Water Firm Settles Suit, Pays $50,000

A Ventura water treatment company has agreed to pay a $50,000 fine to settle a lawsuit filed by the Ventura County district attorney’s office in November accusing the firm of unfair business practices and misleading advertising.

Coastal Cities Water Treatment Inc. has not admitted to any wrongdoing in the settlement announced Friday.

The suit said that company employees violated state consumer laws by allegedly alarming customers about their water quality and then pressuring them into buying $4,450 worth of RainSoft water treatment devices.

The suit further alleged that employees reportedly hid the limitations of water test results when making their sales pitches.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Mitchell Disney said $5,000 from the settlement will go to a fund for Ventura County libraries. The district attorney’s office will also try to help some victims get their money back.

“What our office . . . has decided to do is to try to put the money to the direct benefit of the citizens of the county, particularly in education,” Disney said. “A well-informed public is a public not as susceptible to falling prey to these types of businesses.”

As part of the settlement, the district attorney’s office said nine victims who allegedly were pressured into buying the devices may have a chance to get out of their contracts.

The district attorney’s office also said customers who were allegedly sold a non-RainSoft substitute instead of the real thing may also get restitution.

Mitch Cohen, Coastal Cities’ president, said that the company cooperated with the district attorney’s office. He added the company has served 3,600 customers in 10 years and that only nine had filed complaints with the district attorney.

“We settled because we couldn’t afford to go to trial,” Cohen said. “We have always serviced our customers and we intend to continue to give our customers good service.”