Press Release: 8/18/2005
For Release on 8/26//2005
Is the Culligan Man stealing from
seniors?
reported by Jim D'Amato
Does The Culligan Man routinely overcharge seniors? Please check with the seniors in your neighborhood to see if they have been cheated too. Then please let me know. jimdinlv@cox.net.
Twice in the last few years the Culligan Man has tried to cheat me. I rent a water purification system from the Culligan franchise in Las Vegas, Nevada. It's a Reverse Osmosis system. Culligan in Las Vegas wants me to pay for bad tasting water caused by their filter system becoming clogged. The Reverse Osmosis filter needs to be serviced frequently because of the poor water quality in Las Vegas. Both times I reported bad tasting water to Culligan it's took/taken them over 2 months to service the filter. In the first incident it took Culligan two and a half months to service the filter because they had to send a test kit to me and it needed to be returned and tested before they would come out.
I requested the Reverse Osmosis filter be serviced the middle of June, 2005. It was 6 weeks from the time I left a message for Culligan until a house call was even scheduled. Then, according to Culligan I wasn't home for the scheduled appointment. But, I was home. I called Culligan not 10 minutes after the serviceman said he was here. They refused to return and service the filter that day. The serviceman left an "un able to gain entry" note which I found when I went to check the mail about 2:45. The note is timed for 2:30. Culligan's serviceman likely didn't follow the instructions to knock very loudly so I would know someone was at the door. I am always home except when I go to the doctors. I've had 4 back surgeries since April of 2003. I have trouble walking and in constant PAIN, so it takes me a while to get to the front door. Culligan has refused to repair the Reverse Osmosis filter unless I pay for two months plus the current bill. One of the months is July 2005, and the other is a month I refuse to pay from the first debacle.
I not paying for Poopy tasting water and I LOUDLY!!! protest being held up for a service, PURE DRINKING WATER, I didn't received. Once an installer who serviced the filter didn't do the retrofit properly and the pure water quickly began to taste like chemicals. Culligan was out to the house pretty fast to fix that mistake, it only took them a couple of days. I'm a senior on SSI and refuse to pay for water that tastes/tasted like Poop. The water in Southern Nevada is absolutely hideous, it has large amounts of dissolved minerals that clog your pipes as well as having lethal amounts of Ammonium Percolate, rocket fuel.
I contacted Culligan's head office in Chicagoland twice recently about the problem in Las Vegas. I was basically stonewalled by a receptionist named Beth [I believe to have heard her say] the second time. I talked with Beth a week+ after I first called. The first call was the Monday after the 27th of July, my appointment date. I spoke with Laura on that Monday who said she was president Mark Seals assistant. Laura heard my complaints and said she would help, saying she would contact Las Vegas and that she would call me back in few days with a resolution. From what I can tell, Laura did nothing. I haven't received any calls from Culligan, yet. I have caller ID but also use that line for a fax machine.
I'm sure I'm not the only senior in Las Vegas to be abused by Culligan. I now wonder just how many seniors here in Nevada and across the country are being cheated by Culligan?
Culligan is now owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a turnaround company. The company needed to be in the dumps for CDR to buy it in the first place. Besides Culligan, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice http://www.cdr-inc.com also now own BRAKES, ITALTEL, Graphic Packaging Int., Remington, REXEL and VWR International. It has turned around many others with which you would be familiar. See CDR's website for more info.
Jack Welsh ex-GE guy is among the owners of CDR. These people know that bad service and cheating seniors is not good for business. Thus, the reason for this posting.
Available on the web @ http://aaarf.net/culligan_stealing_fro.htm. It will be linked and placed in Google on 8-28-05.
The publishing date may be delayed if health issues arise again.Copy faxed to Jack Welsh and Mark Seals
Copy's will be distributed to AARP and many of the world's news outlets on this list on 8-26-05.Responses to jimdinlv@cox.net
PAGE 2 The letter from Culligan via UPS Page 3 BRITA filters Culligan Water Page 4 Culligan Letter to BBB