The Home Depot claims same-day water heater installation is available in most areas, if called before noon. We contacted The Home Depot on Friday afternoon and got scheduled the earliest installation appointment for Monday, the installation being done by Fast Water Heater Company. The installation cost estimate was $392 plus the price of the water heater, with a disclaimer that there may be extra charges. Later we were notified that they postponed the installation appointment to Tuesday.
On Tuesday one big and strongly built representative came to our house, said that he didn’t come to do the installation (as originally scheduled) but to give us a proposal, and that he cannot do the work anyway, because he needs a second man for the job. In his proposal the installation cost jumped from $392 to $1,148. When we inquired at the Fast Water Heater Company they responded that all items in the proposal were correct, including the charge for the second man (item code I8, cost $119).
Needless to say that after this bait and switch experience we looked for another plumber and found one who was honest, skilled, and didn’t need a second man. He also installed a higher grade water heater than Home Depot would have.
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