Endless Mountains Water Services, LLC Endless Mountain Solar Services, LLC Bait and Switch; Failed to Honor Warranty, Internet

In November 2009, Steve McHale, a sales representative from Endless Mountains Water Service, LLC (the Company) performed a test of our water and, based on the hardness, recommended an Avantapure 269 softener with KDF filtration media to treat our water.  To further ensure the purity of our water, he also recommended a UV Filter and Reverse Osmosis system.  I told Mr. McHale that we had 1 piping throughout our house and that I wanted all system components to be the same 1 piping in order to avoid an unnecessary reduction in water pressure.  I said I would be getting multiple quotes from other companies and that to ensure that I was comparing apples to apples, I wanted to make sure that my quote was based on a system designed for 1 fittings.  Mr. McHale provided me with a written quote for $3,700 for the entire system and stated 1 piping.  He verbally reiterated that the quote was for 1 fittings and that there was a one year warranty on labor and additional manufacturer warranties on the equipment.  I agreed to purchase the system for $3,700, paid with a check, and had the system installed about a week later by Endless Mountains Water Service technicians.

Shortly after installation, I realized that the UV Filter installed has components, meaning that my 1 piping was reduced to accommodate the smaller components.  I contacted EndlessMountains to voice my concern.  I explained to Mr. Michael Pitcavage, the President of the Company, that I specifically asked for 1 fittings, was quoted for a 1 fittings, but had a UV Filter installed instead.  I also explained to him that I had a comparable quote from another company (Culligan) for a similar system with 1 fittings.  He asked me to submit the quote to him and that he would make it right.  I submitted the Culligan quote to him, but I never heard back from him on this matter.  I later contacted Mr. McHale and explained the problem to him.  He said that he would contact Mr. Pitcavage and get the problem rectified right away.  I never heard back from Mr. McHale regarding this matter again.

Within a couple months of usage (January 2010), we began noticing greenish/blue stains appearing on our clothes after being washed and on our shower stalls.  This ruined some of our clothing.  The stains are sign of copper in the water.  We had our water tested at an independent lab and it showed that the pH level in our water was 6.2 (normal is 7.0), indicating that the water was acidic.  We purchased a pH neutralizer and had it installed by a professional plumbing company.  The installer tested our water and confirmed that the pH level had been raised to at least 7.0.  However, the stains continued.  After researching the matter further, which included talking to representatives of the manufacturer of Avantapure and talking to the installer of the pH neutralizer, it was determined that the cause for the staining was the KDF filtration media in the Avantapure system.  The experts that I spoke to instructed me to have the KDF removed immediately and have it replaced with softening resin.  I contacted the Company (July/August 2010), explained the problem, and requested that they remove the KDF and replace it with softening resin.  Mr. Pitcavage stated that the KDF was likely the cause, but that without sending out one of his technicians out to my house for a charge of $95, he would not know for sure.  I then spoke to a representative from the EndlessMountains office, Gorgette, and explained to her that should not have to pay a $95 service charge when the system is under warranty.  She suggested that we could confirm the source of the staining by turning off (by-passing) the Avantapure system for one week.  If the stains stopped, then we would know that the source was the KDF in the Avantapure.  I followed her instructions, by-passed the Avantapure unit, and noticed that the stains stopped.  After one week, I turned the unit back on, and the stains began to reappear.  This confirmed that the source of the staining was the KDF from the Avantapure system.  I contacted EndlessMountains again and told them that I followed their instructions, confirmed that the source of the problem was the KDF, and again asked them to remove the KDF and replace it with softening resin.  Gorgette told me that they would do it for $600.  I asked to speak to Mr. Pitcavage and told him that I did not understand why EndlessMountains would not fix the problem under their warranty.  Mr. Pitcavage told me that he thought that we were outside of the warranty period (which we were not) and that he still thought the problem could have been caused by the our acidic water.  I told him that our water was no longer acidic since we had the pH neutralizer and that he was welcome to test it.  He agreed to send out test bottles and instructed me to send water samples to his office so that they could be tested.  He then told me that if in fact my water was not acidic, then he would replace the KDF free of charge.  I received the test kit from EndlessMountains and submitted the samples.  I never heard from EndlessMountains again.  [Note:  I independently tested my water the same time that I sent in the sample and it showed that my pH was normal at 7.0 to 7.1]  During the past 9 months, I have patiently tried to work with EndlessMountains, however, they have repeatedly failed to honor their word and their warranty.  We have since turned off the system since the staining continued to ruin our clothing.  In essence, we paid $3,700 for a system that we can no longer use.

What I am Seeking to Rectify the Complaint:

I want EndlessMountains to rectify the two problems outlined above. 

First, they should honor their quote and replace my UV Filter with a larger UV Filter that is designed for 1 piping. 

Second, they should honor their warranty and replace the KDF media with softening resin without us enduring additional costs.