Aqua America, Incorporated

Company has automatic system that accepts payments as well as an automated system that processes disconnect orders for non-pay of service, but there is no system in place that will automatically cancel the order for disconnection of service once a payment has been made. In addition, company does not review customers accounts for payment before sending out a technician to ensure that service is not physically disconnected by technician in error. Company will also not send a technician out to reconnect service until the day after they realize a payment has been made or until they've been informed by the customer that a payment has been made if the disconnection occurs on Monday through Thursday, which they say is Texas state regulation. FOR EXAMPLE, A PAYMENT IS MADE ON MONDAY BUT SERVICE IS DISCONNECTED ON WEDNESDAY. IT'S NOT REALIZED BY CUSTOMER UNTIL AFTER BUSINESS HOURS. CUSTOMER CALLS THURSDAY TO INQUIRE AS TO WHY SERVICE IS DISCONNECTED EVEN THOUGH PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE. THIS CONTACT POINT IS WHEN COMPANY CONSIDERS PAYMENT TO HAVE BEEN MADE, NOT ON MONDAY, AND WILL NOT RECONNECT SERVICE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. They are also very rude and talk over you during conversation and display unacceptable customer service skills and standards.

Review: Shortly after we moved into our new address our water was shut off. The service was shut off Thursday afternoon without any notice, which I was under the impression that a 10 day shut off notice was required, either in person or by phone. My husband promptly called Aqua who said that he would need to fax his Information to them in order to open a new account. Around three o'clock on Thursday, May 1st, he faxed in all required paperwork and they told hi. Within 48 business hours our services should be restored. Today is Monday, May 5th, my husband called once this morning and they told him they didn't see his paperwork, but that they would look into it. Then this afternoon, he still hadn't heard back so he called again, only to get the same run around, they didn't know where the paperwork was. I got upset and called myself. The lady I spoke to said she didn't see where our address was on file maybe our address was wrong? It all seemed weird. She said she would put an email through and someone would contact us and help us. After the business closed at 5, I never got a all back, so I called the customer service number emergency line. The lady I talked to said there was nothing she could do to help me, I would need to call back tomorrow at 8. I have literally been without running water for over 5 days now, and no one seems to know we even exist. So not only was I given ZERO notice that my water was being shut off, but it wasn't turned back on within 24hrs or even 48 hrs, and the company hasn't given me and options for fixing this problem other than to call back.Desired Settlement: I want my water services restored as soon as possible.

Business

Response:

The address the company has on file is [redacted], PA. The company doesn't have a [redacted], PA in our system. The [redacted] address appears as a billing address on [redacted], PA. If the applicant is indeed the new tenant at [redacted], PA., the applicant would need to provide his identification, lease and or settlement papers. To date the company has not received the required documentation. If the customer is having a problem sending the paperwork, he can fax it directly to [redacted] at ###-###-####. The previous balance on the account is over $5,000.00 and the company wants to ensure that the applicant is not the former customer. Customer's who accrue a large balance often try to change the name on the account in order to avoid paying the balance. Once the lease and the identification is received the company will process it immediately (normally a 24-48 hour process). Also the service was found on without a contract. The service was teminated on 2/27/14. Once the company found the service on it was turned back off.

Review: I received a 3 day shutoff notice letter from Aqua on 12-Aug-14. I was unaware that I needed to call Aqua after I bought the house, I thought I had been receiving and paying for my water and sewer through the borough of [redacted]. I called them the next day 13-Aug-14, at the number listed, and I was told to send 2 forms of ID and my agreement of sale to their fax number. The next day 14-Aug-14, I faxed the 2 forms of ID, and the page out of my agreement of sale that had "agreement of sale" at the top of the page and received a confirmation that the fax was transmitted. On Monday 18-Aug-14, my water was shut off, and I received a letter from Aqua. I haven't opened it because I am away on business, but I assume it said that the paperwork that was sent in was incomplete, because that is what they told me when I called them that afternoon. On Tuesday 19-Aug-14, I resent the entire agreement of sale to them with my two forms of ID, and received a confirmation fax that it transmitted. I then called Wednesday, and the woman I spoke with told me they had received my paperwork, but it had to be reviewed, and that she would get someone out to get the water on today Thursday 21-Aug-14. On Thursday morning, I called Aqua again, and the lady I spoke with told me they never received my paperwork, I was eventually transferred to a supervisor who gave me an email address that I could scan and send the paper work to and also get a read receipt showing that the information was received. If email had been the means of transmitting the information, instead of fax, they could have emailed me back right away saying that the information was insufficient. Instead they had no way of contacting me, since they did not have my phone number. The supervisor I spoke with on Thursday told me that there was no way of extending the shut off date, even though I attempted to give them the information they were looking for, he said the State of Pennsylvania would not allow them to. Shortly after I spoke to the supervisor, and before I could email the information, I received a call from Aqua saying that I had an all day appointment scheduled for Friday 21-Aug-14, and they had received and reviewed all of my paperwork. I was told repeatedly that 24-48 hours after the paperwork was received the water would be turned back on, since the fax was received on Tuesday around noon, it should be turned on by Thursday at noon, not Friday. The customer service was frustrating, there is no way of contacting the people that actually receive and process the paperwork.Desired Settlement: I'd like them to put an email address where paperwork can be scanned and sent, so you can track when the email has been read, and they also have a way of contacting you back, in case they need more information.

Water is a basic necessity, there should be more effort made to keep the water on, and a more expedited process to get the water turned back on, it seemed like they were very quick to shut the water off, but then not so concerned to get the water turned back on. If the state's law is truly that the water company has to shut the water off if they send you a 3 day shut off notice, even though you make an effort to give them the information requested, the law should be changed.

Business

Response:

The customer should have been notified when he purchased the property about the various utility companies. The company posted a 3 day notice on the property on 8/11/14. The sewer authority called the company on 8/12/14 and questioned the company regarding the water usage because it had not been reported. The sewer company needs the water usage to bill for the sewer. After some investigation it was discovered that the new account for the previous owner was not activated. The customer called on 8/13/14 and the CSR told the customer that he must send in his ID and paperwork to put the account in his name. She also told him that it would take 24 to 48 hours to process the paperwork. The company received paperwork twice from the customer on 8/15/14. There was only one page received with the customer's identification and as the customer stated there was no way to contact him. The company sent the customer a letter of denial on 8/15/14. On 8/19/14 the company turned the water off for usage without contract. The customer called on 8/19/14 and was told that his paperwork was incomplete. The customer asked for a supervisor and the supervisor told him to send the paperwork to her first thing in the morning and she would scan it and send it over to the Customer Account Transfers department. The customer called on 8/20/14 and was told that the initial paperwork he sent in was incomplete and he would need to wait 24-48 hours for the paperwork to be processed. The customer called on 8/21/14 and was told that the paperwork was not received and he asked to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor told the customer to email the paperwork to the department directly and request a read and delivery receipt. The Customer Account Transfers department received the paperwork and created the account for the customer on 8/21/14. There is an email that the customer can scan and send documents. The customer should have been given that option. But the company tried several ways to reach the customer and could not. The customer's water is on and he is being billed.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: They did not address any of the items that I listed that I wanted changed, so future customers would not have to be in the situation I was in.

Regards,

Business

Response:

I spoke with the Meter Operations supervisor. I was told that, had there been someone at the property when the FSR came to inspect the property they would have left an application/10 day notice to start service. But, since there was no one available and the meter is registering usage, the FSR would leave a 3 day notice. This is because there is usage without a contract. I pulled your original call from 8/13/14 when you spoke to the CSR regarding the 3 day shut off notice. I don't hear where you asked for an email to send the required documentation to the company. The first time I show that you requested the email address was on 8/19/14. The representatives that you spoke with on the 19th did give you incorrect information and I will address that with their supervisors. You were then given the correct information by the supervisor on 8/21/14. The company apologizes for your inconvenience during this process. Unfortunately the company can't contact you if we don't know that you are there or who you are. The company didn't know that anyone was in the property until the township called for water info to bill sewer. This is when the company created the turn off and block service order. The information for each utility that you are responsible for should have been given to you at settlement. This is not something that the company can control since, the company is not able to place a lien against the property and doesn't go to settlement with you.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: I moved to my current address :- [redacted] on June 23 2013. I was informed that my water supply would be with Aqua America headquartered in N,C.I had moved here from Long Island NY where I lived at my home for over 30 years. There my water bills were moderate with modest increases over the years. NOW with the new service of this water company (Aqua) my monthly bills are EXORBITANT! The August bill was $81.76 and the current bill for Sept. due on 10/1/13 is $83.83 I have tried to talk to their customer service few times but with no avail. It looks like that one is singled out by the area where one lives in, as there are additional costs per "customer charge" I have not yet seen a water meter reader(person). The price I am expected to pay is $0.01 per gallon It is reported that I used 6,800gals. of water in Sept, DOUBLE what I pay in NY as. my bill for June 2013 was $42.60 for 11,400gals, (0.0037/gal) and similar costs earlier with [redacted]. Please investigate into this unfair billing and water charges. Thank you, [redacted]Desired Settlement: Please resolve this Discrepency in water supply to different areas and to individual households. This area has large water resevoirs and multiple streams and rivers. Moreover it rains heavily and there is much water conservation as reported observed by governmental regulations by TV,radio et.

Business

Response:

Response to complaint # [redacted]:

Aqua Pennsylvania headquarter office is located at [redacted], PA [redacted]. Aqua records show **. [redacted] contacted Aqua on 6/19/13 to established service with Aqua Pennsylvania on 5/22/13. Aqua America has one call center in three states: [redacted], PA, [redacted], NC and [redacted], IL. The hours of operation are Monday - Friday 7:30 - 5:00 eastern standard time. Aqua Pennsylvania water sources are from Crum, Pickering, Brandywine, Perkiomen, Neshaminy, Ridley and Chester Creeks. Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. The Upper Merion Quarry and the Shenango River in western Pennsylvania and groundwater from 74 wells. Aqua records show **. [redacted] has used approximately 18,300 gallons of water within 106 days of service from 5/22/13 - 9/5/13. It is unclear if **. [redacted] has a leak at her property. On **. [redacted] may want to check her property for leaks or contact a plumber. Aqua is not responsible for leaks that occur after the curb stop in the service line or inside the home. She can visit www.aquaamerica.com to learn more about water conservation and Aqua Pennsylvania. Also a water conservation kit has been mailed to the customer. Aqua apologizes for any inconvenience.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: The bottom line is Aqua is charging three times the price as my water carrier in NY; Aqua charges a $16 customer charge, then 2,000 gallons at $.009071 per gallon and after that $.010352 per gallon. I was informed that my water usage is lower than the usual family of 4 utilizes. New York American water used to charge me $.0037156 per gallon up 5,000 gallons, then $.0047711 afterwards in addition to a $10 basis charge. In May, my family consumed 11,400 gallons in NY, and was charged only $42.60, whereas in PA I paid $83.83 for 6,800 gallons. As you can clearly see, I paid twice the amount in PA for about half the amount of water used in NY. Please look into why Aqua's rates are so high. Thank you.

Regards,

[redacted]. MD

Review: For the last two months they have been billing me for using 45000 gallons of water. I called the sand on 8/29 they came out and inspected my lines confirming I have no leaks in my water system. I have owned my property for 25 years and have never used this much water and if I would be there would be visible signs because I have septic tank system. I have asked them to replace the meter and they refuse to do so because they insist iris not faulty. They can see my average usage has always been 5000 to 600 on average.Desired Settlement: Repair meter and credit my bill accordingly

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

This is a follow up to our conversation on 9-25-14. You stated that you were monitoring your meter and believe it is not working correctly. Aqua has sent a tech to the property who did not find any leaks or malfunctioning equipment. We agreed to have your meter exchanged/tested and replaced.

The meter will be exchanged on Monday, September 29th, 2014 and will be tested. As we discussed, pending the results of the bench test will determine the next course of action. Again, I have placed your account on hold until after the results of the bench test. Once I receive the bench test results, I will contact you.

Sincerely,

Michael ** S[redacted]

Review: Not sure where to start. We have lived in our home for almost a year and since then we have had 2 periods that lasted longer than 3 days where we had no water. During that time we were issued a boil water notice and only some of our neighbors were notified. Even with a water outage for almost a week we were not compensated and were expected to pay the full month of service fees ($94.80). Why should we have to pay for a service we didn't have? Multiple complaints have gone out to the company by fellow neighbors and were given rude responses, hung up on or even cursed at by their customer service representatives. Other than the outages listed above there have been multiple complaints about water quality year round. Majority of the time our water is a light brown. When we call to complain Aqua tells us that this is the first they have heard of it (either they are lying or not documenting our prior complaints) and eventually send someone out to flush the pipes. Only time Aqua comes to service the plant in the back of our neighborhood is after half the neighborhood complains. They do not do any upkeep to keep problems from happening in the first place! We pay an outrageous amount for our water so I expect it should be of drinking quality so I can stop buying bottled water.Desired Settlement: I would like Aqua to start providing clean (not brown) drinking water and to perform preventative maintenance on their equipment so we can avoid these weekly outages of water. In addition, I would like a refund to cover the service fees for the weeks where I was not able to use my water.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

Review: I received a bill for $450.52 on Dec 12th of his year stating that Aqua has neglected to bill me for sewage from 8/6/2012 to 12/5/2013. I just called asking what can be done about this considering it was a failure on their end not to charge me when said services were being used. For the past year and a half aqua has billed me every month for there services and I have paid every bill I have received. I was given barely any notice for this bill and during the holidays. I called aqua and spoke to a sales rep and also manager when as to speak to her supervisor I was denied. I asked if the bill could be dropped a little and was refused even though it was because of there neglect. They offered me 12 months for a payment plan even though it's been over 12 month they have not billed me. I have no problem paying for the gallons we use which the amount would be $192.13 but there is also a customer charge of $258.39 which is absurd to me to pay. My bill with aqua will not only go up from now being charge sewer which again alright with but the fact it shall now double/triple for the next year is ridiculous.Desired Settlement: I hope for the bill to be reduced at least by half and have a payment plan for the remainder of the bill.

Business

Response:

Pennsylvania Regulations 56.14Previously Unbilled Public Utility Service state a utility company may render a makeup bill for unbilled services rendered for up to four years. **. [redacted]'s account was established August 3, 2012. During that time **. [redacted] was not billed for sewer charges. On December 3, 2013 **. [redacted] was billed for previously unbilled sewer charges. On January 2, 2014 **. [redacted] contacted Aqua in regards to the billing statement she received dated December 9, 2013 in the amount of $452.52 for 486 days of service. At that time a representative explained the billing charges and set a payment arrangement for the current balance of $450.52 which is scheduled to begin with the February 2014 due date. The monthly installments are for $26.50 + the current charges as they become due for seventeen months. **. [redacted] was mailed a letter explaining the payment arrangement terms. If she has any additional questions she can contact our customer service department Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm eastern standard time. I have attached a copy of the payment arrangement letter for your files.

Having owned my own home for nearly 30 years, I've had water service with Aqua for decades. I suppose I've always paid timely, so I was stunned by the speed with which they threaten to shut off service! Last month my bank changed online banking service and I inadvertently missed a payment - within 15 days I was receiving a shut off notice! I paid the past due amount, but (as I do everything automated) it put my payment schedule out of sync. This month was away on vacation, if I hadn't come home when I did, they would have turned service off while I was away! I haven't even received my next month's bill! Yet within 20 days of the due date, they were going to shut off my water. No consideration for 30+ years of timely payment. I would have thought there would be SOME sort of grace period, but I suppose when you are the only game in town, you can do whatever you want.