ComplaintsforBirmingham Water Works

• Initial Complaint

  03/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In December of 2023, my water bill went from a normal of $130 to over $800. I began to challenge the bill, and then got another bill for over $800 for ******** During this time, I DID receive a phone call that my meter was running. I immediately went to the meter, and it was dead stopped. Not moving at all. BWWB admitted to the error, (meter read error) and fixed the January bill, but NOT the December bill. They have argued for months that something WAS broken in the house, and that was the reason for the excessive usage. This is not possible. We lived in the house in December, and nothing was "running". furthermore, there wasn't a problem for the 14 months prior, or the 3 months since, so apparently, in the BWWB logic, something in my house broke, than magically healed itself. This is a small house. and the peak water bill was ~$150 with the irrigation system running 3 times a week. The house is small enough that when water is running anywhere, you hear it. There was no leak in December. The BWWB has a history of corruption, the citizens of Birmingham have been paying for those past sins for years, and this is another example of how they simply do not understand logic and simply attempt to intimidate their customers in paying up (I recently got a disconnect notice). I'm 63 years old, have owned houses since 1985, have a credit rating of over 800 and myself work as a Director of a utility. I pay my bills. But I'm not going to be bullied into paying a bill that from a logic and basic physics perspective is highly, highly unlikely. They need to do the right thing, but they won't, as it's not in their dna. The amount paid below is blank as I'm up to date with the exception of I'm not paying the $800 dollar December bill.

  

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  ******************, after further review of your account, we discovered that the reading for the December 2023 period shows the actual usage at 41 ccf charging you ******.  We made the correction for ******* invoice as it was our fault for the misread.  In addition we considered a one-time credit for the December usage.  We corrected your account for the invoice dated 1/22/2024 for ****** and corrected it to received a one-time credit of ****** leaving you with the charge of an average 4 ccf for the December period with reflects a charge of ***** instead.  We appreciate your patience in allowing us to consider the best outcome we could offer. 
  
  Respectfully, Birmingham Water Works Customer Service.
  

  Customer response

  04/09/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  In addition, I have already paid the amount discussed in the resolution letter, and I consider this matter closed.  

  Thank you for your prompt intervention on this matter

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Friday, March 8, 24, my wife and I left for an appointment at 4pm with severe weather in the area. My wife noticed a water works truck in front of our neighbors driveway and we thought they were finally there to read the meter which had obviously not been read in months because it was grown over with grass. When we arrived home that night we had no water pressure and I went out in the rain and determined that the box had been opened and the meter removed and service disconnected with no notice, no bill, no knock on the door, nothing, just disconnected in a rain storm on a Friday night. We began calling expecting to reach an after hours emergency representative like the power and gas companies have for outages but it repeatedly went to the same voicemail you get when you call and they dont answer during regular business hours. I also sent 2 emails to the outage site listed on the webpage.The next morning my wife began calling again at 8am and around 9:30 someone finally answered and told us no one was there until Monday to address the issue. We couldnt flush the toilet, take a shower, wash our hands, or water our animals. I was livid with the nonchalant attitude demonstrated by the Water Works employee. It was our problem, not hers, and nothing could be done. I was told I had to come into the main office on 1st Avenue on Monday with a copy of the deed to prove I wasnt a squatter. Neither the gas nor the power company required this and it was the first time Id ever been told it was a Water Works requirement. I was there when the door opened Monday. The customer service rep told me they had no record of my call to transfer service and basically called me a liar. She then told me I owed over $800 which included $168 in penalties and related fees for a bill we were never sent. I objected and asked to see someone in management. A woman came out and spoke to me through the partition and waived the late fees bringing my bill to $719 which I paid in full.

  Continued from earlier complaint) I requested a detailed bill with the meter readings but was told it would have to be pulled and provided to me later even though ******* apparently had the information on her computer in front of her and could have easily printed me a copy. Ive been told by neighbors their meter was often not read and the resulting bill was incorrect and had to be adjusted. Im still waiting on a detailed billing with dates my meter was allegedly read. As I noted above, grass had grown over the box and I doubt seriously the meter has been read in the time we have been in the house. After I left the Water Works, I immediately contacted State Representative ***************** who I understood has been working on issues with the Water Works and discussed my complaint with him. I am more than disgusted with how the Water Works Board conducts its business as a utilities monopoly in Jefferson County and believe strongly it should be dismantled, the house cleaned of the inept, incompetent employees, and the whole operation started over from scratch. I am providing a copy of this letter of complaint to various news outlets in the Birmingham area as well as legislators. I also intend to speak out on social media about the clowns operating this public utility that has no concern for its customers and no sense of how to operate a business with any degree of competence. This is a disgraceful way to do business and if there was any alternative to the Birmingham Water Works Board, I would definitely move my service but since it is a monopoly on an essential service, Im stuck unless I drill a well and install a septic tank. **************************

  

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  ***********, thank you for reaching out to us.  We apologize you had to experience an Interruption in your water service. Your service was interrupted due to no contact at the time the meter was pulled.  The Supervisor back dated your account to include the water usage since July 2023 with no contract.  Unfortunately, reaching the Emergency Operator after closing they could not override processes usually performed by our business office.  We mailed your invoice dated 3/21/2024 outlining past due charges from July/20/2023 though 2/26/2024 each bill indicated the charges for each period.  If you have any addition questions, please feel free to contact customer service ************.

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was out of state for 5 months after the passing of my sister and brother. I was all the way in ******** for the entire 5 months with my whole family. There was no activity on my house with the exception of sprinklers. I spoke with a nice lady at the water works today who instructed us to check the meter. The water usage is in no way accurate and appears to have been "ballparked" by your meter reader. If you look back, I was out of state for an entire month in March and there was no water usage. I have proof of our 5 month stent in ******** and I do expect these over charges to be corrected. Thank You!

  

  Business response

  03/01/2024

  
  **************, thank you for taking the time to communicate to us your unfortunate experience of losing family members. We have reviewed your account, and the meter reading are consistent.  We did recognize the months of **** ***** ******** August as far back as 3 years are also the normal usage during this period yearly.  Please check your sprinkler for leaks and consider adjusting the timing to conserve more water.  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received this outrageous water bill in the amount of $184.32 on or about December 12, 2023. I went in person to their office to seek an explanation for this high bill. They then told me that I would be charged an additional $37 for their guy to come out and re-read my water meter. In the meantime, I tried talking to Supervisors about the issue. The water meter guy finally came out to re-read the meter on January 3, **** and he did not leave any notice on my door. A Supervisor called me and told me that I might have a Leak. She told me to call HomeServe to check for a leak. Then HomeServe told me that they cannot come out until next Monday, January 8. In the meantime, all of this run around that I am getting from BWWB, this is just another reason for them to scam and get more money from me. I am living on a fixed income and I dont have the time or money to support their fraudulent billing schemes. Please investigate this matter. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  01/05/2024

  ******************, thank you for taking the time to communicate you are not happy with the outcome of ** checking your meter.   On January 3rd we spoke that there is a possible leak on your side with no findings of a leak at the meter.  We are not responsible for any repairs at your residence. However, it is good you have the HomeServe Warranty.  If, HomeServe make repairs you can qualify for a leak adjustment that will credit your account.  Again, once the repairs are made, please present a copy of the repair invoice along with completing the Leak Adjustment Application and we will adjust your account within 45 to 60 days.
  

  Customer response

  01/11/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company was wholly unresponsive regarding weeks of complaints about a bursted pipe in my neighborhood. The water flowed into the street for more than one month in total, minute by minute without stop.Now, the company has left the sidewalk extensively damaged without returning to repair the site.

  

  Business response

  12/22/2023

  
  
  Dear Valued Customer, we would like to convey our sincere apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced last month.  Unfortunately, we fail to let you know our scheduled repairs for sidewalks and ashfault are normally repaired between 6 weej and 3 months out to allow the conditions to settle after a water main leak.  We apologize for the miscommunication, and we appreciate your patience.

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is charging me $103 which includes a security deposit and an establishment fee because their tech put that he d/c my water on 9/29 but he didnt. My water was never disconnected, then on 10/6 a tech came to my house to turn my water on but it was already on bc it had never been turned off and now they are refusing to credit my account. I have been dealing with this for weeks and as of today ** still waiting on a supervisor to call me. I did have a final disconnect notice on my 10/4 statement and the due date was 10/18. I paid the bill in full on 10/6 at 9:30 in the morning and at 1 PM a tech was here to start new service. He documented on the order that I already had active service. My bill was only $18.18 and after they charged me $103 in fraudulent charges it was $121.18. They will not credit me those charges because they state that the tech completed the d/c order and he took a picture and they have no way to know for sure if the water was d/c or not. Im the customer and I know that my ********************** was not turned off. They are believing that I went 8 days without water and on 10/6 I decided to pay my bill. This company is a complete joke and I have no choice but to use them unless I move and because of this I guess they think they can treat customers however they want. Their customer service is rude and incompetent. No company should be allowed to treat customers like this and no customer should have to wait weeks before speaking to higher mgmt. I know that I am being ignored or they have so many people ahead of me waiting to speak to mgmt and if thats the case thats disturbing. I just want $103 credited back to my account.

  

  Business response

  12/22/2023

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

  The purpose of this response is to convey to you that we reviewed your account history.  You were charge the ****** due to your services requiring a ***** Deposit for Water and ***** to Establishment Fee to reconnect your account on 10/6/23 when we received your payment.  You were sent a disconnect Invoice dated 9/20/23 with a balance of $183.03.  Then you were billed again on 10/4/23 as you Final Disconnect balance of $197.66., which then you were no longer an active water customer. We did agree to waive the $***** Establishment Fee, however the $60 Security Deposit is required and may be refunded in 24 months, if there is no delinquent history going forward

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Water Works Board charged us $****** for our water this month, which is outrageous (they take it out of our account directly). The month prior, they charged us ******, which is also ridiculous; we have never spent that amount on water and there is no reason why we would have used that much water in October. Our bill runs anywhere between ****** monthly (also ridiculous but I suppose we are all paying for the BWWB's past corruption, as this is the normal amount for us). We have paid for our water every month this year, so I feel they have made a mistake. We checked every faucet, toilet, etc.; nothing is running non-stop. We need to be reimbursed for this mistake for both this month (******) and the month prior (******). Thank you.

  

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  Dear Valued Customer, 
  We would love to investigate this issue for you, unfortunately,the address and account name is not found.  Please contact **************** @ ************ for immediate attention.  Thank you.
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My complaint is that for the last four months and after numerous phone calls from me to the water company requesting service to repair their leaking water meter, I have not gotten any service at all. I have been told that repairmen had come out & left a notice on my door, which did not happen. I have been told that the service request would be passed on to a supervisor which if it was, there has been no action to repairing the leak. The meter leak is right next to the road and is causing the ground to be saturated and cars pull up next to it causing ruts and destroying the landscape of my yard. The lack of response to this repair request is very unprofessional and disheartening, yet at the same time they have no problem billing you. I have nothing good to say about the water companies response to service request.

  

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  We reached out to the customer via phone today.  We left him VMS to return call to the Manager.  We are currently investigating this complaint internally and an Inspection Team should arrive within the next 2 hours.  We will update the customer as soon as the communication opens.

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was cutoff without notice and now they want to charge me a reconnect fee. I have received a notice from them before and they provided it over email. I did not receive a message or letter from them. I looked outside and thought the truck was here to check my meter. They did not knock or give notice. They drove off fast and went to a neighbors house so I assumed it was truly to check meters. I went to my account cause I planned to pay the past due when I noticed in the payment section that my service had been disconnected. Without notice. I contacted customer service and they are always the rudest people. She then tells me I will have a reconnect fee that is due within two weeks. I think its unfair to have to have a reconnect fee when I literally would have paid it and saved everyone time if they had just given a notice. I was waiting for my paycheck to arrive. It truly shows how money hungry they are and how little they care about you as a customer. I have an infant and now Im without water. Its a shame there is no other options for water. This company is crooked. By far the worst utility service out there. Especially the poor quality of the representatives available.

  

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  *************, thank you for reaching out to us. We apologize you had to experience an Interruption in your water service.Your service was interrupted due to nonpayment on 11/28/2023.  We received a payment on 11/28/23 of $271.11 which was to restore the service.  Your Reconnect fee of ***** was granted additional time base on your conversation with the agent.  Please keep in mind, if your payment is past 30 days it can be subject to interruptions, however, you can reach out to us to request a payment deferral or a payment plan before interruption of the service.  Please contact **************** at ************ for further arrangements if needed.

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We was charged an additional 100+ dollars for water service back in August we was sent out 2 bills on separate occasions the first one showed ****** the other one was like 300+ dollars so we called to find out what was going on and was told that the meter was reread and thats why the charge was added but we told them that was wrong asked to speak with a supervisor. The representative claim she put it in to have a supervisor called us back but we found out later that she lied and never did called back the next month because we was still stuck with this amount found out she didnt put it in had this representative resubmit another request for a supervisor she provided a confirmation number but never received a call back from a supervisor so our water service was disconnected we went in took a number spoke with someone at the window was told that when the water guy reread the meter to show that our bill was higher but we was told that his camera wasnt working to take the picture showing the difference waiting on a supervisor at the office for ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************** another system we paid the whole bill because it was almost 3 oclock and we wouldve had to pay an additional ****** after 3 had to get the kids from school so she said she would give us a callback I ask her was she sure she was gonna call us she said yes but never did we have be lied to given the run around and they have no proof of the extra money that was charged on our bill Birmingham Water Works have not done right at all by us

  

  Business response

  12/07/2023

  Dear ********* Files,
  
  The purpose of this response is to convey to you that we reviewed your account history.  We waived a ***** Reconnection Fee per your request on 10/02/23.  Your account is experiencing several months delinquents and requires immediate actions to restore your service.  Currently, your balance due to restore your service is ******, which includes (2) ***** Return Check Fees.  If, you have additional questions please feel free to contact us regarding your attempt to restore your services.

*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. ↩