Is this water filter company a scam?

JDowell

Yesterday my mum got a call from a friend who has started a job with a company selling water filters website at the bottom). My mum agreed to have for her to come round to talk about getting a water filter installed along with someone else.

She wasn't pushy or really saleslike, but was saying how dirty tap water can be so she did a demo by putting some liquid into a glass of tap water (it did come from the tap) which turned a brownish yellow colour. She then put some celery in the water and it went clear because the celery had absorbed the contaminants like chlorine in the water.

She then did the same thing with another glass of water but instead of putting celery in, asked my mum to stir the water with her finger. The water went clear which she said was because her finger absorbed the chlorine.

She was then showing us this brochure which detailed bacteria that can be found in water, the state of rotten water pipes found in houses and chemical and sewage leaks that have contaminated water supplies and the ill effects you can suffer from drinking tap water which was pretty scary.

My mum is now worried that there is something wrong with her tap water but cant afford the filter so she hasnt agreed to buy one - yet.

I'm convinced that this is just a scam but cant back it up. Has anyone else heard of this company or know about what they have said? I really want to put my mums mind at rest.

sorry to go on - heres the website.

pureandcool dot com (sorry but it wont let me put in links)

shaun_from_Africa

JDowell wrote: »

She then did the same thing with another glass of water but instead of putting celery in, asked my mum to stir the water with her finger. The water went clear which she said was because her finger absorbed the chlorine.

If your fingers were able to absorb chlorine like that, everyone who went swimming in a public swimming pool would probably die from chlorine poisoning.

Celery is well known for being able to draw water up into the stalks, and if the water was discoloured by adding a fine powder or something similar, this powder would also get pulled onto the stalk.
http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Celery-and-Food-Coloring-Experiment/571

There are ways to easily change the colour of water and then change it back to clear again.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/color-change-magic-trick-project/a/1550/

maninthestreet

http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/pure-and-cool

JDowell

Shaun - thanks for the info. I agree about swimming pools. With the celery, it changed colour really quickly - almost instantly.

Maninthestreet - does the link mean that the company is in trouble? I've had a brief look on the internet about proposal to strike off - some people say dont touch with a bargepole and others say its could be a minor thing.

But are you both saying its a scam?

paddyrg

The water went clear which she said was because her finger absorbed the chlorine.

What balderdash. If someone sells you things by telling lies run a mile.

Call Watchdog?

paddyrg

Just to reassure your mum, British tapwater is EXTREMELY safe and typically higher quality than bottled waters.

shaun_from_Africa

With the celery, it changed colour really quickly - almost instantly.

In which case, it sounds like an acid/alkaline reaction.
If the colour in the water was caused by an acidic chemical, simply having the celery coated with a bit of something such as baking soda or another alkaline substance could easily cause this to happen.
Do a quick google search for "magic colour changing water" and you will find plenty of websites showing how this is done.

barbiedoll

I seriously doubt that there is anything wrong with your mum's tap water, if so, surely she would have noticed by now! Of course there is "bacteria" in tap water, just as there is in the air, on our skin, and on every surface in our homes. If your mum's tap water was contaminated, she would have suffered the ill effects pretty quickly. As would anyone else in her area who was connected to the same pipes.

This is just classic sales patter, as paddyrg says, British tap water is of the highest quality. Your mum really doesn't need a water filter, unless she lives in a hard water area (like me) in which case, a filter will give her shinier taps and cleaner kettles. It probably won't improve her health though!

fluffnutter

Aaaah, of course it's nonsense. There are nearly 70 million people in this country all drinking the tap water day in, day out. Do people really think there's some HUGE conspiracy covering up the fact that these 70 million people are poisoning themselves every single day?

Tap water in the UK is completely safe to drink. It might not be to everyone's taste (personally I love the water in Sheffield, not so keen on the stuff down south where it's chalky) but from a health perspective, it won't ever do you any harm.

Water filtering has its uses - it can remove a minerally taste and that limey scum you get in hard water areas when you do a brew - but it doesn't make water any safer. It's already safe. Tell your mum to tell her friend to take her sales patter elsewhere.

RichardD1970

Wow, and this was a "friend". :eek:

robatwork

The way to remove the scum from your mum's house would be to show them the door.