Kinetico Quality Water of Placerville

Review: Did not have a water problem but selling my house therefore I had Kinetico come out to change water softener filters since they had not been changed in six years.

Kinetico's technician sped up the cycling of the water tank which in turn ran me out of water. You could hear the tank stuck cycling for hours. I recorded it. When the water came back on iron sludge coming up.

I called Kinetico to come out because this was not right and I had just changed filters for $910.00.

They came out and checked the cycling but did nothing about the red/brown water. They never even called me to say what had happened.

My realtor and I called again and they finally came out. They sent me an e-mail that night that for $1,200.00 they could change another filter, media, and bleach well. They said I was at fault and it was happening because I did not maintain my system.

Also said it was coming from dirty well water.

I called my well guy to come out and I also called Kinetico back because water was so dirty and it happened after they serviced my softener.

Kinetico said the well guy was stupid and didn't know water treatment. (I hadn't even had him out yet just said he was coming.)

My well guy tested water at well, perfectly clean. He put it in writing. He said the softener filter arrows indicated water filtering into house which was odd unless it was plumbed backwards or always been installed that way.

At this point my realtor went into Kinetico to get some help and she brought in the invoices. Kinetico called me and left a message that night.

Basically, Kinetico not willing to accept any responsibility. The problem is my fault for not maintaining my system he used the words abuse and neglect.

I do have before and after pictures of the water. I also had 4 different workers using the water before and after Kinetico's service. Thankfully they all witnessed it turn brown after Kinetico came and immediately brought it to my attention that something wasn't right.Desired Settlement: I am asking that Kinetico work with me and take responsibility that they did something incorrectly and help me by repairing it.

I don't care if they start by bleaching my system to get the water back to what it was before they fixed it. Maybe that will work.

I should not have to pay for them to fix since it happened the minute they came the first time. They said the brown water would go away after one week. I have been waiting ever since.

Business

Response:

First,[redacted] states that that she did not have a water problem before our service professional came to her house.Actually,this well water has always been bad water since 1989, when our company installed the water softener!!!!The iron in her well water fluctuates from 10 times the EPA standard all the way up to 90 times the EPA standard.This much iron would shorten the life of all water using appliances and cause rust stains in the house if the water treatment system was not maintained,which [redacted] states was not maintained for 6 years.The water is also acidic which can damage copper plumbing.The water is hard which can also shorten the life of hot water heaters ,washing machines,faucets,shower heads,clothing, and dishwashers. [redacted] states that our filter system ran her well dry.Actually, the well pump professional she hired stated in his report that the problem was her pressure switch that caused well pump to not turn on at times therefore no water. Our documentation from our service professional when he went out to the house on April 25,2016 clearly states that the well water was already "VERY DIRTY" when he got there .Also.this well is 100-300 feet deep and there is nothing we mortal humans can do to make the water worse than it already is.That is a function of natural forces under the ground. [redacted] states I said her well guy was stupid.That absolutely was NOT what I said.Her well person thought the filter system was plumbed backwards .The system is plumbed correctly!!!!My words were,the well person is not familiar with our water systems and that the system is plumbed correctly. [redacted] states the well person tested her water and that it was perfectly clean.No,it was not.The water was very dirty,high in iron from our testing.No documentation that this well person even tested the water. We did a free well disinfection and well flush to help get better water and try to work with [redacted].The procedure was successful. .Water is much cleaner than before!! [redacted] is a very nice person who is selling her house and we are trying to help her as much as we can. Thank you, [redacted] KWS,Inc.

Review: Kinetico charged us to service our unit which they did not do.

We had kinetico come out to service our unit on 6/20/13 they said they charged us 250 labor to brake an inch of salt out of our unite and fill it will calcite and sal wich they never performed this is the second time we have had issues with them charging us for work that wasn't performed . Desired Settlement: I want my $420.02 back for my service that was not done

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

[redacted] is confused of what we did on the service call since he arrived towards the end of the service call. He was not present. Kinetico has been servicing this unit since 2003. The bills on an average for this residence have been between 350.00 to 550.00. When you are on a well and all your water goes through a treatment system it is imperative that it be serviced and maintained yearly. Even though [redacted] is the 2nd owner of this house this has an been explained to him. Copy of invoice enclosed.

Thank You,

Think before you buy, as this company is unethical in its business practices. You will be told ALL the virtues of owning a Kinetco water treatment/reverse osmosis system from this company. It is what they intentionally do not tell you that you should concern yourself with. This is my experience:

You will be told how great their water softener/reverse osmosis system is. How it all operates without electricity and is ALL mechanical. How it is the best unit on the Market today.

You will not be told that once you buy the system, you are stuck with the installer for the life of the unit. In other words, you CANNOT go to another Kinetico dealer, as they will tell you that YOU MUST contact the dealer who installed your unit. They will likely install a sediment filter, especially if you are on a well. They make you believe the filter is proprietary and you therefore can only buy a replacement from Kinetico for $30.00. It is not proprietary, it is generic and can be purchased online for $4.00. The reverse osmosis filters are proprietary and you will pay about $140.00 for 3 filters. That is YOUR cost, if YOU install them. If you send an e-mail about filter availability, "Dan the Water Man" will get back to you almost immediately. ( Money to be made) If you have a problem with your system, I hope you take a week vacation, as, "Dan.." will get back to YOU when he wants to. I contacted him on a Sunday, via e-mail at the same e-mail address I contacted him at for replacement filters. He responded the following Friday about 5:30 P.M and left a message in essence stating that he believed my unit was working correctly and this and that should happen. He closed by telling me to call him if I had any more questions/concerns. ( So, I was at the mercy of Dan, who never did reveal how much a service call would be. Maybe, it is because Dan knows my unit is still under the "useless " 10 year warranty and therefore no money is to be made???? So, if you want to drop $4 to 5K and get service like this, from a business YOU MUST do business with, buy a Kinetico. The units do work great, when they work. You will NEVER stop paying for it, as the filters are outrageous and Dan controls the price. Let me not forget, "shipping charges" if you want the filters shipped to you. Dan claims it cost him $20.00 to ship the filters from Placerville to Sutter Creek, about 40 miles or so. I sincerely doubt that claim as well. I have told "Dan" not to contact me. He is unethical and "knowingly" omits known information, which would allow any consumer to make an informed decision. He is also greedy, as indicated by the $4.00 filter he sells for $30.00. I am left with, "How does "Dan" sleep at night?" I would be very careful, but this is America and we can all do what we choose. Now, you have the full story, so you can make an informed decision.

I think if "Dan" told a potential customer the cons of owning a Kinetico system,most would tell him, "thanks for coming." No consumer should be left with a "Master" to get service. This is known as a, "local monopoly."

This is my experience with "Dan the water Man's Kinetico business. I do not know "Dan" personally and have no other reason to publish my experience than to warn potential consumers of the business practices Kinetico and "Dan" employ. This is not personal. It is reality!