"They Said They Would Give Us a Free Water Analysis"
"Isn't that wonderful that Big Name Water Conditioning Company is going to send out a Water Consultant and give us a water analysis absolutely free?" Maybe you have experienced that and it sounds great, but let me remind you that you usually don't get anything for free without some strings attached. There are exceptions and before I start, I would like to say that there are some very professional, wonderful companies who truly care about your water and do business in an ethical fashion... I am not talking about them. Rather, I am talking about the companies that have highly trained high-pressure sales people who earn between 25% and 35% commission on every sale they make. I am talking about the companies who send out a salesperson who has a case like the one at the top of this article. By the way, if you have one of these companies come out to give you a free water test, be prepared to lost about three hours of your life, because they are not leaving until you buy! Inside, you will find the components to test the water for the following:
- Hardness
- Iron
- pH
- TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)
- Nitrate
- Maybe Sulfur
You will also find what is called a "Precipitation Test" and a "Soap Test." These are often used to scare the Bejesus out of you and make you want to part with exorbitant amounts of money to protect your family from your horrific water. They may talk about about your TDS being above the EPA limits which sounds very dangerous, but likely isn't. They usually have a little "miniature water softener" which they hook-u to your faucet in order to demonstrate the difference between their water and your tap water. They will also do a "soap test" whereby it may take 10 to 15 times the amount of soap to get lather in hard water than in soft water. In the real world, it is really about 50% more soap that is required, but that's still significant (see photo at the left).
Where the deception often starts is in the "precipitation test" when they add a couple of chemicals to soft water (made by their miniature softener) and your tap water. I have known salespeople who say all kinds of things about this: "Oh my God! I've never seen water this bad! They are combining two chemicals: Potassium Hydroxide and Hydroxyquinoline Sulfate which react with each other in the presence of calcium and magnesium to form a "floc: in the bottom of test tube. It really doesn't mean much - it's just an indicator that you have hard water (see photo of the precipitation test at the right). There are a few salespeople who are totally unethical and carry an electronic "precipitator" which is about as unethical as you can get. Read about this scam HERE. If someone tries to use one of these on your water, kindly and quickly show them the door and hold on to your wallet. The best test you can get for your water isn't free, but it doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg. It's called The Deluxe Water Test and it tests for the following contaminants:
- Aluminum
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bacteria (coliform & E. coli)
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Bromide
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Calcium
- Chloride
- Chlorine
- Copper
- Fluoride
- Hardness
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Nickel
- Nitrate
- Nitrite
- Orthophosphate
- pH
- Silicon
- Silica
- Sodium
- Tannin/Lignins
- Thallium
- Turbidity
- TDS
- Zinc
You simply order the test from us - we pass on our cost to you - and then you fill the bottle with your water and send it to the Laboratory (the address is on the box). In about 10 business days we will have the results from an independent, unbiased third-party that you can trust. When armed with a good water analysis we can then know how how to best treat your water and GUARANTEE the results.
8 Comments
We just had a guy come out from aquakleen. So is this a scam then? 5k dose sound steep for water filters?? What should we do?
I can’t say it’s a scam, but it likely is double or triple what a system from us would cost. Tell me more about your water.
Hey now not all of us are horrible like that. Our outbound team carries and uses cases exactly like that one, with the miniature cation di unit to pull a control sample of clear water from. Ours is slightly modified with additional tests and tools for inspecting appliances and plumbing for any problems. When we do a precipitation test, we let our customers know exactly what it is and that it is only the calcium and magnesium. We use our TDS test to test R/O systems and to get a second reading on hardness (by dividing by 17.1) to double check our red to blue reagent. Later in the presentation we will use the precip to explain the drop in performance over time with their hot water tank, and how this can build up. We then show them the cost of their current water, and break down the money for them that they are throwing away by not using softened water. Sometimes this is a lot of money they are spending unnecessarily and the payment for the unit is far lower than what they are already loosing. Sometimes we can’t justify the price for them, and we don’t try to sell them something they don’t want or need. But we NEVER use scare tactics and even offer state certified water testing. We have 4 offices across the US and an A+ BBB rating. Not everyone using that case is bad! And not everyone using a precip test or a soap test is using it to scare people!
Good on you! Keep it up!
Really seems like you’re just a lazy lowballer stealing sales from kids thay worked hard for them claiming scare tactics whilst using scare tactics.
What is your main job? Who do you work for? Or are you just a professional troll. Have a nice day!
And your arent any much better charging hundreds of dollars for a test they can buy at Home Depot for under 30.00. Dont trust their scams how are you any different. Id rather take the free test and say no to the purchase. A water analysis is appropriate when buying a softener to determine the grains of hardness, chlorine level etc this will help in determining an appropriate softener or setup for you. TDS is important you idiot because if the tds is high in well water you cant treat it. If you dont want a salesman in your house, just get a test at Home Depot. Test for hardness, chlorine and let the company know you already have results for your water you just want a quote given the results. Tds is important in well water.
Patricia, When I read your response, I had to laugh and I am not going to call you an idiot, like you called me but you are ignorant of what a lab water test costs. You said: If And your arent any much better charging hundreds of dollars for a test they can buy at Home Depot for under 30.00. Dont trust their scams how are you any different. My Answer: A test like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/LABTECH-H2O-OK-Plus-Complete-Water-Analysis-Test-Kit-LT5015-6/205540501 has its place. It is like a blood test strip, but if you suspect you have any serious illness, then you will go to a blood lab and have the blood work done. Many contaminants are tasteless and odorless and a home Bacteria Test should never be trusted. Bacteria can be deadly and I would never trust my life or my family’s life to a test strip test. You went on to say: “TDS is important you idiot because if the tds is high in well water you cant treat it.” My Answer: You can’t treat High TDS on well water? That is 100% incorrect. It is easily treated. We do it many times a day… every day! The test you are extolling tests for 13 conditions and contaminants. Our lab test is for up to 117 contaminants, and by the way, we lose money on every test. It is not a profit center for us… but it is the only way to get a thorough understanding of what is in the water. The test you are extolling tests for 13 contaminants, but are you aware that “competing contaminants” can invalidate some contaminants’ ability to be removed? I am not going to call you an idiot, like you called me, but I am going to say that you seem to have a great deal of bad luck when it comes to thinking!