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.