Thankful for Hot Water :)

So the past few days have been full of frustration and head shaking. We had a leak in our hot water tank, which we discovered Friday night, so we called Direct Energy since we are on a rental contract with them. They had a bunch of problems on their end saying that they could not find our contract, and that they have no record of us renting a hot water tank from them. Good thing I save and file every single bill we get -- I have 4 years of proof that we've been paying a rental fee to Direct Energy Home Services for the hot water tank. In the end, they said that they would send someone out on Sunday to have a look at it, and we'd have to show them our bill as proof that we are paying the rental fee.

Sunday rolls around, and in the 4-hour window that they said a technician would show up, one nice technician came to our door to look at the leak. We mentioned the issue we had with Direct Energy not having our contract, and with one look at the tank, he said "This is definitely one our ours". He cuts and caps off the pipes and says that we need a new water heater. Since we are on contract, we'll get one switched with no charges...and since it was Sunday, the department that deals with this is closed, so I was told that I would be getting a call after 8am on Monday, and they will have it switched out Monday evening.

Monday rolls around....I keep my phone with me all day in hopes of receiving the phone call. Unfortunately, my phone did not buzz once. I ended up calling Direct Energy when I got home from work, and I was told that there was nothing in their computer system saying that I had an appointment. They ask for some information, and then proceed to tell me that they cannot find a contract, and the water heater is not theirs. Are you kidding me? They sent out a technician just the day before, who did some paperwork and said it was theirs. Now, all of a sudden, we don't exist in their system? What kind of communication system does Direct Energy use? Where do they store all of their customer info? I was beyond mad, being transferred between people, who need to talk to their supervisors because they cannot find our contract. Not only did they not call back when I was told I would be called with an appointment time, I was also promised to have the replacement tank Monday evening. After talking to many people who kept telling me that the tank does not belong to Direct Energy, I decided to file a complaint. Am I really paying $14.99 a month for nothing? Do you as a company not keep track of your funds? Because if I am paying a monthly fee to not have your tank, then you should have an overage of 14.99 every month....since you are so adamant that the tank is not yours, then I should be reimbursed for 14.99 per month for 4 years, with interest, right? Long story short, and 4 hours later, I finally managed to get an appointment for Tuesday.

So Tuesday rolls around...and at 1030am, two nice guys come to my door all ready to switch out my hot water tank. About 20 minutes after they finish and leave, I hear a knock at my door. I opened it up to see a technician who is here to check on the leak of my hot water tank....because they always send out a technician to look at it before they do any switches. Great company. What kind of computer systems do they use? They seem to lose important customer information, and they also double book their appointments. Ugh. I hate dealing with these companies. Why do I have to rely on them so much???

I have to say though, I enjoyed a nice run in the beautiful weather, followed by a nice warm shower. I am very thankful for hot water.