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| - Our old water heater sprang a leak recently, on the same day (a Wednesday) we were preparing to leave town on a family trip. We shut off the water supply and extinguished the pilot, and figured we'd stop at Home Depot on our way home (the following Sunday) to purchase a new water heater.
Working with a salesman at Home Depot on Sunday evening, we purchased a water heater and, because they are required by law, earthquake straps and some kind of pressure relief thing. The salesman suggested we buy them there then instead of having Delta Mechanical pull them from their truck in order to save money.
The next morning I receive a phone call from a gentleman with Delta Mechanical who informed me the total cost for our new water heater would more than $1,200 - $519 for the water heater plus an installation fee north of $700, AND a $77 permit from the City of Henderson. Faced with no alternative and being unable to take a hot shower or wash dishes, I approved the quote. I also informed him about the earthquake straps and other items we purchased at Home Depot, to which he responded, "OK."
That afternoon, my wife called to tell me the technician did not use the earthquake straps or the pressure thingy, and even though we paid for it as part of the quote, he did not leave a city permit behind. Since then, my wife called Delta Mechanical seeking an itemized receipt for the install. We have yet to receive a reply. We also still do not have the permit supposedly required by the City of Henderson.
The one positive thing to come of this episode is that we have a new, functioning water heater. However, we are not at all pleased that Delta Mechanical has failed to explain why they charge installation fees that border on extortion (of course, since we needed a water heater ASAP, I suspect they simply took advantage of the situation). Based on research, my wife found the average installation fee for a water heater ranges from $200 to $350. With that in mind, I challenge Delta Mechanical to defend their exorbitant fee and do so with a straight face.
The experience also has soured us on Home Depot (in particular the store on Serene Avenue, at Eastern Avenue south of I-215). At no time did anyone at the store give us even the faintest inkling the installation fee would be 140% of the cost of the item itself. On the face of it, this failure to provide important information to the consumer seems dodgy. With this in mind, for future large purchases, we will be taking our business to Lowe's (not much of a choice but the consumer's options are limited).
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