I wasted $400 on a cheap water heater rental contract

Signed a 3-year rental deal with a big supply house in Houston for a commercial tank. After 14 months the pilot assembly failed, they charged me $250 labor for a $35 part. Canceled the contract early and paid $150 penalty, wish I'd just bought a Bradford White outright. Anyone else get burned by these rental agreements?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles541mo ago

Paid $250 labor for a $35 part? That is rough. I once signed a rental deal on a water heater and my buddy joked I could have bought a gold-plated one for what I spent on penalties. At least you learned your lesson before signing another one, right?

eva_garcia561mo ago

Don't you think the labor cost is fair though? A good plumber has to drive out, diagnose the issue, maybe make a trip to get the part, and then do the work. That $250 covers their time, their truck, their insurance, and their know-how. I've seen too many people try to nickel-and-dime tradesmen and then wonder why no one shows up when they really need help. Sometimes paying for the convenience and reliability is worth it, even if the part itself is cheap.

colemartinez1mo ago

Hold up, I gotta say the labor cost thing is a bit off. A service call fee plus labor for a pilot assembly replacement around here is usually more like $150 to $175, not $250, especially if the part is under warranty. And a lot of rental contracts actually cover parts and labor for the whole term, so charging you for the repair on top of the monthly fee is kind of sketchy. Sounds like they were double dipping, not just paying for a fair service visit.