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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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Tomalita B
1/3/2020
My experiences with AHS home warranty service has not been positive. They use companies that do not have good ratings. If a problem is not resolved, they have no control over when the company returns to resolve the issues. AHS has the option to not repair an issue based on their contractor's opinion. There are no options to dispute. If their contractor says it wasn't installed properly or has not been serviced properly, they won't repair or replace. And you still have to pay a service fee for nothing. Also, when you call, the customer service representatives are foreigners, and it is very difficult to understand them. If you ask to speak to a supervisor, it is very difficult to get one on... Read More


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Lyle H
12/31/2019
The program is a rip off. They charge $39.99 a month for the warranty, when we had a plumbing issue. Changing a shower knob, when the knob was unscrewed the valve came out with it. When American Home Shield sent out a plumber, he told us, we needed a new valve assembly. Moen also confirmed this. American Home Shield refused to honor their warranty and told us that the valve falling apart was not “normal wear and tear” and that it will cost an additional $550 to replace the valve, + the $100 for the service call+ repairing the wall that was cut open to replace the valve is also not covered. So this “warranty” is costing us $480 a year + $650 for the shower + $200 to repair the wall they... Read More


Josh L
12/31/2019
This policy has been worthless, and you have the audacity to charge me for a service call, where all the tech did was knock on the door. My realtor did your job for you. I paid for the first service call, I'm not paying a penny for a knock on the door. I am absolutely DISGUSTED with your company. You only got 1 star, because I couldn't give you no stars. I'm absolutely furious


ricgonzo07
12/30/2019
By far one of the worse companies I've dealt with in terms of refunding money for services never provided. I have been waiting for over two weeks for a fee that should have never been charged. Their offshore call center is extremely incompetent. Bottom line, DO NOT USE THEM!


Angela D
12/30/2019
Unfortunately I made a mistake of changing from Fidelity Home warranty and I called for my water heater, they came to my home for less than 5 minutes and they told me is not covered because they treated as a previous condition, their wait time is over 45 minutes and calls get disconnected. Being a Realtor, I wont ever recommend this company to my clients. I didn't cancel it because in less than a month I would of lost more than $500 Please don't use this company, not sure how they got a rating of being the best.


Susan B
12/30/2019
ABSOLUTE CR** THEY JUST LIE THE WHOLE TIME. 5 WEEKS NOW NO DISHWASHER. 3 FAMILIES IN MY HOUSE OVER XMAS -NO DISHWASHER. SO MANY LIES AND FALSE INFORMATION. TOO MUCH TO SAY HERE SEE PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS. FINALLY THEY SAID REPLACE BUT THE CHOICES OF APPLIANCES ARE NOT GOOD, SO I OPT FOR MONEY, BUT YOU HAVE TO BUY IT FIRST THEN SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT, SADLY THE AMOUNT THEY OFFER KEEPS GOING DOWN!!!!!!!!! IT STARTED 3 DAYS AGO AS $632 TODAY IT IS DOWN TO $622 SO SHE SUPPOSEDLY IS PUTTING ME THROUGH TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT HAHA GUESS WHAT SHE DISCONNECTED ME. THIS IS A REGULAR OCCURENCE WITH AMERICAN HOME SHIELD I CANNOT SAY ANYTHING GOOD ABOUT THEM.


mr.nolang
12/29/2019
They are HORRIBLE. Customer service agents from foreign countries and it creates language barriers. Hardly could understand what they were saying. They owe me a reimbursement of $534 and no one seems to be able to help me. They claim they told me something on the phone and when I told them to pull the recording all of a sudden they couldn't hear it. Have made no less than 5 phone calls with multiple transfers for up to and over one hour. As soon as I find another company, it is bye, bye! DO NOT use American Home Shield.


S
SOHAIL A
12/27/2019
I have been a customer for probably 8 plus years. Had pretty decent experience but this last time was a nightmare. I had to make 6-7 calls , all lasting 30 minutes or more with hold time.Given a run around - very frustrating and a total waste of time. Finally asked for the service to be cancelled and a refund of $100 service call fee. I was told it will be processed. After waiting 15 days called again. The first lady dropped the call. The 2nd asked me to hold and then without coming back online transferred me another Deptt. By this time i decided to cancel my contract. Called and the 3rd lady transferred me to the Cancellation Deptt. Once it was clear to the person that i was cancelling ,... Read More


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Melissa
12/26/2019
Have been replacing same parts on fridge for a year now. Have wasted more money on spoiled food than just buying a new fridge. Called again and was told needed to send tech out again.


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Chris H
12/26/2019
Judging by the negative reviews, I am not sure if I need to even mention how horrible this company is or waste my time writing a comment. In short, we bought a home this year and the sellers gave us a one year home warranty which we thought was pretty great. About a month after living here, the washing machine acted up so I made a call to American Home Shield. I basically wasted $200 for the deductible as the problem never got solved. Now months later, we could be fighting them but it is not worth the energy as all they say is "I understand your frustration but we are bound by policy" which sounds like a script they have at their desks. Do not even think elevating a concern will... Read More



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