American Home Shield of Carroll, Iowa is clearly taking advantage of its customers and avoiding paying claims by having its service agents file false reports.

My AHS coverage came with the purchase of my home. About six months after moving in, the dishwasher stopped working. AHS sent a technician, who spent about five minutes reviewing the unit. He concluded that the initial installation was faulty -- that is, that the unit have been installed with the polarity reversed and without a ground. The result, he claimed, was that the control board had burned out, even though he never removed the top panel to inspect the control board. Moreover, because the unit was improperly installed the warrant coverage would be denied. He advised that it would cost about $300 to replace the control board.

After he left I decided to look over the dishwasher myself. I did remove the bottom and top panels. I found that the unit was properly grounded and I tested the polarity, which was similarly fine. However, when I inspected the control board I found that the adjacent "thermal cutoff" fuse was not functioning. I ordered a new fuse from an online distributor for $7.00. I arrived the next business day and I replaced it in five minutes. The dishwasher resumed functioning perfectly.

The report submitted by AHS's service agent was clearly fraudulent. The intention was to have AHS deny service and then have the service agent take the job of repairing the unit for $300 (and no doubt pocketing the new control board). I called the service agent's company to complain and they seemed genuinely upset by their employee's conduct. However, AHS took the position that their agent's report was their final work and that they would not refund my $55.00 service fee.

I strongly believe that what AHS and their service agents are doing is wrong and illegal. I have sent a demand letter to the AHS legal department and a copy to the California Dept. of Insurance. Avoid these guys at all costs!