Reliance Home Comfort

Returned home from a vacation late one evening to discover that the hot water heater was broken. We called Reliance and they scheduled a repair the very same day. As the hot water heater tech was here he mentioned that our furnace was very old and could afford to be replaced, we then checked the AC unit and discovered that it was older than thought. He scheduled a sales meeting for us and gave us a coupon to use if we decided to buy a new system. Later that day we found an ad in the pennysaver for the purchase of a new furnace get an AC free. The next day was quite hot and humid so we decided to turn on the AC to discover that it was also broken (ha, ha). We were definitely in need of a new system now. So needless to say when Karl came, he went through the different options of purchasing and renting but we did decide to go with the package that was on the flyer, it was the best option for us. Karl was on time, friendly, non pressuring and knowledgeable and also very humble. The hot water heater tech, Joe, was also prompt, knowledgeable and curteous. The install crew (Mark and John) was early, efficient, knowledgeable and tidied up after themselves. They went through the operation and maintanence of the system with me, there was even a cover to the AC unit included in the package. What I liked most about my experience is the fact that Reliance stands behind the products that they install and that definitely offers peace of mind when you are spending a sizable portion of money. So far I am satisfied with my new home comfort system, if that were to change I feel comfortable that the right steps will be made to ensure that I once again become satisfied (written one week afer install).

This review is a long time coming as renovations in our home are complete now.

They get one star for showing up.

The installation was HORRIBLE. They managed to "forget" the installation of certain parts of the humidifier (excuse given: Some of the crews that Reliance hires are not the best... are you serious?!?!?!); they had NO clue how to hook up my HRV to the furnace to have it work correctly (excuse I was given was: it's a new furnace, we're not certain why it's not working the way it should); Lastly they had to relocate my thermostat which caused more irritation because I was given grief about where to place it. The entire process took about 2 months, where it should have only taken 2-3 days TOPS!

They get another star for customer service.

This was the only portion of the process that was decent. The customer service reps tried to help as much as they could and did not give up on me. Two thumbs up goes out to their customer service team!

I will never use Reliance again for HVAC work. TRUST ME when I tell you that you can achieve better results by hiring your own contractor (as always do your reference checking!). You get what you pay for!

To Reliance: SHAPE UP!

My 74 year-old-mother's furnace was 24 years old and probably couldn't have made it through another winter. Visiting her from Vancouver, I decided we had to act quickly, and I was only home for a week. On Monday, Reliance visited to fix an air conditioner leak successfully. On Tuesday, regular maintenance was performed and a sales meeting was set up for Wednesday at 10am. On Wednesday a furnace was chosen from several, with absolutely no pressure and just helpful information, and during the sale they mentioned that they knew about my short timeline and could install it the very next day, Thursday. Unfortunately it turned out that the install team was on training and I was told that it couldn't happen. I expressed my displeasure to Karl Masters, the sales agent who I had met with, and he made the impossible happen - he took it up the chain of command and got them to pull in another installation team who weren't even on the books at that time, and honoured their original commitment. The delay would only have been a few days, but making it happen before I flew back to Vancouver brought great peace of mind, and really made the difference between good service and great service. Thanks, Karl! BTW, I live in Vancouver and have no connection whatsoever with Reliance - and actually emailed Karl a special thank you as well. He made a difference. The install technicians were knowledgeable and friendly, and the main technician took time to explain everything and even installed an extra safety valve for the humidifier at a lower level so my mother could reach it, without even being asked to do so. I can highly recommend Reliance.

UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 19th, 2012 - I have to downgrade my review of Reliance. They have really bad follow-through. They actually asked me to write a review on this site and promised me movie tickets, and as the overall experience was positive I agreed, but the movie tickets never came. Not a big deal, but still a detail. The thing that turned me off was that I had to leave town the day after the installation, and a 6 foot and a 10 foot pipe were left on the sidewalk outside. That was August 31st. I contacted the sales rep and he said he'd take care of it. My mother just called and said they are still there 19 days later. So, they failed. They failed by letting me down initially, and now have failed with follow-through. To be honest, that's two of three strikes, and I'm sure the next will happen if I give them another chance. If you use Reliance, make sure you watch them, and don't trust that they will do what they say until it's actually done. Initially I rated them high, but now they just hit 6. Barely.

Showed up an hour after I placed the call on a Sunday. Ray, the technician was very friendly and efficient.

Very good service and he knew exactly what the problem was.Not many companys that I know of would be so helpfull on a holiday weekend. Thank you Reliance.

We needed our new water heater moved in the furnace room because it was blocking a storage area. Joe came and he was extremely helpful. He completed the job quickly and exactly as we wanted. There was no charge. Excellent customer service.

I called Reliance Thursday morning because we didn't have any hot water. Their phone support was prompt, friendly and very helpful. They had a service person there the same day (would have been that morning, but I had to go to some meetings) and he was right on time, super-friendly and really quick. He explained what needed fixing, did the job and was very pleasant and professional. I had hot water within the hour. Plus, the visit, time and parts were covered with my service plan. Their customer service is fantastic. I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Hello,
I had a challenge with my air conditioner in the middle of a hot spell.
I called the call center a few times; customer service was very helpful.
John Saliba was my technician. He was very knowledgeable. He listened to my issues then diagnosed the issue. He was prompt, friendly and a pleasure to meet. PS: he also has a great sense of humor. Thank you. Valerie

I was completely satisfied with the service and the service rep. He took the time to thoroughly investigate what could possibly have caused the problem we were experiencing. Very professional and we feel good knowing we have this service.

The service l received from both Customer Service, and service tech, was lst rate, helpful when first l phoned Reliance with my problem, quick response and courtsey from Tech, Thank You

We recently had to have our rental water heater replaced as it was about 18 years old. We live on the 2nd floor in a condo building and it was my understanding that a drip pan under the water heater is required in such buildings. The technician did not have one with him so he installed the water heater without the pan. I'm not sure if this was the proper thing to do and would like some feedback as to what should be done now.