I purchased a FreshAir Buddy on April 19, 2012. I received an email from your sales department on the 30th of April 2012, with the tracking number **. I haven't received the package as of today's date. I called UPS here and they say this is not a tracking number for UPS. You had no problem charging the amount on the credit card. Now, where is the product? I believe an immediate reply is in order.
Consumer Complaints & Reviews
We frequently hear from EcoQuest air purifier peddlers protesting that their company is in no way related to its predecessor, Alpine. In fact, EcoQuest is a direct spin-off of Alpine and is headed by a former Alpine executive.
The late Alpine Industries got itself in trouble with state and federal authorities over its health benefits claims and a little matter having to do with taxes. In 2000, Alpine's sales manager, Mike Jackson, bought the air purifier business from Alpine and set up a new company called EcoQuest.
EcoQuest, which espouses an evangelical Christian approach to business, has expanded into water filters, nutritional supplements and skin-care products, all sold through a network of about 150,000 commission-only distributors.
Jackson has tried to distance EcoQuest from Alpine and has said that, as Alpine sales manager, he was not in charge of the company and wasn't involved in any of the actions that led a federal judge to say he would hold the company in contempt if it didn't stop making prohibited claims about its air purifiers.
In fact, both Alpine and EcoQuest were named in the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department complaint in 2000. Earlier that year, a federal judge had ordered Alpine to stop claiming that its machines provide relief from any medical condition or that they effectively remove or reduce a wide variety of air pollutants from indoor environments.
Just like Alpine, EcoQuest is headquartered in Greeneville, Tenn. Alpine moved there in 1997 after the NBC News program "Dateline" aired a report that questioned the core technology of its air purifiers.
The NBC program noted that the Minnesota Supreme Court had ruled against the company a few years earlier in a case that charged Alpine with making false and misleading health claims for its products.
In an unusual twist, Alpine sued the Federal Trade Commission, claiming it was "harrassing" the company. The FTC, in turn, sued Alpine and the company was fined $1.49 million on the health claims charges. The proceedings also unearthed evidence that Alpine owed a significant amount of back taxes to Minnesota and Tennessee.
Besides claiming its new product line meets all the claims the company and its dealers make about it, EcoQuest insists it's not just about multilevel marketing scheme. It claims has an annual retention rate of 40 percent, supposedly far above average.
As is usually the case, the independent sales force includes some who vociferously defend the company, even to the point of defying a federal court order issued in 2000 that instructed Alpine to notify its independent dealers that they -- not just the company -- should stop making unsubstantiated claims.
I purchased Alpine's newest air purifier model. I have asthma and could not understand why my breathing was more labored, when I received the unit. I also noticed an odor, which was described by the company, as the smell of the air before a thunderstorm. In the opinions of my friends and family, it was awful. I called the company and was told that I should keep the unit, as the odor will decrease. The air purifier made other claims that the unit did not live up to. The unit I had did not remove bad odors from the room. I tested it with my son, as he smokes. I was very unhappy with the results, or lack thereof. I called the company and pressed the prompt for customer service. I got sales, as customer service was too busy to talk to me! I was told that a tech would call me and eventually customer service would also.
I finally gave up and called my credit card company! Finally, one of their managers called me, asking me to push buttons, and trouble shoot. There was a blue light that did not come on, so the man I spoke to realized this was not normal and asked me to return it. It cost me $58.33 to return a unit that I was very unhappy with! When I asked to be reimbursed for the postage, I was scolded by this company! They "claimed" that the unit was in perfect working condition and that I wasted their time and money! It was very condescending and unprofessional, and it was implied that I lied about the stupid blue light! I have never been treated like this by any company, ever! I believe what we do to others comes back to us, but I wish I would have known what I know now, thus I hope my experience helps someone!
I was mortified when I read what, Consumer Reports said about these types of purifiers! I now have an Austin Plus air purifier. I love it! I feel so much better now as it relates to (allergies and asthma!) give you 60 days to insure people are happy with their products! I lost my return postage, but I am very happy with my air purifier, love the air!
These companies are now working as GreenTech Environmental, and are peddling the newest versions of their products through distributors at trade shows, etc., using the same tactics of which Alpine was judged against. I purchased two of their largest "purifiers", and upon doing some more research, attempted to receive a refund on un-shipped products. The refund was refused, and the products will now not be shipped. There is only one word for this, theft.
I have a complaint about the following made by JoAnn of Portland, OR:
There is no model Silent Thunder LA-2400 from Atlas Air Purifier. She is mistaken and falsely accusing Atlas Air Purifier. Please remove this complaint. You can check out all of our models at our website. Thank you.
I called to order an air cleaner. The older man said his son owned the co.i explained i lived by a coal processing plant and needed to clean an air cleaner I already had every 3 to 5 days. I was told there was a 5 day return policy. I saw no benefit to the product after 4 days, and called on the 5th day to ask about returning. The same older man told me no problem, they would send me a call tag for ups pickup.
I then received a call back from the owners mother telling me this was not true I would have to pay the return cost with a 20% restocking fee up to 50% if they deemed the package not returned in top form.She gave me an email address which I sent to for a return form. Minuted later I received a response that the product I purchased was non returnable as stated on the ad. She was "sorry for the confusion".
The bottom line is I dealt with people who answered my questions and then conveniently changed the answers. The older man knew exactly what I wanted as I made 2 calls proir to buying. He stated to me that the product could be returned and they would even supply the tag. Then it ALL changed.
I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS CONFUSED! THEY OWN THE COMPANY AND MAKE UP THE RULES AS THEY GO ALONG AND AT THE TIME OF SALE THE RULES ARE WAY DIFFERENT THAN AT THE TIME OF RETURN. The mother was the one who apologized for the confusion.
I spent 189.95 for a product that was poorly designed, does not perform, and I want my money back but have learned this company can not be trusted as the owners don't know what the rules are until you call. My husband is immune compromised and I have a worthless air purifier, which after a month has not even gotten a micro of dirt from the air in my home.
I purchased an Atlas Air Purifier 07/22/2009. Model Silent Thunder LA-2400. After a few weeks the unit developed a loud vibrating noise. I was told how to adjust the fan blades to fix the noise. It didn't work so I sent the unit back for repair. They received the unit in new condition but, when I received it back from their repair shop the cabinet was damaged and it still had the same problem with the vibration noise.
I called them and was told to find a fan speed where the noise was "where I could stand it" and leave it there. Cannot turn it up or down from there. I asked for my money to be refunded and was told I could receive a $50 credit. Also, I could sent it back again with a promise it would be in new condition when returned to me. No damage!
I thought that should have been the case the first time I sent it to them. I refused. I paid $36 to send it to them for repair. I will never do business with them again. I moved this unit to a downstairs area where I cannot hear the racket it produces.
I was researching Alpine/Ecoquest Int'l on your site.
I was very surprised to read in the complaints the several of them have absolutely NOTHING to do with Alpine/Ecoquest!
There are complaints about loan companies, credit card processing equipment and others.
What gives???
Purchased my Living classic Jan 2009 and it broke 3 months later. I called several times and they said no warranties or refunds. I called Ecoquest and left messages with Manager stating it is a new product and I did NOT want to pay anymore for shipping and repair since I already paid $775. Wired burned out.
I purchased an Alpine XL-15 in Feb. 1997. We had just remodeled & the odors & dust aggravated my allergies. Plus my husband was a heavy smoker. After turning on the unit, I immediately noticed relief. Visitors to our house even asked if he had quit smoking. Yes there was a fine white layer deposited. But that was the allergan particles which were no longer floating in the air, but had fallen because of the ionization.
The unit has run non-stop until about a month ago when the fan motor quit. I am replacing the motor & will continue to use the Alpine. I LOVE this purifier! Yes, it was expensive, about $500 in '97, but running NON-STOP for 10 years is, I think, a pretty good value.
I purchased a Living Air X-15 6 years ago and have had no problems with it and in my opinion it works great considering there is a smoker in the house and no would could tell it.
2 years ago at the urging of a satisfied user of Alpine Air Products I purchased a Flair machine. When we first received the unit, it seemed to work as expected. However, before the year was up, we had to send the unit in for repair. It never worked at the level we had seen previously, so in October of 08 we sent it in again. After several weeks we hadn't heard back, and so we used the contact section on their website.
Long story short, their response was that the unit had come to them damaged in shipment, and they bore no responsibility. They claimed to have notified us of the damaged shipment, but we received no messages on cell, home phone, or by email. By the time we confirmed with them the damage, 5 weeks had elapsed, far outside the time FEDEX allows for claims. I was rudely treated on the phone on two different occasions, basically informing me that I was out of luck, and how should they send the broken unit back.
The person who signed for the shipment at Alpine Air did not note the shipment was damaged on the airbill, as is required by FEDEX. Alpine Air Products no longer responds to my emails. I am thoroughly disgusted with the treatment that I received from them.
I agree with all of the complaints I have read about the so called air purfiers. I had stoped using the 2 that I have a few years ago. Eye and Nasal irritation was constant with each use.
What was not discussed was that Every piece of audio equipment and every cd drive that had any rubber belts, was ruined. I cost over $200. to have all my equipment fixed. when I asked the technition if the ozone machines could have caused the damage, His answere was turn those things off
My husband and I purchased this machine the Alpine Living Air Ozone air cleaner in 1999,about 3 months after we got it I was having trouble breathing so I went to my Dr. for a check up. He said I had congestion and would need some more test, he ordered a PFT (pulmonery function test)he called me at 9 PM in the evening to say that I had emphysema. I went down to Westchester Medical Center for a second opinion after many test they confirmed that I did indeed have emphysema.
I couldn't understand it because I had stopped smoking 20 years ago and I had no health problems. My husband and I went hiking in the parks and fishing climbing up and down small cliffs. After much thinking I remembered getting the air cleaner and I started investigating them, in a fax I got from the FDA they stated the things that could occur from these macines and one was lung irritation, I immediately shut the machine off and contacted the company about what had happened. In return they wrote back how good their company was and so on. I told them to send me a refund and they refused. I contacted the N.Y.S. Attorney Generals office and while on a three way phone conversation they were told to send me my money back. About one week later I got a postal Money oreder signed by Joe Smith for $654.00.
I now still have emphysema and always will, I take 2 different inhalers everyday and nebulizer treatments when I have a cold. The worst part of this is this desease literaly takes your breath away, and no company should be allowed to sell these things.
I purchased 2 of these machines. The living air one and the flair. The living air one was about $694.00 and the flair one was around $369.00. They were suppose to help with allergies and cut down on dust. My complaint is that the machines are broken down, all of the time. They stop working, or the ozone does not work, or the plates crack or the fan quits, on and on. Between shipping it in for repairs and parts and labor, they have been terribly expensive.
I have also noticed instead of reducing the dust, they put a fine white powder on everything. I purchased these from a vendor at the county fair and do not have a way to contact him anymore. I have had to send them in for repair to another dealer, that I found through a friend.
Purchased a Living Air Breeze Air Purifier in 2002 to keep clean air quality and smoke free living environment. Unit ran non stop 24/7 for five years - very satisfied with the product, needed no replacement parts, easy to clean and operate. Have been without unit for six months and noticeable difference. Relative also has a unit that has been operational for approximately eight years - no trouble, runs quietly, no parts wearing out. Highly recommend this product.
Unit was approximately $700.00 Canadian. Worth every penny and am replacing it with a new one. Have had exceptional service and support from Alpine Air Technologies in Michigan.
I purchased an Alpine Flair air filter from a neighbor 4 years ago. I love this machne. I have not had any problems with it and I sleep much better at night..no more stuffy nose. I was searching the internet for a new one when I came across this site. The complaints are a surprise to me. I'm sorry so many have had a bad experience.
I paid $499.00 for the eco box air purifier. First the plug went out, so they sent me a new one--except it's in 2 pieces, and they sent the wrong one. Then they told me to send it to them, and then they sent it back. It worked for one month; later the motor went out, so they told me to send it to them--which I did. It's been over a month now, and every time I call them they will tell you to state your name, and then the answering machine says they are unable to locate them. They said the product was guaranteed for 3 years. This hasn't been over 6 months. And it hasn't been working for about 2 of those months.
I still do not have an air purifier that I paid over $500 for, including costs of shipping it back to them.
We are owners of 4 of their ozone purifiers. One will not produce ozone--the others all work as good as new. We called the company and explained the problem. The man said that we needed to replace the ozone plates. I explained that three were working perfectly and that I had switched the plates between the non-working unit and a working unit. Changing the plates between the two units had no effect on either unit. I then asked what were other things that could cause the problem. He then told me that I needed to replace all the ozone units to make them work better. I explained again that they worked just like they always had. The man was very rude, would not tell me anything else that could be causing the problem. My husband called back and said let's talk about this. Hoping to try to clarify our problem because the man's English was not so good. He said Let's Talk? and hung up. They will not answer our calls.
We purchased a classic xl-15 on 9/28/99 for a total of $640.93, at the time we felt it was a bit steep but if it did what it claimed to do it may be worth it. A few weeks ago the fuse blew, it was replaced and blew again, then a third time,there is a 3 year warranty on it. We then called David Fox and left a message, a week went by we left a second message still no response. What recourse do we have in this matter?
$640 is quite a bit of money to be out, especially with a machine that doesn't work.
An article appeared in one of the top NJ newspapers regarding my dilema with toxic mold in my home. Two of Alpine's sales people contacted the paper advising they had something to kill the mold in my home.
I called them thanking them for their assistance. The one fellow arrived at my house shortly after I arrived home this past Tuesday. I had just had major oral surgery the day before and was running my 9 year old back and forth to the pediatrician with a 104 temp. I then had to bring my child to his father's, where he is residing temporarily. Alpine's rep appeared at my door on the heals of all that and said he had a cure. Even a cure for toxic mold!! He plugged in the units and left. I awoke in bed several days later to find a powdery substance covering me. All the toxic molds were now airborne!!!
Serious consequences to my health and my pets who were in the home.
I purchased an Alpine Industries XL-15 from Mr. Loomis about 3 years ago.
The product has never worked reliably. There are problems with the safety
interlock on the back of the system, so that every time you clean the ozone
generating plates and/or the back screen, you have to constantly tweek the
system to work.
I know that ozone systems can be dangerous if misused and was leary of the
health claims Mr. Loomis made. I purchased the system to help clean the air
and not to treat my sleep apnea. When I meantioned my sleep apnea to Mr.
Loomis, he stated that the Alpine XL-15 would cure my sleep apnea. This should
have been a clue that there was something very wrong with this system, but I
passed it off to just the typicall MLM hype and purchased the system because
I thought it would help with the dust in my house. The dust by the way does not
contribute to my sleep apnea.
I purchased the Alpine Xl-15 during a really bad time in my life. I had just filed for
backruptcy and really couldn't afford the cost, but since Mr. Loomis said he was able
to sell me a repo system, I was able to get it at half price. I thought this would be a
beneficail system to use to cut down dust, but after using it when I could get it to work,
I actually felt irritation in my lungs. I was able to use it a lower settings and it did seem
to do a good jub of cutting down the dust and emilinating some mold odors, but it
never has worked reliably.
My life has been changed by Alpine's fresh air machine. I no longer use inhalors (sic) or pharmaceuticals. I have started a business through Ecoquest that helps people just like me. Please stop this agency (ConsumerAffairs.com) from taking pay-offs from HEPA filter companies and Pharmaceutical companies and discrediting not only the parent companies of Ecoquest and Alpine, but my company as well.
You are hurting my business, as well as the potentially thousands of people who can be helped by Ecoquest products. I am physically unable to work in the workplace ... this business is my family's livelihood. This is emotionally wreaking havoc. Your agency is corrupt!
