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:04/06/2024

  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 am the owner of StretchLab ********* and through our Franchise Agreement, we are required to source a water station from Flowater. Despite my account being in good standing, I have received 4 months of statements from the company telling me that my account is "seriously past due" and threatening collections. The company verbally and through emails has acknowledged that my account is in good standing, however, the letters and threats continue. The ** of Finance reached out to explain the history behind the issue, however, has not done anything to correct it. The threats to my credit are completely unacceptable and need to cease immediately. In addition, this sole source vendor relationship has created a monopoly where the vendor is able to continue these fraudulent accounting practices without repercussion.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2024

  We acknowledge and fully accept the complaint by this customer. ********************** works with third party financing companies in the normal course of business. FloWater was recently notified of an issue with our third party financing partners and acted right away to resolve the issue. The error was neither intentional nor fraudulent. The transfer of billing departments triggered automatic communications to go out in advance of FloWater being able to reach out to the customer.  There were a number of communications to this customer, including a personal phone call from FloWater's CEO and Co-Founder. We have resolved the matter with the customer as of the date of this complaint. The account was reconciled and placed in good standing, the agreement was terminated per the customer's request.

  
  For further history on this complaint, below is the communication that was sent out to the affected customers explaining the error that occurred, which was less than 1% of our total customer base:
  

  As the ** of Finance at FloWater, I want to genuinely apologize for the billing challenges youve faced. We will make this right. 
  
  We are a mission-driven Company, focused on both ending single use plastic water bottles and providing great experiences. Related to giving you a great experience, clearly, we have a lot of work to do.  
  
  Background Summary: Historically we have relied on a single third-party finance company to manage most of our leases. Unfortunately, last year we were notified that our primary third-party finance company sold a portion of their portfolio to another Company, so now we have two: Time Payment and Leaf. While both are highly reputable and backed by big banks, it has created confusion and there has been miscommunication from these entities during the transfer of contracts. This is unacceptable and were working to resolve this.  
  
  Specifically, here is how this has impacted you: Our long-standing partner, ***********, managed your FloWater monthly rental billing until June 2023 under Lease #_______. Then, with TimePayments water billing department transitioning to ************* your account moved over to Leaf Contract #_______. Now, due to the recent shift, *********** will again handle your future billing under the same lease number #_______. Weve briefed both LEAF and *********** teams about your account to streamline future communications. 
  
  Going forward, *********** will be your go-to for any billing inquiries related to lease #_______. TimePayments **************** team can be reached at ***************************************, ************. If you have not already received a communication from ***********, you soon will. Any additional Refill Station leases not referenced above remain the same and have not been impacted by this transition.
  
  In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact ******************************************. We have an entire team dedicated to providing you the support you deserve. If you can continue to kindly yield us a bit more patience, we will get this solved with these third-party lease financing companies. I understand the frustration you must feel; we own it, and we will solve it. Were committed to being a partner to you and will work until this is resolved.  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/19/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************