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Switching water delivery companies in Chicago comes down to four things: settling your bottle deposit, returning or keeping your dispenser, timing your last and first deliveries so you never run dry, and confirming the cancellation in writing. If you’re leaving Primo Water (ReadyRefresh), WaterOne or Mountain Valley Spring Water, the checklist below walks through each step in the order that keeps your kitchen stocked.

Key Takeaways

• Book your new service before you cancel the old one. Overlapping by one delivery cycle is the simplest way to avoid a week without water.
• Empty bottles are usually tied to a deposit or credit, so return every one before your final bill closes.
• A rented dispenser belongs to your old provider. If you return it, have the replacement lined up first. Verde Springs sets up the dispenser when a customer rents or buys one.
• Get the cancellation confirmed in writing, then check your next statement for leftover rental or delivery charges.
• Verde Springs has no contracts, brings bottles up to the unit (including in high-rise apartments) and confirms the first delivery within one business day of signing up.

What should you gather before you cancel?

Before you call anyone, spend ten minutes with your last statement and your account page. Most switching headaches come from not knowing what you actually have at home.

Write down these five things:

• How many bottles you have, full and empty, including the one on the dispenser.
• Whether you paid a bottle deposit. It usually appears as a one-time charge on your first invoice.
• Whether your dispenser is rented or owned. A monthly equipment charge means it’s a rental and has to go back.
• Your billing cycle date. Cancellations often take effect at the end of a billing period, not the day you call.
• Your next scheduled delivery, so you skip or keep it on purpose.

What I’d pay the most attention to is the dispenser. Empty bottles are easy to hand back. A rented dispenser left in your kitchen an extra month can turn into a replacement charge.

The switching checklist, step by step

The order matters more than any single step. Start the new service first, then wind down the old one.

• 1. Confirm the new service covers your address. Verde Springs checks coverage by ZIP code on its service area page.
• 2. Pick your bottles and dispenser. Choose glass or plastic, and decide whether to rent, buy or keep a dispenser you already own. If your current one is rented, line up a replacement before it leaves.
• 3. Schedule the first new delivery a few days before the old provider’s last drop. A short overlap costs a bottle or two. Running dry costs a store run and a case of single-use plastic. Skip any extra old delivery online so bottles don’t stack up in a small kitchen.
• 4. Cancel in a way that leaves a record. Email or an online account request is easier to prove than a phone call. Note the date and any ticket number.
• 5. Ask exactly when the cancellation takes effect. Some providers end service at the close of a billing period, which can be weeks after you call.
• 6. Schedule the bottle and equipment pickup. Confirm the date and how many bottles they’ll collect, and leave everything where the driver can reach it.
• 7. Drain, clean and photograph what you return. Empty the dispenser’s reservoir and drip tray, wipe it down, then snap a photo of everything on pickup day in case a charge shows up later.
• 8. Check the final statement. Look for your refunded deposit and confirm rental and delivery charges stopped.

In a high-rise or walk-up, also tell your front desk about both the pickup and the new delivery, so old bottles don’t sit in the package room and new ones don’t wait in the lobby.

What to know if you’re leaving Primo, WaterOne or Mountain Valley

Each provider handles the exit a little differently. These notes are based on each company’s public information as of October 2026. Always check your own service agreement, because terms can vary by account and region.

Leaving Primo Water (ReadyRefresh, Hinckley Springs)

Primo Brands runs home delivery in Chicago under the ReadyRefresh name and the Hinckley Springs brand. Primo’s service agreement says customers may cancel at any time without penalty, by mail, by email, through the online account or by phone at 1-800-4-WATERS.

Two details are worth planning around:

• Timing. Per that agreement, cancellation takes effect at the end of the next full billing period, and you pay for products and fees through that period. Call early in your cycle, not the day before a delivery.
• Equipment. Bottles and rented dispensers count as Primo equipment. The agreement asks customers to make them available at the service address within 30 days, in good condition, and allows a charge equal to the full replacement value for equipment that isn’t returned.

The agreement describes the bottle deposit as refundable when empties come back in good condition. Primo’s in-store empty bottle credit is a separate retail program, so ask Customer Care about your delivery deposit directly.

Leaving WaterOne

Verde Springs could not verify WaterOne’s cancellation, deposit or equipment terms in its public documentation as of October 2026. Before you cancel, ask WaterOne these questions by email so the answers are in writing:

• How much notice is required, and when does billing stop?
• Is any equipment in your home owned by WaterOne, and how is it collected?
• Is there a deposit to refund, and how is it paid back?
• Does your agreement have a minimum term or early termination fee?

Leaving Mountain Valley Spring Water

Mountain Valley’s home delivery runs through local distributors and uses 2.5- and 5-gallon glass jugs. Your cancellation, deposit and pickup are handled by the distributor serving your address, so find its contact details on your invoice and ask the same four questions above.

If glass is why you chose Mountain Valley, you can keep it. Verde Springs delivers 3-gallon glass bottles from Italy, lighter to lift than a 5-gallon jug, and collects the empties for reuse. One honest difference: Mountain Valley sells spring water, while Verde Springs water is purified and mineral-balanced. Here’s more on purified water vs. spring water.

What switching to Verde Springs looks like

Verde Springs is a Chicagoland home and office water delivery service built for households that want a simple handoff. A typical switch goes like this: sign up online through Get Started on verdesprings.com, choose 3-gallon glass or 5-gallon plastic bottles and a delivery frequency, and get your first delivery confirmed within one business day. The driver brings the bottles up to your unit, and if you rent or buy a dispenser from Verde Springs, setup is included.

After that, you can change quantities, skip or pause deliveries online, with no contract. Current prices are on the products page.

The takeaway

A no-stress switch is mostly sequencing: new delivery booked, old one cancelled in writing, every bottle and rented dispenser returned and photographed. If you’re ready to start, check whether Verde Springs delivers to your ZIP code.