A. O. Smith

Do not EVER buy a water heater from AO Smith. They do NOT honor their warranty, and are IMPOSSIBLE TO reach! I bought a top-of-the line AO Smith heater from Lowes less than 2 years ago, with a 12-year warranty. Even though it is barely used, the heating element went bad in it 2 months ago. Trying to contact AO Smith on the phone means being on hold for HOURS. Their nearest service tech is over 100 miles away and will not come to my house to service the heater. He did offer to send me the part and get it installed by a local plumber - but wanted $40 to ship it! This is a $20 part at Home Depot. After numerous attempts at phone calls to them, I emailed AO Smith's "Customer Service". They refuse to send me the replacement part or even discuss the matter over email, insisting I have to call them. Well, after over two hours on hold AGAIN I gave up, and ordered the part from Home Depot. I'll be leaving this review of their products and "service" on every online forum.
Spread the word: Do not EVER buy a AO Smith water heater!