Conservice Utility Management & Billing

Mr. [redacted],  Upon investigation of your account and the associated meter history it has been found that peaks in bills for October 2015, January 2016 and August 2016 are due to under billing the month or months just prior to that billing cycle followed by a true-up of the account. The...

meter in your unit has a transmitter that sends reads to a data collector which then relays those reads to our system daily. This piece of equipment requires a phone line to send the data. If this equipment is not plugged in or otherwise not working correctly, the meter will continue to measure actual consumption which will be seen on our system when the data collector once again sends information regarding your meter to my system. On 4/8/2016 the data collector stopped sending reads. When billing 5/1/2016 the meter showed that zero gallons of water had been used. At this time you were billed only for the water consumed from 4/1/2016 to 4/8/2016 leaving 24 days of usage that were not billed for. The following month (6/1/2016) we again had information showing zero consumption. This time you were billed using an estimate determined by using a 3 month unit average - including the consumption billed for May.  On 6/26/2016 a technician came to Lowry Park, found that the data collector was not physically connected and was thus unable to send information regarding your meter over the internet to our system, resolved the issue, and tested the equipment for further problems. From 4/8/2016 to 6/26/2016 your meter continued to measure actual consumption. From 4/1/2016 to 7/1/2016 your meter measured 15,300 gallons, an average of 5,100 gallons per month. Because this reflects the average for the past year of 5,167 gallons and an average of 5,067 for the past two years, we allowed you to be billed for water used in order to true-up the account for two months of under billing as follows: For May and June, according to this average you should have been billed for 10,200 gallons of water, however, you were only billed a total of 5,118 gallons (1,270 & 3,848 respectively). The other spikes noted were also true-ups for under billing. However, the unbilled water consumption was applied between two bills rather than one.  Thank you,ConserviceTell us why here...

Ms [redacted], Your move in date is listed as 6/11/2016, but you did not set up an account with Washington Gas until 8/31/2016.  During the time period of 6/11/2016 - 8/31/2016, Washington Gas issued 3 separate bills.  Conservice will apply a vacant service fee for each bill processed,...

which is why you received 3 separate vacant service fees.  The first bill issued by Washington Gas was received at Conservice on 7/21/2016.  Since bills are mailed out to your community around the 15th of each month, the next bill a vacant charge would have shown on your bill was the bill mailed on 8/15/2016.  You should have received this bill between 8/16/2016 - 8/20/2016, your account with Washington Gas was then setup on 8/31/2016.  By this time Washington Gas had issued 3 separate bills covering this time period.  Those service dates from Washington Gas are as follows:6/13/2016 - 7/13/2016 (received at Conservice on 7/21/2016 and issued to you on your bill mailed on 8/15/2016)7/13/2016 - 8/11/2016 (received at Conservice on 8/20/2016 and issued to you on your bill mailed on 9/15/2016 )8/11/2016 - 8/31/2016 (received at Conservice on 9/6/2016 and issued to you on your bill mailed on 9/15/2016)The timing of when Washington Gas service cycle ended and when their bill was received at Conservice is the reason for the gap in time from when you moved in, to when you saw the vacant charges and realized you had forgot to establish your own gas account.  However, Conservice did process each vacant gas charge in a timely manner based on when the bills were received.  In regards to the language in your lease, section 4 states "In the event you fail to timely establish utility services, we may charge you for any utility service billed to us for your dwelling and may charge a reasonable administration fee for billing for the utility service in the amount of $50.00".  You were billed fees of $20.00 and $35.00 which is allowable per your lease agreement.  These vacant service fees are in place to account for the expense of processing and paying these bills, as well as tracking and passing on the utility charge amounts on the bills.Thank you,Conservice

Hello [redacted],I apologize for the frustration you are experiencing. I understand that you contacted your bank to stop the auto pay process. However, in order to effectively stop the auto payments, you would have needed to go to our website, www.utilitiesinfo.com.  Attached is the Auto EFT...

agreement that outlines this process for your reference.  As a result, we were authorized to continue requesting the funds. Unfortunately, since the bank had received the request to process a stopped payment, the $25.00 charge is currently seen on your account as a returned check charge.  I also wanted to let you know that your account is no longer set up for autopay on our system, so this should not be an issue in the future. Again I apologize for the confusion and the frustration. Thank you,Conservice

[redacted],The property manager for your community reached out to us and explained your great standing with making payments at the leasing office. They asked that due to your previous good history we remove the NSF fee and convenience fee as a courtesy. With your property manager's recommendation we have decided to remove the NSF fee and convenience fee associated with the returned payment. The current balance owed on your account as of 12/1/2017 is now $25.Thank you,Conservice

Hello [redacted],   At Conservice, we strive to offer excellent customer service and support in handling billing and utility management for your community. One component of this is handling complaints that may arise during this process and resolving these complaints in an accurate and timely...

manner. We appreciate the detailed explanation and documentation of your concern and have done all possible to ensure that this issue was thoroughly investigated. A resolution is summarized below.   In examining the charges listed on your bill for the service period of 5/1/2016-6/1/2016, we evaluated the estimated reading of 20,000 gallons. This estimated reading was intended to true-up any underestimated consumption in the previous five months due to the meter reads data collector at your community not sending reads to our system. However, in comparing this amount to previous months’ usages before there were any issues with this data collector, we did verify that the average usage for your unit falls between 5,000 and 6,000 gallons each month, and therefore the estimation of 20,000 gallons to true up to the current meter read was deemed excessive. We appreciate you bringing to our attention the pipe break that occurred in your building, as this helps us understand the reason our data showed such a large increase in meter reads when your unit has a consistent history of using around the same amount of usage each month.   We have reached out to your community regarding this issue and suggested adjusting this estimated read of 20,000 gallons to a unit average of 5,424 gallons. This falls much more in line with your average usage when compared to your unit history. The property has approved this change. Listed below are the credits that have been applied to your account, displaying both the original charges you received for this service period, as well as the updated charges after this credit has been applied.   Original Water Charge (20,000 gallons): $160.93 Original Sewer Charge (20,000 gallons): $119.60   Updated Water Charge (5,424 gallons): $43.58 Updated Sewer Charge (5,424 gallons): $32.41   Credits applied to Water: -$117.35 Credits applied to Sewer: -$87.19   In comparing these updated water and sewer amounts to charges you have received in previous months, we found that these charges fall much more in line with both your typical usage and the typical charges you receive for these utilities, and these amounts have been updated on your account in our systems, as well as with your property management. This issue should be resolved moving forward, as we are using the actual reads we are receiving for your unit, and these already appear to follow the usual trend that is typical of your unit. We appreciate you bringing this issue to our knowledge and hope that you find the provided resolution satisfactory. If you have any further concerns or additional questions, we encourage you to contact our Customer Service line at ###-###-####.Thank you,Conservice

[redacted] [redacted]  Hello [redacted], In reviewing your complaint regarding the high water charges you have received over the past few months, we reached out to your property management at Monaco Park to research this issue to ensure that all billing was taking...

place accurately and in a timely manner. Upon reviewing your lease and the billing that has occurred over the previous months, the property management determined that they would be refunding you a certain amount. If this has not already been communicated to you, Monaco Park has requested that the details and full information regarding this refund amount be discussed directly with them, since all payment amounts are made to Monaco Park directly rather than to Conservice. I have included the contact information for Monaco Park below. Please do not hesitate to inform your property management and Conservice if this resolution does not meet your expectations regarding these high water charges over the previous months. [redacted] [redacted] ###-###-#### Thank you,Conservice

Dear [redacted],We have received your Revdex.com complaint and hopefully we can address the issues you have. We at Conservice are contracted by Pinnacle's Signature Pointe Apartments to provide the utility billing to their residents and apply a $10.00 late fee after four days from the...

date that the bill is due. For the utilities bills that were sent out with a due date of 5/1/2016, the printing company contracted by Conservice had an error that caused bills to be printed and sent out late. Since Pinnacle's Signature Pointe Apartments is Conservice's direct client, the property management staff was made aware of the issue and asked how they would like Conservice to proceed. The property management staff informed Conservice that they would notify the residents of the delay. This is the reason that the residents at Signature Pointe Apartments were not contacted directly by Conservice about the bill delay issue.As for your concern with the $3.00 convenience fee, for any automatic credit card or electronic funds transfer payment, financial institutions charge a convenience fee for those types of payments. Since this $3.00 convenience fee is not instituted or controlled by Conservice, there is no way to remove or bypass it when a payment is made. We have reached out to the leasing office at Signature Pointe Apartments and have agreed to apply a $3.00 credit to your account. That credit has been applied and is currently reflected on your ledger at Conservice. Thank you,Conservice

[redacted], We have received your complaint through Revdex.com and wanted to give you a response to help explain your charges.  Your currently living location at [redacted] has two different usages for gas.  Conservice bills you for the gas used to heat your...

unit, while the bill you received from People’s Gas is for gas used for cooking.  People’s gas bills are individually metered and can measure your actual consumption, but the gas used to heat your unit is not individually measured.  When it is not individually measured, we use a formula to calculate your charges based on the square footage of each apartment. This methodology is listed in your lease.  I have attached another word document that helps explain our ratio utility billing system a little better.  Electricity at this location is billed off of actual unit consumption, so you will want to make sure that electricity is put in your name with the provider. Sincerely, Conservice

Although we have explained the way the sub metering system functions we have continued to work with the community management as well as regional management for Main Street Flats.  They have decided to extend a credit of $28.41 to cover the days in which Ms. [redacted] feels she is being incorrectly charged.  According to information we have no service tickets have been opened by Ms. [redacted] with the property regarding the meter.  If the resident continues to think there are further issues she should advise her community management of the issue.Thank you,Conservice

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. What do I need to do to make sure these changes are reflected on my account?
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]Thanks, please keep us posted here.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Dear Mr [redacted],On 02/29/2016, you elected to renew your lease with Invitation Homes.  This updated lease included a section stating that Conservice would be managing the water, sewer, and trash utilities for this property, but that electric and gas service would remain under your name. ...

As a part of this agreement, we would begin billing a service fee of $10.99 each month, and there would also be a $25.00 move out fee, once you opted to move out.We billed a total of $101.93 in service fees in the six months between your renewal and move out dates.  This is including the service and move out fees on your final bill.  Prior to you renewing your lease on 02/29/2016, Conservice was managing the utilities on behalf of Invitation Homes, but we were not billing for any service fees.After reviewing your account, our conclusion is that we have followed the terms outlined in your lease, and that your account is not eligible for an adjustment at this time.We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. Thank you,Conservice

Dear [redacted] [redacted],We have received the complaint you sent to the Revdex.com and wished to address the concerns you stated. The bucket test maintenance performed in your unit on approximately 8/29/2016 found that the meter was measuring the consumption of the unit correctly....

Maintenance informed us, as well as provided pictures, showing that after running 10 gallons of water down the drain, the meter only increased by 10 units (beginning read 0207738, ending read 0207748). We have also reviewed the data obtained from your meter, which checks into our system daily, and found that the consumption being used in your unit, while high, shows normal fluctuation, which is further indication that the meter is working correctly.  As you informed us that no leaks were found in your unit, in addition to the bucket test confirming the meter is reading correctly, this is why we advised you that the high consumption, to the best of our knowledge, is accurate and directed you to our website for water conservation tips.We understand your continued concern with the high usage in your unit and, as an additional precaution, we have reached out to your management company for further investigation.  All indicators came back showing that the meter is working correctly and your unit should be billed based on actual usage.Thank you,Conservice

Hi [redacted], Conservice is billing based on the electric usage of each specific unit as each unit has its own meter to read the electric usage, not by building.  We also take all roommates’ move in dates into account when we are calculating the bills so nobody is charged for days during the...

billing cycle they may not have been there.  This is why you received a bill for the first cycle and your two roommates did not.  You have access to your bills that break down where the charges come from at campusutilities.com, however, there is not a way to break down exactly where usage comes from as the unit's meter reads the electric consumption for the unit as a whole.  During the cycles that you've been billed for so far the biggest contributor to electric usage is the air conditioner, but again, there's not a way for us to determine if this is the culprit for sure.  In addition to The Reserve at Orono covering the first $25 of each resident's electric charges, they've also set a cap in place so your bill will never be over $35.  If you need assistance logging into the website or have any other questions please reach out to our customer service department at 1-866-254-4577.  We are available to assist you with your questions and concerns Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time.Thank you,Conservice

Laurie V[redacted],Thank you for contacting us regarding your concern.We have contacted the Regional Manager. It has been decided that you will be billed for water and sewer according to your lease.  I believe that the Regional Manager has reached out to you to discuss this resolution.  If...

you have further questions please feel free to contact us back.Thank you!Conservice Billing Dept

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I was not told up front about having another company pay my bills for me. I f I had the utiltities in my name then whoever came after me would not have to pay anything in regards to my previous usage. I would rather pay a deposit to the power company of 300 dollars than to pay 120 a year for your service plus the additional  1500-2000 dollars a year extra in money for the power bill. I appreciate your response but it doesn't resolve anything. Thank you and have a nice day.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
To Whom It May Concern: I am responding to the last notice where this complaint was closed because I did not respond.  In fact, I was checking and gathering my records to provide facts as to why I am filing the complaint for inappropriate and excessive charges.  I was charged at least three separate occasions when I was out of town (for extended periods of time).  The cold and hot water charges are also inconsistent with the same days.  This charges are bogus/false.  And, no one else lives in the apartment or had access to the apartment.  The reason the utility come gave that sometimes there is a one day delay in applying charges does not hold up.  In fact, the continue to charge for consume for multiple days while I was gone.  See the attached document as my proof. Therefore, I am continuing to dispute this charges and requesting reimbursement for the days and times highlighted from their original invoice document they sent in response to this complaint.  In addition, Conservice explanations continue to vary each and every time they respond with no real supporting notes!  I am also requesting a detailed monthly usage report to confirm the charges on the bill reflect the usage and times when I am at home.  Finally, I will be filing a formal complaint with the Utilities Commission and all reporting credit agencies until this issue is resolved.  If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or[redacted].  Regards,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:This usage details are superfluous and made-up. I have stayed in 4 different apartments before and nowhere the water usage was more than 3000 gallons per month. As soon as Conservice  took over the billing for water and sewer service for this apartment, water consumption went sky-high. So no need for me to get training from Conservice on water consumption. It is clear that there is a gross mistake in either calculating the usage or something is very "fishy" as the same meter might be calculating usage from other units as well and that is included in our bill. This bucket test is totally baseless as nobody from Conservice had come to investigate the issue and also I was not asked to be present when this test was performed. If there is a fault from the apartment authority they should investigate and resolve it with them. I should not be charged unnecessarily. This is very frustrating as nobody from Conservice showed a minimum accountability to resolve or investigate the issue as it seems they are only concerned about getting money and nothing else. I am feeling cheated for all these and I am willing to take next course of action if this is not taken care with due diligence.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

[redacted] [redacted],Thank you for contacting us in regard to your concern with your electricity consumption.  We have been in contact with your community management and they have asked that we provide them with a cost estimate to have us send a meter technician to visit your apartment to verify that...

your meter is capturing your electric consumption accurately.  We are currently working with them to get this work completed.  You will be contacted directly by your community management to schedule this visit by the meter technician.  This may take some time and we appreciate your patience and understanding.The management has asked that we continue to bill as is for the time being.  They would prefer to handle all electricity disputes on their end.Thank you!Conservice

Thank you for reaching out to us with your concern. We researched your questions and below you will find information on how your bill is calculated. Trash is billed by allocating the total provider bill based on a factored occupancy for each unit at the community. Due to the nature of this...

allocation method, bills may fluctuate from month to month depending on the bill amount which is received from the provider. To help better explain how your trash charges are calculated an example can be found below.** This is an example only and does not reflect actual bill amounts**Add a value of 1.0 for the first occupant; add 0.6 for the second and add 0.3 for each additional occupant on the lease. The total trash expense for the community $2,000Less 10% for Common Area Deduction $2,000 – $200 = $1,800Total which will be allocated to residents $1,800A value based on the occupancy in each unit is given and the total community multiplier is reached (assume the total community occupant multiplier is 521 for this example) Total Community Occupant Multiplier = 521The adjusted provider expense is divided by the Total Community Occupant Multiplier $1,800 / 521 = $3.45This gives us the amount per occupant $3.45 per occupantIf your apartment has 2 occupants, your monthly water bill is $5.52 $3.45 x 1.6 = $5.52  Sewer is a flat charge of $19.46. The sewer charge comes from the provider bills as well as the yearly tax bills. The sewer charge only fluctuates as the provider expense changes. Since Conservice matches the billing methods of the provider, we are unable to bill sewer based on usage instead of billing a flat fee. We do not anticipate this amount to change anytime soon.  Irvine Property Management has requested that we do not share provider bill information to the residents as this contains information for the entire property. We do no accept any payment on behalf of your property, Village - Cambria. Financial Services manages the payments, late fees, and any other consequences of resident's not making payments. While we do understand your frustrations of having to pay a charge you are contesting it would be best to speak to Financial Services to see if they would be able to work with you on payments. Thank you,Conservice