New England winters are tough enough and imagine having to step into a cold shower during those frigid days.
That’s what one of our viewers says he endured for years before he couldn’t take it anymore and contacted NBC10 Boston Responds for help.
Bill Cann of New Hampshire says his tankless hot water heater has brought him five years of aggravation and a lot of cold showers.
“A year and a half in maybe we started having problems. It would just shut off on us in the middle of a shower,” said Cann. “I’d literally wait in my basement and if the hot water shut off, my wife would shut the faucet off, and I’d try to click the thing back on, and I’d hit the bottom of the ceiling up top with a broom.”
Bill bought the Rheem tankless heater new in 2010 and he says he has spent hours on the phone with Rheem technicians over the years, troubleshooting the continuous problems.
“Every phone call was at least an hour of waiting and hearing the same thing again,” said Cann. “I had plumbers here that had worked on it. They explained to me how to take the unit apart and replace a burner. It would work maybe sometimes for a week, maybe sometimes for three months, and then it would shut off and I could not fix it.”
Sick of shivering in the shower, Bill contacted us for help.
U.S. & World
“I called NBC Boston Responds and the very next morning I got a call from Rheem,” said Cann. They called me. Never happened before. So that was good.”
Rheem issued Bill a refund for $765 toward a new heater. The company tells NBC10 Boston in a statement:
“Rheem works diligently with customers who contact our Customer Support team for assistance. In the case of Mr. Cann, we were able to reach a resolution where he was offered Fair Market Value for his tankless unit, which he accepted. At Rheem, our customers' comfort is always our top priority.”
Bill purchased another tankless water heater – a different brand – and will have it installed soon.
“I’d just like to say thank you to NBC,” said Cann. “They helped and nobody else wanted to listen so it worked out well.”
