The Water Company

So we got a $400 water bill for July.  Our consumption has not changed since June (when the bill was $140).  So we called them.  They said to call a plumber and have him check the system.  $130 later we have a piece of paper from the plumber indicating that we had no leaks in our system but that the water meter was "weird" and had a possible problem.  So then we called the water company back and they sent someone out.

So this guy showed up, he looked at the meter, then filled out a form that said we weren't home when he was here (a lie - he didn't even ring the doorbell and I watched him from my living room).  He also stated on his little report that there were no leaks, which I can't figure out how he determined that because he did not test all the lines (like the plumber I paid $130 to).  He wrote on his report that we should call the Water Department and schedule a water audit.  So we did.  It was supposed to happen this morning from 7 to 9am.

So I get up at six and wait.  At 8:45 I was done waiting so I called the water Department.  After waiting on hold for about twenty minutes I explained the sequence of events to the customer service representative.  She put me on hold and then came back to say she didn't know why their guy didn't show up and she would have to call me back.

I then informed her that  she should tell the guy to go have breakfast or something because I wasn't going to wait around for him anymore.  I told her that I would pay what we paid for June minus the bill for the plumber I paid at the direction of the Water Department. I stated that we had done everything the Department had asked of us to cooperate and get the bill straightened out and they had not lived up to their commitments.  I also pointed out that on their web site as well as their own hold recording it indicates that the Department of Water is operated like a private enterprise.  I told her that if that were the case, they would have lost a customer.

I then told her that if they tried to shut my water off, I would slap them with a law suit.

If I don't hear back from them by the end of the day, the Mayor, The Director of the Department of Water, and my City Council Woman will be getting a letter explaining the situation and telling them to get their act together.

So there.  See Mom, I'm gonna write a letter.