Beware this new scam doing the rounds
 

See these links I found after talking to some friends;

https://florida-water-analysis.****e...om/review.html

BBB Business Profile | Florida Water Analysis | Reviews and Complaints

"I purchased a water softener and RO systems at the end of July 2017. First of all the sales person didn't disclose all the info about the RO system. It only comes with a 2.5 gal holding tank which isn't much water if your cooking, you run out and it takes about 1 hr to recover. They came back out after going around with them and added a 2nd tank, charged for labor and fittings but waived the cost of the tank, I didn't think there should have been any charge, if I knew about the 2.5 gal tank I would have addressed it at the time of sale. Salesman also said we wouldn't get the white film on our hand washed dishes any longer and we still do. Salesman also said they would provide a bypass for the frig ice/water filter since it wasn't needed due to the new RO system. I went back and forth with them asked 4 people about it, told there wasn't one for my fridge. I called Sears parts found one readily available and they shipped it to me. Total cost $13.75 asked to be reimbursed since they we're inept at supplying one and have not received reimbursement. They started out quoting over $8000 for system and quickly discounted it to just over $4000 with a soap membership. Typical in home sales bull. DON'T BUY A SYSTEM FROM THEM, POOR SERVICE AND WAY OVERPRICED SYSTEM!!!!"

beware
Andy

Andy, sorry for your experience. We were approached by 2 or 3 (or more) sales persons shortly after moving in, including the "welcome wagon". All were selling water treatment, filter, etc., systems. One "tested" our water, then showed a notebook with headlines indicating that FL water was BAD, all of this taken out of context. I did a Google search for the government required water tests for Sumter County, water is fine, and well below government requirements. We got the same high pressure sales pitch, asked sales person to leave. Went to Sears, bought a whole house filter and whole house water softener, for around $600, and had this installed by a plumber (in hindsight, I could have done this myself...). Result, we have wonderful water, no restrictions on the amount we use, total cost was around $1000 (4 years ago), and the only maintenance is to add salt, about 4 to 6 bags per year.

What really gripped me was taking the headlines and "test data" out of context and then stating this was what we were getting from the faucet in TV. All we noticed upon moving in was the chlorine smell, and the hardness. To be honest, we had a water softener back up North, so we did notice a difference.

Glad you posted, you may have saved a few others from this situation.

This is like the Seinfeld episode where George is talking about how no one knows if the mechanic is being honest BC it's easy to just take it at face value... "He could tell ya you need a new Johnson rod..."

Have to research everything for yourself....BUT Yelp is a great thing. I feel like most businesses who do people dirty don't last long anymore BC of Yelp. And the good thing about Yelp, is you can kinda tell from the reviews what kind of people are just never happy, and discount them. Let me check this place out now....

I came home to an official looking letter jammed in my door.

Hand delivered door to door (red flag)

It appeared to be from a Florida Water Consumer Awareness Agency.

Wrong, just slick scam

They are selling high priced softeners

do a search online numerous complaints


.

forgot to add this!!
 

Forgot to post this, which is what (falsely) makes it look so 'official'

It claims to be from 'Florida Water Department, Consumer Awareness Department'
when they have no official status at all!!
Andy

My water softener is the shampoo I use to wash my hair.

I use a whole house filter and an electronic descaler--it has paid for itself,have never had to change the fridge filter in 7 years, despite the "timer" that keeps telling me to change the filter

Avoid high pressure sales people.
 

I have drunk tap water most of my life, and never felt the need for a water softener which is probably good because they add salt to your drinking water.

A few years ago I remodeled my kitchen, and at that time I added a commercial quality spin-on filter under my sink, so my sink tap water and refrigerator water line are filtered. In the long run this saves money because I don't have to have and replace the water filter in the refrigerator.

There are many paths to water purity, but I would certainly avoid the people who make the high-pressure approaches.

I disagree, I have a test kit (from the pet store) to test the level of salt in the water, there is NONE in ours with a salt based water softener. I test the water 2 or 3 times a year to make sure the system is working correctly.

If you want a softener I think you should be able to find one under 1,000. Start by talking to your water company for advice.

Lowes, Home Depot (and Sears) all sell combo units that have the water softener and filter in one unit. Not sure about going with Sears as there are so many reports about them going under, but I have always used Sears and they were very reliable, always exceeding the expected warranty. I had 3 up North, average lifetime 10 years each, and one here.

Missing the plot a little
 

Hi all,
The thread seems to be going off the plot a little.

My reason for posting was to warn of a company that appears to me to be trying to pretend to be an ‘official body’ when in fact it is nothing of the kind.

Whether people here in TV feel they want either a water filter or a water softener is one thing, but what they don’t want is scamming by unscrupulous companies and ending up paying thousands of dollars more than they should be paying for a product, whether it is any good or not.

Regards
Andy

Not sure there even is an official "Florida water department" ...so they could from their own Florida Water Department. Technically they are not wrong, you (and most consumers) make assumptions.

here's a pic of the letter, that letterhead can mislead many seniors,

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...5072-local0&zw

When we moved to The Villages 8 years ago, this scam was happening also.

One high pressure salesman did a "water analysis" for us. He took a testube of our tap water, put a few drops of a black dye in it. The water turned dark. He said that was conclusive proof we had contaminated water.

I showed him the door!

Yes, the water is "hard" here but it tastes good to us.

Call Seniors vs Crime before you let anyone from a Florida Dept of Water in your house. They will be able to tell you how many consumer complaints have been filed.