91 yr old faces homelesness over water bill error | The Compost Bin | Forums

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As reported by the Courier-Post on Sunday, the elderly Camden resident, accustomed to $50 or $60 quarterly water bills from United Water, received a bill for $2,167.02 earlier this year. She hadn’t filled up an Olympic-sized swimming pool; according to her water bill, the water she used could have done so. No water leaks in her home were found, and her bill the next quarter was back to normal. United Water insisted that the insane charge was accurate, but couldn’t explain why.

As a result of the unpaid water bill, a lien against Ms. Sochanski’s home was sold in June. Ms. Sochanski was facing homelessness, and United Water wasn’t talking.

Mistakes happen. But for United Water to continuously deny requests for comment or explanation from both the customer and the press, was unconscionable. Private companies don’t have to tell the public anything about issues like this, as they are shockingly exempt from many public disclosure laws that local government utilities must abide by.

Even the city of Camden – which itself recently settled a lawsuit with United Water over billing and performance issues, like the fact that the system was losing 45% of its water – couldn’t help Ms. Sochanski. For corporations like United Water, profit, not customer service, is the bottom line.

After an international outpouring of outrage and sympathy for Ms. Sochanski following the publishing of her story, an agreement was apparently made to resolve the lien on her home. But questions remain unanswered by United Water, and her now-increased $2,312 bill apparently still stands.