Let me regale you with a story of exceptionally poor service. I have a rental hot water tank in the apartment over my shop. It was there when I bought the house 20 years ago, so I continued on with it. We have hard water, so six or seven years is about the limit for these tanks, and they corrode through, and subsequently leak.
Reliance home comfort provides free replacement of the tank. I informed them last night the tank was leaking, and required replacement. The call centre operator was asking me about the tank, and I informed him I was quite familiar with hot water tanks, and their problems, and I was completely confident the tank had failed.
This morning, the technicians came, and I led them to the tank. They immediately informed me they could not replace the tank today, and their earliest appointment was Friday. I told them I had already informed the service center the tank had failed, and I had shut the water off to the apartment, so I could not go without water for my tenant for three days. I also stated I would have to replace the tank myself, which I am more than capable of doing. They then informed me there would be a cancellation charge.
I phoned back the service center, and engaged in long drawn out conversations about possible options, (there were none that were acceptable) and then moved on to the fact I had to drop off the old tank in Kingston, as they still owned the tank. I asked why they would want a rotten hot water tank, and then stated I was not driving a two hour round trip to drop off a rotten tank. After much wrangling, I finally said I would take this to social media, and let everyone I knew know about the customer service level Reliance offered to their customers. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times call center operators said "I understand" "I can relate to your frustration" and "I am just stating Reliance policy". This was combined with several attempts to extort money from me for a tank that was failed, and service that was not provided. I suggested they take me to small claims for the minor charges, and we could have a discussion with the judge on what was reasonable expectations of service from a company that clearly stated the " Whether you need emergency assistance or regular maintenance, our experts in plumbing, air conditioning, hot water tanks, and furnace repair are ready to help. " Obviously, the help they provide means you go without water for three days. With that kind of help, I would prefer to go another route, to say the least.
This is absolutely hopeless, indifferent, and incompetent customer service. I phoned a local plumber who I use, and they are coming today to replace my tank. I am waiting for a call back to confirm, but if they can't (and they are the best people ever) I will go to Home Depot, buy a tank, and put it in, It has to go up a long flight of stairs, and since I am by myself, it would be a pain, but doable.
MY ADVICE: do not rent equipment from RELIANCE HOME COMFORT. They are unable, or unwilling to recognize the severity of failure in components they rent to homeowners, and as a result, you bear the responsibility of dealing with it yourself. If this is the norm, you are far better off to own your own appliances, since the convenience you would associate with a rental is simply not available from this company. read more