Complaints

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:02/20/2025

  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.

  This company sold me a water heater in July, 2011 with extended 15- year warranty. With this warranty, they installed a second anode rod instead of dip tube in my heater which was a very poor engineering decision. After I contacted the manufacturer (******** *****) who told me that this was unacceptable, the company removed the 2nd rod but did not refund me for it and said I still would have 15 years warranty. So, they demonstrated technical incompetence by making an unacceptable alteration to the water heater design.When the heater broke in February 2025, I wanted to invoke the warranty, but it turned out to be a joke. They would only cover parts, and their labor was grossly overpriced making the whole "warranty" useless. They wanted to charge me: $225 for the technician to come and assess the heater + $150 for the next visit + whatever the labor cost would be (which they refused to disclose upfront). I had no other choice than to hire another company.I want to get a partial refund for the cost of extended 15-year warranty which was useless.The full charge I paid for the order is shown on page 6 of attached credit card statement.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  I have reviewed this situation and want to clarify some points..  When the customer asked us to remove the 2nd anode rod (which is what gives the tank a 15-year warranty) we did not remove the 15-year warranty and provide a 6- or 10-year option, we kept them on a 15-year warranty as a courtesy.  If they would have wanted to adjust pricing at that time we would have happily reduced the warranty and changed the price.  This is the first time in over 40 thousand water heater installations we have been asked to remove an anode rod which will lower the life expectancy of the tank.  Beyond the courtesy of maintaining the warranty I have also included (attached) the warranty language provided to the customer in 2011.  We did not deviate from any practice which is included in the warranty.

   

  **** ********

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2025

   
  Complaint: 22965460
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  1) My request to remove the additional anode rod was not frivolous - the installation of it required the removal of dip tube. And according to the manufacturer, this not recommended. 

  Here is an email from ******** ******* customer support I received at the time (July 25, 2011):

  "Hello ****, thanks for contacting us and for purchasing our product.

  We do not recommend replacing the dip tube with an anode rod.
  The single anode rod is sufficient with regular checks. Not having the dip tube can lower your efficiency and recovery as well as lowering sediment reduction.
  I hope this answers your questions.   Please contact us if we can assist you further.
  **** ****
  ***************************************
  Technical Support"

  2) My complaint right now is not about installing or uninstalling anode rod at all. It is about selling me a 15-year warranty and not honoring it. The company uses artificially inflated costs to visit the client to deter from using the warranty. Not a single other company I contacted asked me $225 just to visit me and assess the appliance. Fast Water Heater asked for $225 for the first visit and $125 for a repeat one (which definitely would be necessary). And the additional cost of labor would not be disclosed upfront. Therefore I maintain that the warranty is not usable and I should be refunded for its cost.

  Sincerely,

  
  ********* ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/21/2025

  I still maintain that extended 15 year warranty sold to me was  useless and want to get a refund for its cost. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/02/2025

  We have spoken with this customer multilple times.  Fast ***************************************** offers an extended warranty on our tanks beyond the manufacturers warranty.  We install a second anode rod to accomplish this.  This is our warranty with the customer.  The customer had that anode rod removed, voiding the warranty.  We have sent over all of the documentation to this affect.  We have been unable to come to a reasonable resolution.  We have installed over 300k water heaters and have never not honored our warranty.  We cannot however offer a full refund if the customer removed parts that we install to elongate the life of the water heater and offer the extended warranty.  

  Respectfully,

  **** ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 22965460
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  the message from the business is factually incorrect. 
  1. I did not remove the rod and did not alter the heater since the day of installation in any way. The installer Isa removed the rod after I showed him the written communication from the manufacturer explicitly recommending not to replace dip tubes with a second anode rod. I still have that email and may share it.
  
  2. I was explicitly told by customer support at the time that I paid for the extended warranty and still would have it. 

  3.  Upon my attempt to invoke the warranty (which *** had nothing to do with the whole anode rod at all - the pilot light went off) the firm did not refuse to repair the heater, but requested unreasonable high fee for the on-site visit, thus making the warranty useless  

  I repeat, that since I paid for extended 15-year warranty and could not use it, the cost of that warranty should be refunded.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/14/2024

  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.

  I had a new water heater installed through ********** which uses Fast Water Heater Company as the contractor. First of all, the presure reducing valve started leaking right after the installation of the water heater. The technician refused to take any responsibility. We had a walk through of key areas prior to the installation and nothing was leaking, so I am sure something happened during the installation that caused the *** to leak. Secondly I was given a long list of items to buy on top of the new water heater and installation. It could have easily cost extra $1000 plus if I did everything on the list, so I declined some of the things but unfortunately failed city inspection for one item. Fast Water Heater Company wants to charge extra $225 as bogus service fee on top of the repair fees to have that one item fixed. This company shows lack of integrity. It does not own up to the mistakes it made with *** leak. I spent over $1k to have a new *** installed with another contractor. This company cares more about money than customer. It charges extra service fee to fix one item that failed city inspection. If I was given the Must Do list instead of a laundry list, I would have bought everything on the Must Do list. But this company wants you to spend as much as possible, and plus some.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/16/2024

  I do apologies for the issue with your *** but we spoke to the tech and he also notated that the *** was leaking before he even touched it. When our tech our out there we will give you a full estimate to get every part of your install up to code to insure when the inspector comes out he will not fail the inspection. As you stated you saw that there was a lot of work that we felt need to be updated and you declined the work. So you was not charged and the work was not done. Not that you inspection has failed you need to get the work done. That service call is charge on every call and is the cost of running a truck out to any customers home. This is separate from the work that is need to bring your install up to code. The tech also mention to you during the install that if anything failed that there would be a Service call fee off ****** plus the cost of doing the work. As a courtesy we can reduce the Service call from ****** to ****** plus cost of work/part to bring your install up to code. Please contact our customer service at ************** to get this work scheduled. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 22287099
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. ******** - as I noted in my original message, there was no leak noted during the walk through prior to the installation. Tech checked water pressure and everything was fine. The first thing I was told after he was done was that *** was leaking. Tech may not have physically damaged the **** but something during installation caused the *** to leak. I asked Tech what that could have been and he had no clue. 

  2. Service item list - If everything I declined ended up on City's inspection report, I would have been OK with your practice. However only one item failed the inspection. If I did everything on the list, I would have to pay additional couple of thousand $. That makes completely no sense! I could get another contractor to fix this one item without charging a fee just to show up. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/09/2024

  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.

  Complaint taken in dictation by BBB *** SS 09/09/2024 The City of ******* had an inspector come out to inspect the 29 ********** Water Heater that the Fast Water Heater Company installed. They indicated that the installation foam on the pipes, electric bonding on hot and cold and temperature release was not up to code. The Water Heater Company advised me they would charge me to come back out and put the water heater up to code. They indicated that I refused to have this service done initially which is untrue. I want this fixed without an additional charge as this should have been completed upon initial completion of the water heater installation.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/11/2024

  I do show we did do a basic install for you but you was not charged for the code work that the city is requesting to be done. After speaking with tech and looking at the invoice you where not charged for the code work but was made aware of it during the install. At this time we will not be doing the code work for free. We can come out and do it but there would be a charge for the work. The charge would be for Bonding and running the T&P to the exterior of the shed. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  After looking into this matter further we have decided to return to the home and do the additional updated code work at no cost for this home owner.  Our process is to let the homeowner understand that there are health and saftey related code items that can be flagged by inspectors and we offer all of the options to adequately pass code.  There can be instances where inspectors interpretation of certain unique home layouts where they either do or do not require certain items.  We try to be transparent with customers on this nuanced approach.  Furthermore, we dont want a customer to pay for more work than is necessary so we walk them through the options.  In this case the additional charges for the work are being waived.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/25/2024

   
  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:05/07/2024

  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.

  water heater installation for 3 hours labor and $100 materials was charged $2300 and failed subsequent city inspection. Have waited a month for response from installer with NO RESPONSE.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2024

  Since customer complaint customer was made advised that they declined the work. Customer has paid for the needed upgrade and the work was completed on 5/14/2024

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  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.

  I purchased a Rheem water heater and install at **********, ****** ** on 6/7/21 at 1:16 PM. I was told that purchase included a required permit. It was subcontracted to Fast Water Heater Company. On the bottom of HD BID Builder form #1f 03/21 is *Permit amount includes a $35 processing fee. Processing includes obtaining the permit and physically picking it up from the city if required, and delivering it via mail to the customer. *** also covers contacting inspectors and building officials in the event of differences in code interpretation. I was not given any other details about the permit process. I followed up to ask when I would see the permit. I was told it would be mailed and take 3-4 weeks. On 8/10/21 at 10:55 I received an email from ***************************, that the permit had been returned in the mail and requested another address. 8/11/21 at 9:50, I replied with my correct mailing address. 8/11/21 at 11:00, I forwarded that reply to ********************************************************** I never heard anything further from Fast Water Heater or the County of Orange. I expected that the issue was resolved per contract. I have since had other work done needing permits. I was informed the water heater permit is outstanding. I called ***** at Fast Water Heater 12/26/23, 11:48, was told permit ***** needed to investigate. 1/2/24, 9:08, ***** sent permit ***** another email. 1/5/24, 9:00 **** forwarded my call to *****, and transferred me to permit *****, I left a voicemail at 9:28. 1/9/24, 9:06, ****** left a voicemail for permit manager. 1/11/24, 1:01 *********************** from permit who declined, then left voicemail for customer service manager to negotiate. Today Supervisor ***** said that due to how long its already passed, they will not act. Time doesnt satisfy failure to act in contract law. This is a fraudulent failure to act. It is also elder financial abuse.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2024

  We have provided assistance and a refund to this customer to facilitate their issues with the permit.  We did pull the permit but it requires the homeowner to schedule, this took over a year and the permit expired.  We believe this is rectified.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/07/2024

  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.

  Dec. 22. - New combi boiler unti ****** was installed by technician *********************** for radiant heat/water.Dec. 23 - Temperature in the house reached 98F and boiler was leaking from bottom. Notified the company. Was out on vacation till Jan.1. While I was gone due to the extreme heat my floors got separated and now have gaps in between planks. January 3 - Technician *********************** came and indicated that installation was done incorrectly and the unit had to be re-installed. Emailed company and asked to initiate a claim for damaged floors and re-installation.January 4. - **** re-installed and re-piped the unit. Radiant heat stopped working shortly after the reinstall. Called the office.January 5 - *********************** came, indicated that one of the valves was installed incorrectly and there was air in the system that prevented the hear from turning on. Replaced the valve, readjusted the setting. Heat still did not work. Called the company.January 6. - Technician ***** came, indicated that autofill was not properly connected and one of the parts was missing on the top of the unit that releases pressure (metal fold?). Still no heat in the house.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/13/2024

  We are actively working with this customer.  We have corrected and completed the combi core installation.  We are also working with the customer to correct the issues that have occurred in their flooring.  We recognize that we did not complete the initial installation correctly and we did have some difficulty troubleshooting the issues that arose.  We are taking full responsibility and making sure that ********************* is fully satisfied.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2023

  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.

  Today, I had a water heater installation from this company and It is a DISASTER for this water heater installation. Some pipes are missing and water is leaking out from the tank. The leak alert system automatically shut it off and keeps beeping. Need this company to get someone knows how to install this Rheem hybrid water heater here ASAP. Tried to call but cannot get through.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/07/2023

  We have contacted customer and schedule for our Senior installer to go out an address any issues with the install. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/14/2023

  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.

  A technician named ******* from Faster Water Heater Company who came out to diagnose and repair my water heater made a series of mistakes and lied on multiple occasions that left me $1,000 in debt and my water heater in worse condition.******* first came out to my location for a diagnosis during the first week of May 2023. His diagnosis of my broken water heater was that I needed to purchase online two parts from Rheem's website (both coming out to over $600) and have them delivered to my location. I paid him via check roughly $150 for a service charge. Before his departure, he made an off-hand comment to me that I wouldn't have to pay another service charge for him to come back out here, and that I would only pay a labor charge for installation of the parts. I ordered the parts he instructed me to buy and called Fast Water Heater Company and informed the receptionist of ********* statement of waiving a second service fee. She affirmed my statement and scheduled ******* to come back out. ******* came back to my location on Monday, May 8th, to install both parts, which took roughly 45 minutes. Once the installation was complete, ******* informed me that the water heater was up and working again, which was a lie, because I checked the status of the water heater before his departure and discovered that it was still broken. He proceeded to spend another 15 minutes diagnosing the broken water heater, and this time, not knowing how to fix it, ended up calling his supervisor for assistance. ******* ended up leaving my location with the water heater still broken, and on top of that, he accidentally left the manifold switch in the 'off' position, leaving me without water completely. He also revoked his promise of waiving a second service charge and forced me to pay again on top of a labor charge. I later discovered after he left that the third part recommended to fix my water heater is discontinued, leaving me without any solution to fix my water heater.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2023

  I have reviewed this situation and our internal processes and we could have performed better in this case.  We did need to go through the protocols of the Rheem warranty process but we could have been more proactive in our communication and support.  We are issuing a refund back to you for the return trip.  We hold ourselves to a higher standard and I'm sorry that this process dragged out so long.  This is a training opportunity for **.

  Respectfully

  *************************

  VP, Sales

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/30/2023

  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.

  I had Fast Water Heater *** come to service my Rheem water heater which was under warranty. They were in contact with ***** while they were here and concluded the water heater needed to be replaced. Because this was the second time this water heater failed, I chose to have a less expensive water heater installed and was told by Fast that I would get a refund from ********** for the more expensive unit. Immediately after the new one was installed (costing me an additional $1000 already having paid over $2300 for the original water heater 4 years ago) I called ********** and they said I would have to return the old water heater to get my money back. I called Fast several times and said I needed the old water heater back and havent received it. I then called ***** and they said all that needed to be done was for Fast to file a claim with ***** and they would refund the money to Fast who would then refund the money to me. The representative I spoke to said he needed to talk to his supervisor and then called back and left the message that they dont want to get involved. So at this point I have spent well over $3000 and I have a $600 water heater.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2023

  Unfortunately there were miscommunications during this process.  Fast Water Heater is a *************** Service Provider, we do repair and replacement work for Rheem customers under warranty (as well as out of warranty).  In this particular case we worked with ***** and determined that a replacement of the Heat Pump Water Heater (****) was covered under warranty, however the home owner wanted to replace the unit with an alternative tank.  This tank is not covered under warranty and ************ clear.  We let the customer know the tank and labor costs from Fast Water Heater were not covered under their Heat Pump water heater warranty if they chose to install a standard electric unit.  The warranty claim needed to be discussed with either Rheem or ********** who were the original vendor and warranty provider.   Discussions or policies of these two companies cannot be controlled by Fast Water Heater and again, we were clear with our installation costs at the time of replacement.  If the customer had chosen to invoke the warranty for the **** we would have filled the claim directly with Rheem and replaced the unit under warranty.  Finally, Fast Water Heater recycles our replaced water heaters often, without any guidance to the contrary we remove and recycle all of our water heaters.  We cannot provide a rating plate as we no longer have the water heater.

  Respectfully,

  *************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/10/2023

   
  Complaint: 19876839
  
  I am rejecting this response because: First of all, I have never spoken to *************************. Any knowledge that he has is second hand. Shortly after Fast Water Heater installed the water heater, within one hour, I was contacted by ***** who identified herself as the manager of ********** ********. She stated that all had to do was return the water heater that was removed by Fast Water heater and I would receive a refund. I immediately called Fast and spoke with ******. He stated that he would email the tech from Fast that removed the water heater and request that the water heater be returned. This sounded like a simple solution since the tech mentioned to me that he only lived a few miles from my house. The water heater was not returned that day and I phoned Fast the next day and spoke with ****** again requesting the water heater. At that time he gave no indication that it could not be returned as he had the previous day. I then received a phone call from ************************* *************) at Rheem stating that all Fast had to do was file a claim with ***** for the water heater and any additional costs and they would issue payment to FAST so I could be reimbursed by FAST. At that point I again spoke with ****** at FAST and explained what ****************** had stated.  ********************* that he would speak with his supervisor. I did not hear from ****** so I phoned him at FAST and he stated that they were not going to get involved. Still no water heater returned to me. I feel that FAST has not acted in the best practice for a business to warrant any payment since they were the roadblock to me receiving a refund from ********** or Rheem when they simply could have returned the water heater the same day that the new one was installed as requested.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/04/2023

  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.

  We hired Fast (Water Heater) to install new water heater on 11/26/22; they came out and installed a new ********* water heater.Around 12/3/22 or 12/4/22 the water heater stopped working and after trying to restart per the instructions, I requested service from Fast on Monday 12/5. Despite their claimed "fast service" they couldn't set up a time until Wed afternoon (12/7). On Wed morning the technician called to say he was on his way; several hours early, at which time we would not be home yet. We ended up having to reschedule for Friday 12/9, at which time a repair was done. It was noted by the technician that the flame did not look right, but he'd order a new burner assembly just in case. This was to be delivered at our home, but we never received it. On 1/2/23 the heater broke down again and I could not get it to restart. I called Fast on 1/3 and they came out today, on 1/4. The burner assembly needs to be replaced and it was ordered from Rheem; it should be arriving by Friday, at which time I was to call Fast for the installation. While they laud their "same day service", I doubt we'll see that, making this close to another week with no hot water. I discussed extensively with the installer and also the warranty person that this unit is obviously defective and they should pull a new one from their warehouse and install it instead. What bothers me is that the folks at Fast could not pull another unit from their warehouse and replace this obviously defective one today. When I suggested that to them, the answer was that they would not do that at this point. It seems to me that this should be on them, not us. We hired Fast to get a new water heater, not Rheem.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2023

  We have contacted the customer and will be replacing his unit

   

  Matt

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/07/2023

   
  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,
  
  *******************