HRV have plead guilty (opens new window) to 11 counts of misleading customers about their water filters. They were charged with making untrue claims about the levels of chemicals in New Zealand tap water, as well as their filter's ability to soften the water and help with eczema and dermatitis.

HRV said about the court case:

"Following the Commission's original request for information, [we] took steps to address their concerns and immediately removed any inaccurate information based on its feedback. [We] take an investigation of this kind very seriously. We have put in place additional processes to ensure tighter control over our marketing material in the future."

HRV have made a new version of their video advert with a new voiceover, removing the claims:

However, it wasn't hard to find their old advert online, as it's on HRV's official YouTube channel:

The video clearly makes the claims that they say they have removed from all advertising. I am assuming that this is an oversight, and I will email the company tomorrow to let them know about this issue and see how quickly they manage to fix it.

HRV are no angels, and have a history of using unethical tactics (opens new window) to sell their air and water filters, including being the subject of a Commerce Commission investigation (opens new window) back in 2012:

Issues include aggressive sales techniques, false claims and problems with the hardware.

HRV are currently owned by energy company Vector, and form part of their E-Co business group.