At US Water Systems, we have over a dozen Certified Water Specialists on Staff. You might not find twelve total with our top 10 competitors. We built the back-end of the business BEFORE we built the sales team. Our employees have nearly 200 years of combined water treatment experience, and when you have a problem, you will find comfort in talking with someone who has "been there, done that!" Then, there is this:

"I purchased a water softener from a company in Chicago, and have the WORST customer service I've ever experienced. [I wished] I would have just bought it from you. The 3/4 in water flow meter between the control head and the bypass valve has been cracked since the day it was installed. They want me to purchase a new one, take a picture(?) of the defective / leaking one, and return it then hope for a refund. They also charge a bunch more than you do. Can I exchange it for one at your facility, or am I hosed and have to deal with where I purchased it? I look forward to hearing form you."

We get complaints almost every day about the company whose name we withheld above. Maybe we shouldn't withhold it. Maybe we should alert others about them, At any rate, we also get a lot of calls from customers who have bought products from other companies who don't answer their phones for tech support. Many of these people call us and pretend to be our customers so that they can get tech support. This is not just an occasional thing, but is now happening many times each day, as our online reputation for excellent service spreads. While we try and help people, we have to respectfully decline to provide them with tech support, when they paid the other company the money that they want us to earn. My advice is to return the product and buy one from us... or maybe we should have a 900 number and charge for tech support for people who didn't buy from us. At this rate, we could make a lot of money! Look, we aren't perfect - we make mistakes - but you can get us 7 days a week, and we make up for what mistakes we make. We live by the mantra: "Every company makes mistakes. It's how they respond to those mistakes that differentiates good companies from bad companies." If you are thinking of buying any water treatment equipment from any company, I would suggest that you do a couple of things:

1. Call them during their business hours - tell them you need tech support and see how long you have to wait;
2. What are their hours? If they close at 5 PM or 6 PM, odds are you won't get any service when you need it;
3. Are they available on the weekends? If not, how can you really expect to get technical help?
4. Ask how many Certified Water Specialists they have on staff. Better yet, look it up online at www.WQA.org.

There are so many companies selling on the internet, and some of them are reputable, but some people see it as a way to make an easy buck. Some work out of their homes and garages - you would be surprised at what companies do that. Some are not so much dishonest as they are incompetent. At any rate, it's your money and your life, but I just think you deserve a company that is committed to you and your water as much as US Water Systems. If you find one, that's good, but if not, you can always come to us.