Virginie Esprit

Review of Waters & Co

Dealing with this company has been the most frustr...

Dealing with this company has been the most frustrating and time consuming purchasing experience. I ordered a white 10 L water filter for $869. On the same day I received an email advising me that delivery times for my location is between 7-10 days but did not receive a tracking number.

20 days later I received an email informing me that the water filter was out of stock and that the design had changed. I was to advise customer service if I wanted grey or black instead. (hmmm.... What?)

Further I was not impressed to find out that they estimated another 4 weeks for my order to arrive, since they were experiencing delivery delays. Now I questioned the legitimacy of the product, since I was under the impression this was an Australian company selling available Australian products.

Had I known I had to wait 2 months for this water filter or that I was available in only grey or black I would have not purchased this product.

I called customer service and left a voice message. While I received a return call with a voice message, I was also advised that I should send an email, since they are too busy and can't possibly keep up with all the phone calls. ...another red flag. Great customer service right there!

So I send an email, despite me not having the time or the nerve to sit down and explain my case on the computer while a toddler running around the house. It would have been easier to explain this to a real person in real time, while I keep an eye on my child. Regardless, I received no response to my email.

A few days later I send another email asking for a refund. I also engaged my credit institute to request the refund from their end.

Now they were interested in speaking with me in real time on the phone. I spoke with a man, who was incredibly rude. With the most arrogant attitude he requested I check my spam folder, because he supposedly had responded to my email. He was outrageously condescending and went on to blame me for not being able to read their website properly, indicating that this situation is clearly my fault.

After I explained that Chef Pete Evans has endorsed this water filter on his website, and that there was no indication that this item was out of stock, he got annoyed with me and raised his voice only to repeat blaming me once more. He also added that his company is not responsible for what their affiliates post on their own websites. (So now it's the affiliates fault...?)

He further stated in his horrible attitude that the water filter has always been grey instead of white and that photos never reflect the true colour of the product, since every computer has different colour settings. (Really? ... that's lame. Now it's the computer's fault.)

The email notification I have received 20 days after my purchase clearly stated that my ordered water filter is no longer available in white and that I should advise customer service whether I would like to switch to the black or grey design, which started this whole conversation.

This is not how you treat and speak with customers. In fact, this is not how you speak with ANYBODY!

2 days after this phone conversation I received an email from a woman of this company explaining that a refund has been issued.

3 days after that email I have received no refund nor a notification that a refund has been issued from my credit institution. Since this purchase was made with PayPal, refunds should have been prompt. So I sent another email asking how the refund was made. At this stage this issue is still unresolved and I am truly frustrated...

Investing in an expensive high quality water filter is a big deal and most people who care about the kind of water they drink also care about the the energy of the company who produces or sells water filters. How could one enjoy a water filter with this abominable attitude behind it?

While I can't commend on the quality of the water filter I would certainly not recommend dealing with this company, purely because of their horrible customer service. The way customer service is managed, says everything about a company.