So the tech didn’t quite understand me when I spoke to him on the phone, and thought I was the dispatcher at American Home Shield. He made it really clear that he wrote exactly what he was told to on the diagnosis.
Looking around the web today, I see I’m not the first person to run into AHS writing the second opinion for themselves.
I noticed nothing out of the ordinary about anything falling into the bottom of the dishwasher since we’ve had the home and I am always rather specific in how the dishwasher is loaded and dishes get handwashed first before being placed into the dishwasher. For them to make an accusation that there was obvious negligence which is an opinion and there was no negligence. When disputing the denial, I was granted a second opinion from another one of their listed contractors. I called the contractor to set up an appointment and he mentioned that he also received “quite a history” about the dishwasher from AHS (in his exact words). Basically telling me that AHS gave them their findings and conclusion from the first contractor. This does not make the 2nd opinion an unbiased one – the whole purpose of a 2nd opinion was to determine if AHS was responsible for replacing the dishwasher under the warranty and I don’t believe they have a legal right to give this information to the second contractor who is supposed to write his own diagnosis independent of what was found by another company.
If you decide to let AHS get a “second opinion” do a little checking, and think about what the servicer would have to know – or could not know independently – before letting them into your house.
Or you could save a lot of money just by not calling American Home Shield in the first place.
Regarding whether AHS is in the clear for “fixing” the second opinion, my feeling is that there is no specific statute forbidding it, but:
- Make American Home Shield document what the second opinion process is when asking for one.
- Make them state for the record that the servicer will not be given the history of the call.
- Make a record of this. Do not be coy about it.
- Make them state, again, unambigously, what information the tech will have. Don’t be pushy, just be organized and methodical.
- Ask open-ended questions of the technician. Be friendly and cheerful. He’s the world-class expert in his field, and you are a mere mortal seeking his valuable insights. People talk more when they feel flattered.
- When the call is done, ask again – “did you see what the authorization guys told you to look for?”
- Get. It. In. Writing. Feign a poor memory or poor hearing.
- Don’t sign anything you don’t understand top to bottom. There’s no law saying you have to. Your signature is to cover their ass, not yours. Say you need to ask your husband/wife/other about it. Be amicable but firm and ask if there is anything else they need before they leave.
- Don’t get angry or confrontational. That only confirms the assumption that you’re stuck with whatever answer they give you.
Next up, some tips on how to handle the complaint, escalation, and resolution process.
Posted by oopsmybad 