Aqua America, Incorporated

My first experience with Aqua was to look out of my living room window today because I noticed someone in the yard between the properties. I also noticed the Aqua van parked out in front of my place. I figured they must've wanted the neighbor so I went back to what I was doing...only to come out an hour later to find a 10-day shut off notice stuck in my door because they need to inspect or repair the meter. I reach out to the property manager, who calls Aqua and informs me that they simply need us to schedule an appointment so they can inspect the meter and could I call to see about setting that up since I'm home right now. I call and speak with a representative who informs me after I ask several pertinent questions, that the person who was here is not required to knock on my open door, that he was only here to leave the shut off notice, that they are never allowed to wander around the property without permission and that he was not here to inspect the meter today, but only to leave the request to call and schedule. I find this ironic because I only noticed him because he WAS wandering around the property, without permission. She asked if I would like to set up an appointment for someone to come out and inspect the meter, I informed her that I could, however I'm currently 9 1/2 months pregnant and could deliver any day now, so could she make a note that the entrance to the basement is thru the backyard and that they would have permission to inspect the meter. That the property manager also is okay with them being able to go into the basement at that time.
The rest of the conversation was downhill from there. This representative wasn't receptive to the fact that I am pregnant could deliver any day so I could not guarantee that I would be here during the scheduled appointment time. Although she never raised her voice, her tone was not harsh and not appreciated. I felt stuck between a rock and a hard place and I guess my water will be cut off in 10 days as babies don't give you an exact date and time for their delivery. As I stated in the beginning, this was my first experience ever with Aqua and I don't ever want to speak with them or do business with them again. From the 10 day shut off notice, that is only to serve to let you know that you need to call and schedule an appointment, to the lack of compassion and lack of emotional intelligence shown by the customer representative that I had the misfortune of speaking with, I'm not sure that Aqua understands what customer success or support truly is and I plan to share my opinion on how I was treated in my condition with anyone who will listen. I guess when they cut the water off in ten days (not for lack of payment mind you) I'll have something else to say provided I'm not already in labor or delivering my unborn child.
I pray that they find a better way of getting people to schedule appointments for inspection, or instead of sending someone all the way out to leave a notice, have them knock on the door and see if anyone is home so that the inspection can be done immediately versus this horrifying and quite annoying experience I had to deal with today.
Way to completely freak out and stress out a pregnant woman Aqua!
Thanks for nothing!

June 15, 2016Dear: [redacted]You state that Aqua charged you on the wrong water meter for 6 months. The water meter that you are being billed for has 4 business units, not just your usage. The meter has been replaced but you are receiving bills with the original wrong amount and harassing calls...

requiring payments or the water will be disconnected. You are requesting an adjustment for the past month of no than $30.00 per month.The response from your complaint to the Illinois Commerce Commission filed January 2016 states: The Dentist office along with the other 4 units will need to resolve this matter internally. The individual units did not have accounts with Aqua at the time and were not being billed for service. The Dentist office was originally established as the owner of the master metered account and we are not permitted to move financial transaction information from one ledger to another. [redacted] will contact his lawyer in an effort to have the payments reimbursed. He understood that we can not move charges from one account to another account under these circumstances. Although he was not happy about paying the others unit's water consumption, he felt like he was finally getting to the bottom of the issue.I told [redacted] that I will send him the account history for the last two years and he will give this information to the lawyers. I will also look at the other units water consumption and identify average usages. This will help in the reimbursement process.If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact me at ###-###-#### between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm EST, Monday through Friday.Sincerely,W. Dennis S.Regional Customer Care Team Lead

I can only speculate with what may be wrong with the unit, after looking further into it, your remote has been malfunctioning for sometime. Each bill you are sent does state it is an actual read. Each bill does show that there is no consumption. You can always call the company a request an actual read. While it is the responsibility of the company to bill you correctly, there is a dual responsibility for the customer to ensure that the bill they are receiving is correct. But in order to negotiate a settlement, the company would like to get in and change the meter and remote. Also the company would like the customer to have the property checked for leaks. If you can provide the plumbers findings afterward that would surely help. Your usage was 166 gallons per day from October to December 2015. The usage is at 206 gallons on the current charges. The average person uses 80 gallons per day. Your usage is now double the average. If you can call the company and schedule the appointment, the company will gladly take your suggestion into consideration. But, if there is a leak and you were not aware of the leak due to the bill being incorrect, we can negotiate a more favorable settlement.

From: S[redacted], Quintada *.<[redacted]@aquaamerica.com>Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2015 at 2:22 PMSubject: RE: case number-[redacted]To: [redacted] <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Okay, well I can send you over the response I sent. Response:[redacted] contacted Aqua America on June 26, 2015 she...

stated there was air in the lines and that the pressure was low. [redacted] stated that she irrigates her lawn and so does her neighbors. The representative contacted Aqua’s distribution center to have the water pressure checked.  A field service representative was dispatched to [redacted]’s property on June 26, 2015. The well was tested serval times and the PSI level was at 40 pounds. The representative found that the low pressure is coming from an abundance of over use of the well system in their subdivision. On September 21, 2015 [redacted] contacted Aqua again about having low pressure. A service order was submitted to have field representative go back to the property. The field representative spoke with [redacted]. & [redacted] he advised them that due to over usage of the well system and that a pump will need to be replaced.I have spoken with the manager of the local division and a he has stated that the pump has been replace and the system us running at 100%.  Also, Aqua is meeting the state requirements on the amount of water being produced to the ration of customers being served. The manager has tried several times to educate this subdivision on how to conserve the water. QUINTADA S[redacted]REGIONAL CUSTOMER CARE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORTAQUA NORTH CAROLINA[redacted]BRYN MWAR, PA [redacted]O: ###-###-#### EXT: [redacted]

Good Afternoon
This issue is now resolved.  The balance on the account,  of $225.50 has been cleared.  The customer should not receive any further collections calls.
If you have any questions,  please feel free to contact me.
Best Regards,
Tricia P[redacted]
Regional Customer...

Care Team Lead (Texas)
[redacted]
Bryn Mawr, Pa  [redacted]
O: ###-###-#### (ext [redacted])
[redacted]@aquaamerica.com

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC<[email protected]>Date: Thu, Aug 27, 2015 at 10:48 AMSubject: Fwd: AquaTo: [redacted] <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>---------- Forwarded message ----------From: <[redacted].net>Date: Wed, Aug 26, 2015 at 5:04 PMSubject:...

AquaTo: [email protected] Hello , This is [redacted] following up in regards to complaint filed in regards to Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc. Filed on 8/21/2015 (Friday).Aqua has since " robo called" about an important message on monday eve 8/24/2015 and morning of 8/25/2015. Also received a shut off notice on 8/26/2015 and called them in collections. Spoke to Destiny she just wants full payment. Informed her I have been in dispute with this bill since 7/15/15. She did not want to discuss further offered to let me speak to supervisor transferred me to extension it picked up for a William and said mail box full, offered options of transfer press 0 that rings a number of times then stops and disconnects.  Am still looking for any help to this fraudulent billing that has started this process. This company does not seem to want to deal with issues that arise other than customer must pay. This should be added to my previous complaint as it just seems to grow.Thank you,[redacted]

Aqua has reviewed your account and the first contact on your account is on 5-26-17 stating you requested to move out in mid march.  There are no notes on the account from March and Aqua attempted to review the phone call however, there was no information that a call was received based on the information you provided.Aqua has moved you out of the property as of 5-26-17 with a balance of $95.74.  If you moved from the property earlier than that and can provide supporting documentation, please submit that to Aqua for review.  If you have any questions, Aqua’s customer service department can be reached at [redacted] between hours of 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday.

The company sent the 10 day shut off notice on 8/24/16. The company attempted to contact [redacted] on 8/25/16 and 8/26/16. Each time the company attempted to call ###-###-####, the number was busy.  The company terminated the service on 10/3/16 at 1:27pm. Per Pennsylvania Code 56.93 (a) and...

(b) it states “(a) Except when authorized under §  56.71, §  56.72 or §  56.98 (relating to interruption of service; discontinuance of service; and immediate termination for unauthorized use, fraud, tampering or tariff violations), a public utility may not interrupt, discontinue or terminate service without attempting to contact the customer or responsible adult occupant, either in person or by telephone, to provide notice of the proposed termination at least 3 days prior to the scheduled termination. If personal contact by one method is not possible, the public utility is obligated to attempt the other method. (b) Phone contact shall be deemed complete upon attempted calls on 2 separate days to the residence between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. if the calls were made at various times each day, with the various times of the day being daytime before 5 p.m. and evening after 5 p.m. and at least 2 hours apart. Calls made to contact telephone numbers provided by the customer shall be deemed to be calls to the residence.” The Public Utility Commission will allow the utility to terminate service after two attempts to contact you. After the receipt of the payment per the Per Pennsylvania Code 56.191 (b) (1) (iv) it states, “ Timing. When service to a dwelling has been terminated, the public utility shall reconnect service as follows: Within 3 calendar days from April 1 to November 30 for proper terminations.” The payment of $494.83 was received on 10/3/16. The company restored the service on 10/4/16 at 1:45pm.                 Per Public Utility Guidelines the company was in compliance. We apologize for the inconvenience that being without water has caused you. The company does have many different payment options that can help you make the payments automatically. This will ensure that the payments are received and can avoid the payment being lost in transit. If you would like information please contact our customer service at ###-###-#### between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday through Friday. The company thanks you for being a continued and loyal customer.

Please see attached exhibit along with the City of Marion Ohio’s sewer inspection report indicating that all laterals on the proposed property in question are capped and out of service and have been since at least 2008.  This sewer inspection was a result of a homeowner having sewer drainage issues and they came out to investigate to try and find their lateral.  The report is a result of that investigation.  Please let me know if you need any further answers or clarifications.

12/14/16 [redacted] called Aqua regarding a high consumption bill for December. He stated he checked the property for leaks and none were detected. The CSR created a work order to have the property inspected.
12/22/16 Aqua technician visited the property and found no issues with the meter. ...

He obtained a read of 29585, which is in line with the previous read.
2/23/16 [redacted] called and stated [redacted] visited his property and found no issues. The CSR advised that the technician reported no issues with the meter.
[redacted] stated in the Revdex.com case that his plumber found a leak in the master bedroom toilet. He contacted [redacted] and they stated they were not responsible for any fixtures. [redacted] is an independent insurance company and is not affiliated with Aqua. Aqua cannot assist the customer regarding what the policy covers. The customer is responsible for the charges that were incurred for having the leak repaired as well as the consumption. Aqua does not provide leak adjustments. Any reimbursement request will need to be filed through [redacted]. Aqua apologizes for any inconvenience this matter has caused.

The customer is requesting a refund of $2.82.  The account received the refund on 10/26/17 and it will be reflected on their next bill that will arrive mid November.

As per the customer request the credit was transferred from the closed account to the still active account.  The active account did have approximately four additional months of usage.  The credit that was transferred was not sufficient for these additional months of usage.  The charges are valid with the move out date of April 11, 2017 which is when the account was finalized.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:1. Aqua Regional Customer Care Team Lead Dennis S[redacted]'s letter dated August 9,2016 states "once all of the changes have been completed I will forward a corrected bill to you." Requesting one week. It is August 21st and see second attachment the bill is still inaccurate. Note May 16th 2016 meter read in water usage history chart is inaccurate therefore stating on bill"amount owed from last bill $899.59". In his letter he states " you have not listed any desired settlement" I only requested a correct bill. I'm requesting removal of that meter read dates May 16th as it is NOT RIGHT.2. Please see first attachment, notice dated June 28th, 2016 from the water meter having been removed stated end gallon use as of that date 8,000 gallons.3. Aqua NEEDS to calculate my bill from last actual meter read from a technician inside the home dated 5/12/16 as 5,800 gallons to the date 06/28/2016 date of final read 8,000gallons.4. I have attached a current meter read as of today 08/21/2016, 2,370 gallons used since the installation of the new meter on 06/28/2016.
I would expect a large corporation to shoulder some responsibility for their "contracted company" instead of displacing their accountability in the matter. 
Regards,
[redacted]

The customer began to experience increased usage in May 2017, monthly bills are sent to the customer and the bills indicate the increase in usage.  The meter was exchanged on August 1, 2017 as part of a state wide meter exchange program.  The customer first reached out to Aqua regarding...

this issue on August 23, 2017 a service order was scheduled for a field representative to visit the property on August 24, 2017.  The customer called back on August 25 to get an update, the customer was advised that there were no issues with the equipment.  The customer requested a meter exchange be completed; another meter exchange was scheduled and completed on August 31, 2017.  It was at this time the field representative notice a leak by the leak indicator spinning on the meter.  The leak was apparent prior to the meter exchange and continued to leak after the new meter was installed.  The field representative attempted to contact the customer by knocking on the door as well as calling the phone number given.  There was no response at the door and a voicemail message was left explaining the leak. The customer does have a leak at the property that should be addressed.  Once the leak is repaired the customer may submit for a leak adjustment to be considered.  Leak adjustment requests can be submitted by sending in repair documentation either by fax at [redacted] or via email at [redacted]@aquaamerica.com.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:As Aqua is stating, they made numerous mistakes.  First, by their own admission, they did not follow protocol by contacting me, the customer, with regard to their visit.  Aqua seems to believe that by apologizing, everything is fine.  Aqua's failure to communicate caused enormous danger to the community and children that live near my property.  My point is very simple - if I made a mistake, like Aqua has admitted to, by NOT paying my Aqua bill, would it be acceptable to just say SORRY?  Of course not.  That's ridiculous.  Aqua has to be held accountable for their mistakes - saying sorry is not sufficient; this is not a personal relationship we have.  Second, Aqua provides no basis for their assessment that the sinkhole is not their responsibility.  Roy C[redacted], dishonestly and ignorantly suggested the sinkhole was a result of the telephone line.  The telephone line is in air, NOT THE GROUND.  Aqua's dishonesty is mind-boggling.  Third, Aqua has not addressed two of their supervisors dishonesty about calling back with an update.  As I wrote, Ms. O[redacted] (a supervisor) and Mr. Roy C[redacted] (her supervisor) both failed to do the most basic task - call me (the customer) with an update as they promised they would.It is clear that Aqua wants to absolve their professional duty but that's not going to happen.  Again, they of course would not find it acceptable if I didn't pay my bill and just said "sorry".  Aqua needs to resolve this by being held accountable and filling the sinkhole.
Regards,
Wayne T[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Hello, It is Friday morning, 2/10/17, Please see the first attached photo. This is the water I just pulled from my outside tap directly off the main line from Aqua. Red/Discolored rust water. The second photo is a screenshot of when Aqua sent out notices for scheduled days of flushing mostly last year. Aqua, you make it sound like it is my fault for YOUR water damaging my clothing and your response makes little sense. My wife's clothing was damaged on a Sunday ,BEFORE system flushing, not during or after flushing. The canned response you wrote in text is the same audio recording we get when the flushing notifications go out. So we were in compliance of not washing light/white clothes while your flushing distribution lines is going on. As I am not paying for shipping my wife's clothing to you to process the claim. I also just wasted an hour of my time on my day off, calling AQUA emergency line, emailing Aqua President, Mr. B[redacted]; The North Carolina of Environmental Quality-Water Resources and of coarse the NC Utilities Commission. I want clean water, and I want fair compensation for this agony. Regards,[redacted]

[redacted] contacted Aqua on October 15, 2015 to have water service put in his name. He was advised to provide a copy of his lease and two forms of identification because; the meter shows water usage at his address without an application for service on record.
Aqua received the lease on October...

16, 2015 however; it was denied due to key components that are needed for verification was missing. There was no contact number provided, the two forms of identification were missing, there was not a start date on the lease and no signatures page. A denial letter was mailed out to [redacted] on October 16, 2015 the letter explains why water service was denied.
The water service was terminated on October 26, 2015 for theft of service. [redacted] contacted Aqua and he was advised that the service was terminated. He was also, advised that his application for service had been denied. The representative advised [redacted] the reason for the termination and, she also told him what paperwork he would need to refax in order to have the water service restored.
On October 27, 2015, Aqua received the requested information and his water service was restored on October 28, 2015.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Only a portion of the grass that was damaged has been replaced. There is still new sod that needs to be replaced ASAP. Right now there is just dirt on our lawn, which will soon turn into mud and again stain our driveway, forcing Aqua to pay someone again to pressure wash our driveway.
Regards,
[redacted]

[redacted] resides in the [redacted] Subdivision. On Friday, September 29, 2017, Aqua North Carolina provided customers in the [redacted] Subdivision with an update on the ongoing system pressure issues. [redacted] should have received an emergency telephone message outline below via Aqua’s emergency...

telephone system [redacted] on September 29, 2017, and a had delivered letter with specific action steps that Aqua is taking to outline a solution. Aqua has also delivered bottled water to customers in the subdivision. Please reference the attached document for more specific detail information that was communicated to customers. If you require additional information please advise. This is an important message from Aqua North Carolina sent to you on Friday, September 29, 2017. I want to provide you with an update about the ongoing system pressure issues affecting the [redacted] and [redacted] communities. Due to a significant reduction in water pressure in your neighborhood earlier this week, Aqua instituted a water restriction for all non-essential use and worked with the City of Raleigh on a temporary water connection to ensure increased water pressure to your community until the pressure issues are resolved. Our recent communications to you have pointed to high irrigation use and a lack of recent rainfall as primary causes for this issue. Once we met the immediate goal of restoring adequate water pressure, we began to fully examine causes for the pressure issue. We are aggressively researching system and geology data to determine if other factors may be contributing to the lack of pressure. Based on our research thus far, we discovered that three of our higher producing wells serving your community suffered a sudden reduction in flow. When this occurred, our wells began pumping for longer durations to attempt to keep up with customer demand. Once the wells could not keep up with demand, system pressures dropped further and customers began to see low or no pressure. At this point, we have not definitively determined the cause of the pressure reduction, and are investigating the source of the decline in well flow. Beginning Monday, October 2, you may see contractors and equipment in your community with experts in the fields of well construction and hydrogeology onsite working to find the cause and helping to outline a permanent solution. We’re committed to getting to the bottom of this, and to sharing the information with you. In the meantime, your community continues to be under a system pressure advisory due to the drop in pressure that occurred earlier this week. Because your service was interrupted, the North Carolina Division of Water Resources suggests that you boil water used for human consumption for one to two minutes before use. This includes water used for drinking, cooking, making ice, and brushing teeth. This does not mean that the water is contaminated. It is simply a precautionary measure. We have collected special water samples and sent them to a drinking water laboratory for tests. As soon as we receive clean test results, we will contact you again to lift this advisory. In addition, Aqua is continuing to request that you completely restrict all non-essential water use until further notice. Customers should limit all: Spray irrigation (lawn sprinklers)Car washingFilling or topping off swimming poolsAny handheld hose watering of flowers, shrubs, trees and vegetable gardens during the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. We will continue to keep you updated throughout this process and commit to being transparent with you about what we know, what actions we are taking, and ultimately, our resolution. This message will repeat once if you stay on the line.

From: G[redacted], Alice *.<[redacted]@aquaamerica.com>Date: Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 10:10 AMSubject: RE: Complaint #[redacted] - [redacted]To: [redacted] <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Please reference company response to [redacted]’ customer complaint.  Also, I have attached the 10 day shut-off...

notice that was mailed to the property. A 10-Day Shut-Off Notice dated November 5, 2015, was mailed to the Customer informing the Customer that if the past due amount of $70.36 was not received by Aqua on or before November 17, 2015, the water service would be shut off.   The notice states “To stop the shut off, you must do the following immediately; contact Aqua during normal business hours to let us know that you made a payment”.   The notice also states that “service will not be restored until the next business day after the required payment amount has been confirmed” and any reconnection fees associated with restoring service.  The water service at the property was shut-off for nonpayment on Wednesday, December 2, 2015, giving the customer an extra fifteen days in which to bring the account current.  [redacted] made a payment in the amount of $70.36, utilizing Aqua online bill pay.  The customer is responsible for notifying the company that a past due payment was made once a shut-off notice has been mailed.  On Wednesday, December 2, 2015, a payment in the amount of $70.36 was applied to the account. The payment was processed through the online bill pay process.  [redacted] contacted Aqua’s customer service center on December 2, 2015, at approximately 3:20 P.M. advising that she made a payment through Aqua’s online.  It was explained to [redacted] that the shut off notice states that customers should notify the company if a payment has been made to avoid termination.  [redacted] was advised that her service would be restored the next business day Thursday, December 3, 2015.  [redacted]’s service was restored Thursday, December 3, 2015.   [redacted] stated that she receives “all my communications from the company electronically.” [redacted] has enrolled in electronic billing however; all shut-off notices are mailed via the United States postal service.  The company has not received notification from the postal service of return mail.  Aqua North Carolina was in compliance with the North Carolina Public Utilities Laws and Regulations, Section R7-20 © Notice of Discontinuance and Section (f) Reconnection Charges.  The reconnection fee of $35.00 and deposit fee of $45.00 has been billed to the account.  The total account balance is $111.08, which was due December 28, 2015.   For your review, I have enclosed copy of the shut-off notice dated November 5, 2015. Attachment (1)