Post Publishing Note: Since publishing this review back in February, I’ve received several comments from readers who have had a bad experience with this company. Please read the reader comments below before ordering from Eco Canteen.
The company has been reported to several consumer watchdog groups, as well as the BBB, for their shady customer service, high fees, and aggressive upselling. My advice is not to buy from this company. I’m leaving this review up as a service to readers, so they can see what Eco Canteen is really like.
Again, please make sure you read the comments below this article.
Now, on the original review…
Eco Canteen Product Review
By now we’re probably all well aware that plastic might not be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, at least when it comes to storing our edibles.
There are a flood of studies and evidence that has come out recently suggesting that the chemicals in plastic might leach out into our food once the container is heated. Others have found that the longer a substance sits in plastic (like in the case of bottled water), the more chemicals leach out.
Down With Bottled Water!
- According to The Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
- Earth911.org reports that in 2007, Americans each drank 167 bottles of water, but only recycled 23% of those bottles.
- All this bottled water uses up 1.5 million barrels of oil every year. That’s enough to fuel 100,000 cars (source: Earth911.org)
- According to Fast Company Magazine, last year Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water. That’s more than we spent on iPods or movie tickets. Crikey.
And here’s another sobering piece of information for you, this from the National Geographic Green Guide…
Considering that plastics are made from non-renewable petroleum and natural gas, it’s not surprising to know that plastic manufacturing is a major source of industrial pollution. Producing a 16-oz. #1 PET bottle, for instance, generates more than 100 times the toxic emissions to air and water than making the same size bottle out of glass. Major emissions from plastic production processes include sulfur oxides and nitrous oxides (both of which contribute to global warming) and the chemicals styrene, benzene and trichloroethane.
Enter the Eco Canteen
The Eco Canteen is a stainless steel water bottle that eliminates all this waste. Stainless steel water bottles are non-porous, which means they resist bacterial growth. If you’re like me and always forget to wash yours out, this is perfect!
The Eco Canteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle
The first reason is because it’s stainless steel (Sigg is aluminum). Eco Canteen won’t harbor germs and bacteria like plastic. And as I said above, I’m notorious about forgetting to wash mine out after the gym. So, this is a lifesaver.
Another great thing is the mouth; it’s got a wider mouth than Sigg, which makes it easier to drink from when you’re active. And, you put ice cubes in it. Bliss.
Plus when I do remember to clean it, the wide mouth will accommodate a sponge (my Sigg won’t). So, it’s easier to wash.
Post-Publication Note #2;
Again, I’m strongly suggesting that you not buy products from Eco Canteen. Please read the reader comments below this article to see what has happened to other readers.
If you’re looking for a high-quality stainless steel water bottle, then check out Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottles
Disclaimer: Everything in this product review is 100% my own opinion. This is NOT a paid or sponsored post. There are no paid or sponsored posts on The Greenest Dollar.
I apologize for the Eco Canteen ad at the bottom of the post; I don’t know how to take it off without disabling all the ads on my site.
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ECO Canteens are trash. They lead you to believe that they will keep water cold. IT DOES NOT! Ice water was warm in 1 hour. Stay away from this trash product that is trying to make you guilty about plastic but doesn’t have a good alternative.
BUYER BEWARE!
IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY AND RETURN THEM, THERE IS A 15% RESTOCKING FEE AND THEY COUNT THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING COST AS PART OF THE TOTAL.
Down with plastic!! We’ve been raised on harmful products with no exposure to the consequences of our actiions till now. It’s time we pull together and create products to curb the earlier generations recklessness. The eco canteen is an excellent product, but if the company doesn’t back it’s customers it’s at a loss. You’re going to tell me that plastic keeps your water cold for that much longer?? If you want efficiency then create an eco friendly porduct that you like and I’m positive you will have a big hit. It’s a new generation stepping up and I can’t wait to see the push for a green world!
I’m always skeptical about products sold by “carnet pitchmen” and their off spring–the television ads. Please follow up with all of the poor travel “coffee cups” on the market; they are all terrible!
Thanks!
They charged me erroneously for products I did not order and refused to credit me back the correct amount. I would call them swindlers.
I ordered those two bottles, on picture it looked like they send two for $9.99, but I end up to pay over $41. They do not give you option to review what you going to pay, as soon as you entered credit card number etc. deal is done. There is no phone to cancel, no E-mail, nothing. I will dispute this charge, I already talk to my AMEX Credit Card. Does any one knows how to reach them?
Sergey,
If you scroll through the entire list of comments, you’ll see that Eco Canteen had a Rep write in and leave contact information.
Here is the information she left a few weeks ago:
Customer Service Representatives are available:
By phone: 888-229-9543 Mon. through Fri. 9:00am – 11:30am & 12:30pm – 5:30pm EST
Through LiveChat at: http://www.ecocanteencustomerservice.com Mon. through Fri. 9:00am – 11:30am & 12:30pm – 5:30pm EST
By email: http://www.ecocanteencustomerservice.com Our customer service department answers the emails generated by this form first.
By mail: EcoCanteen, P.O. Box 472246, Charlotte, NC 28247
We endeavor to respond to each inquiry within 24 business hours. We are in the process of expanding our response capabilities.
Good luck!
Well unfortunately i didn’t see this website until I had already placed my ad and been swindled! They charged me $60 for my order and put a bunch of things that I didn’t order onto it! Its awfully funny how nobody answers the phone or live chats until your card has been charged! I am disputing this charge as well and they shouldnt be allowd to do business !
I think if enough people to complaint about this company practices it would be shut down. They gave me a good lesson though, never buy anything from advertisers on TV. I purchased exactly same looking bottle from Big Lots for 3.99. What a rip off.
What is it with this company? Their online customer service reps are rude (if you get one) and if you try calling them, there’s never any answer. I wish I’d never placed an order.
The company has been reported to several consumer watchdog groups, as well as the BBB, for their shady customer service, high fees, and aggressive upselling. My advice is not to buy from this company. I’m leaving this review up as a service to readers, so they can see what Eco Canteen is really like.
I was charged over $111.00 (shockingly!) for the upgrade, which I never received. I called Eco Canteen and the woman apologized, saying that she would send the upgrade tops to me. I never received them. I called and called getting no answer and had no way to leave a message. That “Rep” from Eco Canteen who posted all of the contact information including the “Live Chat”–that was never “on” when I looked for it–was not completely being honest (I wonder if she was/is really ever in that customer service location?) about the company being available help customers. Finally, I did send an email to them stating that I was going to give them a week (I gave a date) to send me my “deluxe” tops and if I didn’t receive them by that date, I was going to seek legal action against them. On the very day of that “deadline” date, I had the money BACK in my checking account! So, folks, threaten legal action and you just might get what you want. What a for crap company. It’s a shame.
I got the shaft too. They charged me double for the order I placed. The only published prices are
on their web site. No amount verification on the automated phone ordering, no press one to accept,
2 to reject. I think this is illegal. No price on any of the paper work that comes with the order.
No return policy in the paper work. What if I don’t have access to the web all the time? I don’t! So 30 days went by while I was attempting to contact them. Stupid me, I should have known they set it up to screw use to the wall. I’m taking my issue to the state and Fed. BBB Also disputing the charges
based on theft.
Well, I hear about all the upselling and overcharges and I wish I would have paid more attention when I bought one to make sure I did not get swindled. Having been through the process of upselling type companies before I was aware of their trying, so it did not bother me as much.
My problem with Eco-Canteen is different. Supposedly it is stainless steel and therefore should resist bacterial growth. Well then, I don’t know what you would call the green gooey stuff that grew inside mine, but it looked bacterial to me! I had to clean it out really good after that.
Now I notice that it is very wet on the bottom, and I am like, what the heck? So I dry it of and watch – lo and behold, there is a little worn-through pinhole in the bottom of it. What’s up with that?? From now on, I buy cheap canteens at KMart. And I don’t care if they are plastic or not.
Worst company in the world, horrible rip-off! DON’T DO BUSINESS PLEASE!!! I don’t want others to get SCAMMED.
after reading the reviews….Im glad I purchased this at CVS for $9.99 :-/
Hello,
This is EcoCanteen Customer Service. We have read this blog and have noted that there are some frustrations, particularly with the order process and the pricing. To better clear this up, we want to address these points.
The web platform and order process that EcoCanteen uses is identical to almost every Infomercial or Direct Response TV (DRTV) product advertised. There are three major companies in the United States that design, build and maintain websites for most of these companies. We use the largest of these firms to design and host Ecocanteen.com.. DRTV websites, like Ecocanteen.com, commonly have a simple landing page that shows the commercial, gives details about the product advertised, displays all pricing and shipping/handling costs, and has an order form. Once customers complete their purchase by clicking the “Process Order†button at the bottom of EcoCanteen.com, they are taken to a series of other product pages where they can add additional items to their order. After several pages, which all display the pricing and shipping/handling, the customer sees their receipt page.
Our prices are clearly stated on the home page of http://www.ecocanteen.com. The EcoCanteen is $9.99 plus $5.95 shipping/handling and comes with a bonus insulated tote plus the shipping of $4.95. All together one adult bottle with an insulated tote comes to $20.89, which is less than Klean Kanteen and other competitors we’ve price checked, and their prices do not include a tote. Customers are also asked if they would like to upgrade to a deluxe model that has a stainless steel lid and lifetime guarantee for an additional $7.95 each. The Kid’s EcoCanteen is $8.95 plus $4.95 shipping/handling and $4.95 shipping/handling for the tote. Never Spill Pull Tops (sports lids) are $4.95 and have no Shipping and Handling. And there is also an offer for rush shipment which is a flat rate of $7.84 in addition to the regular Shipping and Handling.
If you would like to contact EcoCanteen with a question, comment, or for help with a Customer Service issue we encourage you to visit us at http://www.ecocanteencustomerservice.com. The site offers FAQs and our Customer Service phone number.
Thank You,
The EcoCanteen Customer Service Team
Ha ha ha, nice try.
It’s a good thing that websites like this exist to tell the real story behind these shady companies. Thanks to the owner of this blog for leaving them up.
These creeps up-sold my mother to over $110 for junk that I could have bought at Walmart for below $25.00. She’s not some dithering elderly fool either; she just got caught in a maze of deceptive up-sell screens that appear AFTER you input your credit card information, offer no option to decline or by-pass and do not give you a reading of what you are being charged until after the order is \processed.\ Her attempts to reach the company were never responded to, she just gave up and called it a lesson learned because the kids were already using the bottles (which by the way are exactly the same as the ones sold at Walmart, right down to the caps and are probably made in the same Chinese factory).
Buyer, beware!
It is not like every Infomercial or Direct Response TV (DRTV) product advertised, it’s lie. I have ordered many times on line before, it always gave a total amount I pay with shipping, where I still have an option to go with that or cancel. You misleading people on shipping, otherwise you would not need to do that. When I checked your website and wanted to leave a little window poped up that offered 4.95 ea. bottle. Well, it never materialized, you charged me in full.
First, you gave me a lesson not to order from TV ads anymore, thanks for that. I think other merchant should be upset at you.
Secondly I tell as many people as I can about this, so others will be aware of what is going on and never order from any Infomercial or TV ads.
By the way you never answered my email.
I wish I had seen this site before buying 5 bottles. I have not received them yet and cannot get order cancelled (according to Eco Canteen’s only Customer Service Rep) because it has not been delivered. But no one USPS, UPS or Eco can tell me where it is. The wrong zip code is on the tracking info for UPS and I tried to tell Eco to check on it but they cannot because they are too busy. I still hold hope that I will get them before Christmas for the kids.
I’ve purchased Kleen Kanteen stainless steel canteens in the past and purchased two EcoCanteens from CVS because I liked the price. In fact, the Kleen Kanteen tops fit the EcoCanteens. They feel the same in weight and texture, too. If I have problems, I will return. If I were you, I’d purchase them through CVS in stores or CVS online and hold onto your receipt. Good luck!
The large mouth of this bottle is a real nuisance. You end up pouring whatever the bottle holds all over your chin and clothing as you drink. I have seen similar bottles in Target with sports lids on them. I plan to buy those and put my 5 eco canteens into retirement.
The company needs to make this type of lid an option.
Dear AnnaZed,
We’re sorry your Mother had problems navigating our website. As with any DRTV website, yes there are upsells offered once a customer places an order with us. The pricing on the upsell pages is clearly stated and all of the pages give you the option to accept (by hitting the “Yes†button) or decline (by hitting the “No†button). If you mother would like to go over the order we would love to assist her. She can contact us by phone at 888.229.9543 Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST (we do close daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST). Please have her ask for Trish and she will be more than happy to assist her.
Thank You,
EcoCanteen, Inc.
Dear Mr. Miller,
Our product is marketed the same as any other DRTV product. Pedegg, PediPaws, Snuggie, and many, many others are marketed the exact same way. I apologize but we never received an email from you; the only contact we have from you is when you contacted us for a status on your order in July. The window you saw pop up was a limited time offer and you had to order through that pop-up to get the pricing shown. If there is another issue, or you’d like a further breakdown of your charges, we will gladly go over the order with you. Please call us at 888.229.9543 and ask for Trish, Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST (we do close daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST).
Thank You,
EcoCanteen, Inc.
Dear Ms. Mohr,
I apologize for any inconvenience. You never notified us that there was an address issue so we did not know there was a problem until the items were sent back to us marked “Undeliverable as addressedâ€. Per your conversation with customer service on 12/16, the day the order was returned to us saying we had a bad address it was refunded in full. If you would like to place a new order, we ask that you contact us by phone so we can manually input it to assure we have your correct information and we will gladly upgrade it to rush shipping free-of-charge as a courtesy. You can contact us at 888.229.9543 Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST (we do close daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EST).
Thank You,
EcoCanteen, Inc
Buy it at CVS and save the receipt! Cost me 9.95
jack
I just received my eco canteen today. I can’t comment on pricing or customer service issues as I got mine via cashing in my bonus points on my one credit card. So, my review is based solely on the product itself.
I have used many types and styles of reusable plastic water bottles over the years. This is my first non-plastic reusable bottle, and I absolutely love it. I like the design, simplicity, and the fact that it doesn’t leak like plastic does. Plus, I love the fresh taste of my water in here, even after sitting for a bit. Since this is made out of an alloy, it get’s cold to carry. So, I will need to get the insulator pouch that goes around it since mine didn’t come with one. So to sum up, I am very satisfied with the product itself and am hoping to have no issues when ordering the pouch.
i love my canteen, i stopped using plastic bottles opting for my own filtered water in an aluminum bottle till finding out that the aluminum is so not good for you, even to cook with. (I now use cast iron and glass) It keeps my water cold enough and the best part for me is that i can throw it into the diswasher (unlike aluminum) I do not recommend buying online. I bought mine in a as seen on tv store as i did my EmeryCat and Heeltastic. You won’t get the extras but there are no shipping cost, so to me it was worth it.
I’ve got two of these bottles. We purchased them at Walmart for $9.88 each. We didn’t get the tote, but frankly, who cares? I do like the bottles though, quite a bit. So I guess the lesson is, the product is pretty okay, but buy it from a retailer who, if you are unhappy, you can drive back to their store, look soneone in the eye and demand datisfaction.
I don’t understand….I bout it at Walmart for 9.99. i love the thing
I purchased mine at Wal-Mart. No tote included.
The only complaint I have is the Carbanier style clip that came with it broke the first time I tried to clip to a pack strap. The spring mechanism in it was poorly made. No worries though, I had spare ones on hand.
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