Rain Soft Aka Discovery Marketing ripoff dishonest fraudulent Altamonte Springs Florida

I agree--- I think there is some shady stuff going on at Rainsoft. I called Discovery Marketing (that is who Rainsoft.com told me to call for Florida) and they said I had a PAST DUE bill to cover before they would send out a repair person at $125 for the first half hour. Apparently, they rebuilt a motor last year and never told me about it! I remember calling them last year for salt delivery and they said if I bought X amount of salt that they would do a "free inspection" of my unit. Well, I left them a check for the pre-determined amount, and that was that...until now, a year later when they informed me that they had rebuilt the motor and that I still owed on it. WHAT?!?!? I never even received a bill for these unwanted repairs! The customer service person offered to take the late charges off for me...ugh. I am digusted with Rainsoft and Discovery Marketing. What a scam!

I recently purchased rainsoft. I read a lot of material and a lot of negative comments. What I noticed was that rainsoft information varied by state than by county. Some say how awful or how the customer service or repair is costly. I was visited by one of the so called sales man. However, I feel the difference was that I took the advice of another consumer and became an infomred consumer. When the salesman arrived to do his water test show I already knew what I wanted and what I did not. We live on well water, so it's a must. High Iron levels and sulfure. My water had already been tested ( not by rainsoft) so I already knew what I would need. I priced the product to others nearby and had others coem by to give me quotes. Rainsoft was costly. The full system with the R/O was bout 9500. We financed through Home Depot but with specialized financing making it about 197 monthly for 60 months. We will probably pay off sooner. What was funny was that the sales man said no ne every really asks so many questions and are rarely so informed. He was not pushy at all only stating that he has one at home. I was not sure if I believed him or not. He aslo did not state that this was the only opportunity to buy, but that if we were interested we can always call him back. What I did believe was the reports made by other consumers. Comments were usually the same. I believe we payed more than we had to, but are satisfied with the system and the support behind it in my county. See that is not the same in every county. My sister in law has one for city water in another county and has had nothing but problems and they never come out to fix it. Personally I would never pay to have this or anything if I was still on city water, unless it had severe Iron levels and sulfur like well does where we live. I think the best advice I can give is before you buy anything research it and compare it and look to webcites like this to see what others have to say.

I just wanted to say thank you to Rainsoft for coming out to our home to test the water. I could not believe how dirty our tap water was. The difference is amazing now that we have the RainSoft System in our home. Our skin is softer and looks more healthy, the water itself tastes and smells better and i can really tell a difference in the way our food tastes.Thank you so much! You really made a BIG difference in our lives.

Thank You,
Dennis and Teresa
Chattanooga, TN

From what I understand, Discovery Marketing owns their own financing company and that is the company they use to finance customer purchases. (except the customers who go through Home Depot, or their own credit cards.) To say that Discovery Marketing has nothing to do with the financing is inaccurate especially if you are a customer of theirs prior to 2007.

Good luck to you in getting your water treatment system up and running!

To state this mildly, some of Jeffs comments are subtly misleading, but more importantly, it is highly unlikely that a person who is simply a consumer with no financial interest, would provide information in the way that Jeff did.

First you present the idea that the problems Allen is having are somehow his fault- for not maintaining it properly. A little later you sort of back away from that idea so no one could accuse you of blaming the customer from what is clearly the companies fault. But the reader is certainly left with the impression that maybe it is his fault. Nice trick, nice try. Why would a disinterested consumer do that?

You also state that the $10,000.00 for the system must include finance charges. Then you make sure everyone understands that Discovery or Rain Soft , gets nothing out of the financing. How do you know that? How would you have any idea what kind of relationship Discovery, Rain Soft, has with the many companies it deals with. How would you know that they might, or might not, finance some customers on their own.

By the way, as of this writing their 'top of the line system' is $8,700.00. If you finance it you pay $230 (& change). So, if you add the interest in, it comes to more then $13,000.00.

But most importantly TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT CONSIDER DEALING WITH THIS COMPANY, know that you are dealing with a DISHONEST AND IMMORAL COMPANY. Here are a couple of reasons why (which is why, upon conclusion of training, I refused to sell for them- unfortunately you learn these things gradually thru training, so I did waste my time going thru their complete program before I realized some of their unethical practices.)

One main example is this. AS a salesman I was to tell them I am there to do a market research survey. THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS SELL THEM ANYTHING. Anyway, after eating up about 3 hours of their time (and tireing them out) you make them this increible tonight and tonight only offer.

Tonight they don't have to pay the normally required deposit of $1,000.00- it is deducted from the price. Not only that, but again TONIGHT & TONIGHT ONLY, you are giving them years wrth of laundry products, so it works out that the system is costing you little (or maybe nothing ) per month. This is because of all the money you save per month by having this system plus the laundry products we are sending you.

NOW WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY DON'T BUY TONIGHT. I can no longer sell the system to them at the special price. As a matter of fact, I am not even allowed to try to call them and re sell them the system.

But in the next day or two, they will get a call from the company. It is clled the re-hash department. THEY WILL OFFER THEM THE PRODUCT FOR LESS MONEY. I was told during training it could be a couple to a few thousand dollars less.

So by not getting the 'special deal' , they get the procuct for a lot less money.

I morally have trouble doing business that way.

The site is new give it time. For every person that complains there are 5 or more that don't or do not know how. You do the math.

I purchased my rainsoft system in 1997 and can't live without one now. After a year of having mine...and her showering at my house..... my Grandmother had a system put into her home as well. She has her system for 8 years and I've had mine for 9. Between both of our systems we have had a total of three service calls. Now.. in addition to those three service calls I have Rainsoft/Discovery Marketing do what they call a Tune-Up on the system every couple years... less than a hundred dollars to do.. but just like getting the oil changed in your car.... you have to take some responsibility to care for your water treatment equipment. Perhaps the problems you've had were more directly related to how you maintained your system or a lack thereof.

In the nine years of having my system I have had nearly two dozen of my friends and acquaintances from Church also decide to get systems based at least partly on both mine and my grandmother's experiences. I have yet to have had any of those families come to me with complaints or express regret.. and see most of them nearly every Sunday. I'm not denying that you had problems with your system and perhaps with how your service needs were handled.. but I felt compelled to stand up for a product that had given me years and years of great service.. as well as doing the same for my grandmother and many friends in Christ.

The system I bought wasn't near the $10,000 you mentioned, but i'm inclined to believe that your total is inclusive of interest paid.. which doesn't go to Rainsoft/Discovery Marketing in any way. Saying you bought a system for 10k would be like saying you bought a house for 350k that the purchase price was actually 100k.. but you felt compelled to add in all the interest that you CHOSE to pay. When I purchased my system I wasn't forced to use their financing... but I did... however I paid my system off in the first year and paid very little interest... and there was no type of prepayment penalty of any type. I just hate to see a few select disgruntled customers ruin the opportunity for others to enjoy what a rainsoft does in your home. I sincerely wouldn't want to ever be without mine again... and as far as being able to get a system at sears.... for only 300-400.... in the nine years i've had my rainsoft.. my neighbor... a few doors down... in the 9 years i've been enjoying rainsoft is now on his THIRD kenmore water softener. And if you're worried about salt.... ( I have an Environmental Science Degree from Purdue University - graduate in 1996) then you definately want to stay away from simple softeners...and I use about one bag of salt for every four my neighbor uses.... Actually... if I break it down... I don't know what he paid for his first two kenmore softeners (which only had a one year warranty each) but for the last one he paid nearly 800.00 for just the unit... and 200.00 for the installation.. and got no soaps or lifetime warranty.. whereas I got a supply of soap and cleaning products with my system... that I still have about 25% of left after nine years...which has saved me well beyond what the system cost up front... after nine years of not buying bottled water and soap and cleaning products.

If you're in the market for water treatment equipment... just please keep an open mind.. as those that tend to take the time to type about their experience are almost always the bitter folks that have had a BAD experience.. whereas those of us that are totally satisfied seldom take the time to say THANK YOU to the company that gave us the product/service.

You also must keep in mind their size... The Rainsoft office I bought my system from has been a Rainsft "Distributor" since 1989... and have over 100,000 new customers just since then....and if there are but a dozen or even a hundred compalints on here.... that tells me that they're human and can't satisfy EVERYONE all the time.. but if less than 1% of their customer base is throwing around these complaints.. I wouldn't hesitate to have any of my other family members or church family get a system from Rainsoft today!

Thanks for your time and considerateion -