Online Scams Abound During Chlorine Shortage

News of the shortage on chlorine tablets has hit the mass media and prices have sky rocketed around the nation. A recent spate of price increase notices from some of the top distributors comes on the tail end of a particularly rough start to this years pool season.

Many pool companies are struggling to find essential supplies to build, repair and maintain swimming pools. Positive news like the rebuilding of the BioLab plant came too late to salvage this years shortage on dry chlorine products.

As the chlorine crunch continues, the shortage has begun to impact availability of a variety of essential chemicals including muriatic acid, according to Orenda Technologies.

Online Scams For Chlorine Tabs Growing in Frequency

As legitimate suppliers run out of inventory, consumers are turning to Amazon, Ebay, and a variety of online stores to try and purchase tablets. Unfortunately, a rash of online scams have popped up to capitalize on the pool supply shortages and, as a result, consumers have been getting ripped off with alarming regularity.

Trying to order chlorine tablets on Amazon produced an immediate search result where the top sponsored listings I saw are obvious scammers. The growing number of these scams is concerning. This type of activity represents a serious problem for the pool industry as well as consumers.

One consumer was none to pleased with her online purchase of chlorine tablets, believing she had purchased a 25 pound bucket of tablets based on the exorbitant price. Instead, she says she received her Amazon order which consisted of a small container of aspirin sized chlorine tablets.

Consumers need to be aware of what they are purchasing before they buy from any online retailer, particularly on non-pool supply websites. Online retail marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart carry pool chemicals but are notoriously slow to react to online scams. Some pool scammers operate multiple accounts at a time under a variety of different brands and it can be difficult for consumers to make a distinction on whether they are legitimate or not.

Needless to say, as the chlorine shortage continues, it’s more important than ever to not only fully vette your pool builder and pool service company, but your chemical supplier as well. Although distributors may be in short supply, purchasing from a reputatable and recognized pool supplier is always the best option.