The county has heard many complaints about Southeast Water Services' ad campaign.
By JANET ZINK
Published May 14, 2004
At 71 years old, Daisy Ulmer has been around long enough to know when someone's trying to snow her.
So when Southeast Water Services put a flier in her mailbox implying her drinking water wasn't safe and promising a free trial of a water filter, she marched it straight to the county Water Department.
"There's a lot of old people out here and I'm one of them," Ulmer said. "There's all this stuff with old people - people trying to con them."
Ulmer wasn't the only one suspicious of the offer.
Water Department officials say they've been "flooded with citizen complaints" from residents in Progress Village who say people from Southeast Water Services come to their home, tell them their water is bad and that "as a community service" the company will install a filter for a one-week free trial.
The flier distributed by Southeast Water Services, a company that sells water filters, warns that the neighborhood's drinking water contains pesticides and PCBs, a chemical banned in the United States in 1977 because it builds up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects.
That statement is simply not true, said Mike McWeeny, director of the Hillsborough County Water Department.
"The county's water does not have pesticides or PCBs in it at all," McWeeny said.
In at least one instance, McWeeny said, a company salesperson identified himself as a county employee.
According to the Better Business Bureau Web site, on June 2, 2003, Southeast Water Services, formerly known as Florida Water and Utilities, was ordered by the state Attorney General to change its selling practices. The company agreed not to disseminate false or misleading statements or advertising. The state also required the company to change its name from Florida Water and Utilities to something that didn't imply affiliation with a government department or agency.
McWeeny said he's concerned that a company with such questionable business practices is cutting into homeowners' water lines. Improper installation of water filters can lead to health problems.
"We know from past experience that if somebody has a filter that is correctly installed and is not maintained or changed periodically it can begin to harbor bacteria and cause a problem."
Bernie Rubrecht, owner of Tampa-based Southeast Water Service, said the flier was created by an overzealous salesperson and references to pesticides and PCBs have been removed from marketing materials.
"Seventy percent of the water companies do free trials. That's all we're doing," Rubrecht said. "We have not billed anyone."
His company has been in business in Tampa since 2000, Rubrecht said, and he has more than 8,000 customers.
The county Water Department asks residents to call 272-6680 if they have questions.
