American Home Shield Escalation avenues?

I've had American Home Shield for close to 10 years, and I've loved them until now. It always takes a bit longer for repairs, and I'm ok with this, as it's a price I'll pay as long as it's fixed.

Our a/c went out. Initial claim on 7/4. That contractor didn't like how hot our attic was to do the repair, so AHS assigned someone else on 7/9. That company came out 7/10 and said they had to order a new motor, and that they'd schedule a follow up. AHS closed the case before it was ever fixed

I called AHS multiple times to get it reopened (they kept saying it wasn't closed on their end), then AHS finally reopened it when I had the gal look at it while I was on the phone with her, and she confirmed it showed as closed. T
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AftertAfter re-openingsre-opening it,again they assigned the second contractor again (which was fine, we just wanted to ensure the case was still live.)

It's now 7/27, 3+ weeks and counting, and still no a/c and no hint of a repair-by date, and it's over 100 degree weather. (And AHS and the contractor both seem less than interested in helping. I'm thinking/worried they don't plan to fix it, but don't want to flat out say this, instead hoping we'll just give up versus them admitting they're not going to fix it )

I hate paying out of pocket when we have a warranty, but I also am wondering if the cost was more than AHS wanted, so they're hoping we just go away.

AHS has done well by us for years, so if we have to chalk it up to "they no longer want to cover us/honor the contract" I'd rather just know so that I can move on.

Has anyone had escalation avenues with AHS that have worked? I've done multiple calls (all 40+ minutes on hold time) and they don't have an email address.

I'd like to give it one more try, but I also don't want to be in limbo without AC for the rest of the summer. (They've done enough repairs over the years I'm not interest in suing, I just want to know when to cut my losses.)

And I know I can get an outside vendor pre-approved, but at this point, I am not trusting AHS would honor that either, as the last gal I spoke to said twice that "management was aware of the situation". It sounds like it's not just a customer service agent, it sounds like AHS MGT is aware and just doesn't care. (And yes, I've been nice every-time. I know it's not the customer service rep's fault.)

Sorry for the boring/annoying thread. I just always get such good advice from VMB its worth asking!

 

Being a customer service representative myself, I will say that it might be time to ratchet up the anger factor. Were I in your shoes, the next time I called I would be sure to do so during normal business hours, and I would not get off the phone until speaking with a supervisor or manager who can provide some further insight into what's going on. Be polite but firm, explaining that you've called many times and it's time for someone to explain exactly what the holdup is. Making threats like litigation probably won't get you anywhere with the people in the call center, but if the issue gets escalated higher, it might.

I would also see if you have a copy of the full contract to which you and the company agreed. I have to figure they have some sort of grievance process spelled out.

 

Keep records, notes, dates, who did what, etc. and try to have things in writing if possible.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, open complaints out there hurts them and will apply some pressure.

 

I'd keep escalating it to higher ups. If no one complies with your reasonable demands, inform you'll be suing them for breach of contact.

When the lawyers are done they'll be out a lot more than the cost of an AC unit.

 

Just random thoughts. No experience with AHS.

The home warranty contract business is probably regulated by the department of insurance (DOI) in your state. If yes, insurers get spooked when you drop the words “bad faith” a few times in the conversation. It’s a thinly veiled threat that you are going to sue or file a complaint with the DOI.

For auto accident settlements in the past (I’m old so I’ve had a couple), I have told them that they weren’t dealing with me in “good faith” and magically their settlement offers rose to an acceptable level. At a minimum they will transfer your call to a more seasoned employee who may work with you on an agreeable solution.

What makes this different is I’m not sure if the DOI employees are back at work; thus, putting a damper on your threat.

 

I see the commercials for this service ( AHS) all the time. If you don't mind sharing, what is the yearly cost of a policy? Does it go by age of house, size of house, etc?

One of the main reasons for getting a service policy such as this is for the big expense items such as A/C, main sewer line replacement, etc.

 

Actually curious on cost also. When we switch from our 36 year old Kenmores to new appliances next year, I know the new will be nowhere near the quality of the old ones. So I’ve been considering this also.

 

@VegasBJ and @jgates8 ...I pay about $50 a month. I've had them for 10 years, and they've been amazing. For a new customer, I think you'll be in great hands. (I've tried others they've been the best.)

I first had them in a townhouse. I paid about $40 a month. Our house is twice as big, and we only pay $8 more ($50 a month). Just make sure to look at add-ons. A fridge is not part of their standard package, but is only like $12 more a year. Despite my current situation, I strongly recommend AHS.

In fairness to them, we have a new house, but its had a lot of repairs. I think we fell into the "non profitable" range for them, which I totally get. This is also why I dont want to cause a huge stink. We've definitely gotten our money's worth with them.

It just sucks because if they ARE going to cover it, we dont want to walk away from that and pay out of pocket. If they're not though, I just want to know, so that we can get it repaired on our own, as I'd hate to go weeks more without ac to find out we have to pay on our own anyways.

All others, GREAT advice, and I am keeping notes on dates, and took screenshots of the service requests they listed as "completed."

I DO escalate (and escalate well usually!) when someone doesn't honor the contract, and I feel we're in the red on service. But in this case, they've repaired enough, that I can see them walking away from us. It just would have been nice had they not let us extend versus keeping us on but just playing possum.

I'll give it a few more weeks, then we will do a final reachout about possibly getting a third party vendor and getting reimbursed. (I know I have to get the bid pre-approved before work is done.) At that point, we'd be looking to just pay out of pocket anyways, so at least we have a shot at reimbursement.

So, I might be the guy that is kicked out of the all-you-can-eat buffet for eating too much, but for new customers? I'd still absolutely recommend them. It took a good ten years for them to go south on us, and they've been great until now!

 

The thing is, they don't get to just walk away. They have a contract with you, and if this falls under the contract, they need to perform. You're probably right about them hoping you'll just give up, take care of the repair yourself, and not renew the contract. Don't feel bad about the fact that they've paid out more than you paid in. That's how insurance works. For every one of you, they probably have five policyholders that never make a claim. It doesn't sound like you've abused the coverage, it's just the way things have fallen. Get this fixed, then move on at the end of this policy period.

 

We had AHS for a few years when we first bought our house decades ago. I don't think they're trying to get you to go away. On two occasions our repair order just slipped through the cracks...like it appears yours did. Both were after they sent someone to evaluate the problem and then they dropped the ball. I think AHS didn't get the right paperwork from the people who evaluated the problem. In both cases it took some persistence to get through to a manager who had the authority to make something happen, but in both cases they made it right.

 

We also had AHS when we first bought our home. A few months into it, the washer broke and they declined our claim. We got our real estate agent involved and VOILA! a new clothes washer appeared fully covered. The RE agents are their best salespeople so seem to have a lot of pull, at least mine did.

 

Never buy warranties...Consumer Reports.

 

I second the recommendation of filing a complaint against them with bbb.com

State only the facts including policy numbers, copies of receipts, emails, dates/times of calls etc..
State your desired outcome clearly.
BE PERSISTENT.

My most recent success was with Asurion.
(3rd party warranty company.)
I even received a separate check via overnight fedex for the state sales tax and a 10% penalty!
It pays to read the fine print!
(I had the extra time to be persistent - Covid!)

Many of these companies deny and delay thinking that people will just give up.
Most of these companies WILL resolve cases/complaints filed with the BBB
Most of these warranty/insurance companies have compliance departments/agents to handle BBB.com complaints.

 

$50x12monthsx10years=$6000
You've paid them a lot, don't let them off the hook.

 

Uncle! Uncle! I am grinning, and great points all. I was feeling guilty about all the claims, but that's a great point on some people pay, and never claim, and that's the insurance/warranty business. And they could have shut down my contract but chose not to, instead wanting me to make payments. (And charging my $100 service fee).

So, I'll give it longer, as 3 weeks is annoying, but not proof they're not fixing it. I'll follow up a few more times (documenting everything), then will do the BBB route if I still can't get traction. I've documented times, dates, details etc. And have screen shots. I had to do this with eBay years ago, and it DOES work to get things resolved.

I just hate having to do this, but you're right, if I do nothing, it's basically encouraging bad behavior. Fingers crossed they magically fix it and I dont have to do this, andcrhank you all for the stellar advice.

Hey, who needs Vegas trip reports when you can read about someone whining about home warranty programs? It doesn't get more interesting than my threads!

 

I used to think the same thing until we started to replace some appliances recently. I bought a Kenmore French Door refrigerator that was made by Frigidaire/Emerson and after 5 years it’s a piece of junk with plastic trim parts cracking and problems with an ice maker due to a flawed design.

Thanks to consolidation of the industry and competition from overseas manufacturers, new appliances are not as well built as they used to be. Damn, writing that officially makes me feel like my father.

 

Nope. I cancelled them when they refused to replace (or repair) my busted dishwasher, claiming that my configuration (no air-vent) wasn't compliant with city code restrictions (I live in an unincorporated area of my county).
I tried (in vain) to get them to realize that the specific code they were balking at was not applicable where I live.
They flat out told me that they didn't care - it would neither be replaced, nor repaired.

They did, however, replace my A/C unit when it had gone out... took about a week, and I had to pay extra for 'haul-off' of the old unit, plus freon disposal.

Anyway, after cancelling, I set up a separate savings account for 'home repairs', and I auto deposit what had been my monthly AHS fee.

 

@topcard - the savings account for home repairs is exactly what I do now too!
Just $20 a week but it gives me peace of mind.

Buying through Sam's Club can give you free installation/haul away and a second year of manufacturer warranty (including parts& accessories).
Other places might offer better or similar.

I will still read the fine print of the manufacturer warranties though!

 

fyi update. A/C finally fixed as of today, woo-hoo! I'd still recommend AHS to new people, despite a bad experience. We've probably paid 6k over the last 8 years but probably saved double that or more.

For us though, we will probably be trying a new one when contract is up. I expect delays with discounted services, but AHS marked this as "fixed" 3 times, which is why it took over a month. Add no email address and no escalation points outside BBB, and 45 minute hold times, I think it might be time to try a new one.

Now, I would consider going back to AHS down the road, "devil you know" and all. But, just like Vegas casinos that are irritating you, we won't burn a bridge, but will probsbly compare service elsewhere. Delays we can handle, but their communication/concern was night and day to what we've had from them in the past. Sometimes its good to try something new if an old haunt is giving you more grief than pleasure.

Again, thank you SOOOO much everyone. Your moral support was a HUGE help in our 100+ degree no A/C weather.

All this proves....I have always loved history and thought it would be fun to go back in time.

Now?

Heck no, I'll stay in this time. I like my a/c, dishwasher, plumbing, flat screen TV and all the comforts that we sometimes forget about. So in a weird way, this incident was good, as it made me focus on the comforts we sometimes take for granted!

(Over and out. Instead of "mic drop"....I just did my "soapbox drop"! )

 

Did you at least have window units or anything to cool the house down? There's no way I'm surviving 85+ without air conditioning. That warranty company would be looking at a substantial hotel bill!