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OK - so I have been living in my house for about 2 1/2 years. The water bills come, I pay them. Didn't realize they were estimates. I called Cleveland Water - they came out and installed a new meter and a new remote meter so they don't have to physically come out and check every month. They also read the old meter before they took it out.
I get a bill this month for 786 bucks! when I look at it closely I see with the estimates and certain number - say 90 - the next month it is 90.4 MCF.. etc etc.. they took a reading as I said and it was 109.4. What are my options? could the old meter be not working when they read it?
the new meter read 1.3 difference so I have been using about the same amount of water as the estimates - around 60 bucks a month. Suggestions?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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If it's running $60/month, how did the get the $786 bill? Call and ask them. It's most likely back billing for the 2-1/2 years making up the difference between the low estimates and the actual use now shown by the new meter.
Since they put in a transmitting meter, there must have been an access issue that caused the estimates.
Hard to tell by the numbers you provided, but, it looks like they were estimating your use of water at 400 gallons per month. (90.4 - 90.0). The new meter is showing your consumption rate at 1.3 difference or 1,300 gallons per month (which sounds about right for a one person household).
So, I would call the water company and ask them to explain how they arrived at the $786 bill. It may indeed be correct. They might be willing to allow you to spread out the payment over a few months.
Sixty dollars a month sounds high to me because my bill consists of a monthly flat fee plus the cost of the amount of the water used during the month. (i.e. a base rate of $30 even if I don't use any water plus about $8 per thousand gallons used.)
You need to ask customer service to explain how your monthly bill is calculated and how they arrived at the $786 for your most recent bill.
PS: Could this bill also include a charge to have the new meter installed?
PPS: Many years ago the water company where my business was located changed over to a new way to read meters and most meters calculated to 7 digits. My old meter had only 6 digits, so the new system added a zero to the manually read reading. If I used 4500 gallons a quarter, it reported 1 million 4500 gallons resulting in a $7000 quarterly water bill. The first customer service rep I spoke to said I must have a toilet that is running constantly! I Insisted they send out someone to check the meter and that is when they discovered that their software system had a bug in it. They replaced all the meters in the shopping center because all the stores were experiencing the same issue. So, it never hurts to verify how they came up with the dollar amount being charged.
A few years ago I got a water bill for $1186. And by the time I got that bill, I was already into the next month. At first I thought it was a mistake, but I finally figured out that somehow, one of the outside faucets had been turned on. I had no choice but to pay the bills.
As for the "estimated" bills? You'll probably have to pay the bill for the real reading. I'd see if they can't read the meter every month from now on.
1300 gallons normal usage for one person household?
Normal usage for my house (two adults) is around 400 gallons. Summer with watering climbed to around 700.
Absolutely shocked this month when I got a high usage bill noting I had used 1500 gallons in 30 days so the city said to bring any repair receipts done during this time (which I had replaced the leaking kitchen faucet and a running toilet) and they would adjust it. Perhaps............
I think the high usage was less the leaks and more the seeding and watering of new grass . Whatever. But 1300 gallons a month for one person is awfully high usage....or maybe I'm not showering enough .............hmmmmmmm
A few years ago I got a water bill for $1186. And by the time I got that bill, I was already into the next month. At first I thought it was a mistake, but I finally figured out that somehow, one of the outside faucets had been turned on. I had no choice but to pay the bills.
As for the "estimated" bills? You'll probably have to pay the bill for the real reading. I'd see if they can't read the meter every month from now on.
Lots of times a utility will work with you on giant bills. We got a $700.00 phone bill once (regular was around $150.00), because our son went over our texting plan, and Verizon cut the charge in half and we went to an "unlimited text" plan. Once or twice I've even got credit card companies to waive a late fee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blakeas
fixed charge is $27
$25.04 for 1st .6 MCF
then $42.56 per additional MCF
It costs nothing for you to ask the water company to give you a break on this month's bill, after you explain the situation.
1. Pay it.
2. Dispute it.
3. Call them to work out a payment plan.
4. Ignore it, get water shut off and sent to collections.
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