Treatment plants

Water board warns of dubious business scam

Tap water is of a very high quality in Burgenland.(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The Wasserverband Südliches Burgenland advises customers against installing water treatment systems. There are often dubious business models behind them. In southern Burgenland, an 85-year-old woman was scammed out of 2500 euros.

Time and again, customers are unsure about the quality of tap water. If they then come across dubious advertisements on various social media platforms advising them to install a water treatment system to improve the quality of their drinking water, for example because the water is contaminated with heavy metals, this can have expensive repercussions. The Wasserverband Südliches Burgenland (Southern Burgenland Water Association) is once again issuing a warning - on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22, proclaimed by UNESCO - about such "dubious water purifiers" who claim to customers that the drinking water is not clean enough without a filter system.

These water scammers deliberately make people feel insecure about their own health and it is therefore our duty to educate them.

Christian Portschy, Geschäftsführer des Wasserverbandes Südliches Burgenland

Bild: Andreas Bruckner

85-year-old woman defrauded of 2500 euros 
Customers often spend several thousand euros on such drinking water treatment devices, combined with additional annual maintenance costs. Most recently, an 85-year-old woman from southern Burgenland fell for such a dubious sales scam and was defrauded of 2500 euros. However, Christian Portschy, Managing Director of Wasserverband Südliches Burgenland (WVSB), assures us that this uncertainty on the part of some customers that the drinking water in Burgenland is of poor quality is absolutely unfounded: "These water scammers deliberately make people feel insecure."

Drinking water in Burgenland is of mineral water quality
The tap water is of very good quality and completely safe to drink. On average, an adult consumes around 1000 liters of water per year. "The drinking water in Burgenland is even of mineral water quality, as a recent analysis by the Southern Burgenland Water Association confirmed. "Drinking tap water is also active climate protection - there is no need for transportation, no plastic bottles and yet the water is delivered chilled from the tap 365 days a year," says Portschy, who advises customers "instead of spending money unnecessarily on such treatment plants, it is better to trust in the quality of the tap water and the water suppliers in Burgenland."

Water is the best-tested foodstuff
The drinking water provided by the public water suppliers is also considered to be the best-tested foodstuff, the water expert points out, referring to the European Water Framework Directive and the Austrian Drinking Water Ordinance. Furthermore, the water samples are continuously analyzed in order to guarantee the highest quality.

Chamber of Labor provides advice and support
If you have nevertheless been taken in by a dubious water supplier, you should insist on your right to withdraw from dubious contracts - the consumer advice service of the Chamber of Labor is also on hand to provide help and advice in such cases.