Once a dip tube situation is resolved any service charges have been passed along to Perfection, which has paid them, provided the charges are within reason. First the plumbing contractor must ascertain that the dip tube is the problem. Then A.O. Smith personnel walk the customers through the process of fixing the problem. If everything checks out A.O. Smith passes the bill to Perfection. This issue becomes a service issue, O Connor said.
Wholesalers perform as the middle man as they do in warranty situations.
The problem with the dip tubes covers our residential products across the board. We made about 3 million water heaters during the years 1993 through 1996. We ve had about 1,000 complaints involving dip tubes as a result, which isn t that many compared to the total number sold, he said. Not every water heater manufacturer used Perfection dip tubes in its manufacturing process. State Industries said it used dip tubes made by one of its subsidiaries.