Complaints

This profile includes complaints for American Water Heater Group's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  American Water Heater Group

  500 Princeton Road Johnson City, TN 37602

• 

  American Water Heater Group

  1100 E. Fairview Avenue Johnson City, TN 37601

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/07/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Nine year warranty - used three years - called twice on hold 45 minutes and 35 minutes given case # 18725216 ( poor English spoken) asked to hold - on 3-17-2025 emailed company website twice - written letter - looking for part only item #1 control panel purchased from Lowes on 11/10/2021 - water heater What good is a warranty, Lowe's said A.O. Smith gave the warranty not them. 1-800-527-1953 A.O. Smith number Parts phone# 800-821-2017

  Business Response

  Date: 04/14/2025

  We're sorry to hear you've been having trouble. 

  
  We are reviewing our files, and we will reach out to you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/24/2025

  Sorry to read you closed my complaint - as I have been sick - no word by text, email, or written from the company - there warranty isn't worth the paper it was written on - I guess this is today's world - what you get is what you get -

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased A.O. Smith propane hot water heater at Lowes 1/18/25, model number G6S4040PVR401, S/N 2333135313110. It was installed on 1/25/25. Replacement for existing unit, very simple installation. noticed booming, progressively louder. 2/1/25 tried to fix the water heater, called Lowes sd it was malfunctioning & nded to be exchanged. I had to have a return permission from A.O. Smith. A.O. Smith sd the problem ws that the unit was not vented properly, all day venting it as directed & the hot water heater would not light. At one-point flames were shooting out of all orifices. Ignition was not made properly & was laying under the unit where it could not be seen. A. O. Smith & they were closed, Lowes told me I needed the return# from A.O. Smith. I told them they are closed, Lowes told me A.O. Smith hd a 24-hour number, again, told they were closed. Lowes was told, nothing they can do. A.O. Smith sd they would ship replacement parts but if wanted them tomorrow I would have to pay a $50.00 fee. I pd the $50.00 & the parts didn’t arrive until Tues. Sd problem is that a certified professional needed to do the installation. my wife wnt Lowes, specified propane, gave her natural gas&pointed it out. She was told that it is gas, so it doesn’t matter. told them ifnatural gas will blow up house. had to demand someone show her where it stated it was o propane, person came&took iy back. 1st water heater in 1983 &replaced until 2002. No repairs or problems problem is not the venting or plumbing or there would have been more than 2 hot water heaters. Saying a certified installer is needed is simply an excuse. brother-in-law, a certified installer, helped me install the A.O. Smith & w/ the repairs, he is the 1 that noticed the parts laying under the hot water heater, but I was told the problem was I needed a certified installer! A.O. Smith Customer Service Sunday told make the parts as needed so that is why we cannot return the unit &why we have to pay the $50.00.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/12/2025

  We have reached out to you regarding your compliant. 

  We were able to come to a resolution. If we can be of any further assistance, please reach out.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The company is making every effort not to honor its' 6 year warranty on a natural gas water heater that was purchased and installed by our plumber less than 6 years ago. We have a burner failure that indicates it needs to be replaced, and the replacement is covered under warranty. We called technical support and provided the details necessary for a warranty claim (as it states clearly on the company's website): serial number, model number and date of installation. The response was that the water heater is not under warranty because the build date is 12/2017 and it's more then 6 years. Our plumber passed away, so we couldn't show them an invoice, but we emailed them the text messages with our plumber and a deposited check to our plumber showing the date: 11/5/2018. Clearly, it's not reasonable, that the water heater that was build in 9/2017, will be installed the same day in a customers residency. The representative insisted he needs a proof of purchase, and that the check with the text messages are not good (even though on the company's website, it doesn't say anything about proof of purchase). All we want is for the company to send us the replacement kit under warranty.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2024

  We are reviewing our records, and we will reach out to you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/29/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 07/22/2023 we bought the Electric tankless water heater with serial number ************* at Lowe's located in **** ***** ******** ***** ********* ****. This heater worked very well for about six months where it started to give an E21 error code. The first call was made on 01/05/2024 in which we were told a sensor for the thermostat had to be changed. They sent the item; it was changed. It did not work, tank was not working properly, it still had to be reset in the morning. A second call was made on 01/22/2024 in which we were told the breakers needed changing; we did the breaker change; It did not work, tank was not working properly, it still had to be reset in the morning. The tank still gives the same error of E21. We called again on 01/23/2024 but were told we needed to talk to the tech support dept, but after more than half hour waiting, we disconnected. The water heater is not a year old, and we have not been able to work with the warranty company in a satisfactory manner to solve the issue. The heater cost is ***** plus the cost of the additional fixing we had had to do with no avail which in this economy, we want to pay for a product that works as is supposed to. We would like the company to either send us a new one or fix the issue themselves at no more cost.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/06/2024

  We're sorry to hear you've having trouble. 

  We are reviewing our records, and we will reach out to you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased an A O SMITH hybrid water heater from Lowe’s on 8/22/23. We installed the unit with friends that are licensed plumbers and electricians that work in their trade. The unit leaked immediately upon powering the unit up. The leak was coming from under the unit cover. I called the technician assistance line and was instructed to call my plumber back to take the new unit cover off to see if there was something loose..and just needed tightening. My plumber came back, on my dime, and we discovered the hot water side compression nut was hand tight..after tightening the connection, there continued to be another leak from below.. my plumber did not want to dig deeper on a new unit, and told me to call the company. The next technician said to send pictures via email which I did… I called tech back and they said they would send a warranty part, and to install it. I told them I would have to pay my plumber again, so they gave me their authorized company to call.. I called them and they don’t cover my area… I called tech back at AOSMITH and they said sorry but that’s all they can do.. I’m upset. The LOWE’s box said not to return to them or any problems should go to the company.. I’m now stuck and I don’t want others to get caught in this bad spot. Not sure where to go now.. ****

  Business Response

  Date: 12/04/2023

  We spoke to ***** ***** on 11/16/2023 and provided authorization to exchange the water heater. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/05/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  

  The only way I was advised to return the water heater was to call the manager of Lowe's plumbing department. The box has a large sticker to not return to seller.. I was told by techical service there was nothing else they could do... I called Lowe's and the manager said to request a RA (return authorization) number.. The subsequent phone call to AO Smith resulted with them giving me one...if the techinical service had just done that everything would have been fine...alot of hours and away from work would have been saved... This needs to be cleaned up so someone else doesn't have to go through this wasted time and money.I will not purchase another AO Smith product because of this

  ****
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20855402, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am the new house owner. I have one American water heater tank which has a valid warranty until 2027. Now it is throwing ECC code. After a licensed plumber check and discuss with American water heater Customer Service we got a CASE #******** to replace the tank. I have been told several times the new house owner can get the same warranty on this product. But American water heater's distributor in my area - Orlando is doing Solar now, no longer supporting mechanical. So I have been told by American Water Heater they will not do any warranty support on my product because they do not have a distributor in my area.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/30/2023

  We will respond to *** **** as requested to resolve the matter. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2023

  Sorry I missed the deadline on response this case. The merchant claimed will contact me but I never get any calls or email for them.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/06/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased an American hybrid water heater in February of 2022, September 2023 it is already broken and out of refrigerant, hybrid not operational, is now an extremely expensive normal waterheater. Customer support told me to go to sunshine plumbing to get a replacement free of charge, easy right…lol. Representative at sunshine laughed and said I have had 4 called this morning about bad American hybrid heaters for replacement and they haven’t had one since January. Said they get shipments every 3-4 months and there were no 50 gallon hybrids on the last truck that came last week. I can call back in for months. Called American again, said I could go to ***** **** ***** a.o. Smith, same umbrella so no big deal right… well they have a heater for me, but need an email from American that it is ok to exchange my American with an ao smith equivalent. No big deal, I call American again, 3rd time now, talk to a girl who said no problem please hold while I get authorization to send the email, ten minutes later a gentlemen gets on the phone and asks me to tell the story because he is with technical support. I tell him the whole story and says please hold, another ten minutes, come back and says I have options, ok well this is new, finally gonna get to the bottom of this, not so fast!! 1-go to a distributor and get an American heater or ao smith(they only have ao smith in stock not American) so that’s out. 2-take a cash payout of ********(I paid around ***** plus tax from what I recall 1.5 years ago and has a 10 year warranty) now the heater is about ***** plus tax, so that is insane for something with 8.5 years of warranty left. 3-try and get ahold of a rep so he can try and find me a heater somewhere. After 3 calls to fix this issue, that is apparently happening to most of the hybrids from what the supplier said, they could not even send a simple email to on the swap of my American with an ao smith which they said is not a problem at all…but will not put it in writing.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/27/2023

  sent to a.o. Smith 10/26/23

  This does not make sense that I have to provide the model and serial of the new heater. I need the ***** to buy the new water heater. I’m not going to buy a heater get installed before this heater issues is completed. This is not how business is done, you sold me a faulty inferior product and are making me jump through more hoops to rectify it. The gentlemen who called me about my bbb complaint said nothing about having to buy a new heater before reimbursement. All I had to do was send in the label off of mine.
  
  
  Please advise, I will be going back to the bbb to upset with the fact that I was to one thing again by a representative and then told to do another when the fine print arrived. Seems like a common trend with a.o. Smith. This is unacceptable. Over a month with a broken product and your company is still playing games.
  
  
  Please rectify this situation.

  -they are forcing me to buy a new heater to get money for coverage, not discussed when they offered the “buy back”.

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  The form submitted is auto-generated. 

  We're sorry that was not explained clearly. 

  We are reaching out to resolve. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/11/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  12/15/20 installation. Summer 2021: frequent pilot outage. Plumber says he and other local plumbers experience same issue with American Water Heaters, suggests attic ventilation. Issue gone as temps dropped. Summer 2022: frequent pilot outage. 7/2023: frequent pilot outage. 8/14/23: called American, sent new parts. No change in pilot outage. Plumber added fan to pipe air from soffit to heater. No change in pilot outage. May be defective heater and/or design. 8/21/23: Called American, stated nothing more they can do, is “environmental” issue. Escalated, call back next day. Asked for electronic ignition retrofit. Denied. 8/21/23: sent multiple emails to executives, no replies. Called CEO office, took name and phone number, said someone would call. 8/24/23, Deborah Parker Powell of AO Smith Legal Department called, forwarded email to her. 8/27/23: Jerry from Tech Support asked for proof of purchase; I sent. 8/28/23: Jerry calls back, offers $750. Rejected since does not cover $1,100 installation cost. 8/29/23: Deborah Parker Powell sent lengthy email/attached warranty. Details show I could have to pay return shipping. My researched estimate is $******** from TX to TN. Ends up only $*** (14% of full replacement cost). Home was built 2005, 3rd water heater in attic. No issues with previous 2. 2011 much hotter than 2023 and no issue with that unit. American sold heater without warning or stipulation about “environmental” issues/not suitable for attic. Spent so far: $**** for heater & install ($**** in 2023 dollars), $*** for fan/ductwork, $*** for soffit vents. Still no reliable hot water for my family. Request American to retrofit/replace heater to electronic ignition, solving the problem. I have paid for the service of reliable hot water, but am not receiving such service.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

  *** ******** contacted our offices in August of this year. Our final response to *** ******** is as follows.

  
  We offered an amount that we believe would cover the original purchase price of your current water heater. 

  If $*** does not cover the cost of your original water heater, please provide proof of its cost and will consider it. 

  You are not entitled, nor will we provide you with the self-igniting model and all installation costs associated with removal of the current water heater and replacement of the new water heater.  The warranty also states that any difference in cost between an original unit and a replacement unit will be the owner’s responsibility.  You were also advised that your current water heater cannot be retro-fitted with a self-igniting system.  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  AO Smith’s offer of $*** stands.
  
  AO Smith does not require the original water heater to be returned as a condition of the offer. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/05/2023

  The business really did not address the real issue of not covering the labor for the replacement.  They only addressed the defective water heater and stuck me with the installation costs. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I replaced my previous water heater with a new electric American Water Heater Company water heater which is manufactured in Johnson City TN in 2017. In June of 2022 the water heater tank began leaking. American replaced it under warranty. The one I got just one year ago has now begun leaking as well. I’m not sure how long it’s been leaking since it is located in a basement utility room that I seldom go in. I called tech support and was informed that my warranty on the new unit was tied to the old unit and it ran out 2 months ago. I was also informed there was no one I could petition above the CSR for help with this issue even though this was a new unit that obviously has workmanship issues. If I purchase a new unit this would be the 4th American Water Heater since I built my home in 2008. An absolute terrible product and even worse customer service.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/27/2023

  We’re sorry to hear of your experience with our product.  We spoke with the customer and gave the return authorization for the water heater as requested.  The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/28/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  ****** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  AO SMITH SERIAL#2314133566286 HOT WATER HEATER I purchase an A O Smith electric water heater on April 27th at Lowes in Farmville, VA. An experienced and licensed electrician installed the water heater, and advised me that I should have hot water the following day. The hot water heater was installed at 207 E Virginia Ave, Crewe, VA. This property is being renovated for sale and I live an hour away, so I only got to check for hot water the following week. I informed the technician, but he could only check it the following week due to his work schedule. He checked the thermostat and it was malfunctioning, so he changed it and waited a few hours to see if the water would heat up, but it still did not work. My husband and I tried to return the hot water heater to Lowes the following week but were unsuccessful. Lowes required authorization from AO Smith. While in the store, we called AO Smith, and they authorized a new element. The cashier at Lowes did not know how to process the transaction, so I purchased the element using my own funds. The new element was installed and still, there is no hot water. We called AO Smith several times and just got the runaround, wanting us to purchase a thermostat to test the water. I have asked numerous times to return this water heater and they refuse to replace it. Between installation and the water heater, I have paid over ******** and am still in need of hot water. FOR ME TO RETURN THIS WATER HEATER TO LOWES, I NEED AN AUTHORIZATION FROM AO SMITH, WHICH THEY ARE REFUSING TO GIVE TO ME. I AM STUCK WITH THIS DEFECTIVE WATER HEATER!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/12/2023

  We apologize for the issues experienced. We spoke with the customer on 6/1/23 and issued the return authorization number for the water heater as requested. The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.