JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville family is dripping in sweat and frustration.
Jana Shriner has been without central air conditioning for two months. She blames her home warranty company for not taking care of the problem in a timely manner.
Shriner contacted the Ask Anthony team for help.
"I've spent over $1,000 on window units and fans. Our electric bill this month is usually $450. It was $900 this month," Shriner said.
Since the end of July, Shriner has been trying to keep her cool, both physically and mentally.
"I work nights as a nurse. Sleep has been an issue for me, because I've been on the phone probably an hour a day since July 27," Shriner said.
Shriner contacted her home warranty company, American Home Shield, after her air conditioner stopped working.
"They assigned a company. The company came out and they actually put a motor on it. It worked for two days and it went out again."
She called again and that's when the problems started...from confusing phone calls to delays in repair authorizations.
"I've been calling them every day. I get different information every day on what's going on with my a/c and when it will be fixed."
Shriner considers this a health emergency, because she also takes care of her 100-year-old mother who has a heart condition.
"It's been horrible. Especially since I can't get around and get anywhere where it is cool," Shriner's mother said.
American Home Shield is a national company based in Memphis, Tennessee. According to the Better Business Bureau, 21,634 complaints have been filed in the past three years. More than 6,000 in the last 12 months.
The Ask Anthony team checked with the Florida Attorney General's office; a spokesperson said 35 complaints have been filed against American Home Shield with their office since January. The complaints are referred to the department of financial services, the state agency that reviews insurance related complaints.
"When you pay a company monthly to do a service and they don't, it's just disheartening. I know I'm not the only one that gets treated this way," Shriner said.
Several viewers have emailed the Ask Anthony team their problems with American Home Shield:
Ron says:
"My home A/C went out and they did nothing in the middle of summer."
Terry writes:
"I terminated my account with AHS in August 2019 because their warranty service had more exclusions than inclusions of service repairs. They also did not allow me to hire a repair contractor of personal choice."
Kerry said:
"AC breaking down off and on for more than a year, American Home Shield the warranty company not addressing problem, only doing temporary fixes."
After Anthony Austin contacted American Home Shield, a technician came out and repaired Shriner's air conditioner. But, Thursday morning, she texted Anthony that it stopped working again.
However, there is good news. Shriner says due to our reporting on the matter, American Home Shield has made the decision to give the family a brand-new air conditioner.
The Ask Anthony team received this statement from the warranty company:
We take great pride in providing quality service and valuable protection to our customers. If we fail to meet these expectations, we work to do the right thing and ensure the situation is properly resolved.
We reviewed Ms. Shriner’s situation and are disappointed in the service experience we provided. We sincerely apologize for the delays and frustration this has caused her and her family. Our customer care team is working closely with Ms. Shriner and we are committed to ensuring her unit is working properly. As a gesture of goodwill, we reimbursed her service fee and any noncovered costs associated with the repair. We have also offered to reimburse her for alternative cooling.
We deeply value our relationship with Ms. Shriner and look forward to serving her in the future.
The Federal Trade Commission has information on four things to consider before choosing a home warranty company, click here for more information.