[Sidney Lanier]

Thanks for your thoughts and comments, everyone!

diskman:
It was 30,000, not 3,000 gallons. Actually the very first bill showed usage of 33,450 gallons and the total charge for irrigation water on that bill was $87.05 (which includes basic charges for having the account). By contrast, our most recent bill (several months after the repair) was $12.50 for 4,680 gallons. As I mentioned in my post, I was surprised--and told the head of the utility company--that there was nothing in place, whether human or computer software, to flag such out-of-line bills, but there wasn't.

rshoffer:
You're absolutely right! Given the choice of doing the decent thing or sticking to what I called 'the 1 year warranty mantra,' their job describes requires the latter. Too bad....

villages07:
Yes, it was really unfortunate for the previous owners who as I explained were 90 years old at the time they sold and moved into assisted living, he with several strokes and she asking us who we were every time we saw her. The house was actually owned by their 'family trust' which presumably also paid the bills routinely, and I can understand how it might not cross anyone's mind that there was anything wrong with the bill since those doing the paying would have had no basis for comparison. If you will look at what I wrote in the thread about the irrigation system walkthrough, you'll understand now why I wrote what I did....

Russ:
One of the reasons I've gone through all the trouble of writing this is to alert present and future homeowners here of this very remote possibility: a missing sprinkler head with a line running nonstop underground. I did not expect TV to pay for the repair; as I mentioned, the sellers did so honorably. More than anything I hoped for an acknowledgment of responsibility, silly thinking on my part, I guess, more a reflection of myself than TV management. The home inspector did note the diminished pressure in that zone but had no way to say what was causing it.

nitehawk:
Literally speaking, you're right: 1-0. But also as I explained, I was raised with--and I live by--a different ethic. I don't feel as though I've lost anything, though on the other hand I would guess that the Villages employees and management I dealt with may think that they've 'won.' I'm left with integrity; they're left with, well, I'm not sure what, maybe a couple hundred dollars.

JohnN:
I'm unsurprised too. Initially I was not cynical (I am not inherently cynical...) and actually thought that the outcome could have been different; it didn't take me long to realize how naive that thinking was. I'm not 'seeking action,' and for me small claims court would be a continuance of using my energies fruitlessly; I learned what I needed to from the experience and am sharing it with my fellow TOTVers, potential TOTVers, and others.

collie1228:
Same here; it just isn't worth my while in the greater scheme of things in my life to pursue an examination of 'latent defects.' Dollar-wise we're talking about maybe $200. My integrity is worth more than that, and their integrity, or lack of same, is not my business or my problem.

samhass:
We paid for the repair when it was done in February, and the sellers, having said that they would do so, reimbursed us (and not knowing about the egregious overbilling they had been victimized by for 3-1/2 years, nor would we tell them, especially at their age and in their poor health). As I explained above, we have long since moved on with our lives and are busy and happy. And again, one of the primary reasons I've written this is to alert fellow homeowners in TV of the possibility, though very remote, that the same mistake could have been made on another house.

drdodge:
You're right, I 'should have done due diligence' and didn't. We did have the house inspected, and the inspector did note that something was not right with that irrigation zone, though he couldn't be sure what it was. On top of this, we were away at the time the first water bill came, and we take responsibility for that too. However, I am not comfortable with a 'blame the victim' approach, and I'm disinclined to allow myself to be/feel like a victim. I know that I did what I could, and in the end I let go of the whole business. I can only hope that my experience can benefit even one other villager....