Insane Ridgewood water bill $1200
Hi neighbors.
Sorry if this doesn’t effect you
I’m wondering if any of you received an insanely high water bill this quarter.
Ours was over $1,200 this quarter
I called Ridgewood water this morning to inform them of the obvious billing error. I was informed that the additional money owed was due to under billings since 2006. The water co apparently used estimated billings since 2006.
They finally did an actual reading this nov. They did the reading when they came out to change the meter. They are now trying to back bill for services since 2006
They explained that they have always done remote readings. But the phone lines have not been reporting the data correctly since 2006. They exclaimed that they don’t have employees who do actual readings. The Ridgewood water employee on the phone said that they have been inundated this morning with calls regarding this issue.
Does anyone else have a similar bill ?
Thanks
Laura
I had no problem with my water bill ………. Did you or did you not get a replacement water meter that can be read automatically by a special truck riding thru the area?
My bill was a little high but not crazy. Just make sure it’s all back-billing and not a leak in one of your lines (sprinkler system?)
Yes, I had a similar problem. I first received a water bill a couple of months ago for $356, which I thought was extremely high when compared to the same time last year. I called the water company and they came out and installed a new meter which could now be read remotely. I got my next water bill and it was now $1100!!! Crazy high! This is insane and unfair.
That’s what happens when you lose half the workforce
People have been complaining about sudden huge water bills for years at council meetings. The answer was always that the water dept. was catching up for years of estimates. Well, why are the estimates so far off? Most people haven’t suddenly quadrupled the number of people living in the house. If the “estimate” consisted of charging the same amount as in 2006, whose fault is that?
Anyone hit with a bill like that ought to be allowed to work out a payment system. Many years ago I received a whopping bill from PSE&G after a very cold winter month. I called and learned about their averaging plan, which I have used ever since, paying the same amount every month, then paying a little extra or getting a credit every July, when they recalculate my monthly amount for the following year. Works fine. Meanwhile they readily agreed to a payment plan whereby I paid an agreed-upon amount extra every month until I caught up. For monster catch-up water bills based on 7 years of underpayments (their own fault), the water dept. ought to permit the same.
My recent quarterly water bill (still through my Verizon land line) was for $211.38–which seemed high, but it included the summer watering. Not high compared to yours! My bill says “Actual Read”–just checked. If they try to tell me later that they’re catching up since 2006, I’m not buying it.
Months ago I called the water dept. to try to find out when their contract with Verizon was going to expire. It was impossible to get through. I kept calling different people in the same department. I can’t remember if I left a message–it was too frustrating and I gave up. I would still like to know.
Has anyone figured out whether the new meters are “smart meters,” banned in some states and counties because they emit radiation and even subject to possible hacking for information about the household (not sure what; that no one is home?). I’d rather keep my old meter but I understand that eventually it won’t be readable.
Be careful before allowing them to install a new meter. Get that 12.50 per month ‘deal’ where they replace leaky pipes. Chances are when they turn off the inside valve on the ‘street side’ of the water meter to install it…it will leak AFTER the install. (this is not the same valve on the ‘house side’ of the meter that you use to turn off the house that looks like an outside faucet’.
Its about $300 to replace if you have to call a plumber.
All this can be avoided if the water company shut the water off ‘at the street’ when they install the meters…but they choose not to
Meters emit radiation? That’s scary. I’d rather email actual reads in or even pay a meter reader 4 times a year. My health – and my family’s health – is certainly worth it!
I had a huge water bill as well after having the new water meter installed in September. I was back-billed for 5 years of “underpayment”. I worked out a payment plan where I would pay what I owed in installments over 5 years with no interest. However, they are charging the current rate on the gallons owed, not the historical average rate during the time I was underpaying. They claim to have an ordinance that allows this. That sound right?
”if you like your current water meter, you can keep it’. Barry Hussein Obama
Imagine all the radiation emitted from these new meters from each home as you go for your neighborhood stroll. That can’t be good!
It might be simpler, cheaper, safer to figure out a way to hook up current meters to your Cable or Fios.
Hey #10 are you worried about radiation from you cell phone, wireless router ,big screen tv wireless speakers. Give it a rest or put some aluminum foil on your head when you walk the neighborhood
Believe it or not, #12, I don’t have a cell phone, use wireless anything or even have a microwave. But I still keep my tin foil hat around just in case!
I have also received a bill for use of 39,000 gallons of water for a three month period. Had their meter replaced and subsequent reading confirms 4,000 gallons of use. Having tried twice to reason with Ridgewood Water, have now secured services of an attorney.
Ridgewood Water Customers in Wyckoff.
I just got my water bill for the quarter ending in Dec. 2014 and the bill is $800. That is 4-5 times my normal bill. It comes following our meter being upgraded.
How is it that a company can “recreate” history from 8 years ago. How is it that a company can say “oops”, we under billed you?
I can’t do that in my business.
Is there any legal recourse??
ya. this just happened to me. what is the lawyer you are using?
We just got a bill of $6000. They can’t say how they estimated it or how many people they were estimating for. If this was the average home use (which they said) how could they be so off? And how can they use current pricing when it was specifically for charges the last 6 years? They said they can only charge 6 years back. This is a ridiculous event and we are being penalized for their being so behind in technology and not investing in their company.
I had the same issue couple years ago, any legal actions started ? can I join ?
These ARE smartmeters. We found out the model they are installing and the manufacturer states that they are. The mfr also claims to its customers (the water company) that they can make alot more money after they are installed. Between the nonionizing radiation every 14 seconds coming out of your basement, the fire risk and the increddible high cost that the water company has the nerve to charge after 10 years of not reading a meter, it is amazing that they keep winning legal case after case. Is there a grassroots org that everyone is joining, or maybe a common lawyer we can use? Do tell!!
i just received a new water bill for the time frame of May thru July 2015 that is stating I used 143,000 gallons of water over the last 90 days. This is an average of 1588 gallons per day. And this is with the new meter. While my total usage from January to May was only 10,000 gallons. This is absolutely ridiculous. Has anybody else seen this type of issue lately?
Ethically.responsibilty for errors ( erroneous billing )ESPECIALLY OVER SIX YEARS should be borne by the wrongful party not the injured victims.
New meters should not be used as lame.excuses for failing to use more. common sense in calculations of average quarterly gallon home consumption by number of occupants.etc.
Perhaps one may propode an error factor applied UNIFORMLY that is :acceptable” to the residents of Ridgewood. to bail out the failure to properly manage a public utilty responsibilties. and offer payment plans over six years to cover the errors of others.
I had a zero balance and then received a bill for $6500 the next quarter.