Complaints

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:06/11/2023

  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.

  water softer leaking call ***** for Service paid for Service he left problem still occurred email back and forth still have copies he called me a few times to try to fix over phone with no luck I still have the issue called another company this is some thing a Company should not be allowed to do. paid for service and part . Part if understand but service I did not recieve

  Business Response

  Date: 14/11/2023

  The system that this customer is referring too was installed about 5 years ago or even more. The customer called me and I respond and was at the house a day or so later. One of the tanks was sending water to drain constantly so I had to rebuild the valve which I did and the water flow to the drain stopped. She then told me about a leak she had. I inspected the system and found no water coming out anywhere. A few days later she called me and said she had water on the floor. We conducted some tests over the phone to determine where the leak could be coming from and found NO indication of any leak. We put the units into a regen to see if there was a leak after. After both units regens there was NO leak. These call went on for about a week. She would call or email and I would return her call or email within a few hours as I was concerned about her. Many time over the phone we could not identify any leaks. We ran test and found NO leaks. While I was there the only place for a leak would be a hose attached to the salt container going into a drain (WE  DID NOT INSTALL THAT 5 YEARS AGO) so I have no responsibility for it. However I continued to try and help her. The added drain line could be the culprit. I had a problem getting the customer on the phone and left her instructions to somehow clamp that drain line to see if that could be the problem. She never called back. A few days later I received this complaint. When I receive the complaint I immediately tried to call her to see if I could come by and take a look but she never return my call or email.

  At the end of the day the leak was not my responsibility as I was hired to fix the drain issue and inspect for leaks. I did repair the drain issue and checked for leaks many many times. I could not find any indication of any leaks. A few times I was on the phone with her later Friday evening and on the weekends. 

  I feel I tried my best to satisfy her but I suspect she had a plumber or other contractor feeding her  band information pointing to the water system as the cause for the leak.

  At the end of the day, I responded quickly to this customers multiple phone calls and emails. I inspected the tank and ran many test even late Friday evening and over two weekends many times. I knew the water was not coming form the tanks but I continue to try and help her regardless. I was shocked when I say this complaint.

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:19/07/2023

  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 bought an iron filter, softener, UV filter and ** system. I was quoted for 2 x ***** Tahoe Valves. I was offered a full set of ** filters as a gift.- He installs 1 ***** Tahoe Valve (for iron filter) and a '3-button' Valve for the softener, which (now I know) is a cheaper model and lacks the features from the Tahoe valve. - For months the water softener doesn't work. He came to check and noticed he forgot to install the injector for the softener valve (rookie mistake!)- Things work for a few months, then I see discolored water (iron). Contacting this company has proved to be a huge headache, no answers, leave as many messages as you want and you won't get a call back for weeks - I had to troubleshoot my own issue using online videos, emailed him again with what I think the solution is, only then he calls me back and says "you didn't tell me that" (after many emails with video links to the problem)- He comes to replace a part on the iron filter valve, then leaves. This does NOT fix the issue, no more replies.- I have to look for support elsewhere, I end up dissasembling the valve with expert help, we find that the internal piston was detached from the drive cap (rookie mistake!)- I find another part clogged with iron that he didn't even check, had to replace it at my expense.. 'Warranty' is just a nice word when selling.- I call the manufacturer for warranty because this person doesn't respond. Manufacturer tells me this company hasn't been an authorized dealer for a long time.- Media from the softener tank is fouled with iron. I get discolored water after EVERY regeneration of either filter (min every 2 days)- He never again replied, never got the ** filters - UV filter is useless, the internal sleeve is covered with iron.- ** filters wear out much faster because of all the iron - He never gave me a wrench that comes with each valve, so I had to buy them myself to try to fix my issue.- Many many more problems, not enough space here to detail them.

  Business Response

  Date: 28/07/2023

  Hi, I am working on a project and traveling. Can I have another week or so to respond. I would need to look at my records to properly reply. Sorry for the delay.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/08/2023

   
  Complaint: 20343140
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  - Seller replied requesting another week to look at his records, it's been 8 days already without response.

  - Considering I only have 10 days to accept or reject the seller's initial reply, I am rejecting this reply because it doesn't address my initial complaint in any way.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 28/08/2023

  This customer was referred to me from a current customer in the area. I met with him test his water and provide the same solution as I provide to many other in hi neighbourhood.

   

  The system was installed a few years. As in some cases with that area, due to the high levels of iron some adjustments needed to be made to account for the ********************** usage etc.

   

  We completed many adjustments over the phone and through multiple personal visits that I did not charge for.

   

  When I visited multiple times the water problems the customer was complaining about were never seen. This is not unusual as in most cases the water problems come and go.

   

  On many occasions I made changes to the system cleaned out the system etc to satisfy the customer. Again, on charge. The problems would go away and the I would not hear form the customer for months. Then the problems would return and the whole process would start up again.

   

  The system I designed was for 2 people in the house with the expansion of possibly another two people. I was made aware another 4 to 6 adults were moving in to the house. I advised the customer the system was not designed for that many people.

   

  Also I suspect the customer was constantly playing with the settings or changing things and I believe that is the reason sometimes why the system would not work properly. He would constantly email me or quote me things he learned from ******* or the internet. When I visited the house I would often bring the settings back to normal and I would not hear form the customer for months.

   

  My advice with him and my currently customer is to ******* full what they hear from the internet and other competing companies.

   

  I also believe he brought in a few other companies who are main competitor to me and receive some poor advice. I tried to correct but the customer would not listen.

   

  At the end of the day, I believe I went above and beyond trying to make this customer happy but was unable to, due to many many many reasons.

   

  For the record, I have many long term customers in that area on the same water with the same system and have zero issues.

   

  I am really sorry this did not work out but since the system is a few years old and DID function properly every time I was personally there, I am not able to refund the units because in my opinion they are working exactly how they should.

   

  Regards,

   

  ********************* (Water Treatment Specialist)

  Customer Answer

  Date: 29/08/2023

  
  Complaint: 20343140
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  It does not surprise me to read so many lies in this response trying to make me look bad because after dealing with this person it's clear this is how he conducts his business. I have a full record of all the emails I have sent to him and the very few responses I got from him when there were issues, happy to publicly share this information with whoever is interested:
  
  
  
  - He says these systems were installed a few years ago. Not true. It hasn't even been 2 years since the systems were (poorly) installed, I contacted the business many times due to issues.
  
  - Yes there were a few visits "free of charge" as he says, to fix things that are supposed to work from start. How am I supposed to pay for something that wasn't working!!?
  
  - His offering says 'we can fix things over the phone in a 5-min call', he doesn't even answer the phone most of the time so that's not even possible.
  
  - He says problems were never seen when visiting my place, that is completely NOT TRUE. He even had to test the water again a few times to see if the color in the water is iron or tannins, and confirmed that water clears out when using products to remove iron. I even received answers like "I don't know why you have so much iron" and seemed to be clueless on what to do next.
  
  - NEVER EVER did he have to change any settings that he says I made to the system. I asked MULTIPLE TIMES to have a briefing on how the systems work or what kind of maintenance is needed for the system, the answer was always that these new systems don't need any maintenance and I don't have to change anything, but it turns that was also a lie. Maintenance IS needed.
  
  - Yes I had to search myself for videos or guides on how to fix things because he wouldn't answer the phone during the worst days when we had issues, only to try to understand the issue and ask him if that could be the cause. I have been extremely patient and even guiding him to links/videos and potential solutions asking for his feedback (none received of course), he would not even read the details of my emails. I never touched the settings until recently (April 2023) just because he never taught me how to do it, and I didn't feel comfortable doing it myself. In fact, the last time he was here (Jan 2023) I gave him the link to what the solution was and he came to replace the broken part based on the video I sent, he made a mess to replace it by the way. Again, I have all the email threads with exactly what I am saying here, I don't need to make up things. But I would ask the business to show evidence that I changed settings or did anything wrong to the systems to cause an issue. I wouldn't even know how to do it back then.
  
  - He says he designed the system for 2 people? What!!?? Who in the world buys water filtration, that should last for ***** years, with 2 people in mind, for a 3+1 bedroom house? Yes - we were 2 people living in the house at that time when we bought the filters, but I clearly stated that more people will come in the near future, so if he needed to know the number of people, then 5 would be a good total number. Five is the average family, why would I buy a system for 2 people? Even if I did, which is not true, wouldn't a Real water specialist recommend a system for future growth and not something that just works for the current situation? That doesn't even make sense. I never said 4 to 6 more people are coming, again, another lie.
  
  -He says "I would often bring the settings back to normal and I would not hear from the customer from months". Wow, if he had to change settings back to normal it was probably because he didn't do it right the first time. Often? The 2 or 3 times he visited in 1.5 years, that doesn't sound like 'often'. He wouldn't hear from me from in months after changing the settings? Another lie, I would contact him just a few weeks after his visit to tell him that his 'solution' did NOT work, and then again I would NOT hear from this person for a long time. Again, I have all the email threads that prove what I am saying.
  
  
  
  Now let's get to the facts:
  
  - As I initially mentioned, among other things he sold me 2 (TWO) x ***** '*****' valves, which I paid for. But he delivered 1 (ONE) x ***** '*****' valve, and 1 x '3-button' ***** valve which is cheaper and lacks many features from the more expensive ***** model. Did he even address this complaint in his reply? It seems that he noticed that I didn't know anything about water filtration when he came the first time to install the systems and took the opportunity to install the cheaper product without me noticing until more than a year later when I had to learn myself how to use these systems due to the lack of support / response.
  
  - Each ***** Valve comes with a wrench tool for maintenance (he offers this in his website when advertising these valves, I have downloaded evidence as well). I never received neither of the 2 wrenches I was *********** receive, even though I asked for them multiple, multiple times.
  
  - Last April 2023, almost ready to replace the systems because of the extremely poor performance, I had assistance from 2 Real water specialists from different companies, who don't even know who sold me the systems or didn't even care/ask (so the 'direct competitors' tale he provides is just an excuse), and they were super kind enough to teach me and help me troubleshoot my valves by email. Here is what they helped me find:
  
  ---> Iron filter internal piston was disconnected from the spacer stack, so the stack wouldn't move at all during regeneration, this renders the whole iron filter useless of course. It seems the last time he was here he assembled the spacer stack incorrectly (this is when he made a mess and broke the old part), so the system wasn't even working for months. They helped me fix it, I had to buy my own wrench tool for ***** Valves to be able to do this.
  
  ---> Check Valve from the iron filter was CLOGGED with iron because the system was neglected for such a long time when he wasn't even responding to my messages. Had to replace the check valve, pay from my pocket.
  
  ---> Water softener media was severely fouled with iron (I have pictures, I sent the pictures to this person too and obviously I didn't get a reply. I have all the emails to prove this). I had to buy many bottles of different chemicals and run the water softener through multiple rounds of media cleaning (Rescare, Iron Out), multiple times a week, let the products sit for hours each time, and do this many times, for months. After that, I was able to clean the media from the softener. Again, pictures available to whoever is interested.
  
  ---> Side effects to the rest of systems: RO filters were literally RED when replacing them, due to the amount of iron that the iron filter wasn't removing. ** filter had its quartz sleeve completely covered with iron, rendering the ** light useless as well, until the quartz sleeve is replaced. This means those systems did nothing for months because of the original iron filter issue. Toilets / appliances / sinks needing heavy cleaning almost every day, for months, because of the amount of iron that we would see coming out from taps. Again, I have all the pictures to prove this and this was notified many times to the business without action from his end.
  
  ---> Last (This one in particular is the best): Each system (iron filter and softener) has a drain tube that is used during regeneration to flush all dirty water before bringing new water in. Inside the drain elbows there is a plastic washer with a certain diameter hole that is needed to limit the flow of water from each system during backwash. The diameter of the hole has to match the system where it is being used, otherwise the water flow rate may be too high or too low for the system to work properly. We found out that those washers were installed WRONG. The washer with the bigger hole was installed in the softener (supposed to be installed in the iron filter instead), and the washer with the smaller hole was installed in the iron filter (supposed to be installed in the softener instead). This was originally installed like this by this person/business from day #1, and this explains why I would have random issues for 1.5 years until we were able to figure out the problem with a Real water specialist's guidance. After interchanging those washers between systems, I now have clear decent water for the past 3 weeks and it seems the issue is FINALLY fixed (hopefully!). It only took a Real water specialist and a quick overall understanding of the problem to fix it. Now I think I understand why this company is not an authorized dealer of ***** Valves (this fact was confirmed by the Regional Distributor, to whom I had to contact for help too - at least not authorized when I contacted the Distributor).
  
  
  
  At this point I am tired of having to deal with this business and I would recommend to stay away from the business, but not from ***** Valves. The Valves have proved to be great products and from what I learned by reading and watching videos and asking water specialists, these seem to be the best systems out in the market. They just need to have someone with real knowledge and expertise to install them. The only thing I want is the second ***** ***** Valve I paid for, for which I received in turn a cheaper '3-button' valve which is not the ***** model. It's very simple, I have the quotes that I was sent, I have the payment receipts, and I received a cheaper product taking advantage of my ignorance about water systems at that time. I just want the second ***** Tahoe Valve that I paid for and didn't receive. The components that I had to buy myself to fix the issue, wrenches that were not received, RO filters that were not provided, lack of response, etc. are past now, I am just happy I was able to finally fix the issue. But I do want the second ***** Tahoe Valve that I paid for, no harsh feelings.
  
  
  
  I am more than happy to provide all the emails and pictures and evidence of the things that I am saying here if needed. I can even make them public if needed so potential customers can judge themselves and decide.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  Hi again sorry things did not work. I believe I have done everything I can do to make this customer happy. I have gone above and beyond to satisfy. I have been in business for over 15 years with almost a perfect record as I try hard to make all my customers happy.

  I have many installations in and round this customers house with zero problems. In fact this customer was referred to me by his neighbor. 

  Many times I have tested the water before and after and the system did seem to be removing the elements it was supposed to. Why it does not work consistently is not clear. 

  Here is a possible solution.

  The customer can hire another company and have that company call me and I can tell them what the media is and how to use it. Hopefully another company can somehow work with this customer and fix it.

  All the media I use should not exhaust and can be refreshed with various chemicals. The valves can be reprogrammed again.

  At this point I am not sure I can do anything to help this customer because of the negative feelings we seem to both have for each other.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2023

  
  Complaint: 20343140
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Thank you for finally looking into possible solutions. As I said, after dealing with the issue myself with the help of 2 water specialists by email in the past few months, I was able to (hopefully!) finally solve the water problem, it's been weeks now that I can see clear water. As I also mentioned, I never doubted the quality of the ***** valves themselves, but they were clearly not correctly built/setup and neglected for a long time thus causing these issues.
  
  These past few months since your last visit in Jan 2023 I also had to learn a lot myself about how to configure the valves, enter the menus, change settings, look into replacement parts, etc, The water specialists that helped me went a long way on teaching me how things 'should be' configured and why, and also what components to check for maintenance, but I can't abuse their good will. I think I can do my own "basic" maintenance now, but I still need to know things about the systems that I bought, information that was not given to me since day 1 when I asked about potential maintenance.
  
  
  
  Now looking into possible solutions as well:
  
  1 - I want the ***** ***** valve that I paid for. I don't see this being discussed in any of your replies. Again, no harsh feelings, just give me what I originally paid for. I am happy to return the 3-button valve that you installed instead once the second ***** valve is configured and working. I understand that it's not even needed to replace the whole valve, I just need the ***** circuit board, the faceplate, and the water meter for the existing ***** valve. I think I can replace these things on my own, you don't even need to be here.
  
  2 - No need to hire another company or talk to an intermediate person to explain / let him know about the products that I purchased. It will cost extra money to hire someone do that for me, and I've spent enough already on fixing the issues (tools, parts, etc). If you don't want to talk to me or answer my calls, you can reply through here and give me the information. From looking at the brochures you provided almost 2 years ago, I think I read the media is Zeolite, but unfortunately I am not sure if that's true for my filters and I couldn't find more information about Zeolite regarding maintenance, if chemicals can be used to clean it, etc. Also I don't know if both the softener and the iron filter have the same media or not, so any more information about the systems that I paid for and any recommendations will be greatly appreciated. I personally think that kind of information should have been provided with the purchase of the filters.
  
  3 - I can reprogram the valves with your guidance, this is what I've been asking for almost 2 years assuming that you didn't want to come visit. I now understand how to access the settings, but it may help to review if they are properly configured. As I initially mentioned, the iron filter was configured for 'softening' when originally installed, which didn't make sense to me back in April when I was able to go into the settings, but you may have your own logic behind it, I just need you to be available to discuss the settings / review / recommend / guide / explain what these mean and why. Any company would do this for a customer. If things break because I decided to make a change in the settings, then it is my fault and I wouldn't be blaming you at all. But if you install the systems and they don't work as advertised or randomly work sometimes, and you don't answer calls or reply to at least guide me through the settings, that's a whole different thing which I've been struggling with for almost 2 years now.
  
  
  
  Thank you.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:14/03/2023

  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 purchased a UV filter system to ensure we had clean drinking water in Jan 2022. When installed, ***** walked on new carpet with muddy boots and scuffed the walls (he apologized in emails and admitted responsibility). He promised 2 free UV replacement bulbs for the following years when they needed to be replaced. I emailed in Jan 2023 to say I needed a replacement and he replied he was having personal issues and to email back in a month. He has not replied since. My current UV bulb expired so we were forced to buy a bulb for over 100 dollars online. My husband tried to replace it (which was also supposed to be free maintenance from ***** as previously promised prior to purchasing his water systems) and found there was no shut off valve ie it was poorly installed. Other companies will not service this type of filter system so we have been forced to pay for a plumber to come fix it. We have tried contacting ***** via phone and email over a dozen times in the last 2 months and he has ignored our calls. He owes us two UV replacement bulbs and I suspect he is purposefully avoiding us. I have attached the email discussion. I would like the 2 free UV bulbs he owes us and promised me as a resolution to damaging my home when he did the initial installation.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2023

  Hi I have been in contact with this customer and informed them I was dealing with personal issue hence the late responses. About two weeks ago I have been by the house and completed some work and I am in contact with this customer scheduling a time for me to complete the changes they require. I am really sorry things worked out like this, but the last few months have been challenging due to a personal issue I was dealing with.