Newmarket senior Colleen Gorgan is raising a red flag about a water softener rental agreement she wishes she could get out of.
The 75-year-old said she had never had a water softener and never wanted one, but a sales representative she spoke with last fall changed her mind with a promises of a limited contract and rebate.
"I honestly cannot remember how that guy got in my house but I must have had a phone call or something like ‘we can offer you a water softener and you’ll get a rebate,’” she said.
The representative from Brawn Brothers, "a charmer," came to her home and she agreed to a 48-month rental term at $59.99 plus tax per month, Gorgan said.
The salesperson told her she had been approved for a $400 rebate, she added.
Next, she was told to call the company and say that the salesperson was not there when asked. She followed his instructions until on the call they told her the rental term was 180 months, she said.
“I looked at him and he went ‘no, no, no, it’s fine, it’s only 48 months’ and he wrote that right on the agreement, 48 month rental,” Gorgan said.
She said the water softener was installed the next day and she didn't think about it for a few weeks until she began wondering where the rebate was. She said she phoned the company several times and was told at first she wouldn't get the rebate unless she requested it and then was told it would come in the mail but it still didn't come.
“They started giving me the runaround and I thought 'OK, this is a scam',” Gorgan said.
She then spoke with a supervisor and was told she would receive the rebate if she signed off on it first, but she said she didn't want to sign anything else.
In a statement from its lawyer, Brawn Brothers said it had received a complaint from Gorgan and investigated it immediately. The company said they found there was no evidence to support her allegations, however, the sales representative "did not conduct himself in accordance with the incredible standards Brawn Bros holds to its employees, contractors, and customers."
The company said the sales representative is no longer an employee.
"It is our understanding that Ms. Gorgan claims that the since-terminated sales agent offered her a $400 rebate. We can confirm that our company does not offer such rebates for water softener installations, which is what she had purchased," the statement said.
It went on to say that the company decided to honour the rebate and said that Gorgan was required to sign a "mutual release, acknowledging that a concern was brought to the company’s attention and that we have come to an acceptable resolution."
Brawn Brothers confirmed that she did not sign the release and therefore did not receive a rebate.
Gorgan said her other concern was the lengthy 15-year term of the rental agreement, which she was originally told by the sales rep would be only for 48 months, which adds up to about $12,000.
“Who’s going to pay $12,000 for a water softener?” she said.
The statement from Brawn Brothers, however, said she agreed to the terms.
"We wish to address Ms. Gorgan’s allegation that she was misled about the terms of the agreement. Brawn Bros always conducts rigorous due diligence prior to the installation of any equipment in a customer’s home to ensure both compliance and satisfaction. Ms. Gorgan was explicitly informed of the term of the agreement, which is documented in the third-party verification call conducted with her," it said.
Gorgan said it was only after the fact that she realized what she had done.
“I signed saying this was good but it’s after the fact that you realize what you’ve done, what happened,” she said. “I thought I was doing something good for the house but I goofed. I made a mistake on that one."
Consumers are also being advised to be wary energy-related scams, which the Ontario Energy Board says have risen by 70 per cent increase in recent months. The board has partnered with the Ministry of Energy to create an anti-scam campaign to protect and inform customers. Newmarket-Tay Power has joined this campaign.
"Although NT Power has not received any reports from its customers of scam attempts, it’s important that our customers remain on guard. If customers are called by someone requesting personal information or demands immediate payment, we recommend they hang up immediately and call our offices directly," said Blain Osmond, communications coordinator.
As for Gorgan, she is still hoping the water softener can be removed from her home and hopes others will be more careful than she was.
