Reverse Osmosis system service/repair
My review pretty much follows suit to the previous reviewer – Canadian Water Conditioning is simply not interested in happy customers but more so in being right.
In our case, here is what we had requested:
- repair/service of RO system that wasted too much water (10:1 – 15:1 waste to drinking water ratio)
- replacement of filter system for RO system (if the repair would work out)
- quoted price: around $215 + HST
Here is what we got:
- RO system that despite two visits still wasted too much water (in a test with the tech being there, we got 200ml drinking water for 6l waste…
- A serviced water softener system (not requested)
- An additional part for the softener (cost of part not provided to us by tech, I was only told it would require replacing)
- A final price of $591 incl taxes.
Instead of acknowledging they performed services we had not requested or were quoted, the manager (her name was Kerry or Terry, something like that) said that they could do nothing about the cost because this is what service they would have provided (true, but this not what was requested or even quoted).
In addition, the manager suggested this RO system would only produce waste water in a ratio of 2:1 or maybe 3:1. She did not believe us about the much worse ratio we got until her service tech confirmed this to her over the phone – despite basically telling my wife she would be making this up, she didn’t offer even an apology to us.
They did offer us something, namely to take the RO system with them to check it at their location. We agreed, but only after having them put in writing that there would be no more labour cost added from further trying to fix our system (they would contact us for parts if required, that we would pay for if we agreed with the repair). Despite that this seemed very wrong, we did pay the full price for their service.
Result from this:
- system still not fixed
- their in-house test found a waste : drinking water ratio of 7:1
- the manufacturer (that was finally contacted by them) even states 10:1 for this system
- Their solution: add a permeate pump to our system, which would apparently improve this ratio significantly, for $168. The same pump is available all over the web for around $50-$60 – so upon us asking, she said that they would need to charge for the labour for this……despite the written agreement that their repair of our RO system would not cause ANY further labour cost.
Understandably, we didn’t go for this option (her comment: great, then I don’t have to order one in…..).
I can only recommend to everyone to NOT deal with this company! If you ever decide you have no other choice, make sure you get a written/signed quote prior to the repair or service! I would like to add that the technician was actually quite nice, except that he could have probably informed us about the cost for the required water softener part. The management and customer service is horrible, however.
EDIT on March 11, 2014: You may not actually believe this, but despite the $590 paid for the service of both systems and the attempted repair of the reverse osmosis system, the reverse osmosis system is now leaking - yep, leaking (see pictures - not a big leak, but still a leak). Despite our history we made the effort to call them - on their 24/7 line on a Saturday- not that it was urgent, just to see how they'd react. Their answering machine stated the call was very important to them - that important that it took them 48 hours to respond......and yes, they would give a warranty for their work - for 90 days....needless to say, it's about 5 months later, and they quoted us another $150...... At least we somewhat expected an answer like this, so our disappointment was rather low.....but our point was definitely proven. Another comment regarding their response - the company initially serviced the RO system in June 2011 (acc to the comment, we are customers since 2012 only) - we bought the house in 2010 and the system s came with the purchase. We called them because the sticker on the system indicated they were the company to call for service....just another bit adding to the whole picture. Cannot recommend this company whatsoever - stay away!
- Approximate cost of services:
- $590.00
- Company Response
Canadian Water Conditioning Inc. would like to reply to the recent complaint rendered on September 21, 2013. We are a locally owned Water Treatment Company that has been in business for 33 years. We are completely transparent and available to our customers by email or telephone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our longevity is proof of our commitment to our customers and product.
The customer filing this complaint has been a customer of our company since February, 2012.
On August 27/13, this customer telephoned our office. Their concern was “there is too much waste water from the Reverse Osmosis System”. A Service Call was scheduled for September 4, 2013. The customer was advised during this conversation that their Water Treatment Equipment was overdue for Annual Preventative Maintenance Servicing. Would they like this servicing completed at the same visit? They agreed. Our technician attended the residence on September 4/13 and the servicing was completed. The technician did not detect any problems the Reverse Osmosis Purification / Drinking Water System. It was working perfectly….the customer was not satisfied with this answer as they felt that there was “too much waste water” going down the drain during the production of Pure Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water. After a lengthy discussion with the customer, it was agreed that the unit would be returned to the shop for further evaluation. They were also told that there would not be any additional charges for this review. The charges for the actual servicing of the Reverse Osmosis and Water Softening System were similar to the year before…No surprises there.
Upon inspection at our shop, it was concluded that the waste water ratio was actually less that the manufacturer’s ratings. The System was working perfectly! There were no charges billed to them as a result of our analysis. The customer was advised of these findings and it was suggested that installing a permeate pump would improve that ratio as well as the quality of water. The cost of this pump would be $168.50, installed. They declined since they did not want to incur any additional costs.
Our company did not originally sell or install this Reverse Osmosis System. It is unfortunate that this customer did not feel that they received good value or attentive customer service. We certainly used our expertise and knowledge to help the customer understand and resolve what they felt was an important issue. I cannot emphasize enough that the RO system was not broken. We addressed their issue and responded to this customer very quickly. It is disappointing that their review to Home Stars is so negative and one-sided.
If anyone has any questions regarding our Pricing, Preventative Maintenance Servicing or Technical information on any product or service that we perform, they are always welcome to contact us at anytime!