Hempstead officials accuse company of misleading ads

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray accused a private company Friday of confusing East Meadow residents by placing a potentially misleading notice about water testing on their doors.

Officials for New York Water Solutions of Huntington said the firm has done nothing unethical.

Hempstead officials have written to state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, asking him to look into the company's marketing practices, which they said "have caused confusion and concern." The letter describes the notice as "ominous and very 'governmental' looking."

In recent days, the company placed orange notices on the front doors of some East Meadow homes, instructing residents to fill a bottle with tap water, complete a form, place the bottle and form in an envelope, and hang the envelope on the front door "by 10 a.m. tomorrow for pickup."

Murray said in a news conference in one of the homes that the company is not affiliated with the town, and residents are not obliged to fill the bottle or complete the form. More than a dozen residents contacted the town about the notice, officials said.

The forms state across the bottom that the company is "not affiliated with the city health or water department," said New York Water Solutions co-founder Wilson Pun.

Pun, whose company was founded last year, said the fliers are "how we market our service," which sells water testing and water purification systems. He added that the initial testing service was free.

"If somebody disagrees with how we market our service, unfortunately that is their problem," Pun said. "We are 100 percent confident in what we do."

A call to Schneiderman's office was not returned.