Outrageous Water Bill, Can I Sue?

[roberch]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Hello,

I own a home in Cleveland Ohio area and received a water bill for 3,000% more than my normal usage. Water usage was enough to fill up a 25,000 gallon pool ten times. At the home we have found no signs of leaks or anything that would explain the spike in usage. I suspect that the water meter was broken, however two weeks after the irregular usage was recorded, the water company replaced my meter and trashed the old (potentially faulty) meter. Under normal circumstances the water company would test the meter, but since my meter was replaced, the meter isn't available for them to test. I've held numerous converstations with water department, but have been unsuccessful in having my bill adjusted. I am thinking I may need to sue the water company to get them to adjust my bill, but wondering if I have a case. Also, in suing them, should I ask for additional damages beyond the erroneous bill amount (e.g. time, fees, etc...)? Thanks for any help or advice.

 

[Ohiogal]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Hello,

I own a home in Cleveland Ohio area and received a water bill for 3,000% more than my normal usage. Water usage was enough to fill up a 25,000 gallon pool ten times. At the home we have found no signs of leaks or anything that would explain the spike in usage. I suspect that the water meter was broken, however two weeks after the irregular usage was recorded, the water company replaced my meter and trashed the old (potentially faulty) meter. Under normal circumstances the water company would test the meter, but since my meter was replaced, the meter isn't available for them to test. I've held numerous converstations with water department, but have been unsuccessful in having my bill adjusted. I am thinking I may need to sue the water company to get them to adjust my bill, but wondering if I have a case. Also, in suing them, should I ask for additional damages beyond the erroneous bill amount (e.g. time, fees, etc...)? Thanks for any help or advice.

How do you prove you haven't used that much water? You don't get time/fees/etc. And you might not have a legal case depending on who owns the water company and what evidence you have/don't have.

 

[LdiJ]

How do you prove you haven't used that much water? You don't get time/fees/etc. And you might not have a legal case depending on who owns the water company and what evidence you have/don't have.

It would be almost impossible. He basically said 250,000 gallons (25,000 gallon pool ten times). Just to give a relatable example a fire hose can push out 125 gallons per minute or 7500 gallons per hour. That would be like running a fire hose for 33 hours.

Another relatable example: My pool held 14,000 gallons of water and took four solid, 24 hour days to fill with a garden hose, so about 3500 per day. I would have had to run a garden hose 24 hours a day for 71.43 days in order to use that much water.

My guess is that the meter was seriously faulty. Any leak big enough to generate that much water wouldn't go unnoticed.

 

[Ohiogal]

It would be almost impossible. He basically said 250,000 gallons (25,000 gallon pool ten times). Just to give a relatable example a fire hose can push out 125 gallons per minute or 7500 gallons per hour. That would be like running a fire hose for 33 hours.

Another relatable example: My pool held 14,000 gallons of water and took four solid, 24 hour days to fill with a garden hose, so about 3500 per day. I would have had to run a garden hose 24 hours a day for 71.43 days in order to use that much water.

My guess is that the meter was seriously faulty. Any leak big enough to generate that much water wouldn't go unnoticed.

The problem is, he needs evidence in a court case. The other issue is that he could possibly run into immunity issues if the water company is owned by the city. His better option is to contact one of the news channels or the Plain Dealer and ask their consumer reporter to investigate. That would be more productive and quicker.

 

[LdiJ]

The problem is, he needs evidence in a court case. The other issue is that he could possibly run into immunity issues if the water company is owned by the city. His better option is to contact one of the news channels or the Plain Dealer and ask their consumer reporter to investigate. That would be more productive and quicker.

I think that is an excellent idea.

 

[roberch]

The problem is, he needs evidence in a court case. The other issue is that he could possibly run into immunity issues if the water company is owned by the city. His better option is to contact one of the news channels or the Plain Dealer and ask their consumer reporter to investigate. That would be more productive and quicker.

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I will be able to get someone at the Plain Dealer or news stations to look into my case. My fear is that water problems in the city of Cleveland are so common, that they would be less inclined to take an interest.

One thing I was thinking about regarding evidence, could I use math to prove my case? Such as calculating average usage and standard deviation and showing that this usage is beyond reasonable? Another example I was thinking of illustrating is similar to the one the LdiJ posted. Would this be persuasive in court?

One other thing I was thinking about is the fact that they replaced my meter before notifying me of the erroneous bill, thus taking away the ability for the meter to be tested. Would this alone be sufficient enough to win?

Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[LdiJ]

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I will be able to get someone at the Plain Dealer or news stations to look into my case. My fear is that water problems in the city of Cleveland are so common, that they would be less inclined to take an interest.

One thing I was thinking about regarding evidence, could I use math to prove my case? Such as calculating average usage and standard deviation and showing that this usage is beyond reasonable? Another example I was thinking of illustrating is similar to the one the LdiJ posted. Would this be persuasive in court?

One other thing I was thinking about is the fact that they replaced my meter before notifying me of the erroneous bill, thus taking away the ability for the meter to be tested. Would this alone be sufficient enough to win?

Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.

Yes, the fact that they replaced your meter would definitely be a factor. They destroyed a significant piece of evidence.

 

[single317dad]

When my old neighborhood was being built, every house in a limited area had a huge spike in water "usage" for a 3-month period. Mine was the worst, but all of them were ridiculous numbers, amounts that wouldn't have physically fit through every tap in the house based on flow rate. The meters were all removed and "taken in for testing", and of course all were found accurate. The exorbitant bills stopped when the meters were switched out. Collectively, we hired an attorney after we were turned away at a town utility board meeting. We also had two news stations on the case (my interview is proudly stored on a VHS tape somewhere).

End result? Nothing. Pay the bill, or expect a lien on your property (and cessation of water service).

 

[BadDecision]

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I will be able to get someone at the Plain Dealer or news stations to look into my case. My fear is that water problems in the city of Cleveland are so common, that they would be less inclined to take an interest.

One thing I was thinking about regarding evidence, could I use math to prove my case? Such as calculating average usage and standard deviation and showing that this usage is beyond reasonable? Another example I was thinking of illustrating is similar to the one the LdiJ posted. Would this be persuasive in court?

One other thing I was thinking about is the fact that they replaced my meter before notifying me of the erroneous bill, thus taking away the ability for the meter to be tested. Would this alone be sufficient enough to win?

Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.

Cleveland is well known for their water utility issues, specifically with billing and broken meters. You can Google to find all the news stories and blogs.

My mother had fought with them for over 5 years due to faulty meter. When they finally replaced it, they had her meter running from her neighbors, She went from a "single woman" bill to a "family of 5" water bill. Again, spent many many years fighting.
It took several trips from techs until one finally found and DOCUMENTED the issue.
Plus she pursued the help of her local districts representative office.

Keep fighting it, contact your district rep. and keep pushing it with the water dept.
Call daily and complain until you get a hold of someone who can actually help you.

Best of luck to you!

 

[water_nj]

I see this thread is 3 years old. Was there a resolution? I am having the exact same problem with my water company

 

[quincy]

I see this thread is 3 years old. Was there a resolution? I am having the exact same problem with my water company

If you have a legal question, please start your own thread and include the name of your state (New Jersey, perhaps?).

Thanks.