ComplaintsforAqua Care Water Treatment and Plumbing

• Initial Complaint

  10/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ********* was hired to fix a water system problem. The 1st time they came out was July 28, to fix the smell and salt problem were we having & the gentleman forgot to turn on the bypass switches after he left which that allowed pure well water to come into our ************** the second we used the water in our house. We called ********* had to turned on the bypass switches ourselves because they didn't want to come out & that is when all the smell problems began. The 2nd time they came out was not even 4 days later on July 31, to fix the a broken pump. I don't believe in coincidences, I feel it was all connected to mistake they made with the bypass switches. After the pump was fixed they came out to address the smell that never went away & they couldn't figure out what was causing the smell & after several times coming out they said they didn't want to help with us anymore & we had to call the original company who installed the system which no longer was under warranty & made no sense cause they install they same system everyone else installs in FL. During all these visits the water was foul for almost two months. They did two chlorine washes & that still didn't fix the problem. Through all this they keep charging ******* keep paying because at the end I just wanted the problem fixed. I was concern that they water was dangerous and not safe for my kid to shower in. We spend a month & half washing ourselves with bottled *********************************************** jugs. Finally they left not wanting to help ******* had to call another company that figured out what was wrong with the system. So in total we spent over $2,800.00 on a company that didn't fix anything. Total bill was $2,718.00 plus the tips that came out to $80 in increments of $20 bills & all water jugs & bottled water we bought to shower with for two months. We of course had to pay another company $750 for the job they did to actually fix the problem. We would like a FULL REFUND from the company *********. Please can you help.

  Business response

  11/14/2022

  The customer first contacted us on 7/25/22 for low pressure/smelly water/hard water. We had not installed or ever done any maintenance on this equipment before this date.
  As you can see from the first invoice, she uploaded we did not find any issues with the equipment. There was no sulfur (Smell) or hardness going into the home. The pump was operating within parameters while we were there. ************** did make the mistake of leaving the *********** in bypass allowing a small amount of water to go into the home that was not filtered for sulfur.
  Since that one small, quickly remedied issue ************* has been a unreasonable to deal with. She has called over and over with demands and has been abusive with her language that has caused my normally unflappable office staff to have to inform her they were ending the conversation and hang up on more than one occasion. 
  Several days later they called with an issue of no water. We went out and found the pump getting power but not turning on, it was a bad pump. She stated in her complaint that she does not believe in coincidences;this is probably not a coincidence. One of the issues she first reported was low water pressure. Periodically low water pressure is a sign of a failing pump. This was all explained, and they agreed to having us replace the pump. We did not force them; it was their option to call another company if they wished.You can see in the invoices she submitted that her husband signed when we completed the work. They have not had any issues with the well pump or pressure since we replaced the bad pump.
  They again called a few days later after hours, insisting,we come out when we are closed, our tech went to find no sulfur or hardness once again. There was a slight odor from the heater, and he offered to remove the anode rod as part of the service call, and they accepted. But as you can see on the invoice there was no hardness or sulfur going into the home.
  We went on 9/8 and did not charge as we found no issue
  This pattern would continue several more times. She would call screaming and insist the water is horrible, we would go and find no issue.We offered to chlorinate the lines, that is, let a solution of bleach sit in the pipes for a while to cleanse them and any odors they may be causing as we did not test hardness or sulfur right were the water goes into the home. This was done at no charge. That is what the ** means on the bottom of her 5th invoice she uploaded.
  They called back again on 9/22. I talked with **************** at this point and offered to refund every dollar that he had spent with us on the water treatment services, not the well pump. There has never been a complaint about the well pump. I felt that that we shouldnt have to deal with the abusive speech and repeated calls with no issues. He calmly and professionally asked me to come out one more time and see if we could find any issue.
  I went myself and ************* accompanied me to the equipment,and we took a smell of the water entering the home, high sulfur. I put the softener in bypass, and she verified all odor was gone. This shows the odor is coming from the softener. I took the covers up and could see the *********** displayed a blinking 8:32 PM when it was really 10:48am, about 10hrs ahead. So,the *********** was regenerating at 3-4PM. This caused backwash water to get into the softener. I set it to regen immediately to flush it out and used the customers **** battery to replace the battery on the ***********, which probably did not need to be replaced, but since the customer had a new one, we installed it.
  
  I explained that the time on the unit is the customers responsibility,and we would have to charge if that is the issue in the future. I then explain this all-in great detail to ****************** several times over the phone as he was not home. My tech returned later in the day to sanitize the softener.
  I returned the next day to confirm there was no odor. They complained that there was before I got there but I ran water at each fixture in the home other than the washing machine and did not get any odor. I had a tech return on Monday the 26th for another check with the same results,no odor. All of this at no charge. At this point we considered it a closed issue since there was no odor.
  ************ called me on my cell phone a few days after hurricane *** to ask a few questions about setting the time. Possibly October 1st or 2nd. But at no point did he mention any issue with the odor.
  They state that another company fixed the issue but do not mention what the problem was. We tried very hard to please this couple despite the unreasonable and abusive approach ************* took when calling the office.They agreed to each charge before we completed work and even turned down an offer to have a refund. Since that time, we went on three more service calls at no charge. So, their charge that we that we refused to help them anymore is false.
  I do not believe that what they are asking for is fair to all parties. There has been no complaint with the work we did on the replacement of the underground well pump, it is working just fines, so there is no reason we should refund any of that $1805. 00
  Other than that, they paid $638 for 8 trips to their home to resolve the issue. I am willing to split that with them and refund $319.
  

  Customer response

  12/29/2022

  The system we have is the same as everyone else out here in Lehigh. I call them thinking they would be good and they were local. I thought who better to fix and help us with our water than a company who main work is in an area that has well water.
  
   
  
  The gentlemen who came out and forgot to bypass the lines which ran for about 20 mins not as short as they want to make it out to be, was the one to mentioned the pump being a problem. It just so happens the pump that was working fine to their knowledge as they said breaks down that same weekend. I don't think their was anything wrong with the pump. I think the gentleman that came out was not knowledgeable. And the tank was the initial problem.
  
   
  
  That sulfur that got into out system started the process of corroding my anode rod and possible the heating elements as well. I called a certified plumber and several water system companies for information and I've been told the same by all the companies "sulfur will accelerated corrosion on anode rods and water heater's elements because that is what sulfur does". They also said "sulfur is dangerous because no one can determined what level their well water has of sulfur underneath them". So they also sped the process of my water heater breaking down which I had to replace it as of this week. That is an additional $1,188 I had to pay because this company inability to diagnosis our problem in the first place. When the anode rod corroded they said that happens when you system works well. Who says that after they breaks something in your house that was working fine before they got there. 
  
   
  
   
  
  I did call about every 3 to 4 days during this ordeal because the smell would keep coming back. Their a company that provide a service that installs, fixes and maintenance water systems what am I suppose to do when I pay for a service that a company doesn't fix, I have to call them. And why would they not want to help us when we keep paying and giving them tips every time. I didn't even care how many times they were out I just wanted the problem to be fixed but they couldn't fix it.
  
   
  
  But I never called screaming they are lying and I don't know why. I did call crying and I called frustrated because we have no where to go if our water is foul except a hotel, which is another expense that I had to pay. All the while we are paying and they are taking our money and tips and not fixing the problem. I called pleading with them to fix our water almost as if they were giving us free service which they were not. I literally said "please" begging to fix our system.
  
   
  
  On one occasion when I called crying and the guy who got the phone, straight out told me we don't want to deal with your system anymore. He told me to just call the people who installed it which makes no sense because all the companies out here install the same systems in ************. None of these system come with a warranty past 5 years. All you have out here is to find a trusted company and call a them to service your system over the years. My mistake was to choose this company. I did curse but it was in general not towards anyone because I was frustrated and I ended the call literally crying and I know he heard me and he didn't care to help us. I told them on several occasions that I was worried about the water harming us. I told them I had a kid and I was concerned. They never tested the water for anything.
  
   
  
  Yes they would come out and they would run water for a while and the smell would seem to go away but then the smell would just return. Yes it's would seem fine for the moment but 2 to 3 days later it comes back. When my husband called after the hurricane because it was not me, don't know why they are saying I called. They had done a chlorine wash which lasted a little longer with no smell but then eventually it came back. That is when we called someone else.
  
   
  
  Why would I keeping calling a company and keeping paying a company if I didn't want my system fixed. They are just ****** because they couldn't fix our problem, they couldn't diagnosis the issue and they don't want to admit it. I told them in multiple occasions that the water smelled weird every time we open a faucet for the first and then when you would run the water a while it would kinda go away but still linger and after a few days it would be back strong. Why didn't they put all those conversations we had on they invoice receipts. 
  
   
  
  They was only one occasion which was the last time they came out that we where not charged was when they did the 2nd and last chlorine.The three times they said there was no service charge never happened. Even a time when they came out and they said no charge I insisted and paid because I didn't want them to think I didn't want to pay. I wanted to show them I just wanted my water clean and safe for me and my family.
  
   
  
  When they changed the battery. They said that browns out cause batteries to fry and we needed to be on top of that. Mind you I had to provide the battery cause they didn't have one.
  
   
  
  They asked on a couple of occasions if our tank had been re-bedded and we said no. They said how old was the system we said about 7 to 8 years. They said "oh well every 3 to 4 years these tanks have to be re-bedded. I even said perhaps that what is causing the smell. They said no.
  
   
  
  We call another company of course after this whole ordeal with **** care and the first they did was check the sulfur tank and check the bedding. The tank needed to be re-bedded. We of course just decide on a new tank for longevity. The company also said that putting in a new pump without checking the tank could have caused the smell that didn't go away. Pump that are dug to deep or too shallow can cause smell. When pumps are installed the water in the well needs to be tested which it was not. .
  
   
  
  Now why didn't they just check the tank. I don't understand we were paying this whole time. We we pleading, crying why couldn't they just fix our problem. And finally it hits me because they have no clue what they are doing or don't care.
  
   
  
  We would have gladly paid them another $750 for that sulfur tank to be swapped out if they just would have check that tank to begin with but they didn't have the knowledge to check that tank to be begin with. We probably would not needed a new pump either. They don't know what they doing when it comes to real issues with water systems. They do the basic run of the mill installation, maybe some parts swaps and running water that is it. When a customer has a real issue that involve real technical stuff they have no clue. 
  
   
  
  You can check their reviews. There is a person taking about them not fixing their smell problem either and the smell coming back and having to contact another company. Another review talks about the owner wanting no part in going back to check a persisting problem. The was the same gentleman that said to us "we don't want anything to do with your system". That is called a pattern.
  
   
  
  So yes I want a full refund. Now I asking for an additional $1,188 for the water that I had to replace because they ruined water heater.

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