Complaints

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:01/26/2023

  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 pipes in my house have begun making a lot of noise when water is running. I PAID a plumber to come and look into it. He said the problem was with a new water meter that had been put in, replacing an older meter. He said its an issue he's seen before and WSSC knows about it and has to come out and fix it. I called WSSC on Monday January 23 and they said someone would come out the next day, Tuesday, Jan. 24. I gave them my phone number and never heard from anyone and the problem has not been fixed. Its now Thursday afternoon and I've been on hold for about 20 minutes so far getting the same message about paying my bill. There is no way to reach customer service, its like a run-around where you can't even send them an email. There should be a way to reach customer service by email but there is not. Their phone service is horrible in that there is NO service. I should not be stuck paying a plumber and wasting my time on hold for a problem that is their fault.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  --------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: **** **** <*************@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Mon, Feb 6, 2023 at 1:59 PM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
  Cc: **** Kara **********************@wsscwater.com>

  Good afternoon: We replaced this customers noisy meter on 01/27/23.  Sincerely, ****

   

  WSSC Water is the proud provider of safe, seamless and satisfying water services, making the essential possible every day.

  KARA ** *. M** Senior Research & Communications Specialist Customer Service Department

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  WSSC came to my house and removed concrete from my driveway on my property (along with others in the neighborhood) and replaced it with asphalt without my permission or approval. They dont seem to be coming back to replace it as this was done in early October. I have placed several tickets with them and request that they call me back with updates but no status updates and tickets are being closed. I have tried calling them but get bounced around and l never can get an answer. This is unacceptable. I would like a call from WSSC with a clear date as to when they would be fixing what they destroyed back to its original state.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2023

  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've lived in this building for around 2.5 years now. Our water gets shut off an average of twice a year by WSSC. Not only do they do it on short notice, but the rare times they pass out water they never have enough for everyone. According to MD fire marshalls, the building is not habitable without water.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: **** **** <************@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 2:35 PM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
  Cc: **** **** *************************************************************

  Good afternoon:  **. ******************************* is being affected by a Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Contract project (********). Since 2019, there have been 5 shutdowns associated with this MDOT project, 2 of which resulted water stations setup to provide water to over 1800 customers. Shutdown notification letter was provided for 1 event associated with the project, giving at least 5 days’ notice. Impacts to the customers were planned to occur during the hours of 10:00pm – 5:00am to minimize the inconvenience. The Prince George’s County Fire Department was notified for each event for the disruption of water to the area, including any fire hydrants that were put out of service during that time. MDOT is managing the contract associated with the continuous work, WSSC Water is providing inspections of water and sanitary sewer replacements.
  
  The General Contractor/MDOT requests a shutdown from WSSC Water to accommodate needs of their project. After which time WSSC Water will identify the customers impacted by a specific shutdown and notify via hand delivered letters to all impacted customers (in the case of multiunit buildings like **** ********* ***, one letter would be given to the building manager). MDOT has requested, and WSSC Water has executed 5 shutdowns on this project . MDOT has also recently requested a sixth. Of these requested shutdowns, only one has impacted water service at **** ********* ***. To our understanding MDOT has a listserv for the ******** Contract that informs of project updates/water shutdowns/etc. All on the listserv many not be impacted by a specific water shutdown which is likely causing confusion which may provide the appearance that each WSSC customer is being impacted by multiple shutdowns. WSSC Water has and will continue to work with MDOT on how they communicate with the customers about water shutdowns. We do not anticipate more than one future watermain shutdown that will impact service at **** ********* *** associated with the project, although emergencies can and do occur. 

  Sincerely,

   

  KARA ** ** M** Senior Research & Communications Specialist Customer Service **********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2023

  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.

  Over-billed twice. Latest instance entails (1) RE-insertion of previously deducted late fee and (2) unexplained doubled usage based on normal consumption pattern. (3) Need meter changed in addition to adjustment to bill. WHY? ADC since 2 Dec was already at 3,000 gallons which cannot be accurate. Attached picture of 3,000 gallons vertical water tank for perspective. Note, four people live in our house. Two adults and two children. No way that we consume that much water in such a short time frame. Also attached picture illustrating normal consumption pattern until last two billing periods, which are inaccurate. No detectable leaks were found within property. Last leak was attributed to WSSC as gasket at meter failed…

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: **** **** <****************************@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 2:27 PM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania  complaint #********.
  To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
  Cc: **** **** ********************@wsscwater.com>
  
  Good  afternoon:   We are in communication with *********************** by phone.  Sincerely,  ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  On 09/09 I received an email from WSSC saying my bill was ready for a sum of $2887.80. I called on 09/13 to inquire about the drastic increase and was given a generic answer of not being able to get a proper reading. On 9/20 I received a new bill totaling $2104.32. Another complaint was made about the drastic increase and on 10/21 I received a new balance of $1387.40, $509.58, and $590.57. As of 12/5 when I paid $320 the bill from WSSC is still at $1651.30. After talking to several personnel I was told I could have a leak and that employees were not able to read my outside meter due to it being broken, so readings needed to be taken on the inside of the house. WSSC personnel has been in my residence several times to take readings on my meter and a broken or malfunctioning outside meter was never mentioned. After calling and escalating the situation the outside meter mysteriously started providing accurate readings again. My bill said I had consumed over 200,000,000% more water than my previous reading. I would like for WSSC to ensure the outside meter is functioning properly and that my bills are accurate not showing an "estimate" but an actual reading. I would also want WSSC to correct the bill amount. My previous bills were between $140-$290. I feel even with a leak my water consumption shouldn't be reflected as a two hundred million percent increase.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  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.

  Acct ********** WSSC is a fraud. Today I got a bill totally $4950.18. I called customer service and was told that I have used 358,000 gallons of water since my last reading, which they are saying was Oct 2020. Furthermore I paid 417.78 a few months ago and they are not showing that payment as being made on thus statement. They need to investigate the matter and correct the bill so that it accurately reflects usage for my household. 

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2023

  --------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: M**, Kara <********@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 2:11 PM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: *******************@*****.com <*******************@*****.com>
  Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
  
  

  *** ******* ********

  ***** ******* *****

  Olney, MD *****

  Re:     Account #**********

            WSSC IssueTrakr #******

            BBB Complaint #********

  Dear *** ********:

  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) requested that WSSC Water respond to your complaint regarding the high 10/20/20-10/27/22 water/sewer bill for ***** ******* *****. Your inquiry was referred to me for investigation. I appreciate your patience while we reviewed your account. We are here to help!

  For information, the water meter is installed inside your home and is read through a device mounted outside your home called the “remote reader.”  The remote reader is wired to the inside meter and remains synchronized with it. 

  WSSC Water is usually able to secure a reading from most of its meters. However, periodically a meter cannot be read because it is inaccessible or inoperable. We may be required to estimate the bills of accounts to ensure timely billing. Maryland Law allows us to provide estimated billing for up to 6 months.

  According to our records, on 02/03/21, 04/28/21, 07/27/21, 11/02/21, 02/04/22, 04/29/22, 08/03/22, and 10/27/22, our meter readers were unable to obtain a meter reading from the remote reading device located behind a locked gate. When our field personnel are unable to obtain an actual meter reading, they leave a yellow “Meter Reading Request” card at the property.  The card requests that the customer read the water meter within 10 days from the date on the card.  The card states that we will issue estimated billing if an actual reading is not obtained. Also, we mail “Estimated Bill Postcards” providing instructions for customer about how to submit an inside reading online or by email.

  Consequently, when no reading was provided, your 10/20/20 through 10/27/22 bills reflected estimated charges/usage using the seasonal comparable consumption from the previous years. Estimated bills are labeled as such. When an actual reading is secured, the customer is provided a bill covering actual water and sewer use since the last "actual” bill was rendered, including the time covered by the estimated bill. The new bill cancels all charges included on the estimated bill, but credits the customer for any estimated bill payment.

  On 11/01/22, we canceled the estimated bills and generated a bill reflecting actual water and sewer consumption at the property from 10/20/20-10/27/22. Any payments towards the estimated charges were re-applied to the actual consumption charges.  For this reason, although the charges for the total bill were $7,004.99, the bill reflected a $4,950.18 balance due. The usage was 358,000 gallons over 737 days, or a 485-gallon average daily consumption (ADC). 

  On 11/22/22, your inside meter reading indicated that the remote reading used to produce the 10/27/22 bill was incorrect.  As a result, we canceled the 10/20/20-10/27/22 bill for $7,004.99 and rebilled the account from 10/20/20-11/22/22 for 146,000 gallons of usage, a decreased 191-gallon ADC. The corrected bill totaled $2,491.61 and reflected a $436.80 balance due. The reduction in charges was $4,513.38 ($7,004.99 - $2,491.61 = $4,513.38).

  On 12/14/22, we visited your property and were able to move the remote reader outside the locked gate. We anticipate that this will allow us to obtain actual meter readings from the remote and eliminate most estimated bills in the future.

  On 01/05/23, since your 10/20/20-11/22/22 bill included charges for 763 days, we adjusted the account charges as follows:

  • First, we canceled the 10/20/20-11/22/22 bill for $2,491.61.
  • Next, from 10/20/20-05/28/21, using the 190-gallon ADC from 10/20/20-11/22/22, we re-billed the account for 42,000 gallons of water/sewer usage. This bill totaled $685.34 and reflected a $1,806.27 credit balance.
  • Then, from 05/28/21-05/26/22, we re-billed the account for zero usage and $171.03 in fees. This bill decreased the credit balance to $1,635.24.
  • Finally, from 05/26/22-11/22/22, the 190-gallon ADC from 10/20/20-11/22/22, we re-billed the account for 35,000 gallons of water/sewer usage. This bill totaled $630.15 and further reduced the credit balance to $1,005.09.
  • The reduction in charges was $1,005.09 ($2,491.61 - $685.34 - $171.03 - $630.15 = $1,005.09).
  • The adjusted bills are attached for your review.

  Our records do not indicate that we received a $417.78 payment directed to this account. For clarification, please see the attached summary of the account charges, consumption, adjustments, and payments. So we can investigate further, you are welcome to send me a copy of your bank statement verifying you made this payment.

  In the meantime, your account currently reflects a $1,005.09 credit balance that can remain on the account to be applied toward future bills or be refunded.

  We hope this information is helpful and thank you for being a valued WSSC Water customer. If you have any additional questions, please contact WSSC Water’s Customer Service Center at ************, 1-************, or TTY ************, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays.  You can also email us at [email protected], or write to the address indicated below.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/11/2022

  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.

  Wssc water sent me a bill for $1,250.17 for the billing period 8/6/2022-10/28/2022. My normal bill averages around $500.00. we went on vacation and weren't home during September 11 - September 22 2022. Nothing has changed in regards to any home renovations/repairs.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2022

  
  

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: M**, Kara <**********@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Mon, Nov 28, 2022 at 10:32 AM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: ***************************** <*****************************>
  Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>
  

  
  

  *******************************

  **** **************

  Rockville, MD *****

   

  Re:     Account #**********

            WSSC IssueTrakr #****** and ******

            BBB Complaint #********

  Dear ****************:

  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) requested that WSSC Water respond to your complaint regarding the high 08/06/22-10/28/22 water/sewer bill for *********************************. Your inquiry was referred to me for investigation. I appreciate your patience while we reviewed your account. We are here to help!

  For information, WSSC Water uses a positive displacement type meter for all of our residential properties. This type of meter is specifically designed to measure and register by volume. If water does not pass through the measuring chamber, no usage is indicated on the meters register. By law, WSSC Water is obligated to issue bills based on meter readings.

  According to our records, your 08/06/22-10/28/22 bill reflected a 686-gallon average daily consumption (***), or $1,250.17. The usage was 57,000 gallons over 83 days. For reference, the ADC on the 08/10/21-11/03/21 comparable bill was 117 gallons. We agree this usage appears elevated compared to the historical consumption at your property. For this reason, on 10/31/22, we mailed you a "High Reading Notification" letter containing information about household leak detection and how to find a plumber.

  WSSC Water's 11/09/22 “check reading” confirmed the accuracy of the 10/28/22 billed reading and indicated that since 10/28/22, an additional 1,000 gallons of water registered on the meter. The ADC decreased to 83 gallons, suggesting that the cause of the elevated usage was remedied.

  In your 11/14/22 email, you advised us that your plumber found no leaks. WSSC Water delivers water to the property; however, we cannot determine how that water is used once it passes through our meter. 

  On 11/22/22, we read the meter in your presence. Between 11/09/22 and 11/22/22, the ADC was 153 gallons. While at the property, we observed no registration on the meter, suggesting that there were no active leaks occurring during our visit.

  WSSC Water offers a “High Bill Adjustment” to our single-unit residential customers when water consumption increases at least three times the comparable ADC and the customer is not eligible for any other adjustment. This adjustment is offered on one bill once every three years and removes the charges for 50% of the excess water/sewer usage. Since ultimately the property owner is responsible for residential plumbing, normal usage plus 50% of the cost of the excess usage is the responsibility of the owner. 

  The adjustment canceled the 08/06/22-10/28/22 bill for $1,250.17 and re-billed the account $668.65 for the same period, providing a $581.52 reduction in charges ($1,250.17 -  $668.65 = $581.52).  A copy of the adjusted bill is attached for your review. No further reduction of charges is warranted within our adjustment regulations. 

  To assist you with paying your bill, we will gladly divide the $668.65 account balance into weekly, bi-weekly or monthly installments. Please note that in addition to installment payments, future bills must be paid in full by their payment due dates. To request payment installment plan (Pay Plan), please contact WSSC Water’s Customer Service Center at 301-206-4001, 1-800-634-8400, or TTY 301-206-8345, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays. You can also email us at [email protected].

  If you are experiencing financial difficulties, we may have additional options for assisting you. For more information, please visit our website at www.wsscwater.com/assistance.

  Thank you for being a valued WSSC Water customer.

  Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  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.

  Water Bill says used 35000 gallons. We have never had a bill& usage this high even when our daughter , husband and grandson were living with us. The average usage when they lived with us was in low 300’s ex: 10/25/21 used avg 321 with 4 people living here 1/27/22 usage 319 4/20/22 used 313 they moved out end of April . Only my wife and I were living in home 7/21/22 usage dropped to 152 then on the 10/17/22 bill it goes to 397 ( that’s impossible first son in law is a plumber NO LEAKS EXISTED THEN OR NOW . I’ve been reading in Montgomery County WSSC has had many complaints regarding wrong meter reading and or their new system having errors. My wife and I are disabled & NO WAY ARE WE ABLE TO PAY FOR THIER INCOMPETENCE.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/28/2022

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: M**, Kara  <********************@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Fri, Oct 28, 2022 at 3:58 PM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: ************** <**************>
  Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>

  
  

  ***************************

  *********************

  **** *********

  Silver Spring, MD *********

  Re:     Account #**********

            BBB Complaint ID  ********

            WSSC IssueTrakr #******

  Dear **. and ************:

  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) requested that WSSC Water respond to your complaint regarding the high 07/21/22-10/17/22 water/sewer bill for **************. Your inquiry was referred to me for investigation. I appreciate your patience while we reviewed your account.

  We understand wanting to confirm that your meter is correctly capturing the water used in your home. Typically, when the numbers increase in sequential order, this verifies the accuracy of the billed meter reading. WSSC Water bills consumption in one thousand-gallon increments; we subtract the ending from the beginning meter reading to determine how much water was consumed during the billing period.

  Our investigation revealed that, according to our 10/21/22 check reading, the 10/17/22 meter reading of 2,554,000 gallons used to produce the 07/21/22-10/17/22 high bill was incorrect. The follow-up reading we obtained was lower at 2,535,000 gallons.
  
  Please accept our sincere apologies for the confusion and inconvenience our reading error caused you. WSSC Water is committed to providing our customers with accurate billing and will continue striving to improve our accuracy.
  
  On 10/27/22, we canceled the 07/21/22-10/17/22 high bill for $708.19 and rebilled the account from 07/21/22-10/21/22 for $288.36. The water/sewer usage was 16,000 gallons, a 173-gallon average daily consumption (ADC). For reference, the ADC on the 07/30/21-10/25/21 seasonal comparable bill was higher at 321 gallons. The reduction in charges was $419.83 ($708.19 - $288.36 = $419.83). The corrected bill notification will be emailed soon and a copy is attached.
  
  As a result, after your 10/11/22 payment of $200.00 was applied, your account reflects an $88.36 balance due by 11/28/22.
  
  I hope this amicably resolves your concerns and thank you for being a valued WSSC Water customer. If you have additional questions, please contact WSSC Water’s Customer Service Center at 301-206-4001, 1-800-634-8400, or TTY 301-206-8345, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays.  You can also email us at [email protected], or write to the address indicated below. We are here to help!
  
  Sincerely,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  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.

  My complaint is with WSSC billing and I am disputing my very high water bill. I have lived in my residence for 19 years and had one water issue back in 2004, since then my bill averages $110 per quarter. However, I noticed that my bill was getting higher in 2022 over $500. I had one plumbing issue in April 2022 and it was fixed immediately so if my bill was a little higher, that was understandable. However, this year, in April my bill was $377, in July my bill was $562.70. Just recently, I received two separate email billing notifications: 10/13/2022 my bill amount is $323.56 and then 4 days later I received another email billing notifications: 10/17/2022 my bill is $575.07, which leads me to believe that my billing is not correct as I already know it is not. WSSC is the worse utility company to interact with and they are not customer service friendly at all. I have tried to work with then but to no avail, it is always the customer fault. I lived in a home with one working bathroom, with two people and a cat. I do not have any leaks, nor running toilets or any other water issues, yet, my bill has been over $1000 so far this year. I need restitution for this headache, mental anguish and stress on how I am going to pay a bill that I know I am not responsible for, I know that my billing are errors on WSSC part but because they are commissioned, this company fails to hold themselves accountable for any wrongdoing and its really unfair to their customer, as I do not have any water issues and my bill should not be this much. By the way, during the pandemic, I paid my bills. I have an ***** spreadsheet that breakdown each quarter billing but BBB does not support ***** spreadsheet attachments. Thank you. *********************** **************************** Silver Spring MD ********** WSSC account **********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2022

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: M**,  Kara <************@wsscwater.com>
  Date: Tue, Nov 15, 2022 at 10:56 AM
  Subject: RE: You have a new message from the BBB of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #********.
  To: ********************* <*********************>
  Cc:  [email protected] <[email protected]>
  

  
  
  

  ***************************

  *** *****************

  Silver Spring, MD *****

   

  Re:     Account #**********

            BBB Complaint ID ********

            WSSC IssueTrakr #******

   

  Dear ****************:

  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) requested that WSSC Water respond to your complaint regarding the recent high water/sewer bills for *********************. Your inquiry was referred to me for investigation. I appreciate your patience while we reviewed your account.

  According to our records, actual bills between 10/14/21 and 10/13/22 were as follows:

  Start Date	Meter Reading	End Date	Meter Reading	# of Days	Consumption (gallons)	ADC (gallons)
  10/14/21	748,000	01/19/22	753,000	97	5,000	51
  01/19/22	753,000	04/12/22	773,000	83	20,000	240
  04/12/22	773,000	07/13/22	802,000	92	29,000	315
  07/13/22	802,000	10/13/22	*******	92	29,000	315

   

  This pattern of increasing usage normally indicates the presence of a leak(s) worsening over time. Our bills reflecting elevated consumption should alert customers to their increased water usage so they can take corrective action to reduce their future water and sewer use costs.

  For this reason, on our website at www.wsscwater.com, we provide information about household water usage, water conservation tips, how to detect plumbing leaks, how to find a plumber, how to use water wisely, and sub-meters & fire hydrant meters.

  We understand wanting to confirm that your meter is correctly capturing the water used in your home. To verify the accuracy of the 10/13/22 billed meter reading of 831,000 gallons, we obtained another meter reading on 11/04/22, and your meter read 838,000 gallons. When the numbers increase in sequential order, this verifies the accuracy of the billed meter reading. Between 10/13/22 and 11/04/22, the readings indicated an additional 7,000 gallons of water registered on the meter. WSSC Water bills consumption in one thousand gallon increments; we subtract the ending from the beginning meter reading to determine how much water was consumed during the billing period: 838,000 – 831,000 = 7,000 gallons. The average daily consumption (ADC) remained elevated at 318 gallons.
  
   Although any leaking plumbing fixture is solely the responsibility of the property owner/occupant, WSSC Water offers a plumbing inspection to help residential customers locate leaks. The inspection costs $120 per visit and the fee is charged to your water account. Our inspector will check fixtures such as toilets, hose bibbs, and faucets. However, our inspector cannot make repairs if a leak is identified. Therefore, it may be more cost effective for you to hire a plumber who can make any necessary repairs. To schedule an inspection, please contact WSSC Water’s Customer Service Center at 301-206-4001, 1-800-634-8400, or TTY 301-206-8345, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays.
  
  Since your water meter is located outside, if you have a leak on the underground water service pipe from the property line to the building, the water may register on your meter. If your plumber verifies that your WSSC Water bill(s) reflects increased usage due to this type of leakage, please submit copies of the repair receipt and signed inspection permit to [email protected].
  
  Certain plumbing repairs, such as all repairs to underground water lines, must be done by a master plumber registered with WSSC Water. Ask for the master plumber's registration number when contacting them. When hiring a master plumber, we recommend you obtain more than one estimate.
  
  Customers who experience high bills due to unidentified reasons with an Average Daily Consumption of at least three times the seasonal comparable ADC from the previous year (or current ADC if comparable is unavailable) and are not eligible for any other adjustment as set out in the WSSC Water Code of Regulations, Chapter 3.20.030, may qualify for a High Bill Adjustment.
  
  In the meantime, to assist you with paying your bill, we will gladly divide the current $575.07 account balance into weekly, bi-weekly or monthly installments. Please note that in addition to installment payments, future bills must be paid in full by their payment due dates. To request payment installment plan (Pay Plan), please contact our Customer Service Center at 301-206-4001, 1-800-634-8400, or TTY 301-206-8345, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., weekdays.
  
  Thank you for being a valued WSSC Water customer. We are here to help!
  
  Sincerely,
  

  WSSC Water is the proud provider of safe, seamless and satisfying water services, making the essential possible every day.

  KARA ** *. M** Senior Research & Communications Specialist Customer Service Department   ************ (O) ************ (F) ***********************************   ***** ************************* Laurel, Maryland *****