Latest news with #waterbill
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Watercare charges Auckland woman $800 bill due to faulty meter
Watercare admits up to 16,000 of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters were faulty. Photo: Supplied / Watercare Watercare has issued a public apology - via RNZ's Checkpoint - to a user facing an estimated $800 water bill, due to a faulty meter. The water provider now admits up to 16,000 of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters around Auckland are faulty, generating zero bills and leading to substantial catch-up bills. Two weeks ago, Lizzie from the North Shore told Checkpoint about a $410 bill that she refused to pay, until it was "based in fact and not just plucked out of the air". She subsequently received another, even bigger bill that equated to using 4342 litres of water a day. The Browns Bay couple now face a combined bill of about $1200. "This has gone beyond being mildly irritating," Lizzie said. "I can't figure out where this has come from. "I went back through our previous bills - our monthly water usage is somewhere between $65-75. The most it's ever been was $85 over a Christmas/New Year period. "I can't figure out why they're saying we must pay our overdue accounts immediately to avoid further action, when they were the ones that agreed we should cancel our direct debit, because the previous bill was over the time. "I don't know what's going on. I can't figure out how anyone could use this amount of water. "They don't value their customers, do they?" Checkpoint host Lisa Owens was able to pass on a message from Watercare. "They say they have made a mistake, and they'll get in touch with you directly to apologise and sort this," she said. "They said they sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to you, and they will get you a new water meter and sort out that large bill, which is an estimation." Lizzie responded emotionally: "I want to say thank you to you, but it shouldn't have come to this, should it? "Could you imagine a small business trying to operate this way - they wouldn't survive. "I'm really grateful for what you've done for me ... really, really grateful." Watercare admitted to Checkpoint it had made a mistake with the estimation, blaming a processing error by the service agent. It said it would re-assess the charge in line with past water consumption at that address. Of the 16,000 fault meters, 13,672 have been shifted to manual reading and the balance are scheduled to move to manual reading. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Watercare charges Auckland woman estimated $800 bill due to faulty meter
Watercare admits up to 16,000 of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters were faulty. Photo: Supplied / Watercare Watercare has issued a public apology - via RNZ's Checkpoint - to a user facing an estimated $800 water bill, due to a faulty meter. The water provider now admits up to 16,000 of its 40,000 EDMI smart meters around Auckland are faulty, generating zero bills and leading to substantial catch-up bills. Two weeks ago, Lizzie from the North Shore told Checkpoint about a $410 bill that she refused to pay, until it was "based in fact and not just plucked out of the air". She subsequently received another, even bigger bill that equated to using 4342 litres of water a day. The Browns Bay couple now face a combined bill of about $1200. "This has gone beyond being mildly irritating," Lizzie said. "I can't figure out where this has come from. "I went back through our previous bills - our monthly water usage is somewhere between $65-75. The most it's ever been was $85 over a Christmas/New Year period. "I can't figure out why they're saying we must pay our overdue accounts immediately to avoid further action, when they were the ones that agreed we should cancel our direct debit, because the previous bill was over the time. "I don't know what's going on. I can't figure out how anyone could use this amount of water. "They don't value their customers, do they?" Checkpoint host Lisa Owens was able to pass on a message from Watercare. "They say they have made a mistake, and they'll get in touch with you directly to apologise and sort this," she said. "They said they sincerely apologise for the inconvenience to you, and they will get you a new water meter and sort out that large bill, which is an estimation." Lizzie responded emotionally: "I want to say thank you to you, but it shouldn't have come to this, should it? "Could you imagine a small business trying to operate this way - they wouldn't survive. "I'm really grateful for what you've done for me ... really, really grateful." Watercare admitted to Checkpoint it had made a mistake with the estimation, blaming a processing error by the service agent. It said it would re-assess the charge in line with past water consumption at that address. Of the 16,000 fault meters, 13,672 have been shifted to manual reading and the balance are scheduled to move to manual reading. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Century-old Stapleford social club at risk over £5k water bill dispute
Members of a 103-year-old social club have said they will be forced to close down if they have to pay a water bill backdated eight Old Mill Club in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, says it discovered in 2017 it was paying double for its water usage totalling about £10,000 from utility company Water is because the club's bill included the water used by its neighbour - a Koi fish retailer - despite it paying its own bill as the mistake was identified, Water Plus reassessed the bill and cut it to £5,096 in January 2025. However, the club's committee says it is still disputing the updated bill, over claims Water Plus did not backdate it Plus said the new amount had been calculated by backdating to April 2 its current usage since the installation of a sub-meter in October installation work was carried out by water company Severn Trent. The debt had been accrued because the club had refused to pay its water bill "on principle" after believing it was being overcharged. Abigail Jackson, committee member, said the club had been "completely closed" during the pandemic - and this should have been reflected in the bill."All the way through this, we have stated we will pay once you can prove what you're asking for."The club said it had been given a 12-month deadline to pay the debt. Water Plus said its teams were available to help with setting up a payment plan."If we are forced to pay this bill, which there is no proof we owe, we would most likely have to close," Ms Jackson said. Zulekah Hattersley has been visiting the club since she was a toddler in a pram, and now aged 27, she brings her own child to the said that growing up with the social club had provided her with a strong sense of belonging and family."I've got people that aren't aunties that I call auntie in here," she the Old Mill had to close, she said the impact would be "horrible" for herself and for the other regulars."We're not what you expect from a working man's club. I've made long-lasting friends down here. It's a brilliant environment for all kinds of people, and we just want to be inclusive."She said the club had been fighting for survival for years, and described the water bill dispute as a "big grey cloud" over the heads of committee members and for Ms Jackson, she said the Old Mill came into her life when she was in "a very dark place", and that it was the only place she felt safe."This place also has a lot of history, and the mill building itself has been here for hundreds and hundreds of years, so not only would you lose the club, you would be losing something that has been part of this area for hundreds of years." Where did it all begin? The billing problem had been caused because both affected sites share a single water pipe, from when the land was entirely owned by the social 2011 a previous committee sold part of the land, which subsequently had various uses, until it became occupied by the Koi fish Trent told the BBC when the land was split, the existing supply was not split, and that both sites needed to make an application for a new current committee running the social club was not involved in that sale, and said such an application would now be difficult because the land was no longer under one manager of the fish retailer said his bills had been unaffected and that he had been paying the correct amount.A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: "Our records show that the customer was informed on seven separate occasions during a three-year period that they would need to apply to install a new connection and undertake works to split their supply."Because no application was made, the meter recorded all water that passed through the supply pipe, regardless of which property was using it."Changes to the water pipes and any maintenance within a property boundary are the responsibility of the occupier or landowner."Water Plus has requested a number of supply checks and site visits since 2018, and on each occasion our engineers confirmed that the supply still needed to be separated by the customer." 'Spreading payments' Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Water Plus said the company had been working closely with the management committee at the Old Mill Social said the updated charges for the social club had "significantly reduced the water costs and bills"."The current amount owed is for water supplied for the Old Mill Social Club itself, after charging could be divided and updated after a sub-meter was installed by the wholesaler Severn Trent, and we've shared information around spreading payments, to help the social club."Our teams remain here to help with setting up a payment plan to cover the monthly costs and the amount owed."
The Sun
04-07-2025
- The Sun
I'm raging after catching my neighbour STEALING electricity & this was after they caused our water to be cut off too
A WOMAN was left shocked after discovering that her neighbour has been stealing her electricity. The 29-year-old revealed that she recently moved to a new city with her husband and one-year-old child - and problems started to arise with her neighbour. 3 She explained that they live in a semi-detached building, and share a wall with their neighbour, who is in their late 40s or early 50s. The first issue they had with the neighbour is that she didn't pay her half of the water bill, and as they share one water metre, it was cut off. The US-based woman wrote on Reddit: 'We didn't make it a big deal about the water because it was resolved and turned back on the same day. 'We've given a lot of grace considering she smokes weed and it seeps through that wall so you can smell it through our restroom and child's room.' Things reached a head when they spotted she had been stealing electricity from them by plugging in a lead to go to her house. They immediately texted her asking what was going on, and her replies were rather emotional. She replied saying: 'I'll unplug asap, and I'll come right over to tell [sic] to you. 'It's been the worst week and I don't know how much more I can take.' She added in a later text: 'I'm at my wits end. 'Everything is falling apart and my daughter won't help me. Your kids are breaking law if they kick their ball over neighbour's fence, High Court rules after couple sued next door 'My electric bill is 2000 dollars because I went the whole year without paying everything myself. 'I'm paralyzed and I'll be sitting in the dark again in about 2 hours. 'NOONE can help me. And I'm so tired, I can't ask anyone for anything else. I'll be homeless.' The woman whose electricity was being stolen said they were also going through a hardship. She texted back: 'I feel like we've been respectful neighbors to you and would appreciate to be treated the same way. 'If you could have simply asked us out of respect we would have worked some type of agreement with you. 'I understand you're going through hardship but we are too. 3 'And we feel like you plugging into our electricity without asking is taking advantage of us thinking we're just a dumb young couple who won't notice. 'I understand you have a child you're taking care of but we have a baby we're trying to better provide for.' They explained that they would be now letting the property management handle the situation. 3 PAY BACK In response to this, the neighbour said she had been "embarrassed" to ask for help, and offered them $100 to pay them back for the electricity. Many people were shocked at the encounter, with one saying: 'She shamelessly plugged it in but too scared to admit fault. Instead of just owning up to her mistake, she's whining about how awful things have been for her. Coward.' Another added: 'There was no mistake here. What she did was very deliberate and had her sob story ready to go to guilt the neighbor into letting her continue to leech.' I had a two-year bin war with my next door neighbour Gemma Smith and Sophie Wood were engaged in a weekly feud for a year over their wheelie bins. When Gemma moved next door to Sophie, 34, who is unemployed, in November 2020 they were civil to one another. Gemma, who is single and doesn't work due to stress, says: 'Sophie seemed nice and we'd stop and exchange pleasantries. 'But it all changed at the beginning of 2022, when Sophie's bin was full and she put her rubbish bag in mine. 'I took it out and put it on top of her bin. 'It fell off, gulls pecked at it and there was rubbish everywhere.' Both women refused to clear up the mess, claiming it was the other one's fault. Gemma says: 'I felt so angry. 'There was cat litter spread all over my drive — it was absolutely disgusting and we ended up shouting at each other. 'We were both as bad as each other — we'd walk past each other and I'd tell her she was a lazy cow and to clean up after herself. 'We'd scream insults at each other." Within six months Sophie had set up a CCTV camera and threatened to report Gemma to the council. In retaliation, Gemma set up the baby monitor — which can record video — to try to pin more wrongdoing on Sophie. Then last July Sophie spotted Gemma in tears on her doorstep following a burglary at her home. Gemma says: 'Sophie came straight round and asked if there was anything she could do. 'We are now the best of friends and help each other out all the time."
CTV News
27-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Landlord hit with water bill interest 7 years after tenant moved out in Ottawa
An Ottawa landlord says she's on the hook for hundreds of dollars in interest on a tenant's unpaid water bill, seven years after she says she was told the account was clear. Claire Lalonde, who has been a landlord for 16 years, says that when her tenant moved out in March 2018, she called the City of Ottawa to confirm everything was in order before transferring the water account to a new tenant, adding a city staff member assured her the account was 'all good' and were no arrears left by the previous tenant. Fast forward to May 1, 2025, when Lalonde received a letter from the city requiring she pay $549.87 in unpaid water and sewer charges, including $377 in interest, dating back to 2018. The original bill was $172.78. She was given notice to pay or risk the charge being added to her property tax bill, along with a $53 administrative fee. In a series of letters and phone calls to city departments since June, Lalonde has tried to get the interest removed. 'I don't mind paying the water bill,' she said. 'I don't want to be charged seven years of interest when I was never told that there was an issue.' Lalonde says city staff told her their hands were tied. A late fee interest rate of 1.25 percent is compounded to the outstaying bill each month. 'I tried to negotiate with them and say, listen, I'll pay the original bill, just don't charge me the interest because I was never informed,' she said. 'And they don't even want to take off a hundred bucks, nothing.' Documents reviewed by CTV News Ottawa show the city maintains it followed proper procedure under Ontario's Municipal Act. In responses from city collections staff, officials say Lalonde had signed a tenant authorization agreement in 2018 allowing her tenant to be billed directly for water and sewer services, and that all subsequent communication, including overdue notices, was sent to the tenant. Staff added that due to privacy laws, information about tenant accounts can't be disclosed to landlords, unless a water certificate is formally requested. One response from the city notes it is limited on what they can disclose about collections from the tenant. 'They're [city staff] telling me there's an online system,' said Lalonde. 'But that's not what they told me when I called.' City staff she spoke with, likely pointing to My ServiceOttawa portal, which allows property owners and tenants to check water account balances and billing history. While the online verification system did exist back in 2018, it is not proactive. Property owners must manually sign up, log in, and check the account themselves. The city also offers a formal water utility certificate, for a fee, that confirms whether any amounts are outstanding as of a given date. City officials acknowledged that collection efforts are 'manual and iterative,' and that 13 per cent of cases fail to recover funds from former tenants or owners. When all attempts are exhausted, the Municipal Act allows the city to transfer the amount to the current owner's tax roll. 'No billing error occurred,' the City of Ottawa stated in another letter, adding that penalties and interest are applied to all overdue accounts and cannot be waived unless the city made a mistake. But Lalonde argues there needs to be some accountability for the time delay. 'Seven years later, they come up with an amount and they're charging me for seven years of interest,' she said. 'If I would have known I had an arrear, I would have paid the bill immediately.' In one city letter, officials recommended she contact a lawyer or her insurance provider, an option Lalonde says isn't practical. 'It's going to cost me more than that to get a lawyer, unfortunately,' said Lalonde. 'And I think they know that and that's why they get away with it.' Lalonde says she has no way of reaching her former tenant and feels stuck between a bureaucratic system and a bill she believes is not fair. 'I'd like the city to be accountable for not telling the people in time,' she added. 'Two months or three months later, that would have been acceptable. Seven years, not acceptable.'
