Complaints

This profile includes complaints for City Of Phoenix Water Service's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  City Of Phoenix Water Service

  305 W Washington St Phoenix, AZ 85003-2187

• 

  City Of Phoenix Water Service

  200 W Washington St Phoenix, AZ 85003-1611

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/30/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We had a pool built in our backyard that just finished in June of this year. As the pool was finished, we had to fill up with water. We called the city to get a credit for the sewer usage, which every other city in this country does and was told that they dont offer credit for super usage for filling a pool. This is an absolutely ridiculous policy because you were forcing people to for sewer usage that wasnt actually used at the end of the day. I dont know how you can justify telling people they have to pay usage. They know you didnt use

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2025

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Sewer charges in the City of Phoenix are calculated based on the water usage billed in January, February and March.  If excess usage occurs during those months due to a pool fill, leak, or if a property has a larger than average landscape area, we offer a sewer fee review to request consideration of that in the sewer charge calculation.  Water usage outside of those months does not impact the sewer charge, therefore no credit is available for water usage billing in June.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Fraudulent charges

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2025

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  If you believe an account was opened in your name fraudulently, please obtain a police report.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/13/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The City of Phoenix, once a year jacks your water bill up to a ridiculous amount of water used. There is no disputing it, pay or they shut off service. I have nothing on this dry dusty property, no grass, no trees that are watered, a single person living in a home that takes 1 shower on average every other day, no pool, no where on this property is there green, no water leaks, no faucets running nothing! This is nothing less than a scam, corruption or what ever. There are 2 other residences with exactly the same issues atleast 1 month out of the year the water bill is 10x what the normal is, this occurs different months last month was 8025s month to skyrocket I believe $165.00 and she lives in ****** 3wks a month. So $165.00 for 1 week? This City Organization needs restructured and monitored obviously. They just get away with robbing citizens, its sickening.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2025

  Hello,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Bills are calculated based on the water that flowed through the meter.  The City of Phoenix only monitors water up to the meter and is unable to address the cause of changes in usage on private property.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/14/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have spoken to very rude representatives of the city of phoenix water department multiple times with no resolution. I had a representative promise me ans assured me this fee of the meter read will be waived to this day it has not been removed. This call was recorded & time stamped. I need the fee ro be removed due to the promise was never fulfilled.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2025

  Good Afternoon,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  We have previously spoken with this customer when they contacted their Council district's office with the same inquiry.  

  Calls to our call center are recorded and we reviewed the recorded call.  At no time did the representative indicate that the reread of the meter would be done for free.  The fee for a meter reread is stipulated in Phoenix City Code.  

  The City of Phoenix does not address leaks on private property but will address leaks at the meter, because the meter is part of the City's infrastructure.  It appears the customer was confused about the distinction because we had previously addressed a leak that was reported as occurring at her meter box.  Due to this confusion, we had additional internal conversations after her prior contact with us and did agree to remove the fee as a one-time courtesy.  The credit will be on the next billing statement.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have never had to sign up for City of Phoenix Services before and was never told I needed an account before requesting for water to be turned on at my house. On May 1st following the signing of my lease I sent a copy to the city of phoenix services and requested for a May 5th start date. Three days later they cancelled the request and told me that the lease was incomplete. I spoke to my landlord and got an updated copy of the lease that is completely filled out and I submitted that copy to city of phoenix services. Then 4 days later on Friday May 9th I got a response from them that said my lease was still incomplete. Without specific examples of what they are asking for. So on May 12th I called their customer ********************** line and was told I needed an account to get help from their team. It is now day two of me living at the new property with no water. It is now an urgent issue, and my property that Im paying for is not livable because of this mismanaged business. Please just help me turn my water on!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2025

  Hello ****,

  Thank you for your inquiry.  Regrettably the first two requests included a lease that was not signed by your landlord or landlord's agent.  To be accepted, a lease must be signed by all adult tenants and the landlord or the landlord's agent. The need for a landlord signature was expressed in the response to the initial request. 

  In the interim it does appear you uploaded a lease that was signed by the landlord and service will be started today (5/12/25). 

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I sent an incorrect payment amount to the City of Phoenix for my water bill using bill pay from my bank. An honest mistake, I entered the wrong amount on the wrong line and ended up sending $6,688 to the city on March 18, 2025. I called to have the charges reversed and was told it would take 10 business days. On the 10th business day I called to get an update and was told it would take 7-14 days not 10. When I explained such a large sum was a hardship, I was quoted city code and was told there is no escalation process, there was a holiday during this time, and I should be glad that someone was working on it, that it was not just in pending status -and how backed up the billing department was. I have been patient following the 10 days originally quoted. Now to be told its actually longer and there is nothing to do but wait. Its not $60 dollars, its over $6000 and I have gotten no help, just quoted policy and basically told to be grateful that it was being worked on. I asked for the banks help it stopping payment, because it was direct bill pay, that was not an option and they got the same response when attempting to reverse. This is unacceptable by the City of Phoenix and causing hardship. This is my mistake, but an honest one, which I notified of the same day it occurred . I am frustrated by the lack of action by the city services to resolve it. I simply want a refund in a timely manner.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/01/2025

  Hello Kathryn,

  I'm sorry to hear that you're in this situation and that you were given differing timeframes for resolution.  Processing a refund - regardless of the reason - requires multiple steps and approvals to ensure that the funds are being properly handled.  While I understand the frustration this can cause while waiting on the funds to be returned to you, it also ensures we're performing our fiduciary duty and properly handling the money.  I do apologize for the long timeframe.  We are waiting on one final approval before the payment is reversed and we anticipate everything being complete this week.  

  Thank you,

  Lisa-Marie Carlson

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/02/2025

  The process time to reverse overpayment if this amount is unacceptable and causing hardship. There is no escalation or acceleration process ever offered. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  A serious issue regarding a utility bill that has been incorrectly assigned to my name.The utility account was originally under the name of ****** *****, the previous owner of the property at ******************************************************************************. Unfortunately, ****** passed away on May 27, 2023. We were married only a few weeks prior to his passing, primarily due to his terminal condition. Following his passing, I moved to an apartment and began my lease on June 1, 2023. I provided a death certificate and my full lease agreement to your office as proof of these ********** June, I paid $88 towards the utility bill, but was informed that I could not cancel the services as my name was not on the account. In October 2023, I received a bill of $594.92 for ******** address, but shockingly, it was in my name. I was informed by the city that since my name appeared on the death certificate, his account was transferred to me. This is a gross misunderstanding and should never have happened.I have been disputing this issue for nearly two years now. After speaking with your accountant, **** ***** *******, I was told my new balance was $42.64. Despite this, I received a bill from a collection agency and paid $51.37 online on December 17, 2024, at 8:24 am. However, I am now receiving additional bills from Ability Recovery Services, with contact person ***** ****, who has been less than empathetic and quite unprofessional. I never signed up for City of Phoenix Utility services at the aforementioned address and have been unfairly burdened with this situation. ****** had no will, no money, and no successor. I am seeking a full refund for the undue stress and financial burden of the past two years and request that this matter be resolved immediately. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to rectify this situation. This is an urgent matter that requires immediate attention.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  Hello ********,

  
  Thank you for your inquiry.  I'm sorry you had this experience with our vendor.  Your account was paid in full with the city of Phoenix as of 1/1/25.  We contacted the collection agency on your behalf to confirm that their information matched ours regarding the adjustment completed on your account last October and the outstanding balance due.  in response, they have informed us that the account is considered paid in full with them as well. 

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called customer ********************** today to get help setting up new services. The *** was condescending and getting help felt like pulling teeth. Not looking forward to Phoenix services here if the very first interaction was painful.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2025

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Services were started for this customer on 2/14/25.

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bill from city services dated 10/22/2024 to 11/19/2024 was never received nor any email notification of bill was sent. Instead, the bill was generated on 12/17/2024 after an additional month of service had gone by resulting in even a higher water usage bill. The water leak was detected and repaired 12/13/2024. Had I known on 11/19/2024 that my bill was so high due to an obvious leak, I would have addressed it immediately. I called on 12/16/2024 asking why I had not gotten an email notification of an upcoming bill or an auto draft on or around 12/10/2024 to be told the bill was not generated yet and told to call back after 12/17/2024. I pulled up my account on 12/18/2024 to see an excessively large bill of $1585.44 for services from 10/22/2024-11/19/2024. I immediately called and was told by the team lead ********** that the bill was not sent until 12/17 because "it was so high that they had to verify it". Why did it take a month to verify? On 12/19/2024 another bill was generated for an even larger bill of $2182.48. The water leak would have been repaired on 11/20/2024 if we had known. I promptly paid $1585.44 on 12/18/2024. An additional payment of $700 was paid on 12/18/2024 toward a payment arrangement.I am asking for a bill adjustment of a minimum of $2182.48

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2025

  Good Afternoon,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention. I can certainly understand the frustration in this situation and I apologize for the delayed receipt of the bill.  Regrettably, under Phoenix City Code we are unable to offer any adjustments to charges resulting from a leak on the property. Specifically, Section ***** (A) states: Each customer served by City ********************** is responsible for all leaks, or damages due to leaks, downstream of the customers point of ********************** delivery. Each customer is responsible for full payment of charges to the City for any water lost due to leaks and other causes downstream of the customers point of ********************** delivery.

  I see the account has already been placed on a payment arrangement, which is the assistance we are able to offer in this situation. If a longer repayment period would be helpful I would be happy to review that and potentially extend the time frame.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contacted City of Phoenix Services to Start water/trash/sewer services for a house I am purchasing. First online and also by phone. I was informed that I needed to show proof of ownership in the form of a settlement statement before they will start services. Hello? I don't get a settlement statement until I officially close and take possession of the property. Then I'm supposed to wait 2-3 days until you physically come out and turn the water on. Are you kidding me? When I questioned the representative on how this is possible, she had no answers and I was told that this is just the way it is. There has got to be a way to get the water turned on so its available when I move in. Please advise.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2024

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Although we're aware you may not receive the final settlement statement until the closing, an estimated version is provided prior to the closing.  We will accept either the estimated or the final version of the settlement statement or the deed as proof of ownership.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******