Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Aqua America, Incorporated's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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Aqua America, Incorporated has 22 locations, listed below.

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• 

  Aqua America, Incorporated

  762 W Lancaster Ave Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-3402

• 

  Aqua America, Incorporated

  2246 Dabney Rd Richmond, VA 23230-3320

• 

  Aqua Virginia

  420 Garden Ln Palmyra, VA 22963-4284

• 

  Aqua Illinois

  1000 S Schuyler Ave Kankakee, IL 60901-5026

• 

  Aqua Texas Inc

  1106 Clayton Ln Ste 400W Austin, TX 78723-2476

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:07/04/2023

  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.

  Water is out for 2 days. Suspecting Aqua Illinois is intentionally shutting our (including entire community) water off and blamed on drought weather. We received a phone call from Aqua to refrain using water for watering the lawn, taking shower etc after Illinois area has been largely rained for 2 days. Immediately on the same day, we realized there is no water to use. We called Aqua Illinois, file complaints, go into their office, posted in social media and they had no actions nor responses have been taken. They wasted a full day to understand the root cause and fix the issue while water service is essential to all of us and is basic human right to have clean and accessible water supply. On 7/3 afternoon 2pm, they claimed the water service was restored, while I did not see even a drip of water coming out from our facets. We are living in a great country and communities, but how come this essential service cannot even be comparable to a third world country? Why do we need to suffer the expensive bill for water service while they can shut our water off every summer deliberately? The CEO can have multi million dollars of bonus while civilians need to suffer this life threatening situation. The situation would be horrible if a person lived in this area have medical needs which need immediate access to water. We definitely need to switch to a new water service company. We need Aqua Illinois for compensation due to their deliberately shut off on our water system.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2023

  July 6th Update. Dear AQUA Customer:
  

  We continue to make progress in stabilizing our water system by hauling water to supplement our supply and increase pressure.  A vast majority of our customers have water at acceptable pressure levels, and we believe that number will continue to grow today if there are no unexpected changes in the system or sudden increases in demand.  We need our water reserves to continue to increase before we can test to ensure the safety of our water. As a result, we expect a boil water advisory to stay in effect through this weekend. We are providing bottled water at the ******************* Aquatic Center until the boil water advisory has been lifted.  Every drop counts and we are, in partnership with the Village of*****************, requiring that residents eliminate all sprinkler usage until further notice.  
  We are also partnering with ******************* Aquatic Center leadership to provide engineering support to help them address a break on their property so they can open up without compromising the water pressure for the rest of the system. 
  We thank you greatly for your continued patience as we work to restore full service and lift the boil water advisory and we truly apologize for the inconvenience this may caused.
  

  For updates, please check here: **********************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/06/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: we received water after 4 days while we escalated to higher authority. Till then, there was no response from Aqua side.
  

  Can you believe it, we were in dark to sustain for 4 days without any drop of water? Is it how emergency service work? How about hundreds of $ we spent on hotel/food/water bills?

  Will Aqua treat us in a same way if we were in faulty situation & did not pay their bills on time?

  The reason which bothered me is poor infrastructure, lack of professionalism, commitment to provide better service & miscommunication.

  I would like to get those answered, please.
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/03/2023

  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.

  It’s only been a year since I moved into the ******* area with the only option for water is this the worst water company ever! I have lived all over and this company is the worst! Shut them down! It’s either their infrastructure or poor management and both of these things!!!! This area has had nothing but water break lines where we go without water for hours!!!! It can’t always be w water break! No other water company has these issues!!!! It’s on my AQUA! Shut them down and get us a real water company! This last time dated July 2nd, 2023! We have not had water for more than 24 hours! Their customer service sucks! Plenty of neighbors called and they get hung up or this unreputable company says we have not found the leak? In a day! I will be filing a complaint with the Villiage of *******, IL No other area I’ve lived in Illinois - have I had any issues with water service! Get rid of this loser company! I don’t have water then refund me!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2023

  July 6th Update. Dear AQUA Customer:

  We continue to make progress in stabilizing our water system by hauling water to supplement our supply and increase pressure.  A vast majority of our customers have water at acceptable pressure levels, and we believe that number will continue to grow today if there are no unexpected changes in the system or sudden increases in demand.  
  We need our water reserves to continue to increase before we can test to ensure the safety of our water. As a result, a boil water advisory will stay in effect through the weekend. We are providing bottled water at the ******************* Aquatic Center until the boil water advisory has been lifted.  
  Every drop counts and we are, in partnership with the Village of ********************, requiring that residents eliminate all sprinkler usage until further notice.  
  We are also partnering with ******************* Aquatic Center leadership to provide engineering support to help them address a break on their property so they can open up without compromising the water pressure for the rest of the system. 
  
  We thank you for your continued patience as we work to restore full service and lift the boil water advisory and we truly apologize for any inconvenience this may caused.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/23/2023

  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.

  (Sorry if anything does not make sense since English is not my first language)Starting from the end of May, Aqua shut off the water for maintenance (which was not communicated before hand) and after they turned on the water line again, my house constantly have had issue with the water not working properly. We were not having enough water running through the whole house for cooking and showering, not to mention there are little back rocks that stuck in our main water lines that literally fall out whenever we turn on the water to use. I dont even think it is safe to drink from that water. We called numerous times, like at least 20 times to ask for help. They sent in 2 plumbers after a week or so, after we have asked several times for help. It worked for 2 days, then after 2 days, we were out of water again. So 4 adults, 2 kids, and we only relied on 1 restroom that barely works for WEEKS. Literally the first day was 5/21, right now it's 6/23 and the issue is still not solved. We called a few times after, and yesterday, 6/21 they sent in another contracter plumber that fixed the issue but just 1 day, it happened again, little rocks got into our boiler valves and broke it. The contractor came and just pull out a piece of our washer to check the water like and sorta broke a piece of our washer. And after all that heachache, our issue has not been resolved. So for weeks that we did not have hot water to shower, or not enough water to cook with. And now when we called them again, they told us to wait for their contractor to call back, which would take 1 week or so. Please tell me how can it be appropriate to provide that kind of service? As we called and complained days after the incident, the water is NOT safe to drink, the little black rocks need to be cleaned off our water line. Today is Friday, and we dont want to wait for another 7 business days + 2 days in the weekend in order for them to notice us. We are very much stress out about this situation.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2023

  Aqua records show on 6/9/2023 the customer contacted Aqua due to not having water. There was a main break and repairs was made and water service was restored. On 6/13/2023 the customer contacted Aqua stating there was sediment and discolor in the water. Aqua sent a contract plumber to the property to investigate. The contractor found the customer had previous internal plumbing issues unrelated to the main break. On 6//16/2023 the customer called and spoke with representative about the meter leaking. A contractor plumber visited the property and installed a straight pipe until our meter representative could come out to exchange the broken meter. It is unclear how the meter became broke. Although the meter belongs to Aqua the customer is responsible for making sure the meter is not damaged. On 6/22/2023 the customer contacted Aqua again stating there is sediment in his line. On 6/24/2023 when Aqua was able to gain access to the property, the meter was exchanged. Aqua is not responsible for the conditions of the customers appliances that provide hot water i.e. washer and hot water heater. The customer may contact a plumber of their choice at their discretion to inspect and make the necessary repairs to ensure there is adequate pressure flow to his washer and hot water heater. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/28/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  We have been calling the bussiness numerous of times in regard of this issue. There was no issue like this happened before the main break. The manager **** also acknowledged of the issue and he have sent contracted plumber twice (06/15) and some times a few days after. The issues were resolved within that day but later on came right back after 1 or 2 days. The sediments got into our water line that prevented us from showering, cooking and drinking. It also got into our boiler, that made us not having hot water. We also called our heat service to come check the boiler and they said the sediments got in, so that's on the water service company that needs to take responsibility. We also called just yesterday to Aqua, at first they gave out the same answer and denied that they did infact send plumbers to our house twice. They stated only techinician come to my house to work on the meter. The representative was rude and unhelpful. After we explained numerous of times, they finally got in contact with the one who was in charged of the issue, ****, the manager, in the first place and finally accepted that they did indeed send contractors to my house. We asked the contractors to get us his info before but he refused and said he was contracted by Aqua, so we need to contacted Aqua. And Aqua now gives us the runaround and tries to blame it on us. 

  After some back and forth, we was told the manager will be sending another contractor to come take care of it (we were told the same thing numerous of times but the wait time is 6-7 days apart; or even more, but the issue is still continue on).

  Again, none of this issue happened before Aqua shut down the water line, the issue was there. We called. They said gave it a couple days, the water should run normally but it did not, that's why we called again in the first place to have them come check it, because it's happenning for weeks. We just want Aqua to provide the service they promised when we first contacted them. 

  Regards,
  
  ** ***

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2023

  Aqua position is we apologize for the inconvenience cause after the main break was repaired. As an attempt to address ************** concern on several occasion a plumbing contractor visited the property. Aqua responsibility is the main, meter and electronic reading transmitter. ********** may file a claim with our claims department at: [email protected]. A claims representative will contact ********** in reference to resolving his claim.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/06/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I called Aqua in the first place because there was no water and later found out there was a main break. Once the main break was fixed, and water was returned to our house the day after all our faucets and all the areas where we access water was having little to no pressure behind the opening of the valve. I thought it was low water pressure that was coming back to our house after the main was fixed. So I called aqua with my concerns, and they sent over a technician. That same technician took out the meter and said to me that the meter was full of debris from the main bringing in sediment and clogged all of our faucets. He ran a straight line, and after that straight line the next day, the problem became even worse. We called aqua again and explain our situation and they sent over a plumber. That plumber cleared out all the screens of the areas where we use water. That fixed the problem for the time that he was here. After he left the following day all the areas of where we needed water were clogged again. At this time there was still no meter. The plumber came to our house twice to clear all our screens. The next day the problem re-occurred. As of today July 6th 2023 all our faucets are clogged with black sediment. Aqua has lied to us about testing our water. We have video proof that all the sediment comes in with the flow of the water. Our water is black at times. With sediments behind it. When they fix the main break, so much sediment was brought in to our house that it is clogging all of our faucets. We have one working bathroom for six people when we should have four.  I have to move my 400 pounds washer dryer every time I want to do laundry to clean out the screen in the back because its full of sediment. When the plumber came out to clear all the areas they did not clear out all of the correct areas. Water flow goes into our boiler. The plumber that cleared out and flushed out gallons of water to clear out. The sediment did not clear out the areas where the water was going into the boiler. We called ***** **** services which service is our boiler and oil needs thinking that we ran out of oil because we did not have hot water. When they came out to check, they said our tank was about half full of about 130 gallons of oil. That means the sediments got in there and it clogged up all the lines going to all the faucets in the house where we need hot water. in the message is stated that we called because we had a leaky meter and that was not the case. We never called once to complain about the meter leaking. Aqua is stating that it is our fault that all the sediment is in our house that they brought in after fixing the main break. How can that be? I pay them for clean water so we can drink and right now we are not able to do that because of all the rocks inside the water.

  I have called numerous of times, with very little help from the company. All we got from them was "wait until the plumber call us", which took weeks in between every visit and none of the issue got resolved. 2 weeks ago before we filed BBB complaint, we were told the same thing, we called a day before Aqua responded to our complaint on BBB and first was told it was our issue, then after they said they would send another plumber to take care of the issue, and right now it's well over a week. We still have the issue and we won't be doing any more work calling them anymore. We called pretty much every single day since our first incident, they can check the records, not even calls that we had to wait for hours just to get to a real person to speak to. We had to explain our issues a million times with zero actual help. They never actually called us back to let us know what's going on and when can we expect the issue got resolved. We called again this morning during my husband's break but there was no rep picking up. 
  

  see link here for video: ***************************

  We want Aqua to actually step in, get in touch with us, call us and get this resolved. 

  Regards,
  
  ** ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/19/2023

  Type:Order 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 aqua because I got a 10 day shut off notice that is dated for June 22nd I didn't get the shut off notice right away because it was in someone else mailbox I called them to try and get another pay arrangement because my husband's hours were cut at work and told them I wouldn't be able to make the payment by the 22nd they told me they couldn't do anything and gave me a number for a place that doesn't help in my area. If the water gets shut off the whole building losing water and nobody will have water. I also told aqua that I could make a payment next Friday the 30th and they told me they can't extended that far.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/20/2023

  6/9/23 The customer was mailed a 10day shut off notice requesting payment of $526.52 by 6/22/23 to avoid termination of service.
  
  6/14/23 Aqua's 3rd party vendor contacted the customer to inform them of the status of the account. They left a voice mail message at 6:02pm.
  
  6/15/23 Aqua's 3rd party vendor contacted the customer to inform them of the status of the account. They left a voice mail message at 8:02am.
  
  6/19/23 ***** called about the shut-off notices. The CSR advised the customer to pay $108.03 to have the PAR reinstated.
  
  Aqua provided proper notification to the customer regarding the status of the account. Aqua provided dollar amounts due as well as due dates. The customer has had multiple payment arrangements with the Company. A courtesy hold has been placed on the account until 6/30/23. The customer should pay $108.03 to have the arrangement reinstated prior to 6/30/23.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/07/2023

  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.

  In our ******* Community all residents have received a price increase of nearly double or more each month on our Aqua bill since November 2022. This is outrageous and someone needs to look at the billing practices of this company. People in the entire community are being gouged. We will be talking to a lawyer about this unless everyone's bills are corrected and refunded.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/08/2023

  The customer is being billed in accordance with the attached, PUC approved Company tariff.

  The PUC approved Aqua's request for a rate increase effective 5/19/22. The rate increase resulted in the following for the account: The customer charge for water increased from $18.00 to $20.51. The rate per gallon (for the first 2000 gallons) increased from $.010649 to $.01305. The rate per gallon (after the first 2000 gallons) increased from $.012608 to $.015451. The customer charge for sewer increased to $98.95. The sewer charge per gallon is $.012837.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/19/2023

  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 moved into my home March 2023. I noticed that the water was yellow to brown in color. I asked my neighbors if they had the same issue and they said that it's been that way for years. I called Aquawater and was told that it was indeed a longstanding problem and they would flush the hydrants which did not help. I have many calls documented. They have continued to flush the hydrants and have changed the sand. Nothing has changed. And now there is a horrible smell to the water. Sometimes I see sediment and it feels slimy. Aqua assures me it's safe to drink. That's hysterical. I am spending a fortune on bottled water. Their own website talks about clean safe water. Mine is neither of those. It's disgusting and no one should live like this. I'm concerned about my health, my hair, my dishes, my clothes. "That's how it's been" is not a good nor acceptable excuse. I'm paying for foul water that likely has long term health implications. This will never be ok.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  Aqua has visited the property many times and flushed the hydrants in the area. On 4/7/23 Aqua visited the property and deemed the water not to be brown. 4/12 Aqua visited the property and took a pitcher of water from the bathroom tub and stated the water looked better in the sunlight rather than in the home. 4/19 Aqua did check and neighbors in the area are not having the same issues. 5/22 Team lead spoke with the area manger and he was able to confirm the water is clear in he sunlight and the "discolor" of water could be just the lighting in the home. There is no issues at the property and the water is safe to drink.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/22/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The local workers are absolutely lying.  They have seen the yellow, brown water.  Admitted it is brown and they would not drink it. It is not clear.  My neighbors say the same.  Liars!! The attached is from the ******** **** residents site and is dated from a year ago. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/05/2023

  This customer filed a commission complaint as well and the complaint was closed by the commission with the following response below:

  Aqua has visited the property many times and flushed the hydrants in the area. On 4/7/23 Aqua visited the property and deemed the water not to be brown. 4/12 Aqua visited the property and took a pitcher of water from the bathroom tub and stated the water looked better in the sunlight rather than in the home. 4/19 Aqua did check and neighbors in the area are not having the same issues. 5/22 Team lead spoke with the area manger and he was able to confirm the water is clear in he sunlight and the "discolor" of water could be just the lighting in the home. There is no issues at the property and the water is safe to drink.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2023

  Type:Order 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 am being billed for a subscription I never signed up for. I've never even heard of this business or how they've gotten my information but I want it cancelled immediately.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  This is not an Aqua customer nor do we have a subscription billing process.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2023

  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 meter in the pit failed again, Aqua came out to repair it and the tech found they had installed an internal meter to an outside pit.
  
  Aqua is not charging me $88 for a frozen meter - that was is in April - it was not frozen.
  
  The frozen meter charge should be removed from my bill, I'm not responsible for faulty installation or bad meters.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2023

  The customer is responsible for maintaining the meter pit at the property. The customer's meter was found to be frozen. Per the attached tariff Aqua is permitted to charge a fee for a frozen meter. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/09/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
  
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Aqua makes the choice of what meter to install, they choose the manufacturer, they do the servicing of the meter.

  I have no other option and can make no other choice.

  Why should I be responsible for a faulty meter?
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2023

  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.

  5/10/23 1:52pm est. Today I got a disconnection notice that my water was to be shut off. The technician said I had until 3pm. I call Aqua to see if I could get on a payment plan the lady named ******* agreed that I could pay $208 so I got off the phone with her made the payment and called back to give the confirmation number. I gave a new lady a confirmation number and she put me on hold for 10 mins to come back and say you need to pay $329 more dollars and we are not accepting the $208 payment because it was made by debit. So now I need to pay $538 on top of my $208. Then she proceeded to say the disconnection is not until 5/11/23 but the technician said it is for today. I am stuck at work and cannot leave to go pay the bill. All my funds are on a debit card. I cant just leave work to pay a bill I already paid. I hVe been told several different lies and now my water is about to get shut off. I understand the past due is on myself but this is unprofessional, unacceptable, and mean. I have a minor child in my home as well. A supervisor wouldnt talk to me or wasnt available.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/11/2023

  May 11, 2023
  BBB # ********
  The customer filed a complaint with the BBB saying that she is getting conflicting information regarding setting up a payment arrangement to keep services on. Due to payment history customer is required to pay in cash. Of the 9 payments made on the account, 5 payments have been reversed for various reasons.
  The customer spoke to a CSR who misinformed the customer that she could pay $208.00 to set up payment arrangement. This is not correct; the customer is required to put 50% down on payment arrangement and that payment must be in cash and a receipt sent to confirm payment.
  CSR permitted customer to make payment via ******** which is not a cash payment. The CSR will be coached. The customer has been on 6 payment arrangements, all of which have defaulted. The account was activated July 1, 2021.
  I called the customer who is not able to speak due to being at work. I asked if we could send an email. I confirmed the email and sent the customer options for keeping the water on.
  The customer must pay $329.00 in cash to restart the payment arrangement. The customer has been notified via email with the information. We also offered to provide contact information for agencies who may be able to help the customer with the remaining balance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2023

  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.

  Complaint is directly related to billing practices. Aqua has billed me for two billing cycles in the same month. While the billing cycle is not the complaint, nor paying the billing cycle bill, the due date of the bill falls within the same month as my previous billing cycle. I had a bill due 5/2/2023 for billing cycle 3/7/2023-4/5/2023 and a bill due 5/31/2023 for 4/5/2023-5/4/2023. Why are they billing customers twice in one month for two billing cycles. This is a monthly utility that should be paid as such - MONTHLY. Their billing practice is unfair and puts customers in direct danger of late fees as if I already paid the utility every month and now I have to pay twice in one month, where does that money come from? There is no grace period on the bill that states you will receive a late fee after a certain date. There is no guarantee that I will "skip" a month of billing. This is an UNFAIR billing practice that puts consumers at harm for shut off, termination and LATE FEES. I pay my bill every month, but why am I expected to pay it twice in the same month?

  Business Response

  Date: 05/10/2023

   The customer filed a complaint with the Public Utility Commission today. Aqua has already responded to the PUC complaint. 

  4/10/23 Aqua mailed the monthly statement. The billing period was from 3/7/23 to 4/5/23 (29 days of service). 5/9/23 Aqua mailed the monthly statement. The billing period was from 4/5/23 to 5/4/23 (29 days of service). ********* called about having two due dates in the same month on 5/10/23. The customer stated this was an unfair billing practice. The CSR advised the customer each bill was for 29 days of service. The CSR advised the customer there was a 6 day grace period before penalties would be assessed. 
  
  The Customer was advised each bill was for 29 days of service. The Customer was advised there was a 6 day grace period before penalties are assessed. Per PUC regulation 56.2 - Definitions: Billing month— A period of not less than 26 days and not more than 35 days. The two bills in question were for 29 days of service each. Aqua is properly billing the customer. The customer's bills are considered correct as rendered. No further action is required by the customer at this time. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/11/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Why should a monthly utility be paid more than once a month. I am NOT disputing the cycle that needs to be paid, but fair common sense billing practices would dictate that paying two billing cycles in ONE month is unfair. While you state there is a 6 day grace period it is not notated anywhere on the bill, therefore leaving me the consumer at risk for late fees. Since it’s not stated, you can certainly charge. The company should review and change billing practices to be once a month, a consumer should not have to pay two cycles in one month. And to be clear I am not disputing the payment or the cycle, simply the billing date- don’t confuse it. 
  Regards,
  
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