American Home Guardian, Inc.

Revdex.com Complaint *** Crystal L*** R*** Bel*** As both the Revdex.com and MsB*** know AHG operates per the terms of a signed contract (see attached) AHG would like to thank you for the opportunity to respond to the customer complaint.This is a continuation of complaints from this
customer. MsB*** renewed coverage with AHG on May 3rd Since the renewal she has set up a few claims one of which was ton a holiday weekend back in July 2016aanother in Jan of 2017MsB*** has been a challenge to provide service to, she has been very abusive to AHG staff and to the service providers sent to her home, from the July claim to the most recent in Jan of this year.A claim for a dishwasher was set up in Janafter the diagnosis the customer was offered options to go with the repair or to take a cash but out in lieu of repair, she originally opted for the cash buy out and that process was started, a couple days later she called and changed her mind, then a few days after that she called and wanted to go with the original decision, during that time frame she had several conversations with our office staff yell, including abusive and vulgar language towards the AHG staff members, on multiple occasions she demanded we cancel her policyshe had reversed the credit card payment for the service fee for the dishwasher claim(per section of the signed service contract, a service fee is required for each item)Due to the abusive nature of the calls and language to AHG staff members, AHG honored MsB*** multiple verbal cancellation request, her policy was canceled.I had a detailed conversation with MsB*** on Feb 28th reviewing section of her signed contact we went over the terms of cancellation and the dollar amount she would receive, she agreed to the final amount, and the time frame she would expect the check, this was delayed while AHG waited for her credit card company to fund the reversed charges for the disputed service fee

As the Revdex.com and this valued customer know, AHG operates per a contract.I have reviewed the history on MsB*** policy, she did place a a clothes dryer claim with our after hours service on a Sat June 8th this is outside business hours, she was contacted on Mon the 10, a mutual agreed
appointment was set for the 13th,The tech ran the call and found that a board had failed on the dryer, he ordered the part.(this brand of appliance doesn't have a good supply chain)This tech did get injured and was not able to complete the repair, while the part was in transit the call was changed to a different vendor, upon receipt of the part a return appointment was scheduled and the job was completed.After the job was complete the customer did send a written cancellation, her policy was canceled, per the terms of the AHG contract a prorated refund check was processed and mailed to MsB*** on June 2nd to the address she requestedTo the best of AHG's knowledge, all of the customers requests have been fulfilled, her dryer was repaired, and the refund check has been sent to her.AHG wishes MsB*** the best going forward.Regards,AHG Home Warranty

second responseAHG followed the cancellation process per section of the contractMrH*** initialed next to that section, stating the he understood the cost involved in early cancellationAs stated in the original response, AHG must charge a daily rate for coverage provided, this is standard in our industry, we entered into a signed contractual agreement with MrH*** The cancellation free per section of the contract, was initialed, accepted and signed by him AHG as a home warranty had a contractual liabilityMrH*** did have coverage for that time, for that reasonAHG is not able to refund the amount requested for the covered period in question.AHG wishes the best for the Heitzman family in the futureRegards AHG Home Warranty

Please see the attached signed contract for all reference points belowHere is the back story-- ** *** purchased a year old condo for ~$50K and waived having a home inspection. Per section (see initials) all items must be in safe working order on the start date of the contract.
It is documented with photos that the plumbing leak had been happening for a very, VERY long time before the contract started.Now also see section (again, note the initials where this valued customer signed) that there is a day hold without a home inspection. This is documented in bold and underlined font.Next see section (again, note where the customer initialed)indicates that a $service fee is due for each dispatched call -- this was not paid on any of the claims filed. Because of the amount due, AHG was forced to halt service due to lack of payment.When the leak was called in-- this customer was provided a copy of the signed contract and the call was dispatched as a referral only-- AHG was offering assistance (something we did not need to do, but because we help people for a living we did send a contractor to help). A copy of the work order indicating referral only -- collect from the homeowner was given to the contractor and ** ***.If ** *** or the Revdex.com can see anywhere in the contract that AHG has not been forthright and not upheld any of the contract terms, I will rectify the issue at once.For the record. ** *** and been extremely vulgarer, rude and down right unprofessional to all of the staff at AHGeven after we saved him several hundred dollars on a pre-existing plumbing issue that would of been caught in a home inspection that he refused to purchase.At no point did AHG ever agree to allow any customer to change their contract after a know issue existed and then provide coverage for a repair that exceeds the cost of the upgrade. We did tell the PM that if they got this issue resolved, we would allow this customer to purchase the upgrade as indicated on the attached contract going forwardAGAIN, WE NEVER OFFERED RETRO COVERAGE after a non-covered repair was complete. It is not clear to me why ** *** thinks this would happen.to close -- AHG has over communicated contract terms-- The customer has signed the contract a total of times, and we have provided assistance even when coverage did not apply because of the cost cutting of this customer. AHG never agreed to pay the claim and this is documented in writing that has been given to ** ***. I am not sure how this has made AHG the "bad guy"this falls into the camp of no good deed goes unpunished.AHG will cancel this contract per the customers request-- AFTER the past due balance for service fees has been paid.I am, and all of the AHG staff is ready to help and resolve this in a very professional way per the terms of the signed contract.??

Digital signatures are not supported by law Only wet signatures are as there is no proof who signed your contract The fact that your representative lead me to renew my contract under pretenses is enough for the contract to be void I asked several times if my freezer was covered and was told every single time that it was That was not the truth I was never told I needed additional coverage this year as it was covered last year Your own representative told me that on the phone when I called for a service call She said you eliminated it from your contract months ago Since I was already under contract, my existing coverage could not be changed, altered, or excluded Listen to the calls You'll see I am right and your representative lead me to sign a renewal under pretenses While it is true the merchant offered to have one of their contracted vendors look at it, it was in fact only offered twice, and only declined once The one time was on the phone, where it was not actually rejected or declined, I simply did not respond and asked to speak to a supervisor I was told I would be talking to supervisor, when in reality I was forwarded to a random voice mail box that had no name and was full and no message could be left I later received two emails from the merchant after business hours One placed the blamed for getting voice mail on "repairs", the second again offering to refer me to one of their vendors However, due to the emergency nature of my service call, the fact that the emails came after hours, and I had already filed my complaint for breach of contract, I did not respond. I have since contacted my own repair company and the freezer is fixed However, due to this merchants breach of contract and contract renewal under pretenses, it cost me way more than it was supposed to The merchant owes me a refund for the additional amount paid I would never have renewed with this merchant had they told me the truth that my freezer would not be covered There are other merchants that include more for less, have better customer service, have better service contractors, and can have repairs done in a reasonable time frame

Revdex.com Complaint [redacted]Signed Contract EnclosedTo Whom it May Concern AHG would like to thank the Revdex.com and this valued customer for the opportunity to provide coverage details.At AHG our coverage is governed per a Signed Contract. This is sent to the customer to review, initial significant areas, and...

sign, at the beginning of coverage.AHG's goal is to provide some level of coverage regardless of age of on appliance. Per Section 1.6 of the attached contract. coverage is based on a liberal deprecation  schedule. We take info from manufacture and trade publication guidelines, to determine useful life expectancy of an appliance.A tech was dispatched to the property, on the initial visit he was not able to duplicate the failure. This valued customer called back a few weeks later, reporting the unit had failed completely, at this point we had adequate information to just move forward and offer a cash buy out, and did so. There may be times when the depreciation value is below the cost to replace an item, because the unit has exceeded useful life, this is something AHG attempts to inform our customers upfront.  when the tech was out on the original call he did determine parts were no longer available, (indicating the manufacture no longer supports the item because it is beyond life expectancy) the model and serial numbers confirmed that.AHG offered the customer a cash buy out based on the appliance information. Due to the age, the amount is below the cost of replacement, it is always our intent to offer some value. Due to the age this appliance the customer should have been budgeting for replacement. Our offer is per the signed agreement.AHG hopes this information helps to explain the coverage details, our goal is to be transparent and abide by the terms of the agreement with our customers.RegardsAHG Home Warranty

This follow up is in response to you recent letter concerning warranty coverage. Additional followup for [redacted] attempting to help him understand the coverage he purchased.The plumbing professional was at the property, listened to the description from the tenant, after checking the tank, diagnosed the failure was due to rust and corrosion.With the "Standard" policy that he purchased, reviewed and initialed, section 20.3 of the contract (attached in the prior response) coverage is clearly spelled out. He signed the complete contract, stating that he agreed and understood with the terms of the policy he purchased. AHG cannot extend coverage for rust and corrosion, on a policy that doesn't have that coverage. Regardless where the water is coming out of the tank, water follows the path of least resistance. AHG sells policies with rust and corrosion coverage at a slightly higher rate.The picture the customer sent AHG clearly shows rust on the top of the tank, (Picture attached in last response) confirming the diagnosis from the licensed plumbing  professional.AHG hopes this helps [redacted] understand. As is standard in any warranty or insurance, coverage the customer did not select and pay a premium for, cannot be offered for a claim.AHG wishes the best for the [redacted] family going forward ReghardsAHG Home Warranty

To Whom It May Concern;In response to the Revdex.com complaint filed by Mr. G[redacted] Complaint # [redacted]Ahg has reviewed the customers concerns, request, and the information provided by Mr. Garcia and our vendors. We have found he has legitimate concerns.AHG has refunded the 2 service fees, (customers...

requested amount).We at AHG would like to thank Mr. G[redacted] and the Revdex.com for your time and efforts. we look forward to providing continued service that meets our customers expectations.  Regards AHG Home Warranty

To put this into perspective and clarify information for anyone thinking of purchasing an AHG warranty.  We had a 10 year old dishwasher, the dispatched a tech who did not take the time to look at the unit properly, we paid $65 for that tech.  They then offered us $150 payout and no other options, so our net to purchase a new dishwasher was a whopping $85 so know that they will be able to do this to you on every single item in your home, the warranty is basically useless since anything that you have fail they will do the same thing and force you to take a ridiculous payout.  One more thing when we pulled the dishwasher out to install it, it turned out that it was the pump that had failed and despite what they are saying the pump was available for purchase, but they figured it was cheaper for them to pay us the $85 net to us than pay the money to repair the dishwasher.  If you read their reasoning le section 1.6 of the contract know this that that will be used against you so that they do not have to fix or replace a unit as it was used against us.  We had a warranty with them for more than 4 years and never once did we have to have anything replaced by them so this is what we get after they collected money from us for 4 years and then when it was time to actually fix or replace something they used section 1.6 to pay us $85 to purchase a new dishwasher.  Useless warranty that will not provide you with anything when you need it.

Revdex.com Complaint ID# [redacted]Gina Williams[redacted]Houston TX.AHG would like to thank the Revdex.com and this valued customer for the opportunity to respond to coverage concerns.This has been an active claim for a longer period than normal, the information process has been somewhat burdensome,...

between the contractor, AHG and the customer. AHG did request photos from the contractor since the model and serial numbers given were the same as a 2015 claim. This is a split A/C system, the indoor portion had a failure at the end of 2015, Ms Williams opted to take a cash buy out, rather than have the contractor AHG dispatched do the replacement. This valued customer was issued a check to cover the value of that repair.May 2017 this new claim was set up for a no cool A/C, the contractor was indicating the same issue was going on with the indoor unit (leaking evap coil) in additional to a new failure on the outdoor unit, on the (2015) the air handler was bought out by AHG , this is still a 2000 year unit, the model & serial #'s are the same as the 2015 claim. the unit has not been replaced, a new unit would have a 5 year manufactures warranty and that would take presidence over the home warranty, and would not have the same failure. the exact piece of equipment can't be covered a 2nd time.AHG is currently in open communication with Ms. Williams and has offered to replace the outdoor condenser or have offered a cash buy out. Ms. Williams is currently looking for the paperwork from the contractor she had do the 2015 repair. As stated earlier AHG can't cover an item that was covered and cashed out on a prior claim.AHG is waiting on this valued customer to decide what direction she wants to go, AHG looks forward to bringing this claim to a conclusion, we will await notification from Ms. Williams on her direction of choice. Regards,AHG Home Warranty

One business day after this valued customer filed a service request for microwave repair a tech was at their home.  The diagnostic was that the control board had failed.  After an exhausting effort to locate the part it was determined that because the microwave was 5+ years past it's...

useful life the manufacture was no longer making parts for the outdated unit.Because parts are no longer available -- AHG presented 4 options per the contract that included cash based on the depreciated value, and gift cards to [redacted] and [redacted].  This valued customer selected the [redacted] E-card that the funds were dispersed the sale day the customer decided what they wanted to do.AHG has serviced and issued settlement within terms of the contract (please see section 2.1 that describes useful life/and values). If you have an "14+ year old car" and you get into an accident, nobody expects the auto insurance company to pay you the value of a new car... the same concept applies to appliance warranties.AHG has been very diligent in offering this customer goodwill.  Because of this valued customers military service AHG gives this customer a discount on the service fee.  We even took our customer service one step further and gave them a free month of service.  At time of claim settlement we provided 4 options and let the customer decide how to proceed... I am not sure what more we could have done to make this person happy.Clearly, this goes into the category of no good deed goes unpunished.AHG would like to extend again the offer of a free warranty consultation to help this valued customer understand the coverage.  In the mean time, we ask that this valued customer please read the contract documents that were provided Friday, May 16, 2014 12:47 PM

Revdex.com Complaint [redacted]Signed contract and Auto Renewal AttachedTo Whom it May Concern:In response to your recent letter. AHG appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Revdex.com and explain the following series of events.Last yeart Mr. Holtz paid for a warranty on their property, he also signed up for...

automatic renewal (document enclosed) each year payment runs prior to the end of the policy, to ensure there is no disruption in coverage. AHG ran the payment per the terms the customer agreed to.The cancellation of the renewal has been accepted, they have received a full refund of the policy premium.A claim was set up in Aug of this year , Mr. Holzer stated 1 of the 2 units on his property was leaking thru the ceiling, AHG dispatched a tech to diagnose, if needed to clear the condensate line. Per Sec 9.3 of the attached contract, this would be a covered failure. This valued customer called back a couple days after the service call, reporting the issue was continuing, the contractor returned to the property and diagnosed a broken drain line on 1 unit and a failed safety shut off switch on the other, both units had issues with the drain pans, the 2nd unit did not have a drain line, the unit was overflowing the pan. Both of the reported issues are not covered items (sec. 9.4) due to the condition of the drain pans, the contractor that was dispatched did not want to take on the job, on a  customer direct basis. As a courtesy AHG refunded the service fee the customer paid.Mr. Holzer accused the tech of 2 different causes for the broken drain line, he had 2 different reports from the 2 contractors he had out, none of which held the tech AHG sent, responsible.AHG feels we have acted in good faith, the customer has received a full refund for the automatic renewal they signed up for, and we have refunded the service fee for the contractor that was dispatched.We at AHG wish the best for the Holzer family going forward.RegardsAHG Home Warranty

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
1. American Home Guardian's response to my complaint is a downright LIE. The service person they assigned to address my service call to repair the self-cleaning function on my Viking oven broke the inner door glass of the oven by employing a method of his own invention, rather than the factory recommended procedure, for operating the self-cleaning function on the oven. American Home Guardian should be responsible for the actions of their assigned service person.2. Since the American Home Guardian service person did not fix the problem, but instead caused damage to our oven, we are entitled to a refund of the service fee we paid to American Home Guardian. We only fixed the self-cleaning function by contacting the Viking company directly, on our own, and received instructions for operating the self-cleaning function.3. American Home Guardian has many, many more complaints and unfavorable reviews, to which I added, because their attitude is to grab every penny they can get from unsuspecting customers, such as myself, and then find ways to deny the customer a fair and equitable solution to their problem. This is a pattern with American Home Guardian, as evidenced by the numerous complaints of abuse from disgruntled customers on a large number of websites that provide a review forum for companies such as American Home Guardian. In fact, their record with the Revdex.com is far less than stellar, their rating being below standard.I will not be satisfied until I receive the $100 service fee refund for not performing the job that American Home Guardian was responsible for providing.I cannot believe they LIED BY REPRESENTING THAT THE OVEN GLASS WAS BROKEN BEFORE THEIR ASSIGNED SERVICE PERSON ARRIVED! It was NOT BROKEN. The American Home Guardian service person BROKE THE OVEN GLASS ON JUNE 15, 2015, THE SAME DAY HE SUPPOSEDLY "REPAIRED" (read "BROKE") our oven.  
Regards,
[redacted]

As stated in the original response, AHG sends a copy of the Warranty Service Contract to each customer to review and sign prior to the start of coverage.Mr. T[redacted] initialed section 2.3 of the AHG home warranty service contract stating he fully understands the coverage that state "TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR COVERAGE ITEMS MUST BE IN PLACE INSTALLED CORRECTLY" see attached picture showing the unit was not in place when the tech arrived at the property, in addition 2.3 also states  the inlet line has a shut off valve, that could have been used to stop the water flow into the tank and prevented any water damage, this type of installed requirement is standard in the home warranty industry, to be certain a potential failed item belongs to the covered property. It looks as though the handy man did use the shut off once the tank was removed.There is also some damage to the bottom side of the tank that would not be considered normal wear and tear no way of telling when or how that damage occurred, and if that damage is the cause of the leak, that is also why the tank needs to be properly installed when the tech arrives.When the claim was called in AHG personnel are trained to advise the caller to shut the water off to the tank if it is reported as leaking, the claim was promptly dispatched to an AHG licensed contractor and a mutually acceptable schedule appointment was arranged with the customer appointed representative.AHG regrets that we were not able to provide coverage for this claim, AHG operates per contract, the customer read, agreed, signed and initialed his acceptance of the term of that contract.I hope the customer and the BB can see that AHG operated in good faith by dispatching the claim promptly after it was called into us, allowing the customer or his representative to control the appointment time for service.AHG stands by the decision for this valued customer and this claim, the policy needs to be adhered to for coverage to be provided.

As the Revdex.com and this valued customer knows, AHG operates per the terms of a signed contract (see attached).  Please see this valued customers initials next to the section 5 (cancellation section) of the contract and the signature below the reiteration of contract terms/payment agreements on page...

9.If this customer or the Revdex.com can find any facet of the contract we have failed to uphold, please let us know and I guarantee it will be rectified at once.As stated, this customer has cancelled the contract and AHG has fulfilled/accommodated their request. I hope you have a nice day!

So many lies in that response I don't know where to start. I think I will start with us not having coverage for 5 Months. If you look at the attachment I have inlcuded, you will see that we signed the contract on Oct. 20, 2015. This company took our money 5 months prior but did not have us sign the contract until we started the claim. So for them to say that we had a laps in coverage is insane. If that was the case, then they under their own guidelines should not have covered the damages at all because we didn't fulfill the period of time needed before the first claim could be processed. When we tried to get this claim processed, we were told over and over that the contract was the binding agreement. We have since showed them their own contract that we have 14 days to make changes to our contract from the date signed and they will not allow us to change the coverage or cancel the contract all together. Within 14 days, I should be able to cancel my contract. So if the contract is the binding agreement, give me back my money, and close my account! They are unwilling to do that because they want to talk from both sides of their mouth. In one instance, we are not covered due to fine print ONLY located in the "elite" section of the contract and on the other side, we have had coverage for 5 months now, so we can only get a prorated cancellation fee back. This company is full of partial truths, which are in fact just lies. I also dispute that they have given us considerable discounts. We paid $100.00 for the initial call which the plumbing company discounted because Sonoran Home Protection would not cover the water heater even though their certified technician said it should have been covered. The plumbing company thought that Sonoran was being shady and offered to discount their services and Sonoran Home Protection paid for NOTHING!! It is sad that they stoop to these practices that even the plumbing company feels that they need to help out and reduce fees. I want to be very clear that Sonoran Home Protection gave no discounts. As for the contract being clear. Please read it carefully. Under the water heater section, there is no mention of rust. It is only in the fine print of the "elite" section of their contract. We used to be under their "Gold" standard which was the upgraded coverage. That gave us AC unit service and covered our pool. Months ago when we paid for renewing our contract, we thought we were getting the upgraded coverage. Since then they have changed their contract. When we made the claim, it was then that we were told we never signed the contract. At that point we saw no need to become elite and pay more because they had removed the AC service and the service for the pool. We were not aware that tucked in some section at the bottom of the contract there was a rust stipulation that gave this company reason to deny our claim. We spoke to the plumber about the rust. He has NEVER been told to open the front hatch for a picture of rust. Because the seal broke, water touched that front section causing an orange streak on the metal. That will ALWAYS be there. That has been verified from the plumber that Sonoran sent to our house. When he was told to take that picture, and that the claim would not be covered he asked for discounts from his own company because he knew Sonoran was not being fair. We were  never informed about the upgrade. It's something they sneak in the very last line of the contract... basically making it so they can deny any claim because of course the appliances will have some signs of use on them. It should state right in the body of the contract that there is a possibility that it won't be covered.  It's deceptive to write their policies so that the only way it is valid is if you purchase an additional upgrade. Now we know it's their loophole to deny coverage. Everyone should beware of their deceptive practices and know that the policy itself has absolutely no value... unless an additional "upgrade" is purchased.Sonoran Home Protection can pretend all they want to be on the up-and-up but they are as shady as they come. I was a believer and have sent many people over to them to get home warranties. It is sad that this company chooses to do business like this. We have been customers for a long time and felt that we had a great relationship with this company. But we were wrong. They are cheats and the general population needs to know about their scam like procedures. I would ask that this be brought to light and that the claim be upheld. Please do not let another company go unblemished for being deceptive in the way that they do business.  Thanks,[redacted]

AHG provided cash to replace the unit based on the age.

Our reason for this dispute is not because of the amount they agreed to pay for the dishwasher as they attempt to claim in their response.   Our issue as stated in my original complaint is that we are being charged a $60 service fee which the contract states grants them the exclusive right to arrange a service provider for us to schedule a mutually acceptable repair appointment (section 19.1 of the contract).  We were not given this option due to their inability to provide us with any service provider.  While we appreciate the refund of $5 for not scheduling this appointment within 4 hours as is guaranteed in the contract, there is no reason we should be subject to any sort of service charge because an appointment was never scheduled due to their inability to provide a service provider on several attempts.  All of which were intiated by our follow up with them, no effort on their part to ensure we had been able to get an appointment when they claimed they forwarded our service need to a service provider.

AHG refunded the amount received for the cancelled new term by check on October 10, so this is no longer an issue.In respect to the AC problem, we sent estimates from two different contractors to AHG for the repair.  There appeared only one cause, the that AHG contractor blew the line from outside, blowing out the PVC connection to the pan.  That the PVC connection was blown out, this was not in question.  Whether or not the AHG contractor did, in fact, blow this connection, it was blown.  AHG contracted to cover the AC and DID NOT!  This is not good faith.  The unit was covered but they did not cover the failure.

In response to your resent letterRevdex.com Complaint ID# [redacted]Attached: Signed Contract, & Picture of Rusted Water Heater.To Whom it May Concern:AHG would like to thanks the Revdex.com and this valued customer for the opportunity to clarify coverage.[redacted] has had coverage with AHG for several years,...

AHG has provided coverage on multiple claims, for different policies, that fell within the scope of coverage. [redacted] set up a claim for a leaking water heater on Sept. 18th 2017, the claim was sent to a licensed contractor in our network. Tech ran the call, confirmed the tank was leaking, he did report the failure was due to rust and corrosion, (attached picture confirms those findings).Current policy has "Standard" coverage, this is our basic coverage, in section 20.3 of the signed contract, this valued customer also initialed next to this section. States this policy does not cover rust and corrosion, upgrade coverage was available at an additional cost , at the time the policy was ordered. This is a claim AHG cannot cover, due to the policy [redacted] selected for this property.[redacted] Argument was that the water was coming out of a hole on top of the tank, water does naturally follow the path of least resistance, there is clearly rust and corrosion visible. Any evidence of rust and corrosion on the water heater [with this type of policy] is reason for denial.AHG hopes this information helps to clear up any misunderstandings on coverage. It's unfortunate this policy did not have the elite upgrade, this would have been, simply a covered item.Should an additional issue present its self during the remaining coverage term, AHG will extend all courtesies within the chosen  coverage to it's fullest extent.AHG wishes the best, going forward for the [redacted] family.Regards,AHG Home Warranty