Ticked, chapped, Disgusted!!!!!

[DammitJanet]

We all know what that first word was supposed to be now dont we!

I woke up this morning to no water. I was already in a bad mood because I hardly slept because my knee was killing me and Tony has a horrible case of restless legs and he kicks me all night so that was torture. We are also having a problem with the phone line that is running Cory's house arrest monitor so I have to get that figured out. I knew that was on my agenda for today and waking up to no water just took the cake. There was no reason for no water because we paid the bill thursday nite by money order in the drop box.

I called the water department and had the money order receipt and our account number. I really want to know why they hire the rudest and most incompetent people to work in that agency. They told me that they couldnt find any evidence of us paying this bill. I told them over and over again when we paid it, how we paid it....blah blah blah. They are insistent that they couldnt have lost it. Just couldnt happen. They are willing to review the tapes to see if our car was seen dropping it off but say that wont prove we actually paid anything! They said that a money order cant get stuck between papers in THEIR office.

I have verified with the money order people that it hasnt been cashed. Moneygram says they cant trace a money order...all they can tell me is if it has been cashed or not. If I want to replace it they will charge me 10 bucks. The money order was only for 20. To turn the damn water back on cost me 56.

I honestly wouldnt put it past the water department to throw away payments from time to time just to get the reconnect fee. They have cut off early once in a blue moon just to make people pay a reconnect fee. I even had them call my boss when I worked for the county because I was late on a payment! These people are evil. They think the water is their own and is liquid gold.

I am so angry right now. We dont have this kind of extra money this month to be playing with. I know 56 bucks doesnt sound like a whole lot of money but this month it is. I swear Im going to find someone to scream at that is over the water department...there has to be someone. They have to answer to someone.

 

[TerryJ2]

Okay, you have the $ order receipt, the acct #, and the time you brought it in.
Has anyone checked the drop box to see if the envelope got stuck? It may be worth a drive over there, if it saves $56.
Does the box go directly into the bldg, or does it attach outside?

 

[nvts]

That svcks! Are they nearby? Can you go over to the drop box location and insist that they inspect the drop box while you stand there holding vigil?

I'd call an investigative reported from your local paper or newspaper or even better, your local politicians and tell them that you AND your neighbors have suffered from this type of incompetence routinely.

Can you make them go over the tapes in front of you? That would be priceless!

Beth

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh they showed me the drop box set up. This is a pretty new building. The drop box mechanism is a basic steel door thingy that opens out to the car and you stick your payment in it and close it. Inside the building it drops into this plastic bin. Of course there is no chute or anything between the opening in the wall where the steel drop box is and the plastic bin. People can just put a bunch of envelopes or money orders in and they could get stuck together. Tony didnt use an envelope which wasnt too smart but it was like 9:30 or so at night and he didnt have one and they dont provide any at the drop box. Even so, if the people going through those payments were careful, they should be able to separate them.

Even if they couldnt read the money order for some reason like his handwriting...they should have set it aside. They are acting like we just didnt pay it...and even if they show us the tape of our car being there...they say that doesnt prove we put anything in the box...or if we put something in the box...that it was a money order! My next question on that would be...ok...if you see him dropping something in the box, what was it if you cant find ANYTHING? This lady says they get empty envelopes all the time. I pointed out that I retired from the county...the same county she works for...as the fraud investigator and I certainly wouldnt commit fraud over a 20 buck water bill!

I have called the county managers office and complained. We shall see what comes of it. Im betting not much. Anyone want to buy a run down trailer in the flea infested armpit of hell?

 

[DammitJanet]

Well well!

County Managers office called me back after they talked to the water department lady and said that they are going to pull the videos and I am to write a letter to the water department detailing all this and if my car is on the video...which it will be unless they doctor the video....they will refund my reconnect fee. Im still out the money order money I paid...I am going to give it one more day to see if it suddenly appears as paid...Im not sure there has been enough time to go through all the banking systems to show as paid yet before I call and see about getting that refunded.

Now...on to write my scathing letter to the water department!

 

[donna723]

You go get'em, Janet! Isn't that infuriating! You must be ready to go ballistic on somebody! Did you get your water turned back on yet? Did they think it was just a coincidence that you have a money order receipt for the exact same amount of your water bill? It's so hard to fight something like that because they're holding all the cards!

In our little town you pay your utility bill at City Hall. It includes water, sewer, and gas if you have it. The only thing I use gas for is heat, so I don't use it at all for at least half the year. But they added a minimum fee of $13 for gas even if you don't use it. Then they raised it ... now I pay $14 a month to NOT use any gas! If you have it shut off for the summer, they charge you $65 to reconnect it in the fall, and you can bet they'd take their own sweet time reconnecting it too.

I actually got in to a screaming match over my water bill with the old lady that works in City Hall! My water bill was always just right, the amount it should be for one person living by themselves. Then they decided to put in new water meters ... the next month my bill doubled! They agreed that it was more water than I possibly could have used, but insisted that I must have a leak somewhere (new water meter leaking?) or the toilet was running! I had to pay the bill. My landlord came over, checked everywhere including under the house - no leaks. The next month my bill had tripled! It said I used more water than my landlord did at the car wash he owns! They insisted that nothing could be wrong with the meter because it was brand new! The woman actually had the brass cajones to suggest that maybe my neighbors were sneaking in to the house while I was gone to work and using my water! Yeah, and maybe these big-eyed aliens landed in my yard and ... Again, I had to pay the bill! Came home one day and saw where they had been digging in my yard - next months bill was back to normal! They won't admit they replaced the meter, but I know they did, the stubborn buggers! Ain't small-town life wonderful!

I really hope you get it straightened out ... make them give you the money back - they'll try to get you to take a credit instead!

 

[klmno]

How frustrating- you know someone had to overlook it so they just told you it didn't get paid. Now, to cover their rears, even if they run across it they might claim it was unpaid and it will disappear. I'm glad someone agreed to check the cameras. I hope they find all their proof and ream someone for this!!

 

[Wiped Out]

Very frustrating!!!!!! I'm glad someone is going to check it out.

 

[Abbey]

I had my electricity turned off a few months ago. I'm like...what the heck? I sent the check, but it got 'lost in the mail.' So, paid the fee to get it restored. Check comes back to me as undeliverable...don't know why. Right address, etc. I took it down to the power company and they reversed all charges. Weird living without power, though!!

Abbey

 

[ML]

I'm sorry this is happening, Janet. Like you need this! Geez. I hope you get it straightened out quickly and get your water back on! Hugs, ML

 

[Hound dog]

Do we have the same water company per chance??? *snarl*

I loathe our water company. No one dares to be late because they'll disconnect you within 24 hrs. No grace period. Ours has a drop box, but no one sane uses it. Anything coming in thru the drop box is subject to disappearing.

I hand them the payment thru their little window, stand there very impatiently waiting for my reciept, and tuck them away in husband's desk the minute I get home. I don't trust those people.

I don't know why their like that.

I'm on a first name basis with the AEP guy that comes around with the electric shut off warnings. In fact, he gave me another one yesterday. Nice man, pleasant, great sense of humor. I ran down to the grocery store that does their payments for them and paid it. (husband is slipping again) The guy always tells me it's an hour until cut off, but usually gives me til 5pm cuz he knows I'm either in school or watching the grands.

All our other utility people are nice and pleasant too. It's just the stupid water people. grrrrr

((hugs)) Janet. I hope they find it so you can rub their noses in it. That sort of thing burns me up.

 

[donna723]

Daisy, are you sure we're not neighbors? Our city utility bills for water and gas have two amounts on them - one lower amount if it's paid by the 15th of the month and another higher one if it's paid after the 15th. They've probably never collected a late charge though because if you don't pay by the 15th, they'll cut your water off on the 16th! I guess the reconnection fee is quite a bit more than that late fees. The bills are really deceptive because it looks like you can wait a little longer to pay the bill and just pay a few dollars more - WRONG!! There is no cut-off date on the bill. I wonder how many people who thought they had a few more days to pay ended up having their water and gas turned off! That would be a lot of fun here in the wintertime if you had gas heat!

 

[DammitJanet]

We have had problems here where the bill is due on say the last day of the month and they cut off on that day before the day is over. Normally they do that on months where the last day of the month is on a weekend too. It happens maybe twice a year and I think they do it for a revenue increase.

I mean please...cutting people off from water when the bills average 20 bucks. We arent talking major money here. I could understand if the bills were 90 bucks or something. This doesnt even include sewer because I am on septic.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

That really is infuriating.

As someone who lives hand-to-mouth every day of my life, I understand completely how $56 bucks is insurmountable.

 

[1 Day At a Time]

Three years ago I got a bill from our water department for $19, 855.00. I'm serious!
I called customer service and said "you have got to be kidding" . Even the unfriendly customer (no service) worker had to admit this was ridiculous. They came out and installed a new meter (completely tearing up our newly sodded lawn in the process). We got reasonable bills for a year and then got hit with another HUGE bill. We were told that the meter was not read for a year because the meter readers could not find the meter. (Remember this is the new one that THEY installed). Finally I got a supervisor to come out to our house. He decided to paint a bright neon big arrow from the road pointing to our meter--- I kid you not. He was worried that his boys still couldn't find their meter.
Last month I heard voices in our yard and I went outside to investigate. Three fellows were in our yard walking around. One had a huge machete and was chopping away at my hydrangeas. I said "hmm... can I help you guys? ". They told me that they were looking for my sewer connection. They were from (you guessed it) the water department. I suggested that they might want to knock on my door before entering my yard and chopping down my plants- and then that they might want to come with me to the back yard so that I could show them the sewer connection that THEY approved some years ago.
Sometimes I wonder if the inmates are not in charge of the hospital -know what I mean?
I am certain that they lost your money order Janet! Keep after them, don't let them wear you down.

 

[flutterbee]

How horrible. What is wrong with people?

 

[KTMom91]

Maybe it's just small town water departments...we've had similar discussions with ours. Hope they can figure it out for you.