Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2022

  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.

  This is our local water supplier and sewage company . They are constantly changing billing dates from one month to the next unexpectedly and it makes it hard on many people to be able to pay the bill on time and if you are late a day it has a 41 dollar late fee . Many of the townspeople are mad and seems that this is in fair . I don’t know if any other companies that do this kind of business and practices . Also our rate is higher then any other towns in the fascinates. This is such a hardship and very bad business practice and to charge a late fee for a random monthly bill that could be due on the 18th or the 30th.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/27/2022

  Better Business Bureau
  Serving Western Pennsylvania
  520 E Main St, Suite 100
  Carnegie, PA 15106
  
  *** ********
  
  
  Please find enclosed a letter that was sent to our customers with their October 2021 bills stating the billing cycle
  change that would take place in November 2021. The letter is very self-explanatory. The billing cycle had been
  adopted by the Authority in 2019, but when they attempted to implement it, the then secretary was harassed and
  intimidated by the customers and they ceased the implementation.

  
  The billing cycle change was made in an effort to streamline the billing system to make it easier to collect
  delinquent balances. On August 1, 2021 the delinquent balance on active accounts was $31,757.53. On August
  1, 2022 the delinquent balance on active accounts was $22,979.80; a reduction of $8,777.73. The less
  delinquent balances there are, the less likely there will be a need to raise rates to compensate for those who do
  not pay their bills.

  
  Bills are generated between the 1st and 7th of the month, depending on weekends and holidays, and are due 15
  days after the bill date, making the due date somewhere between the 16th and 22nd of the month, but generally
  bills are usually due between the 17th and 19th of the month. The due dates are clearly printed on every bill that
  is sent.

  
  As for the late fee charged, per the letter that was sent to customers in 2021, a penalty of $20.00, not $41.00 as
  stated in the complaint, is assessed before the next bill is generated, which is generally 10-14 days after the
  current bill is due, thus creating a grace period. For example, if a bill is due on the 16th a delinquent notice will
  be sent as a reminder if the bill is not paid, but a penalty will not be assessed until the next bill is generated the
  following month, if the balance remains unpaid.
  
  The rates of one municipal authority cannot be compared to the rates of another because each system has
  different circumstances including number of customers for the expenses to be spread over, debt service,
  operating and maintenance costs, etc. The Authority operates in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner in
  an effort to keep rates as low as possible. Unfortunately, most expenses are fixed and are out of our control.
  While this customer has taken the time to complain on FaceBook and file a comoplaint with the BBB they have
  never contacted our office or attended a public meeting to voice their concerns or ask questions.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Amy M*****
  Office Manager
  
  Encl: Customer Letter
  *** **** ******