Artesian Water Company

Please find Artesian Water's attached response to Ms. [redacted]'s concern.
Thank you.

I was traveling and missed to submit the payments for last month. without any alert (no text msg, no phone call, no email or postal notification), they shutdown the water and the justification is that the warning is part of bill generated. First of this experience after being in this country. I have been with Delmarva for many years and for any delay, they will give an automated call.
I wonder the time they notified their associate to disconnect the service, they dont bother to inform the customer. I will never recommend this company for anyone as long as they dont care about customer.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The business, Artesian, has not addressed the following issues: 1. I did not receive any bills prior to December 2014, and Artesian, after reducing the quarterly payment is charging various late charges and interest on an amount not billed.  If I do in fact owe 4 quarters at $61.70, the total due would be 246.80, not the amount they claim.  How is it possible to owe late charges and interest on amounts never billed?2. I still have not received a bill so there is no way to pay, even if I wanted to pay the amount.3. The Business has not adequately explained why there was no adjustment at the time of the first settlement.  In other words, how is it possible that the prior owner did not incur any water costs for "availability" and now, all of a sudden , without any request on my part, I am being inaccurately billed for "availability"?4. The Business has failed to adequately explain why they were unable to reasonably determine the correct billing amount until I filed this Complaint and why they should not be held liable for demanding monies through the US Mail for amounts they now concede were inaccurate and inappropriate.

Company Response to Complaint ID#[redacted]
By:  Artesian Water
Date: January 29, 2015
 

The reason why [redacted] did not receive any bills prior to December 2014 is because we had an incorrect mailing address on file.  Until then the bills were being sent to the forwarding address listed per the Cecil County parcel information.
 
[redacted] owes the minimum charge applicable per our tariff as filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission from the date he became owner of the property.  As such, $31.19 is owed for the 46 days in the quarter in which he acquired the property and $61.70 for each of the 4 quarters since, for a total of $277.99.  The corrected bill does not include any late charges or interest.
 
[redacted]’s corrected bills were mailed on January 22, 2015.
 
Whenever Artesian is notified of settlement, we start the account in the new owner’s name as of the day of settlement. In this case, at the time of settlement, Artesian had not been notified by the new owner, previous owner or the attorneys handling the settlement that a change in ownership was going to take place. It was not until May 2014, when the previous owner, Novo Realty LLC, notified Artesian of the sale of the property to [redacted] that we billed him from the day of settlement.  [redacted] LLC was responsible for payment of all water charges prior to the date of sale of the property to [redacted].
 
[redacted] was originally billed the minimum charge at 3 EDUs (equivalent dwelling units) based on the information regarding the use of the property as provided by Cecil County. It is Artesian’s understanding that Cecil County continues to reflect the property as 3 EDUs for sewer billing that is handled by the County. Based on the new information that this property is being renovated to a single family dwelling, given by [redacted], Artesian has corrected the billing and removed all late penalties as a courtesy.

Please see the attached company response along with a copy of the customer's bill.  If you need any further information, please let me know.
Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
...


 
The resolution I am seeking is they should give one month advance notice via mail and via telephone calls and also thru notice on the residence to make sure customers are well aware if they are going to disconnect the service in case of no payments was received and since this is one of the basic necessity in household they shouldn't be able to disconnect the service. They should have system where if customers are having difficult time in making payments they should come up with payment arrangements where they don't have to pay wholesome amount and just minimum payment required. They need to mail another notice via mail advising customer of disconnecting the service if minimum payment if not received by so and so date. Thanks

Company Response to Complaint ID#[redacted]
11pt;">By:  Artesian Water Date: January 23, 2015   Per the customer complaint, [redacted] believes he should not be receiving a bill since there has been no water usage at the property. He also states he never requested water service from Artesian. Although [redacted] references sewer service as well, Artesian does not provide sewer service in Port Deposit.  Sewer service is provided by Cecil County.     
When a property goes to settlement in Maryland, a reading is taken to stop the account for the person selling, and to start the account of the person purchasing. Whether water service is turned on at the curb stop, water service and fire protection are available and provided to the property and will be billed accordingly. The Artesian Water Maryland Tariff states there is a minimum charge per quarter equivalent to the charge for usage of 10,000 gallons (at $6.17 per 1,000 gallons it equals $61.70 per quarter). This is the same whether the account is for a Residential or Commercial property. This minimum quarterly charge is for the availability of water service and fire protection. An EDU refers to an Equivalent Dwelling Unit. Prior to Artesian taking over the water system in Port Deposit, the Cecil County Department of Public Works assigned EDU’s to the properties. The number of EDU’s assigned was based on the number of dwelling units at the address. 3 EDU’s were assigned to [redacted]. Therefore at the minimum charge per quarter of 10,000 gallons per EDU, the minimum charges for the property are for 30,000 gallons (10,000 gallons x 3 EDUs). Thus the minimum quarterly charge when billing for this property started was $185.10, and [redacted] was continually billed this quarterly minimum charge as permitted by our tariff through the present date. [redacted] has spoken to customer service on several occasions (May 13, 2013 and October 10, 2014) and was informed that the billing was in accordance with our tariff as approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission and correct.
  Conclusion:  Since [redacted]’s property at [redacted] in Port Deposit, MD falls under the current Artesian tariff on file with the Maryland Public Service Commission, he is responsible for billing starting from the date of purchase. However, we contacted [redacted] and agreed to reduce the EDUs for his water service to one as the house is now a single dwelling unit. His bill was corrected and all late charges removed. The new total now due is $277.99. He may contact our Customer Service Department to set up payment arrangements at [redacted]   Should he wish to dispute the number of EDU’s he is being billed for sewer, he should contact the [redacted] Company Response toComplaint ID#[redacted]By:  Artesian WaterDate: January 23, 2015Per the customer complaint, [redacted] believes he should not be receiving a bill since there has been no water usage at the property. He also states he never requested water service from Artesian. Although [redacted] references sewer service as well, Artesian does not provide sewer service in Port Deposit.  Sewer service is provided by CecilCounty.   When a property goes to settlement in Maryland, a reading is taken to stop the account for the person selling, and to start the account of the person purchasing. Whether water service is turned on at the curb stop, water service and fire protection are available and provided to the property and will be billed accordingly. The Artesian Water Maryland Tariff states there is a minimum charge per quarter equivalent to the charge for usage of 10,000 gallons (at $6.17 per 1,000 gallons it equals $61.70 per quarter). This is the same whether the account is for a Residential or Commercial property. This minimum quarterly charge is for the availability of water service and fire protection. An EDU refers to an Equivalent Dwelling Unit. Prior to Artesian taking over the water system in Port Deposit, the Cecil County Department of Public Works assigned EDU’s to the properties. The number of EDU’s assigned was based on the number of dwelling units at the address. 3 EDU’s were assigned to [redacted]. Therefore at the minimum charge per quarter of 10,000 gallons per EDU, the minimum charges for the property are for 30,000 gallons (10,000 gallons x 3 EDUs). Thus the minimum quarterly charge when billing for this property started was $185.10, and [redacted] was continually billed this quarterly minimum charge as permitted by our tariff through the present date. [redacted] has spoken to customer service on several occasions (May 13, 2013 and October 10, 2014) and was informed that the billing was in accordance with our tariff as approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission and correct.  Conclusion:  Since [redacted]’s property at [redacted] in Port Deposit, MDfalls under the current Artesian tariff on file with the Maryland PublicService Commission, he is responsible for billing starting from the date ofpurchase. However, we contacted [redacted] and agreed to reduce the EDUs for hiswater service to one as the house is now a single dwelling unit. His bill wascorrected and all late charges removed. The new total now due is $277.99. Hemay contact our Customer Service Department to set up payment arrangements at [redacted] Should he wish to dispute the number of EDU’s he is being billed for sewer, he should contact the CecilCounty Department of [redacted]

Please find Artesian Water's attached response to Ms. [redacted]'s concern.Thank you.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I...

reviewed appear below.
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Please see Artesian's attached response.Thank you.

Revdex.com Complaint ID:  [redacted]

Company Response:  Artesian Water

Date: May 6, 2014

By: [redacted]

 
Artesian Water is a regulated water utility and follows the rules and regulations of the Delaware Public Service Commission (DE PSC).  Our rates, billing practices and procedures are approved and on file with the DE PSC.

[redacted]s’ water service at 432 Feather Dr. was shut off for non-payment of the water bill on 4/24/14. [redacted]s called our office on 4/25/14 at 8:05 a.m. and asked our representative to check and see if a payment of $132 was received in our overnight payment box. Our representative said they could not check on it. They told [redacted]s that payment in the overnight box would not show up on the system until later that day.  The representative then told the customer she would need to pay the bill and turn on fee through Western Union and call back. [redacted]s was not happy about this as there should have been a payment in the drop box. After some discussion the representative told her that she would have to pay the $100 reconnection fee through Western Union and then call back with a confirmation number to have the water service turned back on.

A review of [redacted]’s account and the above recorded conversation was conducted by our Customer Service personnel. It was determined that had we handled [redacted]s first call on 4/25/14 more appropriately, then we could have avoided all of the later complications experienced by [redacted]s.  As a result we will waive the fees and we apologize to [redacted]s for the inconvenience and delay in turning water back on at her property.

Revdex.com:
line-height: 150%;">I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
I am surprised at when a family emergency is present,  you respond without expressing remorse or even empathy. As a company, the way you treat your customers in a time of crisis is appalling. Sending a letter when Mr. [redacted]'s in the hospital does nothing. A phone call from a computer to a home, where he obviously is not at because he is  in ICU, does nothing. As his fiancée, I  explained this all to you during this stressful and though time, you still- after taking my money- FORCE me to leave my fiancée ALONE in ICU for you to send someone out to turn the water back on. So now your inconveniencing me, during this time I need to spend with my family, then  literally show no remorse for it. No apologies, no 5star customer service, just rudeness and inconvenience. If something would have happened to my fiancée in the interim I was forced to leave for you to return service to my home for the waters paid, this would be unforgivable.
I feel that because your company has been inconsiderate, unempathetic, discourteous, appalling and flat out inconvenient in the attempt to help me and my family resolve this issue, all I am asking is a courtesy one time, for the FIRST TIME, a refund on my reconnection fee.
Why? Because of lack of notification. If the man you are trying to contact is in the hospital, and the phone calls were not working, why would you not send an email? Why would you not MAIL OUT A LETTER? If I would have know about this sooner I would have paid this bill. But I was not notified, then I was inconvenience, and now I feel no empathy at all from this company during a very stressful and trying time. I am not pleased with these findings at all.
Please refund my reconnection fee of 100.00 to my fiancée's account. That's is all I'm asking.
Regards,

Company Response
Concern ID of [redacted] 
3/12/14
[redacted]...

[redacted]
We have been in contact with [redacted] and have been working with her to resolve her complaint. We have notified her that we will be repairing any landscaping or correcting any damage which occurred while installing an emergency water service at her property.  Our practice with any project such as this is to put back any landscaping, sidewalks, driveways, etc. as close to the way it was before the work was done. Due to the winter weather we will not be able to complete this work until the spring. We will continue to work with [redacted] until the job is completed.
 
One of the issues with completing work at [redacted] property was that the fence installed in the yard of the property (at [redacted]) was actually installed 7 feet into the utility easement. This made our access to the easement difficult without having to remove the fence and it was determined we could do the work by accessing the easement through the gate of the fence. That is not normally our practice and we are reviewing internally to prevent any issues in the future.  We are also currently in discussion as to whether the fence will need to be permanently moved out of the easement to prevent any access problems in the future.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I read the...

response Artesian wrote to my complaint, I never have past due amounts I get paid biweekly and I split my monthly bill in 1/2 and pay accordingly to my paycheck.  Over the past 3 to 6 months Artesian has been over charging me and telling me they will not adjust my bill to a fair amount.  My monthly bill should be $45.00 it has not been there for months.  I cancelled my appointment with Catholic Charities because you can only use them 1x per year.  If I use them in January and Artesian continue to over charge me I would be at risk at a later time for REAL help.  I have been struggling to pay this horrendous water bill and now my other creditors are suffering.  Being a single mom of 3 children this added expense leaves me struggling month after month.  I want an adjustment of the new charges.  the bill of $320.00 due in February I cannot pay even with the $60.00 plus monthly charges to Artesian.  Their meters know 32 gallons of water did not leave my property why charge me as if my old running toilet extracted water from my property.  I just got my sewer bill from 2015 its lower than the previous year $379.00 meaning I do not have extraordinary water leaving my property why charge me month to month this horrendous bill and tell me there's nothing that can be done about it but pay this overcharge.  I was advised by Artesian it would be an additional $50.00 charge to have my meter check with Revdex.com getting involved I see they sent someone out and the problem has been magically solved.  No refund of the over charges for the past few months.  Please investigate their practices and help me  lower my upcoming bill.  After learning my toilet was causing meter issues I turned that toilet off completely until I hired a professional Plummer to fix the flap which cost $2.00.  there was no way I incurred another $320.00 water bill from Dec to Jan.  I need your help in receiving a fair monthly bill for this water bill I'm responsible for paying in Feb 2016.  I paid the erroneous last bill as promised I have exhausted all my funds I need help in stopping this company from robbing innocent new homeowners and telling us its our fault.
Regards,

I moved into a new house on sept. of 2015. did not recieve a single bill untill january 2016. they are trying to charge me past due bills when I called multiple times about the bill and all they could say is that one would be sent by the mail. these guys are complete crooks and frauds

Attached please find the company's response.
Thank you.

Attached please find the Company response to Ms. [redacted] concern.

Please see the attached company response along with a copy of the customer's bill.  If you need any further information, please let me know.Thank you.

Please find Artesian's response to Mr. [redacted]'s concern.When Mr. [redacted]’s account was set up in July, 2012, onlythe water account was set up. In January of 2013, it was discovered thewastewater account was not yet set in our system for billing, although theservice...

had been provided since July 2012. Artesian back billed Mr. [redacted] starting 8/1/12 for wastewater. Thetotal amount was $375.00.  A paymentarrangement was set up with Mr. [redacted] to pay $31.25 plus the current monthlybilling on the 30th of each month. This gave the customer a year to pay the back billed amount. Thecustomer was shut off 6/19/14 for non-payment. The disconnect/reconnect fee was waived at the time and the paymentarrangement was reinstated.  The customeralso received assistance of $150.00 on 7/18/14 from the customer assistanceprogram that [redacted] facilitates for Artesian.On 10/24/14, we sent the customer a bill for $696.85 due11/18/14 with a past due balance of $565.53. The past due amount needed to be paid by 11/11/14 to avoid shutoff.  The customer paid $166.32 on10/31/14.  No arrangement was made forthe balance.  On 11/25/14, a bill for$667.54 was sent with a past due balance of $530.53 outstanding.  An auto dial call went out to the customer on11/24/14 requesting payment of the $530.53 within two business days.  The customer paid $200 on 11/26/14.  We did not perform any shut offs duringThanksgiving week. The customer was disconnected on 12/1/14 for non-payment ofthe remaining past due amount of $330.53.  The customer was advised to pay the past due amountof $330.53 and the disconnect/reconnect fee (of $100) would appear on his nextbill. The customer paid $467.54.  Thisamount included the past due of $330.53 and the current charge of $137.01.  On 12/23/14, we sent the customer a bill for hiscurrent water and wastewater charges of $142.40 as well as the $100disconnect/reconnect fee for the shut off on 12/1/14 for a total of $242.40. On1/22/15, the customer was billed $134.68 plus the past due of the $242.40.  The past due amount of $242.40 was subject todisconnection of the water service if not paid by 2/10/15.  The customer paid $142.40 on 2/4/15, stillleaving a past due balance of $100.00 and the account is still subject todisconnection if not paid.

Please see the company's attached response.
Thank you.