ComplaintsforUS Water Systems, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered the system on May 10th. I paid $246.62. I expected to receive a system that was made in the ** because thats what their website states! In fact, when youre on hold during a phone call, it reiterates that same info!I received the product a couple days later. When I opened the box, EVERY product contained a label stating made in ***** or made in ****** ! This is absolutely unacceptable! I ordered from them thinking I was supporting an American made product not the case!I called them immediately and spoke to ******. I voiced my displeasure and she said I could return but Id be paying the shipping amount. When I disagreed with that, she transferred me to someone else another woman (dont remember her name). I spoke very passionately and she kept telling me to stop yelling. I was not yelling. She said that theres some sort of fine print that states they dont make all their products! Again, very misleading! They definitely want you to think youre buying American made! She ended the call by saying that she processed the return and Id receive a label for shipping. I received the label via email and shipped the unit back the following day. They have received the product. Btw nothing contained in the box was even unwrapped let alone used. On May 16th , I received a return authorization stating Id be refunded $174.32. No way is this acceptable! I will not be paying to ship a product back to them.

  

  Business response

  05/16/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau and Ms. ******************** you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or inconvenience you experienced with your recent purchase from US Water Systems.
  
  Ms. ******, we understand that you were under the impression that the reverse osmosis system you purchased, the "PurelyEZ," was made in the ***. We take great pride in our commitment to sourcing as many components and materials domestically as possible. However, as noted on the product display page and the manual for the PurelyEZ system, this particular model is our economy option, which is comprised of internationally sourced components. This information is provided to ensure transparency with our customers.
  
  We appreciate your feedback and regret that our communications did not meet your expectations. It is not our intention to mislead our customers, and we strive to provide clear and accurate information about the origins of our products. Our All American RO System, which is 100% made in the ***, ranges from $559.95 to $709.95, whereas the PurelyEZ system, priced at $229.95, is designed for those with a smaller budget.
  
  Regarding your request for a return and refund, we have processed this at no additional expense to you. You have been refunded $246.62, which reflects the full product and tax price. We hope this resolution demonstrates our commitment to customer satisfaction.
  
  We regret any frustration you experienced during your interactions with our team. It is always our goal to provide excellent customer service, and we will address your feedback internally to improve our processes.
  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. We value your business and hope to have the opportunity to serve you better in the future.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Chief Operations Officer
  US Water Systems

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Original date of transaction: $12029.65 8/10/22 I am supposed to get a Refund of: $1,195.60 on 8/7/2023. They had over sold me causing issues with the product that they had supplied me with on the original payment. After a lot of forced follow-*** (emailing the entire company and every person I could find) starting on 4/25/2023 I was able to have them admit their mistake and they started to correct it. They instructed me to return the part they over sold me on. I followed up multiple times again to see what the status is of my return as the paperwork says 14 business days to refund my money. They never mentioned how they would refund the money and finally they just said that 1/2 of the amount was refunded on 8/7/2023. I followed up asking why I didn't get the full amount and they responded that it was their mistake and they are correcting it. I was finally able to get out of them that the refund was to the original payment method which given it was almost a year ago at that point my CC had since changed. I informed them they need to instead send me a check for the amount. I was escalated to accounting where they informed me that the refund went through to my CC and I had to work with my CC company. After calling them they informed me that there is no way to refund a closed account and they do not see any pending refunds on my current CC. I called back again requesting them to send me a check or refund my current CC. Now all communication has gone dark. I last heard back from them on 8/24/2023 where they said the *** was figuring it out and that I should get the refund soon. This is WAY past their 14 business days that was mentioned to refund my money. The amount of work that was required just to get them to fix their original mistake took over 3 months of me pestering them and emailing all communication lines I could possibly find. This company says they are experts and want to resolve your issues quickly but once they get your original payment amount it is nearly impossible to get a knowledgeable employee or a response.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2023

  The characterization of what happened here are so preposterous and exaggerated that it would be comical if it was not so slanderous.

  First, he was not "oversold." We suggest using an Anti-Scalant System in front of his Whole House Reverse Osmosis System and that is what we sold him. He decided to use his water softener, which is his prerogative. 

  It is not as effective as the Anti-Scalant System, but that is his choice.  It could certainly affect his warranty, but we said OK and refunded it on August 7th (See attachment ********************* refund).

  We were later notified  that the card had expired. So, we then sent out a check with the full refund.  

  That check was returned  with a "Return to Sender" Sticker. (See attached ********************* 3). We have been calling him since August 16th to try and figure this out. We have his check and will send it AGAIN IMMEDIATELY if he supplies us with the correct address.

  In summary, we tried to refund his card, but it had been cancelled. Then, we mailed him a check and it was returned.  I am sorry that he has not received his refund, but we have done nothing wrong, and the delays occurred due to the uncommon nature of his refund conditions. 

   

  Customer response

  09/17/2023

  I am not sure what is considered "exaggerated" or was "preposterous" because they were all presented in the initial statement but I now feel the need to list the facts that were all attached in the initial report as I am now being accused of slander.
  
  Here are the facts:
  I do NOT have a "water softener" that they speak of. The only non US-water device that I have is a Sediment filter which adds NO chemicals. I confirmed this configuration with ******** and he said "yes sir." *** attached "Initial email ******** ." I have also attached a picture to prove there is no water softener..
  

  If I wasn't "over sold," then their tech ***** certainly thought so and this is what started the correction process. In the initial email sent from *****: "I got looking at your water test again and its really not bad enough to need the antiscalant." Please see email chain "FaultItem"
  
  As for the emailing and forcing responses: I sent an email asking for an update on 4/26, 4/30, 5/3, 5/5, 5/10 (+*****), and finally got a response on 5/10, and they stopped responding again. I continued emailing with no responses 5/11, 5/17, 5/25, 6/1, 6/8 (+3 others +2 Large email groups) and finally got a response on 6/8. Please see email chain "FaultItem."
  
  As for the credit card being "canceled," cards change and expire all the time *********** should have verified before sending that amount of money on how to refund. I informed them on 8/9 and again on 8/11 that my card changed and they will need to do something else. Finally on 8/15 I was then told by ******, the accounting specialist, it was "escalated," which started the whole credit card "was refunded" debacle. It took her until 9/7 to inform me that she sent a check but that it was returned and she will send it again with no action needed on my end.
  
  This company clearly doesn't have their information correct and needs to work on their communication and customer service skills. I was just informed on 9/13 that the check was returned AGAIN. I don't know how they sent me the initial product on several pallets,2 other orders, and the replacement part (which I didn't have to provide any information for), which were all sent to the correct address but now they are struggling to send me the refund check to the correct address. I have called ****** again to inform her of my address to see if they can resolve this issue. Perhaps they forgot to attach postage?
  
  All in all, in my opinion this company does not deserve an A+ rating. They can't even keep their facts straight, and still havent provided a refund for over 5 weeks. I am not sure what is "uncommon" about the refund condition. ***** could have easily resolved this by asking, "Where should I send the refund to?"

  

  Business response

  10/17/2023

  ******************************* has now received his check subsequent to the complaint that arose 9/6/2023.
  
  Let me know if you need anything else from me.
  
  regards,

  *************************
  

  Chief **********************

  US Water Systems

  Customer response

  10/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response/resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  

  Customer response

  10/23/2023

  Hi BBB, 

  My original request has been completed but through this request we saw another side of the business acting very unprofessional as well as accusing me of lying when they in-turn lied in a response! Can this case please be looked at as having an A+ rating with this kind of behavior is misleading. 

   

  -*********;

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I needed to replace my whole house filter (in a home I just purchased) I called the Company to find out which filter was the correct one for my system. They ended up sending out the wrong filter. I called, they gave me a return authorization, I purchased the correct filter, returned the wrong one, and then waited for my refund. I have made numerous phone calls to the Company but still have not received my refund of $54.61. They indicate that they can not process my refund since my credit card was canceled and reissued under a different number. They refuse to send me a check. is there anything you can do to help me with this issue?***************************

  

  Business response

  06/20/2022

  The customer requested to a return a product.  We authorized the return. The customer returned it in good condition, but when we tried to refund their card, the card had been cancelled. 

   

  We could find no further communication, until they filed a complaint.  If they would have called and asked for a check to be sent, we could have saved everyone a lot of time and trouble and the customer would have had their money back immediately.  All it takes is communication.  We never refuse refunds. We are sorry for any confusion.

  Customer response

  06/21/2022

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this response/resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  

  Regards,

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I bought a water treatment system from ** Water on August 13 2021 after having spoken to their sales rep on the phone. I was clear from the start that my goal is to lessen the hard water in a house we just bought. The experienced sales rep said that the system won't remove all the hard minerals which are causing the hard water stains but will remove a majority, like 75%. I was good with that. So, I bought it for $1,420 and then paid an expert plumber to install it. (Who by the way told me that this 'thing won't work.')Sham - the system has not removed ANY hard water elements nor hard water stains. I emailed, called and text my sales rep (I texted b/c she said their phone systems were down for weeks. . .) who has been stringing me along for months now. She has our original phone call on record and knows she sold me the wrong system. I simply wanted them to exchange out the system for another that is focused on softening the water. But now after weeks (over 7) of them stringing me along with promises to resolve I want them to refund my money and for the amount I paid to the plumber to install the system.They've gone silent...and I have a $1,400 scuba-tank looking thing attached to the back of my house.

  

  Business response

  12/28/2021

  We have talked with the customer and resolved the complaint. He has agreed to remove it.

  Customer response

  12/28/2021

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. We are in the process of solving the issue and once done I'd like to remove my complaint against this business. Kindly follow up with how to remove the complaint in 2 weeks. Thank you. 
  
  
  

  Regards,

  ***********************

*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. ↩