June 8, 2017 Update:
After posting my negative review on HomeStars, Caitlin from Reliance HC took the initiative to contact me in order to address our concerns. She and her advisor (Paul) did everything in their power to make things right again. Paul was very knowledgeable and most importantly, honest, about the technological pros and cons about each solution to our HVAC troubles, so that we may make informed decisions for ourselves. I wish he was our Service Advisor from the start so that we would not have been in this situation.
Our issues have now been addressed and we are very satisfied with our Reliance HVAC system and the customer service initiatives from Caitlin and Paul. Thank you.
Our major Issues with Reliance:
1) Promised us that a new tankless water heater and new furnace would solve all of our discussed problems with our existing and functional system; they did not, which strongly suggests that the Service Advisor had no clue what he was talking about
2) Tankless Water Heater is horrible
3) Did not inform us of a $250 Ontario SaveOnEnergy.ca rebate (now expired)
4) Unresolved Service Order: one year later, they still have not installed the central humidifier that I requested
5) Promised free annual service on the tankless water heater; one year later, they are no where to be found - no calls, no schedule
Story:
In February 2016, we called Reliance to discuss issues with our aging (10 years) but functioning HVAC system. Our home air is handled by a High Velocity Duct System powered by a blower and is heated by the hot water tank. It is extremely noisy and does not provide sufficient heat, resulting in the system being constantly on trying to reach 22C and wasting a lot of electricity. Some rooms were colder than others, so we thought there was an issue with air circulation. Our air was also extremely dry. We were expecting a baby and were concerned about the cold, circulation and noise.
Reliance Service Advisor C. Lei came to our home and promised us the world. He immediately said that our aging system needed to be replaced by a Tankless Water Heater (FlowMax) coupled to a new blower-heat-exchanger (AirMax) and all of our problems would be resolved. He said that FlowMax generates hotter water to better heat the air, and that our noise issues were from a noisy old motor. The new AirMax would be more quiet, and is equipped with an ECM motor to save electricity. He also said that the ECM motor will help with circulation as it can quietly cycle air in the house even when not heating or cooling. He had no problems with my request to install a central humidifier. Everything sounded reasonable at the time, and we were willing to do anything to create a healthy environment for our incoming baby, so we signed all the papers including a whole bunch of Reliance Service Standards, promising best service and integrity (right).
The issues all started after the installation of the new HVAC system. It was immediately just as noisy if not more so than our previous system. The noise was from turbulence and not the motor. We also found out that the ECM blower does not cycle air continuously throughout the house as promised. They also ran into obstacles installing a central humidifier but said that they would return - one year later they still have not. On top of these issues, the Tankless Water Heater created a whole new set of problems. We learned quickly that it takes 30-60 seconds for newly heated water to reach the tap. This is a huge problem for the dishwasher and laundry machine which operate on timers (inject water from hot line for x number of seconds). Also, the tankless can only heat enough water to operate one tap at a time (limited to one 1/2" outlet line); another huge drawback. We found out that these are known problems for Tankless systems but the Advisor C. Lei did not mention this at all - total lack of integrity or knowledge; either one is bad. We had communicated these issues in two separate instances, first by email to Advisor C. Lei, second to the Reliance call center. Both times they promised a call back and neither times we received any. This is the worst customer service I've ever experienced and I will never recommend Reliance to anyone. Reliance is unprofessional and disorganized. Unfortunately, now I am stuck with them as I'm forced to rent this new HVAC system.
It is now February 2017. We have generally been coping with the issues. We run the taps adjacent to the dishwasher/laundry for over a couple of minutes prior to use to ensure that the water gets hot. The system is noisy, but there's nothing we can do about it. The temperature does however heat to 22C easier, and with my recently re-insulated attic, the house holds temperature longer which makes the periodic noise more tolerable. They said that the Tankless system needs descaling service annually, but no calls yet. They still owe me a humidifier. The last straw, and what prompted this negative review is that I just found out that there was a $250 rebate by SaveOnEnergy that expired. It requires the installer (Reliance) to complete the proof of installation forms. Advisor C. Lei never mentioned this. Horrible service. I now hate Reliance with a passion.
