American Home Shield AHS has taken over five months to complete my claim, and I still don't have a water heater. Nationwide

I called American Home Shield in December to have my water heater fixed. The first two contractors didn't know how to work on a tankless water heater. I finally got authorization to get a contractor who knew what he was doing, got the problem diagnosed, and had an estimate sent to AHS. AHS has refused to pay the contractor, saying that they need to speak with them. The contractor has attempted to call AHS several times, and the last time he was transferred five times without ever getting to someone who could authorize a payment to my contractor. So, AHS says the contractor must call, but they can't get through, and AHS won't transfer me to a person who can sort this out. What the heck am I supposed to do?

It's now almost June and I still have a water heater that functions intermittently. That's five (5) months from the initial service call. I'll be calling a lawyer if I can't get this sorted out tomorrow.