CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A 24-year-old HVAC unit started shooting hot air through the vents in Michael Del Rosso’s home in July. The Citrus County resident says the temperature inside his house hit 100 degrees on back to back days.
Del Rosso called his warranty company, American Home Shield, repeatedly.
“I called AHS multiple times Sunday morning and they assured me they would send a tech over Sunday," he said.
But by day three he was still waiting for help to arrive. Del Rosso, who says he’s been with American Home Shield for about 15 years, told ABC Action News he’s never had an issue with their service until now.
Three days after the AC died, Del Rosso called on Taking Action Reporter Jackie Callaway for help. She reviewed past invoices and found the warranty company made at least four repairs to his unit since April. On two of the visits, a tech recommended the Del Ross' AC be replaced.
Jackie emailed American Home Shield and asked that they quickly do something about this customer's hot house. Del Rosso says that same day AHS offered to pay for a mobile cooling unit for his home.
The company told ABC Action News in a statement: “We sincerely apologize for the delay in resolving Mr. Del Rosso’s situation. Our customer care team is working closely with Mr. del rosso and a contractor of his choosing...."
Two days later, Bay Area Air Conditioning arrived. A tech repaired the system and recommended a new unit. Michael says American Home Shield has since approved payment for a brand new AC and he’s waiting for the installation.
When it comes to home warranties consumers need to weigh several factors. Take into consideration the age of your appliances and whether you'd be better off putting the annual warranty cost into a savings account to pay for repairs on your own.
