Watch out for door to door salespeople making false water claims

Residents living in the northern suburbs are being reminded to be wary of door to door salespeople making false claims about drinking water.

Water Corporation spokesperson Clare Lugar said reports had been received of people going door to door in suburbs including Alkimos, Yanchep and Eglinton from people claiming there was a problem with the water in their suburb, and offering to test it for the homeowner.

“Water supplied by Water Corporation complies with 100 per cent of the health requirements of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and is completely safe - and any claims to the contrary in order to worry people could be a scam,” Ms Lugar said.

“Our employees do not need to enter a home to check water quality and would not do so unless we have been specifically requested by the resident, and if they are inferring they are from Water Corporation without identification, they are flat out wrong.

“We are very concerned about these reports, as it is a deliberately misleading trick to worry people into buying expensive water filters.”

Residents can assist the Department of Consumer Protection in catching these sales people by obtaining as much detail as possible from them at the time.

If possible, residents are requested to obtain the salesperson’s name and the company they claim to work for, the date and time of the visit, any copies of flyers or business cards, and details of what was actually said in the sales pitch.

Ms Lugar said reports to Water Corporation were taken very seriously and were immediately passed onto the Department of Consumer Protection.

“It is always important to remember, if you are unsure trust your instincts and please don’t open the door to these people,” Ms Lugar said.

Residents who have been approached or feel they have been misled after purchasing a water filtration system, can contact Consumer Protection by emailing consumer@dmirs.wa.gov.au or by calling 1300 30 40 54.