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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.
 
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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
https://www.ahs.com/
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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J
Jessica
9/25/2017
Way worth the money! Especially if you buy a house, there is no telling what might go wrong within the first year. Thanks to American Home Shield, I have been able to save approximately $1k dollars this year so far this year. It is differently worth the money rather than something going wrong and spending thousands of dollars. I have been lucky with who had to fix my plumbing and A/C-- both had a lot of experience. I had a plumber at my house from 8am- around 1:30pm, and only had to pay $100 on top of the warranty. It was easy to sign-up and it has been easy to make payments to the second party. I have paid cash in person and the other I had to pay with CC on the website. AHS... Read More

I
Israel
9/25/2017
This is by far the WORST Home warranty company I have had the pleasure of dealing with. At least with this one I do not get connected to a call center in India... I have an Issue with the A.C. in my home, going on 9 days now and the A.C. is still not fixed. You can't talk to anyone at least for over an hour after being on hold, the automated system is even worse, sends you notifications that are inaccurate. The contractors they use are untrustworthy and don't show up or show up without notifying you when they will be out and then say you were not available. BUYER BEWARE!!!! Do not buy a home warranty from this company, do your research....

Angela J
9/25/2017
Wonderful service provided by AHS. They are efficient very responsive and dependable. I will keep this service on any home I purchase.

J
Jessica
9/25/2017
Excellent services and quality. I recommend it to everyone.

Dawn K
9/25/2017
Thank you for my previous claim being fixed by Island Breeze heating and cooling.

A
Abbey
9/25/2017
Our air conditioner went out in the middle of August in Oklahoma. Needless to say, our house was extremely HOT. We filed a claim on a Thursday and were told that the earliest someone could be out would be the coming Monday. I called AHS and was on hold for at least 40 minutes each time I called (due to a high call volume) and when I got in touch with them, I was told there was nothing they could do to speed up the process. My husband and I could not live in our home because it was 92 degrees INSIDE the house. We were forced to rent a hotel room for the first 4 nights using our own funds. When the A/C company finally came out to our house, he told us it was our compressor and they would be... Read More

Tyler C
9/25/2017
Very easy process and handled quickly.

Jennifer K
9/25/2017
They send out companies that give very poor customer service. Takes more than one dispatch to get your service even set up.

R
RazvanS
9/25/2017
Several issues with my personal experience with AHS: 1. Lots of small print: if not read from the beginning you're left with large out of pocket expenses 2. Contractors/companies used are low-quality creating need for same issue to be re-done over and over. Sometimes they will come and go refusing to do anything (can't fix a sink leak because the water line is hooked directly into the bottom of the faucet!) 3. Beware of 50% increase in contract cost after the first year

D
Donna M
9/25/2017
The company is slow, when you call for an update, the waits are over an hour. You can't find anyone to help. If you like dealing with the US Post Office, you will LOVE AHS. I don't know who rates these companies.

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Limited Time Offer: $150 OFF All Plans*

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