Rheem subpar product and customer service Atlanta GA

To whom it may concern:

I have experienced the most disappointing customer service from such a reputable company like Rheem. We purchased the water heater from Home Depot on 12/19/2020 for our rental property in CA. Recently, on 6/2/2021, the water heater stopped heating the water. This is less than 6 months from our purchase.

We thought it would be a simple fix, like re-lighting the pilot light, but it wasn’t that simple. I proceeded to call Rheem customer service to find a technician who could help us with the issue. After several hours on the phone, on hold and with dropped calls, a customer service agent was able to help me determine the issue. A part needed to be replaced and Rheem would be shipping that over. Several issues with this solution:

1.       Why couldn’t a local technician purchase the part locally and service us right away?

2.       Why isn’t the part readily available at a big box store, like Home Depot, where it seems they only sell Rheem water heaters?

3.       With Rheem customer service / shipping dept estimating 4-6 business days, our tenant would be out of water for almost a week. Why couldn’t the shipping be expedited as a courtesy since the water heater repairs were still under warranty?

Sure enough, the part took a long time to arrive to us and was even delayed.  The package was not picked up from Rheem until end of day 6/3/2021 and did not arrive at our rental property location until 6/12/2021, 9 full calendar days (7 business days).

Because the part took so long to arrive, our tenant, who is a single mother with 4 young kids under age 12, was not able to have hot water. This is unacceptable for anyone living in the United States.  We had to allow her to live in a hotel during this time. Therefore, we had to forego the rent she would have to pay us during these 9 days. We ask that Rheem reimburse us for the lost rent in the sum of $900 ($100 per day for the hotel).

Our family and friends have been long time customers of Rheem and have bought many products, including water heaters and air conditioners. We thought the reputation of Rheem’s products would be on par with your customer service, but that is far from the truth. We will be weary of purchasing additional Rheem products and will advise our friends and extended family to do the same.  

We would also like Rheem to do some further investigations, since it seems this part has ongoing issues, and possibly recall this water heater product or part. A water heater should not break down in less than 6 months. I have now seen numerous bad reviews regarding your water heaters and your customer service. For a large reputable company, this is not how you treat or retain customers.