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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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T
Tatsiana
8/21/2021
Its disgraceful that AHS did not honor its written policy to provide coverage as written in it's platinum contract. AHS violated federal law by twisting the words written my by a repair person Subject Heading, which was “detectable by visual inspection” INTO the policy denial words of “detectable pre-existing condition”. I highly recommend the US Consumer Protection Agency take this matter into consideration. Additionally, It does not matter how long a customer has a policy, when claiming damage. It is illegal for a home insurance company to not fulfill its obligation to a policy they wrote.


italianbrownsugar
8/21/2021
Very Profesional on the call the servicing fee reasonable and the job was done to success thank you.


Shirley H
8/20/2021
They are always there for us. We have our appliances with them as well. This has saved us a lot of money.


B
Bill M
8/19/2021
The language skills of your phone representative made it very difficult for me to successfully communicate my problem. I am hard of hearing but use my hearing aids constantly. The young lady with whom I spoke had to slowly enunciate for me to understand. I suspect you are using an overseas service. This rating is not for the service but for the communication difficulties.


J
Julian
8/16/2021
I use American Home Shield for home warranty. My house is rented and I manage the rental myself. It is hard to run back and forth to the house on short notice. American Home Shield has been great so far with the issues that have come up with home repairs. They are professional and courteous. They are timely and the contractors they choose are skilled professionals and reliable. I'm happy with their service.


S
sho
8/14/2021
Buyers Beware! This company is a big scam and needs to be investigated considering all the horrible business practices it does to all of its customers. Our washer machine broke down over a month ago and American Home shield (AHS) sent A&E Factory Service contractor on 7/10/21 contract # & contract # on 7/25/21 to fix our washer machine but due to the age of the washer unit, the parts could not be found or ordered and according to AHS policy they will be required to replace the washer machine. AHS did not do so and their excuse was we did not receive the diagnostic report from A&E Factory Service. I called A&E Factory Service many times and asked them to please email AHS and send a copy... Read More


ahamilton6200
8/14/2021
I called AHS to have a electrician come to my home to repair a problem upstairs in my two bedrooms where my 83 year old mother lives. They scheduled me with a company that could not get to me until next Thursday (5 days later), however, today is Saturday (UNACCEPTABLE). The first call I was on hold for 15 minutes, and was told that they could not get anyone else. I wanted to speak to a supervisor and was placed on hold again for another 15 minutes (total 32 minutes) and was hung up on. I called back and spoke to someone else and she told me the exact same thing that I should keep the Thursday appointment because they had no other company to help me. I was told that a supervisor would... Read More


helenpg1503
8/13/2021
love you guys. you are the greatest! outstanding customer service. excellent employees


M
Micheal G
8/13/2021
I requested repair for my refrigerators on April / 26 more than three months ago and until now I didn’t get any repair and when I contacted ACE Appliance Repair the contractor they said they are still waiting for parts to come from ASH I called customer service too many times without any results… it’s really a very bad service


R
Robert D
8/13/2021
I have had an open service request going on 6 months and I have called many times trying to resolve this issue and each time the agent assures me that it will be taken care of and they will call me back with a resolution. I have a broken heater - with the service request date of February 28, 2021. My next option is to file a report with the FTC and the FBI suggesting that fraud has been committed.



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