Complaint Review: PWSD#3 Public Water Supply District #3 Jasper County Missouri

Publicly owned utility company. Disconnects water, then continues to charge a monthly fee for over 20 months even though service was unavailable, costing customers hundreds of dollars in fraudulent charges. Holds payments for days so they can charge a "late fee" bumping up the cost to customers. Mails the payment coupon several days after the end of the month, which causes the customer to not have time to get payment to them before it is "late" and this causes extra charges to customers. Says they read the water meters around the 25th day of each month, but in reality meter is read as much as 1-2 weeks earlier or later, sometimes only 10 days after last month's meter reading. Since customers don't pay by the gallon, but a tiered payment based upon how many 1,000 gallons was used, reading the meter earlier or later causes additional charges to be applied to the customer for water not used. President of the Board of Directors is married to the chief financial officer even though state law says that employment at the water district cannot be based on nepotism or by political appointment. Rumors of missing funds from other board members who have been run out of office by the little fraud clique. Falsifies documents, dates, and service records and this can all be proved by a watchful customer. If you do business with this utility, read your own meter on the 25th day of each month and see just how much money you are being fraudulently charged in a year! Interesting that the President of the Board and the CFO has had big financial problems, but they aren't having the financial problems now. I guess we know why...they are stealing from their customers while they live in a big house on the hill. The Missouri Attorney General should be investigating these complaints, but the AG is quiet. Does this corruption go all the way to Jefferson City and Matt Blunt?

Ripped_off!
Joplin, Missouri
U.S.A.