Studebaker Submetering

I just moved in to the unit and the toilet was running when I moved in. The chain was getting caught so I just adjusted it when I heard it running. I did not realize it was running even when it was quiet. I did not get a checklist to note the problem areas in my unit and I am guessing because of COVID 19. To make a long story short my bill is almost 400 dollars when it normally has been a little over a hundred. I told the owners and they told me that I had to pay to fix it. I called Studebaker and they refused to talk to me about it. I have had a water leak before with a different company but there was an adjustment made once the problem was fixed. The problem was here when I moved in. We haven’t been here long enough to cause wear and tear

Response is attachedThis is the text only ________________________________________________ April 10, ** [redacted] Revdex.com Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania Re: [redacted] Studebaker Account [redacted] , VA *** Dear ** [redacted] : Thank you for the communication regarding ** [redacted] In her complaint she states that Studebaker Submetering, Inc (“SSI”) has failed to provide accurate invoices regarding her rental apartmentFurthermore, she alleges that charges appear without explanation and are double billedFinally she asserts that the invoices are not mailed in a timely wayI will address each allegation in the paragraphs below SSI has failed to provide accurate invoices regarding her rental apartment Unfortunately, ** [redacted] does not give an example with a discrepancy that I can reviewTherefore, I will address this allegation by discussing the service we provide, and disclosing a statement of account with several months of history for review Regarding the scope of services provided, SSI has been retained by Ross Management to calculate electric charges for each apartment unit, and to print rental and other property related charges and credits on one invoiceThe intent is for the resident to receive an invoice that is inclusive of all charges and credits for a one month periodAdditionally, the resident is directed to pay all charges to the Property Management Company directly, and not to SSIOf the charges listed, only the electric charge originates with SSIAll rental, and other charges and credits originate with and are received from the apartment management companySSI does not create, verify or render explanation for any of the other chargesWe simply apply them to the invoice so that the consumer has unified statement of all charges and creditsHere is a listing of the charges that originated with SSI: [redacted] , [redacted] (Account: [redacted] ) Date Description Quantity Billed Sep 23, Electric-1BR KWH $ Oct 24, Electric-1BR KWH $ Nov 25, Electric-1BR KWH $ Dec 27, Electric-1BR KWH $ Jan 22, Electric-1BR KWH $ Feb 28, Electric-1BR KWH $ If ** [redacted] has a question with regard to any of these charges, we would be happy to explain their derivationThey are, however, very reasonable and without discrepancy The information below discloses all charges that have appeared on her invoices by date of generationThe items marked in bright yellow are the charges that originate with SSIAll other charges and credits originate with the apartment management company There are two instances where a charge is repeated in the subsequent monthI have marked these in a lighter yellowThe charges in question do not originate with SSIThey indicate that the prior month’s utility charge remained unpaid, and the property has passed them to us in the subsequent month for printing on the invoiceIn essence, they are unpaid utility charges from the prior month [redacted] , [redacted] (Account: [redacted] ) Date Description Quantity Billed Credit Balance Sep 23, Concessions (Oct) $ Sep 23, Rent (Oct) $1, Sep 23, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Oct Sep 23, Electric-1BR KWH $ Oct 23, Market Rent(Oct) $ Oct 23, Concessions (Nov) $ Oct 23, Rent (Nov) $1, Oct 23, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Nov Oct 24, Electric-1BR KWH $ Nov 22, Market Rent(Nov) $ Nov 22, Studebaker $ fees-Electric(Nov) Nov 22, Concessions (Dec) $ Nov 22, Rent (Dec) $1, Nov 22, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Dec Nov 25, Electric-1BR KWH $ Dec 27, Concessions (Jan) $ Dec 27, Rent (Jan) $1, Dec 27, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Jan Dec 27, Electric-1BR KWH $ Jan 22, Market Rent(Jan) $ Jan 22, Concessions (Feb) $ Jan 22, Rent (Feb) $1, Jan 22, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Feb Jan 22, Electric-1BR KWH $ Feb 28, Market Rent(Feb) $ Feb 28, Studebaker $ fees-Electric(Feb) Feb 28, Concessions (Mar) $ Feb 28, Rent (Mar) $1, Feb 28, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Mar Feb 28, Electric-1BR KWH $ Mar 25, Credit $ Mar 25, Concessions (Apr) $ Mar 25, Rent (Apr) $1, Mar 25, Water/Sewer $ Reimbursement (Apr Mar 25, Electric-1BR KWH $ Charges appear without explanation and are double billed As explained above, all charges and there descriptions are derived from the apartment community’s Management Company, and not from SSIWe simply print them on the invoiceAny complaint or inquiry should be directed to ** [redacted] ’s property management office, as they can explain the charges Respecting the alleged double billing, it is possible that ** [redacted] did not understand that the second instance of a utility charge that was originally presented in the prior month is an indication that the utility bill from that month remained unpaid, and was in arrearsHowever, as previously noted, the second charge comes from the property management company, and not from SSI According to the SSI customer service records, ** [redacted] has not called to inquire about these chargesAny of our customer service representatives would have been happy to explain them Invoices are not mailed in a timely way SSI generates invoices when it receives the charges from the property management companyAny variation in the invoice production date is a result of fluctuation in the receipt thereofSSI is not in control of or responsible for those fluctuationsNevertheless, An examination of the invoice generation dates presented above indicates that the charges are generally received between the 22rd and 25th of each month In summary, SSI has not provided inaccurate invoices in that the charges do not originate with SSI, but rather the Property Management CompanyOnly the electric charges are derived from SSI, and these have been accurateNo charges were double billedRather, ** [redacted] had a prior charge appear on a subsequent invoice due to non-paymentFinally, invoices generation dates are determined by the Property Management Company, and not SSISSI generates invoices as soon as charges are received I trust this explains all the issuesAs stated above, there is no record of ** [redacted] contacting the SSI Customer Service Department prior to lodging this complaintWe would be happy to assist with these questions, and I encourage her to contact us at [redacted] if she has any additional questions Sincerely, [redacted] Director of Operations STUDEBAKER SUBMETERING

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] 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 Regards, [redacted] As stated, new meters were installed after I paid an independent plumber to install a backflow valve.The response from the company once Revdex.com was invovled was rapid, courteous and helpful.It will take some time to determine if this new meter and valve have resolved the problem.I am appreciative of the response and courteous nature that I have received from the company

I spoke with [redacted] on August 11th I addressed his concerns regarding billing practices, and explained that the building (Park Potomac) has backflow issues that cause some meters to register increased usageThe solution is the installation of a check valve that will prevent water from moving backwards and forwards through the water meter I offered to change his meter at no cost if he would arrange to have a check valve installed He has a plumber scheduled to install the check valve on Monday, August 29th We are scheduled to replace the water meter on Wednesday, August 31st He stated that this would resolve the complaintTell us why here

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] 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 MrR [redacted] did call me twice last weekI was in training classes at my place of employment so I was unable to contact him back until the afternoon of Friday 04/He did tell me that he could see that I had overpaid by $and something is the exact words usedHe told me that he attempted to contact the HOA office and that he would contact me again this week with an update as to how the credit will be applied and when my bill should be updated Regards, [redacted]

May 6, [redacted] Revdex.com Re: Revdex.com Complaint [redacted] , [redacted] Dear [redacted] : Thank you for the above referenced complaint [redacted] is a resident at [redacted] Condominiums In the Statement of Problem, [redacted] alleges that there have been multiple billing inaccuracies, the meter has been replaced three times, leak evaluations have been done, and there is a recommendation for the installation of a check valve I will address each allegation belowAs a precursor to the response, it is critical to understand the relationship of Studebaker Submetering, Inc(SSI) to [redacted] Condominiums SSI was contracted to read water meters, and generate invoices based on the consumption registered by those meters SSI did not install the submetering system, and is only responsible for billing the consumption registered by the meters Plumbing issues are the responsibility of the homeowner or the Association as dictated by their governing condominium documentsRespecting the technology, a meter is installed in each unit The meter uses a pulse output device, which is an electronic switch that opens and closes with every ten gallons (or one gallon in some cases) of consumption The switch is attached to a radio frequency transmitter that counts the number of closes, thereby keeping track of the consumption This information is transmitted to a data collector from where it may be accessedRegarding billing inaccuracies, there has been none SSI faithfully invoiced the consumption registered by the meter/ transmitter in [redacted] ’s unit However, a plumbing issue is causing the meter to register consumption inaccuratelyWith respect to the plumbing issue, long ago our technicians discovered that there was a backflow problem affecting units within the building This causes water to flow in and out of certain units Consequently, it makes the meter run forward, and then backwards The switch within the meter registers all consumption, irrespective of whether water is flowing in or out of the residence SSI communicated this to the property staff on several occasions, and explained that backflow preventers (check valves) had to be installed after the unit shut off valve, and before the meter A check valve allows water to run in one direction only, and would eliminate the issue entirely Having given that recommendation, the meter was changed to an internal piston meter with the hope that it would mitigate the effect Additionally, the technician explained that the piston meter may not solve the issue, and stated that the only certain method would be to install the check valveI spoke with [redacted] , and he understands and is willing to have a check valve installedIn summary, SSI did not install the submetering system Likewise, we are not responsible for plumbing issues endemic to the building SSI identified the issue affecting [redacted] ’s unit, and gave the steps necessary for correction In his complaint, he also mentions that the property staff has approached him with this information I spoke with him, and he has agreed to install a check valveI trust this resolves the complaint

To Whom It May Concern: I received the complaint of [redacted] dated August 26, In the complaint, he states that he received a bill for July that was out of line with his historic usage He states that the Management for his Apartment community had contacted Studebaker Submetering, Inc(SSI) in order to resolve the issue, and they had not received a reply He also states that the usage was an error, and his unit had been checked for leaks As a resolution, he would like his July bill to be adjusted, and wants to ensure the meter issue is resolved Regarding usage, Mr [redacted] did receive a bill for July water consumption that was higher than normal It was for 3,gallons of consumption In the prior month, he consumed 1,gallonsHowever, the consumption was not an error His unit has a water meter that is read monthly The water meter did record 3,gallons of usage I examined the usage log, and it does appear that the majority of the usage occurred on Saturday, July 9th SSI cannot know why the meter registered this consumption Our contractual obligation is to read the water meters and invoice for the consumption registered Likewise, SSI cannot arbitrarily adjust the value of resident billings Because we invoice on behalf of the Property Management, and all income is theirs, any adjustment must be approved by the Property Management Respecting the Apartment Management communicating with SSI, the Customer Service records indicate Mr [redacted] called and stated that his Property Management was inspecting his unit for leaks on August 9th On August 26th, we received an e-mail from the property staff requesting that an adjustment be made to his account The account received an adjustment on that day for $ There is currently a credit on Mr [redacted] ’s account I examined the daily meter readings from his meter, and the issue has not reoccurred He has, therefore, received the requested credit, and his meter appears to be working properly I trust this resolves the complaint