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1.2

My water heater went down hard a few days ago but hey, it’s covered under my home warranty, so I confidently got an appointment. “Yes sir, your water heater is covered”, they said with happiness.

And I was happy, too. Good thing I have a home warranty, eh? That’s 500-600 dollars a year well spent. Dude shows up on time, checks the appliance, it’s dead, you’re covered on replacement cost!

Cool. Oh, and, there will be some out of pocket expenses for stuff to hook up the new water heater. How much can gaskets and little hoses cost? I can handle this.

Eight hundred dollars. That’s right: 800 dollars. To hook up the water heater. To bring “everything up to code”, which I’m sure it already is.

You know how much water heaters cost at Lowe’s? You can get a decent one for four bills. This is nuts. AHS calls me to tell me a couple of things.

I am a very unhappy customer. I complain. Bitterly. Can’t they send someone else out, someone who won’t ask for an arm and a leg?

Not unless I’m disputing the diagnosis. Well, I’m the one who made the diagnosis, it’s leaking, it’s nearly 20 years old and I’m not a complete idiot. So no, I’m not disputing my own assessment. Well, then – they’re sorry but unless I can, I’m stuck with the initial repairman, whose time is valued somewhat exorbitantly.

I’ve already kind of decided that I’m not paying those vultures 800 dollars. Nope. No way. So I go around and around with the AHS rep.

Nothing she can do. It is what it is. I say, “I can go a block down the street to Lowe’s, buy a water heater myself and hire a plumber to hook the thing up for less than 800 dollars.” She is not impressed by this information and likely does not write it down to marvel over later at lunch. There is nothing she can do about this information and there is nothing she can do about that 800 dollar charge, either.

I figure this out fairly quickly. There is no supervisor available. What would I like to do? Well, what I would like to do is illegal, surely, so I don’t bring that up.

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and we have no hot water. No laundry, no dishwashing, no SHOWERS. Whatever I’m going to do, I gotta do it pretty quickly. Torches and arson take time, so I shelve that plan, which is pretty poorly formed in any case.

I’m not yet letting her off the phone, though. Maybe there’s no remedy to this, but I can at least rant and shout and get spit all over my iPhone, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Someone needs to know I’m pissed off, by God, and she’s my candidate. She says very little as I walk around the house, arms flying, trying to not use my Navy words.

She eventually says I can choose the cash option, but no, of course, she has no idea what the amount will be. That’s another department. Okay, transfer me. But no.

It’s 2017 and we don’t have flying cars and neither do we have a transfer service available. They’ll have to call me back. Maybe today, she says optimistically. I tell her how nice that would be.

I call around to plumbers. One says they can come look at it today and give me an estimate, only 50 bucks for the visit. I hang up on them. This happens not once but twice more and each time I end the call the same way.

Click. All day long, I am calling them or waiting for them to call me back. This is not a good way to spend a day. It’s not even a good way to spend an hour.

Finally, I get a small, owner-operated company nearby and he’s totally sympathetic to what is going on with my water heater. He’s heard this story before, he says. He thinks he can do the whole thing tomorrow (YES) for 900 dollars, which includes a nice, new water heater and everything. I ask him to hold on, I need to find out what my cash option is with AHS.

I’m not expecting to be happy about this, and he understands that, too. I like this guy, though. While I’m waiting for AHS to call me back, I field more calls from companies I left messages with. One shameless huckster tells me all about his water heaters, they’ll last forever, he thinks.

I’m thinking: I’m nearly 61 years old, dude, and this is likely not a real concern for me. This is it – my last water heater, ever. This one will likely be functioning perfectly when I shuffle off the mortal coil. I’m not overly worried about the warranty.

His price? Between 1600 and 2000 dollars. Click. Navy words pour out of me.

Miracle of miracles, praise your sweet baby deity, AHS calls me back with my cash option. 344 dollars, but I have to pay the technician up front, present four boxes of paperwork (“Would you prefer fax or email, sir?” “It’s 2017. Nobody has fax machines.”) and then they will reimburse me the princely sum of 344 dollars. Where’s my party hat?

I sort of read her the riot act, too, but she’s smart enough to stay silent unless I ask a specific question. I have no specific questions since it’s physically impossible for a corporation to do to itself what I want them to do. So tomorrow, out of my own pocket, even though I have, hooray, a HOME WARRANTY, I’ll pay 900 bucks to get hot water again. And yes, if you want, I’ll gladly supply names of the offending parties as well as the nice guy in Denton who promises to bring me hot water once again.

Oh, and I just got an email. Their records indicate…..here, I’ll just paste it: “Our records indicate your service work order is complete. If you continue to experience problems with your covered item, log into MyAccount to let us know. We value your feedback.

Please rate your experience with SIRIUS PLUMBING & AIR CONDITIONING INC by clicking below. Thank you for choosing American Home Shield®.” Then there’s a link for feedback, which they will surely regret soon enough.

Reason of review: Warranty issue.

Monetary Loss: $800.

Preferred solution: Full refund.

Location: 889 Ridge Lake Blvd, Memphis, TN 38120, USA

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Reinhard Pav

AHS assigned plumber said my out of pocket costs are $1200 to replace my water heater to bring everything up to code. This is BS, the plumber is saying the drain pan, water heater shut off valve and vice clamps, which the water heater already has are code modifications.

AHS doesn't help or even understand the issue and says I have to stay with the plumber assigned. Dropping AHS for Old Republic Home Warranty, I have 22 properties and ORHP has paid for two of water heaters out of the 22 and no out of pocket expense at all, not a penny. A year ago I switched to AHS on a couple of properties as a recommendation, but given the water heater issue I will cancel all my warranties with AHS.

Not to mention I'm the president of my HOA and am going to spread the word to everyone that has AHS in the association about my issue. I took the cash out option, ate a large loss, but hey I'm done with AHS.

Guest

I just had a water heater failure with AHS. My out of pocket is $535 to get stuff up to code, and that included a 20% discount the tech game me on the spot.

A possible difference was, I had his worksite set up, cleaned out, lit with a fan on it for him to keep cool. I didn’t *** at him or pretend I have rights to an economy in an alternate universe. He said the value of the install was about $1600 total, I checked around in my area and that estimate was right in the middle. I didn’t hang up on anyone I spoke with.

All said and done I’m paying much less than you for the same repair with the same company, nobody lied to me, and I wasn’t an *** to anyone in the process. You are a fool to have pride worth so much that you actually have to take money out of your pocket to keep that pride going.

Guest

I am going through same .....AHS is *** ...Please spread word ...so that other people are saved from daytime robbery.

Guest

going through exacttt situation right now

Guest

Same run around... We DoNt HaVe A tRaNsFeR LiNe SiR.. Freaking pathetic.

Guest

Yeah I got the same thing. 100 dollar deductible for the service call, water heater has to go, and AHS calls me to probably exclaim but they have worked with the plumber and determined that the water heater must be replaced and that they will do so immediately and that all costs including installation are covered, except there will be a $225 out of pocket expense 4 pipe modification to bring my pipe up to code.

I asked her since changing the water heater out would invariably involve modifying the pipes, why doesn't covering installation include covering modifying the pipes? She could not tell me why this would be the case. Immediately I knew this was nothing more than an endless run around... I knew it was *** but I need hot water and I can't replace the unit myself $325 (plus what I'm already paying on the contract - though that gets messy, I am using it for other things as well).

I just decided to suck it up. If I could do it myself I would.

However, I've done warranty work in the service industry, those technicians are getting paid dirt per hour for their time on these jobs (subcontract as opposed to direct bill), this is obviously a way for the company providing the repair service to regain some of that revenue. I just don't like feeling like I'm getting ripped off, because it's obviously shady and not as advertised.

Guest

I am experiencing this same issue right now. Its crazy. They told me the same thing.

Guest

Same things happening with Select Home Warranty, EXACTLY THE SAME. These home warranty company's are a scam!

Guest

Soo true!! I had the exact same thing happen to me.

I'm going to leave American Home Shield because I would rather put 30 bucks a month in my own acct plus the 125.00 for my deductible and plan on paying a company myself instead of all the frustration.

They only covered your water heater for under $400.00, well that's you basically paying full price since you pay them monthly, plus the 125. And you pay the "modification costs" LOL

Guest

Same experience... makes me wonder why home warranty is even worth it at all.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1677005

Home warranty companies do not exist to provide value to homeowners—they exist to make obscene profits by luring homeowners with false promises. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—imagine that.

Where would they get the money to replace everyone’s systems and appliances in their time of need? It’s unlikely that they will ever change the way they do business, and that goes for all home warranty companies.

Guest

Same Story, different house. Water heater not working, 13 years old.

Pilot won't light. He says 13 years is nothing, I got 3 years free ;) He says it is the water quality in Las Vegas but I have a water softener. Anyway, he tells me all is up to code but there are "other things" that aren't covered by the "warranty" (misnomer if you ask me) to the tune of $540! And they said the water heater, for which AHS will pay, is $1,500!!!

Is it gold-lined? I don't get it but I do think I need to rethink this plan.

At the same time my second furnace (I have two, one for back of house, one for front) has gone out so I am wondering what isn't covered on that!? That service tech is coming Tuesday...let the games begin :(

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1624941

A 50 gallon standard natural gas water heater, installed by a licensed plumber with a gas license too (also required, check that in your area that 2 trade licenses are required) should cost between $1300-**** total. That includes all the standard upgrades unless your vent needs to be completely improved.

However, AHS only pays their plumber on your behalf about $100 if they supply the new water heater. The plumbing company AHS uses is supposed to keep their billing average down to less than $150 per call including parts, labor, and equipment. Replacing your water heater will not only cost the plumber more than he is allowed to Bill AHS, but will also cost him in diminished future call volume with AHS, since his ranking on AHS’s list of plumbers in your area is based on how many dollars per call, on average, he is billing them, REGARDLESS of what the customers are actually getting. In other words, the plumber doesn’t actually charge AHS for the work.

He does, however, charge the homeowner as much as possible, wherever possible. The improvements and upgrades are where the plumber has an opportunity to offset the losses from other plumbing assignments as well as make a few bucks instead of doing jobs basically for free, which he must do most of the time in home warranty work. Call a local small business plumbing company not affiliated with AHS and get a quote on replacement of your water heater not using the warranty. Then subtract what you are going to have to pay out of pocket to the.

aHS plumber (don’t forget the service fee you paid upon scheduling a service request) and see how you are coming out. Ask compare how long it takes and how many headaches you have in scheduling and in the quality of customer service and the work itself.

Do the same thing with your furnace. They’ll probably repair the furnace instead of replacing it, although it may take 6 months to get parts and a tech back out to do the repair.

Guest

Oh my gosh! I second all of this.

Worst customer service and contract ever. $600 plus in "modifications"? This is the catch phrase used to refer to CONNECTING THE WATER. I'm guessing the rest of us would consider that part of replacing a water heater.

Best part. If you don't agree to getting railroaded by their plumber... they won't install! Ha.

Highway robbery.

Has anyone looked into the contract text for class action opportunity regarding the verbiage? Might have to forward this to a few attorneys myself.

Trever Gva
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1596657

There is a article floating on the internet about how to beat them at their own game. You basically have to sue them .

For cases under 10k they always settle and pay the cost . A attorney did the research. I took the advice sued them twice and both times they did now show to court. A week later they FedEx me a check for my total out of pocket cost.

If anyone wants copy of the arrival please email me at k31016@***.com. Sometimes you just have to be a educated consumer.

Guest

Same Load of Crap after getting my Water Heater Replaced. AHS will not cover the cost for bring it up to code by plumbing company (GA) $250.

and the plumbing comply Hardy Plumbing installed the water heater sideways which is not IAW installation manual. American Home Shields is terrible company

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1584333

How is a water heater installed sideways?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1584333

Discovering the same issues

Guest

The service fee you paid is all the plumber is going to collect. That is, until YOU once again pay more money, upon the installation of the new water heater, when, and if, you agree to the non-covered charges.

If you are like 99% of their customers, you will be appalled by that point, that they took so long, had to get prior authorization from AHS and from you, and that they expect you to pay for modifications such as an expansion tank. The plumber is in and out, turns in a report, and AHS will call you with the rundown. You will be pissed off, and berate and badmouth their company, and life will go on. Another day, another dollar.

Such is life in warranty company heck. Now call a small business plumber and move on.

Guest

We are in the middle of this exact same situation except when the plumber came out to diagnose the issue and determined that the unit needed to be replaced, he left us with the unit still leaking water all over the floor. We asked him to come back and drain the H20 heater.

He said that would be done when he does the replacement. We couldn't wait indefinately so we did it ourselves by watching you-tube videos. A couple thoughts... hot water heater coverage is categorized by AHS as a Plumbing systems coverage (not a stand alone appliance) To me the word "systems" implies that the water lines, safety valves and drips and the other required components and parts to actually safely install it should be covered.

Otherwise I'm gonna ask that it be installed exactly as the warranty covers it.

I dont know how an an installation is going to be done without all the other system components but we'll see what they say. The idea of small claims court is also intriguing.

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