Learned My Lesson
Logan,#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, July 23, 2008
I have found it is important to understand what your company covers. I was once covered by AHS jand had the same kind of run around. There are several things to remember. 1. Home warranties are not 'after the fact' coverage. It would not be fair to expect a company to cover somthing that is already broken or about to break. This does not sound like it applies in this situation. Some companies simply look for any excuse. 2. Before you buy a home warranty, read the terms and conditions. Understand what is covered. But also understand what you can do to cancel. Some companies trap you into their warranties. AHS is one. 3. The procedure used by many companies, where you pay the servicer a service fee up front is just a problem waiting to happen. The home warranty company contracts with a shoddy service technician, who then comes to your home when he is in the neighborhood, collects his fee, takes five minutes to look at the problem and files a report with AHS that causes the claim to be denied. The tech keeps his $45 fee for ten minutes worth of work, AHS gets out of the claim and pays nothing out of pocket. If I need service under my current home warranty company, I pay them a $45 service fee. They are then responsible to send out a reputable service provider and complete the service. I always verify that the service company they are sending is certified to work on the piece of equipment I need to have repaired. It has worked very well for me and I am satisfied. Make sure you understand what is covered and what the service procedure is before purchasing. Also make sure you understand the cancellation procedures. I had to wait until my contract was over with AHS. When I received my renewal offer from them, I shopped around and found my current company and have been very satisfied.