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American Home Shield Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.7 / 5 (Excellent)
4,138 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
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American Home Shield is a Tennessee-based company founded in 1971 to provide coverage on home appliances and systems in the United States through its network of home service professionals.

The company offers service contracts that cover the repair or replacement of major components of home systems and appliances. Customers can also purchase optional coverage for pools and spas, guest houses, home electronic systems, roof leaks, maintenance services, and more.

How Do We Rate American Home Shield?

Breakdown

4.8/5
Transparency
4.8/5
Claims Processing
4.7/5
Coverage Options
4.7/5
Additional Benefits
4.7/5
Customer Experience

Our Overall Rating: 4.7 / 5 (Excellent)

American Home Shield's coverage is among the most comprehensive we've seen in the industry. The company covers considerably more appliances and systems than its competitors and has fewer coverage limitations.

The company recently updated its plans—they now have three to simplify choosing the right one for your home. American Home Shield focuses on the repairs that offer the most value to consumers, removing items that are inexpensive to replace, increasing its coverage limits on appliances in its most expensive plan to reflect today's higher-priced, "gourmet" appliances, and adding roof leak coverage.

Coverage

Key Facts

Plan Types
Systems
Appliances
Combo Plan
Benefit Limit Type
Per Item
Typical Appliance Benefit Limit
$3,000
Typical Systems Benefit Limit
$0

Coverage Options - 4.7 / 5

American Home Shield offers consumers a choice of three plans, following a good-better-best model. Its ShieldSilver plan warrants systems only, but can be amended with certain add-ons, including pools, electronics, and guest houses. Its ShieldGold plan covers a range of systems and appliances, again with add-on options. Its ShieldPlatinum plan covers everything in the ShieldGold plan, plus roof leaks up to $1500 and some routine maintenance services. These include free HVAC tune-ups, unlimited top ups on your AC refrigerant, coverage for code violations including permits.

All told, American Home Shield covers 23 systems and appliances, considerably more than most of their competitors, and fully covers 11 of those items. There is no limit on the number of claims a customer can file over the year’s contract, either.

What does American Home Shield cover?

Covered Built-In Systems

  • Air Conditioning
  • Heating
  • Electrical
  • Plumbing
  • Water Heater
  • Instant Hot/Cold Water Dispenser
  • Doorbells
  • Ceiling Fans

Covered Appliances

  • Refrigerators
  • Dishwashers
  • Clothes Dryers
  • Clothes Washers
  • Ranges/Ovens/Cooktops
  • Built-in Microwaves
  • Freestanding Ice Makers
  • Built-In Trash Compactors
  • Garage Door Openers
  • Built-in Food Centers

Exclusions

For a full list of American Home Shield exclusions, check out this page.

Specialty Items

  • Guest Unit
  • Pool/Spa
  • Well Pump
  • Septic
  • Roof Leaks

Contract & Price

Contract Details

Annual Premium
Starting at $0
Minimum Contract Length
12 month(s)
Home Inspection Required for Contract?
No
Online Quote/Application

Contract & Price - 5 / 5

American Home Shield has a flexible pricing policy and offers three different coverage plans and two trade service call fee levels: $100 and $125.

This allows consumers to have input into the annual price based on their budgetary needs.

We requested a quote for a single family home under 5,000 square feet located in a medium-sized midwestern city. The minimum annual premium (Shield Silver Plan) was $59.99 per month. The maximum premium (Shield Platinum Plan) was $109.99. So AHS prices are somewhat higher than many competitive plans. Consumers should note that their final price will vary by plan, service call charge selected, and location.

Sample Contract

American Home Shield provides a sample contract for potential customers on its website: American Home Shield Sample Contract

Cancellation Policy

Customers can cancel anytime within their 30 day wait period and receive a full refund, and can cancel anytime during the contract term, as this is a non-binding contract.

Claims & Service

Claims

Service Fee
$100 and $125
Maintenance Records Required for Service?
No
24/7 Claims Department?
Waiting Period
30 days

Contractors & Service

Contractor Selection
In-Network Only
Contractor Network Size
14,000+ contractors
Number of Technicians
45,000 technicians
Service Recall Period
30 days

Claims Processing - 4.8 / 5

Consumers can submit a service request online 24/7/365. American Home Security does not require an inspection prior to purchase.

The company has a large network of service professionals and offers a 30-day workmanship guarantee on their services.

American Home Shield Reputation

Company Details

Year Founded
1971
NHSCA Membership
Number of Customers
1.7 million
Number of Employees
1,700
TrustPilot Rating
2.1 out of 5
BBB Rating
B
BBB Positive Reviews
392
BBB Neutral Reviews
50
BBB Negative Reviews
1,874
Date Collected
2023-07-24

Reputation - 5 / 5

American Home Shield has been in business since 1971, making it the oldest player in the industry. It has over 1.7 million customers.

In 1989, the company was acquired by ServiceMaster, an established firm that also owns Terminix and Merry Maids.

American Home Shield is accredited by the BBB and has a B rating. In this industry, negative customer reviews far outnumber positive ones.

Contact & Additional Information

Homepage URL
Company Phone
(888) 429-8247
Headquarters Address
150 Peabody Place, Memphis, TN, 38103
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 849, Carroll, IA, 51401
Year Founded
1971

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4138 Customer Comments & Reviews

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Natasha D
7/24/2018
I’m am very disappointed with AHS. I have been having the same issue since May 2018 and every time I call in, the line get disconnected. I have requested multiple supervisor call backs and received NONE. They sent 3 different companies out and I have had 4 repeats issued against theses contractors and my refrigerator is still leaking. This is bad business and they do not provide the level of service they advertise


S
Sonny N
7/24/2018
not a good company at all ---- stall stall stall on fixing AC so you have no choice but to fix outside of warranty. Stay away


Mark B
7/24/2018
I’m afraid AHS is not what they used to be. Purchasing a home warranty for a property up for sale turned into such a hassle we had to cancel the contract. Company at first, refused to bill in a yearly installment. After a 2 hour call confirming that they could in fact do a yearly bill, they then refused to send said bill so we could tranfer the funds into our banking account. Each customer service rep we spoke to read from a script and would not deviate from the script without putting us on hold for long periods while they tried to figure out what to say next. I hate to think what getting service from them now would be like.


O
olgazavi
7/23/2018
1 star is too much for this review. My AC broke on July 3rd... today is July 23rd they still did not fix AC. Horrible customer service, I had to pay $3500 for the compressor because they said they don't cover it. What is the purpose of the warranty when you have to pay even more than it cost..... and 3 weeks later they still did not come to fix it. They outsource to contractors that you cannot reach, their mailbox is always full and they don't show up for appointments 5 times now, only promising that they will call, but they never do . Stay away from the company.


M
Mary
7/23/2018
This company has the worst customer service they I have ever experienced. My A/C had been out for a week, I’ve called every day and still do not have a contractor scheduled to come look at it. Each time I call AHS, I get the same run around from each representative. I have told all my friends and any realtors that I know to stay away. It’s a scam.


A
AARON
7/21/2018
Absolutely the worst customer service experience of my life. STAY AWAY FROM AHS!


E
Eric
7/19/2018
How on Earth is this company rated so high on this website? The only thing I can I can figure is they paid this site off to give them a good rating. This company is an absolute scam! They actually don't repair anything. They wear you down until you have no other option then to do it yourself or call a real company to get something fixed. When you finally get through to someone expect your hold time to be at lest a half hour, and also expect nothing to get resolved. It is absolutely amazing how this company could consider itself anything but a scam!


S
saslam
7/18/2018
Extremely unreliable and unprofessional network of contractors. I live in NJ suburb and they assigned a provider 50 miles down who was a no show after 48 hours of service request. 2 contractors never bothered calling me to schedule appointment, I left several messages. The customer service has a long call hold time. Spoke to 3 service reps within 6 days who continued to change the non-professional contractors on me and the waiting clock starts all over each time a new contractor is assigned. After 6 days of misery and without having any repair done on air conditioner, I cancelled my two policies with them.


D
Dude
7/17/2018
AHS is the worst company. I have gone 5 days without water!!!!


Arian A
7/17/2018
AHS is NOT a good company. The sales reps have no clue on what they are selling or trying to fix. I was on the phone for 2 hours today about a repair only to find out online that they don't even cover it anymore! Not one person at the company told me that. WTF! They use the worst companies also to "try" to fix the problem. It has been more of a pain in a#$ then its worth.



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  • No Age Limits on Covered Systems & Appliances
  • No Inspections or Records Required