Complaint Review: American Home Shield - Carroll Iowa

Below is a report of my experience with AHS. It is not intended as a generalization of their overall performance, for which it is beyond me to judge, but just the story of what happened to me according to my perception.

I received an AHS warrantee on the purchase of a new home and I was told by real estate agents that since the home was older that having the warrantee would protect me against any unforeseen problems that came up with the systems in the house. Also, as part of the sale, AHS was supposed to replace HVAC units and repair/replace any problems in the ductwork.

For the initial work order, the contractors AHS used committed fraud, because the statements I was told on the phone and in person by the real estate agent for the seller about the service provided by AHS did not match the findings of three independent inspectors before and after the work, backed up by photographs of problems before work that looked identical afterwards (e.g. large holes in the duct, massively corroded metal ducts, etc). I wanted to file a fraud claim against the contractor, but neither the contractor nor AHS would provide written documentation of the work performed, all the while saying work was done and done right, despite contrary reports from three independent inspectors I hired.

Later, I found more problems and they promptly sent out a new contractor. The contractor told me that the whole duct work system needed to be replaced and not to worry that it was so bad that AHS would surely authorize it. However, they did not authorize it. Also, the words they read off their computer screen that they attributed to the contractor did not match those he wrote down on the inspection report he handed me on the spot. One AHS rep said that he would call the contractor to clarify and call me back, but he never did. I called the contractor myself and he stood by his original assessment as written, which did not match the AHS position. When I called back days later, a different AHS rep said that they never call a contractor back, because once the words are in the computer they cannot be changed. Also, she said that they could not do a 3-way call with me and the contractor. She would not allow me to fax her the contractor's paperwork, because she said tAHS does not need his paperwork- they have their computer scribblings. huh? No paper trail? How convenient for them to avoid the truth.

They offered me a second opinion from a different contractor (even though the problem wasn't the contractor's opinion in the first place, but their own denial of reality and manipulation of words in their computer system). I agreed to give another chance. When that person came out he sent his underling in to inspect rather than himself. The underling was only under the house for a very brief time and came back out. No photos, no documentation, nada. I asked if he had inspected the whole system and he said no; it was muddy down there and he didn't want to get his pants dirty. Say what?! They said they would be willing to come back in the dry summer time to re-inspect when they wouldn't have to get dirty. What a joke! Then AHS billed me for their "inspection" anyway and sent me a letter saying that the case was closed, because 6" of duct work was damaged due to "non-normal" causes and as a result the whole warrantee on the ~200' of duct work was void. Huh? How did they get to 6" of non-normal damage? And 6 inches voids 200 feet? How about if I pay the 1/400 of the cost of repair for those 6" and AHS covers the rest of the dead system that is over 20 years old and beyond its normal life time. All in fair proportion seems like a reasonable compromise to me.

That sent me into an exploration of what "normal" damage is, and the short of it is that it appears that whatever they decide to not cover for financial reasons becomes "non-normal" damage beyond their responsibility. Especially when you buy a used house. I mean, you have absolutely no way to know the history of an old house, which is why you got the darn warrantee in the first place. In any and every situation, AHS can simply say that at some point in the past someone messed with the system and there is no way to counter that. Even when their contractor said otherwise, they still said that the system was damaged due to non-natural causes.

So now I'm looking around the house at various other issues with the pumbing and appliances and I just know that they will never accept responsibility for anything, so why should I ever spend the $60 to call them. And when I think that, then they've already won, because now they are free-riding on my money.

The whole idea that AHS will protect you in case problems arise when you buy a house is a lie, IMHO. It's flat out fraud, IMHO. AHS is the absolute worst company I have ever dealt with in my life, IMHO. I have sleepless nights when instead I should be enjoying my home, which is the largest single purchase I will ever make.

Based on my experience with AHS, I fully recommend that you completely avoid this company at all costs. If I could pay to erase my memory of this experience and AHS, I would- oh sweet eternal sunshine of the spotless mind- where art thou? :(

So the bottom line is that the non-natural causes "clause" of the warrantee is a "get out of responsibility" card for AHS to insure that they do not have to ever do anything.

Foolmeonce

Davis, California

U.S.A.

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