WEST VALLEY CITY — The water district in West Valley is issuing a warning after a door-to-door sales pitch happening across the valley is leading to concerns from water district customers.
It's not exactly a sales pitch-- because the people knocking on the doors claim not to be selling anything. It's what they ask to do, that has residents feeling uneasy.
Anyone who has a doorbell camera can see who comes and goes. What Greg Carlson saw on his doorbell camera on Saturday-- a woman approach the porch, then promptly leave.
"You could tell it was shady," he said.
In a video captured on Carlson's doorbell camera, a woman covers her face and leaves behind a note with a number that asks to test Carlson's water.
He said the paper was, "blue and white. Kind of looked like the Granger-Hunter paperwork."
Carlson lives in the Granger-Hunter Improvement District. Thinking it might be the city trying to test his water, he called the number. He said it went straight to voicemail and asked him to leave his information.
"Anybody that wants my information-- I ain't giving it to them. So I just hung up," he said.
Greg got suspicious, and so did others who either saw the note or answered their door.
They called Granger-Hunter to find out if the city was sending out people to test the water.
"All we know for sure is that they’re saying they represent the water company, which they really do not. They’re not representing us," said Granger-Hunter Improvement District general manager Clint Jensen.
They posted an alert on their website for residents.
"Rarely would we ever come knocking at your door and want to make entry, that just does not make sense to us," he said.
They do test the water at 150 testing sites around the city every month. He said all the sites are outside and don't require entry into homes.
Jensen said he heard of similar door-to-door people knocking on homes in Riverton, and that other water districts have been fielding complaints.
What are these non-city water testers up to?
"Maybe to sell them a product. We're not sure," Jensen said.
Fox 13 called the number both Jensen and Carlson provided. A woman answered the phone for "Quality Water."
When asked if they were selling any products like water softeners, the woman said, "no."
"What that is, is just an informational survey, but the water is free testing [sic]," the woman said.
"After somebody gets their water tested, what happens with it after that?" Fox 13 asked.
"Well that, I don't know. Because I'm not the one testing the water," the woman replied.
She then said a supervisor would call us, but no one called back.
An internet search for Quality Water and the phone number turned up with nothing.
Greg still wonders what this is all about.
"I kind of figured it was a scam," he said.
Scam or not, for him-- certainly strange.
Jensen said if any resident has concerns about their water quality, they can call Granger-Hunter Improvement District at 801-968-3551 and request water testing at their home.
