Okay, so we lose our hot water (brand new water heater, 2.5 months old) on Thursday, September 14th. The progression is as follows...
I talk with my father about diagnosing the problem. After a brief discussion, I decide to handle it through warranty, since the water heater is so "young".
I call Flower Power and Light to see if they perhaps have the ON CALL service activated (this service gives me $10 a month and allows THEM to shut down that device on a limited schedule "as needed" - this service has not been activated in over a year based on previous discussions with them). They assure me that if the green light is flashing, "power is flowing to the device". Okay...
I neglect to call Whirlpool on Friday. So the weekend goes by without hot water.
I contact Whirlpool from my cell phone during my lunch break Monday. After about 10 minutes, I find out that I need to TEST THE UNIT MYSELF using a multimeter/voltage detector with instructions from them. I mention that I'm not an electrician and that despite my aptitude, I would prefer to have a qualified repairman handle this. They insist that I can do it, or I may have the unit professionally repaired and send them the bill -- they will reimburse me.
Later that night (at 6:28pm EST) I call Whirlpool back and am put on "hold" for a technician to help me use the voltage detector I have just purchased to test the unit. Every five minutes, I am put back to one of the non-techs who assures me "you did not lose your place in the queue, we just check to make sure you haven't hung up yet" and then I'm back on hold. This happens repeatedly until 7:02pm EST when I am forwarded THIS time to VOICE MAIL -- after HOURS voice mail. So now I've been left high and dry. And pissed.
Today, I decide it's not worth waiting for. I contact Roto Rooter, who comes out in a timely manner, and tests the unit. Lo and behold, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE UNIT. There is NO POWER COMING FROM THE ON CALL BOX (i.e., no power from FPL).
I contact FPL again, who asks me "did you reset the breaker", to which I politely reply "yes, that is why there is a blinking green light on the ON CALL box." "The light is ON?! Wow, then it works and there is power to your water heater." I explain to him that the $99 payment I had just made 20 minutes earlier to Roto Rooter tells me there is NO power coming to the water heater. He assigns someone to come to my home. The next gentleman to call is the en route repairman. He asks me (sigh) "did you reset the breaker" (note that this is about the sixth time in two days I've been asked this question) to which I reply, very flatly, "yes.. and the green light is on at the ON CALL box." He seems dumbfounded by this.
The repairman shows up a half hour later and goes to work. He discovers that, lo and behold, there is a BURNT OUT WIRE in the junction box between the ON CALL BOX and the WATER HEATER (this junction is an FPL-territory item). So, yes Virginia, you CAN have a working ON CALL box with NO POWER being delivered to your appliance!!
So now... I'm out $99 for a house visit, I'm sure Whirlpool is unwilling to pay it since their unit was never at fault apparently, and I have to find a way to convince FPL that THEY owe me this money.
Oh, and $4 + tax for a voltage tester.
Great.
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
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It seems to me that you could've saved yourself $100 if you had asked either your father or myself to come test it for you. I have a rather expensive multimeter and I don't get to use it nearly as often as I'd like. :-P
ReplyDelete1. I did not know you own one.
ReplyDelete2. My father does not currently own one.
3. If I do not get the money from FPL, I will be pushing the matter up their command-chain, and will seriously consider further avenues, as I do not take being screwed over by MULTIPLE employee's insistence that "The blinky green light is always right" [because it is never wrong and we're trying to save money by not sending someone to your home].
:-P I'm surprised YOU didn't have one, every geek worth their salt needs one. Getting reimbursed should be a matter of simply sending a copy of the bill to FPL, assuming you made sure to have the guy denote somewhere on the receipt that it was a problem with their "box".
ReplyDeleteIf I'd have known you were having trouble with it, I could have asked my dad to come take a look at it (hes a plumber)
ReplyDeleteWater heaters are never fun though, Ive helped him install two... at our house... which are conveintly (not) located about the washer/dryer.
RoB)
als dit post.This bericht eigenlijk goregious.This bericht is zeer interessant en het is ook nuttig voor ons. liking dingen zoals dit blog en dit is nu geeft me wat inspiratie Om te slagen, ooit zo op prijs stellen.
ReplyDelete