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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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steve
10/5/2019
you can never do same day service and never have a technician here when it is convenient for me. Phone etiquette very poor


cassandra.stry
10/4/2019
This is the worst company. Run away. Do not for any reason work with them. Their customer service is HORRIFIC. When you have a problem and you call customer service they are in the Philippians and completely useless. They repeat the same 4 sentences. when I asked to speak to a manager I was hung up on. The person “Nick” literally said “Madam I am disconnecting this call”. I wasn’t rude or yelling. But they give you the run around and block you. This company is literally trash. I can’t put it all into words but please listen to this warning. You will be happy you did.


Laura Q
10/3/2019
Based on the reviews I decided to get this home insurance. My AC stopped cooling so I called AHS, I had to pay $100 service fee so they can send a tech. The tech told me that I needed to replace the coil, so the tech which is Elijah Air and AHS told me that I was going to pay just the Freon which was $350.00 and AHS will replace the coil. 3-4 days passed and I called both Elijah Air and AHS they told me that Elijah made a mistake on the price and that I needed to pay $1,200 out of my packet. I called Parkers & Sons and EL Indio AC on my own to get a 2nd opinion and yes it was the coil. They also told me that even if the coil gets repair another thing will fail due to the old of my AC.... Read More


Rick C
10/2/2019
This is the worst company I have ever delt with. I called to get my dishwasher fixed they gave me the name of the contrator who can't get to it for a week called back waited 20 min. then was told so you want your dryer fix I said no my dishwasher ok it's leaking I again said no ok then I'm told I will have to wait 24 hrs before I can get someone else to come out.


E
Elizabeth J
10/2/2019
We have had home warranty contracts with different companies over a span of 30+ years and by far American Home Shield has been the absolute worst! We have had drunk contractors come to our home to perform service, we have been without air-conditioning in half of our home for almost 4 months and we still can get nobody to get us honest answers. When we call, the customer service representatives transfer us to the escalation department and we sit on hold for 15 minutes without any response. When another call is made we are told we hung up so somebody will call us back...nobody does! Beware!!! The AHS program sounds great on paper, but the follow through and customer service response is... Read More


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Julie
10/1/2019
I am very dissatisfied with American Home Shield. They are completely unethical. They take your money, and leave you hanging without fixing your appliance for weeks or months, even items clearly covered by your policy. I would never recommend AHS.


T
Theresa D
10/1/2019
American Home Shield service was very disappointing. I submitted a claim for a sewage pump. AHS denied my claim because my pump (2 years old) was under a 3 year warranty. The warranty was for the pump only - not the labor to remove the pump or replace the pump. AHS - said sorry for the inconvenience, but we don't provide labor for something under warranty. What is with that.? How do they expect old, retired people to pull out a septic pump - take it in to swap it out and put it back? What is the point of a home warranty? I will not renew with them!


jdcmurphy
10/1/2019
Jeanette M Long Island New York 9/30/2019 Service man came from Express Appliances Service and did not nothing to fix a leak inside my refrigerator. He told me to shut it off for three days. It is a frost free refrigerator and I got a hair dryer and removed some of the frost. This man was in my house probably less then 5 minutes. This company in my opinion is awful and I will never have then in my home again. Called America Home Shield customers service and got transferred to another country at least 10 times which is very frustrating. Why they call themselves American Home Shields is beyond me because you never speak to an American. Not satisfied with this company and its... Read More


Rosie T
9/30/2019
I have waited for over 2 years to get a mini split unit fixed in my home. To date it has not been fixed and they have sent a contractor out several times that cannot fix the mini split. I have complained multiple times and to no avail has my issue been resolved. I have been a customer for over 15 years and this is the worst that I have been treated since being a customer with AHS. In addition, I have a built in ice maker and the contractor came out 4 times and it is still not fixed. The last time the rep came out and left the hose pipe unattached and water was all over my kitchen floor. Terrible service.


dcs
9/27/2019
I purchase a annual warranty and the first time I used it.. called and with in 24 hr it was assigned BUT the service company that cam out.. ordered part and said it might take up to 10 day to get them after 2 week I tried to call the service company with no luck then called AHS to see what was going on 20 minutes later they told me the part will be in within 2 week 2 week later I call.. again 20+ minutes asks what whats going on was told parts are still on order and that they would call me back with an up date (LMAO never happened) seems they don't care how long it take to repair you equipment.. seem I'm looking at repair to be completed after a month, all you get from them is... Read More



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