NGO warns against fake purification appliances

BALIKESİR - Anatolia News Agency

The market for water purification units has seen a boom after the Health Ministry’s negative report on dozens of water companies following hygiene inspection of 19-liter carboy water. However, the Consumers Union says door-to-door vendors are not trustworthy.

Water purification units vary in price from 200 Turkish Liras and 4,000 liras. Sales of these units have risen significantly in stores and through the Internet, as well as door-to-door. Consumers have deep suspicions about which water brands are healthy after dangerous levels of microorganisms were found in some carboy waters, said Consumers Union President Mehmet İmrek.

He said some companies try to abuse consumers’ concerns about access to healthy water.

He added that some vendors conduct so-called tests to prove that both tap water and bottled carboy water are not potable to convince consumers to buy no-name water purification units. “Door-to-door sales have soared lately even though they are illegal. Consumers should [opt for] brands with a genuine manufacturer’s certificate of origin, cheap spare parts and an authorized technical service network,” he said. Also poor quality appliances may put human health at risk, he added. Consumers should be careful in purchasing such appliances, as the cost of periodic maintenance may go very high, which may prove more expensive in the end.