SINGAPORE — A company that sells alkaline water systems has drawn nearly 90 complaints from consumers in the past year over misleading claims, poor service and unsatisfactory recourse for faulty products.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said in an alert on Tuesday (Feb 23) that despite handing out a warning letter to the firm — Triple Lifestyle Marketing — in July last year, complaints continued to stream in. 

The consumer watchdog later asked the business to enter a voluntary compliance agreement under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) in order to stop its unfair practices and compensate affected consumers — but the firm has not done so.

Case said that it received 86 complaints against Triple Lifestyle Marketing from Jan 1 last year to Jan 31 this year. 

The company sells long-term maintenance service packages for alkaline water systems via door-to-door sales, with its packages costing around S$3,000, Case said. 

Customers may choose to pay the full package cost upfront or via monthly instalments.

In return for signing up for the packages, buyers get a water dispenser, a water filtration system, and periodic water filter replacements that come free with the deal.

As part of the service agreement, Triple Lifestyle Marketing is required to repair the water dispenser or water filtration system if defects occur, Case added.

However, customers said that Triple Lifestyle Marketing was unresponsive to their repeated attempts to arrange for service requests for replacement of water filters or repair of faulty products, or did not show up for appointments.

In some cases, the company did not provide replacements after it had collected the faulty products. 

Customers also alleged that Triple Lifestyle Marketing told them that they could pay for the packages via instalments, but later charged them the full amount upfront. 

A few customers complained that they received used water dispensers or water filter replacements.

Case added that it will continue to monitor the complaints received against Triple Lifestyle Marketing and is evaluating further action to be taken against the company as provided for under the CPFTA to protect the interests of consumers.

To avoid such incidents, Case advised customers to negotiate for a trial period to assess the quality of the product and the seller’s after-sales service before signing up for a long-term contract.

Customers should also find out details such as the notice period for service appointments and estimated duration for repair of faulty products and put them down in writing in case of disputes.

“Do not feel pressured to make a purchase on the spot. Do online research to verify the quality of the product and the track record of the company before making a purchase,” Case said.

TODAY has reached out to Triple Lifestyle Marketing for comment.