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Culligan

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5.6

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: January 31st, 2025
Culligan started in 1936 and has since become an industry leader. They strive to provide better water for homes, offices, restaurants, and industrial facilities around the world. Culligan initially provided water softening solutions for residences, but has since expanded to other industries. Culligan's water softeners have been awarded by the NSF, Water Quality Association, and Underwriters Laboratories. Additionally, Culligan has earned a Consumers Digest Best Buy award for the reliability of their products.
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The Good

  • 80 Years in Business
  • Free In-home Water Testing
  • High-Quality Products
  • Comprehensive Warranty

80 Years in Business

Over the past 80 years that Culligan Water has been around, they have become one of the oldest water softener companies in the world. Their brand size has also grown to be very large. They have been established for years and have served thousands of customers worldwide.

Free In-home Water Testing

Culligan offers free water testing to see what exactly is in the water at your home. A water expert will come to your home and test the tap water right in your kitchen. The results vary based on each household, but it usually takes less than 10 minutes to finish the test. After the test, you will see the results and receive advice on which product to fix the problem.

High-Quality Products

Culligan provides a diverse selection of water softener systems designed to meet various household needs. Each product is designed to cater to different household water conditions. Their lineup includes:

  • Culligan Medallist Series: An affordable yet reliable water softening option
  • Culligan High-Efficiency (HE) Series: Maximizes salt and water efficiency using smart technology
  • Culligan HE Twin and Progressive Flow: Ideal for large households requiring continuous soft water.

These systems feature customizable options, such as smart sensors, Wi-Fi connectivity, and advanced filtration add-ons, making them suitable for different budgets and preferences. Beyond residential solutions, Culligan also serves commercial and industrial markets, offering comprehensive water treatment systems tailored to specific business needs.

Comprehensive Warranty

Culligan offers more robust and longer warranties on products compared to its competitors. Warranty coverage varies by model and dealer, but generally includes:

  • Tank Warranty: Typically 10 years or more.
  • Control Valve Warranty: Ranges from 5 to 10 years.
  • Parts and Labor: Some dealers offer 1 to 5 years of coverage.
  • Extended Warranties: Available for an additional cost and may provide up to 15 years of coverage.
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The Bad

  • Installation Services
  • Undisclosed Information
  • Higher Upfront Cost

Installation Services

Culligan only offers installation services based on location and certain products. Although you have the product shipped to your home, you have to ask whether installation services are available. If installation services are available in your area and with your product, you will have to pay an additional fee for installation.

Undisclosed Information

There is a lot of information that Culligan doesn't include on their website. They do not provide any information regarding contract length or a cancellation policy. Other industry competitors are very transparent when providing information about contracts. Usually there are month to month contracts or yearly contracts, but Culligan does not release this information on their website. Additionally, they do not disclose if they have a cancellation or refund policy regarding contracts. They also don't disclose information regarding coverage.

Higher Upfront Cost

When comparing the cost of a Culligan water softener against competitor brands, Culligan typically falls on the higher end due to professional installation services that ensure proper setup and system optimization. However, investing in a high-quality system like Culligan offers long-term benefits, including better efficiency, lower maintenance, and extended durability. A professionally installed Culligan system not only provides superior water softening but also reduces the likelihood of costly repairs and replacements in the future.

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The Bottom Line

Culligan values customer satisfaction and providing quality service to their customers. Although they don't disclose information about contracts and installation services on their website, they offer good products for a reasonable price. We highly recommend Culligan for all water softener needs.
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Star Rating

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4.3

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102 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

64%

4 grade

19%

3 grade

9%

2 grade

3%

1 grade

6%

Sentiment Criteria

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Quality

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Service

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Angela Rogers

For 4 months I purchased water with this company and paid every month for the water that I received on the 5th month I go in there to pay and the lady in the office tells me that I owe them for the past 4 months I said I've been in here every month paying you what are you talking about she said well I'll record show you didn't pay us anything I said what just a second so I walk outside go to my truck get all the receipts and then she tells me will those could have been printed on a home printer so you'll need to pay us the $400 or something dollars you owe us for the past 4 months I said no you're crazy that's Texas can't be right there's got to be something wrong so I called the corporate office they told me the exact same thing that I have not paid in the past 4 months and they want their money and that I would be arrested if I didn't return the bottles I was like I cannot believe this I had a lot of problems with them with the first two months I would pay the water wouldn't show up till 3 or 4 weeks later I go the next month and get the water and then it wouldn't show up for 4 or 5 weeks later I was still going in every month and paying but sometimes I didn't get water for a couple months for the water I had already paid for so I don't know if they just had an account glitch in their system or what but something is weird and when they're threatening to arrest me for water bottles it just didn't make any sense all I know is my bank told me that they have a really horrible track record especially with the elderly like me and not to even put them on your bank card subscriptions stay away from this company

4 months ago

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Wendy Trenchard

Albany NY.....I bought an RO system ran just to the kitchen sink. The tech came on a Friday afternoon. Saturday night I went down and saw all this water on my basement floor. A slow leak so I waited until the next day and reported it to the salesman and 24/7 service along with the fact that I had purchased an extra set of filters which were not left. NO ONE CAME TO LOOK/FIX THE PROBLEM!! So on Monday morning I hired my own plumber to fix it (a nut which was loosened by the tech and not tightened enough) and BLOCKED this company from my phone. If they don't care to hear me then I DON'T CARE TO HEAR THEM ASKING FOR PAYMENT!!!! They are incompetent and thieves. I ignored them for 2+ years and then they brought me to court. Because I didn't respond to the courts I lost out and had to pay them. THEY SUCK!!!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.

10 months ago

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feng zhang Shawnee, KS

Beware of the scandal when they install it on only cold water on a single pipe instead of the main water line and claim their machine works, charge you every month after multiple time telling them it’s not working, all the answer they’ll give you is equipment works, just the water line that it’s installed on is for a single pipe only and everything else you’re still using hard water.

1 year ago

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Benjamin Milligan Dennis, TX

Paid to have Culligan come fix water that smelled like rotten eggs for my well. Was assured they could fix the problem. $10,000 later the problem is "fixed" but my water pressure isn't right, the system is constantly breaking and requires constant attention. Culligan is slow to fix the issues and usually doesn't want to cover the equipment.

1 year ago

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Will Mo Saint Clair Shores, MI

Good tasting water…as for the rest…not as tasty. We were offered very little help when it was time for us to get a new machine. We paid for the unit at least 4 times over for the years we rented it, tried to cancel the service but were given static at every turn. Finally we put their machine on the curb and purchased from another company.

3 years ago Edited October 15, 2021

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GREGORY MC LENDON San Jose, CA

There was a time when they were the one to call for water needs. It’s should not be this difficult to get a company to help you when you are in need

2 years ago Edited July 18, 2022

@endstack