Culligan Water Conditioning

Review: Upon promoting product at our home, we were mislead by Sales informing about the availability of service to include a range in support that did not deliver once the product (RO System) began to leak 5 months into the purchase of the product. Also, it was explained during the Sales process, that the product will not leak, built to not leak, "shut itself off"; I was unable to get their people to my home. We were informed that we had an appointment after 3pm; then cancelling last minute if not available early. Later calling the emergency services line and being informed that someone will be out tomorrow which never happened, never even contacted that day. Trying to resolve the issue with [redacted]/Manager who informed that this is their availability and they can only come out and service which contradicts the information at Sales. Then, informed unwilling to refund a portion of our fees which includes private Plumbers twice, to turn off RO system and to remove, replace pipe as a result of the installation. The job was described as at risk for further leaks if the pipe is not replaced related to holes drilled for RO system, described as "shotty." I tried resolving many time phone calls, email, local office, and corporate. Informed this is declined by [redacted]/Manager today for refunding portion. I requested to make a formal grievance today at corporate and informed someone would call me today, did not happen.Desired Settlement: Refund a portion of the fees to for purchasing the RO system which did not last very long, perhaps some of the private fees for removing product.

Review: We discontinued bottled water service due to their inept billing practices including extra monthly charges and delays in posting current payments in a timely manner resulting in repeated requests by them to access our account for automatic EFT transfers. We cancelled service subsequent to paying our bill in full. After more than a month from the date we discontinued service, we received a delivery that they refused to pick-up, for which they said we would be charged. We were out of town during this most recent delivery that obviously came unexpectedly. After contacting various supervisors/managers and being treated rudely (e.g. being hung-up on), they said that they could not pick-up the water that is sitting outside of our front door for another three weeks. This will undoubtedly cause confusion for our new service provider as well as pose a security risk due to having six full bottles at our front door. Our request to have the erroneous delivery picked-up in a timely manner has been ignored and the fact that they mentioned we will ultimately be charged for the six five-gallon bottles they delivered regardless.Desired Settlement: Termination of service/billing

Business

Response:

Business

Response:

[redacted] was under

the impression water was not being delivered because his wife, [redacted]

called to terminate service. Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] did not contact Culligan to

terminate service. Their water delivery service was temporarily suspended due

to nonpayment. When Culligan received payment, water deliveries were

reinstated.

[redacted], the Office

Manager at Culligan Phoenix, spoke with [redacted] on 07/25/2013 regarding

the most recent water delivery. Mr. [redacted] was provided the following options

after indicating he did not want to do business with Culligan:

I was calling to have the r/o system removed and was treated rudely by the customer service representative, and when asked to be given a smaller window of time for which they could removed the system they stated that they could not until the night before, and then a 4 hour window. This is very poor customer service, people have jobs, and other needs for their day

Review: TO DATE I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO OBTAIN A COPY OF THE OWNERS MANUAL FOR MY CULLIGAN SOFT WATER CONDITIONER MODEL SILVER SERIES # 01014278 -SERIAL # 0302 J 0029.THEY TELL ME I HAVE TO OBTAIN A COPY FROM THEIR WEBSITE; PROBLEM IS I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO OBTAIN A COPY; OTHERS HAVE TRIED BUT ALSO FAILED.Desired Settlement: IF THEY CARED ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS THEY WOULD MAKE UP A COPY AND MAIL IT TO ME WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY.

Business

Response:

Owner's guide was mailed out on 06/04/2014.

Review: I have a credit balance of $83.97 and Culligan was unable to credit my credit card. This credit appeared on a statement dated 08/31/13. They told me they would have to issue a check which would take a few weeks. I called back in September and was told the check would be cut on October 10, 2013. It is now October 19, 2013 and I still do not have a check. I can not figure out why they are holding this credit, and it is my opinion they should be subject to paying interest on any credit balance over 30 days. Your assistance with this issue is greatly appreciated.Desired Settlement: Get my refund check plus some interest

Business

Response:

A refund check in the amount of $83.97 was issued at the begining of October 2013. The check was not cashed and we are considering it "lost". This check has been canceled.

A new check was issued on 10/21/2013 in the amount of $83.97. It will be delivered by mail this week.

I decided to rent the ro system from culligan. Approximately 12 hours after the install a line burst and flooded my kitchen. I tried to call the number they told me to call of I had any problem's I could not get a hold of anyone so I called the sales lady that signed me up and she tried to call for about 2 hours to get a hold of the 24 hour on call service tech and she. Old not get a hold of him so she called the installer and he finally got here around midnight to fix the Line. About 3 months has gone by since then and now it is leaking from the ro faucet. And again I called the number I was supposed to call if I had problems and again I couldn't get ahold of anyone.so again I called the sales lady the signed us up and spoke with her and told her my problem and she said she was going to try to get ahold of the service tech. She called me back the next day and said she couldn't get a hold of anyone and that I would have to wait until Monday for them to call me to set up an appointment to come get it fixed. So I had to wait from Friday evening to Monday afternoon without water. I consider this unacceptable after having gone through this once before and them not able to get a hold of the 24 hour tech, I called them and told them to come pick up their system. At this point I would not have another culligan system in my house even if they offered to give it to me for free.

Review:

I purchase a softner from this comany based on the service I received from the Culligan Water in [redacted]. I had a previous water softner form [redacted]r that did not seem to get the water soft enough and based on my experience from [redacted] I decided to purchase Culligan, the coast was 2,4995. That was in July 2007. This system kept running at night and would not stop, so I had them come out to check it and was told because it was after 3pm they would charge be overtime for the service, this was after I had taken time off work and no one showed the first time so this was a no schedule. The tech had already taken the unit apart so I had to call out another tech to put it back together cause I told him I was not paying overtime, they charged me 219 plus trip charge I protested and they took off trip charge. It was put back together but not fixed so I did not pay them. I call the corporate office eventually and they call this office. finally they came out in August and readjusted the backwash, and reprogram the time to regeneration but it never fixed the problem. I call the office in [redacted] and was told Cuilligan Softeners have issued with valve and piston something that was never divulge to me when I purchased. I had to have another company come out to fix it. I look back at the previous invoice and notice they did not itemize anything, I did not tell me why I was charge that amount. They had threaten collection and I did not want my credit missed up that is the main reason why I paid them but when I had more problem and check the invocie to see what they had done there was nothing. Just the charge amount

Business

Response:

An itemized invoice was sent to our customer.

The cost of a service call is our actual costs plus a margin. The margin we add to the cost supports our business the same necessary way as in any service business in industries such as appliances, automobiles, or heating and air conditioning. The costs start with a trained technician that we pay a competitive wage and benefits. Our technicians are trained, and our company pays for this training. Our technician can diagnose the problem immediately, take equipment apart, install new parts, put the equipment back together, and get it operational again. We maintain a parts inventory in our warehouse and on our service trucks. There is a cost to this, and we've paid for the freight to ship the parts to us in [redacted] We also provide a 90-day parts and labor warranty. Each service technician has tools. Tools cost money, they break with use, and sometimes tools are lost and need to be replaced. Our service trucks cost $.97 per mile to drive. Our flat rate service call includes the cost to get the service vehicle and the service technician to the site. We also have the cost of insurance and licenses necessary to be professional and a good corporate citizen: fleet/auto coverage, workers' compensation, products liability, excess liability, property damage and so forth. In summary, we have a top notch service department, our costs are reasonable, we are family-owned, we have been in business for over 65 years, and honesty is an essential component in everything we do. We are sensitive to costs, and we constantly search for better ways.

Water is essential to life, and Arizona's water supply managers took visionary steps to build an intricate system of dams, canals, irrigation laterals, wells and underground storage systems to store and deliver a dependable water supply. However, the water quality requires improvement for given uses, and it challenges water treatment equipment and water-using appliances daily, which results in the necessity of service, repair, and eventual replacement. Culligan holds 274 active patents in water treatment worldwide, and Culligan products possess the industry's most advanced state-of-the-art features due to our franchisor's research and development and accredited analytical lab. Water is our only business. Rest assured we are concerned about costs, and that we work diligently to increase our operating efficiencies.

Review: The rental equipment provided was faulty, and Culligan ([redacted]) is attempting to hold me responsible. The specific part that malfunctioned was in no way adjusted or tampered with from the condition in which it was received by being "installed". He has now billed me for the replacement equipment, which he verbally (on the day of the replacement) lead me to believe not only I would not have to pay for, but might be able to receive a credit to my account for the inconvenience/lost days of work and time spent in travel to switch out the equipment itself. I also took many detailed pictures showing the gasket that burst, spraying resin all over my other equipment and employee, proving it was in no shape or form a part that we had manipulated in any way. They are of good quality, and would be more than happy to provide these pictures for any reason necessary.Desired Settlement: I wish to incur only the monthly rental fee, which would have been the only charge if not for the faulty equipment.

Business

Response:

June

11, 2014

RE: Complaint ID # [redacted]

I

am in receipt of the above referenced complaint. I have read the specific complaint and I am

directly familiar with the circumstances behind this event. In the complaint, the customer claims that he

had received faulty equipment. He also

makes the claim that I lead him to believe that he would not be charged for the

services provided, and that I would be giving him a credit for his direct

expenses related to this entire claim.

This

gentleman initially entered into a contract with our organization on July 10,

2012. This is a seasonal contract that

typically covers the summer months of the year.

The customer rents portable exchange deionizer tanks from us for us in

his business. Theses tanks are billed to

him on a monthly rental basis for the time in which he possesses the

tanks. These tanks do require periodic

exchanges, similar to propane tanks used for grills, and there is a fee each

time that these tanks are exchanged. At

the end of the season, the customer returns the tanks back to our facility and

we put the monthly rental charges on hold until the following season. Most of our customers that use a similar

product will have our organization deliver these tanks directly to their

facility and have us connect them to their water supply. This service does come with an additional

fee. This customer has elected, from the

beginning of the contract, to come to our facility and pick these tanks up

himself, then return them to his facility or job location and connect the tanks

himself. As stated to our company at different

times in the past, one reason he does this is due to the fact that the delivery

location of these tanks tends to vary and that he does not want to pay the

additional service charges involved.

Now

that I have explained the type of service provided and when this contract

initially began, I feel that I need to explain the events directly related to

this complaint and our position with this complaint. On March 27, 2014, the customer arrived at

our facility in order to pick up a fresh set of tanks for the start of this

season (please see the attached copy of the service order). As usual, the customer received these tanks

on his vehicle and he paid the current rate for these tanks. Once the tanks were picked up from our

facility we have not heard anything from this customer until recently. On May 21, 2014, the customer called our

office to inform us that one of the tanks had sprung a bad leak and requested

that we provide him service immediately.

Unfortunately we did not have any technicians available at that time to

respond to his request. We did offer to

provide service at the soonest possible time that a technician was available,

but it would not be on the very day that he called. He then stated that he would be at our office

at approximately 10:00 AM the next morning to get another set of tanks. I happened to be the only person available to

assist the customer in loading these tanks when he arrived. Upon inspection of the tanks, I found the

tank adapter O-ring had pushed out from between the tank collar and the

head. My initial assessment was that

this was caused by user error and not by faulty equipment, as the customer

tried to claim the entire time that he was in our facility. Once we exchanged the tanks, I proceeded to

have him sign the paperwork. He noticed

that he was being charged for the tanks exchange and asked why. I again stated that it is not a warranted

situation because it appears that the leak was due to user error or

mishandling. I then tried to explain to

him that we did not connect these tanks to the water supply, he did. Therefore, we cannot warrant the work of

someone other than a Culligan representative.

He then asked about his time spent to travel to Roanoke and his down

time. I explained to him that we did

offer to come to him but that he refused.

Since he came to use, he was not being charged the service fee required

when we go to the customer. He insisted

that we not only do not charge for the tanks but that we also give him a credit

for his inconvenience. I again repeated

that I cannot do that. However, I did

say that I would have my plant representative look closer at the tank and see

if there is any evidence to conclude that the leak was in fact due to faulty

equipment of user error. I even wrote

this on the service order that the customer did sign. This service order also reflects the charges

for this tank. The conclusion given to

me was that the leak strongly appears to be due user error, therefore, the

charges to remain on this account.

On

June 9, 2014, the customer called and asked to speak with me. He was very upset that he received a bill for

the tanks. I attempted to explain

everything to the customer yet again.

However, he was not accepting it to any extent. I apologized to him and let him know that he

is welcome to submit a writing complaint and request for review of the charges,

but that the charges do stand at this time.

He then asked for the contact information of the “boss”. I explained to him that I am the manager in

charge and that the decision solely rests with me. He insisted on getting the owners contact

information and requested to speak directly with him. I again tried to explain to him that I am the

manager and that his call to the owner would simply be given back to me for my

handling of it. The customer has since

requested, by email (see attached), for the contact information of my

boss. What I am providing to him in his

request is the direct phone number to the office of the President and consumer

affairs of Culligan. He is welcome to

express his concerns or complaint with that office. I am providing that information here. The contact information is: Phone, [redacted]; email, [redacted] fax, [redacted].

With

all of that said, I do feel that you will agree that our organization has not

done anything wrong or have provided faulty equipment. What we have provided is a service as

requested and for that service comes fees.

However, in an effort to resolve this concern and to satisfy our customer,

I am offering a one-time discount on the tank exchange fee in the amount of

20%. Should the customer agree to this

offering, I ask that he provide this agreement in writing through your

organization. Please do not hesitate to

contact me if you have any further questions or are in need of any further

information as it relates to this customer.

Sincerely,

Senior

VP, Risk Management

Cc: customer file

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

To whom it may concern, I need to address several points of Mr. [redacted]'s message. First, the receipt I signed on 5/22/14 was presented as our standard rental fee (coincidentally almost exactly the same as a recharge fee). On the invoice it is not clear that this amount was separate from what is our standard rental amount. Upon returning the faulty tanks, it appeared as though I was signing a renewal for the replacement tanks received. In the history box of the invoice was written by Mr. [redacted] himself "HAVE TANK LOOKED AT TO INSPECT POSSIBLE CAUSE ORING BLOW OUT THEN CONSIDER POSSIBLE CREDIT", then initialed.

As for the regular servicing he claims these tanks require, he's referring to having the resin recharged. D.I. tanks are designed to essentially purify water. Inside of both tanks there is a resin that does so. Depending on the water source, the resin will continue to do it's job for x amount of time. For example, when connected to well water rich in iron, with the service we provide, the charge on those tanks may last less than a month. However, where we use the tanks currently, which is primarily at the Corporate Research Center of [redacted], the city water is very clean and has a relatively very low amount of total dissolved solids (TDS), and has thus far been free of damaging elements like its harsher friend, well water. In these circumstances, the tanks haven't needed to be recharged at all for any of the last three seasons. So to clarify, the maintenance Mr. [redacted] is referring to is for the resin, not the tanks themselves.

Lastly, I will still like to offer the use of any pictures I have to help solve this dilemma. This O-ring that blew out was in no way manipulated during our "installation". In fact, the attachments on the inlets and outlets of both tanks were provided, and unchanged, from what Culligan provided for us. Again, to be utterly clear, we in no way changed the configuration of the tanks.

There are many other issues with Mr. [redacted]'s message I have. Rather than cluttering our communications with argumentative exchanges, unless something else arises, I believe this to cover what needs to be said. I have copies of my recent invoice/receipt and many pictures for review should they be of help. In conclusion, I will accept a 50% reduction of this bill. This is strictly to have the matter resolved, not necessarily what I find to be fair or even right.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I will start by saying that the customer's claim that the service order presented to him on

May 22, 2014 for his signature was presented as his standard rental rate is an inaccurate

statement. When I asked for his signature, the customer directly questioned why we were

charging him for a tank exchange. He then went on to say, "I was expecting not only the

tank exchange to be no charge, but was also expecting some credit on his rental for his

inconvenience." Then, interestingly enough, the customer quotes what was written on

the service order about the consideration of a possible credit upon review of the tanks.

As this statement was written, we would inspect the tanks then consider a possible credit.

After review of the tanks, it has been concluded that the leak was not caused by faulty

equipment and therefore no credit or adjustments would be made on this account, but it

was considered.

The customer then goes on to help you to understand what these tanks are designed to do

and generally how they work. While his explanation is basically accurate, he is missing

one key part. That is you cannot remove the head of the tank without negatively

impacting the resin and the water quality that it is designed to provide. In other words,

when you have to make repairs in the way that this tank required, the resin MUST be

regenerated. That is the reason for the charges, to cover the regeneration cost. What is

clearly of question, however, is why this tank had to be serviced and regenerated at the

start. Well, as stated before, the O-ring had blown after approximately 2 months after the

customer originally picked these tanks up from our facility. He took these tanks from our

facility and he connected these tanks to whatever water supply he was using at that time.

The customer is fully aware that we offer to do this service for him for a small service

fee, but he elects to do this part himself in order to save that small service fee. Therefore,

this customer is asking for our organization to stand behind and warrant the work of

someone other than a direct representative of this company. He is asking that we warrant

his work.

The customer states that he in no way "...changed the configuration of the tanks." This

may very well be true in the fact they he specifically did not intentionally loosen the head

of this tank in any way that he is aware of. Clearly, no one in our organization did either!

In addition, the tanks were in use for a period of approximately 2 months. If this O-ring

or tank adapter was defective, it would have leaked from the very moment that the

customer installed the tank. It simply is not possible for this O-ring to push out from

around the tank head unless the tank head is errantly loosened. If the tank head was

already loosened at the time that the tanks were provided to the customer, the leak would

have been immediate. The customer even acknowledged to me that these tanks do get

moved from one place to another and even from one truck, or trailer, to another. The

likelihood of the tank head to be errantly, and unknowingly, loosened is high!

In conclusion, my offer in my first response of a one-time good faith discount of 20%

still stands. This discount is a one-time only discount on the exchange cost of the tanks

on May 22, 2014.

Sincerely,

Senior VP, Risk Management

Business

Response:

Please see my formal 2nd response attached. I will start by saying that the customer's claim that the service order presented to him on May 22, 2014 for his signature was presented as his standard rental rate is an inaccurate statement. When I asked for his signature, the customer directly questioned why we were charging him for a tank exchange. He then went on to say, "I was expecting not only the tank exchange to be no charge, but was also expecting some credit on his rental for his inconvenience." Then, interestingly enough, the customer quotes what was written on the service order about the consideration of a possible credit upon review of the tanks.As this statement was written, we would inspect the tanks then consider a possible credit.After review of the tanks, it has been concluded that the leak was not caused by faulty equipment and therefore no credit or adjustments would be made on this account, but it was considered.The customer then goes on to help you to understand what these tanks are designed to do and generally how they work. While his explanation is basically accurate, he is missing one key part. That is you cannot remove the head of the tank without negatively impacting the resin and the water quality that it is designed to provide. In other words,when you have to make repairs in the way that this tank required, the resin MUST be regenerated. That is the reason for the charges, to cover the regeneration cost. What is clearly of question, however, is why this tank had to be serviced and regenerated at the start. Well, as stated before, the O-ring had blown after approximately 2 months after the customer originally picked these tanks up from our facility. He took these tanks from our facility and he connected these tanks to whatever water supply he was using at that time.The customer is fully aware that we offer to do this service for him for a small service fee, but he elects to do this part himself in order to save that small service fee. Therefore,this customer is asking for our organization to stand behind and warrant the work of someone other than a direct representative of this company. He is asking that we warrant this work.The customer states that he in no way "...changed the configuration of the tanks." This may very well be true in the fact they he specifically did not intentionally loosen the head of this tank in any way that he is aware of. Clearly, no one in our organization did either!In addition, the tanks were in use for a period of approximately 2 months. If this O-ring or tank adapter was defective, it would have leaked from the very moment that the customer installed the tank. It simply is not possible for this O-ring to push out from around the tank head unless the tank head is errantly loosened. If the tank head was already loosened at the time that the tanks were provided to the customer, the leak would have been immediate. The customer even acknowledged to me that these tanks do get moved from one place to another and even from one truck, or trailer, to another. The likelihood of the tank head to be errantly, and unknowingly, loosened is high!In conclusion, my offer in my first response of a one-time good faith discount of 20%still stands. This discount is a one-time only discount on the exchange cost of the tanks on May 22, 2014.Sincerely,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I will attempt to keep this brief. I am well aware now that the amount in dispute is for the regenerated tanks. My basic response to this is that I was in no need for such a service, What I needed was a set of working tanks to replace the ones that were in need of repair through no fault of my own.

Our setup has the tank immobilized on a trailer. They're tied and even taped to prevent rotation, which can also be seen in the aforementioned pictures (still available if you need them). The trailer gets moved, not the tanks. To say I said otherwise, would be murdering the truth.

As a contractor, I have been in situations similar to where Mr. [redacted] is here, so I understand his reluctance to want to cover cost. But when it comes down to it, I would also never work so hard to avoid the responsibilities providing a quality, reliable service to my customers.

Regards,

Review: A service representative came to my house to change the tanks for my water system and the service man did not attach the hose to the filter and my whole entire basement was flooded when I got home. I called Culligan when I saw the mess and did not hear back from them. All night my wife and I used the shopvac to empty out all of the water that was in my basement. My basement is 20 x 28 on both sides and my whole entire basement had inches of water all through it. The one part of my basement is finished with hard wood floor and panelling, the other side of my basement had carpeting. Both the hardwood floor and carpeting were completely ruined. Within hours mold was growing under the hardwood floor and carpeting, my basement smelt so awful. The next morning I called Culligan and spoke with Brad, the owner. He sent two service men out to bring dehumidifiers, a shop vac and a rug cleaner. While talking to Culligan, they told me I had to turn the damage into my home owners insurance, so I called my insurance company. I have [redacted] as my insurance company and they contacted Culligan and called me back and told me that Culligan was not taking responsibilty for the damage. The insurance company told me that Culligan stated that the hose was damaged and it was my hose and that they wouldn't pay for the damage. The hose was not damaged at all, the hose was just not connected to the filter. The hose was purchased from Culligan and there was not a single tear or rip in the hose so it was not because of the hose that the basement got flooded. I have several pictures of my flooded basement and how I found the hose, not connected to the filter. Culligan did not pay for anything for this damage. I had to file a claim with my homeowners insurance and pay my deductible, out of pocket, and take a lot of time to clean up the mess, for Culligan's mistake. It was the service techs fault not the hose that was not defective. I no longer have Culligan as my water system after having them for 24 years I had to switch after they did not take responsibility for this. I was treated extremely awful from the owner Brad, he was yelling through the phone to me whenever he had no idea about anything, he never took the time out to come and look at the mess and exam the hose to show that it had no defect whatsoever.Desired Settlement: I would like my deductible from the homeowners insurance and no strike against my insurance claim.

Business

Response:

This response is regarding the inquiry for Mr. [redacted].Mr. [redacted] would like our company to pay for damages that was the result of a worn brass hose fittingthat he purchased 22 years ago (6/4/1994). This fitting was not leaking when our service person was atthe home earlier, but started leaking sometime afterwards.Upon Mr. [redacted]'s call to our office, we cancelled our other scheduled work and immediately sent ourgeneral manager and another service tech to the location with a shop vacs to help clean up the mess.Our employees spent 5 hours at the location.Mr. [redacted] called our office and spoke to our secretary to compliment both Harryand Storm on the workthey did on helping with the clean up.Sometime later, a representative of Mr. [redacted]'s homeowners insurance called and inquired about thecause of the incident. It was explained that the leaking fitting was the property of the homeowner and itwas over 22 years old. I told him would gladly give them our insurance provider information, but heagreed that it would be fruitless, since it was beyond the warranty of 1 year on parts and fittingsregarding plumbing installations.Mr. [redacted] then called and inquired why it was his insurance that was covering the cost of damages andwhy our liability policy was not. Mr. [redacted] was not happy with the fact that our insurance companywould deny liability regarding this incident. I then tried to make an apples to apples comparison of ascenario that if [redacted] installed a hot water heater 22 years ago would he think [redacted] would beresponsible for a leaking plumbing fitting from so long ago? There was no voice raising as Mr. [redacted]wrote in his letter, but he did not want to hear the logic of the situation.Mr. [redacted] was a happy Culligan Customer for 22 years. We regret his decision to go with anothervendor, but we do not have control to require our Insurance provider to issue monies they are notobligated to provide. The fact that Mr. [redacted]'s homeowners carrier decided against subrogation clearlysuggests that there was not liability on our part.Sincerely;[redacted]Dealer

Setting up my plans for leaving the area on a private contract. Contacted regarding information on a Culligan Softner I am renting from them. I made the mistake of not reading the page the installer asked me to sign. Turns out there is a 3 year agreement with a $500.00 early termination fee. At the end of the day I am fault for not being thourough. However, this is a negative experience. They were not willing to work with me on a solution, just pay $500 or buy the unit for 3x more than it cost or continue paying for it while out of the area and be at fault if anything happens to the unit.
I would recommend this business if you knew absolutely you will not be moving out the area in the 3 year period. I did it because it was easy. In all reality I should have purchased a fleck unit and paid them to install it.

Review: We Purchased a water softening and RO drinking water system from Culligan. The system was installed and paid for in full on 9/14/2015 the system stopped working due to a burned out transformer shortly after installation. We discovered that the system had shut down and called them to fix it on 10/22/2015. The service came and told us that they fixed it however they did not connect the sensor properly and such the system was not operational. On 11/8/2015 we diagnosed the system ourselves and discovered that the system was not reading water flow and contacted Culligan again. On 11/9/2015 they came out again to service the unit and confirmed that the system in fact was not working and re connected that sensor properly. Since the system has not worked properly for more than a few days from the day we bought it the system is not contaminated causing a rotten odor to be present in the water. When we addressed this issue with Culligan they indicated that the filters of the RO system had to be changed and that we should buy an additional $2500 unit to correct the problem. It was initially clearly stated by the company that the RO filters were good for over a year.Desired Settlement: Since the unit has not worked properly for more than a few days and presently it is not performing as indicated we would like to return the unit. We asked to return the unit on 11/23/2015 less than 90 days after purchase.

Review: [redacted] (customer) engaged in an agreement with Sharp Water Culligan (company) for obtaining a water filtration system. In June 2014, the customer called the company to inquire about obtaining additional services. At that time, the customer realized that the company was supposed to do annual maintenance of the water filtration system. The company admitted that no such maintenance has been done since the unit was installed in early 2012. The company also admitted that the contract that the customer had with the compnay expired in December 2013. Company stated that they tried multiple times to contact the customer for performing the annual maintenance and the phone number was not working. They also stated that a technician came to the site but the place was closed. The phone number that company claimed to have on file was NEVER owned by the customer. Further, no notices were ever seen at the door regarding a technician trying to reach us for an annual maintenance. At that time, the customer made an immediate decision to stop all transactions with the company and asked the company to remove the water filtration system from the customer's premises immediately. Since then, the customer had to call two other times to have the company come in to remove the system, which finally was removed in late June. To make the matters worst, on July 1st, the company charged the customer's account for the monthly maintenance fee. Repeated calls to the company to reverse the charge has not been answered. Finally, the customer had to request its bank to place a stop payment on all subsequent charges from this company.

When the unit was picked up, the company's rep dropped off papers for work orders [redacted] and [redacted]. The work order papers shows correct phone number on file with company. As such, customer believes that the company was dishonest in its claims for attempting to call for arranging service. Further, the company's rep stated that his papers show that there are two units that the customer is renting. The rep was told that we have only had one unit. The customer used to have a business at another location ([redacted]) and customer had a unit in the old location. When the customer moved to the current location, the old unit was picked up and a new unit was installed at the new location. The rep did not make any attempts to investigate this matter and stated that there will be a charge for the missing unit and left.Desired Settlement: 1. Refund of the monthly payments from January 2013 forward, as the company violated its contract by not performing the annual maintenance that was due on Jan 2013

2. Company to stop charging the customer's bank account.

3. Company stop contacting the customer.

Conditioner salt/filter delivered by a rep from the Lenox office, Rep failed to turn the water back on before leaving, Co. contacted w/ negative resThe rep failed to turn the water back on before leaving. When I checked the water 2 hours after his departure, I had no water. [redacted] (So. Windsor office) told me I would have water once I returned from a party I was attending that evening (a church sponsored Turkey Shoot). When I returned, I still had no water so called X-XXX-XXX-XXXX at 9:30 in the evening. I was transferred to the Tech on call, [redacted]. [redacted] refused to send me help unless I was willing to pay $295.00 which I refused to do as I did not cause the problem. He wanted me to turn the valve on myself which I tried to do several times but was unable to do so. [redacted] then proceeded to tell me I was "drunk" as I had been to a party. Not that it really made any difference, but I had not had a drop to drink as I never drink and drive. I told him I had a very difficult time walking up and down stairs as I had an operation about two weeks prior to replace an artery in my leg, He proceeded to tell me that I must be on heavy duty drugs/pain meds as that is why I could not turn the valve myself. I am taking no pain meds other than Motrin as they cause constipation, He then told me that I must consume a poor diet and that is why I needed an artery replaced. I informed him that was not true. I am a retired dietitian and I eat a very good diet. I was and continue to be totally offended by his comments. I told him I would be contacting the Revdex.com about this incident and [redacted] said they would "laugh at me" which I am certain is totally untrue. I have to say Mike wasn't much better to "deal" with. Bill from the Lenox office called me on Sat. morning but he wasn't able to offer me any assistance since I was out of the Lenox territory. He transferred me to the South Windsor office and I again tried to move the valve but was unable to do so. The rep from So. Windsor again told me the only way a service rep would come out to my house to correct the problem was if I would pay $295.00 which I was unwilling to do.I ended up calling the town police to come and help me. They thankfully came and got me out of this terrible situation of no water for almost 24 hours.Desired SettlementI feel that I am owed a sincere apology from the company and its representatives for the awful treatment I suffered and had to endure. I did nothing to cause me to lose my water. The tech that delivered the salt and filter caused the problem. Culligan should make good and correct problems/mistakes caused by their reps.I am a single, elderly lady living alone with my dog. I just had surgery to complicate my situation. Besides a sincere apology and appropriate action taken against [redacted], in particular, Culligan should be offering me the salt/filter at no charge rather than trying to charge me for something which was Culligan's fault.Business Response Culligan admits fault that we failed to turn a valve on after servicing the equipment for Ms. [redacted] which unfortunately resulted in her having no water in her home on the evening of 10/31/2014. As far as the complaint of the unacceptable and rude conversation between herself and a Culligan employee, Culligan is adamant that this conversation never took place. This has been verified by phone call logs that were retrieved from our after hours answering service provider (Gold Cross) and our own phone records. Ms. [redacted]'s request to Gold Cross was that she only wanted to be contacted by the service technician on call before 11:30 PM on 10/31/14 and that if we were unable to reach her before 11:30PM, she wanted Culligan to wait and call her the next morning on 11/01/14. At 11:08PM, Gold Cross spoke with Mike from the Culligan Windsor office who informed them that the service had been provided by the Lenox office and that they would need to contact the Lenox service technician on call. At 11:34, the on-call service called [redacted] of the Lenox MA office and left a message on his cell phone. Due to Ms. Hortons request for the return call to be either before 11:30PM on 10/31/14 or wait until the next morning - [redacted] waited and called Ms. [redacted] in the morning hour. Not only are these accusations completely out of character for any of our employees, there is no evidence of any conversation showing from our call records, Gold Cross call records and from employee statements.I understand that Ms. [redacted] has since spoken with [redacted] from the Windsor office and that the outcome of this conversation has left Ms. [redacted] pleased, which included an assurance that we would address customer service with all employees. Ms. [redacted] was also told that in the future she could contact either the General Manager or Operations Manager directly if she had any issues in the future.

Conditioner salt/filter delivered by a rep from the Lenox office, Rep failed to turn the water back on before leaving, Co. contacted w/ negative resThe rep failed to turn the water back on before leaving. When I checked the water 2 hours after his departure, I had no water. [redacted] (So. Windsor office) told me I would have water once I returned from a party I was attending that evening (a church sponsored Turkey Shoot). When I returned, I still had no water so called X-XXX-XXX-XXXX at 9:30 in the evening. I was transferred to the Tech on call, [redacted]. [redacted] refused to send me help unless I was willing to pay $295.00 which I refused to do as I did not cause the problem. He wanted me to turn the valve on myself which I tried to do several times but was unable to do so. [redacted] then proceeded to tell me I was "drunk" as I had been to a party. Not that it really made any difference, but I had not had a drop to drink as I never drink and drive. I told him I had a very difficult time walking up and down stairs as I had an operation about two weeks prior to replace an artery in my leg, He proceeded to tell me that I must be on heavy duty drugs/pain meds as that is why I could not turn the valve myself. I am taking no pain meds other than Motrin as they cause constipation, He then told me that I must consume a poor diet and that is why I needed an artery replaced. I informed him that was not true. I am a retired dietitian and I eat a very good diet. I was and continue to be totally offended by his comments. I told him I would be contacting the Revdex.com about this incident and [redacted] said they would "laugh at me" which I am certain is totally untrue. I have to say Mike wasn't much better to "deal" with. Bill from the Lenox office called me on Sat. morning but he wasn't able to offer me any assistance since I was out of the Lenox territory. He transferred me to the South Windsor office and I again tried to move the valve but was unable to do so. The rep from So. Windsor again told me the only way a service rep would come out to my house to correct the problem was if I would pay $295.00 which I was unwilling to do.I ended up calling the town police to come and help me. They thankfully came and got me out of this terrible situation of no water for almost 24 hours.Desired SettlementI feel that I am owed a sincere apology from the company and its representatives for the awful treatment I suffered and had to endure. I did nothing to cause me to lose my water. The tech that delivered the salt and filter caused the problem. Culligan should make good and correct problems/mistakes caused by their reps.I am a single, elderly lady living alone with my dog. I just had surgery to complicate my situation. Besides a sincere apology and appropriate action taken against [redacted], in particular, Culligan should be offering me the salt/filter at no charge rather than trying to charge me for something which was Culligan's fault.Business Response Culligan admits fault that we failed to turn a valve on after servicing the equipment for Ms. [redacted] which unfortunately resulted in her having no water in her home on the evening of 10/31/2014. As far as the complaint of the unacceptable and rude conversation between herself and a Culligan employee, Culligan is adamant that this conversation never took place. This has been verified by phone call logs that were retrieved from our after hours answering service provider (Gold Cross) and our own phone records. Ms. [redacted]'s request to Gold Cross was that she only wanted to be contacted by the service technician on call before 11:30 PM on 10/31/14 and that if we were unable to reach her before 11:30PM, she wanted Culligan to wait and call her the next morning on 11/01/14. At 11:08PM, Gold Cross spoke with Mike from the Culligan Windsor office who informed them that the service had been provided by the Lenox office and that they would need to contact the Lenox service technician on call. At 11:34, the on-call service called [redacted] of the Lenox MA office and left a message on his cell phone. Due to Ms. Hortons request for the return call to be either before 11:30PM on 10/31/14 or wait until the next morning - [redacted] waited and called Ms. [redacted] in the morning hour. Not only are these accusations completely out of character for any of our employees, there is no evidence of any conversation showing from our call records, Gold Cross call records and from employee statements.I understand that Ms. [redacted] has since spoken with [redacted] from the Windsor office and that the outcome of this conversation has left Ms. [redacted] pleased, which included an assurance that we would address customer service with all employees. Ms. [redacted] was also told that in the future she could contact either the General Manager or Operations Manager directly if she had any issues in the future.

Change of billing with no notice re fuel surcharge and 10 days to receive bill due 7 days from receive date and 17 days from bill issue1.The Culligan has been bought out just received letter explaining such. I get a bill on the 10th of Feb billing date Jan 31, 2014 stating bill is due in 7 days. I am on auto pay but I think this is bad practice and again no notice of change and the franchise is 17 miles from my house why does it take 10 days for the bill to arrive.2. I contracted at a rate just recently in November and this month they add on a fuel surcharge of $5 never notified, never agreed to, never mentioned. I have email stating what my rate would be for the year and now it jumps 15%,no mention that they could arbitrarily do that. Gas prices have dropped in the last tow months and then they start this. C'\'monDesired SettlementHonor the deal that was made for the year and send your bills out so they arrived in a timely fashion not giving one 7 days to pay.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@culliganwaterco.comIn regards to this complaint, Culligan Water spoke with Mrs. [redacted] and the concerns have been addressed. Due to the recent sale of the company, there have been some changes. Ms. [redacted] understands the reason and the need for the fuel surcharge. Due to the lack of communication, we have agreed to continue the remainder of 2013 without a fuel charge. The fuel charge will be reinstated in 2014 for Ms. [redacted]. As to why Ms. [redacted] received her bill so late is unknown to me. Culligan Water performs our customer billing the first day of each month, and the invoices are in the mail within the next day. The due date each month is the 17th. Ms. [redacted] is aware that the due date will remain on the 17th, but that there will be no late fee accessed on her account unless it reaches 30 days past due.

Change of billing with no notice re fuel surcharge and 10 days to receive bill due 7 days from receive date and 17 days from bill issue1.The Culligan has been bought out just received letter explaining such. I get a bill on the 10th of Feb billing date Jan 31, 2014 stating bill is due in 7 days. I am on auto pay but I think this is bad practice and again no notice of change and the franchise is 17 miles from my house why does it take 10 days for the bill to arrive.2. I contracted at a rate just recently in November and this month they add on a fuel surcharge of $5 never notified, never agreed to, never mentioned. I have email stating what my rate would be for the year and now it jumps 15%,no mention that they could arbitrarily do that. Gas prices have dropped in the last tow months and then they start this. C'\'monDesired SettlementHonor the deal that was made for the year and send your bills out so they arrived in a timely fashion not giving one 7 days to pay.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@culliganwaterco.comIn regards to this complaint, Culligan Water spoke with Mrs. [redacted] and the concerns have been addressed. Due to the recent sale of the company, there have been some changes. Ms. [redacted] understands the reason and the need for the fuel surcharge. Due to the lack of communication, we have agreed to continue the remainder of 2013 without a fuel charge. The fuel charge will be reinstated in 2014 for Ms. [redacted]. As to why Ms. [redacted] received her bill so late is unknown to me. Culligan Water performs our customer billing the first day of each month, and the invoices are in the mail within the next day. The due date each month is the 17th. Ms. [redacted] is aware that the due date will remain on the 17th, but that there will be no late fee accessed on her account unless it reaches 30 days past due.