Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Discount Water Softeners Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Discount Water Softeners Inc

  330 Bristol Lane Fox River Grove, IL 60021-1802

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  Discount Water Softeners Inc

  176 Detroit St # 13 Cary, IL 60013-2950

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased the ********************** Free Iron and Hydrogen Sulfide Filter with Bacterial Control tank from Discount Water Softeners and was told that it would eliminate the rotten egg smell that I was getting since my previous filter tank had met it life expectancy. Speaking with the owners wife I was told that it was exactly what I needed. It even says on the product page that this is what this unit does ( meaning eliminating the rotten egg smell). 1 day short of 2 months the rotten egg smell returned. I called Discount water Softeners and was told I needed to shock my well system by adding chemicals to it because there units never fail and its a guarantee that we have bacteria in our well system which we do not. And If I did not shock my system they would not honor the warranty. Speaking with the owner gets me no place because all he does is talk over me. In the area I live in all well systems have that rotten egg smell at the well point. Once the filters are added it eliminates the rotten egg smell in the house water because of the air injection. The owner tried to baffle me with words and flat out refused to honor the warranty. I have tried to communicate with the company with no resolve. I have now purchased another tank from someone else and do not have any further issues. I asked the company to either send me a new head to the unit or refund my money but as of today I have gotten no further reply. At this point I just want a refund for a defective unit that was sent to us by Discount Water Softeners. Unfortunately researching the company after my purchase I find that this is common practice for them. They take your money and are unwilling to help with ANY issues. They have tons of complaints similar to mine. Including other complaints on the BBB. I feel this company is out to defraud people of their money .

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2024

  Below is our reply to ****************. We have continued to ask him to perform the requested actions and he will not and the issue continues. The manufacturer engineer and the owner of this company have a combined  years of water treatment experience of 66 years. It has been both their determinations that the next step is to shock the well to help resolve the issue that is occurring. Refusal to do this step ultimately is the cause of the issue not being resolved.
  

   

   

  The owner has spoken with the head engineer again at the manufacturer. He has again HIGHLY recommended shocking your well since the old system failed previously which likely allowed SRBs into the piping system. He also is certain that the previous filter system has not lasted 26 years unless the media was replaced multiple times over the 26 years. He would like to know what filter media lasted 26 years. The manufacturer engineer has 43 years in water treatment and writes for numerous publications in the industry. He has said that the system you have functions based on laws of science and cannot be defective. Whatever is causing the odor is not addressed with that system. We are trying to help you rid your home of that. We just need you to follow what highly educated water treatment professionals advise. Please shock your well and the related pipes in your home.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21682805
  
  I am rejecting this response because:   I have told Discount Water Systems that my issue is now resolved no thanks to them.  My issue is now resolved only because I purchased another unit from a different company.  And since it was installed I have had no further issues ( no rotten egg smell / sulfur smell at all). I was also told that there is no need to shock my system.
  

    I tried to relay this to Discount water softeners but they refuse to listen to anything.  They just say there is no way it is their unit and I need to shock my system.  According to Discount Water Softeners, they are that 1 in a billion company that has a product that will never fail (HA-HA).   I do not want to add any unnecessary chemicals to system.  Again, as of now my system is working perfectly with the NEW unit I bought from another company and at a much added expense.   I now have a $1222.00 unit sitting in my garage that I am unable to do anything with because it is defective and less then 2 months old.
  

  After reading reviews from all over the internet this seems to be a consistent issue with Discount Water Systems, They will happily take your money but will not stand behind their products. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/05/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In August of 2018 we purchased a water softener from Discount Water Softeners. After comparing various water softeners from different sellers, we chose Discount Water Softeners due to their warranties. On their website and in their videos they claim softener has a 7 year warranty or a 10 year warranty on the control valve and a lifetime warranty on the brine and salt tanks. However, a red sheet is included with the water softener that, in effect, says the water softener has no warranty at all. The customer cannot see this until the ********************** softener is delivered. Please see attachment. In one part, it says the manufacturer almost never honors warranties. In the last paragraph of the red sheet, it says the following: No soft water: If your water softener does not produce soft water this is not a warranty issue. In other words, the warranty will not cover a water softener that doesnt even work. This is clearly contrary to the Implied Warranty of Merchantability.Weve had nothing but problems since purchasing the water softener and Discount Water Softeners simply refuses to honor their warranty.Discount Water Softeners will not replace the defective unit despit their warranty. They wont even fix it for no charge.When I asked the man I talked to why they dont honor their warranty, his reply was that Weve always done it that way. He made the following offers to deal with my non-working water softener. 1)I could call a plumber and pay him or her to fix it and pay for it. 2)I could bring it in for repair which would take 2 to 2 weeks and I would pay for the repair. He seemed to think those offers should satisfy me and seemed surprised when I found them unacceptable. He actually thought I would be satisfied with those offers.Discount Water Softeners is clearly engaging in false advertising to convince people to buy their products.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2024

  ******************* has had the water softener from our company for the past 4 years. We have not heard from him during that time other than a replacement circuit board which we replaced under warranty at no charge. As for his current complaint he mentions that the system has not worked right from the start. We were not aware of this until just recently. We did offer our assistance based on the issue he described. We indicated that the warranty clearly states that environmental conditions are not covered under warranty manufacturer defects are. We offered to inspect his control valve to determine the source of the issue and let him know what needs to be done to resolve the issue he is experiencing. ******************** has decided he does not want us to inspect the control valve. He only wants the repair covered under warranty or for us to supply a new control valve at a discounted cost because he feels the issue is a warranty. Outside environmental impact cause by poor water quality is not a warranty issue. That is clearly covered in the warranty he provided. To his own admission ******************** has stated he has orange water without the system in place. This is an indication of high iron which has a significant impact on water quality issues with all water softener control valve. We have told ******************** what the highly likely issue is that is the problem at hand. He ordered different parts to try to resolve it his own way. Unfortunately that will not correct the issue he is seeing. We will continue to assist Mr. **************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21527196
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Almost everything Discount  Water Softeners said in their response is untrue.  For example, they claim they replaced a circuit board at no charge. They actually charged me over $70.  I never said the water softener did not work from the start. I said it's been trouble during ownership requiring numberous repairs. There is no mention of "environmenta conditions" in their warranty as they claim. They did offer to repair the control valve but it would take 2 to 2 1/2 weeks and they would charge us for the repair. The other alternative they suggested was that we hire a plumber and pay him to repair the control head which is unnacceptable. I have proof that their ads, both on their website and on ******* claim the control head has a 10 year replace or repair warranty and the resin tank and salt tank have lifetime warranties.  Not only do they not replace control valves, but they don't repair them for no charge and they don't even provide defective parts for free. In short, there is no warranty at all.  I purchased the water softener based on their warranty claims but a red sheet that came with it that is only seen AFTER purchasing a water softener from Discount Water Softeners makes it clear that their is no warranty at all. In fact, it says that if the water softener doesn't produce soft water, that's not covered under  warranty. That's a clear violation of the Implied Warranty of Merchantability. When I asked  why they didn't honor their  warranty, the answer I received was, "That's how we've always done it." Their response was dishonest. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2024

  Unfortunately ******************** has elected to go a different route with resolving this issue because he does not believe that the $39.00 kit he would need to purchase is something that he should have to pay for. He feels it failed due to manufacturer defect. In fact the wearable seals inside the control valve are not covered in any manufacturer warranties within the entire water treatment industry. ******************** has elected to instead purchase an entirely new control valve and bypass from us spending over 10 times what he would have if her simply would have followed our recommendation of replacing the worn or torn seals due to poor water quality. He simply did not want to wait in line and tried to push ahead of other patient customers having their control valves serviced and tested. **** wife **** has been a pleasure to work with in assisting with this matter. Moving forward we will continue to assist the ********* with their needs.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21527196
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Once again, Discount Water Softeners is minsinformed.  I did buy the spacers and seals for $39.  They are in perfect condition and I explained that to the man at Discount Water Softeners.  Then, going by the trouble-shooting guide from the service manual, I purchased and replaced the injector set and the drain flow control.  Those  are the things that not only the service manual listed to fix the problem but also what the man at Discount Water Softeners said would cause the problem.  But he wasn't listening to me.  I explained exactly what I had replaced and checked and I also told him what the symptoms were but he clearly wasn't listening because he told me to check and/or replace the very things I had already checked and replaced. And, if he had listened instead of talking over me, he would have heard the following (the symptoms).  When the softener went into brine, a powerful blast of water went INTO the brine tank, not out of it as it should have done. The blast was so powerful that it snapped the float valve closed. If that valve hadn't have closed, the salt tank would have overflowed. In other words, water was flowing INTO the brine tank forcefully when it should have been gently flowing out of the brine tank.  Further, the refill step didn't work at all. Now, if he had listened to me and passed that information to a service technician, I am confident the technician would know what was causing the problem instantly.  Again, I had replaced the spacers and seals and they are in perfect condition and I'd be happy to provide a picture of them. I also replaced the injector set and drain flow control and paid for those parts.  In addition, I made sure the brine line and drain line were clear.  But the man wouldn't listen. In effect, he was telling me to do what I had already done.  We now have spent nearly $931.72 to repair the water softener and now replace the control valve because Discount Water Softener could not tell me how to fix it. Their technical customer support had been virtually useless. (That said, the women that we talked to on the phone were very nice and helpful and, to Discount Water Softener's credit, they sent parts out very quickly and I appreciate that.)

  I did everything I was to do and everything the trouble shooting guide said to do.  Discount  water warrantees the control unit for 10 years for replacement or repair and the media tank for life and the salt tank for life.  However, they have refused to replace anything or repair anything for no charge, and they haven't even replaced parts no charge. In short, they have not done a single thing per their warranty.  That said, the amount mentioned above that I have spent, ($941.81) includes new resin which cost $258.00. I think I should have to pay for that.  

  As I have said, when we needed a new water softener, we researched many brands. We chose Discount Water Softeners BECAUSE of their warranty but they have not honored their warranty in any way.  I attached proof of their warranty claims in several forms to my original complaint.  And, as I said, it's only AFTER the customer buys a ******************** Softener from Discount Water Softeners do they see the red sheet included with the product that says, in effect, that the softener has no warranty at all. It's not even warranteed to produce soft water!   I want to be reimbursed for all of our expenses except the brine. All those things were covered under warranty.  Discount Water Softener now claims that certain parts aren't covered (actually, nothing is) but, like any other business, they shoud have specifically stated what parts were not covered under warranty in the advertisements. 

  In the last 45 years, we've owned three water softeners, the last one being from Discount Water Softeners. We owned the other two for about 20 years each and we never had a single problem with either of them - not once! - until they finally simply wore out.  I never had to do a single repair on them.  And contrary to what the man at Discount Water Softeners said, I never said that their water softener never worked.  What I did say was that we had frequent problems with it. In fact, in an earlier conversation, I told him that we had to repair it approximately every six months since we purchased it and we paid for all repairs and did all the work except for the replacement of a circuit board and, despite what Discount Water Softners said, we paid about $75 for that.  He claimed that they did it for no charge.  That's simply not true and he knows it because he had to look up our past account to see that. 

  I find it odd that Discount Water Softners is so backed up with repairs. It seems to say something about the quality of their products. 

  One other thing: Discount Water Softeners is now trying to get out of their warranty because I told him our water was orange.  But they refused to warranty anything before I even told them that.  And the orange is actually a buildup in toilets and sinks over time.  We've had the same well and the same water for over 45 years. It's always been like that when not softened and we never had a problem with our previous two water softeners. In short, the iron in the water had nothing to do with the failure of the water softener.  As I said, they refused to honor any part of their warrantee even before I mentioned that our water was staining things orange. 

  If we can't find a reasonable resolution to this situation, we will be taking this to small claims court and I'm confident that any judge, after seeing Discount Water Softener's ads will find for us and Discount Water Softeners will also be ordered to pay our court costs, something they should consider. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2024

  If ******************** would like to send us his control valve we are happy to inspect it and provide an estimated cost of any non warrantied components that *** need replacement prior to any work being completed. If there are parts that failed due to manufacturer defect, those parts would be provided at no charge. Service work cost is not covered under the manufacturer defect warranty.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 21527196
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Discount Water Softener's offer is a little too late. Also, notice that they say they will charge for their work and they don't define what parts are covered under warranty - something they should have defined in their ads and in their warranty like any other manufacturer.  This leaves them an "out" on virtually any claim a customer makes.   As I have said, and which is shown in the attached ads and also the link to their video, they say the control valve is warranteed for 7 or 10 years depending on which ad is viewed.  Our conrol head has failed numerous times and I have paid for the parts each time.  And I paid for the part and labor when the circuit board failed. (I still have that circuit board.)

  Discount Water Softeners boasts of a replacement warranty.  If they won't honor their warranty for a control head that simply doesn't work, what does their warranty cover.  They not only will not replace it, but they won't replace parts or perform labor for no charge.  I've mentioned the red sheet (attached to my original complaint) that the customer only sees WHEN the ********************** softener is delivered.  It clearly states that if the water softener does not produce soft water, that is not covered under the warranty!  Then what is?  They actually wrote in the red sheet that if the product doesn't work, it's NOT covered under warranty. Again, this is a clear violation of the Implied Warranty of Merchantabiity.  That is perfectly clear.  A product, by Federal Law must do what it is designed to do.  By definition, if a product doesn't work, it's defective. But that's not all:  The red sheet also states that almost no defects are covered by the manufacturer.  In addition, it also states that the customer must take a picture of a defective part to have any chance of warranty coverage.  But most people would have no idea how to disassemble the control head, let alone determine what was causing the problem.  I've can work on it because I've worked on just about everything in my nearly 75 years and I was a service technician at one point, repairing literally hundreds of kinds of commercial, industrial, and domestic machines and equipment (****** Mfg.) before I became and engineer with **************** and later Lucent Technologies.  How, for example,  could and elderly person with no repair skills be expected to disassemble the control head, determine what part is defective, and then take pictures of the defective part.  And how could they tell if a part, such as a circuit board is defective?  This is clearly just another difficult, if not impossible hurdle that Discount Water Softeners uses to deny warranty coverage. 

  Discount Water Softeners has charged me for every single part I needed to repair the control valve.  That includes spacers and seals, a circuit board (which they claimed in their response they did for no charge but they most certainly did charge me for it). They obviously went back in their records to find the circuit board replacement so they have to know that they charged me for it.  Either they can't read their own records or they simply lied.   I can't think of any other explanation.  This speaks to their integrity and credibility. They charged me over $70. for the circuit board, and they charged me for the injector set and the drain control and the spacers and seals, which they claim I never purchased.   I paid for every single part and any labor they did. I replaced every part and checked every thing both Discount Water Softneners told me to check and replace and which the manual lists as things to replace.  That is completely contrary to what Discount Water Softeners has claimed in their responses but I have the proof of everything I have said. Discount Water Softeners has claimed that I didn't do these things or follow their directions but I most certainly did.  They simply would not listen to me. I tried to explain what I had checked and replaced and what the symptoms were but they wouldn't listen. If they had, they almost certainly would know that was causing the problem and we could have resolved this.   When none of the things they and the owner's manual recommended to check and replace worked, I called Discount Water Softeners to arrange bringing the control head to them for repair. Twice I was told that the repair would NOT be covered under warranty. They said that even before they knew what the problem was.  So, clearly, they would claim whatever the defect was, it would not be covered under the warranty.   Keep in mind that they boast in their ads that things will be replaced if they don't work but they would not even consider replacing the the control valve - or any parts or labor for no charge, for that matter. So the question is, and what they may have to explain in Small Claims Court if it unfortuantely gets to that point, what does their warranty actually cover?  If we must take this to Small Claims Court, the judge wil be shown their ads, videos, emails,  the red sheet, etc.  We don't want to have to go that route but we most definitely will if we can't reach an acceptable resolution to the situation.  If it must go that way, we will not only be asking for reimbursement for the control valve and all other parts and labor we have paid for (with the excption of the resin), but we will also be asking for our court costs.   We will do that!  I believe it's in Discount Water Softener's best interest to avoid that. 

  As for taking my defective head in for repair, I offered to deliver it to they right them immediately - I mean, right then.  I told the man on the phone that I would be able to deliver it to them within an hour or so.  At that point, he because argumentative and he wanted to dominate the conversation. He didn't want me to talk while he suggested such things as hiring a plumber to come to our house and fix the water softener at our expense which is obviously unnaceptable. When he started saying things like,  I had to speak up but he didn't want me to talk.  He actually expected me to accept and be satisfied with such advice.  When I saw where he was headed,  I spoke up at which point, he said loudly, "I''m talking!"  but he was just wasting my time.  There was no way I was going to accept the suggestions he was making.  They were completely unacceptable.  But, at that point, I was even willing to pay for the repair because we simply need soft water. Our water heater is now filled with hard water.  However, the man said that it would take 2 to 2 1/2 weeks to repair. I asked him if they could put a priority on it because we really can't wash clothes, etc., until it's repaired,  To that he made a snide ****** implying that we wanted to go ahead of everyone else, clearing implying that we thought we were special and more important than everyone else.  We certainly DO NOT think we are special or better than anyone else and if he knew us, he would know what a ridiculous thing that was to say. But because we have hard well water, and our situation is probably worse than anyone who has their equipment in for repair that is on city water, I just asked if they could put a priority on it.  I have no doubt that they could have diagnosed and repaired the control valve within an hour once they started looking at it.  After all, water softener control heads aren't rocket science and their technicians repair these all day long. (According to the man I talked to, they are backed up with repairs which may indicate a quality issue with their water softeners.)  He refused to put a priority on it.  If they could have repaired it in a few days and without holding everyone else up, I would not only have paid for it (even though I shouldn't have to) and that would have been acceptable.  Instead, the man not only refused to even consider putting a priority on the repair but he insulted me by implying that we thought we were somehow special and better than everyone else.  That's some customer service! 

  Now they say they'll diagnose and repair my OLD control head but make it clear that I will be charged for the parts and labor. But I've already purchased a new control head and other parts because we simply need soft water and we cannot wait 2 to 2 1/2 weeks or argue with Disount Water Softeners any more.  They've flat out refused to cover anything under their warranty.   However, I'll be happy to bring them the old control head for them to diagnose and repair so we have a backup in case the new one fails like the old one.  But I will not pay for the repair and parts.  Those are clearly covered under the warranty.  Reading their  responses, it's should be clear to any reasonable person that no matter what part fails, they will claim it's not covered under warranty. But if the control head doesn't work, by definition, it's defective.  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************