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Fighting High water bill
Posted on 9/12/21 at 11:15 pm
Posted on 9/12/21 at 11:15 pm
Need OT's expert advice... I rent a townhouse in Texas, and over labor day weekend, when I was back home helping my parents clean up after Ida I get a call from the city water company about high consumption. They had a reading of over 200,000 gallons used for the last month.. I typically use 2-4,000 gallons a month. I say it has to be a mistake, they send someone out again for second reading, same result. Call the property management company I rent from, they send a plumber out, no leaks any where. I've turned my auto pay off to not pay the $1,500+ bill, and I refuse to pay it, but don't know the correct course of action. What does the OT recommend?
12
Posted on 9/12/21 at 11:23 pm to GeauxOn
I hope you don't take a bath, here. You need to shower them with demands to prove it.
Posted on 9/12/21 at 11:34 pm to GeauxOn
I’d send the plumbing documents to prove no leak. That may help generate a conversation. I don’t even know how you’d use so much water without filling a massive pool. By massive I mean like lazy River, resort style 
Posted on 9/12/21 at 11:41 pm to GeauxOn
I had a bad meter in BR. BR water company was like, we never have a bad meter... ever. They tested it in front of us, came up "inconclusive", well that MF tried to jump the 3rd digit every time the 2nd would roll over. They tested it for 24 hours, I show up 24 hours to see it and they claim it was still inconclusive and wanted to bill me for the test. I got NO WHERE with the government created monopoly BR water. I made sure to take cost those frickers money though, but I have NO IDEA how my meter got stolen 3X in the following months. Did you know there is a good market for water meters? I guess the water company doesn't know brass is VERY easy to cut too...
Posted on 9/13/21 at 12:06 am to GeauxOn
They should know a townhouse isn't using 200k frickin gallons of water but not really sure how you get out of it if they say that's how much you used. frick em let them shut the water off before paying that
Posted on 9/13/21 at 12:30 am to Passing Wind
quote:
don’t even know how you’d use so much water without filling a massive pool. By massive I mean like lazy River, resort style
Or by massive, if you mean filling 2-3 neighbors pools while you're gone, well, that would be massive.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 12:37 am to GeauxOn
quote:
Fighting High water bill
I would win that fight. It's a piece of paper.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 12:46 am to GeauxOn
Happened to my neighbor in Dallas the other day. Funny it was also a bill for 200k gallons. He had to fight with the water department but her eventually got them to come out and re-read the meter. They were just wrong. No explanation.
You might have to pick up a meter key at HD, but you can read your own meter. Pull up you last correct bill, then go see what the meter says. If it's more than 200k gallons you've got a problem, but if it's not you can take a picture and send it to them.
You might have to pick up a meter key at HD, but you can read your own meter. Pull up you last correct bill, then go see what the meter says. If it's more than 200k gallons you've got a problem, but if it's not you can take a picture and send it to them.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 1:48 am to armsdealer
Dude, why you telling on yourself?
Posted on 9/13/21 at 5:31 am to armsdealer
Had this happen as well with BR Water. They don't give a frick. Turns out we had a contract reader who for YEARS never read our meter. He just used made up numbers. So it was under by a little every month while this chuckle head sat home and collected pay as if he was out reading meters. A new guy got the contract and actually read the meters. My whole neighborhood got nailed. Some people ended up with massive credits. Some like me got massive bills. You think BR Water wanted to work with us or let us pay over time? Nope. frick you give me your money. They are dicks.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 6:21 am to GeauxOn
BR water company was so lazy on a Friday they did not want to change out a broken meter in the BR Hood.
They tried to hook up the neighbors water to my friends empty duplexes water line. That meant both his unit and the neighbors would run off one meter. He had it under contract to rent that unit and the new tenant was moving in on Monday.
When he saw what they were trying to do he called BR water co raising hell. The supervisor finally came out and unhooked the line hooked up to his meter.
BR water company can do some hood rat stuff if you do not watch them.
They tried to hook up the neighbors water to my friends empty duplexes water line. That meant both his unit and the neighbors would run off one meter. He had it under contract to rent that unit and the new tenant was moving in on Monday.
When he saw what they were trying to do he called BR water co raising hell. The supervisor finally came out and unhooked the line hooked up to his meter.
BR water company can do some hood rat stuff if you do not watch them.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 6:46 am to GeauxOn
Sounds like you live in New Orleans.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 6:48 am to GeauxOn
This is a common issue in BR & Nola. Both water companies will estimate numbers and screw you royally. Some readings are as absurd as 400,000 gallons used over a course of a month. They’ll take advantage of the people who auto pay and don’t notice until their bank notifies them. Documentation from a plumber or leak detection company will help. If not, call a lawyer.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 7:49 am to tigers12
quote:Everywhere! Here in Alabama, Water Boards are like little dictatorships with absolutely no accountability or government oversight. I ran into that buzzsaw last year at my office. 3 women employees, 1 toilet, one sink. They tried to tell me we used 20k gallons. I objected, they sent a guy out, found nothing wrong and said my toilet must be running all the time. It wasn't. Nothing I could do about it. Called the city and the State utilities commission and was told no one has any oversight over them. Only thing I could do was go to their meetings. LOL!
This is a common issue in
BTW, the sewer portion of my bill is higher than the water consumption.
Posted on 9/13/21 at 9:54 am to greygoose
quote:
Everywhere! Here in Alabama, Water Boards are like little dictatorships with absolutely no accountability or government oversight. I ran into that buzzsaw last year at my office. 3 women employees, 1 toilet, one sink. They tried to tell me we used 20k gallons. I objected, they sent a guy out, found nothing wrong and said my toilet must be running all the time. It wasn't. Nothing I could do about it. Called the city and the State utilities commission and was told no one has any oversight over them. Only thing I could do was go to their meetings. LOL!
BTW, the sewer portion of my bill is higher than the water consumption.
We MIGHT use 300 gallons of water a month, at work. But, I'm billed for a minimum of 1000........going in AND out!
My water bill, when it is correct, is over $100.
Posted on 9/14/21 at 12:12 am to GeauxOn
Best thing to do when you leave is shut the water main off and prove to them you shut it off at the meter. My parents have a vacation spot in east TN and my dad shuts off the meter before he leaves. He also works for the water plant locally and has been there for 30 years. You would be surprised the caliber of people they hire to read meters. Total dead beats. His plant is going to gps style meters. They ping directly to their office once a month. All on computers.
Posted on 9/14/21 at 9:59 am to bbarras85
Got my latest water bill yesterday. $154! Says we used 20K gallons last month.......bathroom sink and a toilet.
Even if the sink dripped and the toilet ran constantly, there is no way 20K gallons went thru that meter.
Even if the sink dripped and the toilet ran constantly, there is no way 20K gallons went thru that meter.
Posted on 9/14/21 at 2:05 pm to greygoose
nm
This post was edited on 9/27/21 at 4:07 pm
Posted on 9/14/21 at 2:23 pm to GeauxOn
Read the meter and see if they match up. If they do someone was obviously misreading the meter.
Posted on 9/14/21 at 2:40 pm to GeauxOn
I had this issue and tried to resolve in person and over the phone and made no progress. "The water had to have passed through your meter. You must have used 93,000 gallons somehow." they said. It went on so long I had to pay it before they shut the service off.
It was only resolved when I had an attorney send a letter explaining that I was going to fight this all the way. They ended up giving a credit on the account for the massive payment. Bill has been normal since.
It was only resolved when I had an attorney send a letter explaining that I was going to fight this all the way. They ended up giving a credit on the account for the massive payment. Bill has been normal since.
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