Independent profile — not affiliated with American Home Shield
American Home Shield Reviews & Complaints
American Home Shield (AHS) is a Memphis, Tennessee seller of home warranty plans that cover repairs to home systems and appliances, and a subsidiary of Frontdoor, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTDR). Its own FAQ and sample plan agreement set the rules on service requests, service fees, second opinions, assigned contractors, cancellation refunds, automatic renewal and mandatory arbitration. Two recent putative class actions against it were brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and ended in a judgment for AHS and a voluntary dismissal.
Contacts
- Official websiteahs.com ↗
Customer service & general contact
- Customer support1-800-858-1922 2 complaints mention this number
- Warranty services and sales1-888-682-1043
- Request service by phone877-730-4187
Cancel, billing & returns
- Cancel a plan855-822-7419
- Written Notice of Dispute before arbitration[email protected]
Other contacts
- Pause, transfer or change a plan844-300-5270
Locations
- Headquarters3400 Players Club Parkway, Suite 300 Memphis TN 38125
American Home Shield claims, cancellation, renewal and disputes: what the company's own terms say
An American Home Shield (AHS) plan is a service contract: AHS arranges and pays for the repair or replacement of listed home systems and appliances, subject to the plan's coverage limits, service fees and exclusions. The points below come from the AHS FAQs page and the sample home warranty plan agreement linked from it. The agreement you received controls: section numbers and deadlines differ by plan, state and agreement version, so find the matching section in your own agreement before you rely on a deadline.
Request service. The FAQ lists three routes: MyAccount online at any hour, the AHS app, or by phone at 877.730.4187. Homeowner plan coverage begins 30 days after sign-up; real estate plans start right away with no waiting period. The agreement requires you to file the request during the plan term, and if AHS asks for information to evaluate a request, you must provide it within 30 days or the request is cancelled.
How a request is approved. AHS approves a request when three conditions are met: the item is covered by your plan, the failure is a covered breakdown, and no limitation or exclusion applies. Each covered item also has a dollar limit stated in the plan. Charges for items that are not covered are yours.
Service fee and timing. You pay a non-refundable service fee of $100 or $125, chosen when you buy the plan, each time you place a service request. The agreement states that the fee is not refunded even if the breakdown turns out not to be covered. AHS says it cannot guarantee that a request will be completed within a set time, citing contractor scheduling, parts supply and the complexity of the repair.
Read the rest of this section
If you are told a breakdown is not covered: second opinion. Section 9.G of the sample agreement gives you the right to request a second opinion within seven (7) days from the date you were told of the coverage decision. You pay another service fee when you ask; AHS refunds that fee if it determines that the second opinion differs from the original diagnosis and the breakdown is covered. Write down the date you were told and keep the contractor's diagnosis and your service request number.
Contractor. In most cases you cannot choose your own repair Pro: AHS assigns an independent contractor from its network, and repairs may only be done by that contractor unless AHS approves Outside Authorization. If a covered repair fails within 30 days of completion, the 30-day Workmanship Guarantee covers a return visit at no extra cost. If an item cannot be repaired, AHS replaces it or, in some cases, pays cash instead. Under section 9.H, a cash-in-lieu payment you agree to is based on what AHS would have paid its own contractor, which the agreement says will likely be less than the retail cost in your area to repair or replace the item, and in some situations AHS may require you to accept cash instead of a repair or replacement.
Cancel or change a plan. You can cancel at any time by phone. To cancel, call 855.822.7419; to pause or transfer a plan first, call 844.300.5270. Under section 15.D.1, if you cancel within the first 30 days and have not filed a service request, you get a full refund with no administrative fee; if you have filed one, the refund is reduced by the cost of the service AHS provided. After 30 days the FAQ describes a prorated refund minus an administrative fee of up to one month's payment (where permitted by law) and any service or claim costs. The agreement adds 10% per month to any refund not paid within forty-five (45) days after cancellation; some states set a shorter period.
Renewal. The FAQ says a plan renews automatically only if automatic payments are set up, and that AHS sends a renewal notice and next year's agreement 30 days before renewal; without automatic payments it contacts you to renew manually. Section 14 of the sample agreement says AHS gives notice of any change to the plan price before the renewal date, and that you can stop renewal by telling AHS at least three (3) days before the renewal date; otherwise the payment method on file is charged. Check the renewal notice for the new price.
If you disagree with a decision. First ask AHS to review the decision, quoting your service request number and the plan section you rely on, and use the second-opinion right if it applies. Section 16.B of the sample agreement, titled "MANDATORY ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER", sends disputes to binding individual arbitration before JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules instead of court, and waives class actions. Before starting arbitration you must send a written, signed Notice of Dispute describing the claim and the relief you want (to [email protected]), and no arbitration can begin until AHS has had 30 days to evaluate and respond. AHS reimburses filing, administration and arbitrator fees for claims totaling less than $10,000 unless the arbitrator finds the claims frivolous. State amendments change these terms; in Oklahoma, for example, the arbitration outcome is not binding on either side.
Where else to turn. If you were charged after cancelling or billed for a renewal you did not agree to, dispute the charge with your credit card issuer; under the Fair Credit Billing Act a written billing-error dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge. For a debit card or bank payment, contact your bank right away. You can also file a complaint with BBB, report the problem to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and contact your state attorney general's consumer protection office. Home warranty companies are licensed in many states: Frontdoor's 10-K says state insurance regulators oversee its home warranty business in certain states, and other bodies such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may also regulate it. In California, the Department of Insurance licenses home protection companies; if a company denies your appeal, you can call it at 1-800-927-4357 or file an online Request for Assistance. In Texas, complaints go to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation through its online complaint system (help line 1-800-803-9202). Keep service request numbers, dates, photos, the contractor's written diagnosis and invoices.
Company Information
- Legal name
- American Home Shield Corporation
- Founded
- 1971
- Business type
- Seller of home warranty (service plan) agreements for home systems and appliances, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee; subsidiary of Frontdoor, Inc.
- Website
- ahs.comSource: AHS home page, checked 2026-10-27
- Headquarters
- Memphis, TNSource: AHS sample plan agreement, provider information, checked 2026-10-27
- Owned by
- Frontdoor, Inc.Source: Frontdoor Form 10-K for 2025, Exhibit 21 subsidiaries list, checked 2026-10-27
American Home Shield says it has sold home warranties since 1971. It is a subsidiary of Frontdoor, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company (FTDR) that files annual and quarterly reports with the SEC. Frontdoor's 10-K says its home warranty business is regulated in certain states by state insurance regulators and may also be regulated by other state bodies, such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The AHS sample plan agreement includes state amendments that change terms for residents of particular states.
Being a real, regulated company does not settle whether a particular claim was handled correctly. That depends on the plan agreement you signed, its limits and exclusions, and the facts of the breakdown. BBB lists American Home Shield as an accredited business with a B letter grade; the same profile shows 14,663 complaints in the last 3 years and an average customer review score of 1.27 out of 5, and BBB does not count reviews in the grade. The reader complaints on this page center on the same kinds of disputes: denied claims, assigned contractors and delays. Read the coverage limits and exclusions before buying and keep records of every service request.
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 460 historical complaints about American Home Shield, published between 2000 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.
- Contractors Never Competent or On Time and $500 Wasted
- Warranty Refused for Bathroom Faucet and Money Not Refunded
- Poor Contractors and Claim Hassles Over Six Years of Coverage
- Dishwasher Not Replaced After Four Repair Companies and Policy Not Renewed
- Microwave Part Never Arrived and Wife Told Wrong Status by Phone
Show 15 more on this page
- Washing Machine Still Broken After Four Repair Visits in Three Months
- Contract Copy Refused Unless Service Period Was Started
- Policy Not Worth Price and Water Heater Replaced Only If Leaking
- Condenser Claim Denied Despite Rust and Corrosion Coverage in Policy
- Air Conditioner Repairs Refused Over Fireplace and Attic Walkway Excuses
- Cancelled my contract due to "too many service requests"
- Air Conditioner Repair Left Heater Unfixed and Extra $125 Demanded
- Water Heater Replacement Upgrade Refused, $200 Out of Pocket
- Water Heater Not Replaced After Two Weeks Without Hot Water
- Replacement Range Not Delivered After Technician Found No Parts
- Contractors Demand Extra Payment Before Repairs and Low Payout Offered
- Assigned Contractor With F Rating and Refused to Reassign
- A/C Coil Replacement Denied Until Home Is Brought to 2009 Code
- A/C Repair Approval Refused Over Unspecified Code Violations
- Plumbing Leak Not Fixed After Two Calls and Mold Under Sink
Complaint Themes
Had an experience with American Home Shield? Tell other people what happened.
Submit a ComplaintComplaint record: BBB, Trustpilot and reader complaints
BBB. The BBB profile for American Home Shield in Memphis shows a letter grade of B and accreditation since 1997. It lists 14,663 complaints filed in the last 3 years, 4,357 of them in the last 12 months, and an average customer review score of 1.27 out of 5 from 5,780 reviews. BBB says customer reviews are not used in its letter grade.
Trustpilot. The ahs.com page shows a TrustScore of 3.5 from 16,352 reviews. The company has claimed the profile, and Trustpilot does not fact-check reviews. BBB and Trustpilot draw on different groups of customers, so their figures are not added together.
Reader complaints on this site. 460 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. They are unverified accounts by their authors and were posted mostly between 2000 and 2013, so they describe older plan terms; for the current rules, read the plan agreement you received. The most common topics are listed under Complaint Themes: heating and air conditioning repairs, contractor quality and charges, delays and repeat visits, denied claims, water heaters and plumbing, cancellation and billing, and appliances.
Court record: federal class actions involving American Home Shield
The three federal class actions below are described in full in the court case list on this page. Allegations in a complaint are not findings, and none of these cases was about how AHS decides repair claims.
- Van Elzen (E.D. Wis., 2024): marketing texts to a number on the National Do Not Call Registry; the court granted summary judgment for AHS on April 21, 2026.
- Johnson (W.D. Tenn., transferred from E.D. Va.): another Telephone Consumer Protection Act case; the named plaintiffs' claims were dismissed with prejudice by stipulation on December 23, 2025, with no settlement terms stated.
- Abney (N.D. Ala., 2009): payments to real estate brokers under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act; AHS denied the allegations, and the court gave final approval to a settlement on December 8, 2011.
If you receive unwanted sales calls or texts. Reply STOP to a marketing text, ask the company to put your number on its internal do-not-call list, register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov, and report unwanted sales calls to the FTC on the same site.
Court & Public Records
Van Elzen v. American Home Shield Corporation
JudgmentPutative class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act alleging that AHS sent four marketing text messages to a number on the National Do Not Call Registry. AHS said it had the plaintiff's express consent. On April 21, 2026 the court granted AHS's motion for summary judgment and directed entry of judgment for AHS. The court left the consent dispute unresolved and decided the case on a different ground: AHS had shown it kept reasonable practices and procedures to prevent Do Not Call violations, so it was not liable even assuming a text was sent in error.
Johnson v. American Home Shield Corporation
DismissedPutative class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. It was filed on December 20, 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (case 1:24-cv-02339) and transferred to the Western District of Tennessee, where it was docketed on March 27, 2025. On December 23, 2025 the parties filed a stipulation dismissing the named plaintiffs' claims with prejudice, each side bearing its own costs and fees, and dismissing the putative class claims without prejudice; judgment was entered the same day. The dismissal papers do not state any settlement terms.
Abney v. American Home Shield
SettledNationwide class action in the Northern District of Alabama alleging that the way AHS paid real estate brokers for selling and marketing its home warranties violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Judge R. David Proctor issued a Final Approval Order on December 8, 2011. According to AHS's announcement of the settlement, AHS vigorously denied the allegations and settled because of the potential cost of defending the case; the judge found its revised broker compensation practices appropriate under RESPA, and brokers and agents were released from past liability for compensation received from AHS. AHS calls its current broker compensation program ProConnect. The case concerned broker compensation, not consumer claim denials.
Who American Home Shield is and who owns it
Entity. American Home Shield Corporation is a Delaware corporation and a subsidiary of Frontdoor, Inc., which lists it in Exhibit 21 to its Form 10-K for 2025 together with state companies such as American Home Shield of California, Florida, Texas and Virginia. In some states one of these state companies, not the Delaware parent, is the provider named in the plan agreement (for example, American Home Shield of Oklahoma, Inc. for homes in Oklahoma). The plan agreement gives the provider's address as 3400 Players Club Parkway, Suite 300, Memphis, Tennessee 38125, the same street address Frontdoor uses for its head office.
Parent and scale. Frontdoor, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTDR) says in its 2025 Form 10-K that it operates under the American Home Shield, HSA, OneGuard, Landmark and 2-10 HBW brands, had approximately 2.1 million active home warranties across all brands as of December 31, 2025, and handles approximately 3.8 million home warranty service requests a year through a network of approximately 17,000 independent contractor firms. These figures cover all brands combined, not American Home Shield alone.
History. AHS says it invented the home warranty industry in 1971 and has nearly 2 million members; both are company statements.
What a plan is. A home warranty is a service contract, not insurance: AHS arranges and pays for the repair or replacement of covered home systems and appliances that break down from normal wear and tear, and the member pays a service fee for each request. Homeowners insurance, by contrast, covers sudden damage such as fire or theft. A homeowner plan has a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts; real estate plans bought with a home sale start right away.
Company Relationships
- Owned byFrontdoor, Inc.
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request service from American Home Shield?
Submit a request online in MyAccount at any hour, in the AHS app, or by phone at 877.730.4187. Homeowner plans start covering breakdowns 30 days after sign-up; real estate plans start right away. You pay the service fee you chose with the plan, $100 or $125, for each request, and it is not refunded if the item turns out not to be covered.
How do I cancel an American Home Shield plan?
Call AHS at 855.822.7419; you can cancel at any time. If you would rather pause, transfer or downgrade the plan, AHS points you to 844.300.5270. Cancel within the first 30 days and you get your plan fees back minus the cost of any service AHS provided (a full refund if you filed no service request). After 30 days you get a prorated refund minus an administrative fee of up to one month's payment, where state law allows it, and any service or claim costs. Ask for a cancellation confirmation number, and check your next card or bank statement; if you are still charged on a credit card, send a written billing-error dispute to the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement showing the charge.
How does American Home Shield decide whether a repair is covered?
AHS approves a request when three conditions are met: the item is covered by your plan, the failure is a covered breakdown, and no limitation or exclusion applies. Each covered item also has a dollar limit in the plan, and you pay for anything that is not covered. If you are told a breakdown is not covered, section 9.G of the sample agreement lets you request a second opinion within seven days of that decision; you pay another service fee, which AHS refunds if the second opinion differs and the breakdown is covered. Check the second-opinion section of your own agreement, because the deadline can differ by state and plan.
Can I choose my own contractor with American Home Shield?
In most cases you cannot. AHS assigns an independent repair Pro from its network who handles your type of problem, and repairs may only be done by that assigned Pro. In limited situations AHS may let you use your own contractor through what it calls Outside Authorization; get that approval from AHS before any work starts. If an AHS repair fails within 30 days, its Workmanship Guarantee covers a return visit at no extra cost.
Will my American Home Shield plan renew automatically?
It renews automatically if you have automatic payments set up. AHS says it notifies you 30 days before the renewal and sends next year's plan agreement, which shows any new price. Without automatic payments, AHS contacts you 30 days before expiry and you renew manually in MyAccount or by phone. To stop an automatic renewal, tell AHS at least three days before the renewal date, as section 14 of the sample agreement requires; otherwise the payment method on file is charged.
What does the American Home Shield plan agreement say about disputes?
Section 16.B of the sample plan agreement, titled MANDATORY ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER, requires disputes to go to binding individual arbitration before JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, not to court or a class action. You must first send a written, signed Notice of Dispute describing the claim and the relief you want to [email protected], and under the sample agreement arbitration cannot start until AHS has had 30 days to evaluate and respond. AHS reimburses filing, administration and arbitrator fees for claims totaling less than $10,000 unless the arbitrator finds them frivolous. State amendments change these terms (in Oklahoma the outcome is not binding), so read the agreement you were given.
Who owns American Home Shield?
Frontdoor, Inc., a Memphis company listed on Nasdaq as FTDR, owns American Home Shield. Its 2025 Form 10-K lists American Home Shield Corporation, a Delaware corporation, among its subsidiaries and says Frontdoor operates under the American Home Shield, HSA, OneGuard, Landmark and 2-10 HBW brands.
Where can I complain about American Home Shield besides the company?
You can file a complaint with BBB, report the problem to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and contact your state attorney general's consumer protection office or the state agency that licenses home warranty companies. In California that is the Department of Insurance (1-800-927-4357, or an online Request for Assistance); in Texas it is the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; in Virginia, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For a credit card charge you did not authorize, such as a renewal after you cancelled, the Fair Credit Billing Act lets you dispute it in writing with the card issuer within 60 days after the first statement that shows it.
What do BBB and Trustpilot show for American Home Shield?
BBB shows a letter grade of B, 14,663 complaints in the last 3 years and an average customer review score of 1.27 out of 5 from 5,780 reviews. Trustpilot shows a TrustScore of 3.5 from 16,352 reviews. The two sites draw on different customers, so their figures are not combined.
Sources (8)
American Home Shield (own site)
- AHS FAQs page ahs.com
- AHS About Us page ahs.com
Public records
- Frontdoor Form 10-K for 2025, Exhibit 21 subsidiaries list sec.gov
- California Department of Insurance, Home Protection Contracts insurance.ca.gov
- Frontdoor Form 10-K for 2025 sec.gov
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, service contract FAQ tdlr.texas.gov
Review sites
- BBB profile for American Home Shield bbb.org
- Trustpilot page for ahs.com trustpilot.com