Home Depot Water Heaters Consumer Reviews - Page 2

FLORIDA -- Ordered by phone a replacement 50-gal electric residential water heater with installation service by a Home Depot subcontractor. Answered various questions about the install, agreed to price and gave my credit card to be charged. Later the subcontractor's office called to schedule the work. My install was of the quick and easy variety - same size unit, no stairs and lots of space to work, as it was in my garage on a concrete platform.

Next day subcontractor arrives with new water heater on his truck. He looks over the existing installation, then pulls out a tape and measures the platform height. It's 20" - I had previously explained when ordering that it was about 18". The installer demanded an extra $70 "up charge" saying that any platform over 18" incurred this extra charge. I said $70 for 2" higher seemed absurd - nobody had warned me about that. He became somewhat rude at that point.

I asked him to please wait a minute in my garage while I phoned his (the subcontractor's) office. The office was firm about the policy. Not wishing to fall prey to this obvious scam, I canceled. On returning to my garage maybe 5 minutes later, I found the installer had left. A short time later, Home Depot called to say they had gotten word from the subcontractor that I'd canceled and that they were making $35 trip charge. After stating that I would vigorously fight any such charge because of the circumstances, the caller checked with her boss and reported the charge would not be made. We'll see.

I am very much of the view that this incident and probably other aspects of up charges for similar installs are scams. Subcontractors to Home Depot probably give them low prices, then due to some little detail, wind up making their money on exorbitant up charges... The ageless game of exploiting a consumer in distress. In my case, I could have had a local plumber do the work on Friday but waited to have Home Depot do it on Saturday. Now I'll have to wait until Monday when the plumber's supply houses reopen. Yes, it's a considerable inconvenience to me, but I detest scams.

CARROLLTON, GEORGIA -- I had the hot water heater (I would write the name and make of heater but the TOS agreement seems to suggest otherwise) installed on 9/15/2008 and noticed in August of 2012 that it was leaking. Since it is in the basement, I can't be sure when it started. I had a professional plumbing service come and eventually it was concluded that the seam was leaking which means the hot water heater had to be replaced. I called Home Depot because there was a 6-year warranty. Who I spoke with was pleasant but what I was left with in terms of their warranty was not.

What happened in this situation as in others I assume is that they depreciated the hot water heater and I was responsible financially for the delivery and installation. When added up, I might as well pay for a new hot water heater and be able to get one of a different name brand since I did not want the same. I am up in years and have never heard of a hot water heater lasting less than 4 years. Yes, they are still selling these heaters. I tried to post this on Home Depot's consumer reviews and they blocked it so one might want to calculate when reading these reviews just how many are not there.

SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA -- I called Home Depot, who outsources to Fast Water Heater Company. What an experience! The best part if you call Fast Water Heater company directly, the prices are CHEAPER than Home Depot. No surprise, as Home Depot needs their cut. Regardless, they identify all the code requirements and charge you extra fees for code compliance. This was clearly stated when scheduled, but the upsell charges are RIDICULOUS! Here where they are scamming customers: $89 to install one bare copper wire. Seriously? This costs less than $20 in materials and 5-10 minutes of labor.

Another example, $119 to install 3 straps. Again, maybe $40 in parts and at best 20 minutes to install. Third example to prove the over-the-top pricing, $39 for a gas sediment trap with is less than $8 in parts from Home Depot and less than 10 minutes to install. Fourth example, requiring Expansion Tank at $179 when the part retails for $52.50 and you get online for $29.95. Are these the type of people who deserve your business? Don't get taken by these guys!

My water heater stopped working just before the July 4th weekend. I called Home Depot, who had a good price on a small water heater. I liked shopping at their stores, so I wrongfully assumed that their customer service would be just as good for installation. They gave me the price for the water heater, delivery fee and installation. It was a great price. They said the installer would be in contact with me and that I would pay for it once the installation was complete. The installer called me and said they could not come out until July 5th, due to the holiday. An old guy showed up and walked around my basement.

He called his boss and told me that he would have to install an electric line for the new heater and the price was $125 more. I agreed. He was to return the next day. He never showed or called. I called Home Depot corporate customer support. I spoke to ** who said there was nothing Home Depot could do. It was up to me to call the installer. I asked if Home Depot did not care and if that was the case, what was the point of using Home Depot? He apologized, but said there was nothing more he could do. So, do not use Home Depot for installations. They don't care what the installers do or don't do so there is no reason to use this service.

I agreed to purchase a 50 gal. 9-year warranty GE hot water heater from Home Depot (HD). The price plus installation came to $879. I also checked with a couple of plumbers and their quoted charges for a similar product and installation was $900 to $1,000. So, I thought I would go with Home Depot and save a few dollars. (Plus, I had used Home Depot to install the hot water heater it was replacing 10 years previous and the price HD quoted and I paid was the same - $433. Wow BIG inflation.)

One of the plumbers warned me that they would quote me $879 and before they left, they would charge me over $1,300. Sure enough, O'Shan Plumbing came out with the heater and reviewed where I was having it installed (in a garage in a raised open faced closet). Within 5 minutes he had come up with different things that was needed and code violations that pushed the price to over (you guessed it) $1,300.

After I punched the wall and told him that a plumber warned me that this would happen, he packed up his truck so fast and got out of my driveway. I called O'Shan Plumbing and dared them to try to collect their cancellation fee. I was going to every newspaper and TV investigative reporter in the Dallas, TX area. I ate crow and called the plumber that warned me and he installed a better grade heater for $950.

HIXSON, TENNESSEE -- I had installers hired by Home Depot install my gas new hot water heater. A pipe connecting the water heater and my furnace fell off and I stopped using my furnace. I hired a friend who has owned a very reputable heat and air service for decades to correct the problem. It turns out that the installers never attached the pipe with screws but only with silver tape. That was it.

In the meantime, carbon monoxide was spewing into my garage every time my family used hot water. This horrible "installation" job could have killed my family if left undetected. Do not have Home Depot be in charge of installing your appliance if you value your life. You can't trust who they send out. They are not Home Depot employees and cannot be trusted.

HOUSTON, TEXAS -- I went to Homedepot.com and selected the store location and the water heater that I was going to purchase. It showed a discount price but stated that I couldn't order online and needed to pick up at store. I went to that exact same store and it was the sticker price with no discount. I printed out the copy of web page and talked to the manager. The manager said HD stores do not honor the Homedepot.com price. I said I selected this store and it showed a different price, he just repeated himself. I bought the item at the listed price since I already have the installer lined up.

Why does HD advertise the online price for that store and the store does not honor it, is that false advertisement? I did not call HD headquarter since I know it is a waste of my time. Within that month, I was travelling to another Home Depot store (about 200 miles away) and found that the price is discounted 20% in store, so I just gave them the receipt and got the difference refunded. It does vary by store and the manager at my HD really sucks. But I was so happy to get my money back from another store with absolute NO question asked.

ALL LOCATIONS -- Did you realize that if you have a problem with your Home Depot installed water heater, under the warranty, that you MUST return the water heater to the store before they give you a credit towards the new one? In addition, they DO NOT OFFER offer any installation service for the new replacement water heater nor any return service for the defective water heater. They told me (same story all the way to corporate headquarters) that the customer is responsible for providing a contractor to do that. Thus, the customer without do-it-yourself knowledge must deal with a plumber to remove the old heater, return it to HD, and to get a replacement water heater.

Estimates I have received for a special service like that exceed the cost of buying a new water heater installed from Sears. Now then, with a policy like that, why would anyone ever buy an installed water heater from Home Depot?

SAN DIEGO (BALBOA & GENNEESE), CALIFORNIA -- I ** purchased a new water heater from Home Depot (Balboa and Genesee) San Diego CA and purchased an installation of that water heater the same day to be installed on the same day. Well everything was going OK on the installation so I left my house manager of the house in control and told both (house manager) and (installer) that when the installation was finished, the installer was to go to my house manager when completely done and ready to leave and he would pay him (California Metro Plumbing) as I had to go to Home Depot for a Christmas tree, and then to Sears for a carpet cleaner.

Well to my surprise I came home and checked with my house manager (flooding in hallway and all bedrooms) then I went into master bedroom where the water was running and overflowing from my master bathroom sink. I called Home Depot while standing in an inch of water and they said there was nothing they could do about it! It took exactly 1 week to file the claim with Home Depot which the plumber denied. Then Colonial insurance (3rd party insurance company) for the plumber and it has been a hassle ever since. I was deprived of Christmas and $3,500.00 to repair my home from flooding caused by Home Depot and its third party subcontracted labor.

My claim started on Dec.19, 2005 and has not been resolved as of this time (03/10/2006). If you're thinking of Home Depot (DON'T DO IT), it's not worth the hassle or aggravation you're going to go through (in ** craftsmanship, and incompetence!!!!!!!!). Totally dissatisfied customer.

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA -- They came out with the wrong unit for starters. They had to come back the following day so I had to take a second day off. This time they came with the correct unit but stated there would be an up charge because the pipes had to be moved. Obviously a scam for another 75.00 for absolutely nothing. They also left a nice rusty water stain in my driveway which they ignored. These guys were rude and looked a little nasty. My advice is look for a service professional rather than a 23-year-old senior helper, they rank them technicians.