Water Heater Repairman

My mom told me the story of a friend who has lived in a new house now for seven years.  Her friend called to tell her that her water heater went out for the third time, and she was shopping around for a new one.

The first guy that came to her house. He was from a well known company in town who advertises heavily on the radio. He told her she needed a new water heater, but what he offered was hair-raising.  He offered her a new water heater for $1,400.00, and oddly he said it had no warranty!!

This friend of my mom lives alone so you know she doesn’t need a big water heater, if you think that could justify the price.

I would have told the guy to leave immediately.

Water heaters do not cost that much money, first and foremost.  Always check the price of items that you buy, even if you buy it from a professional and have someone else install it.  I use a rule of thumb that the most it should cost is double if you include a basic swap installation.  More than that, and I immediately ask questions to see if more charges are warranted.

Second, this serviceman was offering this woman no warranty.  As we all know, most products today have some form of warranty, so why wouldn’t this item?   That’s another red flag.

One way to check this is to look at the product the guy is quoting you and to call the manufacturer.  With someone this brazen, I’d love to have called him out on his antics.   I am sure you would find out this product typically comes with a warranty, so he was likely selling a second quality product, for one reason or another–and for three to four times the normal price!

Fast forward: My mom’s friend decided to called another plumber (thank god!) and this man came out and said that the water heater she had was still under warranty and that he’d repair it at no charge to her.

Ah.  Now it all makes sense!! Guy number one was selling people with warranty failed water heaters new ones.  Then he was turning around and taking the old ones, fixing them for free under the warranty terms, and re-selling them to customers–hence why they had no warranty.

Evil little bastard!!!

Life Lessons:  Always know the base price of any item you are buying.  Know your warranty terms, and keep your warranty manuals.  Last, never depend on a service man to tell you what it is!