American Home Shield – A Leader in Home Warranty
American Home Shield, a subsidiary of the parent company ServiceMaster is one of the well renowned and highly rated home warranty companies from Memphis, Tennessee. It specializes in administering home service contracts for major home appliances and systems.
There are many positive features offered by American Home Shield, which has made them hugely popular among their customers such as their online portals where they can register their claims, the ease of access, the promptness with which they deliver their services and their terms which are generous as compared to their competitors.
Naturally, no company can be error free and serve the customers with 100% satisfaction and American Home Shield is no different. There have been a few complaints regarding phone hold times and untimely deliveries of services, but these are majorly due to external factors that American Home Shield doesn’t have a control on. Being the largest company of its kind in the United States, it has a huge customer base and this they have achieved through expansion and at the same time by providing high level and unmatchable services.
| American Home Shield | |
| Headquarters | Memphis, TN |
| # States Served | 49 States + DC |
| BBB Rating | B |
| Network Of Contractors | 14,000+ |
| Employees | 1,600+ |
| Customers | 1.7 Million + |
| Home Warranty Subsidiaries | Landmark, OneGuard, HSA Home Warranty |
American Home Shield provides a plethora of home warranties on products available to property managers as well as home owners. The company provides a multiple number of plan options with a range of rates to choose and customize from. The “Build Your Own Plan” is one of the big POD (point of difference) from their competitors.
The various plans and the coverage of items that American Home Shield Offers are:
- Appliances Only
- System Only
- Combo
- Build Your Own
So, what does American Home Shield actually offer?
- Free Quotes – A custom quote from American Home Shield is very easy to get. All the customer has to do is to go to their website and submit the details needed or call their toll free number.
- Comprehensive and plan options that are affordable – American Home Shield lets their customers choose their own plans from the ones that are mentioned above.
- Home warranty is not a necessity – No inspection of the home is needed before a customer can purchase a plan from American Home Shield.
- Ease of access to customer service and various claim services – The website is very user friendly and the customer relationship mangers ease the process of claims over calls. There are various FAQs mentioned on the website to attend to the general queries of the customers.
- A huge network of reliable and trustworthy service providers – AHS gives huge importance to customer satisfaction and therefore monitors and grades the performance of each service provider by surveys and customer satisfaction query programs.
So now let’s weigh in the pros and the cons of American Home Shield:
Pros–
Ø 1 million homeowners covered and still counting
Ø A plethora of discounts on various appliances
Ø Freedom to make a customized plan
Ø Coverage of all appliances and systems irrespective of their age or make/model
Ø Keeping in terms with the fast pace world – service request online
Ø Experience of over 40 years
Ø With AHS, Coverage Won’t Be Denied For:
- Losses because of insufficient maintenance
- Rust & corrosion
- Improper installations or any kind of repairs and/or modifications
- Pre-existing conditions that couldn’t have been detected earlier
Cons-
Ø As per the company’s sole discretion, AHS instead of making a payment for a replacement may choose to investigate and repair a system over and over again. So, a regular break down can lead to a hassle for you.
Ø Claim approvals as per the reviews of some customers take time and too much time has to be invested over calls.
Ø The per-claim Trade Service Fee charged by AHS may be higher in some cases than the general flat per-claim fee of other companies charging to their customers.
Let’s look at how American Home Shield fares against its competitors
American Home Shield vs. First American Home Warranty
The pricing structure and the pricing options of AHS and First American Home Warranty are very much competitive and comparable. However, AHS provide a number of options for higher end coverage’s. More number of customer complaints are against First American Home Warranty for charging the deductible in any case when they contact the company. However, AHS is generally more lenient when it comes to communications.
American Home Shield vs. Old Republic Home Warranty
AHS trumps over Old Republic for providing web usability benefits. Also, overall AHS scores better than Old Republic when it comes to customer satisfaction because of better customer services it provides to its customers.
American Home Shield vs. Choice Home Warranty
AHS and Choice Home Warranty are very competitive in the market and provide very similar kind of services and products to its customers. However, in terms of feedback, Choice Home Warranty has more number if negative feedback around coverage issues from its customers. Hence It is advisable to read the contract carefully before signing up for the business.
American Home Shield has also been the winner of the Women’s Choice Award for being the “America’s Most Recommended Home Warranty Provider” for the year 2014-2016.
The Bottom Line
AHS provide you comprehensive coverage of your systems and appliances breaking down for a nominal per-claim service fee and a competitive monthly fee. You can have peace of mind that you got those unexpected breakdowns, repairs, and replacement covered by AHS.
The service that AHS provides may vary based on location. The best explanation that can be offered about AHS is that your experience may vary with others as per the location you live. This is as per customer interactions and thorough research.
Give a call for any kind of information or go through the AHS website to request for a free quote and compare the plans.
