Spanaway Water Co

Please see event details, information, chronology, and Company procedures in attached letter Dear Revdex.com, In addressing this issue some additional information, chronology and Company procedure is warranted in responding to this complaint We are a non-profit mutual water company that bills our customers every other month for water service The original event that led to this complaint was a routine water service billing for $that was mailed February 24, This billing was due March 11th, past due on March 26th, and subject to service disconnection for lack of payment on April 14, In accord with the Company’s By-Laws, if payments are not received by the past due date a $late payment service fee is added to the account When payment had not been received by March 26th a mailed delinquent notice was mailed and the $late payment service fee was added to the account In an effort to notify customers of a pending service disconnection due to lack of our receiving payment for water service we have a phone tree program which calls customers approximately one week prior to disconnection This call was made for this account at 3:p.mon April 9th with the call going to their answering machine Customers may make on-line payments through a third party credit card processing company via our website, Spanaway-water.org The third party charges a $processing fee which we initially collect with the payment and then pay/return to the third party processor once a month Customers may avoid this third party charge by using any of the following payment options: by mail, in person, through ACH withdrawal (like many mortgages), or by phone with a major credit cards On April 11th the bill was paid on line from our website, this payment was declined by Mastercard Then on April 13th the $bill plus the third party processing fee of $was again paid on-line and our company credited the water service account bringing the account balance to $ The routine April water service bill was mailed on April 28th, with a due date of May 13th, past due date of May 28th, and subject to disconnection on June 16th The phone tree system called the customer on June 11th with notice of pending disconnection The phone tree system recorded the call as received but noted the customer with a “hung up early” message This April bill was paid online June 14th including the $late payment service fee and $third party processing fee The account was again routinely billed $for service 4/20/to 6/22/on June 30th, with a due date of July 15th, past due date of July 30th, and a disconnect date of August 18th At some point after our crediting the April 13th $payment to the account’s February 24th billing, this payment was stopped by the customer with their card carrier We learned of the stopped April 13th payment on July 10th in processing our June bank statement Our Company’s office manager, at 8:a.mon July 10th attempted to contact the customer by phone and left a phone message asking her to contact our office At that time, the original $stopped payment amount on the account and a $NFS check fee were placed on the account The customer did not respond to our July 10th phone call message We did receive a $partial payment on the account on July 15th On July 30th a delinquent notice was mailed to the customer that included the June billing of $80.41, the $late payment service fee, and the remaining $outstanding on the February billing for a total amount of $ This delinquent notice included a disconnection date of August 18th The customer is correct that the $NFS fee was not shown on this delinquent notice Prior to August 10th, the customer called our office and spoke to the office manager who informed the customer that the outstanding balance was $including the $NFS fee and acknowledged that the $NFS fee was not reflected on the delinquent notice that was sent July 30th The office manager explained that we had discovered the customer requested stop payment on the April 13th payment and at that point added the NFS fee but that our computer billing system does not automatically incorporate NFS or disconnection fees in delinquent notices, but that these fees must be manually adjusted to the accounts The office manager offered to mail the customer a customer transaction report of all fees and charges which includes all transaction detail from the time that the account is originally sthrough the present date The customer said that she did not want the transaction report The reason NFS fees and disconnection fees are not incorporated into routine or delinquent notice billings is simply that these past due accounts are normally addressed directly by the customer before actual disconnection or by actual water service disconnection before the next routine or delinquent billing is generated In the case of NFS checks or denied card payment for billings older than forty days after the billing date, the water service is normally physically disconnected until payment in full of all fees due are received by our office as provided in the Company By-Laws This action by the Company ensures that accounts are current, including the routine water service billing and any other fees are paid before the next bi-monthly routine billing is mailed Thus, in all but the rare exception such as here, there are no NSF or disconnection fees outstanding for inclusion on either routine or delinquent billings This case is one of those rare exceptions In this case the water service was subject to service disconnection without further notice on July 10th when we learned of the stopped payment for the now long past due February billing However, because we were expecting a response to our July 10th call/message to the customer about the stopped payment we delayed disconnection When the customer did call she was informed of the amount due including the $NFS fee Under the By-Laws, if the service had been physically disconnected on or after July 10th, a $reconnection fees would have been assessed and water would not have been available to the customer Here we attempted to work with the customer rather than disconnecting the water service Currently the June 30th bill, balance of the February billing, and July 10th NFS fees remain past due A phone tree August 19th disconnection message was phoned to the customer on August 13th at 11:a.m., answered by an answering machine We are a relatively small water utility which tries to provide water service at a reasonable yet responsible rate and strive to provide customers with multiple options for bill payment In this case the customer stopped payment generating an NFS fee for a now very over-due billing, a situation which in nearly all cases is resolved prior to regular or delinquent billing being generated For this reason the NFS and delinquent fees have not been included in the computer generated billings However, we are working with our billing software company to address this issue Sincerely, Jeff J [redacted] , Manager

Revdex.comPO Box 1000Dupont, WA 98327 August 25, 2015 Re: *** ***billing issue complaint On August 10, I received a call from *** ***asking about her account and the disconnection notice that she had received. The total amount
showing on the disconnectnotice was $and the individual line items on the notice amounted to$107.89. I explained to Ms***that the $discrepancy was the returned item fee added to her account whenthe April 13, credit card payment she had made was reversed per herrequestDue to limitations with our billing software, the returned item feedid not print as an individual line item on the disconnect notice, but it wasincluded in the total amount due. Ioffered to send Ms*** a detailed print-out of her account which showseach charge and payment to her account. She declined to have the information sent to herMs*** had made a payment on April 13, throughour web-payment portal and then contacted her credit card company to reversethe payment on April 14, 2015. SpanawayWater was not aware of the reversed payment until our June credit cardprocessor statement and bank statements were received. When Spanaway Water received notice of the reversalon July 10, 2015, I called Ms*** and left a message asking her toreturn my call to discuss the reversed payment and then made adjustments to heraccount to reflect the reversed payment and to assess the $returned itemfee. I did not receive a return callfrom Ms*** until she called a month later on August 10, 2015.Ms***’s account was billed for her billingdate of June 30, 2015. The reversedpayment and returned item fee were not posted to her account until after thebilling date, so they were not reflected on the June 30, billAs statedpreviously, due to limitations with our billing software, the individual lineitem for the returned item fee was not printed on the disconnectionnotice. I have already been in contactwith the developer and asked them to incorporate showing more detail of fees onnotices when they make the next upgrade to the software. Amy H***Office Manager

I'm attaching this bill that was sent it does not matter what their excuses are they are a business and should be professional especially when charging customers fees it should be in the description of the billI know this have not been the first time this happen and I have made other customers aware that they really need to check their bills from this companyIm disputing that fact they can not admitted an error was done on their part and they should of accomdated or send me an actually print out of the fees which she never offeredThis is what I have and you tell me if this is professionalI'm charged $on the amount due but if you add up the amounts it only comes to $I shouldn't have to go back and forth with this company when they made the mistake not me Complaint: ***I am rejecting this response because:Sincerely,*** ***
***SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com***

Please see event details, information, chronology, and Company procedures in attached letter.
 
Dear Revdex.com,
            In addressing this issue some additional information, chronology and Company procedure is warranted in responding to this complaint.  We are a non-profit mutual water company that bills our customers every other month for water service.  The original event that led to this complaint was a routine water service billing for $73.23 that was mailed February 24, 2015.  This billing was due March 11th, past due on March 26th, and subject to service disconnection for lack of payment on April 14, 2015.  In accord with the Company’s By-Laws, if payments are not received by the past due date a $10.00 late payment service fee is added to the account.  When payment had not been received by March 26th a mailed delinquent notice was mailed and the $10.00 late payment service fee was added to the account.  In an effort to notify customers of a pending service disconnection due to lack of our receiving payment for water service we have a phone tree program which calls customers approximately one week prior to disconnection.  This call was made for this account at 3:14 p.m. on April 9th with the call going to their answering machine.  Customers may make on-line payments through a third party credit card processing company via our website, Spanaway-water.org.  The third party charges a $2.25 processing fee which we initially collect with the payment and then pay/return to the third party processor once a month.  Customers may avoid this third party charge by using any of the following payment options: by mail, in person, through ACH withdrawal (like many mortgages), or by phone with a major credit cards.
On April 11th the bill was paid on line from our website, this payment was declined by Mastercard.  Then on April 13th the $83.23 bill plus the third party processing fee of $2.25 was again paid on-line and our company credited the water service account bringing the account balance to $0.00. 
            The routine April water service bill was mailed on April 28th, with a due date of May 13th, past due date of May 28th, and subject to disconnection on June 16th.  The phone tree system called the customer on June 11th with notice of pending disconnection.  The phone tree system recorded the call as received but noted the customer with a “hung up early” message.  This April bill was paid online June 14th including the $10.00 late payment service fee and $2.25 third party processing fee.  The account was again routinely billed $80.41 for service 4/20/15 to 6/22/15 on June 30th, with a due date of July 15th, past due date of July 30th, and a disconnect date of August 18th.
At some point after our crediting the April 13th $85.48 payment to the account’s February 24th billing, this payment was stopped by the customer with their card carrier.  We learned of the stopped April 13th payment on July 10th in processing our June bank statement.  Our Company’s office manager, at 8:43 a.m. on July 10th attempted to contact the customer by phone and left a phone message asking her to contact our office.  At that time, the original $85.48 stopped payment amount on the account and a $20.00 NFS check fee were placed on the account.  The customer did not respond to our July 10th phone call message.  We did receive a $68.00 partial payment on the account on July 15th.  On July 30th a delinquent notice was mailed to the customer that included the June billing of $80.41, the $10.00 late payment service fee, and the remaining $17.48 outstanding on the February billing for a total amount of $107.89.  This delinquent notice included a disconnection date of August 18th.  The customer is correct that the $20.00 NFS fee was not shown on this delinquent notice. 
Prior to August 10th, the customer called our office and spoke to the office manager who informed the customer that the outstanding balance was $129.89 including the $20.00 NFS fee and acknowledged that the $20.00 NFS fee was not reflected on the delinquent notice that was sent July 30th.  The office manager explained that we had discovered the customer requested stop payment on the April 13th payment and at that point added the NFS fee but that our computer billing system does not automatically incorporate NFS or disconnection fees in delinquent notices, but that these fees must be manually adjusted to the accounts.  The office manager offered to mail the customer a customer transaction report of all fees and charges which includes all transaction detail from the time that the account is originally set-up through the present date.  The customer said that she did not want the transaction report.
The reason NFS fees and disconnection fees are not incorporated into routine or delinquent notice billings is simply that these past due accounts are normally addressed directly by the customer before actual disconnection or by actual water service disconnection before the next routine or delinquent billing is generated.  In the case of NFS checks or denied card payment for billings older than forty days after the billing date, the water service is normally physically disconnected until payment in full of all fees due are received by our office as provided in the Company By-Laws.  This action by the Company ensures that accounts are current, including the routine water service billing and any other fees are paid before the next bi-monthly routine billing is mailed.  Thus, in all but the rare exception such as here, there are no NSF or disconnection fees outstanding for inclusion on either routine or delinquent billings.
This case is one of those rare exceptions.  In this case the water service was subject to service disconnection without further notice on July 10th when we learned of the stopped payment for the now long past due February billing.  However, because we were expecting a response to our July 10th call/message to the customer about the stopped payment we delayed disconnection.  When the customer did call she was informed of the amount due including the $20.00 NFS fee.  Under the By-Laws, if the service had been physically disconnected on or after July 10th, a $50.00 reconnection fees would have been assessed and water would not have been available to the customer.  Here we attempted to work with the customer rather than disconnecting the water service.
Currently the June 30th bill, balance of the February billing, and July 10th NFS fees remain past due.  A phone tree August 19th disconnection message was phoned to the customer on August 13th at 11:57 a.m., answered by an answering machine.
We are a relatively small water utility which tries to provide water service at a reasonable yet responsible rate and strive to provide customers with multiple options for bill payment.  In this case the customer stopped payment generating an NFS fee for a now very over-due billing, a situation which in nearly all cases is resolved prior to regular or delinquent billing being generated.  For this reason the NFS and delinquent fees have not been included in the computer generated billings.  However, we are working with our billing software company to address this issue.
Sincerely,
 
Jeff J[redacted], Manager

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: There was no offer of sending me this print out and the notice was sent this should of been something attached with the information. I stated to Amy that I have had problems with someone taping in my account and that's why it was reversed because someone fraudulent got in making request on my account. I offered the print out that was sent to me when she stated that she didn't have it in front of her. by law you cannot charge someone anything extra unless you can show what the amount is for, I don't know if someone is trying to pocket the extra 20.00 when I don't see why Im being. A customer shouldn't have to call in to see why they being charged so much explanations should be on the bill period. I have the copy and I forwarded to [redacted] how people need to watch their bill from this company because they do not explain where the charges are coming from. this was there error period not mine so they should of acknowledged this and removed this 20.00 fee. Sincerely,[redacted]