Fast Water Heater Company
About us
Local, trusted, and FAST! Fast Water Heater Company has been serving the local community since 1986. We repair and install all types of water heaters including standard tank water heaters, tankless water heaters, and super-energy-efficient heat pump water heaters. Call us at 800-454-8955 today!
Business highlights
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 77% | ||
| 15% | ||
| 3% | ||
| 1% | ||
| 3% |
Their representatives were easy to deal with, explained everything, and got me an installation date on a Sunday. The technician, Jose G. Gomez, showed up early, was very friendly, answered all my questions patiently, was very respectful of my stuff (carpet and walls) as he lugged the new water heater up three flights of stairs to the roof and the old water heater back down. The installation was thorough and professional, and I am very happy with the result.
It is nice to have hot water again!!
We agreed to the increased price and signed the work authorization, but the company refused to complete the installation. Apparently this company will only work if they know up front they'll get a good review. Be suspicious of their overall rating, since Home Depot customers only get to review when the service is completed. If Fast Water Heater refuses to complete the job, there is no review.
UPDATE: The response from Fast Water Heater Company has prompted me to edit my review to correct some of their assertions. First, when our water heater stopped working we did not schedule a visiting bid two days later, as stated by the company. We called Home Depot's toll free water heater installation line, not their bid scheduling line. We specified the water heater we wanted, we provided the information they asked for. We were asked to measure the height and width of the opening, the distance from the floor, the distance to the ceiling, where we lived, if there were shut off valves -- basically we provided a lot of information to get as close to a final cost as possible. With $559 for the water heater and $115 for the permit, their quote of $610 for installation, earthquake kit, hoses, valves, gas sediment trap, and haul away seemed reasonable. Our total cost should have been near $1,284, give or take $150 for unforseen incidentals.
We made an installation appointment, not a bid appointment. The installer arrived and wrote up the work order. He explained that the total cost would be $1,846. We complained about the cost since it was so much more than the detailed cost we were given by phone and there did not seem to be a justification for the increased cost. But we did not have hot water and the installer was there, so we signed the authorization to complete the work.
The installer felt bad and called his manager to see if they could do anything about the price. He then put us on the phone so his manager could explain that the costs were reasonable. We were still under the impression we were dealing with Home Depot, so we told the manager we would like the water heater installed but we would take our issues with the policy of excessive added costs to Home Depot. The installer's manager then said he would not allow the installer to put in our water heater because we were going to complain.
This Fast company has responded to our review saying that we were going to ask for a refund. Never did we say anything about a refund. We said we were going to complain to Home Depot about how we went to great lengths to get a close cost estimate before installation only to have a huge $562 price increase at the last minute with our water heater on the installer's truck. Many people would have just paid to have it installed at that point. But stating our intention to complain to Home Depot about their upcharging policy when we were at the installer's mercy is not the same as demanding a refund.
Even though we thought their actions were sleazy, we are extremely grateful to Fast Water Heater Company for refusing to install our water heater. They caused us to do further research to find out just who we were dealing with and how they do business. Here is what we discovered:
In our area of Southern California (Ventura), when we called the toll-free number for Home Depot water heater installation service, our call was actually forwarded to a phone mill manned by the Fast Water Heater Company. We were never talking to Home Depot. We selected the water heater from the Home Depot inventory on their website, and that was the end of Home Depot's involvement. Apparently, when we said we would complain to Home Depot, the Fast Water Heater Company wanted to prevent that. You see, we only get to provide a review of the installation service if there is an installation. Without service, there can be no negative review at Home Depot. What a tech-savvy strategy for keeping your ratings high!
When the installer left and I called the local Home Depot, the manager's assistant took copious notes and expressed concern that we were still without hot water simply because we threatened to complain to Home Depot. He took our number, repeated it back, and promised to get right back to us. Three days later there has been no call.
Later that day we called Lowe's. Our home is equidistant from Home Depot and Lowe's. We have a habit of going to Home Depot because they were here first and Lowe's came later. Fast Water Heater Company has changed our Home Depot habit permanently. We called the Lowe's toll-free water heater installation number. Our first question was whether we were talking to Lowe's or a contract installation service. It was indeed Lowe's. The second question was whether Fast Water Heater Company did their installation. The Lowe's rep called our local store and found that Fast did not do their installations. We then preceeded to go through the same questions we previously answered for Home Depot. Although it was the same water heater size, BTU and warranty, the installed estimate was less than the estimate from Home Depot. We scheduled for the next day knowing there would be additional charges for any incidental code compliance issues.
The Lowe's installed showed up on time, was very professional. He had the local city plumbing code along with a diagram showing what he would need to install. He actually did more plumbing work than the Fast Water Heater Company installer recommended. The total additional cost was $277 instead of the $562 added by Fast. Even better, the starting estimate was much less than Home Depot, so the total cost after the add-on charges was only $1,246. Fast Water Heater Company saved us $600 by refusing to do business with us!
Additionally we learned that a large corporate store, Lowe's, was more friendly and accomodating than a smaller local installation company in Southern California. We also learned that Home Depot can contract out their customer services to companies that are not necessarily interested in servicing the customer. All in all, a very educational experience.
In spite of Fast Water Heater Company's assertion that we threatened to complain on sites like this one, we had no intention of complaining anywhere but Home Depot. However, Home Depot did not ever return our call. Since Fast would not perform the installation, they effectively prevented us from reviewing their service on Home Depot's reviews. As members of Angie's List, though, we have the right to share our unsuccessful transaction with Fast Water Heater Company.
"Thank you for the opportunity to bI'd your job. As we explained over the phone, we are a 100% compliant company which means in addition to being licensed, insured and back ground checked, we always pull permits if it is required. As we explained to you, because of this we don't have a final price until we see your site as there may be safety issues with your previous installation that are not current with code. As we explained, this costs you nothing for us to determine. We give you a firm and final bid at the door. You told us that you did not agree to the price and that you wanted us to install it but that you would seek ways through both home depot and sites like this one to demand a refund from us. And, as we explained, if you are not happy with the orice, there really is no obligation, we don't charge you for the bid. We do excellent work which we stand by. We are sorry you did not like the price, but we are glad that you now have the opportunity to find a better fit for your needs and we wish you the best of luck."
"We are sorry you did not like the cost of the vent work. We never begin work without providing a full cost and having the customer agree and sign the bid. We do also have a 5% best price guarantee as long as competing bids are from someone licensed and pulling a permit and doing the work to code. We regularly shop the market and have found we are the most cost efficient option provided you are looking for someone who is licensed, doing the work legally and to code. We also background check all of our employees. We are best value for a quality installation. You can certainly find a handyman (who may not install the water heater safely - and water heaters cause millions of $'s of damage every year and also have a variety of safety issues due to CO and water pressure...) to do the work less expensively. But, we know we are the most cost effective option provided you want the work done professionally. We have also been in business since 1986 and as a result are able to support most customers with same or next day service for warranty work on units that we have installed. Thanks for your business. We are sorry you did not like the pricing of the work."
"We service all of LA, Ventura, Orange and most of San Bernadino and parts of Riverside counties. Calimesa is too far east for us to service efficiently and cost effectively for the customer."
Licensing
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FAQ
Contact Information
16221 S Maple, #C, Gardena, CA 90248
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