American Home Shield - Page 4

JAMUL, CALIFORNIA -- I was a customer of American Home Shield for a couple years. Never really used their services until the AC stopped working. I called and did a service request. The next day 2 Russian guys in a Toyota Prius pulled up to fix my AC. I thought it was kind of funny how they got out and pulled out their little duffel bag of tools. When they entered my garage area I explain to them exactly what was going on and one of the guys says "oh it's a leak". I explained to him I don't think it's a leak. Waters is there because it's a hot day and there's condensation. I've seen it there before.

And it was something to do with the actual motor or Freon. He was adamant to explain that it was the leak and he wanted to fix it. After he spent 20 minutes replacing a small PVC part charge me my $75 service fee and he was on his way. AC never worked! I called back American Home Shield and they said they will send him back. After he came back a second time and twiddled his screwdrivers and scratched his head, he said it should work perfectly fine now. Of course it didn't and he was on his way and at this point I had to call American Home Shield again. Also it's 100° plus in our house and we have a new baby. With no AC it is stressing out me and my wife.

After American Home Shield realize that they could not send out a capable group that would be able to fix my AC they asked me to call a professional repair man and they would cover the costs. I went and found a very good company and very professional. When the new company came out the guy instantly went inside the AC unit and pulled out something called a solenoid. He replaced it with one in his van and also another so inside my compressor. AC worked perfect and charged me $230. Before you hire or get yourself into a contract with American Home Shield you should look at the problem and get a professional out there to fix it.

It will cost you way less than what American Home Shield will charge you per year. My yearly cost was about $500 and this guy fix my AC were $230. If I were to originally never go with American home Shield I would still have $270 in my pocket instead of home shields. Is actually horrible what they do and how they treat you. They're very nice when you sign the contract and I are complete jerks when you call them and have problems. Stay far and clear of this company!

DALLAS, TEXAS -- We have two AC units. One of them was out for several days and that was when it was around 100 degrees. We filed a claim with American Home Shield and the guy that came out from the AC company was really nice and seemed to be knowledgeable. He told us what our options were, one of which was to spend $1000-$1500 of which $600 was just Freon, which I think costs $80 each and AHS only covered $10 of it. That was upsetting, but then he also gave the option for us to install a whole new outdoor unit which would not use the traditional low Freon and we would spend $3500 for it.

We had to spend a lot more money, but now we have a new unit outside. I don't know whether AHS covered any of it, which they should, and how much of that would they cover. If they didn't cover all of it then I'd like to get the credit for the portion that they covered. Also, we ran into one problem when they sent out the new unit. They did not send the programmable thermostat, and the installer who came out happened to have one that he owns on his truck and he put that on for us. However, when he left, he didn't finish. He was here for a long time and it was 10:00 at night when he left and the AC wouldn't cut off.

He left some kind of a bypass code on there when he was testing it and forgot to take it off, so it stopped running. I called them again and he came out the next day, and he said that it had blown a fuse, not one of our house fuse, but a fuse within the AC unit and that's why it wasn't coming on. He informed me that for something like that I should have just called AHS instead of calling him back, which pissed me off because he installed it and he didn't do it right. Other than that, our experience with AHS has been okay.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE -- I have had 2 unbelievable experiences with American Home Shield. Both horrible. I will highlight them.

Current:
- I own a single family rental property.
- I pay $45 a month for “Protection”
- I have a $100 deductible

Water Heater
- Began leaking. Clearly why you have a home warranty
- AHS sent a company to replace.
- I was told that AHS only pays for the heater and replacement.
- The contractor said that there needed to be new fixtures put on and the total was $350 (plus the $100)
- My contract says

"5. WATER HEATERS
COVERED: All components and parts, including tankless water heaters and circulating pumps, except:
NOT COVERED: Auxiliary holding or storage tanks – Noise – Fuel storage tank and energy conservation unit."

• I had to get it replaced as it is my obligation to keep my tenants safe and the home in working order.
• I called the contractor and they said that was ridiculous and I should ask for a concession on the $350. The contractor even called AHS to tell them they should concede.
• No concession. 3 weeks later after many calls, "customer service" called and asked how the service was. I laid into them of course and they said if we conceded $250 and sent you a check, would you be satisfied. I said yes.
• Never saw the check, no notes in their system.

Air Conditioner
- Wasn't cooling so I order a service check up through AHS
- The contractor came over and said it just need 5 lbs of Refrigerant.
- I said great, how much?
- The going rate (I called around) is $80..... AHS pays only $10
- The service call was $75 so after my $100 deductible, AHS ends up paying $25.
- I paid $350 plus $100 plus $45 a month.

My concern
- People go to them to be protected for excessive charges.
- Their website says " It's a one-year service agreement that covers the repair or replacement of many major home system components and appliances that typically breakdown over time due to normal wear and tear."
- This is a classic bait and switch. The contract was so complicated that the regular homeowner doesn't know what they are getting into.
- I am not a Plumber, an HVAC tech, or an appliance expert. We rely on a warranty company to protect us. I DO NOT FEEL PROTECTED.

Over the past 6 years $3340 in monthly fees $200 in deductibles and $700 in additional "non covered" cost. I have used them twice.

I called them today and spent 30 minutes with them having them basically tell me that it is my fault for not reading the contract.

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA -- If you are approached by AHS. RUN as soon as you can. I like to state facts, so I will keep this one simple…

FACT 1: Dishwasher leaking and request placed online 3/21/2016
FACT 2: Technician from GE arrives, turns on nozzle. States nothing was wrong with the dishwasher.
FACT 3: Ran the dishwasher on 3/27/2016 leak turns into a flood
FACT 4: Placed another request over the phone 3/27/2016. I was told that a technician would not arrive until the follow week.
FACT 5: On 3/28/2016 kitchen is completely flooded – Service request ticket now placed in “escalation” status by AHS
FACT 6: Technician #2 from different vendor arrives 3/29/2016 says cost to repair to high, and the dishwasher should be replaced
FACT 7: Technician #2 turn nozzle on to dishwasher, cabinet and kitchen flooded again
FACT 8: Called American Home Shield 3/31/2016 they have not received any information from the technician
FACT 9: On 4/1/2016 given another number from AHS to call to order a new dishwasher. Was told while I was at work that MUST be home to provide them with the dimensions of the old dishwasher before they could order the new dishwasher. They stated that they could not use the dimension provided by the GE technician or the second vendor they sent out.
FACT 10: Measured dishwasher, and was told my dimensions were incorrect. My dimensions were sent to another department and someone would call me back at a late time.
FACT 11: Received a 4/4/2016 from a GE technician #2 that said he fixed my dishwasher LOL!!!!!!!!
FACT 12: Received a call from technician #2 on 4/4/2016 stating that they had a replacement but could not give me a date or time for the install
FACT 13: After several emails, several phone calls, and several days missed of work… my dishwasher was finally installed on 4//5/2016.

These are the steps AHS uses to repair your appliances. If you choose this company BEWARE!!! You will lose time from work, forced to make multiple phone calls, and send many emails before your issue is resolved. I have cancelled my contract after one month of using this company, and switched to another company. Like the saying goes… “Cheaper is not always better.”

DICKSON,TN -- Sat on hold for 109 minutes and finally got someone who told me I had to submit online!!! I have 3 year old son, a pregnant wife and 2 dogs in a house that the windows do not open and it's 95 outside!!! I submitted the request online and was told it will be Monday of next week before someone comes out and then they will have to get parts approved before they can repair -- we cannot wait that long -- never ever use this company -- they are rip off and liars.

I want my ac fixed now, not 3 weeks from now!!! I tried calling back and emailing and I have yet -- it's been 24 hours -- to receive a call or email back from them. I will have to hire my own ac guy to come and fix it, now tell the other guy to go jump. I am going to a lawyer tomorrow about all this. I want my money back.

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO -- I had AHS back in 1999 and cancelled because they kept giving me the runaround. Recently starting real estate investments, and a friend said that AHS has improved. THEY HAVE NOT! I was told that I could call back anytime if I had questions, or to cancel before March 3. After several calls at different times of day, each which I was on hold for more than 15 minutes and still no answer, I sent AHS an email to cancel my account. No response. Received a welcome email, so I called again, and was on hold for more than 20 minutes before they answered. They said they would cancel the account, and said nothing more. A week later, I received another email, called again, and this time the hold was only 10 minutes, but found that they had not cancelled the account. Waited on the phone until the person went through my account and cancelled each of the 3 properties. He said that everything was cancelled, but that their Retention Dept would call the next morning. A week and a half goes by, and no call/voice mail, then late on a Friday afternoon, they call MY WIFE and tell her that "the account isn't really cancelled until I speak with the Retention Department." Called this morning (following Monday), waited on hold for 39 minutes, and finally someone answers that talks slower than I have ever heard, and is still unclear. He didn't ask me WHY I am cancelling, just wanted to confirm my telephone number, email address, and property address, and read a statement that a cancelled account cannot be reinstated. Unless you enjoy wasting your time, I recommend that you NOT enter into an agreement with AHS. As far as I'm concerned, AHS owes me payment for 2 hours of my time.

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 websites 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. Good luck.

BRADENTON, FLORIDA -- We attempted to use the warranty that was included with our new home purchase. On hold for 1 hour... yes, 1 hour... on a Sunday to get help with a plumbing problem. My husband finally got through, and they told us their contracted plumber would be calling us tomorrow in the morning, for an appointment that day. By 11 AM, and no call, I called the plumber myself. They never received a work order from AHS. Called AHS. On hold for over an hour on a Monday. Finally got through, and the representative hung up on me while she went to check. This is absolutely ridiculous. Very Incapable.

TENNESSEE -- This is the worst experience I have ever had with a company. It took 3 weeks to get someone out to my home to look at my AC from American Home Shield. As I had a 2 week old baby who couldn't regulate his temp by sweating I was very concerned about heat stroke. No one did anything until I had two estimates to fix (my cost). After that they requested that their own techs come out. A to Z plumbing came out. They estimated 1/4 the cost to replace the coil (covered by program) and 4x the amount to refill with R22 (not covered under the program). If this seems dishonest to you, you are not the only one.

I have now replace the first AC unit myself. I have requested that a manager give me a call 6 times and have never received a call back. On an estimated $2,000 repair they are offering a $400 cash out. I have had to call over 30 times to the company and been on hold for 20+ hours. They have repeated said they will email me with details on how to submit the cost of the first replaced AC unit but never have. They will say that they will do something to get you off of the phone but never follow through.

Besides the fact that they don't cover most items under the excuse that "it was not properly maintained", I had a leak in my rental property's A/C. The first two visits at $100 copay did not fix the problem. YES the same problem. The third time a third company came. Fixed the problem (at least for now, it's been 17 days). The total bill was $75 and they demanded a check which my property manager wrote. I got a bill for $100!!! from the company.

Now I'm told that I need to pay the $25 dollar balance!!! (as a courtesy only $25!!!) So you get the privilege of giving money to these crooks for "insurance" and then pay $100 for a service that costs $75. That's on top of the other incompetent repairs. WHAT A SCAM!!! What a waste of money!!