American Bottoms Regional

December Revdex.com N Broadway Ste St Louis, MO RE: [redacted] Complaint # [redacted] *A similar letter was also mailed today to [redacted] , Attorney General, State of Illinois Office, with all the pertinent documentation attached relating to this case The same complaint was also issued to them [redacted] Documents too large to attach I received your email on December 7, 2016, concerning the consumer complaint for the above referenced customer Ms [redacted] is questioning the validity of her delinquency and the liens placed on her property by American Bottoms Wastewater Treatment Facility Per StClair County Recorder of Deeds Office it states Ms [redacted] obtained this property on December 14, through a Warranty Deed The initial water premise connect date, for water services, was on March 22, in the name of [redacted] per Illinois American Water Company to whom we receive her water readings from However, we did not begin billing Ms [redacted] until August She was notified of her first delinquency on May 8, and on May 28, by letter informing her that collection procedures will begin if we didn’t receive payment or payment arrangements for her delinquent balance There was no response from Ms [redacted] We transferred the delinquent balance of $to collections, which she began to receive two bills (brown and white bill which includes current treatment charges and blue and white bill which includes her delinquent charges) We began collections procedures, which can include filing a lawsuit or a property lien We filed and recorded a property lien on December 19, and notified Ms [redacted] of this action at [redacted] on January 23, by letter, with a copy of the recorded lien attached These are our procedures Ms [redacted] account has been transferred to collections times because of non-pay which has resulted in several property liens placed on her property On November 18, we were contacted by Attorney [redacted] from Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Ms [redacted] ’s representative, requesting a history of her account We were contacted again on March 5, from her representative informing us that Ms [redacted] wanted to make payment arrangements for her delinquent balance of $5, A agreement was reached for $3,with monthly payments of $to begin on March 29, with no further interest The agreement letter was mailed to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Office on March 9, 2004, for her representative to review Our office received the signed (3/25/04) and notarized agreement offer in April We received MsWilliam’s first $payment on May 4, and these payments continued until December 6, The agreement went into default on March 25, for lack of payments There after we received two $payments, in and on the delinquent balance On September 8, 2016, we received a letter (August 30, 2016) from Attorney [redacted] with the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance stating she represents Ms [redacted] who wants to set up payment arrangements on her delinquent balance and requesting history on Ms [redacted] ’s account A history of Ms [redacted] account was mailed to Attorney [redacted] on September 15, for her review No further contact was received from Attorney [redacted] only calls from Ms [redacted] and/or her family member disputing the delinquency and the liens filed on this property We have discussed this matter with Ms [redacted] on recorded phone calls from 8/1/through 11/2/ The balance ($9,710.05) indicated in the attached history is correct and no lien releases will be issued until the balance is paid in full It is my recommendation that Ms [redacted] continue to pay her current (brown and white) bill and seek representation again with Land Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation to help which another agreement on her outstanding balance and follow up with them until an agreement is reached with us, if she chooses We have had many customers who have sought representation with Land of Lincoln and have reached an affordable agreement, based on their income, and have successfully paid them off Based on the many conversation we’ve had with Ms [redacted] and the information she stated in this complaint, it seems to be some confusion on her part with the acquired date of this property, delinquent balances and payments I have included with this letter a Statement of Account which list bill dates, treatment charges, late payment charges, interest charges and payments I have also enclosed other pertinent documents related to this account for her viewing To learn more about our services, please visit our website at www [redacted] .com Sincerely, [redacted] Customer Accounts Supervisor

June Revdex.com N Broadway Ste St Louis, MO RE: [redacted] Complaint # [redacted] I received your email on June 19, 2017, concerning the consumer complaint for the above referenced customer Mr [redacted] is disputing the return check fee of $that was placed on his account for a return check Mr [redacted] made a check payment of $+ service fee via our web payment system on 5/31/payment processed on 6/1/ On 6/1/another payment for $+ service fee was made through our IVR (Interactive Voice Response) payment system by debit/credit card and processed on 6/2/ We received a “NSF” reversal on 6/13/for the check payment of $made on 5/31/ A letter was mailed to Mr [redacted] on 6/13/informing him of this matter and that a return check fee of $will be applied to his account Mr [redacted] contacted our office on 6/16/and was told why the “NSF” charge was applied to his wastewater treatment bill He stated to us that the first payment was a mistake (all customer service calls are recorded) Mrs [redacted] called the same day and was told what had been explained to her husband She stated that they don’t have or use checks, however when I contacted our online payment processor, they gave me the ABA routing number/transit number and the account number that was entered When entering a payment using the routing and bank account number you don’t have to necessary have to have a physical check just the banking information A similar situation occurred 2/1/for this account A check payment was entered for $and returned “NSF’ on 2/14/ A return fee of $was placed on the account on 2/14/ The bank charges us a service fee on all return items and we pass these fees back to our customers This is a legitimate charge therefore the fee will not be reversed If the customer has any further questions, they can contact our customer service representatives M-F from to 4:30pm at [redacted] Sincerely, [redacted] Customer Accounts Supervisor

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: as stated by the rep I asked numerous times to pay talk to a rep and was repeatedly deniedwas I annoyed as stated, yes, but I was not belligerent and didn't use any found language or disparaging remarksI wanted to know the actions needed to take to avoid further problems and simply where to pay the bill, something the first rep wouldn't answer and told me my bill the I had was voided by the bill they sent( which whenever got)we have had shutoff problems in the past but always paid them and never had a complaint history, and thought it was not too much to ask to speak with someone more helpful and less argumentative than the rep I was givenwe are in the middle of moving to stlouis and need to get help with transfers and wanted to find out what we can do to make sure we have our account in proper order and I don't think it was unreasonable to want to talk to someone in charge the wasn't assuming I wanted to argue about a bill ( which I paid and they still wouldn't talk to me)extremely unprofessional and I still haven't heard back how to handle my account, which I never even got to ask about as I was hung up oni guess when you have a monopoly you can treat your customers with disrespect under assumption of them being disgruntled over bills that you obviously fraudulently send with little notice and don't want to hear complaints about, (again, I paid that with no hassle or complaint)and then to try to paint me as the belligerent one just because I wanted to speak to a person in charge that wouldn't argue with me about a bill that I wasn't even calling abouti did talk about the bill, as it was what got me aware of needing to call, but was hardly my reason for the call, something they never took the time to even find out, and again still haven't heard anything from them, other than I guess they think I'm angry about a bill Sincerely, [redacted]

The question Mr*** states on his complaint was, “where do I pay my $fee” is absolutely incorrect. He was told no less than times how he could make his payment. His wife made a payment earlier that day and was transferred to our IVR system to make this payment. He’s upset
because he was shutoff and wasn’t allowed to talk to a manager or a supervisor. This is the 7th time this account has been in water shutoff review. This is the 2nd time the water was actually shut off because payment wasn’t made in time to avoid the shutoffWe often get angry customers because they get their water shutoff and many want to talk to a supervisor because they want to vent. Our supervisors do not take customer calls, especially if it’s from a customer in water shutoff. Our supervisors supervise the representatives, they do not handle calls. That’s what our reps do. This is just another case of an angry customer being shutoff and wanting to vent … and in this case, making up reasons to complain that are far from reality. Each of the calls from the ***s was listened to. His complaint is not valid. He was belligerent, insulting, and rude. Every rep the ***s spoke with was polite and professional in spite of Mr***’s behaviorWater shutoff occurs when an account becomes delinquent and American Bottoms can request the water be shut off by the customer’s water company until our bill is paid. There are two letters that go out to the customer alerting them to this situation and giving them time to pay. The first letter was mailed on March 15th informing the ***s that their account was delinquent, their payment due date was March 30th to avoid disconnect, if left unpaid the full balance would be due including a $processing fee, and to call American Bottoms for the amount that needs to be paid. This letter as well as all bills have the payment options and locations where bills can be paid. As of March 15th, the last payment we’d received from this account was on November 4, … months earlier! The second letter was mailed on March 31st informing the ***s that their water would be shut off on or after April 8th at the request of American Bottoms if the balance was unpaid and for them to contact American BottomsA partial payment was made on April 31st. There were no calls to American Bottoms from the ***s until after their water was shutoff on April 11thAll of our calls are recorded. The ***s called times on April 11th. All calls have been listened toAccording to the water company’s records, this account was shutoff sometime between 8:and 10:the morning of April 11thAt 11:Ms*** called the office. This call lasted minutes and seconds. She said that she’d made a payment but her water was shut off. Payment transaction records show she made a payment using our IVR payment method on April 11th at 11:28. She was told she needed to pay $more to have her water restored. She was transferred to the IVR system to make that payment and have her water restored. There was no unpleasantness during this callAt 11:Mr*** called the office. This call lasted minutes and seconds. He asked questions about his bill, his balance and what needed to be paid, and finally wanted a manager. Initially he said “my water doesn’t seem to be working.” Then later said he didn’t know he was shutoff. He said he was looking at a bill. When the rep said all payment options are listed on the back of the bill and she could transfer him to the IVR to make his payment, he said he didn’t have a bill; however, he said earlier that he didHe asked to speak to a manager. He was told that managers do not take water shutoff calls. So he said, “I’m not calling about water shutoff. I didn’t even know my water was shutoff.” He then became very belligerent and kept talking over the representative because he wasn’t going to be transferred to a manager. He kept asking “what was my question?” When he asked this, she answered that his questions were about his payment and due dates. She told him she was not going to argue with him. He then said, no my question is can I talk to a supervisor. Again, she said “no, I’m going to end the call, and you have a good day.” This call was going nowhere. He’d been given all the information he requested, as had Ms*** during her call. He was just mad and getting more and more belligerent and wanted to cause trouble because he was shutoffIn his complaint he says, his question was “where do I pay my $fee.” That was answered no less than times during this 11:call and an offer to transfer him to the IVR was also made. Payments have been made times from by Web and/or IVR. Ms*** had made a payment on the IVR less than one minute before she called at 11:and was transferred to the IVR at the end of her callAt 11:Mr*** called the office. This call lasted minutes and seconds. He immediately asked for a supervisor and was told that supervisors do not take calls but that the rep could help him with his account. He said he didn’t have a problem with an account, he had a problem with an associate that wouldn’t answer his questions. The rep told him all calls were recorded and he said good, that’s what he wanted to hear. When she asked what his question was he said he wanted to know how much to pay and where to pay it but also wanted to get a call back from a supervisor. Then once again he kept talking over the rep when she tried to answer his question about what to pay and where. When she told him the amount, he said that wasn’t what the other rep told him, so this rep asked if they paid today (it wouldn’t be on the system yet). So … he knew the amount! Then kept going on and on about the previous rep not telling him how to make a payment and he wanted a supervisor. Remember, the previous rep told him and his wife knew too. She transferred Mr*** to the IVR system and told him the calls would be listened toPayment was made at 12:08:through the IVR systemAt 1:Ms *** called the office. This call lasted minute seconds. She stated she paid. It was confirmed and was released with the water company at 1:05. There was no unpleasantness during this call

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
There is no confusion on my part. I never received the letter this company is referring to stating that this account was delinquent.  I also never had anyone contact them from legal aid in 2003 regardinf this account. This is patently false. I sought legal assistance in 2016 and in 2016 only.   I have asked this company to provide documents for said agreements, and they have never been able to produce them, and they didn't even provide them to Emily Scott when I asked for them. They only provided her with a print off of my account details. This is the only information that I have received. This company also lied and said that American Water was the original creditor, and when I contacted them they stated that they had no information on the account going back to 1996 and also stated  that my account with them had never been delinquent. They also stated that they would have removed the lien after 5 years if this was the case. This company is attempting to violate the law by not providing me with accurate information and also trying to collect on a lien that is beyond the statute of limitations in Illinois. I plan to file suit with St. Clair County as my next step. I refuse to pay, and I'm willing to fight them on this issue as long as possible.  This company is known for engaging in fraudulent behavior, and I believe that the only reason they are pursuing this debt is because I am poor and elderly.  But I do plan on taking further legal action.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

20 June 2017   Revdex.com 211 N Broadway Ste 2060 St Louis, MO  63102   RE:  [redacted] Complaint # [redacted]   I received your email on June 19, 2017, concerning the consumer complaint for the above referenced customer.  Mr. [redacted] is disputing the return...

check fee of $25.00 that was placed on his account for a return check.  Mr. [redacted] made a check payment of $46.86 + service fee via our web payment system on 5/31/17 payment processed on 6/1/17.  On 6/1/17 another payment for $46.86 + service fee was made through our IVR (Interactive Voice Response) payment system by debit/credit card and processed on 6/2/17.  We received a “NSF” reversal on 6/13/17 for the check payment of $46.86 made on 5/31/17.  A letter was mailed to Mr. [redacted] on 6/13/17 informing him of this matter and that a return check fee of $25.00 will be applied to his account.   Mr. [redacted] contacted our office on 6/16/17 and was told why the “NSF” charge was applied to his wastewater treatment bill.  He stated to us that the first payment was a mistake (all customer service calls are recorded).  Mrs. [redacted] called the same day and was told what had been explained to her husband.   She stated that they don’t have or use checks, however when I contacted our online payment processor, they gave me the ABA routing number/transit number and the account number that was entered.  When entering a payment using the routing and bank account number you don’t have to necessary have to have a physical check just the banking information.  A similar situation occurred 2/1/17 for this account.  A check payment was entered for $18.70 and returned “NSF’ on 2/14/17.  A return fee of $25.00 was placed on the account on 2/14/17.  The bank charges us a service fee on all return items and we pass these fees back to our customers.  This is a legitimate charge therefore the fee will not be reversed.   If the customer has any further questions, they can contact our customer service representatives M-F from 8 to 4:30pm at [redacted].     Sincerely,                                             ...⇄ [redacted]                                         ...⇄ Customer Accounts Supervisor

20 December 2016     Revdex.com 211 N Broadway Ste 2060 St Louis, MO  63102   RE:  [redacted] Complaint # [redacted]   *A similar letter was also mailed today to [redacted], Attorney General, State of Illinois Office, with all the pertinent documentation attached...

relating to this case.  The same complaint was also issued to them* Documents too large to attach.   I received your email on December 7, 2016, concerning the consumer complaint for the above referenced customer.  Ms. [redacted] is questioning the validity of her delinquency and the liens placed on her property by American Bottoms Wastewater Treatment Facility.   Per St. Clair County Recorder of Deeds Office it states Ms.  [redacted] obtained this property on December 14, 1995 through a Warranty Deed.  The initial water premise connect date, for water services, was on March 22, 1994 in the name of [redacted] per Illinois American Water Company to whom we receive her water readings from.   However, we did not begin billing Ms. [redacted] until August 1995.   She was notified of her first delinquency on May 8, 1996 and on May 28, 1996 by letter informing her that collection procedures will begin if we didn’t receive payment or payment arrangements for her delinquent balance.    There was no response from Ms.  [redacted].  We transferred the delinquent balance of $390.78 to collections, which she began to receive two bills (brown and white bill which includes current treatment charges and blue and white bill which includes her delinquent charges).  We began collections procedures, which can include filing a lawsuit or a property lien.  We filed and recorded a property lien on December 19, 1996 and notified Ms. [redacted] of this action at [redacted] on January 23, 1997 by letter, with a copy of the recorded lien attached.  These are our normal procedures.   Ms. [redacted] account has been transferred to collections 9 times because of non-pay which has resulted in several property liens placed on her property.   On November 18, 2003 we were contacted by Attorney [redacted] from Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Ms. [redacted]’s representative, requesting a history of her account.  We were contacted again on March 5, 2004 from her representative informing us that Ms. [redacted] wanted to make payment arrangements for her delinquent balance of $5,944.00.  A agreement was reached for $3,467.75 with monthly payments of $25.00 to begin on March 29, 2004 with no further interest.  The agreement letter was mailed to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Office on March 9, 2004, for her representative to review.   Our office received the signed (3/25/04) and notarized agreement offer in April 2004.   We received Ms. William’s first $25.00 payment on May 4, 2004 and these payments continued until December 6, 2005.  The agreement went into default on March 25, 2006 for lack of payments.  There after we received two $25.00 payments, in 2006 and 2009 on the delinquent balance.   On September 8, 2016, we received a letter (August 30, 2016) from Attorney [redacted] with the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance stating she represents Ms. [redacted] who wants to set up payment arrangements on her delinquent balance and requesting history on Ms. [redacted]’s account.  A history of Ms. [redacted] account was mailed to Attorney [redacted] on September 15, 2016 for her review.   No further contact was received from Attorney [redacted] only calls from Ms. [redacted] and/or her family member disputing the delinquency and the liens filed on this property.  We have discussed this matter with Ms. [redacted] on 9 recorded phone calls from 8/1/16 through 11/2/16.    The balance ($9,710.05) indicated in the attached history is correct and no lien releases will be issued until the balance is paid in full.   It is my recommendation that Ms. [redacted] continue to pay her current (brown and white) bill and seek representation again with Land Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation to help which another agreement on her outstanding balance and follow up with them until an agreement is reached with us, if she chooses.   We have had many customers who have sought representation with Land of Lincoln and have reached an affordable agreement, based on their income, and have successfully paid them off.   Based on the many conversation we’ve had with Ms.  [redacted] and the information she stated in this complaint, it seems to be some confusion on her part with the acquired date of this property, delinquent balances and payments.  I have included with this letter a Statement of Account which list bill dates, treatment charges, late payment charges, interest charges and payments.  I have also enclosed other pertinent documents related to this account for her viewing.  To learn more about our services, please visit our website at www. [redacted].com.   Sincerely,   [redacted] Customer Accounts Supervisor

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/07) */
"The water company is trying to charge me for his delinquent bill." We are not the water company. We have no idea what the water company is doing with regard to her bill. As far as her bill with us is concerned, the tenant is responsible for...

our charges.
Our monthly bill is going to the service address where the tenant is still living, not to the owner's address. The tenants admit they've been living in the home and paying the bill.
Ordinance 536 (Section 7 Liability for Charge) adopted, approved and effective on June 27, 1985, as amended. (i) The owner of any Parcel of Real Estate in the Region, (ii) the Occupant, if any, of that Parcel of Real Estate and (ii) the Water User at that Parcel of Real Estate are, and shall be, jointly and severally liable for all Treatment User Charges imposed hereunder.
Having gone nearly four months without payment, and after repeated conversations and warning letters, once again, the water is scheduled for disconnection.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: as stated by the rep I asked numerous times to pay talk to a rep and was repeatedly denied. was I annoyed as stated, yes, but I was not belligerent and didn't use any found language or disparaging remarks. I wanted to know the actions needed to take to avoid further problems and simply where to pay the bill, something the first rep wouldn't answer and told me my bill the I had was voided by the bill they sent( which whenever got). we have had shutoff problems in the past  but always paid them and never had a complaint history, and thought it was not too much to ask to speak with someone more helpful and less argumentative than the rep I was given. we are in the middle of moving to st. louis and need to get help with transfers and wanted to find out what we can do to make sure we have our account in proper order and I don't think it was unreasonable to want to talk to someone in charge the wasn't assuming I wanted to argue about a bill ( which I paid and they still wouldn't talk to me). extremely unprofessional and I still haven't heard back how to handle my account, which I never even got to ask about as I was hung up on. I guess when you have a monopoly you can treat your customers with disrespect under assumption of them being disgruntled over bills that you obviously fraudulently send with little notice and don't want to hear complaints about, (again, I paid that with no hassle or complaint). and then to try to paint me as the belligerent one just because I wanted to speak to a person in charge that wouldn't argue with me about a bill that I wasn't even calling about. I did talk about the bill, as it was what got me aware of needing to call, but was hardly my reason for the call, something they never took the time to even find out, and again still haven't heard anything from them, other than I guess they think I'm angry about a bill.
Sincerely,
[redacted]