Primo Water Corporation

Primo Water is not a deposit program (nor does the retailer show on their reciept or take a deposit from the consumer). The signage explains much of the steps to enter the Exchange portion of our business.  1). Purchase your 3 or 5 gallon bottle of water2), Enjoy clean, wonderful tasting...

water3). Bring back your bottle (in the recycle bin) receive a ticket for a discount on your next bottle. We will certainly honor the bottle return through our website at $1.00 per bottle, up to 10.  This is a very rare occurrence that the consumer does not understand the program.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for reaching out to Primo Water.  This issue has been resolved.  Customer is receiving a new dispenser.  The voice mail was received on Friday and was on the callback list.  Our apologiesfor any inconvenience and for not getting the service you deserve.  Primo...

Water

Thank you contacting Primo Water.  The refill station at the store mentioned received a new until last week.  Our records indicate 2 separate phone calls received from this store for 2 different requests.  One record of this consumer calling in.  Since this machine is not a...

vending machine, no money was lost to any consumers.  Primo follows strict guidelines on water inspections and tests.  Thank you for reaching out to us.Primo Water

Thank you for bringing this information to our attention.  We will be contacting the customer to assist with their questions.  The Flavor station was purchased thru a non-authorized retailer on [redacted]; which is why the consumer was referred back to the retailer for their refund. ...

We were originally contacted via email and a response was sent 10/31/2013 advising the customer how to Troubleshoot the Flavor station.  We believed the issue was a displaced pin.  The next contact we received and 1st request to reimburse the customer for the CO2 that they purchased was 1/24/2014.  The second call  2/7/2014 the customer made to our company was answered by our third party service and we were not notified of that call.  We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences and we will work with the customer for a satisfactory resolution.
Best Regards,

I have sent this complaint over to our Claims department and will work to find a resolution.  We will contact the consumer directly for additional information.  I believe this occurred back in October of 2014 so it may
take a few days to gather the details.  We will do...

everything we can to resolve the issue but need additional information from Claims and the consumer.   
Thank you,
Primo Water

After speaking with our Claims personnel, Investigation was completed by all parties and the claim was denied.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in...

reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is partially satisfactory to me. I do want the unit replaced, however I am unable to return it to the store as I don't have a vehicle large enough to put the unit in. I ordered the unit online and it was delivered to me. I want for the company to arrange for pick up of the defective unit and delivery of the new unit. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for reaching out to Primo and the Revdex.com with your concerns.  Primo Water is an Exchange program.  We do not require or collect deposits.  Your initial purchase allows you to either utilize your bottle at
many Refill stations, exchange it for another pre-filled bottle...

or utilize for any purpose you would like.   When we set up a store, the signage explains the program,  It is also explained on our website.   
Thank you,
Primo Water Corporation

I am rejecting this response because:  I am quite sure that Primo Water has covered themselves legally but I don't see a response from the company concerning, in their words, "the small print" that the customer is buying the bottle.  Their small print message is on the right side of the display which is blocked by their bottle exchange bin as it is pushed up against the display to block people from seeing it.  It's ironic that the company is paid by the consumer roughly 6 or 7 dollars for a bottle that they are willing to pay back one (1) dollar for.  Many people don't have computers to find this out.  Nice little hidden side profit.  THIS IS NOT ABOUT MONEY - IT'S ABOUT A CLEAR SIGN IN FRONT OF YOUR DISPLAY INFORMING THE CONSUMER THAT THEY ARE PURCHASING THE BOTTLE.  I'm not asking the company to change their bottle exchange system, just put up a cheap sign.  Just because a lot of people don't have the time or the will to complain doesn't make what you are doing right.  The store manager at Wal-Mart agreed that the display is deceptive and should be changed.  How do you guys sleep at night knowing you are taking advantage of the elderly who can't even see your small print message that is blocked by your bottle exchange bin?  How do you justify displaying the Revdex.com logo on your website?   Answer this one question........why won't you change the display sign to clearly indicate the customer is buying the bottle permanently?  I think I answered that question in the first paragraph of this narrative. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I have bought several hundreds of dollars of Primo bottled water from Lowe's stores over the last several months. We typically buy five or six 5-gallon jugs at a time and have always carefully loaded the jugs from the store shelf to a store cart, rolled them out to our vehicle, carefully placed them upright in our vehicle to ensure they do not fall over or roll, driven them home, carefully transferred them one by one to a fully supported shelf, and carefully placed them onto the water dispenser as necessary.

On one occasion, we placed a 5-gallon Primo water jug onto our water dispenser and came back several hours later to find the jug completely empty with damage to our sheetrock and significant damage to our hardwood floors. We double checked our water dispenser and determined it was not leaking. We then filled the Primo bottle up with water and found it did not leak when stored with the opening facing up, but it leaked significantly from a hairline crack in the neck of the bottle once inverted.

We contacted Lowe's, who told us to call Primo's customer service hotline. We provided detailed information about the leak. They then referred us to another "entity" that claimed to be a "middleman" for the company's "National Manager." The middleman requested a copy of our receipt as proof of purchase for the bottle, in spite of the fact that we are still in possession of the bottle that was defective. After returning to Lowe's to get a reprint of the receipt and faxing a copy over to the middleman, we were told they had all of the information necessary to review our claim. (Keep in mind they never asked to see the actual bottle that leaked, nor did they ask for any additional explanation of the leak, how it occurred, or how the bottle were transported or stored. The also never requested pictures of the damage or a contractor's estimate of repairs.)

We patiently waited for two weeks and never hear anything. We reached back out to the middleman to find out where things were in the process, and he responded a day later to say that the National Manager had just gotten back to him that night. He went on to tell me that the National Manager denied the claim because of a "final determination" of "post purchase trauma." I asked how they could make a determination at all without having inspected the bottle or having gathered any facts about the storage and transport of the bottle, and the "middleman" said "I don't know. I'm just a middleman of the National Manager, and I report what they tell me." He went on to tell me that, since the bottle did not leak within the first 24 hours of purchase, then it must have been our fault. Really?! A simple understanding of physics tells you that a bottle will not leak from a point above the water line until the bottle is inverted, so how are you able to make a "final determination" without having ever inspected the bottle?

It is obvious that this company has no quality check on the bottles they reuse. They clearly have no way of checking how many times a bottle is reused (no serial numbers) or how badly it has been mistreated. Being a very conscientious consumer, I am certain that I did not cause any trauma to the bottle in transport or storage or in any other part of handling the bottle post-purchase. If it was damaged in transit, it happened before the point of sale, and that is not the fault of the consumer. The most damning part of this is the retailer and vendor never did any investigation, much less a proper investigation, yet the rendered a "final determination" with no evidence on their end whatsoever!

Ultimately, it is abundantly clear that this vendor has a blanket policy to deny any and all claims from their defective products. They expect the consumer to pay for the consequent damage to property resulting from their negligent reuse of damaged "packaging" without proper quality control prior to re-bottling and a proper end of life-cycle replacement program.

Review: I purchased a bottle of 3 gallon bottle of Primo Water from Lowe's on November 28, 2014. I placed the bottle on my on December 1, 2014. Four days after my husband placed it he looked at it and said it was empty. we found there was a crack in the bottom of the bottle which when the vacuum seal of the bottle was opened because of placing it on the dispenser the bottle slowly leaked all the 3 gal. of water under my hardwood floors and took off the varnish warped them and did damage to the ceiling in the closet in the lower level of the house. We called Lowe's and they told us to get in touch with Primo water which I did, we did the following as they asked. Took pictures of the bottle, pictures of the damage and got two estimates for fixing the damage. Were assigned a claim# and our agent was Mary Verbeck out of Texas. She sent out an adjuster from our area who also took pictures and assessed the damage and took the bottle with her to be mailed to Mary Verbeck. We left for Florida for 3 months and I tried to keep in touch but no one would call me back. Finally I heard from Mary Verbeck who said it was now being handled by Lenny A[redacted] Of Ds Services of American Inc. the maker of the bottle. To no avail no one ever got back in touch with me except when I threatned to do something. Finally after 5 months of dealing with them because they were trying to push it off on each other to pay I received a call today saying they were denying my claim. I couldn't believe what I was hearing after all I had been through with them they decided they didn't know who to blame for the crack in the bottle and denied settling with me.Thank You [redacted]Desired Settlement: I want my hardwoods floors fixed or pay me the equilvelant of what it what cost to do them. There could be mold under the floors because of the leak.

Business

Response:

After speaking with our Claims personnel, Investigation was completed by all parties and the claim was denied.

Review: I bought a Primo 5gl Water Bottle from [redacted] and gave $6.99 plus $7.00 deposit and I have been told that when I bring the empty bottle back I will get my $7.00 (Deposit) back. But when a went back to return my empty bottle I gave me a $ 7.00 coupon and I have been told that I can not get my money back and I have to purchase the same Primo 5gl water bottle and that coupon will be applied for the empty exchange. But my question is I did not like their (Primo) product taste at all. Now I am stuck with that coupon. I did not like the taste of the Primo water at all. Their product is not good taste.Desired Settlement: Refund.

Business

Response:

In reviewing our records we do not show a logged consumer complaint from the [redacted]. Our program details are logged on our display our recycle center as well as the exchange ticket states the ticket has no cash value. If the store advised [redacted] he would get a deposit back after the purchase then we believe this would an issue with the store and not our program. We train the stores about our program when the store is installed and they are responsible to train all store personnel.

Review: I purchased a Primo Flavorstation 100 from Primo Water Corporation. When I needed to order replacement CO2 canister I was only allowed to do so online. I reported on their website that I needed to reset my password and did not get the reset after a week of waiting. After several weeks of calling customer service I was told that I simply had to wait for the password so I could place an order for a new 'Sparker'. When that did not happen I called to request a refund. I was sent a return label and I return my device on January 25, 2013. I have not received a refund, however the ups tracking indicates the equipment was received by Primo Water Corporation. I recently sent them another online request for resolution and have not been contacted to acknowledge my request nor have I received the refund of $35.00 due to me. I would like my money back immediately.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of $35.00 sent to my home address.

Business

Response:

Thank you for your reply

Please know Primo is dedicated to our customers and their experience with purchasing and using our products. We have researched your contacts with us and found that on 1/9/2013 you contacted our office and requested a refund for the accessories you purchased in the amount of $26.20; you were advised we would send you a label to return those items and upon return we would process your refund. This was an incorrect procedure given to you by one of our represenatives and my apologies. The delay you experienced was due to the way this was handled. However that is in no way your issue so we would like to honor the incorrect process and continue with the refund that was promised to you.

I am aware you did reach back out to us thru our online "contact us" process and we resonded to you on April 5th to please call our office which you did on 4/10/13 this is when it was discoverd that your original request for a refund on the accessories for $26.20 was never completed correctly and a refund request was given to our accounting department for processing. This process takes aproximately 6 weeks. Along with this refund I am approving a refund in the amount of $35.00 which was the cost of your original purchase of the FS. We are in hopes you find this satisfactory for the miscommunications of our process and procedures.

Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvience you have experienced.

Best Regards,

Review: Bought a water cooler from this company last March. After about 8-9 months, started producing disgusting, brown water from drain and hot water side (like soup, and completely brown not "cloudy", like a brownish tomato soup color). Obviously something is rusted inside. Only option to contact customer service was email, which they never responded too. It's now outside of warranty (been over a year), and we're left with a water cooler that is useless (unless you have a strong enough stomach I suppose, and don't mind rust flavored water)Desired Settlement: Replacement of product

Business

Response:

We have reserached the complaint by **. [redacted] and found that he had registered his cooler on 10/20/12 at 11:02am on line. His cooler was a 900183 and was purchased on 2/15/2012 according to his registration information. We do no have any registered complaints on his cooler not functioning at any time. I have reviewed all of our on line complaints and I am unable to locate any complaint in his name, address or serial number of his cooler.

Our number is in the documents that were provided with his cooler for cusotmer support. ###-###-####. Primo warranties it's product within the 1 year warranty agreement however we do not show the consumer contacted us during that time. If the consumer can show where he sent us an email that is time and date stamped from before his warranty expiration we will be happy to review his complaint further.

Please have the consumer contact us at the stated number above with the required information and/or he can send directly to me [email protected] and I will be happy to review his complaint further.

Best Regards,

Kimberly W. Smith

Customer Service Manager

Review: We purchased a 5 gallon water bottle and it had a hairline Crack in it that caused water to leak all over our floor. Primo was going to pay for the repairs to our wall and flooring. The very next day they told me I would need to turn it in to my insurance instead.Desired Settlement: I want my flooring replaced like they were going to do in the first place.

Business

Response:

I have sent this complaint over to our Claims department and will work to find a resolution. We will contact the consumer directly for additional information. I believe this occurred back in October of 2014 so it maytake a few days to gather the details. We will do everything we can to resolve the issue but need additional information from Claims and the consumer. Thank you,Primo Water

Review: I purchased a faulty Primo Flavorstation from [redacted] in August of 2013. It used up the initial bottle of carbon dioxide in a few days with much hissing of gas into the air. I thought it was a faulty unit, but just to make sure, in an attempt to get the Flavorstation to work, I purchased two tanks of carbon dioxide for $60.97 from Primo. Even with the new tanks the unit did not work. I contacted Primo. Even though it was still covered under warranty, they would not take it for repairs as they said they had discontinued this model, and they would not refund my purchase price of $45.87. They were completely unhelpful. Next I called [redacted] refunded my money for the Flavorstation (which they did not have to do, as I bought it from a separate seller on their website.) I pitched the Flavorstation. Its hissing was a little scary. Then I began calling Primo for a refund for the tanks -- for a Flavorstation still UNDER WARRANTY. I cannot mail the carbon dioxide tanks back to Primo. A non-flammable gas, hazardous materials permit is necessary to ship carbon dioxide. I cannot empty the bottles of gas because the Primo Flavorstation does not work. In fact, I do not even know what to do with these tanks. My husband and I have called and emailed Primo 6-8 times, and each time we are told a "supervisor" will call us back. This has gone on since November of 2013. (Dates listed under "additional details" are approximate. And they are only a few of the times we have contacted Primo. But Primo knows all this. They have a record of all of our calls.)Desired Settlement: At the very minimum, we need a refund of $60.97 as soon as possible. This does not take into account our time, the hassle we will have getting rid of these carbon dioxide tanks, and the general rudeness of the company.

Business

Response:

Thank you for bringing this information to our attention. We will be contacting the customer to assist with their questions. The Flavor station was purchased thru a non-authorized retailer on [redacted]; which is why the consumer was referred back to the retailer for their refund. We were originally contacted via email and a response was sent 10/31/2013 advising the customer how to Troubleshoot the Flavor station. We believed the issue was a displaced pin. The next contact we received and 1st request to reimburse the customer for the CO2 that they purchased was 1/24/2014. The second call 2/7/2014 the customer made to our company was answered by our third party service and we were not notified of that call. We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences and we will work with the customer for a satisfactory resolution.

Best Regards,

SCAM, buyer beware, CRIMINAL, companies fold all the time and warranties are void, however the product being sold is discontinued, no longer sold, clearence discontued clothing is fine. But when a company has info on web from 2012 stating discontinuation of primo flavor station, then confirms in april 2014, as well as the discontinuation of noncompatiable co2 tank, it is criminal to keep selling without any mention that once you run out of co2, your screwed. My wife bought 3 online in december 2014, and no mention of it, 5 weeks later co2 out, found out no co2 refill avaliable tried to return to late only ,30 days to return. Called primo, said where to refill, tried a dozen places cant do it. Primo suggested sports store, without telling me that tjere is a difference between paint ball co2 that can contain oil and toxins, not beverage grade co2. Again criminal could be causing people to get ill ingesting toxins possiable carcinigens. How is this legal in the USA, I will be filing a complaint through my congress rep !

Review: Hello,I have recently discovered upon trying to return a few 5 gallon Primo water jugs for the deposit of $5.00 that I was originally charged for at the retailers (Lowes in Surprise and Walmart) does not refund deposits taken for the jugs. I originally purchased the bottled water at both retailers for $11.50. Thats $5.00 for the deposit plus 6.50 for the water = $11.50.When I contacted Primo Water Corporation they stated that they only refund $1 per jug. and that I would need to fill the forms available on their website and go to the kiosk at the local retailer to return the bottles and receive a tickets for each ones returned.http://www.primowater.com/Master-Page-2/Bottle-Credit.aspx My issue is this. If I originally paid $5.00 for a deposit, why am I only able to get $1.00 back?This was certainly not the case where I originally lived back in Illinois.The retailer Home Depot refunded me the entire amount of the deposit no questions asked.This is a MAJOR" ripoff in my opinion and needs to be investigated.Your help with answers would be much appreciated.Thanks in advance,Wayne PereDesired Settlement: Primo Water Corp should refund the original/full deposit of $5.00 for each bottle returned.10 bottles x $5 deposit each = $50.00Not only the $1.00 each as proposed by Primo Corp.

Review: Primo Water offered a voucher on Living Social for their Flavor Station. A month after the promotion Primo sold the product to Cuisinart and customers who purchased the product can no longer use it because Cuisinart has changed it and the new components are not compatible. The Primo website still states that customers can purchase the Flavor Station accessories at Lowe's. This is not true. Lowe's no longer carries the product and hasn't carried it for months because it was unsuccessful. Primo has stopped taking customer questions on their website and Facebook page regarding the Flavor Station. The phone number to call customer service is no longer in service. I am very upset because I paid for a product that I expected to be able to use for a long time and instead was only able to use it for one month.Desired Settlement: I want my current product to be replaced with the new Cuisinart product free of charge or a refund for the purchase price of the original product.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]