Reliance Yanch Home Comfort Barrie

We moved into a house with a 10 year old rental water heater from this company. We told them we were the new owners/renters (there is a fee of $35.00 for account set up) and we were told we would be billed every three months. From the beginning, our hot water (only) was very discoloured, so they sent a tech out. Although he bled out the tank, the water did not improve. He marked the tank for replacement, BUT ... since our flue venting was the older black piping and not the new white piping, and it goes through a drywalled ceiling, we would be required to hire another contractor to replace the piping. Reliance would not do it, unless we purchased a new furnace (??) because then more $$$ would be involved. (The furnace is fine). Instead of hiring someone else for part of the job, we just purchased our own water heater and of course the installer also installed the new flue piping as well. FINALLY, decent water!! In the meantime, I received an e-mail saying my bill was ready for viewing online. Having trouble getting into the site, I called them. Once she set me up to get in, she told me my account was "very past due". How can it be past due when I have never received a bill?? So those late charges were reversed. Apparently they bill three months in advance, but I never received a bill from them, nor was I told the billing would be in advance. Very unpleasant experience with the accounts receivable when I paid by credit card on the spot so they wouldn't "contact collectors" (remember, no bill had been received and we had not been living in the house for the whole billing period yet). When we called to tell them we were having the tank removed and to come and pick it up, we were told there was a $40.00 account closing fee (remember the $35.00 opening fee, less than three months ago), and a $65.00 charge to pick it up, and something about a $40.00 tank inspection fee (for a 10 year old tank their own technician had serviced three weeks before and marked for replacement). So, over $300.00 to this company to rent this old, non-functioning tank for less than three months, with no help to get it replaced when it needed replacing. We owned our hot water heater in our previous house, happy to be owning again!! Do not rent water heaters!! So much easier and cheaper to own. Reliance did not respond properly to our problem, just continually charging for everything you could think of, and constantly trying to sell other systems and maintenance programs. I would never deal with them again.

UPDATE: I took the trouble to e-mail this Rich person who responds to these reviews - I never heard from him. Reliance is still calling us trying to rent/sell us a furnace. NEVER would I deal with them again.