American Home Shield

Last updated
American Home Shield Corporation
Company typeSubsidiary of Frontdoor Inc.
Industry Home warranty
Founded1971;54 years ago (1971)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
HeadquartersMemphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Area served
Nationwide
Key people
Bill Cobb, CEO
ServicesHome warranty
Number of employees
2,000
Parent Frontdoor Inc.
Website www.ahs.com

American Home Shield Corporation is an American home warranty company based in Memphis, Tennessee. [1] [2] [3] [4] It administers home warranty contracts on major home systems and appliances. [2] [3] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Overview

American Home Shield was founded in 1971 and operated independently until it was acquired by ServiceMaster in 1989. [9] In 2018, the American Home Shield business was spun off under Frontdoor, Inc., a new, publicly traded company on the NASDAQ (ticker symbol FTDR). American Home Shield serves over 2 million customers across 49 states and the District of Columbia. It is one of the largest home warranty providers in the United States. [10] [11] The company works with over 16,000 independent contractor firms and 60,000 technicians in the U.S. [12] [13] The headquarters are in Memphis, Tennessee. [1] [14]

History

In 2019, Frontdoor, Inc. acquired Streem, Inc., which uses enhanced augmented reality, computer vision, and machine learning to help home services professionals diagnose home breakdowns virtually and assess if any parts are needed prior to the initial in-home visit. [15] American Home Shield now uses Streem technology as part of their service process in available markets. Frontdoor launched American Home Shield ProConnect in 2020 [16] to offer on-demand home maintenance services. American Home Shield ProConnect is available in 37 markets. [17]

Headquarters

Previous logo American Home Shield logo.svg
Previous logo

The company’s corporate headquarters is located in the heart of downtown Memphis, Tennessee. In March 2020, American Home Shield transitioned all employees to a virtual work environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In mid-2021, the company announced that it would be virtual-first company. They outsource all of their customer service to other countries.

Lawsuits and Complaints

American Home Shield (AHS) has faced legal and regulatory scrutiny as well as a substantial volume of consumer complaints. In 2010, the State of Texas settled with AHS for approximately $5 million over allegations that the company engaged in "false, misleading or deceptive acts and practices," including routine denial of high-cost service claims; AHS made no admission of wrongdoing Inman. In addition, AHS reached a settlement in the Abney v. American Home Shield class-action case concerning broker compensation under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), where a federal court approved new broker compensation practices that purportedly complied with RESPA guidelines and released real estate professionals from any past liability investors.frontdoorhome.com.

On the consumer front, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has received a significant number of complaints regarding AHS. The BBB reports tens of thousands of complaints over recent years—one source cites over 28,700 complaints overall, with common issues being unfulfilled repair commitments, poor communication, and dissatisfaction with subcontracted service quality Trusted Company Reviews. Other consumer reviews and watchdog sources note customer frustration with delays in claim approval, difficulty replacing covered items, and service fees without resolution

Products

In 2021, American Home Shield launched three new home warranty plan products.

Product names include (ranging from least to most expensive):

In 2022, American Home Shield launched three new home warranty plan products for people buying or selling a home as part of the real estate transaction.

References

  1. 1 2 Gwin, Carl R.; Ong, Seow‐Eng (2001). "Overcoming adverse selection in buying an existing home". Journal of Property Investment & Finance. 19 (3): 283–295. doi:10.1108/14635780110387628. ISSN   1463-578X.
  2. 1 2 Fitzsimmons, James A. (1993). "Strategic Role of Information in Services". Perspectives in Operations Management. Boston, MA: Springer US. pp. 101–113. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-3166-1_6. ISBN   978-1-4613-6387-3.
  3. 1 2 Ringing in Sales. CXO Media, Inc. January 1991. p. 65. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  4. Giorgianni, Anthony (August 16, 2017). "What to Know About Buying a Home Warranty". Consumer Reports. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  5. Pollard, C.W.; Graham, B. (2014). The Tides of Life: Learning to Lead and Serve as You Navigate the Currents of Life. Crossway. p. 188. ISBN   978-1-4335-4175-9 . Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  6. Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine. National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 1977. p. 396. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  7. A Study of Home Inspection and Warranty Programs. A Study of Home Inspection and Warranty Programs. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. 1977. pp.  3–4. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  8. "Company Overview of American Home Shield Corporation". Bloomberg. March 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  9. "Extended Warranty Market, Part Three, 13 October 2004". Warranty Week. October 13, 2004. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  10. Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. January 1994. p. 111. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  11. "Our Brands | ServiceMaster". Archived from the original on 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-07-25.
  12. "Home Warranties Insurance - About Us - American Home Shield". www.AHS.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  13. Raines, S.S. (2012). Conflict Management for Managers: Resolving Workplace, Client, and Policy Disputes. The Jossey-Bass business & management series. Wiley. p. 30. ISBN   978-1-118-41548-1 . Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  14. Mehl, Annie (June 29, 2017). "Summer associates for American Home Shield gain more than experience". Daily Times Herald. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  15. "Frontdoor Acquires Streem, a Leader in Advanced Technology to Transform the Service Experience". Bloomberg.com. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  16. "Frontdoor Expands On-Demand Home Services to 35 Markets with American Home Shield ProConnect™". www.businesswire.com. 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  17. "Home Repair Service Providers On Demand". American Home Shield ProConnect™. Retrieved 2022-06-16.