week for this to happen and why since the appointment was so far out, why couldn't i get a specific time. She became belligerent and told me to take it or leave it. She could and would not give me a specific time for the call. I made the appointment and then immediately called AHS.

Now, every time I call AHS, the representatives are very sweet and accommodating. I know they are just doing their job and most of the time reading from a script the proper response to give. They are based in the Philippines and though English is not their first language do an excellent job of communicating.

ADA did make the video chat call. I showed the technician everything that he asked to see via video chat. At the end, he wanted to know the model number and serial number of my machine. He took a screen shot of it and said that the company would get back to me after they received approval from AHS. I told him that I had been very happy with my machine and that it had served me well for 22 years. He then said the machine was too old to repair.

I waited several days to hear from either AHS or the repair shop, before receiving a text from the repair shop stating that they had submitted their conclusions to AHS (2/1 & 2/2). Several more days went by and on 2/5/23, I called AHS myself.

I have continued to call AHS over the last 3 weeks. At one point, they told me that ADA had closed the dispatch order on 2/5 with no resolution. AHS then reopened the order on 2/8 and told me I would receive a call or email from ADA within 4 hours. I never received a call. I called AHS on 2/9 and spoke with a lady named, Chris. She also told me that I would receive a call with 4 hours. No call was received. Chris did call me back 7 hours later to follow up on our previous call. On 2/13 I called AHS and spoke with a young man named, Ace. He told me he was reopening the case and I would receive a call from ADA in 24-48 hours. No call was ever received. on 2/15, I called AHS and spoke with Ryan. He sent and urgent email to ADA to call me for service and promised a response within 4 hours. I never received a call. On 2/16 I called AHS and spoke with Angel. She gave me the same runaround as the others. I asked to speak with a person with more authority. She connected me with a lady named, Lolita in the escalation department. I was on and off the phone with her for more than an hour. She was trying to get a response from ADA. She finally returned and said that she was able to speak with a technician and that ADA would be calling me to schedule an appointment. Once again, no call was ever received.

I called AHS again on 2/18 and spoke with a lady named, Beth. There were roosters crowing in the background. She reissued a new dispatch order I.D. #[protected] and told me that ADA would be calling me to make an appointment. It has been 4 days since that call and I have yet to receive a call from the repair shop to schedule an appointment.

I am going to call AHS again today. This has been totally frustrating. I am at my ends rope with these people.

We filed a claim on January 23, 2023 for our Fridge. It no longer was cooling or freezing. It is only 5 years old. We were told someone would be there within 48 hours and would call us. NO one called as always. I had to call AHS again, and then get told a company named Three rivers will call us and they scheduled an apt for January 28th. Well, the guy never showed and only called asking for my model number. We waited another two weeks, nothing. I called on Feb 9th, and got put on hold again. Then they came back, said call back tomorrow as the company was unavailable. I called back the next day and all of a sudden parts were just ordered on Feb 10 and told to call back on Monday Feb 13. So I called back Monday, oh they are still waiting for parts. We waited another week, called again, only to be told they are still waiting on a part. Now the guy was never here to even see it, so How he is ordering parts I don’t know. We bought a new fridge and NOW they won't fix my old one. It’s Feb 21! Still NO parts or calls! I have complained and complained and told them I had no other fridge, they didn’t care. They just read from a script! Didn’t offer me anything. Now I had a fridge in my basement I have to get rid of and a 2000 credit bill to pay!

I have spoken to American Home Shield at least 26 times over the past 6 weeks in an effort to schedule installation of a new furnace.

American Home Shield's contractor scheduled installation with me today, but was unable to follow through because (AHS) did not have the correct furance available for pick up. AHS is unable to confirm pick up date of the correct furnace parts for its contractor to install it.

I repeatedly requested to speak with a Manager, but none have called me yet. They continously put me on hold and create Escalation Tickets, which are never followed up on.

I only want resolution, which remains elusive. AHS has wasted too much of my time, and I need help.

February 14 2023

Good Day

My name is Alif Kashif, I am the installation coordinator for Washington Home Doctors inc./hotwaterexpress.com. We are water heater specialist’ serving Washington DC, Northern Virginia and the Maryland communities for close to forty years.

We are licensed, bonded, insured, gas and pipe fitters that consistently receive 4 & 5-star reviews from our clients. We are a nimble organization with the resources and drive to provide exceptional customer service to our clients.

What to expect from Washington Home Doctors:

 Same Day Service

 Trucks stocked with parts and tools to get the job done

 Technicians with professional appearance and behaviors

 Inspection ready installation results

 Transparent communication with all parties involved

We have submitted the documentation to become a service provider for American Home Shield.

I am aware that this may not be the correct avenue for the contractors' network; however, we have yet to get a response for numerous messages left to the “area managers”. We are confident that we can provide the level of response with exceptional service American Home Shield customer deserve and expect.

Alif Kashif

Sales Director

Hotwaterexpress.com a division of

Washington Home Doctors inc.

[protected]

I placed a service request with American Home shield about my cooktop beginning January. After 3 different technicians it was determined my cooktop needed to be replaced and covered by the warranty. The cooktop was ordered and when installer arrived he indicated a plummer needed to come out to fix "valve" at cooktop area. Another 125 dollars was spent for plummer to come out and he said "valve" didn't need to be replaced. Ive got the run around for last 2 weeks and cooktop is still not fixed... no one from this company is helping

On January 13,2023, I placed a service request in with AHS to have my ceiling fans looked at. One in The light on both of my fans started to not operate correctly. When you turn on the wall switch they come on dim then get bright then dims and gets bright. the company sent out one contractor and the man was in my house for five minutes and stated that it was just a light bulb. He didn't even touch the fan. That caused AHS to deny my repair so I disputed the results and AHS agreed to send another contractor out. When they did that contractor came out on the 23rd and did a thorough inspection on the fan and the wiring and told me that the light kit on the fan needed to be replaced. He also stated that because the fans were the age they were, the light kit would probably cost just as much as the fan so he is going to recommend a replacement. I told him that they need exactly what's wrong with the fan. When Ahs recieved the report they said that because the contractor said it was not a mechanical failure then they are not responsible to fix the fan. however, my contract states that ALL components of my fan are covered and that. any malfunction of the covered item resulting from the terms outlined in my contract will be covered. AHS keeps giving me the run around stating that they have to call the contractor back and the contractor even said that they sent them a video diagnosing what the problem was and AHS stated they don't have a video. I am getting nowhere with them and I had my contract sitting right in front of me when I spoke to the rep today and she kept putting me on long holds and telling me that it was no one to talk to about the matter except her. it is now February 7, 2023 and I have yet to get anything resolved. If it is this difficult to have 2 ceiling fans fixed that is clearly stated that they are covered then how hard is it going to be to have a larger appliance fixed. I don't know who to contact form here but I will be pursuing this until I can get this matter resolved. It is not fair to pay money to a company every month and think that you can rely on them but hen when you need them they don not want to do what they are supposed to do. My ceiling fan is the source of light for both of my rooms and I have had to put lamps in them to compensate for not being able to use my fans. I have explained that I do not want a new fan, I just want them to fix what they are supposed to fix.

I placed a service call with AHS on January 30, 2023 for my sump pump, The technician came out and said the sump pump had to be replaced and he would have to get authorization to have it done. This is the same sump pump that was replaced six years ago by AHS and nothing has changed. this time around AHS has Denied the request because they don’t cover sump pumps when it clearly says in my contract that it does. 8HS says I can get a second opinion from the same company for an additional $75 service