[joelfmi]

[QUOTE=Hifred;1986383]We have lived in our home for years and our potable water usage is very stable. A little above or below 5,000 gallons a month. I got the shock of my life today when I looked at my water bill and it showed we used more than 52,000 gallons of potable water this month. I immediately checked all the faucets, spigots, toilets to see if they were running as well as hot water heater to see if it was leaking
Most likely it is the flapper not sealing when the toilet is flushed. Get food dye poor it in the tank let it stand for 3 or 4 hours check the bowl for the dye color if the color is in the bowl then the flapper has to be change see master plumber at home depot for the correct flapper bring old one with you to match up. A bad Flapper triggers the filll vave to open every time the level in the tank goes down wasting water. joelfmi@aol.com

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by 1couple

meters go bad I would make them replace it and dispute the bill

If your meter is “bad” I would have it checked by an independent plumber. It would give me more confidence. I am concerned about these “corrections” why not just raise the rate if they need more money? If the same amount of water costs more now, to deliver, to purify etc then if you want to use the same amount as you used to you have to pay more. I can live with that.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by Ramone

Yes, they screwed me also this month. Not there since May and $260 bill. $ 40 for sewer. Direct payment, they took my money.

Can I tell you a short story? My first motorcycle was a little 250cc Suzuki Rebel. The bike and I spent many hours together in parking lots till I learned how to ride. Then many more hours spent on country roads, visiting lakes, day trips etc. I had insurance for it and the payments came directly out of my bank account. Several months into my ownership someone stole my bike. I was heart broken, looked for it all the time.

I reported it to the insurance company who paid out for the stolen bike so they knew I did not have it. But next month the premiums were again deducted from my bank account. I called the insurance company who said they would correct it. I called my bank who said they could do nothing about it. This went on for 15 months! Finally I asked my lawyer to send a letter to the insurance company. The insurance company not only stopped taking out the premiums but fully reimbursed me.

Since then, never, no one, ever has access to my bank account.

[Quixote]

We bought our first home here directly from a very elderly and infirm couple whose family trust paid all their bills and who were being moved to assisted living. Home inspection revealed an irrigation zone had very weak pressure. We lived with wells all our adult lives and so were unfamiliar with metered water. I took the bill to customer service, where a rep looked at it and said essentially, ‘Holy cow!’ ‘What does this mean?’ ‘You used 33,000 gallons to irrigate!’ ‘What should it be?’ ‘About 3-4,000.’ Something was wrong. The rep mentioned that the bills had been that high since day one.

Long story shorter, I tracked down the company that had installed the irrigation system; they were still working in TV. A company manager watched the system run, then took a shovel and dug up TWO shovels full of soil, , fished around the hole, and pulled up an irrigation line that had been buried without a sprinkler ever having been attached to it! So whenever that zone was on, it ran like a hose underground, thus the weak pressure AND the huge bill.

He installed a sprinkler, then watched it run. The pressure had improved to normal. Not satisfied, he went to the hole, dug up ONE more shovel full, reached in and pulled up a buried sprinkler! The first was an oscillating sprinkler that served one quadrant of the lawn, while the second covered a small landscaped area. He charged nominally, recognizing that it was his company that had created this problem.

We approached TV’s management, having been told that this was a ‘construction defect.’ Their response was the house was past its warranty, and since the water went through the meter, we had to pay for it. For us it was a relatively nominal amount, but the story circulated. Be aware that this is the pervasive attitude of TV on such issues!

[Hifred]

Thank you all for your support. It turned out per the water company there was a "miscalculation " and I am now being credited back 50,000 gallons making my monthly use about 2,500 gallons. I was really worried when I first saw that bill. But today, after phone calls and emails I did get a written response with a new adjusted bill. I think those of you who said not to let any company have direct access to your bank account were correct. I am stopping the automatic payment option on all of my accounts. This experience was a real eye opener. I am really glad I had this site to turn to. Hearing the suggestions was very helpful.

[Escape Artist]

Originally Posted by Hifred

Thank you all for your support. It turned out per the water company there was a "miscalculation " and I am now being credited back 50,000 gallons making my monthly use about 2,500 gallons. I was really worried when I first saw that bill. But today, after phone calls and emails I did get a written response with a new adjusted bill. I think those of you who said not to let any company have direct access to your bank account were correct. I am stopping the automatic payment option on all of my accounts. This experience was a real eye opener. I am really glad I had this site to turn to. Hearing the suggestions was very helpful.

I'm glad your story had a happy ending and the situation was resolved. But I'm suspicious because of similar problems recurring in TV many with no resolution or identified cause. Is there willful ignorance on their part, especially with those who pay with automatic payments? It seems like a racket to me, similar to law firms illegal practice of overbilling. They hope you won't notice!

[Luggage]

Water companies are highly regulated to be allowed only a certain percentage of profit. Trust me they really don't care whether you spend $20 or $2,000 a month as there are multi-million dollar income levels per month for each of these places. It's a state regulatory board. The people on the phone are just doing their job

[Luggage]

Never ever give anyone or any company the ability to automatically withdraw money from your bank account

[skippy05]

The shock of my life was in 2013, when I was told I had stage III colon cancer. As I did, just take it one day at a time until you find a resolution. I either will or won't work out in the end.

[jack.hunter00@yahoo.com]

You probably have a leak between in sprinkler system. Happened with us and that was the cause. Ours was by the switch head box.

[BrianNotFromNYC]

45,000 gallons "extra" is one gallon (toilet flush) a minute more than usual. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 +/- days a month = 45,000. When you see 45,000 that sounds like a lot. When you're the water department, you see a different perspective.

[oneclickplus]

Originally Posted by Hifred

We have lived in our home for years and our potable water usage is very stable. A little above or below 5,000 gallons a month. I got the shock of my life today when I looked at my water bill and it showed we used more than 52,000 gallons of potable water this month. I immediately checked all the faucets, spigots, toilets to see if they were running as well as hot water heater to see if it was leaking and looked under each sink. I called TV utility and they said they had checked the water meter twice and the reading was accurate. I don't know what else to do as I told the person from the utility company. I looked at the meter outside and it is not moving so I know there isn't a leak or it would keep moving despite all my faucets turned off. I don't have a pool. I haven't had any guests or any reason why the water bill would be so high. The bad thing is I have automatic payment set up and it pulled more than $500 out of my checking account. I asked the person if they could pull my typical payment until we could determine what the problem was but they don't do that.

Has anyone had this situation occur? Do I need to get a lawyer? I am at a loss. Maybe the meter malfunctioned? At this point the people who work at the utility company are done with me but I still have a huge bill and they have taken the money from my bank account..... HELP PLEASE.

And, this is a classic reason why no one gets "auto pay" from my bank accounts. Many companies try to coerce this now by charging more for not having auto pay ($5 / month for example). Of course, what they are really doing is raising prices by $5 for everyone and then giving the "discount" for auto pay. I am paying $5 extra for cable each month because I refuse auto pay. They are also all pushing paperless billing. So, it's possible to never see you bill and have it paid. Some call it convenient. I call it scary.

I just started paying bills electronically as a result of poor USPS service. But, I PUSH all my payments to the various bills. No one TAKES payment automatically. You might consider changing that so that you remain in control of your $$.

I realize that this doesn't address your specific water issue. If the usage is accurate, my guess would be a leaky toilet - something that can waste water unnoticed for a long time (until you get the bill). I can't think of anywhere else where the water can get used without being noticed.

[Rose Ann Vinci Igoe]

Originally Posted by Hifred

We have lived in our home for years and our potable water usage is very stable. A little above or below 5,000 gallons a month. I got the shock of my life today when I looked at my water bill and it showed we used more than 52,000 gallons of potable water this month. I immediately checked all the faucets, spigots, toilets to see if they were running as well as hot water heater to see if it was leaking and looked under each sink. I called TV utility and they said they had checked the water meter twice and the reading was accurate. I don't know what else to do as I told the person from the utility company. I looked at the meter outside and it is not moving so I know there isn't a leak or it would keep moving despite all my faucets turned off. I don't have a pool. I haven't had any guests or any reason why the water bill would be so high. The bad thing is I have automatic payment set up and it pulled more than $500 out of my checking account. I asked the person if they could pull my typical payment until we could determine what the problem was but they don't do that.

Has anyone had this situation occur? Do I need to get a lawyer? I am at a loss. Maybe the meter malfunctioned? At this point the people who work at the utility company are done with me but I still have a huge bill and they have taken the money from my bank account..... HELP PLEASE.

Ok... have had 3x the water pipes leading in from the street, broke... the water department can come out FREE and with a meter walk over your property to find a leak. Keep in mind. 3x the under ground water pipe broke in different sections. All on my part of the property, but it got fixed. Also for the record, I am now hearing from neighbors and friends, this is also happening to them. Just have your pipes coming into your property checked... you also could have a broken pipe with your sprinkler system. But my vote... underground pipes... customer service should acknowledge a big difference in your water usage, that should be a heads up something is wrong and we are in the rainy season... we don't need to water the grass... so your water bill should be lower during this time...

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by BrianNotFromNYC

45,000 gallons "extra" is one gallon (toilet flush) a minute more than usual. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 +/- days a month = 45,000. When you see 45,000 that sounds like a lot. When you're the water department, you see a different perspective.

Especially since they are not paying for it. Personally, no matter how “regulated” I like independent verification and transparency. Too many “oops”.

[sjweigand]

I had the same thing happen at my house. I received a bill for 54,000 gallons of potable water and I was only home for 5 of those days. I contacted the utility company, they sent somebody out who determined it was the meter and they replaced the meter. I only had to pay my regular potable water bill. Have the meter checked.