Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 feel this local office is scamming money from the civilians in our small town to line their own pockets. They accused me of being responsible for the meter reader, I cut it they said. This is tactics to charge me and pad my account with extra fees. I have had a bill every month and pray that this becomes an investigation. Check the local residents to confirm my story. They ate scamming us and it's not adding up.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2024

  To whom it may concern;
  

  My name is Matt Egbert, & I’m the new Finance Director
  for the City of Oak Grove as of 07/01/2024. 
  To that point, I have approached this issue from a position of objective
  neutrality, to offer an unbiased assessment of the situation.
  

  My understanding of the situation:
  Sometime in June 2024, the cellular transponder wire to the
  water meter was cut/damaged by what appeared to be landscaping/mowing damage
  (see attached picture).  The meter
  continues to read usage during this period, but it was not being reported due
  to the damaged transponder.  This resulted
  in usage readings of ZERO for the months of JUL24, AUG24, & SEPT24.  As such, the account was billed the minimum
  amount of $61.15 per month for the months of JUL24—SEPT24, totaling $183.45. 
  

  Once the issue was identified, the cellular transponder was
  repaired/replaced by the City of Oak Grove. 
  The City was reimbursed by the homeowner (Robinson, Cecil), & no
  cost was passed on to the utility customer or their account.  After the repairs, a current meter reading
  was performed, which resulted in producing a 4-month cumulative usage reading
  of 923 (or 92,300 GAL) for JUL24—OCT24. 
  This averages to about 230.75 (or 23,075 GAL) average water usage per
  month over that period.  That, plus sewer
  & trash, resulted in the current billing being disputed (see attached).
  

  Late penalties of $50/each were also incurred for the months
  of AUG24 & SEPT24 but were waived as a courtesy to the customer.  We would also be willing to deduct the
  minimum amounts already paid by the customer from the amount due during those
  months, which totals $183.45 as noted above. 
  However, the water usage did occur during the monthly periods in
  question, reported or not; & that unfortunately resulted in a 4-month
  cumulative billing total.
  

  Furthermore, I have found no instance of intentional
  malfeasance or misrepresentation by the City of Oak Grove; nor does it actively
  engage in any deceptive practices.
  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused
  our utility customer.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2024

   
  
  Complaint: 22371040
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I understand a little better on what could have lead to this situation. I understand. But I was unaware of the billing charges or discounts. I have screen shots of my bills and I have been paying them at a normal pace. Not aware of the changes. I was informed once about the reader. Was aware that it was on me. Expected it to maybe be charged to my account. I have been paying regular charges. The charges documents even with my 40 plus charge does not amount to what record show. I'll except responsibility for the part but please be aware of the difference in what is billed versus what is documented.

  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  Bernice Henderson

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/15/2024

  To whom it may concern;

  
  Again, we apologize for the inconvenience of receiving a
  cumulative bill.  

  However, the water
  & sewer usage still occurred for the monthly periods of July 2024, August
  2024, & September 2024. The utility
  customer is still liable for the monthly utility usage.

  To reiterate, the City of Oak Grove would be willing to
  reduce the bill by the minimum amounts paid for the monthly periods in
  question:  

  JUL24 = $61.15, AUG24 = $61.15,
  & SEPT24 = $61.15; totaling $183.45.  That would reduce & equate the current
  bill to the amount of $1,127.16.

  The customer was NOT charged for the cost of replacing the
  meter transponder, so that is not a factor to be disputed in this current
  billing.  The bill reflects the customer’s
  actual utility usage of water & sewer, and the amount reflects a 4-month
  cumulative total of charges.  Between
  covering the cost of the replacement meter transponder for the customer &
  offering to reduce the bill by the minimum amount for the months the meter was
  damaged, the City of Oak Grove has offered all the monetary concessions
  available.  The customer has also stated that they will accept
  responsibility for their part of the current charges, so we hope to be able to
  move towards a viable resolution together.
  
  Thank you for your understanding.