Deml

Two nights ago the rental water heater that came with my 1968 built home that I purchased in 2004, flooded my basement. Direct Energy informed me that the unit was installed in 1994 so I was entitled to a free upgrade as part of my rental agreement. When I asked the customer service rep what they planned to do about the water in basement they said that I would have to wait until their claims department would contact me the next day. When I demanded assistance with the clean up in order to prevent further damage caused by mould as the wood sill plates on the floor plus drywall and carpet were sitting in water, the girl said "you won't get mould that fast".

Next morning, March 2, 2012, two Direct Energy guys showed up at 11:10 (appointment was between 8 - 12) and replaced the hot water tank with a new one and left by 1:30. They left before the tank was filled and did not start it up. An hour and a half later, the water was still cold.

My insurance company sent a clean-up crew. All seemed to be under control until I noticed 5 hours later that the basement was flooding again. Water was spraying out from the plumbing connection point to the new hot water tank which had not been tightened.

When I called Direct Energy, they informed me that I would have to wait until today, Saturday, before they could get someone over to stop the leak caused by their "negligent installation". Yes, "negligent installation" was the exact phrase the this morning's technician used to describe the work done yesterday. Although the water heater now seems to be working, I have extensive damage that needs to be repaired and will require time off work in addition to the time I've already lost off work, plus a $700 deductible insurance cost that I will have to absorb. I am very unsatisfied with Direct Energy's finger pointing attitude. They were quick to take my money every month for the 18 year old rental appliance, but reluctant to acknowledge responsibility for the failure of their obsolete equipment.

The technician arrived only two hours after my call. He was knowledgable, polite anf fixed the problem on the first visit. To top it off I paid NOTHING as i have their protectioon plan. I would recommend Direct Energy to my family and friends..

Direct energy was called to fix my hot water heater that I was renting from them. The technicians came the next day and decided to change the existing water heater for a new one, as I had to call them a few times before for the same problem. They did the job and left but damaged my dry wall near the entrance to my basement. It has a big hole there now , and they did not even let my son know about it when they left. I called and spoke to the customer service person about it. She said that someone would be contacting me shortly , but no one has and it has been 2 months now.
I am really upset about it and would not recommend them to anyone.

I have mixed feelings about Direct Energy.

They have services my old Heil furnace for 9 years and I have had no complaints. In fact, it was Grant their service technician that suggested I replace my furnace with good arguments.

What makes me mistrust this company is their misleading advertising. Their internet ad regarding government rebates assumes that most customers are complete morons and would naiively accept their misleading claims. NEWS FLASH to DIRECT ENERGY: Don't assume that all potential customers are dumb.

We have the plumbing service with Direct Energy (who we rent the water heater from too). Our sewer line was sluggish (toilet in basement not draining) and we leaks around the flange if flushed several times in a row. We called direct energy who removed the toilet and snaked the drain, removing roots the house (where I didn't think we could even have them). The plumbers camera/scope battery died and they couldn't verify the clean out was complete. The plumber cursed a lot to himself. We waited weeks before they came back and to check, and had to remind them twice. Toilet was off during that time - not convenient. I rebuilt the flange myself with alternating rubber seals and plastic spacers to make it water tight and reinstalled the toilet. They removed it to check the roots were clear.

I signed up when they had a promotion in fall 2011, and had an annual clean-up scheduled within a week. The customer service reps were friendly and helpful. The first guy who came to perform the clean up noticed a leak and called it in. The next (more experienced) technician came the same afternoon and solved the problem.

on phone and in person very professional. nighttime phone call answered quickly and courteously and worked with me to solve problem. technician phoned to say he was on his way and repair was done to my satisfaction

Spoke to DE rep and set an appointment to change out rental power vented hot water tank (HT), which has a cracked liner and is therefore putting rust in the plumbing system. Rep was well aware of what my problem was and scheduled an appointment for a tech to come and change tank. Rep asked me to have a clear pathway through the basement for them to change tank, which I did. Tech showed up by himself and I showed him the HT. After I advised him that I have rust in the hot water, the Tech asked if I had any cast iron pipe. I advised him that I didn't. In the meantime he pulled on the exhaust (made of ABS pipe and at least 15 years old) and the pipe split at a coupling. I was not watching when he pulled on it, but I suspect he was the one who broke it since I was inspecting the tank last night and I did not see the pipe was broken, nor did I hear the exhaust gases hissing out due to the power vent. Since the HT was being replaced I was not concerned, thinking it was Direct Energy's responsibility to replace vent. Apparently NOT SO! The Tech advised me that it will cost $225 to replace the vent. When I said I'll do it myself, he advised it has to be made of a new material (636 PVC) and that the installers may not approve when they replace the HT. Hearing that I said I'll buy a new HT before I pay for a new exhaust line to vent Direct Energy's new rental HT. The Tech said fine and pulled the plug and shut of the gas and left, leaving me with no hot water. I fail to see why the old vent can not be repaired until such time as it can be replaced and a new tank installed. I don't know what Direct Energy was planning for me since the Tech showed up by himself without a new replacement tank and did nothing to improve my situation. He did make the comment that its a wonder we had not been affected by the exhaust gas (in other words, suffocated to death by CO2). I called Direct Energy and informed them I was not pleased with what took place, but moreover, that Direct Energy has never advised me that ABS exhausts were banned in 2007 because they crack. Given this is a potentially lethal scenario, I'm amazed that DE is taking no responsibility for this. They have never advised me of this potential hazard, even though I have had the HT serviced by DE at least once since 2007. Why didn't that Tech yank on the exhaust pipe. I suspect there was nothing wrong with the pipe until today! Nevertheless, I've been left without hot water. I am currently waiting for a return call from the "office of the president team" at Direct Energy's head office (416-758-8910). I'm amazed that DE is leaving such a serious and potentially lethal situation for the homeowner (client) to discover and correct. Has there been any loss of life or injuries due to this type of venting being left on RENTAL tanks yet? I hope the word gets around. This would be a great item for YouTube. Meanwhile, cold showers while I wait to hear back from my lawyer and Direct Energy.