Billi B-5000

Avoid at all costs!! – Avoid at all costs!! Their customer service team is horrendous, Pam from customer service will belittle you and become quite aggressive when trying to resolve your issue. I’ve never been treated so poorly by a customer service team in my life. Billi is a complete scam! The system faulted within a few months of purchasing it. It should’ve been… Read more

within warranty but they will claim you have to pay for all repairs even if it’s clear the system that was installed is faulty and you have reports from Plumbers attesting to this. Within a year of purchasing it for my grandma they had already scammed her into paying more money on repairs then the systems cost itself. Theu will ignore you if you try to question why they are charging you within warranty period in the hopes that you just give up. They also keep record of credit card details and charge without authority. My grandma had multiple unauthorised charges that my bank had to dispute and refund. Beware!! Do not buy Billi I would go for a Zip tap instead.

Necessary piece of Kitchen equipment – This Unit is great. We use it regularly for drinks and cooking, even for rinsing dishes, soaking pans that have caught a little while cooking on hotplates. The filtered, chilled water is very good in summer months. We have had the older model Quadra which after 8 years, the Chiller section required servicing. Having been involved in refrigeration, I am working on getting it back into service. It just needed a new start capacitor.  Show details ·  1

A reasonable unit; but if you can, go for the larger B6000 or bigger – Contrary to other reviews we've found Billi to be outstanding with service and support! My kids rarely drink anything other than chilled water from our Billi. We've had Billi chilled water for 15 years. When we recently moved house, getting a new one installed was a priority. We were initially convinced the B5000 would be a good replacement for… Read more ·  1

our previous Billi Alpine 060D (chilled/tepid). The previous unit had multiple filters and, yes, it needed a couple of services over the years. Billi were always prompt and resolved the issues. The B5000, however, struggled to provide enough chilled water for our demands (seriously, our kids really love cold water). The hot water was fine.

After checking out our system, Billi replaced our unit with a much larger variant (we paid the difference) and we been been delighted. They have been very accommodating and very helpful to us. In my view, the B5000 could suit a small family, but if you're spending the money consider a B6000 or the larger Alpines/Quadra Compacts.So make sure you consider peak volume consumption. Buy the biggest unit you can afford if you're going hot/chilled. Again, this would be for all brands not just Billi.

For us the bigger unit has been fantastic!

You also need to consider lifetime running cost. From many of the comments people have been surprised by the need for annual filter replacement and the cost to do this. Some salespeople are probably reluctant to point this out.

But, simply, it's a health issue! You just shouldn't be using old filters. If you're paying for a premium product you have to factor in the cost of ensuring the water is safe to drink. You will find other brands have the same requirements.

For us Billi is, and has always been, a premium experience (5 stars). Just carefully consider your consumption volumes for the B5000 whether it's adequate. The bigger Billi I'd give 5 stars.

Good unit - expensive to maintain – Have had our Billi 5000 for three years, with absolutely NO problem - filter easy to replace (but expensive). Absolute convenience for hot and cold water - no issue at all with water boiling hot for tea. I expect it is more costly than stated for "running costs", but what has blown me away is the cost of maintenance - $130 + call out fee; nearly… Read more

$50 per 15 minutes of service time, and $280 (++) just to change filter (which is approximately half the total cost. OUCH!!! Called the head office in Melbourne and got a snooty response. Great product, will add more when my service is finished tomorrow.

Seriously one day out of warranty they changed 7 components when only element was broken they charged me over $2100.00 – Seriously what a joke one item broken service section mentioned their serviceman will plug in computer and find fault straight away 3 months later 3 call outs 7 components changed Show details

Worst after sales service – AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. Can't say it enough. I got an invoice for $6K for a new machine after being told a $193 part will not be recognized by our existing unit. Blatant lie. its a plastic $2 elbow. Aussie company ripping Aussies off.

Don’t waste your money – Pathetic company ridiculous call out procedure. Ridiculous prices on repairs. Product is good but company is based in Melbourne and because they control all repairers they get to charge what they want when they want

Just another unhappy Billi customer – 18 month old system stops working. I guess it happens. But the follow up to get fixed would make Basil Fawlty proud. Finally get booking for technician to come after two weeks. Technician calls but the call is missed and no message left. After waiting all day and no one turns up call Billi only to be told technician rang and left message and that… Read more

I should have rung back. Submit evidence to Billi of 'missed call and no message left' and was told most people ring back missed calls so my fault technician didnt come. Still trying to reschedule new visit ...

Unreliable Hardware with Poor Customer Service – Multiple call outs since installation 18 months ago with unit making noises, no pressure or no sparkling. Slow response time to fixes. We're back to boiling a kettle and buying in our sparkling while we wait for parts. When working it's a very convenient system. But it has been our worst investment - wouldn't buy again. Show details

DONT DO IT – Worst company ever, three times in a week it has broken. Everytime you make a booking they say the technician is busy and needs be rescheduled. Worst company ever and services are disgusting Show details

Worst after purchase support – The after service support is woeful!. The have all of these error codes that they refuse to publish because they want you to purchase their ridiculous overpriced service plans. They charge $57 plus GST for every 15 minutes along with a $100 callout fee. You need to watch the time closely as they over charge. The repair I had done 3 months ago for… Read more

a fault didn't fix the issue and the fault is back. So nearly $500 later, I am back to paying for a service callout!

Too many breakdowns – In the 3 years we had this system, it has been not working half the time: too many faults from unnecessary complicated operations modes. In spite of not much use, the unit forces filter change yearly, as the system stops working when the filter light comes on. Buy a simpler brand. Show details

Aftersales service is a letdown – I am happy to support Australian made, but it is a shame when the company is not there to support me. I sent an email on the 12/04/2020 asking which filter to get for my system as there were superceded models and due to the cost of filters, I wanted to get this right. I am still waiting on a response nearly 12 months on. I also needed to install… Read more

my Billi when we moved so I called to see if they had an experienced plumber familiar with the Billi that they could put me in touch with. I called twice in December 2020 and once in January 2021 and I was promised a return phone call but I am still waiting. Very disappointing.

Installed the Billy tap one week ago and the sparkling aspect of the ta – Installed the Billy tap one week ago and already the sparkling water is not working. It will take over two weeks for a technician to be sent out. Also, there is a high pitched noise every time we use it. After reading all of the reviews on here, I feel like I have made a very expensive mistake. As my husband is in the building industry, I would definitely not recommend this product.  Show details

This is just planned obsolescence – I believe Billi Boiling and Still Filtered Water with Levered Dispenser units are falsely advertised. They claim to have a 2 year warranty for parts and labour and will provide "Unlimited still filtered water" No where was it advertised that after a predetermined usage time, the unit will shutdown, even during the warranty period, to force you to… Read more

pay $180 for a new water filter, no matter what the condition of the existing water filter is. It is not as if we are sucking water out of the Ganges river, We have clean fresh Sydney Water from Warragamba dam. Sydney water states "Sydney’s water is from natural sources. It’s filtered to the high standards set by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. This helps assure your water is safe to drink straight from the tap." I find it offensive that I had to pay $180 to protect me from safe water. The water was running fast, the filter was not clogged. This is just planned obsolescence resulting in the ripping off of the consumer. If I new this, I would not have bought it. Zip units have a flashing light, that can be personalized, and not replacing the filter does not shut the unit down.

Don't waste your money – An absolute lemon, technicians have come to repair the tap on multiple occasions from week 1 and every time it's been a different fault and billi refuse to replace it. Show details

The cost of the filters is a rip off – The filters are $180 each ...that’s $1800 over 10years ...a massive rip off. The units are factory programmed to shut down every 12 months to force you to buy more filters Show details

Love Hate relationship – Love the boiling, cold and sparkling convenience on tap. Hate is cause it was always breaking down. Expensive to get service person out, and expensive on going costs. Example-have to change the filter every year, or the whole electronics/computer system shuts down, until it is changed, so no able to be used at all. Show details

As long as you can put up with this is not a bad unit – We purchased the B-5000 way back 2009/2010 and amazingly it's still in service 24/7. Sure we have had fair share of issues with the unit over the decade like cracked plastic valve replaced within 10 months and then replaced with the metal component just under 2 years period. Since then it gave off the amber malfunctioning blinking from time to… Read more

time and what worked was strip the unit down to the components and reassembled and disabling the leaking waring and other non-essential circuits. The unit itself is sitting inside the custom made Acrylic tray with 150mm height so in case there's leak the water will be contained and be removed later via the valve attached to the Acrylics tray.

if you are handy with tinkering and provided you can pick up this unit next to nothing it's certainly something you can put into the daily use.

finally naturally YMMV.

Very Disappointing – Bought the sparkling, cold, and boiling water units when upgrading the kitchen some years ago. The sparkling unit lasted less than a year and the cold water about 2 years. The sparkling always tasted odd so didn't use it much anyway. When the cold water stopped, technician told us it was unfixable and out of warranty. My biggest problem with… Read more

Billi is the filter extortion. Every year, another $165 for a filter. I should have a choice whether I want a new filter - it should not be automatic. In fact, the way it switches off the unit until you buy another filter should be illegal. I sincerely warn other families - do NOT buy a Billi filtered water system. You will regret it sooner than you think.

Appalling Product – This product is a huge disappointment. It doesn’t live up to any of the standards that came from the sales showroom. It has cost us a huge amount of money since purchase 4 years ago and, if it breaks again I will be taking it out and going back to the electric kettle. The filters are expensive, which have to be changed yearly, and they won’t come… Read more

out to repair the item until you have given them your credit card details. An hour after the serviceman left this morning they had taken $658 out of my credit card, and this was just to change the thermostat element which made the machine stop. I could have bought 6 really good kettles for that amount! We have had 3 call outs since purchase. I am so sorry to have purchased this product.

Vicki

Terrible product – In the warranty period alone they had to replace the tap 3 times (it looks like the cold water is sticking again). Since then the eco timer has failed once, the child safety for the hot water has been turned off by the servicing consultant because they couldn’t get it to work and now internally there is a leak and water is pissing out everywhere.… Read more

I don’t expect to have a unit last 5 years without problem but realistically having to pay for repairs years is beyond and expectation.

Don’t buy

Constantly breaks down – Have had this unit for a year now and so far the technician has come out 7/8 times to fix it. It’s constantly breaking down. Go for Zip, much more reliable. Paid around $5k for this model, for that amount of money, I’d expect a better and more reliable product. Very disappointed  Show details

Still the same the cost of the filters are a lot as you need to change them every year – The filters need to be replaced every year and are $180+ The unit is expensive so do your home work as the new models are the same as the discontinued models in cost of filters just a newer version and other colours to choose from very convenient unit instant boiling water and chilled water  Show details

Working but blinking amber icons driving me mental – I bought this as part of new kitchen installation when we’d done the full kitchen renovation. The unit worked great initially for about 10+ months before its plastic valve split and dumped the massive water inside cabinet where the unit was installed. Billi sent its technician promptly – too promptly should I said since he arrived within 45min… Read more

after I logged the service – and the plastic valve was replaced with different model. Apparently this was well known issue and Billi was replacing it everytime they are called for the service.

Anyhow the unit worked fine for another 12-13 months before it broke down again. The technician came and replaced the valve with again slightly different model. And yep! The unit worked fine for another 18 months before two amber icon started blinking. They could be tuned off by restarting the unit but soon after would go back to amber blinking icons. Booked the service and Billi technican visited promptly. After replacing the valve one more time – it was split or cracked – and replacing the filter – it was only 9 months after replaced – the amber icons still blinked. After careful checking the technician stipulated that the cooling module somehow drew and dripping the water droplets into the bottom of unit and when enough had been accumulated it triggered the fault warning icons.

Since the unit was well outside the warranty period he suggested to pull out the power cable to the cooling module so basically running the unit as boiling water only. Seeing no option I agreed and we used the unit as such for next 12 months before amber icons blinking again. Initially thought it was due for filter replacing so I bought the new filter and replaced – by the way why Billi charges $150 to replace $160 filter when we was visiting the site for the service? The bill showed the service fee plus filter plus the replacing fee of $150. That’s amazingly expensive 10 seconds which it took him to replace the filter from getting the new one out of cardboard box and all – and the amber icons temporarily disappeared but came back next day.

Now I fed up with the unit already so I pulled the unit out and took the outside the case and plugg’d back in and observed how it’s running. From what I could observe it seemed the unit went to the fault mode after drawing the water several times – about 20-25 times – and then somehow struggled and then went into the fault mode. I’m not sure what’s the issue since the filter is brand new one I replaced just now.

At the moment we are using the unit and every time the amber icons blinking just reset the unit and it would be good for another half day or so.

Guess it’s time for another unit soon but I’m afraid Billi won’t be on my shopping list. I heard TAP is rather good nowadays…

Even though it’s dicontinued they will all be the same – If only the sales people tell you you need to replace filter every 6 -12 months it cost $185 to replace filter l don’t think the unit is worth the $4000 plus and then to replace filter I don’t think it is worth it l wish l never got it and sales staff gave better information  Show details

The unit is ok.... when it works! – Every human being likes to envisage the steam arising from their cuppa of a day. However for us it is been a hit and miss privilege with the B5000 selecting at random the days we are entitled to procure a (hot) one. The unit has been fixed twice now with lengthy delays in between. The service has been ok from Billi but we did not expect this from… Read more

such an expensive kettle. Cold has worked well and keeps going when the hot throws a leg.

i cant say for sure how long this problem will exist but it has happened twice in 3 months. Hopefully Billi can fix the fuses in their units or whatever is causing it is in the near future.

Looks good but a disappointing product – It's an attractive looking tap, but the water although scalding hot isn't hot enough to make a nice cup of tea. We have used this tap for 2 years now and have found to make a nice cup of tea we prefer to boil the kettle. The water just doesn't get hot hot enough to infuse the tea from the Billi. Another major draw back is that the unit is… Read more

programmed at the factory to stop working every 12 months and you are forced to buy an atrociously overpriced filter for about $180. So if the unit has a 10year life span... factor $1800 into maintenance costs over that period. A generic filter from Bunnings is about $15.00.

We've turned it off after 2 years and now it's a stand to dry the dish cloth on.

Do not buy this product – This company offers the worst service I have ever seen and are blatant rip off merchants. Our dud is 5 yrs old and has broken down 3 times. They insist on a $180 call out fee paid up front before they send the service agent who is 5 mins down the road from our house. They don't ring and don't follow up. Their attitude to service come straight out of the Basil Fawlty handbook Disgraceful  Show details

Really poor customer service – My Billi is just over 2 years old and has two orange fault lights displayed. Rang Billi, customer engagement was disinterested, told me I need to change my filter - I do not, I have only recently changed it; next step you need a service agent as there is clearly a fault (not until you had tried to sell me a new filter!) For a product that is just over 2 years old that cost close to $5k, I would have thought service would have been better -  Show details