Central Ohio Water Distribution Inc.

I still had some issues with the last bill. I received it after it was already "delinquent". I am on vacation and will look at the log they sent me. I asked them for a listing of all bills since September. I am going to compare that to what I pay. I will deal with this upon my return. There is still an issue with getting bills. I know I am not supposed to mention other residents but the complex is collecting everyone's bills due to all of us not receiving them or getting them on time

COWD does not build the properties, therefore, how the meters are setup and how many there are on the property is not something we can controlThe Property Management company owns the meters and the city provides the readingsIf there are not individual meters on the property, then each resident cannot be charged based on individual usageThe charges are based on the cost of water which is determined by the cityThe only charge COWD is responsible for is the Admin Fee which again is at an industry standard rateCOWD cannot "mark up" water rates or profit from the water rate that we bill based on the city's readingsCOWD does not buy anything "in bulk" from the cityWe receive the city water bill directly from the Property Management company and as a third party billing servicer, we take the numbers directly from the city water bill to then charge back to the residentsWe apologize if you are unhappy with the service you received from COWD and we will take note of your commentsHowever, we cannot waive the Admin Fee on your account

That is simply not trueI vacated on the 31st and stopped using the water on the 31stPlease double check my water meterAlso, don't you think it is a little extreme you are charging over 800% for an "Admin Fee" on top of a water bill? I would like to setup a meeting for when WE can check my water meter to prove the water was shut off on the 31stI would also like a full breakdown of the admin feeAgain- water was completely turned off in the apartment on August 31st

Monthly invoices are mailed out to all of COWD customers at the same time each month and the bills are due at the same time each monthResidents should ask or be notified by the Property Management Company at the time of application or move regarding utilities due for their apartmentCOWD
offers ways to make payments, via mail or onlineWe also send out email reminders to registered customers on the 10th of each month letting them know the due date is approachingIf a resident does not receive their monthly invoice due to mail delivery issues, it is the resident's responsibility to log into their online account or contact COWD for balance information before the bill is dueAs a one-time courtesy, if a resident does not receive an invoice, COWD will waive one late fee on the resident's accountHowever, under company policy, we cannot remove ALL late fees associated with a customer not receiving their invoiceCopies of invoices that are mailed are stored in our systemOnce the invoice leaves our office to be mailed, COWD has no control over the USPS or delivery of the invoiceThis is also why we offer an online system where our residents can view and pay their bill 24/7, like many other utility companies

That is not my problem that it is split for everyoneAt the prices you charge, everyone should have their own meterIf I did have my own meter, you would have seen I moved out on the 31stI now have Columbus water (at my new place) and they have MUCH cheaper ratesI know you buy in bulk from them and get even cheaper rates, yet you still have HUGE markupsYour profit is extremely high and you are taking advantage of peopleYou state you are charging me this ridiculous Admin fee for "Online website, provides live Customer Service reps during business hours, and is used to generate and mail invoices"Your online website is very simple, and cant cost much to runYou also had a time when you "upgraded" it and it ruined everyones auto bill pay, and we had to redo our billing setup- which resulted in many people getting hit with late fees because of your "website upgrade"That was not fair- I know you notified people about this but your upgrade should have included brining peoples billing into the new systemAlso, I have record of when I called (months ago) and left voice messages and I NEVER received a call backI had to call 3-times for you to pickup and talk to meYou state this admin fee is also to mail invoicesWhy don't you offer ebilling only and reduce this cost? I haven't even received a bill in the mail for this statement I am arguing about. I would at least like my admin fee waived this termI dont think your explanation of why its so high is justified or ethicalAlso, standard admin fees are much lowerI also never used or lived in the apartment on Sep 1st If you reject this- I would also like to meet you in person to discuss this or schedule a conference call with my lawyer. Thank you

I did contact the Business because I had not heard back from them. I overpaid as their records are off. They are crediting my account. The issues are resolved. However, I still think that 9 months of issues do not warrant this company an A plus rating.
Thanks

Mr. [redacted]'s check payments were located and applied to his account correctly. Prior to this complaint, all late fees that accrued due to the system error were removed and Mr. [redacted] was not penalized. Our staff has apologized on numerous occasions to Mr. [redacted] as we worked...

through correctly the error. He did advise our Customer Account Rep that he was going to hold off on paying his current bill until this issue was corrected. When we last spoke with Mr. [redacted] he was appreciative of us correcting the issue and seemed to understand what had happened. At this time, we feel there is nothing further to be resolved.

Our Customer Account Rep was in contact with Mr. [redacted] via email on 6/21/16 and 6/22/16. Mr. [redacted] was provided the attached spreadsheet (reviewed by our Account Manager and Accountant) showing all charges, payments received, credits, and balance. Since sending the spreadsheet to Mr. [redacted] on 6/22/16, we have not heard back from him. At this time, we consider this complaint resolved. If Mr. [redacted] has additional questions, we would be happy to discuss with him.

Monthly Invoices typically mail out within the 1st week of the month. All customers are sent a bill at the same time. Once invoices are prepared by COWD, they are sent to a servicer who mails them out directly to the residents within 2 days.  COWD does encourage residents to register and set up...

an online account, especially in the event the USPS fails to deliver their invoice for any reason, they can log in online and view the invoice and/or pay. Bills are due on the 21st every month as stated on the website and on the monthly invoice. Instructions on how to register an online account are on the monthly invoice, or customers can call COWD and a representative will walk them through the process. It is a simple, one-time registration where a unique code is provided and the customer creates their own username and password. COWD does not have control over the USPS and deliverance of a resident's invoice. We can, however, ensure that invoices have left our servicer's office on a specific date. We have spoken to Ms. [redacted] and provided options for payment and other ways to view her invoice if she does not receive it by mail. Due to the 4th of July holiday falling on a Monday and the 2nd and 3rd falling on that weekend, it did delay our invoicing process by 2 days in the month of July only. However, customers were still given ample time to pay their bill...whether it be online or via mail. Ms. [redacted] was notified that online banking bill payments are sent to COWD via check, not electronically, and can take anywhere from 5-10 business days to reach our office (based on our experience with mailed bill payments). COWD cannot control the timeframe a bill payment takes to leave the bank and be delivered to our PO Box. Ms. [redacted] was ensured that our PO Box mail is picked up and delivered daily during business hours. Payments received via mail are processed the same business day.

COWD does not take payments over the phone nor are we able to set up automatic payments for customers. Customers have the option to set up automatic withdrawal themselves and if they choose to do so, they can enter a date they would like the autopay to end. If an end date is entered, no further...

payments will be deducted after this date unless the resident logs into their account and sets up autopay again. As stated on the monthly invoice, payments are late as of the 22nd and the late fee is 10% of the balance due. COWD has not sent any late claims to any credit bureaus for the past due balance that was on [redacted] account. In regards to the email COWD sends out to customers, this email is not spam. As a courtesy, we send a reminder email on the 10th of the month to all customers registered on our website letting them know their payment is due on the 21st in hopes to avoid late payments. A payment was received on 7/12/17 via the one-time payment option on our website for [redacted] account, including all applicable late fees. This payment further proves that [redacted] was receiving our emails or late notices and that our staff cannot initiate payments over the phone. At this time no late fees will be removed from the account as COWD has provided several notices to [redacted] regarding the past due balance prior to him making his last payment.

Monthly invoices are mailed out to all of COWD customers at the same time each month and the bills are due at the same time each month. Viewing usage and bill is the issue not due date Residents should ask or be notified by the Property Management Company at the time of application or move regarding utilities due for their apartment. Completed and not a contributing factor to problem.  Property management made aware of issue multiple times and checked, told me to talk to COWD. COWD offers 2 ways to make payments, via mail or online. We also send out email reminders to registered customers on the 10th of each month letting them know the due date is approaching. If a resident does not receive their monthly invoice due to mail delivery issues, it is the resident's responsibility to log into their online account or contact COWD for balance information before the bill is due. I was able to receive amount due via phone, but unable to gain/view statement, usage or amount due.  Phone is not available to make payments and they neglected to advise I needed to email their general customer service email, wait for an access code, register on the website, then wait to view my account.  It is unfair to make this statement and is why my issue has not been at minimum, acknowledged.  I have never received an email with the ability to VIEW or pay my bill.  . As a one-time courtesy, if a resident does not receive an invoice, COWD will waive one late fee on the resident's account. However, under company policy, we cannot remove ALL late fees associated with a customer not receiving their invoice.  This issue has continued over months and I have made all efforts possible on my part to resolve the issue. It is not a coincidence that the efforts are not emulated on their end since making general statements, ignoring consumer concerns directly results in significant financial gain.   Copies of invoices that are mailed are stored in our system. Once the invoice leaves our office to be mailed, COWD has no control over the USPS or delivery of the invoice. This is also why we offer an online system where our residents can view and pay their bill 24/7, like many other utility companies. I welcome Revdex.com to try to gain online access as if you were a COWD customer. These vague statements leave out pertinent facts:  residents do not have access online nor told via phone or email complaints that this is an option, at customer service’s leisure.  I have never had this issue with other utility companies. My concerns are tainted by irresponsible customers facing consequences of paying late.  This is why for months; I made many efforts, COWD/Postmaster/Property.  I even sought a solution to accompany my request to avoid future issues.  I am met with a sub-par service that as a consumer is unacceptable.

Taylor House informed COWD the customer's move out date was 9/1/16. Our agreement with the Property Management company is to bill the resident through the move out date that they provide to us. We have verified the move out date with Taylor House and they confirmed the date was 9/1/16, therefore,...

the resident was billed for this day. The Administrative Fee is not prorated at a move in or move out. COWD has a Customer Account Representative who is available M-F from 8:30am-4:30pm. If a resident is unable to reach someone during that time, we do have a voicemail service set up and calls are returned the same day or no later than 1 business day. When this customer called in, a supervisor was not immediately available. Customer invoices are mailed out typically within the 1st week of the month and are always due on the 21st of the month. We also have a website where residents can view their bill, and pay online. COWD's policies outlined in our agreement with Taylor House are the same for all residents and we have billed the resident accordingly.

[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]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I did not receive their notices. I finally received a note about it, on my door, from my landlord. It did not come from this company. That is when I made the payment. 
Regards,
[redacted]

COWD is required to close accounts based on the move out date the Property Management company provides to us. Water at this property is not individually metered as there is only one master meter at this location. The water meter is read by the city and a bill is sent to COWD to disburse those charges amongst the tenants. Residents are billed based on unit type and occupancy. The Administrative Fee is a monthly fee that is charged at an industry standard rate. It helps to maintain our online website, provides live Customer Service reps during business hours, and is used to generate and mail invoices just as any Admin Fee that is billed by a third party billing servicer.