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re: SWB Nola to commence making up bills next week

Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:20 pm to
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
76148 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:20 pm to
quote:

But do they have those fancy logos on them?
Peoples be stillin’ dem.

Some on gonna break dey neck wakin’ in da hole.
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:24 pm to
This is no lie...I've been in a dispute with my bill for 2 years now...since then they've sent out 2 'investigators" and a guy to replace my meter.

A couple weeks ago I get a letter stating that my meter is working fine and that I owed the balance on my bill and that If I wanted to dispute it further I had to call customer service and request a hearing...so that's what I did. I have a hearing set up for January 2nd 2020...lol

When I called I asked the lady how did they determine that I owed what I was being charged...she said "because your meter is working properly" I ask, "how do you know" she said because the investigator said so. So I asked" Was this before or after yall came out and replace my meter with a new meter"? Of course she didnt know

Of course she told me that the leak was on my side of the meter.....now I asked...how do you know there's a leak? She said, because of your high water usage.....I said well was the meter running when the investigator came out..she said no....I said well then there's no leak...she argued with me that there had to be a leak

I tried to explain to her that if there was a leak the meter would be running because the water has to pass through the meter.....she didnt understand how that worked and just told me that If I wanted to argue anymore I had to go to the hearing.......she just though I had a leak on my property that was bypassing the meter somehow.


So what I did was sent in a public information request...requesting all billing and maintenance records for my meter from January 1st 2016 through Sept 9th 2019

The reasoning for my meter change out in 2019

The request the results on the investigation to my request to review my account and the dates and results of the 2 site visits to my property in 2018 and 2019.

That was 2 weeks ago and haven't heard a word
Posted by BPTiger
Atlanta
Member since Oct 2011
6295 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:25 pm to
Is this much ado about nothing? Do they true up once they get an actual reading? Like let’s say they don’t read your meter for two months and estimate you at 200 gallons a day.

They bill you 2 months at 200 gallons a day.

But you were on vacation for a month in French Polynesia.

When they actually read your meter in the 3rd month and see that you only used half of the estimate you get a statement credit, right?

This post was edited on 9/18/19 at 3:27 pm
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:28 pm to
My last bill was an estimate...it show that we used 2.3 gallons that month (24 days)

The bill I got yesterday was an actual bill and it shows that we used 16.0 gallons last month (25 days)

*usage in thousands of gallons.

Family of 4 with a pool


I dont water my lawn
Posted by jmorr34
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2004
3492 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 3:41 pm to
quote:

The Sewerage & Water Board is going back to estimating customers' bills based on past usage, rather than using a flat rate, when a meter isn't read, officials announced on Wednesday. The new plan, which will go into effect for bills starting on Monday, will mean that customers will be charged for the average of their previous four months of usage if their meter is not read in time to make it on their bill.


Entergy does this. Had 2 months in a row right when the summer heat began where they couldn't read my meter. They used an estimate off of the past few months and my bill was much lower than usual this time of the year. Once they got an accurate reading, my bill shot up to compensate. On the other hand, I assume if they overbill, it will be lower once they get an accurate reading.
This post was edited on 9/18/19 at 3:42 pm
Posted by arseinclarse
Member since Apr 2007
35469 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:03 pm to
quote:

you get a statement credit


Posted by arseinclarse
Member since Apr 2007
35469 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:05 pm to
quote:

2.3 gallons that month (24 days)


quote:

16.0 gallons last month (25 days)


I'm convinced they just make shite up. I need to start checking their readings.
Posted by TigerstuckinMS
Member since Nov 2005
33687 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:28 pm to
quote:

This includes such circumstances as unsafe weather conditions or an obstruction, such as a parked car, blocking the water meter cover.

In New Orleans, there's likely to be water blocking the water meter cover if there's unsafe weather.
This post was edited on 9/18/19 at 4:32 pm
Posted by Scruffy
Kansas City
Member since Jul 2011
78006 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:31 pm to
quote:

How do NOLA residents tolerate this?
Because they support stupidity.

Again, every NOLA resident deserves this.
Posted by Golfer
Member since Nov 2005
75052 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:40 pm to
quote:

We improved our meter reading process by reordering the sequence in which meters are read. This allows a meter reader to read the same sequence of routes and become more familiar with the location of each water meter.


Wait. The meter readers having a “route” wasn’t a normal process?

They act like this is some revolutionary new technology that hasn’t been in place with every other utility or postal/delivery company
Posted by SPEEDY
2005 Tiger Smack Poster of the Year
Member since Dec 2003
88373 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:43 pm to
It has to be impossible for a government agency to be run worst than the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, right?

Please tell me that is impossible...
Posted by arseinclarse
Member since Apr 2007
35469 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:44 pm to
quote:

The meter readers having a “route” wasn’t a normal process?


I imagine they just pile people into vans and drop them off at random parts of the city and tell them to wonder around for 5-6 hours.
This post was edited on 9/18/19 at 4:45 pm
Posted by tgrbaitn08
Member since Dec 2007
148031 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:49 pm to
Lol I literally just got an email from the SWB, they must be reading this thread.

Dear Lord TB08,

Please see the attached records, which are responsive to your public records request. There are no further responsive records to your request.



Regarding the replacement of your meter, your meter had to be replaced because the meter was not positioned properly.


Posted by elprez00
Hammond, LA
Member since Sep 2011
31624 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 4:53 pm to
quote:

I'm not even going to touch the discrepancy between the number of bills per month (well over 140,000) and the number of customers (around 136,000).

Not white knighting for S&WB, but this is likely due to the fact that they require multiple meters for customers in certain situations. For example a single customer could have a meter for their home, irrigation, and pool. 3 bills, 3 sets of fees.
Posted by mt1
LV
Member since Nov 2006
7736 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 5:29 pm to
Make sure you sign up for their convenient auto pay.
Posted by Cold Cous Cous
Bucktown, La.
Member since Oct 2003
15386 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 5:43 pm to
quote:

Is this much ado about nothing? Do they true up once they get an actual reading? Like let’s say they don’t read your meter for two months and estimate you at 200 gallons a day.

theoretically yes but my wife got into a months-long fight over this with them a few years ago. They don't make it easy
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
20396 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 6:41 pm to
Not that it is possible to outdo the S&WB but Baton Rouge is trying. I opened a small one man admin office for my business. There is one guy there about four days a week for six to eight hours a day. The only water he uses is to flush the toilet a couple of times a day.

I noticed a large water bill, for what we are using, and called the BR Water Co. Their response? The office “doesn’t use enough water to get a reading so they can’t come up with an average bill.” Therefore, they charge me a “minimum” that assumes a large amount of water usage. That’s right. We don’t use enough so we pay more.

Have considered just running the faucets to get a minimum reading but I refuse to capitulate to their stupidity.
Posted by Godfather1
What WAS St George, Louisiana
Member since Oct 2006
89821 posts
Posted on 9/18/19 at 6:56 pm to
quote:

New Orleans residents deserve this.

They show they deserve this by who they elect.



I used to say that one day I’d go back there to live again.

Now I just don’t see it happening. Not worth it.
Posted by sloopy
Member since Aug 2009
6913 posts
Posted on 10/9/19 at 2:43 pm to
Bump.

quote:

The bill I got yesterday was an actual bill and it shows that we used 16.0 gallons last month (25 days) *usage in thousands of gallons. Family of 4 with a pool


Just got our first water bill in the house we just purchased last month. They claim we used 14,000 gallons in 15 days. No pool and two adults.
This post was edited on 10/9/19 at 3:00 pm
Posted by BIGJLAW
Member since Mar 2013
9060 posts
Posted on 10/9/19 at 2:48 pm to
Not a NO resident but they are screwed. They would wait and take the longest four months of the year where you would be watering your grass/plants and washing your cars, etc.
Now that the slow time appears you are going to pay like you were in the summer months.
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