Dickson Water authority has UNfair practices! The water company has us under a barrel! Rip-off! Dickson Tennessee
UNFAIR practices in Dickson and surrounding cities! We have one water company to receive our water and sewer services from. They take advantage by charging the highest fees for their services: knowing you have no choice to go elsewhere for the needed water.
1.They charge a non refundable $75 to have new services connected. If you move, or need to transfer your water to a new residence, you are charged another non refundable $75.
2.They disconnect your water if your payment is one day late. They charge a $35 reconnect fee.
In some cases, the reconnect fee is more than the total cost of delinquent bill. For most families with low income, they have no other option. I think the Water authority of Dickson County should be maintained with more fair practices.
To better serve their loyal customers they should make either of the following changes.
1.Send cut off notices to warn the customer they are delinquent and subject for disconnect.
2.Allow customer to give payment to the authority turning water off, charging less of a reconnect fee.
3.Charging less for reconnect fee.
4.Instead of the high connect fee, charge a refundable deposit.
I speak from personal experience. My water bill was past due on the 25th, and on 28th, the water authority disconnected my water without notice. Having been out of town, I simply forgot to drop off my water bill.
I asked the service man if I could pay him on the spot, of course I couldn't. I drove 10 minutes into town to pay my $28 delinquent bill and $35 reconnect fee. As I was returning, the service man was already reconnecting my water.
My water was turned off for a total of 20 minutes. It cost me $35 to have it turned back on. I in no way condone not paying your bill, or being late on your payments, however for a much needed service, I think the authorities should be more fair. Kudos Dickson Electric Company. You are fair and reasonable and make arrangements with your customers; you only charge a $15 reconnect fee! Shame on Dickson Water authority!
Rochelle
dickson, Tennessee
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Mona
Dickson,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Non Paying Customers
#2REBUTTAL Individual responds
Thu, March 16, 2006
The Water Authority of Dickson County maintains the following policy for cutting off customers for non payment.
1. Our connection fee for service which is non refundable is $65.00 not $75.00. We do not maintain deposits on our books which is a trend amongst most utility companies as they are classified as liabilities.
2. In the event the customer is disconnected for non payment, they have a choice, pay the arrears bill and the new bill which is on their account which they would have to pay anyway or the $35.00 reconnect fee. THIS IS THE CUSTOMER CHOICE.
3. The cost savings to our rate payers by not sending second notices in approximately $15,000 per year. In nearly twenty years of service to the WADC, I can say that the second notices do not encourage payment.
4. No matter how long a customers water is off, there has been much work done to process the accounts for payment. The fees attributable to disconnection must be shoulderd by the customer that chooses not to pay timely. This way, we are not punishing our timely rate payers.
5. Our service technicians do not collect payments in the field for a multitude of safety reasons .
6. We are sympathetic to the fact that customers sometimes have extenuating circumstances for non payment such as illness, deaths etc... We always make arrangements to assit these customers.
7. Ms. Rochell did experience an unfortunate situation, however, she has shifted all the burden of her admitted nonpayment on her account to the WADC, when scheduling payments is clearly the responsiblity of the customer.
8. We offer automatic bank draft for customer that travel and are frequently out of town. If Ms. Rochell had subscribed to this free service, her service would not have been interrupted.