Cumberland Water Conditioning Company

I took a water sample in to Culligan to check for bacteria They called back and said there was bacteria in the sample I said I had a UV light from Culligan and had just changed the bulb so how could there be bacteria? They said the system may need to be serviced including putting bleach in the house lines in case some bacteria got through when we lost power during the past year I agreed to have them come out to service it They said it would be $for the service call plus so much a minutes after the first minutes, but that it should only take him minutes to do the job When they arrived, I went down in the basement with the service man to watch what he did When he put his wrench/pliers on the nut to break the torque, I heard glass break When he pulled the quartz sleeve out from the housing, it was broke I said, oops you broke the sleeve he said no, it was probably already broke I decided not to argue with him but planned to call Culligan later to report what I saw and heard He bleached the lines and after running fresh water though to clear out the bleach, he left I called Culligan and asked to talk with a manager I got a Kendra on the line After telling her what happened, she said her man could not have broken the sleeve because he does this service all the time and is a professional I told her I was there and heard it break She said if I was not servicing the light myself on a regular basis that the o-ring may have stuck to the sleeve and that is what caused it to break when he turned the nutShe said it was my fault I asked what a new sleeve costs and she said $plus the labor for another guy to come out the next day I said another $service call? She said no, just the time it takes him to put the new sleeve in When the other guy came out the next day, I again went in the basement to watch him and after he replaced the sleeve, he began bleaching the lines again I told him that the other guy had already bleached the lines and asked him whey he as doing it again he didn't say a word and kept on doing it Again I had to wait until the bleach was in the lines for a while and then until we flushed it all out by running fresh water through all the lines This took an extra or minutes beyond what it took to but the new sleeve in When my bill arrived in the mail a few weeks later is was $ $for a new sleeve, $for the first service call and $for the second service call plus some tax Again I called Culligan to see if the manager was willing to knock a little off the bill because of the way things happened Kendra refused to give me her last name, said she was the manager and part owner and she was not going to change the bill in any way because bleaching the lines is standard practice every time they come out to service a system like mine, and since it was my fault the sleeve broke, I had to pay that bill I have been a customer of Culligan since I've had softeners and filter systems in multiple homes since that time but never had an experience like this I plan to look elsewhere for service in the future and recommend the same to everyone else

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: The charges were paid in full on the FINAL bill, which included service from NovemberAgain, they cannot create new charges for something that already happened and was already billedThose charges were paid and included in the final bill of over $2,that was paid (and way nearly $over the original estimate)They have NEVER sent me the copy of the invoice they are claiming was not paid that they claim was signed by "Anita [redacted] " In addition, it is unethical to refuse service to a proprietary product that DIRECTLY can influence the QUALITY of the water in the home At no point did I receive phone calls requesting payment for a past due balanceEither their record keeping system is incorrect or they entered an incorrect contact number I continue to need service on their proprietary productMy offer continues to stand of $for charges they claim are unpaid (only because I no longer have the final invoice, BUT either do they) and I will pay up front for service on their proprietary unit Regards, [redacted]

Below is an outline of all events in question regarding [redacted]’s disputed account along with all pertinent documents referenced by page number.   9/10/2014 – Mr. [redacted] called to request a water analysis. He spoke to our sales rep (Theron (TJ) Smith and scheduled an appointment for an...

in-home water analysis.9/15/2014 – TJ Smith visited Mr. [redacted]’s home to inspect his existing non-[redacted] water treatment system and give a free water analysis. See attached screen shot from TJ’s [redacted] Calendar. (Page 1)9/15/2014 – After reviewing Mr. [redacted]’s existing system and determining that none of it was working, Mr. [redacted] agreed to have our service department come out to service his Ultraviolet Purifier (UV) and look at his Waterboss water softener. See work order. (Page 2) TJ would have reviewed costs of service prior to Mr. [redacted] agreeing to have service come out. TJ also noted his findings in Mr. [redacted]’s file in a “call/task” designated for TJ to record ongoing notes. See screen shot of TJ’s notes where he stated, “has a uv, softener and a filter-gard. Needs a service call on u.v. light. Softener not working. Has a waterboss, but not sure we have anything that will fit other than the old mini Mark 915. Going to check to see if we still sell them.” (Page 3)Service department left voicemail messages for Mr. [redacted] on 9/15/2014 and 9/17/2015. Mr. [redacted] never returned our calls and the work order was completed without charges. See notes on work order. (Page 2)11/4/2014 – TJ followed up with a phone call and noted “could not be available for last service call, but is home all week and would like us to do this week.” (Page 3)11/6/2014 – TJ placed the work order again at Mr. [redacted]’s request.Service department left voicemail messages for Mr. [redacted] on 11/6/2014, 11/7/2014 and 11/10/2014. Mr. [redacted] never called back and the work order was again completed without charges. (Page 4)11/26/2014 – TJ completed his call/task with the final note stating “we weren’t able to schedule that quickly. Still on hold. File 4” (Page 3) Note: File 4 is TJ’s indication of where he keeps his records for follow-up contacts.12/1/2014 – Mr. [redacted] called in to request service again indicating he was “ready to schedule UV service now. Also check his Water Boss sofner”. Work was then scheduled for 12/8/2014. (Page 5)Service technician (Dave) went to his home at approximately 3:00 PM on 12/8/2014 and departed at approximately 4:00 PM. See GPS report attached (Page 6) His notes stated “Replaced UV bulb & bad ballast – replaced customer provided cart filter – found softener bypassed. Put into service and flushed – talked to customer about HE Meter install in upstairs closet. Apx 30 ft. pex. Has drain. ¾” copper” He also listed the components replaced on his UV (Ballast and UV lamp) and 2 water tests that were done for iron and hardness. He got a signature for the work that was done. The name appears to be “Anita [redacted]”. Mr. [redacted] indicated during our recent phone conversation that this was his mother’s signature. (Page 5)12/11/2014 – Invoice was sent for the above mentioned work amounting to $336.55 including tax. (Page 7)12/16/2014 – Mr. [redacted] placed the order for the new water softener to be installed upstairs as indicated by our technician (Dave) on the above work order.12/23/2014 – Mr. [redacted]’s new water softener was installed using approximately 30 feet of additional piping to put the system upstairs. 12/26/2014 – An invoice was sent for the above installation totaling $2112.58 including the additional plumbing work and tax. (Page 8)2/5/2015 – Payment in the amount of $2112.58 was received 1 period past due. This covered the 2nd invoice for the equipment for which Mr. [redacted] does not dispute. See print out of Mr. [redacted]’s register outlining all invoices, payments and finance charges. (Page 9)3/11/2015 – Payment in the amount of $50.00 was received. This should indicate that Mr. [redacted] was fully aware of the previous amount billed to him on the service that was performed on 12/8/2014 prior to his water softener installation. Again, reference the register (Page 9)5/5/2015 – Statement sent to Mr. [redacted] requesting payment for his past due amount. (Page 10)7/3/2015 – Statement sent to Mr. [redacted] requesting payment with a notice that unpaid balance will be turned over for collection and a 30% fee would apply. (Page 11)7/29/2015 – Our office manager (Kendra) left a voicemail message for Mr. [redacted] again requesting payment. See her additional notes captured from Mr. [redacted]’s file. (Page 12)8/11/2015 – 10 day collection notice sent to Mr. [redacted] (Page 13)8/25/2015 – Our office manager again left Mr. [redacted] another voicemail message requesting payment and also noting that if payment isn’t received he would be turned over for collection.9/16/2015 – Mr. [redacted]’s account was finally turned over to Peerless for collection with a 30% fee added to the amount due to compensate for the cost of utilizing the collection agency.1/4/2016 – We requested and received a log of all attempts to contact Mr. [redacted] by the collection agency. Again, all attempts were ignored. (Page 14)   Additional Notes: We gave Mr. [redacted] ample time (much more than usual) to pay his past due amount for the service work that was done on his Ultraviolet Purifier (UV). We went beyond our normal processes because he paid for the new softener that was installed.At no time did Mr. [redacted] ever respond to any of our attempts to reach him for payment over a period of approximately 8 months and therefore he never disputed any of the charges until we refused to service his system when he called us last month requesting service on it. At the time of Mr. [redacted]’s request for service, our office manager reviewed all of the above information in great detail and also offered to send him a copy of the service order in question from 12/8/2014.Mr. [redacted] is requesting service on his new water softener while making statements regarding the safety of his water. A water softener has no bearing on the safety of his water. It simply softens the water by removing hardness minerals such as calcium and iron from the water. The safety of his water would be determined by the functionality of his Ultraviolet Purifier (UV) which we did not install. I believe that Mr. [redacted] is confusing the 2 systems. A UV purifier requires annual maintenance to ensure the safety of the water. This includes changing the UV lamp and cleaning the quartz sleeve. Since we have not serviced his UV purifier since 12/8/2014, we have no way of knowing whether or not his water is safe. If Mr. [redacted] would like to drop off a water sample here at our office during normal business hours, we would be happy to test it for hardness at no charge. This will determine whether or not his water softener is functioning properly but again, this will offer no indication regarding the “safety” of his water.We would also be more than happy to provide whatever service Mr. [redacted] requests upon receiving payment for the past due amount on his account however, we reserve the right to refuse service to any customer with an outstanding balance. Should Mr. [redacted] pay the past due balance, any service will be performed on a COD basis going forward.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The charges were paid in full on the FINAL bill, which included service from November. Again, they cannot create new charges for something that already happened and was already billed. Those charges were paid and included in the final bill of over $2,100 that was paid (and way nearly $500 over the original estimate). They have NEVER sent me the copy of the invoice they are claiming was not paid that they claim was signed by "Anita [redacted]".
In addition, it is unethical to refuse service to a proprietary product that DIRECTLY can influence the QUALITY of the water in the home.
At no point did I receive phone calls requesting payment for a past due balance. Either their record keeping system is incorrect or they entered an incorrect contact number.
I continue to need service on their proprietary product. My offer continues to stand of $250 for charges they claim are unpaid (only because I no longer have the final invoice, BUT either do they) and I will pay up front for service on their proprietary unit.
Regards,
[redacted]

I took a water sample in to Culligan to check for bacteria. They called back and said there was bacteria in the sample. I said I had a UV light from Culligan and had just changed the bulb so how could there be bacteria? They said the system may need to be serviced including putting bleach in the house lines in case some bacteria got through when we lost power during the past year. I agreed to have them come out to service it. They said it would be $67 for the service call plus so much a minutes after the first 30 minutes, but that it should only take him 30 minutes to do the job. When they arrived, I went down in the basement with the service man to watch what he did. When he put his wrench/pliers on the nut to break the torque, I heard glass break. When he pulled the quartz sleeve out from the housing, it was broke. I said, oops you broke the sleeve. he said no, it was probably already broke. I decided not to argue with him but planned to call Culligan later to report what I saw and heard. He bleached the lines and after running fresh water though to clear out the bleach, he left. I called Culligan and asked to talk with a manager. I got a Kendra on the line. After telling her what happened, she said her man could not have broken the sleeve because he does this service all the time and is a professional. I told her I was there and heard it break. She said if I was not servicing the light myself on a regular basis that the o-ring may have stuck to the sleeve and that is what caused it to break when he turned the nut. She said it was my fault. I asked what a new sleeve costs and she said $50 plus the labor for another guy to come out the next day. I said another $67 service call? She said no, just the time it takes him to put the new sleeve in. When the other guy came out the next day, I again went in the basement to watch him and after he replaced the sleeve, he began bleaching the lines again. I told him that the other guy had already bleached the lines and asked him whey he as doing it again. he didn't say a word and kept on doing it. Again I had to wait until the bleach was in the lines for a while and then until we flushed it all out by running fresh water through all the lines. This took an extra 20 or 30 minutes beyond what it took to but the new sleeve in. When my bill arrived in the mail a few weeks later is was $192. $50 for a new sleeve, $87 for the first service call and $42.55 for the second service call plus some tax. Again I called Culligan to see if the manager was willing to knock a little off the bill because of the way things happened. Kendra refused to give me her last name, said she was the manager and part owner and she was not going to change the bill in any way because bleaching the lines is standard practice every time they come out to service a system like mine, and since it was my fault the sleeve broke, I had to pay that bill. I have been a customer of Culligan since 1990. I've had softeners and filter systems in multiple homes since that time but never had an experience like this. I plan to look elsewhere for service in the future and recommend the same to everyone else.

I took a water sample in to Culligan to check for bacteria. They called back and said there was bacteria in the sample. I said I had a UV light from Culligan and had just changed the bulb so how could there be bacteria? They said the system may need to be serviced including putting bleach in the house lines in case some bacteria got through when we lost power during the past year. I agreed to have them come out to service it. They said it would be $67 for the service call plus so much a minutes after the first 30 minutes, but that it should only take him 30 minutes to do the job. When they arrived, I went down in the basement with the service man to watch what he did. When he put his wrench/pliers on the nut to break the torque, I heard glass break. When he pulled the quartz sleeve out from the housing, it was broke. I said, oops you broke the sleeve. he said no, it was probably already broke. I decided not to argue with him but planned to call Culligan later to report what I saw and heard. He bleached the lines and after running fresh water though to clear out the bleach, he left. I called Culligan and asked to talk with a manager. I got a Kendra on the line. After telling her what happened, she said her man could not have broken the sleeve because he does this service all the time and is a professional. I told her I was there and heard it break. She said if I was not servicing the light myself on a regular basis that the o-ring may have stuck to the sleeve and that is what caused it to break when he turned the nut. She said it was my fault. I asked what a new sleeve costs and she said $50 plus the labor for another guy to come out the next day. I said another $67 service call? She said no, just the time it takes him to put the new sleeve in. When the other guy came out the next day, I again went in the basement to watch him and after he replaced the sleeve, he began bleaching the lines again. I told him that the other guy had already bleached the lines and asked him whey he as doing it again. he didn't say a word and kept on doing it. Again I had to wait until the bleach was in the lines for a while and then until we flushed it all out by running fresh water through all the lines. This took an extra 20 or 30 minutes beyond what it took to but the new sleeve in. When my bill arrived in the mail a few weeks later is was $192. $50 for a new sleeve, $87 for the first service call and $42.55 for the second service call plus some tax. Again I called Culligan to see if the manager was willing to knock a little off the bill because of the way things happened. Kendra refused to give me her last name, said she was the manager and part owner and she was not going to change the bill in any way because bleaching the lines is standard practice every time they come out to service a system like mine, and since it was my fault the sleeve broke, I had to pay that bill. I have been a customer of Culligan since 1990. I've had softeners and filter systems in multiple homes since that time but never had an experience like this. I plan to look elsewhere for service in the future and recommend the same to everyone else.