Water Utility Management Company, LLC

WUM re-read the meter, and we cannot determine any issues with inaccuracy or reading error.  After speaking with Mr. [redacted], WUM took into account a history of lower usage, as well as an excellent payment history, and decided to credit the account.  WUM credited the account for all usage over the base rate, leaving the customer a remaining balance of only $80.   WUM likewise waived the late fee, which should have not been charged since the bill was in dispute (the billing software system applies the charges on a set date from the bill date.  We rely on our staff to 'pull' any account they are working on, or to tell the customer to disregard any late notice; my staff failed to explain this to the customer).   Going forward, the customer agreed to keep a periodic log of the meter reading as a means of bench-marking usage and checking our work.  I apologize for the frustration we caused the customer, and for the poor customer service, which should have been more courteous, more informative, and more prompt.  We look forward to re-establishing positive relationship going forward.

I have reviewed the account and everything seems to be in order.   The address in question is serviced for both water and sewer, which means that the bills are roughly $130 for 2 months.  These rates for water and sewer service are in-line with those charged in much of coastal...

[redacted].  I cannot speak for water rates in [redacted].   It is typical to charge the $50 establishment fee when a new family establishes (or re-establishes) service at a location.  This fee pays for our staff (truck, insurance, fuel, etc.) going back to the address to unlock the service and to get an initial meter reading for the account, and for the administrative work to establish or re-establish the account at any given address.   I am sorry for any inconvenience or any perception of unfairness- if there is anything I can do for the customer, please invite them to email me [redacted].

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 personally.  I do however have ethical issues with a company choosing to retain deposit money.  It doesn't make sense to me that a company can just choose to keep money that is not reimbursement for services provided with the explanation that it is more costly to issue a refund check for less than $10, especially when this policy isn't posted or made apparent ahead of time.  Water Utility Management,Forwarding address is as follows:[redacted].
Regards,
[redacted]

I can't help feeling that some of this response is hyperbole.  Water meters are typically covered in dirt, as it keeps them from freezing.   With the facts I have been given, I feel we have done our part correctly.   I am interested in making this customer happy and will be glad to discuss it, however.   I would ask that the customer call the office and please ask to speak with[redacted].  I find that it is much easier to come to an understanding over the phone than trading emails.     I will return to our office on Wednesday of next week and would be glad to address it.   I appreciate your patience.

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 it be possible to receive a call with information in regards to when we will see a credit for the overage that we paid last week?   I also look forward to reestablishing a positive relationship with this business. 
Regards,
[redacted]

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]

Dear [redacted], I understand your concern, as nobody likes to get a high bill.   My name is [redacted], and I am the [redacted] of Water Utility Management.  I am responsible for the operation of the company and report directly to the [redacted].  One of my responsibilities is to...

respond to customer concerns, and I want to attempt to do this before I have the [redacted] of the company get involved. It is not uncommon for us to see high water usage in the summer months.  And over a two-month period, 68,000 gallons is above average, but not uncommon.  In most cases where we see usage at this level, it comes down to a leak or outdoor irrigation.  By your description, it sounds as though my staff was attempting to help you confirm where your water was going by having you keep a log of your water use, by reading your meter periodically.   Simultaneously, as you described, it is possible to check for some kinds of leaks.  I would ask that you continue to check your meter on a regular basis- perhaps nightly for a week, and record your results.  Also, I would ask that you run your sprinklers through a normal cycle, and record your reading before and after you run it.  We can use that data to explore solutions with you, and to make any adjustments that are necessary.   My staff with work with you to satisfy your questions, and we will do what is fair.Also in fairness, I wanted to clear up a few points.1. Our meters are often covered with dirt.  They are located below grade, and so sandy soil typically begins to fill in around and over the meter.  We allow this as the soil provides insulation in the winter, and keeps the meter from freezing.   Some of our meters are radio-read, and do not require a reader to dig them out.  For those that are manually-read, the meter reader typically pushes just enough dirt away to record the reading, and then moves on (because they are reading so many meters in a day).  All it takes is some rain, and the sand fills back in over the meter. 2. The shut-off valve is located between the meter and the road.  It is called a curb stop.  This valve is there for the purpose of allowing us to service the meter.   If the valve is closed, no water should go through the meter.   If the valve were to malfunction, and be open when a homeowner thought it was closed, then the pipes in the house would fill with water, and the meter would stop moving, unless water was escaping somewhere, through a leak or through usage.   Any problem with the curb stop would have no impact on the meter reading; it is not as though it was a leaking valve AFTER the meter. 3. The low-flow indicator is an indicator of a leak.  If water is running through the meter, it should spin.  It is very sensitive, and 'floats' in the water stream.  Therefore subtle changes in water pressure will cause it to wiggle and spin sometimes, even when no water is running in the house.  When water is running in the house, it will be a definite spin.   It is an indicator, but is not definitive.  The best means of finding a leak is to check the meter after a period of time.  If all usage is stopped in the home, including ice makers, toilets, hoses, sinks, etc. -then the meter should read the same.  I recommend checking over several hours of non-use, just to be sure. 4. Finally, it is possible to have intermittent leaks.  One example is a leak that only occurs when the water pressure is at its highest, but seals itself up or barely drips when the pressure is low.  But a classic example of an intermittent leak is a toilet flapper valve.  The valve may seat 3 flushes in a row, but on the fourth flush it doesn not seat and the toilet runs or leaks into the bowl until the next flush.  This happens often, and is easily fixed.  In short, we wish to cooperate with you in helping you determine the cause of your high water use.  We can delay your due date until we complete some of the steps mentioned above.  In the meantime, we ask that you start keeping a log of your usage.  If we are wrong, we are glad to issue a credit on your account.   We look forward to solving this with you.Sincerely, [redacted]

Company's response below:Reply to Compliant [redacted] The water serving the resident is the [redacted] water system, in [redacted].  This water system serves single family homes, as well as the complex where the customer lived.   In response to the customer’s complaint, we have...

been flushing the water system to ensure that the pipes are clean.  Plumbing internal to homes is also often a cause of discolored water, etc. which is why we ask customers to flush their pipes through a bathtub, etc. In multifamily homes, this is even more necessary, as plumbing throughout the building is not always under direct control of the individual residents. As to flushing credits, customers receive water at a rate of $2.50 per thousand gallons, once they have exhausted their base allowance of 8,000 gallons a month.  It is unlikely the customer flushed 1,000 gallons through their home, as several tens of gallons is more than adequate to draw water from the water main to the home.   A review of the customers’ billAs to notification, the customer is absolutely correct –we have a policy of notification for planned outages.  We conduct an automated telephone notification 2 days prior to any scheduled service interruption, including planned maintenance.  In the event of an unplanned service interruption (emergency repairs, etc.). We update a [redacted] feed that is displayed on our website, giving live updates on our progress and forecasts for completion.   I apologize that service was interrupted so often to the customer, and I will investigate this further to ensure that such interruptions were unavoidable, and were not poor planning or operation on our part.   We will likewise adhere to our policy going forward, to ensure that customers are notified.    It is our goal to provide safe, reliable service, and to ensure our customers have a good experience with our company.   I invite the customer to call us if there are any more issues, and if they have any questions.  We are more than happy to help.    [redacted]Water Utility Management[redacted]

Ms. [redacted], I have reviewed the welcome letter, which does list the sewer charge.   I can assure you that we do treat and dispose of sewage from the homes in [redacted].  [redacted] bundled the sewer rates in with the water charge in your neighborhood, and my company simply bills them separately.  The base charges are still the same -$140 for two months ([redacted] charged $70 a month).   If it helps you, think of it this way: [redacted] charged $70 every month for water and sewerWe are charging $45 every month for water and $25 for sewer.   The total is the same, and the services are the same -but we are presenting them on the bill separated.   And remember, we bill every TWO moths.I regret having to back-bill anyone; the charge should have been on the original bill.  We cannot afford to not charge for the sewer service for that period- but we have erred on the side of the customer by only charging the sewer base charge for the period we missed.  We are happy to explain this in greater detail and to address your concerns.  We invite you to call us at your convenience so we can discuss it.

Dear Mr. [redacted], I apologize for any inconvenience.   I am happy to see that the remainder of your deposit balance gets to you.   My staff was following our policies, but we will refund lesser amounts than the $10 threshold, if a customer requests it.   Please verify...

your forwarding address for us, and I will have a check cut immediately.Sincerely, [redacted]

I apologize for the inconvenience.   We want to make it easy for real estate professionals, and for new customers to move in and out of homes.  We occasionally have trouble with various parties stetting up service and have become reliant on a lot of documentation to establish...

accounts.  In this case, we let the requirements overcome our desire to get service quickly and easily established so the customer could complete her inspection.   We had the water service reinstated prior to her deadline.  We are also crediting the account for a months' worth of water service, to so that the customer will not be paying for the time between March and April.  We are also crediting the account for all late fees and penalties.    We will endeavor to perform better in the future, and to make our process more customer-friendly.

In January, Water Utility Management had to rearrange its billing cycles to facilitate our ability to read meters in a timely manner for each billing week.  We rearranged some customers into new billing weeks, and some customers even changed from being billed every ODD month to every EVEN...

month.   Some customers who were billed in January then received a 'short' bill in February.  The February bill started the customer on their new billing cycle.  The February bill also featured a note, explaining that this 'short' bill was a pro-rated bill for the time since the January bill, and that all further bills would proceed in the normal 60 day cycle from the new bill.   As we knew there would be confusion, we allowed many customers to go beyond their normal due dates, and we did not shut customers off for non-payment- to allow customers extra time to adjust, or for them to reschedule automatic payments etc.   We are, however, beginning to enforce due dates and suspension dates, unless we have heard from a customer, and the customer has an open service order with us.  I am happy to waive the $15 penalty this one time, though I believe it was applied after ample time, given the new due date.  I also invite the customer to read the note on their bill, and to plan on receiving future bills on the new cycle.  Finally, I invite the customer to pay via automatic ACH draft, which I can offer without any fees, and which will ensure the customer is always paid on their due date. Please call our office or go online to check the status of your account.  If you will pay your bill immediately, I will have the $15 late penalty waived.I hope this answers your questions, but otherwise, I invite you to call us and we can go into further detail.We apologize for the rescheduled billing, but we are hopeful it will allow us to serve all our customers better.  Thank you for your cooperation.[redacted]Water Utility Management

Complaint: 12067047
I am rejecting this response because:I received a response letter to my complaint about this company. Very little of what they said was true. I had to call/email several times to get consistent instruction on setting up an account. Had I not stayed behind them, I still wouldn't have an account. The first bill was over $300, and when I called they told me I could make payments, as long as it was paid in full by the due date (which was 15 days away), this is not a payment plan! The second bill was only paid because I happened to log into their website and see a balance - I never got a bill, and still paid a $15 late fee. The third bill never came either. The first 2 bills were so sporadic, I assumed the third bill would be for several months, like the first one. I didn't know there was a balance due until my water was shut off. This company stated they shut it off before 4 p.m., however, I left my house at 4:45 (after brushing my teeth and my [redacted] teeth) and the water still worked. It wasn't until my mud-covered [redacted] got home from work at 5, ready for a shower, to find NO water! I still didn't know we had a bill due and I couldn't call to find out because the office closed at 5, they didn't even leave a notice on my door or ANYTHING telling me my water was off (some appliances need water to run and running them dry will burn the pump up). The next day I called to find out what was going on. After a long conversation, the lady on the phone discovered my box number wasn't included on my address, and that's what caused all this confusion. So I immediately went to the office to talk to someone in person. The lady behind the counter kept telling me my address was correct and it was my fault for not knowing they sent a bill. After about 20 minutes of arguing I mentioned that my address may have been updated just before I got to their office... and the lady sitting next to us the WHOLE time FINALLY admitted to updating my address just before I walked in. I asked why no one called me to verify my information since it was a new account, and every bill had a late fee. The lady told me they didn't have time to call their customers. So what was the $51.50 application fee used for? I did all the work setting up the account... and there's no way I would have left my address incomplete (I've used that same billing address for over 10 years). Also, if they could send someone across town to turn my water off and charge me $75, why not just call first? I called several times the following week to make sure they didn't make any more mistakes. Then, I got a call from this company letting me know they were changing the format of the bill because "the [redacted] kept losing them because they looked like post cards". She verified my billing address at this time. Too bad they didn't do this sooner, I would have saved a lot of time and frustration. Lastly, after I filed the complaint with Revdex.com, I got an email stating they would waive the $75 fee, to assure a good customer relationship. However, I waited several weeks, the credit was never applied. I had to call and tell this story yet again, and FINALLY got the credit. Lastly, there were no late fees for June like their response letter stated (in fact the bill isn't even due until 6/28 and I paid the bill on 6/13). The fees they waived were for March. I understand mistakes are made, but this company should have waived these fees the moment they realized I was telling the truth about not getting a bill because of an incorrect address.This company is very disorganized, which is why I haven't set up automatic payments. They are very frustrating to deal with and that's why I never followed up about the leak at the meter. Their technician has looked in my meter box multiple times, and never once mentioned a leak. I hired an irrigation company to install a new system, and as soon as he opened my meter box he told me I had a leak at the meter. He knew this because the box had standing water - which I thought was normal because it had been like that since we moved in. The fact that the technician from the water company didn't notice over 2 inches of water in the box, speaks volumes about how much they care about their customers and wasting water. I am tired of dealing with this company and their constant unprofessional antics. I feel that it is pointless to bother my irrigation guy for an invoice and a statement about fixing the leak, because this company will just try to get out of paying for that too.Water is a necessity, and this company is my only choice. If they are going to monopolize a necessity, they should hire professional people who know how to spot a leak, how to enter an address, and how to handle their mistakes - rather than passing the burden to the consumer. They are incredibly more expensive than the City of [redacted], and I'm very disappointed in the City for selling their water contracts to this greedy unreliable company.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: 10214381
I am rejecting this response because: I would understand charges a little better if someone had actually been occupying the residence. I know a lot of owners in the [redacted] area are military families and a lot of these families rent their homes. It's a little unfair to charge a $50 "misc charge" each time an owner has tenants move out. I also have proof no one physically came out to our house once our new tenants moved in. I had a neighbor go over and read our meter, which didn't match and it was covered with debris.   
There's no way for the amount of time the home was vacant  that  $300 was used in water or sewer.   This company totally rips off their customers and no one can do anything about it due to they are the only option  in this area. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com: who should I ask to speak to when I call? Thanks, [redacted] 
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]