Complaints

This profile includes complaints for A O Smith Corporation's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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A O Smith Corporation has 10 locations, listed below.

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  A O Smith Corporation

  500 Tennessee Waltz Pkwy Ashland City, TN 37015-1234

  
• 

  A O Smith Corporation

  500 By Pass Road Ashland City, TN 37015-1299

  
• 

  A O Smith Corporation

  12100 W Park Pl Milwaukee, WI 53224

• 

  A O Smith Corporation

  820 SW 41st St Renton, WA 98057-4804

• 

  A O Smith Corporation

  820 SW 41st St Renton, WA 98057-4804

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We bought an AO Smith Signature 100 water heater back in Feburary for a new ADU addition in the ******* area. It was installed in June and tested normal. Since there was no tenant for the past couple months, we turned it off. Now the tenant moved in and we turned the water heater back on, it does not produce hot water. We called the warranty service and were given two local plumbers' numbers. The first one said we are outside their service area. The second one said they don't provide warranty service for AO Smith anymore. We called AO Smith again but were told these are the ony service providers in the area. We went to AO Smith website and found a third provider, called, but they also said stopped providing warranty service for AO Smith. Called AO Smith again, and was told we can find our own plumber and they will reimburse $100 plus parts. The $100 doesn't even cover the diagnoses the plumbers charge. So this left us with no warranty service at all with this brand new water heater. So we are reaching out to request AO Smith to either cover all repair expenses or cost for replacement. Thank you.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  We are reaching out to the customer to resolve this matter. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have contacted AO Smith and even took pictures and sent them to them to show them how it is installed professionally and correctly! I am disabled and have had 3 reliance heaters, AO Smith is the parent company, in about 6 or seven years and that is ridiculous. The problem is in the electronics giving off false codes and the shutting off causing me to have to go turn it off and let it reset, then wait ten to twenty minutes and then relight it. Last winter we had record snow and I had to go outside shovel three feet of snow away from the water heater door and relight it. Not real fun when I have degenerative disc disease in my spine and have had 8 major surgeries. All three of the reliance water heaters that I have had put in have had the same problem and a lot of plumbers up here where I live will no longer install them because they are nothing but a problem!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2023

  
  Were sorry to hear of your experience with our product and will be glad to look into this further.   We are reviewing the information and will be reaching out to you to discuss.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Order the hot water tank from ao Smith had it installed by a license plumber within 6 months. It broke. The pilot kept turning off. I would have to light the pilot multiple times a week and then it ended up being multiple times a day. I called AO Smith customer support. They send me five contact numbers to come and service the unit. Only one company actually responded and came to my house. They determined there was a problem with the igniter and that they will order the part and come and replace it. a month and a half later. There is no part on order and the contractor disappeared and A.o Smith customer service is terrible. They hung up on me over three times already. No solution as of today. Once again, this was a company that they recommend that works for them for their warranty work. This is very unprofessional and not reliable, especially for hot water unit in a multi-family residence

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2023

  
  We apologize for the issues experienced and are working with the customer concerning their request.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/24/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I build my new house 3 years ago and had a new 50 gallon AO Smith Hybrid Water heater was installed and working fine for about 2 years only until 1/2023 then the water heater gave error code of (ECC) and i contacted the company which said the only way to fix that code is to replace the unit but i would be responsible for the labor which cost me $1100 to replace the unit out of pocket. Last week which is only 7 months after the new unit was installed, i got the same exact error and i called again today 8/23/2023 and supervisor named "*****" did not provide ANY help and informed me that there's nothing they can do and only offer to replace the unit but i need to pay the over $1000 for labor (AGAIN) which is not acceptable.. People buy these advanced units to save on energy cost and not to pay $1100 every 7 months. Your product is absolute junk and you should not sell it. I need the company to fix it and i don't have to pay AGAIN because your products keeps failing.. This is a water heater so customer never have to touch or do anything to it since the installation. My house is brand new so the condition is perfect to have any appliance work great and all do except your water heater

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2023

  We apologize for the issues experienced. We reached out to the customer to address their concerns and are reimbursing an agreed upon amount for the water heater. The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a AO smith softener and the machine did not turn on the first day I purchase it. I need someone to call me to solve my issue. Thank you. ************ ********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  7/1/23 purchased a tankless water heater that did not work Tech came out and order part. The part was put on still did not work. Tech came out again said it needed another part the part was put on still did not work Tech said that heater was defective. On about 7/6 was able to get another Heater this heater also defective Within a 2week time I got 2 Heaters that did not work Now i want a total refund, They refuse to give me my total refund.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2023

  We apologize for the issues experienced.  We reached out to the customer to address their concerns and are reimbursing an agreed upon amount for the water heater.  The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  WORSE Company with support, first you are treated like you are stupid, then when you show that you actually know what is going on, they find every excuse to not support you or provide technical support, I bought a Hybrid Water Heater, the unit will ALWAYS use one of the elements, regardless of the settings (support basically quoted me the manual, yet, still uses one element even on heat pump setting) then they basically told me there is no way I would know...like I dont have a home energy meter that monitors circuits...it is 2023, anyone with solar knows we can monitor energy usage.... then I told them that the "time of use" is useless as the whole point someone will use it is so the heater only works during low rate hours, well....it does not, it will turn in ANYTIME... here, I was told again, to read the manual and that there was an "error" in the marketing, yeah, the main reason to buy this heater... then I was told to put the heater on vacation mode or just use a timer (like the one I had with my previous heater that cost 1/3 of the price, so this "smart" unit will be render useless with a timer. At this point since they refuse to actually acknowledge the issues I send them an email with a line full of sarcasm.... " I bet the next CSR will ask me to make sure my Heater is plugged in the wall" there the magic happened, next email ignored my issues and I was told that I am REQUIRED to submit a picture of my heater (that was installed by a professional from Mr ******* to ensure it was installed properly and MUST show that it does not have a plug going into the wall...really!!! if I do not comply, my technical support will not be honored....yup, they did not read all my requests, but used a sarcasm line to find a loophole to not admit that the unit does not work as advertised!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2023

  We apologize for the issues experienced. We spoke with the customer to address their concerns. The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My water heater is still under warranty when it started to experience leaking from the bottom of the water tank. I then contacted the ** smith for warranty replacement, I was told by the ** smith representative that ** smith does not send replacement, instead I need to go to an ** Smith supplier to receive the replacement. And since it's still under warranty, the replacement should be free. I then was provided a contact information for the supplier, AF supply.However, when I contacted the supplier given by the ** Smith representative, I was told that there is a "warranty fee" (the extra term used by the supplier), which is $200 + tax to get the water heater replaced under the warranty. I then contacted back ** smith on 6/22/2023 and got a supervisor, *****, on the call to express my disappointment. The supervisor insisted that they are not responsible for the fee charged by their supplier despite that the supplier is fulfilling the warranty obligation for ** Smith, and there is no other alternative way to get the replacement under the warranty, other than going through its supplier.By allowing its own suppliers to extort fee from its customer to receive the free replacement under warranty, ** Smith has neglected its obligation to fulfil its own warranty. While its supplier may be owned by third party, it's a requirement of ** Smith in such that it's the only route to get the replacement, which is go through its suppliers who charge unreasonable amount of money for something that's supposed to be a free replacement.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/14/2023

  Were sorry to hear of your experience and will be glad to look into this further. We will be reaching out to you to discuss.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20318384
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have not receive the refund of the "warranty fee" charged for a supposed free under-warranty replacement for the defective water heater.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2023

  The reimbursement check number ****** has been processed and mailed to the customer.  The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/10/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  4/01/22 was the initial purchase of a hot water heater from lowes. the water heater has had an intermittent shudder/vibration after start up from a long resting period ie: overnight etc..i have had more than a dozen phonecalls with the company trying to resolve the issue to no avail. they gave me a list of contractors that could look the unit over. i called every one and none would come out. too far most of them stated. then they asked me to find an outside plumbing contractor to come troublesshoot their machine. i tried 4 or 5 local contractors to come troubleshoot this unit and none of them are interested in dealing with the warranty claim paperwork. ao smith has exhausted their troubleshooting phone stalling measures . then agreed that they cant solve the problem through there own warranty staff. and now are trying to waste more of my time getting anyone i can find to come look at it. of which i have found no one willing to put up with the beurocracy.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2023

  The company has replaced the heater but has not covered the service call costs that should have been covered in the warranty.  The technician that came out said everything was installed correctly with the unit and could not find an error in instalation.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/10/2023

  
  Were sorry to hear of your experience with our product.  We spoke with the customer and gave the return authorization for the water heater as requested.  The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2023

  Were sorry to hear of your experience with our product.  We spoke with the customer and gave the return authorization for the water heater as requested.  The customer will contact us if they need any further assistance.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/21/2023

  the last time i talked to them they told me they would not cover the cost of the technician they forced me to call.  the technician confirmed the problem was with the unit.   which is what i told them and they agreed to by replacing the unit.  i also purchased a propriatory vent system that i did not even question getting a return on.  this company i have talked to in excess of ***** times on the phone for ***** minutes each time.  i just want the money back, i have talked to them enough.  i asked for my money back and they said no when clearly it should have been covered under their warranty guidelines.  i feel that i have exhausted all my patience and there is a culture amongst all their employees to drag things out and put of the inevetable as long as they can.  i have never experience so much "foot dragging" except maybe when my kids where 3 years old.  im sorry this turned into a rant, if you are going to mass produce a product you should at least stand behind it with conviction when it does not go well.  FYI the replacement unit is working well and i feel confident we will be happy with it. obviously improvements where made.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought an AO Smith water heater on 6/3/2023. Immediately upon installing, the water was coming out scalding hot despite the setting of the thermostat. It became apparent that the thermostat on this unit was faulty. I contacted the company about the warranty, and was given the name of a plumber to call and was told if I can't get ************, to call a local plumber and I will be reimbursed (I was given no other options at this point).The plumber recommendation they gave me did not operate in my state, so I had to call a local plumber. The plumber came and performed the repairs at a cost of ~$400 on 6/16/2023. AO Smith said they would only reimburse me only $100 since the plumber was out of their network (I did not have an option for a plumber in their network).I called back to inquire about this, and the operator I spoke too this time said that she wished I would have talked to her the first time because she would have walked me through troubleshooting steps and given me instructions on how to get reimbursed for parts to do it myself. I did not realize this was an option after a plumber was pushed upon me on my initial call, and would have been satisfied with this option.The company contacted me about a ******** review, and did offer an additional $100 to reimburse for parts. I am not satisfied with this in the least. This is a brand new water heater that is under warranty for parts and labor. I can not control the fact that I do not have a plumber in their network in my area. I should not have to pay for repairs on a brand new water heater.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2023

  We apologize for the issues experienced.  We have reviewed the information and are working with the customer concerning their request for reimbursement for the repair of the water heater

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/01/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Though it is asinine that I had to fight as hard as I did to get them to make good on their warranty for a faulty product, and I will never again spend money on this company's products again, I am satisfied that they did eventually make good on their warranty.  I will never again spend money on this company's products, but I will gladly drop this matter and go about my merry way.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************