North Texas

Company's Mailbox Message Causing Confusion

Notices arriving in mailboxes across North Texas say the resident has a "package shipment" and needs to call a number to get it. Bedford police warned it was a scheme to get personal information, but it has little to do with a package.

Right on Highway 26 in Colleyville sits Foreman's General Store. Gayle Foreman works the counter now but crawled the floors there as a toddler. From the beginning, she learned good customer service at her family business.

So when she got a notice in the mail from a company trying to reach her about a package shipment, she appreciated the effort.

"I thought it was something I ordered in the mail and I had to be there to get it," Foreman said.

But she says when she called, she wasn't greeted anything like they do at Foreman's.

"He started asking me all kind of crazy questions. 'Is your spouse going to be there? Is your child going to be there? Do you use filtered water? Do you use a filter on your house?'" Foreman said.

She was promised a gift if she let someone come out to her home and look at her water.

"[They said] 'All that's going to happen, we're gonna come out to your house we're going to talk a little water out of you're sink. We're going to look at it, and we're going to give you a $50 gift certificate,'" Foreman said.

She was sold.

"OK! You can have all the water out of my sink for $50," she said.

She never heard about the package on the way. It was a sales pitch for a nearly $9,000 water filtration system from Crystal Clear Concepts of Grand Prairie. They came to Gayle's home, tested her water and she says they stayed nearly two hours trying to convince her to shell out the cash.

"They haven't met me yet, I'm a Foreman, I can say no real easy," Foreman said.

Bedford police weighed in on the mailers last week, warning residents about the sales tactic.

In a statement, Crystal Clear Concepts says, "The mailers are sent out to arrange a thank you gift in exchange for an opportunity to offer a free in home water test. We understand that some people thought these were left by UPS or FedEx and we apologize for any confusion. Our goal is simply to offer residents the best water possible."

It's a wake up call to the woman who grew up in the general store where customers come in just to play with the puppies and to buy from old friends whom they trust.

"I don't tell you we're going to give you something free if you let me in," Foreman said.

That's simply not the Foreman's way.

Bedford police say it's always good advice to be on guard if you're not totally clear about who is contacting you and why they're reaching out.

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