My Atlanta Water Company Complaint Letter (Rough Draft)

Charles Edgar Hampton 123 Sesame St. Atlanta, GA 12345 March 28, 2009 Department of Watershed Management ATTN: Commissioner Robert Hunter 55 Trinity Ave. Atlanta, GA 30303 Greetings, My wife and I had a house built in Atlanta, GA during the Spring of 2008. Many times during the erecting of the building we visited, asked questions, took pictures, and were vigilant in the inspecting and learning about what a major and wonderful commitment we were making. The construction was finished in mid-May and we closed on the house on May 23, 2008. We were then informed by the builder and subdivision representatives, exactly what we needed to do to transfer all of the utilities to our names, which we did. We were instructed to fax or mail you all the settlement statement, which we did in June of 2008. This was the limit of our responsibility. Yet, for some unknown reason, as stated by Atlanta Watershed, the account was not setup. Since our account was not setup, we did not receive a bill, but that was not immediately alarming, because the mortgage lapses for a month. So, after setting up all the other utilities, we discovered that some are quarterly, like sanitation, therefore, since we had not yet received a water bill and had done what we were instructed and required to do, we continued to wait. You must understand that this was my first time living on my own and was also, as a result, my first house. Nevertheless, in November after the three month mark when a quarterly bill should have been received, I rushed up to the Watershed Management building after work to inquire to the apparent problem with our account. It was at this time that the account was finally setup properly, or so I thought. The meter reader upon inspecting my meter noted that it was broken, but I, the owner of the house/account, was not notified, nor was anyone sent to fix the meter. Through December the meter continued to be broken without my being informed. The water company then allegedly proceeded to send my house a bill, which I have yet to receive. Consider then my surprise, when I do finally receive a bill in the mail with the gargantuan and daunting heftiness of $486.31. I was appalled and upset, but not irate. I took the time to inspect the pipes for leaks, after reading the information on the Atlanta Watershed Management website; however, of course no leak was found. I cut the water off to the house at the main water valve in the home and listened for activity with the meter at the sidewalk, but none was observed or perceived. I did however note that there was dirt in the window of the meter, but I saw wires going into the thick mud also and figured that there was some new more advanced technical way of reading the meter, which replaced the antiquated and now obsolete manual meter. Moreover, much to my dismay and displeasure, this January bill, which was also supplemented by the undelivered, unreceived and therefore unpaid December bill, was purported to be the result of an actual reading. Yet, the account still lists the meter as broken since November and as of this day, March 28, 2009, unfixed. How is it possible that a broken meter, that hasn’t functioned for two weeks, going to suddenly start working correctly two months later? It is impossible. Regardless to this irrefutable fact, the bill went out, no one double checked the facts, and no one cared to assess the inspector, reader, or supervisor’s reports on this account. Recalling that recently the banking system has already nearly foundered and has debilitated this country to the haggard state of recession due to a lack of oversight, and apparently, the water system here in Atlanta, is faced with this same leeching crisis of lack of proper revision or supervision. Though my troubles are in no way over regarding my wretched experiences with this company, I do want to state clearly and emphatically that it is not my intention to cause anyone trouble or to lose their job, for surely there is enough economic trouble for honest and hard working citizens and/or residents of Atlanta. The purpose of this text is to simply request change; overhaul the policies. Returning to the issues, please recall that I now have an alleged accurate/actual bill with a broken meter. The reason I am told that my meter remained in such a state of disrepair, is because it was to be fitted with an AMR (automatic meter reader) device. Yet, why would this need to be done, considering the wires that I previously mentioned are in fact that device? This again, shows a complete negligence on behalf of this company in regards to accuracy, honesty, integrity, and customer service. Irregardless to all of these problems, which were at that point in time, January 2009, unknown to myself, I paid the behemoth bill on time. Assuming the bill was backdated, I accepted the large amount as plausible and probable for nearly eight months of water usage, but unfortunately, I was very incorrect. Next, February was upon my household and it was time for the next bill. When it arrived, much to my dismay and duress, another rather large bill was awaiting my trite budget. Its amount was $240.36 and was, with the grace of God, paid on time. Again, I must remind you that I have never paid utility bills before and was already battling with repetitive $280 dollar natural gas bills, so I devoted my energies to that first, figuring that again, these hearty water bills must the result of them lingering from the lack of an earlier bill. I didn’t know what was going on. I figured, I guess this is why many people that are just starting out get apartments first. But, I was uneasy and unsettled with my utilities. Patiently, I resolved the natural gas problem and March approaches, bearing gifts of papers demanding principals and other payments. Atlanta Watershed Management, $240.36, the same exact amount again defiantly and stubbornly stood in front of me. At this point I called to discuss this with someone and find out exactly what was happening with the liquid H20 of 123 Sesame St. in Atlanta, Georgia. I finally had the veil removed and my eyes were at last open; I was informed that all of my bills were estimated, because I had a broken meter. Trust me when I say that I was highly upset, but did not lash out, because that is not my nature, path, or style. I handled this financial debacle with class and professionalism, I requested to speak with a manager. I was resolute to discover, why a reasonable, logical, and/or reasonable person estimate a bill so astronomically high if it isn’t working? It isn’t like my wife and I have kids or a pool, for any cursory inspection would verify this, but such a rational step was not taken. Instead, someone allowed what I liberally and frankly call greed to push them into making a completely immoral and frivolous claim in regards to the immense amounts owed monthly to the Atlanta Watershed Management company, which is under your leadership. My wife and I find ourselves less $726.67, an intensely significant amount of money to a single income family, let alone at an economic time such as this, all due to preventable errors, which were allowed to remain and be perpetuated by many at your company. My wife is in law school, she studies all day and attends classes in the evenings, while I teach all day, and coach golf in the early evening, to help supplement our already halved income. $726.67 is in no way something I can just overlook and accept, especially when its origins are misfeasance, nonfeasance, disinformation, and misrepresentation. In short, the setup, inspection, and maintenance of my account, which should have taken place in June of 2008 by a credible, professional, well-run company, will now happen, over a year later. Why the substandard service? My simple request is that the following items be entered into the policies that your company abides by: - Someone needs to ensure that broken meters get fixed in a timely manner, - Someone needs to ensure that the information contained in account records is accurate, - Estimations should be practical and reflect the mean usage of the appropriate occupancy, - Over-payment of bills resulting from errors made by the company should be refunded immediately if requested by the customer and automatic if the amount is $300 or greater. - Managers/Supervisors should have some sort of executive powers/control so that in situations like mine, immediate action will be taken, - Customers absolutely must be fully informed of the best intelligence available within 5 business days if a problem is discovered with their meter. If these are already in existence in your organization, then they are not in the least bit being enforced, applied, enacted, etc, and this is not acceptable. Nearing the end of this correspondence, there is a corollary example I want to share with you. I also relayed this to the young lady I spoke with, who I spoke with on the phone, and by the way, all employees encountered were apologetic, professional, knowledgeable, and cordial, particularly, Ms Schavis and Ms. Salethia Graham. As the man of my household, it is unacceptable for me to note a problem, ignore it, allow it to fester and worsen, then punish my wife for it, making her pay for my neglect, and tell her that it will take four months for me to fix the problem. After this, I finally execute the appropriate measures while simultaneously holding onto her money while I can use it to purchase other things I want or need. This would make me a sorry man, yet this company is not a man, therefore, all I can say is that this is sorry customer service. The callous treatment of my time, money, and quality of life is irreprehensible and horrendous. This is unacceptable, but unfortunately, no deregulation has taken place. I cannot take my business elsewhere, as I can with Scana or MX Energy, when I have been wronged by Georgia Natural Gas. So, I utilize my only and hopefully most effective resource, which is the pen (well, word processor) and wield it as adeptly as I can to ask for the changes to the illogical and debasing policies of the Atlanta Watershed Management company. Finally, I request a refund of $500, and that the remaining $226.67 remain on the account as a credit, so that when everything finally clears and the sediment settles to the bottom, that neither party is lacking unduly. Please let me know what you think of my request and respond to me at your earliest convenience. I did not go to the media, because I believe that there are many ways to handle adverse situations and I believe that this is the appropriate first step in seeking resolution to my issues. I hope to hear from you soon and look forward to positive and progressive dialogue. Thank you for your time, Charles Edgar Hampton, M.Ed. Customer