Portland Water Bureau

ON October 24th, 2016, someone registered the Portland Water Bureau account number [redacted] with the online self-service website Invoice Cloud ( [redacted] ), added and saved bank his or her bank account information as a payment method, and scheduled a payment to be withdrawn from this bank account on November 4th, 2016, in the amount of $On October 24th, 2016, Invoice Cloud sent a confirmation email on this scheduled payment to [redacted] On November 1st, Invoice Cloud sent a reminder email to [redacted] concerning the scheduled paymentOn November 4th, after the scheduled payment occurred, Invoice Cloud sent the receipt confirming the payment to [redacted] On November 7th, [redacted] called the Portland Water Bureau Customer Service stating that he did not authorized a payment on November 4th, and that he wanted the money reversed and refunded to his bank accountAfter review, the Portland Water Bureau inform [redacted] that we would be unable to reverse these funds immediately and that he would need to wait to days for an electronic transfer ( [redacted] would also need to provide proof these funds had been deducted from his bank), or wait the standard weeks for a check refundFurthermore, [redacted] was informed that the possibility of reversal of funds may be denied for any of the following reasons: [redacted] had agreed to pay this amount on October 27th, 2016, and as of November 4th, [redacted] was delinquent on his promised of payment This scheduled payment was not the result of a Portland Water Bureau error, and therefore [redacted] would need to address his concerns with his bank The funds would most likely be reversed by the bank either due to a stop payment request by [redacted] , or due to nonsufficient funds Unfortunately, the Portland Water Bureau was unable to verify [redacted] claims that the scheduled payment was “unauthorized,” but was able to verify information contrary to his claim, inasmuch as the IP address registered at the time of the log in, the addition of the bank info and the scheduling of the payment were all identical and appeared to come from the same locationAlso Invoice Cloud did its due diligence in alerting [redacted] of the scheduled payment

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:The the charge I am disputing is stormwater on site which they did not provide since I've been a customer and a rough charge of $ and higher I've been charged for each billing cycle property soak water up according to their requiredSo they never provided that service I should be entitled for a refund since service was not rendered [redacted]

Clean River Rewards is Portland's stormwater utility discount program. With Clean River Rewards, Portland ratepayers can save money and work for clean rivers and healthy watersheds at the same time.If you manage stormwater on your property, you can receive up to a 100% discount on your on-site stormwater management charges because your actions help protect rivers, streams and groundwater from the damaging effect of stormwater runoff. Program RequirementsYou must register to receive a discount.For residential properties, the discount is based on managing stormwater runoff from roof areas only.For commercial properties, the discount is based on managing stormwater runoff from both roof and paved areas. Commercial accounts cannot register online because they must first be audited. Submit a commercial registration form and contact Clean River Rewards to schedule a field inspection.How you manage stormwater cannot threaten or damage property or the environment.The maximum discount is 100% of the on-site stormwater charge.The discount remains in effect through June To maintain the discount, the utility account must remain active, stormwater facilities must be properly maintained and operated, and the city must be granted access to the property for limited inspections of stormwater facilities.The city will charge penalties and retract awarded discounts if a ratepayer files a fraudulent registration.The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) explains the multiple ways that a customer may register for Clean River Rewards at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/In addition, all Welcome Packets to new Portland Water Bureau customers receive the brochure “Understanding Your Sewer, Stormwater and Water Bill.” It clearly states under “Explanation of Billing Details” the breakdown of BES Service Charges and RewardsIt states:Clean River Rewards: Managing stormwater on your property can earn you a discount of up to 100% of the stormwater on-site management chargesGo to www.CleanRiverRewards.com or call 503-823-for more informationBES has no record of receiving a completed application from Mr*** either in the past, or currentlyThe bureau has never received an application from the owner of the property *** *** either, showing that there has been no indication that anyone has ever managed stormwater on-site at this propertyBES does not monitor private propertyThere is no way to know if/when a property owner or tenant is managing their own stormwater other than to have them self-report through the Clean River Rewards application process.In the published Frequently Asked Questions from BES regarding Clean River Rewards it explains “Current ratepayers must register their properties since property ownership or other site conditions may have changedOnce a property is registered, you will not have to re-register unless site conditions or ratepayer information changes.The Bureau of Environmental Services and the Portland Water Bureau made Mr*** aware of the program in the welcome packet that was mailed to him on May 7, Mr*** received bills every quarter showing the charge for on-site stormwater charges and he never inquired about itAs of today, February 6, 2017, no application for the Clean River Rewards program has been received. Mr*** needs to submit a completed application detailing how he is managing stormwater on his property as soon as possible. Once an approved application is received, he will begin receiving the Clean River Rewards discount. Without an approved application, he will continue to be charged as directed by City Code User Charges, which applies to the Bureau of Environmental Services.
Please see attachment for responseThank you

Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:Sincerely,*** ***
I was not informed about a opt out and since they did not provide a service of on-site stormwater Services I should receive a refund what they charged me for Onsite stormwater will be contacting small claims court if charges are not reversed

The Portland Water Bureau and the Bureau of Environmental Services are authorized to charge for the services they provide, adjust ratepayer accounts, shut off service for nonpayment and provide administrative review upon request(City Code Sections 3.24.020, 3.24.030, 21.16.040, 21.16.120,
and 17.36.130).
Mr***’s dispute does not state what charges he’s disputing nor why he believes he’s being billed for a service he’s not receivingWe have no record that Mr*** has contacted us to dispute charges or request a refund

The Water Bureau has taken care of the problem thank you very much you guys helped very much to get it fixed. Thank You

ON October 24th, 2016, someone registered the Portland Water Bureau account number [redacted] with the online self-service website Invoice Cloud ([redacted]), added and saved bank his or her bank account information as a payment method, and scheduled a payment to be withdrawn...

from this bank account on November 4th, 2016, in the amount of $171.14. On October 24th, 2016, Invoice Cloud sent a confirmation email on this scheduled payment to [redacted]. On November 1st, Invoice Cloud sent a reminder email to [redacted] concerning the scheduled payment. On November 4th, after the scheduled payment occurred, Invoice Cloud sent the receipt confirming the payment to [redacted]. On November 7th, [redacted] called the Portland Water Bureau Customer Service stating that he did not authorized a payment on November 4th, and that he wanted the money reversed and refunded to his bank account. After review, the Portland Water Bureau inform [redacted] that we would be unable to reverse these funds immediately and that he would need to wait 3 to 4 days for an electronic transfer ([redacted] would also need to provide proof these funds had been deducted from his bank), or wait the standard 2 weeks for a check refund. Furthermore, [redacted] was informed that the possibility of reversal of funds may be denied for any of the following reasons:
[redacted] had agreed to pay this amount on October 27th, 2016, and as of November 4th, [redacted] was delinquent on his promised of payment.
This scheduled payment was not the result of a Portland Water Bureau error, and therefore [redacted] would need to address his concerns with his bank.
The funds would most likely be reversed by the bank either due to a stop payment request by [redacted], or due to nonsufficient funds.
 
Unfortunately, the Portland Water Bureau was unable to verify [redacted] claims that the scheduled payment was “unauthorized,” but was able to verify information contrary to his claim, inasmuch as the IP address registered at the time of the log in, the addition of the bank info and the scheduling of the payment were all identical and appeared to come from the same location. Also Invoice Cloud did its due diligence in alerting [redacted] of the scheduled payment.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:The the charge I am disputing is stormwater on site which they did not provide since I've been a customer and a rough charge of $30.94  and higher I've been charged for each billing cycle property soak water up according to their required. So they never provided that service I should be entitled for a refund since service was not rendered[redacted]