Rheem
reviews and complaints

Reply from Rheem
Thank you for your inquiry into Rheem Manufacturing Water Heaters. We are sorry you are experiencing issues with your water heater. Please call Technical Support [protected] they are open Monday-Sunday 8AM to 8PM Eastern time and give them your serial number and model number for assistance.

Regards, Gail Davis

First reply letter to Gail Davis at Rheem CASE:3082184

The Technical Support [protected] above is always busy. I called 4 times to [protected] and Matt in support gave me information on additional parts to get the water heater to work. All failed. A second Rheem was installed and failed within hours. Called in another plumber who replaced with a Bradford White. IT WORKS! I want to know how you are going to keep your customers happy when you don't back up your products?
I wish your worthless warranty had expired and I could have bought the Bradford White model and not be out of pocket an additional $1, 100 in installation fees.

Extremely unhappy with Rheem Customer Service. I spent hours with your tech support and all you can tell me is call Tech Support?
Shame on you and your company! Start making quality products in the USA or go out of business.

Second letter

Gail.
I got through to [protected] after 90 minutes and was told i would not get credit for the cost of plumber's installation fee on 2 faulty water heaters
i was told I had to go back to the first plumber who spent hours installing you non working water heaters. I don't do business that way.
i hold those who supply and dare to sell non working water heaters.

I will file a complaint with BBB as I have never received such poor customer service on not one but 2 Rheem products if I don't receive a credit of $1, 100 for 2 separate installation fees.

No replies to my 2 messages to Gail Davis

My water heater stopped working. It was under warranty so the replacement part was free. I paid $30 to expedite the delivery of the part. When the new part was installed, it still did not work. I called Rheem and spoke to Samantha. I gave her all of the information. It was 6:39 p.m. Central Time. Samantha put me on hold. She hung-up from the call. When I called back at 6:50 p.m. Central Time. I received the recording that the office closed at 7:00 p.m. I now have to go another day without hot water.

We purchased a Rheem 30 gallon hot water tank about one month ago and after installation, it worked fine up until today. The pilot light went out and we cannot get it lit, even after following all the directions in the manual. I called customer service and had to wait in line for someone to answer my call for 30 minutes. Finally, someone answered me and I told him about the problem, he told me to hang on for just one second. Well, that second turned into 30 more minutes, and he NEVER returned to my phone call. We then just hung up. What kind of customer service does that to its customers? Now we have no hot water after we paid big bucks for a brand new heater! This is totally uncalled for! Why cannot tech support even talk us through it? We are very upset, needless to say!

In october 2020, our water heater went bad. We had just bought it in the spring. When we were finally able to reach rheem on the phone, they gave us a local repairmans number. It took him several days to come over, only to be told we needed a new unit, which rheem would send, but oh sorry, its not in stock! We went almost 1 month with no hot water. One. Month! We have 7 children in our home and no hot water! Totally unacceptable!

But wait, it gets better!

It's been less than 90 days since we got the new water heater, and on saturday, it started having the same problem as the previous unit and we are without hot water again! We've been trying to call the 1800heater3 number, and they won't answer again! Unfortunately for rheem, they have now pissed off the woman of the house, who is not playing this [censored] phone tag game like the man of the house did! I will not spend another month trying to figure out how to bathe 7 children with no hot water!

I want this resolved today or tomorrow I will start calling our numerous family members who do new home construction and advise them to inform their plumbing sub contractors that your water heaters are pieces of [censored] and should not be installed in new homes! I will then contact menards corporate office and ask them why they would sully their reputation by carrying your trash in their store!

I'm very angry and i'm done playing games!

Rheem Water Heater Model #XE50T09EL55U1 Serial # [protected]
Jan 5 2021 - Picked up and had it installed. Water leak around the pressure relief valve. At approximately 4:00PM called Rheem Customer Service number. They transferred me to Technical Assistance. The person there told me to tighten the pressure relief valve and to take the plastic cap off located near the cold water line and remove (cut) the foam insulation to expose the anode nut and tighten the nut. Complied with that but didn't like the fact that I had to fix their brand new product. Water now leaked around the anode nut but appeared to come from the surrounding foam. Had to turn off water supply to house to stop leaking.
Jan 6 2021- At 7:05 AM called Rheem customer service number. They once again transferred me toTechnical Assistance. Spoke to Joe. I told him that I wanted the unit replaced. He said they would send outa technician to take a look at it within 24 hours. I told him that I expected a call from a repairman within the hour. Very rudely he said "that is totally unrealistic". I am now going into day 2 without hot or cold water. He said he would put in the request. I was not happy.
Jan 6 2021 - At approx. 7:20 AM called Customer Service (Brooke) expressed my displeasure with the 24 hour response time. She let me know that there was nothing she could do and verified that I would be contacted within 24 hours. Also let me know that labor on my brand new unit wasn't covered. So, I had to make a repair to a brand new unit and I would have to pay for any labor. THIS IS EXTREMELY POOR customer service.
Jan 7 2021 - It is now 8:00AM past the 24 hour response time and still no call. THIS IS REALLY SORRY!

I bought my hot water heater on [protected] from home Depot in Sevierville Tennessee first problem we had the pop-off valve kept popping off viewing water everywhere we called Rheem and I sent a new pop-off valve fix the problem now my reset button keeps popping off I called they told me to call contractors department so I did they said no contractors in Tennessee that I had to hire someone and if they didn't except responsibility for the payment that I would have to pay for and y'all would reimburse me for it this hot water heater is only 5 months old it should not be doing this I cannot pay to have a plumber come out I'm on disability to me my feelings is I should be getting a new hot water heater my name is Mildred Autry serial number a152012884 my mailing address is 4839 Old Hollow Road Kernersville North Carolina 27284 my email address is m a u t r y [protected]@gmail.com hope to hear from someone

This review is in response to a denial I received from Rheem Manufacturing Company regarding a claim I made for a leaking hot water tank that has a 12 year warranty with full coverage (parts and labor) for the first three years. From the day I reported a problem with this Rheem 12 year Gas Hot Water Heater I was treated disrespectfully and it was abundantly clear from the beginning that it was going to be difficult to get this company to back the 12 year warranty on this hot water heater. When I reported the problem I was having with this water heater it was only one and a half years old and still eligible for full no cost labor and parts coverage for the first three years as stated in the warranty verbiage.

Rheem customer claim reps gave me a hard time about sending a plumber out to look at the tank and repair it. After asking to speak to a supervisor I was finally told she would send out a plumber and I would be notified by someone who would set up an appointment. I then get a call and was told they can't find any authorized Rheem plumbers in my area and asked if I would contact a plumber on my own and have the plumber fix the leaking tank if possible and send their bill to Rheem for reimbursement. I tried to find a plumber but none would come when I told them they had to submit their bill to Rheem for payment. I ended up fixing the tank myself with some help from a friend who is a plumber apprentice.
I turned in a claim for $18.06 and this chincy company denied payment, unbelievable! Imagine what the claim would have been if a plumber would have fixed the tank and for sure I would have been stuck with that bill! I notified Home Depot (where I purchased the water heater} Customer Service and they were appalled when I told them this story. I only notified them because I wanted Rheem to be reported for their extremely poor customer service and not fulfilling their warranty agreements.
Home Depot is one of Rheem's largest dealers of their products and did not agree with Rheem's denial of this claim. They told me they were going to file a grievance against Rheem for the way this claim was handled and to show their appreciation of my loyal patronage sent me a $25 Gift Card. I will never buy a Rheem product again and will tell all every chance I get of this horrible experience. If you need a new hot water heater be very leery about buying a Rheem.
Rick **

My case number is 1693905. I have been out of hot water for 6 days. Drained over 400 gals of water for installing parts on the water heater. Your parts manager (Mike) refuse to refund me for the part I got then I had to wait for him to sent the so called right part and it was wrong. I call this morning(11-24-19) and talked with manager Lucas to discuss returning this wrong part and his rely was to just throw it away. I asked him to speak to his boss and I was hang up on then put on hold for over 30min and never spoke to anyone. These mangers cost your company for two Gas Controls.
Please contact me to discuss

On 11/13/19, I had spoken to Joelle (ID# 267) about my water heater warranty. She clearly told me and my contractor that once i took the unit to Home Depot, they would give me another unit at no charge because i was still under warranty. Well, on 11/16/19, we go to Home Depot, Rheem's warranty online system is down, so it does not come up. We call customer service, they transfer us to the supervisor, Kelly (ID#341), she starts telling me that they never said i wouldn't have to pay anything for the new unit. They sent me an email to my spam inbox, where it does state that, but they said on the phone that it would be at no charge. I asked to listen to the previous call, and she would not allow me to listen to the recording. She supossedly listened to the recording, and said that Joelle did not say that. Well, I can't trust that since one told me something and they other something different, and she wouldn't let me listen to it. She was very rude and would not let me speak, which as the customer, i have the right to. As the "supervisor", she needs to do a better job at checking her employees to make sure they doing their jobs right and be honest upfront. Don't lie about your mistakes. I ended up having to pay for the new one, plus my contractor bill. I suggest Rheem do some internal reviews and investigations. I've heard many negative reviews about their costumer service.

On February 27, 2018, I purchased a Rheem hot water gas heater, serial numbQ111730778, at Home Depot. Unfortunately, your product has not performed well because it has been making popping, gurgling and crackling noises. I am disappointed because I reported the problem to you for assistance (case number (1649115), you sent a plumber (Central Plumbing, Inc.) and the problem was misdiagnosed a sediment due to poor water quality. The plumber with Central Plumbing said the remedy was to flush the hot water heater. At that point, I knew his diagnosis was incorrect because another licensed plumber had done that prior to his visit to no avail. The problem persisted. Actually, the licensed plumber diagnosed the heater as defective. When I explained this to the plumber with Central, he then modified his diagnosis to a possible break in the city's water line that caused sediment to accumulate; however he had no proof. Again, another ridiculous explanation to avoid it being an issue covered by the warranty. Furthermore, I have a second water heater in my home, and this is not happening with my other heater.

The Central plumber next explained I would be billed because sediment is not covered under the Rheem warranty, and if I refused to pay, my warranty would be canceled. I responded that Rheem did not state this to me. It was my understanding this service call was part of my warranty, and I was not paying. I noted this on the receipt.

Furthermore, when I initially reported this problem to Rheem, I was led to believe you were a good corporate citizen and operated in good faith.; you would honor the warranty by repairing or replacing the heater to my satisfaction versus sending a company that is obviously in the business of scamming people and nullifying their warranties.

To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your replacing the defective water heater. Attached are copies of my records - receipts, model and serial number.

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait three (3) days from the date of this correspondence before seeking help from a consumer protection agency and/or the Better Business Bureau.

In 2012, it was time to replace a 31 yr old still working unit as freon was being eliminated and high electric consumption. Did all the research on the product & the installer, yet here we are 7 years later and the coil in the air handler has "numerous holes/leaks" which must have started last year as the refrigerant was totally empty in 2018. We had it filled and added a sealant but when it was time to check the unit this year 2019 - it was again down to 25% of refrigerant . Turns out the warranty is 5 years UNLESS you register your unit on line for the extra 5 yrs which THEY DO NOT TELL YOU. Nor did my licensed installer give me the paperwork to the unit for the warranty registration.

So replacing coils will cost $2300 and a total new Air Handler unit is $5400, meanwhile the entire system in 2012 cost $4800.

Forget Rheem, they don't stand behind their "supposed" 10 year warranty and will not discuss any amount of renumeration for the coil

This is more of a complaint that from a customer standpoint. My household woke up to no hot water this morning, the water heater is a Rheem and 4 years old. This is the second repair in four years. I called the company that sold and installed the unit. They stated that the homeowners have to call the manufacturer, diagnose the problem (like we are repair professionals) and have Rheem send us the part, call them when we have the part and then they will schedule the repair. This as I have learned is a about a five day process. I am amazed to feel that Rheem finds this acceptable customer service. Five days without hot water, REALLY try it sometime, it is extremely frustrating.
When I called this am provided all information requested the customer service rep stated they would ship out the repair part for next day delivery, wasn't happy, but ok. I call back 7 hours later as I have heard zero from Rheem, the customer rep stated that it could be 2 days before the part is shipped, you called at 10:40am after all, I should expect nothing for another day. No acknowledgement that I had even called, how tough is an email with a job ticket, to send so customer believes you are even trying.
Anyway. Unsat performance,
Charles Radabaugh, Kent WA,

I bought a Rheem Water heater at Home Depot in Daphne, AL two weeks ago. From the start it leaked on the cold water supply side. Technical assistance sent two nipples and contracted a plumber to replace. Even after replacement of the two nipples, the leak was still there. Reaching out again to their customer support they indicated they had no contracting companies around Mobile, and that I had to hire a plumber myself for replacement and reinstallation. Meaning I would have to pay upfront and then invoice Rheem. They are not even interested in picking up their piece of junk back to investigate further the quality escape.
Now I am struggling to get reimbursed because these helpless and careless are asking for a proof of payment I provided them with already. THey want a proof that the check was cleared by the bank. These [censored]s are not even able to call the plumber to check if the check has been endorsed.
Honestly, they should drop their current business for two reasons: poor product quality and very low-grade customer support.
Don't buy their junk, you will definitely save money and time.

So lets start with, the brand new 50 gal water heater doesn't work. Good luck getting any kind of remedy from Rheem. The people on their phone are just mouth pieces. Best option is not to bother with this company. If you bought something of theirs, take it back, get a refund and go somewhere else. They DRAG THEIR FEET way too much.

Although, they are happy to inform you that you are welcome to return their product, but suggested there would be no refund without Rhreem recommendation? LOL. Watch them get the damn thing back. PROMPTLY. Obvious they do enough business to miss out on mine.

I bought my house brand new . The Rheem A/C has been performing terribly. I paid for a second inspection a year deployment to the Middle East. Here is the write up from the inspector: We recommend consulting with two different outside licensed HVAC contractors to evaluate entire system. The system has three zones with only one return (all of the homes with dual or multiple zone systems has a return for each system. Especially the Master bedroom) In addition, based on the past issues with the system. i.e. photo summary 3 indicates the system has a low Freon level: that the main suction line should be further repaired or replaced. Also the large bedrooms should have two supply vents for proper CFU supplies. One of the bedrooms was split with the bathroom, which made that bedroom very deficient on air supply. The downstairs laundry room and half bathroom appear to have oversized lines supplied to these rooms. In our opinion. Additional returns are needed in the Master and downstairs. As well as the bedrooms should all have two supply lines of the proper size and the sized of supply lines feeding the downstairs bathroom and laundry room should be 4 inch lines. See photo summary 1 of the damage insulation line on the exterior suction line, photo summary 2 is the picture of the one supply vent for the large bedroom and photo summary 4 is the split line to cover the large front bedroom and hall bathroom. Photo summary 5 is the unit in the attic. Photo summary 6 is a picture of the wiring installation of the multi-zone board.

For the next three years I've had one problem after another due to poor installation. The unit freezes up; the pan constantly fills with water; and it doesn't cool properly. I've spent thousands in repair.

Today a representative from Fergason, care of Rheem, was called in by Hoyt's Heating and Air to look at the unit because they are no longer able to repair it. He said that the duct work was done wrong. There aren't any intakes on the first floor when their are three zones in the house: two zones on the first floor and one on the second. He also said they took the unit apart to put it in the attic and they put it together wrong. The drain pan is on the ceiling causing damage. The unit is bowing in the middle because cinder blocks were placed near the outsides of the unit. This is causing the coils to leak. He also said the duct work is short causing cold air to come back on the coils and causing it to freeze up. He was so disappointed with the installation that he recommended a complete new unit be ordered and installed.
I feel like I've been cheated by Hurricane builders; the company that installed the unit; and Rheem. I'm stuck with all of these problems that should've been built correctly in the first place.

Hi I purchased a 40 gallon Rheem gas hot water tank at zHome Depot on May 14/18 and had it installed same day by licensed plumber/gasfitter.
For past 10 days have smelled natural gas in varying levels throughout the house. Had the plumber back x2 to recheck where he had connected the heater and could find no leaks. Headaches and nausea continued, but I put it down to cold/flu symptoms. Then last night the plumber removed manufacturer's coverplate and discovered hairline crack through their factory installed hardware!
Called Rheem Canada in Brampton Ontario, and they advised me there would be a "part in the mail" next week. Thought it was lax on their end to send me a "part" with my layperson's explanation of what was cracked, along with being very dissatisfied with having to wait the remainder of this week and into next for resolution especially after suffering due to THEIR DEFECT for past 10 days. Asked if they had a service person in wpg area who could perhaps more quickly repair the problem. They said they did but it was likely he wouldn't have the correct part and I would ...have to wait for next week and "part in the mail" to arrive. Still don't know if they are sending correct part or when it will arrive. As for service person?
Can't believe their attitude. Is there something else I can do?

We have a hot water heater that keeps going out ...they keep having *us replace parts. There is something wrong with the unit as both elements and thermostat are out this time..after calls to a Rude manager Megan ext 333 we are waiting on more parts...also the customer service rep told me that no chance of it shorting out causing a fire! I sure hope she is correct. The unit had a problem that they will not admit.gonna limp it till warranty no longer any good!

Our AC unit has been serviced annually after installing this Rheem unit in 2011. In the last seven years we have found a Failed Evaporator Coil twice in a seven year span! This is rediculous! After installing a brand new unit in our home, it is unsatisfactory to have failed evaporator coils twice in that time span. What can you do for the homeowner that maintains their unit regularly with service checks and yet this unit is faulty?

On 2-6-18 I called the Rheem warranty line to follow up on a heating element that I was supposed to receive 1-2 days prior. After the first representative took my serial and model numbers I was transferred to another customer service representative named " Saro". He came on the line and said " you have been transferred to me. Please hold." He put me on hold and when he came back he asked me why I was calling. I mentioned that I ordered a heating element for my Rheem water heater as it was covered under warranty and on 2-2-18 and that representative stated that I would receive it in 1-2 days. It has been 3 days and I was calling to let them know that I hadn't received it and the water is coming out luke warm then cold. I asked that they send me one overnight as I needed it right away. He yawned loud and quite long then paused then sighed loudly. I asked him if I was keeping him up. He said "life is keeping me up!" He then told me that on the FED/Ex website it shows that the package should be delivered at 10:30 this morning and if it doesn't arrive then I should call back and they will send one out overnight.

He was extremely rude and I hope that Rheem will address this very poor customer service representative as their own staff is hurting their industry.

I also hope that the part that I need comes today. It should have been sent out overnight to begin with. Not having hot water is unsanitary.

AC compressor warranty not honored. As I purchased the home in 2014 and the AC unit was installed in 2010. I was informed all warranties will be inherited as part of the purchase.

I am an active duty reservist and preparing for deployment. Please let me know if you can assist as money right now is tight.

I have served my country in two phases. First phase from [protected]. I retired and was activated again in 2016 .

Please assist in this matter as .

MSG Diaz