Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Florida Water technologies was hired in August of 2022 to rebuild my water softener. From their diagnosis it needed a new valve and new seals. I agreed to the work based on the assurance they could get it working. At the time of the service call I also agreed to have a French drain dug for the water softener discharge outlet at the recommendation of the tech. I monitored the water softener for a few months, and it didn't seem to be using salt, but it was cycling. They sent a tech out to check the seals and to recalibrate the amount of salt it was using. A few weeks later I got a call from Clay County Utility Authority saying my water usage was abnormally high. I inspected my home and found my side yard flooded. The water softener was stuck in a discharge phase and dumped thousands of gallons of water into my side yard. This also discharged what looked to be black carbon from the resin/carbon bed into my homes water. Essentially the regen/discharge cycle the softener was stuck in compromised the resin/carbon tank that was rebuilt in mid 2020. At this point there was discussion about a new softener to replace mine, but the cost difference wasn't realistic for what the initial quote to fix mine was. Both ***** (Service Rep) and Bradley (Owner) were very nice over the phone when I spoke with them but I still have not received a resolution. I gave them multiple attempts to fix the issue, took time off of work to meet the tech, paid for multiple services from them, and paid an abnormally high water bill. I have given them ample time to rectify this based on how pleasant they are and how willing they seemed to help but no reasonable resolution has arisen. Their communication has become subpar and I'm constantly reaching out to them without call back. I will give this issue 10 more business days then I will pursue other avenues of rectification.

  Business response

  03/10/2023

  We have refunded *** ****** for the repair charges. 

   

  However, *** ******* recount of the timeline and elements of what happened are inaccurate. 

   

  Each of the below paragraphs will correspond with the attachments. 

   

  ****** Original PO August 18th, 2022 $250.00 

  *** *****r hired us to perform a routine repair to his Fleck 5600. The repair is centered around replacing the wearable items inside the control valve. Seal and spacers receive friction and over time they wear out. The replacement of the wearable items was a success. However, our tech noticed that during the rinsing cycle water was pooling on the ground near the water softener. *** *****r asked what could be done, we informed him that most of the time we dig and install a French drain. We provided a quote for this additional service. 

   

  Due to the fact of the age of the Fleck system and the fact that it sitting outside in the sun, no warranty was given either written or verbal. 

   

  January Complaint: January 5th, 2023-FREE

  *** *****r called in with a complaint that the system was not working properly. We conducted a free service call to double check the system repair that we had conducted 5 months ago in August. The tech found the unit in good working order and the water tested perfectly soft. However, my tech did notice that the main piston was not turning as freely as it should. At this point, we began to think that the system had deeper issues, something different than the seals themselves. But we tried to revive it by relubricating the seals and put it back together at no charge. 

   

  February 17th, 2023. 2nd Seal Replacement-FREE

  *** *****r became increasingly frustrated with us, rather than acknowledging that perhaps this old water softener may be in need of replacement. We recommended replacing the system and that we would give him a credit toward a new one. That's when he accused me of attempting to bait and switch him. I have been in business 15 years and have built this business the right way. And that if he felt that way then we should agree to disagree and go our separate ways. Nonetheless, *** *****r continued to be adamant that we had not performed the seal replacement the correct way. I truly understood his desire to prolong the life of the system after all its was making soft water on January 5th. So, to help him squeeze every last bit of usefulness from his old water softener, I finally agreed to replace the seals and piston with new parts at no charge. But when my tech got there, he noticed that the main drive gear was warped, and the gear teeth were not lining up properly. It seems, it wasn't the seals after all. Due to warped gears and the age of the system I told him that there was nothing more that we could do. 

  This is where things went south with our business relationship. *** *****r could not and would not acknowledge the fact that overtime that these systems can wear out. After all, they are made of plastic and like everything else these things can wear out. 

  Further trying to help *** *****r get soft water again to his home I began to think outside the box. Apparently, around the same time we were removing a lightly used system from a different customer, and i informed him that maybe i could make him a good deal on this used unit. However, once we retrieved the used system it was sun damaged as well and we through it in the dumpster. And that there is really nothing else that we can do. 

   

  Summary: 

   

  Upon receiving this complaint. I phoned *** *****r immediately. Even though we did not damage his water softener and we already provided over $300 worth of free service calls, I agreed to refund the money he paid us to maintenance his old fleck water softener. I immediately stopped what i was doing and refunded via Zelle today March 10th in the amount of $250.00 

   

   

   

   

*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. ↩