Saga of a Water Heater and American Home Shield pt. 1

 I lost hot water on 19 February, 2023. Originally, the local gas company was called. They came out, shut off the gas to the hot water heater, heard a leak and told us that our hot water heater was busted. I go online to American Home Shield to submit a claim. I also contact Progressive Homeowners Insurance. On the 20th, I pay the $125 to AMS to get this sorted. They put me with Summit Plumbing. The plumbers couldn't come until the water closet was dried out, the old water heater removed, and new flooring put in. I look on the AMS portal and see nothing can move forward until I pay the plumbers $885 for uncovered costs. But that just lists standard water heater. 

On 2/23 at 0949 I called and spoke with Obed and he said he would send me an invoice. I called Summit Plumbing at 1055 (I was at work trying to do this) and she gave me a list of things that AMS didn't cover: gas line shut off valve, ball valve, water line, sediment trap, vent, TNP line, and a pipe pan. 

At 1329 hours, I called AHS again (as I had gotten a list from Summit) and spoke to Saskie. She said I had to wait 24 hours for an email of the invoice. 

The 27th of February came and at 0940 I called American Home Shield and spoke with Vince. He said he would check into it and will send an invoice price of what is and isn't covered. Then he said a denial letter was sent via snail mail because of all the "modifications" and then violations - which was a technician's diagnosis. He couldn't tell me what technician nor what violations. But I needed hot water, so on March 1st I paid the money to the plumbers and on the 3rd they came to put in the water heater. I still didn't have hot water and now the water flow was 75% less than it was.

 On March 6 I called Summit Plumbing. At 1336 I called American Home Shield and spoke with Ferd. He said he saw where I had requested an invoice and it should be with me via mail within seven days. 

On March 7 another plumber from Summit came out and said there was a busted pipe and an open flow of water. He said the soil was seeping and I was losing a lot of water. He turned off the hot water heater and the gas. Now companies that dry out water damage and reconstruction companies are coming and going trying to dry this out but no one is fixing the busted pipe. Summit sent out a plumber and all he did was crawl under the house to take pictures and find the leak. He did. And he found mold and fungus all over the wet ground and on the sub-flooring. He never sent me the pictures but sent them to the drying company and his boss at Summit. They provided me with 4 of the pictures. 4. 

From March 7 to 13 I had to deal with plumbers, restoration, claims, insurance: just to get someone to fix a leaky pipe. No joy. On 13th of March, I still don't have the invoice from American Home Shield. I still didn't have hot water. And now I have a hole in the back bedroom over the busted pipe (everything from that bedroom is now distributed throughout the house and everyone is sleeping in the living room and using the one bathroom - with no hot water). 

On the 13th I called American Home Shield again about the invoice. At 1521 I spoke with Jess and she couldn't find my account. When she did she said an invoice would be sent out in 10 business days. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Jess informed me that she didn't have a supervisor. I went online to find a cancellation number. At 1555 I spoke with Sherry in member solutions. She tells me there is no option on customer service end to send an email. She said any "invoice" would take 14 to 21 business days. She said she could process this invoice. At 1606 I spoke with Frank in cancellations. He said there is the record of all my calls and requests for an invoice. He says it's "the system" that sends out any emails. Frank tells me the customer service doesn't deal with any of the things covered. They only know how much the customer pays. He said even he does not have the info about line item invoices of what part of appliances are covered and what are not. Customer Service, Member Resolution, Cancellations, et al do not have that information so they can not share that information. He offers to waive my March and April bill and to refund the $125. 

Today, March 15, American Home Shield calls me. Chris, a female, called at 1039 about the water heater, the work order from Summit Plumbing and to reiterate that I do not pay the $44 a month for March and April and that the $125 will be refunded. She says that the only departments that have the line item invoice would be the authorization department and purchasing. She said prices are different than retail prices for those services. I asked for those phone numbers and she quickly ended the call.  The ONLY things approved and paid for by AMS were the disposal of the old water heater, the labour to install it, and the actual water heater tank (not any of the bits and bobs to attach it to the gas line or the house). Today March 15, 2023, I still don't have hot water.