American Home Shield AHS refuses to honor warranty and has poor customer service Memphis, Tennessee

I thought I had a stoppage in my bathroom plumbing line. I called American Home Shield (AHS) and asked them to send a plumber. I knew that would be near impossible because all the plumbers I had talked to in my area refused to do business with them. At any rate AHS told my they would try to locate a plumber within 2 hrs, if unsuccessful I could use my own plumber. AHS couldn't find anyone.

I called my local plumber that I have used for many years. He came out and took a look and told me that I had a breakage under my house due to wear and raw sewage was leaking under there as well as methane gas which is the by product of raw sewage. I called AHS and told them this information.

My plumber also called them and spent an hour on the phone with them trying to make them understand the danger this posed to my home and health. He also submitted an estimate.

I was told by rep that I would need a second opinion. I agreed to that. She told me she would have to locate a plumber to come out. She actually found someone then. So this guy, Larry, comes out, looks under my house and runs a snake out toward the road. What he pulls out may or may not be a small piece of clay pipe, definitely not roots. He tells me my line is clear and if there is a breakage it should be fine because of the soil around it... really?

I call my original plumber to tell him that they had fixed it and that it was just a stoppage. He tells me ,no. There are multiple breaks under your house and you are at risk. The second plumber will need to run a camera under the house to see it, not just shine a flashlight.

Here is a quote from my plumber "Had a Customer in Rockdale call about a stoppage....Upon arrival I checked under his house to find raw sewage in a couple of major areas...His buried Sewer line under the house was cast iron and falling apart due to "Normal wear"...Suggested he call his warranty Company that he has been paying since he bought his home 15 years ago. They asked me to give them an Estimate on required repairs....I gave them a very low price to replace. They told me they were going to get another quote (normal practice by Insurance Co's) This was not a problem because the Home Owner's other bathroom was working fine... American Home Shield (AHS) called a Plumbing Company (out of College Sta.) to unclog his sewer and paid him $300? Now he has City Sewer Gas in his house! This is a dangerous situation... Methane is odorless, explosive not to mention Deadly. The Plumber only unclogged the line and made no repairs because "That is all they were called out to do by AHS" The Tub/Shower can not be used or water will run out on to the ground under his house. Keep in mind, the home owner originally wanted me to unclog his sewer... until I explained that he would need the Sewer replaced immediately afterwards due to the breaks in his line (Both, above and below ground...and all under his house). That is when he requested me to call AHS. Comes now, AHS is refusing to pay for any more work. Simply because they claim he had a stoppage and now it is fixed? My Customer of several years... is beside himself as to what to do!"

I called the second plumber and asked him what he was paid to do at my house. Was it for a second opinion? He got loud and angry fast and told me he was paid to fix a stoppage which he did. I agreed that he did fix the stoppage. But what about the break in my line? He got more angry  and loudly stated that " I was paid to come out because there was a stopped up line, not about a breakage and AHS told me they are not going to fix it. It is over, I was not sent to fix a busted line under your house" and we exchanged strong opinions over the matter.

I called AHS and was told by yet another rep that the stoppage was fixed and the case is closed. After reviewing my contract I called again to report a new problem... a break in my line. I was told They'd need to send someone out to check. I told them not to send  Larry but then was told that he was the only one they would send or I could pay to have one of my own. So I agreed to have him come back out but this time to look for a break in the line under my house. Did he? No, he promptly told them that the breakage was outside out my home's foundation and there were roots in the line... two thing AHS doesn't cover, mind you, this was after I called him and asked him what he was paid to do.

So I get call  from AHS and spoke to a rep who said, and I quote," We will not honor our warranty until you fix the main line breakage" This is not in my contract. No where does it state that repairs must be made anywhere on my property before they will honor their warranty. Be sure to  note that they were  involved in  a class action lawsuit settlement for breech of contract. The litigation is about not making repairs and replacement per the contract. As it stand I still have a breakage and a lake of raw sewage under my home...