$461...

Feb 2 to March 29th.

I live alone, 5 minute showers and 3 loads laundry a week.

And all this during winter where there is no explainable reason such as watering grass.

Needless to say, I was like WTF!

Your neighbor filled his pool from your hose, man!

That is exactly what I was thinking. Maybe underground leak? Did you check your meter with everything off and see if it was moving?

Toilet leak?

461 water bill that ain't a water leak. Did you check to see if BP has been to your house at anytime last month? There real good at spills like yours... Look for real soft spots around the house or lying water outside. A toilet can use alot of water if it doesn't shut off after it fills.

Check and see if your utility has an appeal process. I had a $600 bill once and it got relieved. Turned out to be leaking toilet.

I had a really large bill once. I found out the City had been "estimating" my bill for the past 6 months, and their 'estimate' was low. So when they finnaly got off their arse and actually read the meter, WHAM!!

Look at your past couple of bills and see if they were estimating. On our bills, it said it right there, so I didn't have much of an argument. (other than what a bunch of lazy arses they were)

I don't miss my water bill from Erie County (Buffalo area). We used to pay $125/mo. Moved to FL and no state income tax, no water bill as we have a well, property ins. was 1/3, auto ins. dropped etc. I used to get so pissed everytime that water bill showed up, just seemed like a such a rip off!

I dont have any water leaks at all.

I am heading to City Hall here in a bit to see what the deal is. My meter downstairs reads 7755. Thats the same thats on the beginning of my bill from Feb 2 and it's now May 14th.

Either the meter is broken or they messed up.

Come on Tom, you know that the downriver communities have to keep paying higher water bills because the Detroit residents don't pay theirs. I could never figure that out. If I don't pay my utilities, they shut them off. But since the city of Detroit owns the water treatment facility (at least for now), when Detroit residents don't pay, they pass the buck on to the suburbs!

I would assume something that big has got to be a mistake. But I have seen stranger things happen.

Every time it friggin rains out here, all you hear from the natives is "Oh, you know we need it" they cry the blues about conserving water and "oh, we have a shortage" I have never flushed the toilet and had it not fill back up or gone to wash my car and had nothing come out of the hose.

Can you tell I'm not from Cali

we had a deal like that 6,7 yrs ago...a broken meter....

Ok...if my meter is broken and it reads the same amount as it did back in Feb, how can the city get a reading as this and charge me $461 when the meter still reads 7755?

The meter was replaced in 2006 or so and I believe it can be read from outside.

In true Cali fashion, our meter readers zip by on bicycles with a stick with a probe on the end and they wave it over the meter box in the front yard, it beeps, meter read. Our gas meters are read via wireless transmitters, and I think the electric meters are as well, they have a LCD display on them.

they can also 'mis read'....if the meter stopped reading, they could also 'guestimate'...and do it wrong...
"Humans" (or close to it) read them....lol

you`ll get it adjusted...

Perhaps they know its broken. check the previous bills to see if they are hard meter readings? Something is screwey or the meter reader is spending his days down at the local watering hole.

So I go to the water billing dept. asking for an explaination of my $461 bill.

She looks up my account and states you have been at 77 (meter reading) since 2007 and the 162 (current) reflects an actual read done in March.

I asked her to elaborate and explain the current meter reading as to catch them in some sort of malfeasance. After stating that the meter is not digital (it is a rotating dial with a 5 digit read) and that there is no way I could have used $461 in Feb and March. She stated thats what we have and thats what was read. I then say...well, if thats the case, why does my meter still read 77?

Then she elaborates that "nobody has 0 usage" implying to me that I should have known...I stated the meter was replaced with a new one a few years prior to 2007 and that I just paid what was billed not thinking that a single occupant with HE washer, dishwasher, faucets and shower head used more than $24 a month in water.

Anyhow..."I should have known" is what they are saying and some employee is coming out the 18th to look at meter.

I understand if I may owe...sure. But to send someone a $461 bill in middle of winter and call it "actual" is a little fraudulant. If the city wanted to audit accounts and use this $461 billing as a ruse to get me to come in and get my meter inspected, not cool. Just send me a letter and state the meter may be defective. Don't make up some BS bill when the meter still reads 77 and you say 162. My meter reads otherwise.

Again, my meter reads 77, they say 162. How could they come up with that reading?

To elaborate further...

I stated that I had 3 people living in this house prior to and that soon after they left, my water bill was now paid by me and that the $25 a month was what I thought I should be paying as I had never had to pay a water bill until I moved here and the ex paid all utilities. Do I scrutinize electric and heating bills? Yes! Because I know I can improve my efficiency with CFL's, insulation, sealing cracks etc. Water is water...I know what I use and know where leaks are if any...so no need to look hard at a water bill.

Ignorance on my part just paying a bill and not looking at the fine details? yes. I dont review my 8 credit card bills as I know what I use/buy and never make minimum payments and only look hard on bills where I have a no interest/payment over 12-18 months. Other than that, I set up my payment schedule at Chase bank to have the bills paid.

Lesson learned? pay attention to your bills.

Sounds similar to what I ran into a few years back at my house.

On the other hand, last summer the City came out to our office building to "inspect" the meter they installed the pervious summer. After looking it over, he said it was not working and he replaced it. He said because they had no way to prove how much water we had used, we would get past usage for free.

Sure enough, I looked back through all the previous bills and the reading was always the same. They never tried to back-bill us for anything. So our water bill went from something like $30 a month to $180 a month. (three businesses in our building)

Must be enough mark-up in there to cover it...

What about all the water for the ice cubes that go in that cooler on your back porch??

The unfortunate truth is they probably need money so "let's over bill people and see who pays"

Cops stock up at the "hood pahty sto" before coming home. Get my Bud Light 40's there 3 for $5.

LOL

That's as bad as Home depot up here in the news last week. They put in a new billing system last year, and apparently had been charging customers sales tax on items they should not have been, to the tune of over $3M. They said they will refund money to anyone who brings in their receipt...ya like I keep receipts for misc items like that! Looks like they will pocket most of it! I would make em give it to charity!

a single guy that only takes 5 minute showers? something sounds fishy

Not sounds fishy, smells fishy....

I'm sure he said single, not CELEBET!!

Hence the reason for his singleness...

Military trained...

Once you pay it, you probably won't owe anything for quite a while.

Tom,

What did you find out at shty hall? I had the same problem once. They had been estimating my bills as well and got WAAYYYY out in front of my usage. I ended up getting a $600 check back.

On a worse note, I also discovered a running toilet when I returned from a four-day vacation. The flapper valve didn't seat properly. That bad boy cost me about $400.

- Jake

I had "0 usage" from 2007 on or so as far as their records go back. The meter was replaced in 2004.

I explained to City Hall the ex paid all the utilities and soon after the meter was replaced, two people moved out and that I never paid a water bill anywhere and thought $20-25 was about right for a single occupant, rarely home, HE washer...etc. She said "you should have known that 0 usage was not correct". I replied that "you should have known that a new meter shouldn't malfunction". After she repeated that the meter reading was actual I asked how it was read. "Someone came out" she replied. I said who came out to read meter before? Because my meter, as of this morning still reads 77 NOT 162 as your meter read states.

Needless to say, she got caught up in some verbal BS.

Someone coming out Tuesday to check meter. I will not let them replace meter until I get an answer about the $461 and an explaination for the "current reading" which is not what is on the meter.

My partner pays $35 every 3 months, so $461 may be about right for 3 years use. I will make sure they give me 3 years to pay the balance, interest free if worse case scenario.

In this area, that qualifies you for a Medal. We have "Water Police" in Los Angeles that have the job of driving around looking for people who waste water and then issue them citations. Yes. Tickets, notices to appear, whatever you call them.



There may be a second meter between the trunk line and your meter. Years ago, we had some issues with people who were bypassing electric meters and water meters to run "Grow Houses" without raising suspicion about their electrical and water usage. They got caught when the Dept. of Water and Power installed meters at the street and compared readings to those at the house.

Your broken meter may have placed you in suspicion of illegal activity, and they installed an upstream meter without your knowledge. That may be the one they decided to read this time.

Just speculation on my part.

WOW I complain when I hit $50 water bill and thats with a family of 4 and 2 horses to water every day.

My brother bought a really, really, really nice house in the mountains of Utah. It had a man-made stream/waterfall that ran from just above the house down to the foot of the stairs leading to the garage - probably 250' or so. The water collected at the bottom of the "stream" and was pumped to the top - completely closed system.

He ran it that first month he had the house - peaceful noise. Then the $13,000 water bill showed up. Thirteen grand for 30 days water usage. Surprisingly it was correct. Apparently a ton of water evaporates in the dry climate.

He never turned it on again.

Tom - someone just realized you hadn't been paying a bill, so they guesstimated your past usage and sent the bill - seen it a million times. Thirty-five bucks a month is about right for your usage. I don't know if you have recourse or not.

- Jake