ONWASA (Onslow Water and Sewer Authority)

Billed for excessive water usage.We recently received a bill for dates 1/8/15 to 2/9/15 that indicated that we had used 158,100 gallons of water. The following billing period from 2/9/15 to 3/9/15 indicated an additional 52,600 gallons of water. In total, we were billed over $1,200 for water. We have been at our residence now for 4 years and have averaged water bills between $25 and $40. A plumber came out to the residence and found no leaks. An Onwasa representative checked the meter and evidently found no issues with the meter. They attempted to alert us to the usage spike by placing one phone call to us 17 February, found that they couldn't leave a message, and made no further attempts to contact us. We changed nothing about our water usage habits during that period, and despite the fact that there was nothing wrong with our water system, Onwasa's assumption is that we must have used that amount of water. We have asked on several occasions for Onwasa to investigate further, but they refuse to even acknowledge that the level of water use is highly irregular. We are not certain that a private, single-family residence (especially one with no pool) is even capable of going through that much water. We would have had to turn on all of the facets in the house and run them 24/7 in order to go through that much water. I suspect that there was something fraudulent going on - a cross connection, etc. but Onwasa will not even entertain the idea. In order to keep our water supply turned on, we had to agree to pay the amount. They did provide a one-month leak adjustment which reduced our bill down to approximately $700 which is still an unbelievable amount of money to pay for water we did not use.Desired SettlementWe are asking to have our water bill reduced to an amount that is commiserate with our typical water usage. We would also like to have Onwasa make an effort to investigate the possible cause of this problem. We are merely renting the property (our lease expires in June) and would hate for the next tenants to inherit the same problem. Business Response Dear Customer,The Executive Assistance at ONWASA has researched the matter along with the Customer Service Department. We strive to help every customer that has an irregular amount of water usage and several ONWASA employees have communicated various methods or suggestions about the above service address. As discussed we offer dye tablets for free so that you can test the toilets at the service address to eliminate that as the possible issue. Toilets can become stuck and water run for a long period of time and can go unnoticed, especially if home was vacant during the time of high usage. Outside valves or water hoses can be left on inadvertently causing high water usage. If property is going to be vacant for any period of time we suggest the hand gate valve on the customer's side of the meter be engaged which will prevent leaks or water usage to occur while tenant is away. As mentioned previously, ONWASA did perform a meter test which was completed by the Superintendent of the Meters Department, and meter is operating properly and within industry standards. Unfortunately, ONWASA cannot do any leak investigation beyond the meter. ONWASA's legal authority extends only to the public portion of the system. The portion of the water system located from the meter to the home is private and as such ONWASA cannot conduct any digging, etc. If you suspect fraudulent activity or tampering of water lines on the property occurred please contact your property manager so that they can investigate the situation. You have received a leak adjustment in accordance with Section 5.4 of the Onslow Water and Sewer Authority Utility Ordinance adopted by the ONWASA Board of Directors, and provided guide staff actions. At this time the Ordinance does not grant authority to further reduce your bill.

Complaint(Onslow Water and Sewer Authority has charged me a service fee after water was shut off we moved into our home in sept 1 2014 paid a deposit of 200.00 we never got a bill in the mail they turned it off without notice my wife called me to let me know it was off we called them let them know wife was talked to very ugly and said pay your bills she went on line it said if paid by 2 pm it would be turned back on she paid on line at 1:45 but never turned on that day she called they said it would be next day anyway so they showed up to turn and came to door we thought everything ok but 3 weeks later they sent a turn off notice we got that letter'' to say we owed I went to the business and payed it and ask why it was so high the lady said it was a charge for a second call to turn on water I said that was not correct ask why the supervisor said the first person out said he said he could not turn on water because meter was turning and was a leak but never came to the door but she said he did left a note we never got also she home all day she don't drive also she said someone else came out turned it on I said don't understand that if he turned it on with a issue I told her that the meter 1120 ft from house it would spin for little bit and said why didn't someone come to door let us know and why would you send a second person to turn it on if he said it was a leak don't make since and she was very ugly to me so here we are I don't owe them but I was forced to pay a 55.00 fee are do without water I feel it wrong please helpProduct_Or_Service: my water billDesired Settlementwant my service fee refunded to meBusiness Response Dear Sir,When researching the account it was found that the payment made to reconnect service was paid through our automated number at 2:09 p.m., which is why the service order was sent out the following day. The serviceman went to the service address at 10:08 am. on December 5, 2014, but the dial was spinning. No one answered the door so serviceman left a door hanger. A service call fee was charged to the account due to the second trip reconnect for ONWASA having to return to the address later that day at 1:34 p.m. Please note the disclaimer was signed on August 14, 2014 when account was started and the disclaimer can be found on our website www.onwasa.com. We strive to keep down our costs for all of our customers; therefore, additional fees are included when further services have to be rendered. Please feel free to contact us and we can provide the original signed disclaimer paperwork and the receipt of payment through our automated number. Please note we do offer automatic bank draft or credit card draft for monthly payments. We also offer online bill pay along with E-statements to assist with receiving bills. If you have any further questions or concerns please contact me at 910-[redacted] Consumer Response The service tech only came to house only one time that was at around 1:30 pm I the camera mounted on home shows the serviceman there and my wife answered the door I not sure what they did when he came but he was not there 5 mins don't make since if he came back the second time why if the meters was spinning what changed from 10 am to 1:30 pm when he came back second time and had no issues then I told them the meters 100 ft from house anybody in the business would know it would spin until pipes to house filled don't know what they want to use the disclaimer thing if we cant resolve it I have no choice to file a clam am not letting the companies get over on me this time am not the only one making clams there's other customers on the computer saying the same thing I be happy to provide the video camera where they came to the meter

Water service turn on PolicyI went to the ONWASA office to start service on 13 Jan. Water was to be turned on on 15 Jan. To allow me to be home in order to make sure all valves were closed. On 15 Jan I arrived at he house at 0830. There is nothing in the home yet as it was just purchased. At 1230 I found a note in the door saying they had been there at 9:58. There was no knock, there was no doorbell ringing. I called the office and was told that they wouldn't knock (per policy) They let the meter run for 5 minutes and left. I did not hear any water passing through the lines or air in the lines. I am being told that there will be a $50.00 charge for them to return and they still won't knock. I should sit and watch for them to go to the meter. It is 39 degrees and the only way I can see is to leave the door open. My estimates time for them to return is between 1300 and 1700. If there is a leak I have no way of finding it without water. I simply need the Tech to knock on the door. I ask that they request a knock be added to the paperwork and was told they wouldn't do that. That is the poorest of customer service. Desired SettlementI would like the additional 50.00 charge for the return visit removed from my bill. And a simple knock on the door for turn on service if the customer requests it.Business Response The service order was pulled and our serviceman was at the residence at 9:58 am. When he unlocked the meter and turned it on the dial continued to spin, he took a reading when he started and when he relocked the meter. According to his notes he knocked but no one answered the door; therefore, he left a door hanger. The serviceman was then dispatched back out to the residence for a second trip at 2:37 p.m., the dial was spinning once again but he was advised by the customer to leave water on. It is our normal procedure to knock on the door when the dial continues to spin when completing a turn on service order per our disclaimer when service application is completed. We apologize that the customer service representative told the customer that we do not knock because we do strive to notify customers at the residence so that they can advise us if they want the water left on, as occurred on the second trip turn on for this service address. We apologize for the miscommunication and we will contact the customer to discuss the additional service call that was needed.

My family was charged double on our water bill because the serviceman turned our water off when we never received a bill or any form of notification.I recently just had a home built in [redacted] after retiring from 22 years of service in the Marine Corps. We moved in and have had some issues with our mail, we have a forwarding address on file with the post office from our previous address however our current address was just built and often is not located or identified. Today we received a notice on our door that our water had been shut off and to contact Onslow Water and Sewer Authority. What makes matters more insulting my wife and our 2 year old had just stepped outside for a walk and waive at a truck which drove by us as we left our home, he circled back after we left and shut our water off on us. The bill that was to ONWASA was 50 bucks... laughable however where it becomes insulting is the fact that I had to pay 60 dollars on top of this because it had been shut off. There service technician drove right past my wife and I waived as we took our daughter and our dog for a walk then circled back around to shut our water off. Then he drove through the neighborhood saw us once again as we waived at him not having any idea only to find when we get home he had shut our water off. We were not receiving any type of bill from ONWASA, our email was provided to them yet not one time did we receive any notification that our bill was past due or scheduled for a shut off. More insulting is if their serviceman [redacted] would have just simply said he was here to turn our water off before we left our driveway we could have easily handled the manner then. Desired SettlementWhat occurred today was just blatant disrespect to its customer over what should have been a very easy fix through proper communication. I can set up auto payment if this prevents the corruption of making an extra dime through manipulation and being deceitful. At this point it is not so much about the extra 60 dollars that was paid to ONWASA but the principle in that no attempt what so ever was made to communicate the error with the customer. This is further evident when [redacted] a serviceman for ONWASA watched my family and I in the driveway leave our home for a walk before he then shut our water off, later he saw us on our walk and we both waived at one another. I would not be quite as upset if not for the fact that he knew exactly who we were and yet waited until we left to shut our water off and cowardly left a note on our door. This just illustrates the simple fact that ONWASA has made no attempts or desire to inform the customer of their intention to shut off the water, either through phone, email, mail or verbally as in [redacted] case. I have lived on a military base for the most part of the past 22 years while I have served in various locations; I have been completely clueless, shadowed to the monopoly that is run by Onslow Water and Sewer Authority.I want to be set up on auto payments; additionally I want my account credited the 60 dollars that in my opinion ONWASA strong-armed from us while making no attempt to notify us of a very fixable error in communication. Business Response Dear Customer,I have reviewed the account and the billing statements are sent around the 15th of every month. There have been two billing statements sent since account began first of December 2014, and they have not been returned to us as undeliverable. If statements are sent back from [redacted] we will contact customer to verify and resend statement to address customer requests. We do bill monthly and at any time you do not receive a statement please contact our office and we can review your current bill and due dates. We do give all new customer's a packet that goes over our bill dates, when fees are assessed, and different payment methods that are available for customers. If you are having concerns about your mail we do offer electronic statements. Please visit our website and sign up for that billing option. We also offer online bill pay through our website, which will allow you to pay and view your monthly charges. If you would like to sign up for credit card or bank draft for auto-pay of the monthly bill we have those forms also available on our website or you may contact our office at 910-[redacted] and we can send you a form.We apologize but the servicemen do not accept payment in the field. The serviceman does not have access to any account information; therefore, he was only following the service order for the disconnect. Again, please visit our website or call our office to initiate drafting of your monthly water bill. Electronic statements can be issued but you would need to complete the registration via our website: www.onwasa.com. Please contact our office and we can further discuss the concerns you have in regards to fees and forms you maybe interested in receiving.

My complaint is with the fact they are not clear on how they were working things out on their statements. I was previously charged an extra amount on my water bill due to a rate increase in my local area that was back billed. I had worked out a payment plan with them to add an amount to each statement. I was aware that I had missed a month of payments and was working on correcting that and I was adding the amount told to my current balance to accommodate for the increase amount. Now I'm being told that the reason my previous balance has not changed is because the $6.00 I have been paying is a late fee that is not stated or shown anywhere on my statement. I was then told that it shows me on the online account which is where I make my payment and not once has a charge for 6.00 shown up in the penalties area they have listed. their entire system is so screwed up and it makes it hard for people to understand what is going on. Not to mention their at home statements state there is a 60$ charge not a $6 charge they can't even type right. Desired Settlementi want the 6$ I have been paying in late charges every month applied to my previous balance Anything after the amount I have already paid that is still due I will pay. on that not they need to fix their wording in their statements and show the late charge online and on their statements instead of just stating when I call that, that is what I have been paying.Business Response Dear CustomerI have investigated the history on your account and see that the missed August bill did assess a late fee due to the payment being paid past the 15th day from the bill date. Please note the late fee date is stated at the bottom of the statement and details explaining criteria of late fees is on the back of the bill. The payment arrangement was for $6.72 for four months along with the regular water bill. Unfortunately, every time payment was made it did not cover the regular bill, the August late fee, and the payment arrangement. Each time payment was made it was short which caused the late fees to accumulate. The reference to $60 charge on the statement is for a non-payment processing fee, which is a different fee then a late fee. This fee is shown at the bottom of the bill and is also explained on the back of the bill. Due to the confusion on the payment arrangement and late fee during period of dispute for your sewer company rate increase we will waive the one late fee. If customer will contact the customer service department a copy of the history can be emailed or printed, along with what is showing owed on the account, and when a late fee is assessed on the account. We hope to assist the customer in getting them back on track and assist with due dates and fee dates to avoid additional issues.

My water was shut off and I havent received a bill in the last year and no disconnect notice.Last week my water was disconnected. This is the 2nd time it has happen this year. The other time was while I was deployed. I have talked to ONWASA about this issue and the fact that I have not received a bill, disconnect notice or door notification. They replied with a suggestion I talk to the post office to see why I am not receiving mail. Last week I called the executive director on this matter and left a message. I was called by his secretary and discussed this matter with her and she said he will call me back on Friday. I still have not received a phone call. I understand it is my responsibility to pay the bill. I have a very busy lifestyle. I am a Marine 1stSgt in charge of over 300 Marines and a single parent of 3. Sometimes I Need reminders like bills to keep me on track. I have rectified this problem by signing up for automatic emails from ONWASA.Desired SettlementThe settlement I am seeking is to just get the disconnection fee refunded because I dont think its right for me to have to pay that fee when I never received a bill or disconnect notice. Business Response Dear Sir,We apologize for the miscommunication in regards to the Executive Director's secretary providing you with a follow-up phone call. The Executive Director was out of the office and she was planning to follow up with the Director once he had returned, and contact you shortly thereafter. When researching the account it was found that the statements were being sent through our E-Bill system. The registration confirmation was completed on July 12, 2013 @12:42 p.m. All statements have been issued to the email address that was given at time of registration. Please note certain emails can be sent to the Junk Box or firewalls which can prevent them from being seen. In keeping with good customer relations, if the customer would contact the office and speak with [redacted] we will credit the customer the nonpayment fee. At that time we can verify the email address we have on file, and the E-statement registration confirmation can be re-sent to the customer showing time and date it was completed for confirmation of the above statement. We appreciate your service to our country and hope that we can provide you with other payment options such as credit card draft or bank draft. These options may assist you with your monthly water bill and be in-line with your busy schedule. Again, please contact us and we will assist you with your account information.Consumer Response Thank you very much. I will contact the office and verify my email address with Mrs [redacted].Final Consumer Response