American Home Shield

American Home Shield AHS AHS OPINION OF HOW THE SCAM WORKS memphis, Tennessee

19th of Aug, 2011 by User776037

I have read several pages of the scam report on AHS. I have read reports on all of the systems that are covered and the same thing that everyone else is reporting has happened to me regarding my A/C unit. The system went down, I called AHS and actually got a pretty quick response. But the quick response was the same as that has happened to everyone else. They said the system went down due to "negligence" on my part. They refused to cover the necessary repairs as a result of the report from the service company that was sent out. United Air Temp. United Air Temp offered to have one of their estimators come over and give me a bid to make the repairs. Their estimator said that the entire system was shot and would have to be replaced. They were prepared to give me a bid, but in all honesty I just invited the representative to leave and showed him the door. I had made another call while awaiting the estimator and had another company coming over for a second opinion. A little history here. I have been in the remodelling industry for the past 31 years so I knew what was wrong with the AC unit and advised AHS of this fact. My diagnosis was confirmed by the technician from United Air Temp. The blower motor had died. I called a contractor that I know and has serviced the unit in the past and each year checks it out. It is and older unit, as am I. I opted to go with AHS because it was advertised to me as a really good deal from my mortgage holder. Citi-Bank. Caveate Emptor. I do not blame AHS or Citi Bank or United Air Temp for being scams. I blame myself for being stupid. This does not mean that I am not going to go after all of them. My regular contractor came over and replaced the burned out motor in two hrs for a total cost of $325.00. I know for a fact that replacing an entire system is in the $7,000.00 to $10,000.00 dollar range in my locale of Northern Virginia. Yes I am in the business so in truth the average joe paying retail would have had to pay about $700.00 for the same service. Herein, in my opinion and expert experience in the remodelling industry is how this scam works. AHS finds contractors that are willing to buy into their system. The system is that AHS pays contractors to come out to estimate the situation. AHS tells their contractors that they will recieve the $60.00 service fee for responding to the call. In my opinion, I am saying in my opinion because I do not wish to be entangled in a libel suit from AHS. Listen up. The contractors are responding to AHS service calls because it gives them a paid for opportunity to gouge unknowing home owners whom are both hot and busy and need service that they are never going to get. We homeowners purchase these policies because we are all afraid of the costs of a major breakdown in our homes major infrastructure such as A/C units, Water Heaters Major Applicances and on and on and what if they all break down at once. So we purchase these kind of policies to feel relieved that there is an avenue of relief from a major malfunction. AHS preys upon these feelings of angst and worry and bilks its customers money from them giving them a false sense of security. This is not against the law. We have deeper problems in our government and its elected officials that allow that this kind of business practice is not against the law but the fact is that what they are doing is not a criminal offense. It is most definitly a civil tort but whom can afford the lawsuit when their A/C unit quits working when it is 95 degrees inside. One has to spend all of the money they have available to get the unit fixed rather than thinking about how to spend money to take action against this company. AHS is banking on this fact. I have been after them and have gotten the same response as in all of the other reports on this company. To Wit. They gave me a phone number to call an adjuster. This number does not work. They gave me a web address to start to address this issue and it does not work. When I finally got hold of a rep going through the billing department I was told that the web address was actually an E-Mail address and then wrote a letter stating my concerns and a desire to be re-immbersed for the costs of the repairs to my AC unit accordingly with their mis-diagnosis of the situation. The E-Mail address does not exist either. They do not take direct billing payable by check they only accept direct auto debit from ones credit card and the only way to cancel your policy from these theives is to call your credit card company and deny the charges which will most likely cause your credit card company to cancel your existing account and issue you a new account. This will cause a lapse in your credibility and ability to use your account. The only way to stop these thieves, as I see is too call in and E-Mail in a service request every single day and when the technician shows up and gives you the same run around as allways and holds his hand out for the $60.00 tell them to take a hike. Do not do this if AHS can auto-debit you because they will and then they will hold you in breach of contract. The other way to stop these kind of theives is to allways remember if it seems to good to be true it is a lie. I was a sucker. Hey I knew my AC unit was old and would eventually break down. So here comes an insurance company that is recommended by a major bank. MY mortgage holder and is willing to insure the system " sight unseen" and this is how they hook people. No legitimate insurance company in the world insures anything "sight unseen" would you?

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