We may receive a fee if you click on the links below. Compensation does not influence rankings. Not all brands are featured. Learn more

American Home Shield Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.7 / 5 (Excellent)
4,138 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
Our content is free because we may earn a commission when you click or make a purchase using our site. Learn more.
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

Leave a comment for American Home Shield
Minimum 12 words.
 No maximum length.
* What's Your Rating?
To make this comment as helpful as possible for our community, please provide at least 2 sentences.

4138 Customer Comments & Reviews

Loading Reviews ...
emilianova2011
6/4/2020
Long wait times for reps. No supervisors to speak to. 50-60% chance or more of terrible vendors. Calls not retuned by vendors with AHS doing nothing about it. Clearly overspending on marketing / on being called “the best Warranty Company”, with no attention/ funds going to educating reps or getting stellar companies to work as vendors for them. I would NOT recommend this company at all. On-hold wait times are over 1.5–2 hours Every time and that’s per phone call. Then calls get dropped. Then call again. No call back line. 2 full days of calling and Direct M. via Twitter and they have not reached out. I have been a loyal customer with 2 properties under contracts with them for few years.... Read More


amagdy2002
6/4/2020
Worst possible company and customer service. - minimum 1 hour (consistently) waiting to get hold of a customer service representive - took 40 days to reach a diagnosis on the fridge - The contractor specifically told me that he would recommend replacing it. But when that diagnosis reached them, the diagnosis changed to "we are not able to fix, go to another company" - Asked them to go talk to the contractor company, and resolve this. The customer representative didn't want to. She gave me the option to either wait for an official mail from them (saying to go to another company), or go with another company right now. - Also, the contractor company was just not professional, being late... Read More


S
Sundeep B
6/4/2020
WORST SERVICE EXPERIENCE EVER. SPENT 7 HOURS on phone calls with them. I had an issue with HVAC system. Vendor came out and said there is nothing wrong, a couple of hours later the system is still not working so I called that back for a follow up. Now they say the compressor is not working and the entire system needs to be replace that will cost $9,000. The report they filed with AHS said its only the compressor and AHS will only cover 300 and I have to pay 1,500 for R22 plus another 2000 for the compressor. In order to get a second opinion I have to pay 100 service call fee. This was not brought up until 4 days after the report was filed. They gave me a run around every day by saying I... Read More


tondeff
6/3/2020
Not worth the headache or the time I have to deal with AHS. I've purchased the ShieldPlus product for 2 years and so unhappy with both the service and coverage for my rental property. I had to pay an extra $4k out of pocket because the vendor they sent didn't know or refused to shut off the water to work on fixing a leaking shower faucet. As a result it damaged both floors in the time it took to get things worked out. Don't recommend buy and I don't plan to renew. No one has followed through with us to make sure things are right. The representatives seem powerless to do much. More recently I submitted a claim to get a washer repaired it was submitted on 5/18 and only until 5/31 did I... Read More


jonlarch
6/3/2020
Selected AHS for home warranty on new to us home. House inspection can only check so much. AHS filled the gap in inspections. Sure enough AC heat pump could not be adequately tested during purchase and operated poorly the first hot day. Contacted AHS and they quickly had someone come out. Cost was a fraction of repair would have been. Well worth the purchase.


R
Richard B
6/3/2020
My kitchen exhaust fan stopped working. I put in a claim with AGS. They very quickly assigned a local repair company, who were prompt in coming to check the fan. The appliance repair company determined that the fan could not be repaired and that AHS would arrange for a new replacement fan. Instead of doing this, AHS closed the repair claim. I have not been able to reach them to try to get this resolved despite several attempts. I also had a repair needed on the stove which they closed without action. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN AHS


K
Kathy S
6/3/2020
I have been an American Home Shield customer for several years. I normally am pleased with their service. This past week, I had an issue with my newly installed A/C unit. I called the company that had installed it and they sent a service tech out the very same day after I explained that my daughter is 9 months pregnant and that it was very hot in the house. They came out and realized that the problem was not in the A/C unit itself, but in the power switch that the unit was attached to. They said they could replace the switch right then and there. I thought about contacting AHS for a electrician to come out and take care of it, but knew that it would be a couple of days before they... Read More


Carol H
6/2/2020
NEVER EVER EVER AGREE TO PAY THE SERVICE FEE AHEAD IF TIME. YOU WILL DEFINITELY REGRET IT I PROMISE YOU IF YOU CANCEL YOUR SERVICE CALL THEY WONT REFUND THE FEE. YOU CAN DISPUTE IT WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY AND EVEN AFTER YOU WAIT THREE HOURS ON THE PHONE THERE ISNT ACTUALLY A TRAINED HUMAN TO FIX YOUR ACCOUNT BUT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SEND OUT DELINQUENT EMAILS THIRTY SIXTY DAYS LATER SO PLEASE ONLY PAY AT THE TIME OF SERVICE BECAUSE AS WE UNFORTUNATELY KNOW ONLY TOO WELL THAT MAY NOT HAPPEN FOR MANY FAYS AFTER YOU ACTUALLY REQUESTED SERVICE


jakeolsen21
6/2/2020
0 stars can’t fix anything or when it comes time to replace they don’t do it


Graciela R
6/2/2020
Best Company ever. Have continuously provided excellent service by professional, courteous and competent service companies. I recommend AHS to all my friends and family members. My daughter's a realtor and she's recommending AHS to all homeowners.



Top Rated
Our Partner

Limited Time Offer: $150 OFF All Plans*

  • Home Warranty Plans Starting at $29.99 a Mo.
  • Covering 2 Million Plus Members for 50+ Years
  • No Age Limits on Covered Systems & Appliances
  • No Inspections or Records Required