Case Stories
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Ms C did not receive her water bill for July–November 2007. She made a payment of $600, based on her consumption history. She called the city in December 2007. Staff told her the meter had been read in November and that the reading was unusually high, suggesting a leak or something wrong with the meter. Ms. C found a leak and fixed it.
In April 2008, she received a bill for more than $5,000. She paid $2,000 in 2008. She wrote the city in January 2009, asking that the remaining amount be written off or halved and she would make five equal payments to pay it off. She did not receive a response.
Ms C wrote to the Ombudsman. Ombudsman staff made several calls. At first, city staff said they did not have a copy of Ms C’s letter. They found it eventually and a supervisor reviewed the matter. It turned out they had not sent a bill for July—November 2007. They conceded that if they had, Ms C might have been able to fix the problem earlier.
Result: The city agreed to reduce the complainant’s bill by $2,233.
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