I’m not sure how the national news plays it, but Georgia has been suffering from a severe drought for several months. We have also been under a water ban for some time and it is evident from the dry landscape. Personally, I would rather not water my lawn in the first place, so I haven’t had to change my behavior much. My water bills have increased from around $30 to upwards of $50 a month. But that’s not a big price to pay, in my opinion.
However, this month my water bill was $754.00! Say what!? How could this be? I checked and rechecked the water bill and I noticed that this month’s bill was an “estimate”. An estimate based on what, exactly? And why an estimation? I looked further.
There was a small note on my bill that said that the meter could not be read because it was “covered with landscape”. If I’m going to suffer a 1500% increase in my water bill because of a landscape malfunction, I had better fix this problem quickly.
The image below shows the state of my water meter and the “landscape” problem. A dusting of pine needles? Give me a break, Dekalb County! Get out of the truck, lift the metal plate, and read the freakin’ meter. Being lazy and/or incompetent is no excuse to gouge customers.
Hey- we’ve had a heck of a time with Dekalb water service too. Im glad you put this out there- its important for us to have a voice in this. As it is, there is no other water service provider, right? Do they think they can treat customers this way? Can they get away with it?
Maybe you should post ours too, and we can have a general complaint website for this issue- a service for the consumer, as we seem to have not other!! thank you!!
LindseyM
Hi Lindsey, I’m not sure if we will get much headway with Dekalb County, but there is a certain amount of catharsis with venting. Besides, if they’re unable/unwilling to read a water meter, I seriously doubt they would make an effort to read a complaint. Oh joy!
I am so fed up with dekalb county, they 1st sent me a $330 water bill for x mas then today they sent me a $1100 water bill for my birthday. i am so tired of this .
I have news for you. That black circular thing indicates that your meter has can transmit the reading and doesn’t have to be opened. That makes this account even more sad.
I just got a $600 water bill and have never had one over $200.
More payback to Dunwoody residents, I guess.
Hi Scott – thanks for sharing. I didn’t know that.
Geez. Now it really makes me wonder why they even bothered writing a note saying the meter was covered with landscape.
Police cars are now equipped with cameras so that disputes in judgment can be less subjective. I say it’s time to install the “meter reader camera” so we can see what the heck is going on while our meters remain unread and we are charged out the nose for services not rendered.
I just got a bill for $500.00 for a vacant house. This is the second such bill this year. Interim bills show almost zero usage. Then BLAM. No leaks detected. Have watched the meter. It’s not moving. How can this be? DeKalb County Water has no explanation. Who can give me one? Maybe it’s time for some “class action”.
The two times this has happened is when 2 meter readings took place in a single billing period. Never when there was a single reading. Very strange.
Have had some $300+ bills from Dekalb water….that is about 3x our neighbors…and our household is 2 peeps. Does anyone know if the meter technology can be faulty or unreliable? I am suspecting the meter itself is bad. Could that be? And what can we do to resolve these obvious errors?
Sometimes I think they just guess. I was able to get my bill resolved but it is worth keeping any eye on every month. Also, make sure that you don’t have any pipes leaking. Dekalb SHOULD be able to detect major anomalies (such as a steady pull on water that would indicate a leaky pipe) but the communication department must be a victim of budget cuts…or laziness.
What is the process for disputing a charge? I can’t get through to speak to a live human being on the phone.
We are facing a similar issue. How did anyone get their bill changed? We average $35 a month and just got a bill for $792!
Any help would be appreciated!
Hi John and Laura – I think you just have to keep trying to call. Morning is best. In the meantime, pay some part of your bill until you can get the full charge resolved. I would suggest snuggling up with a good book while waiting on hold because it can take awhile.
I see I’m not the only who gets these over size water bills my water bill is 11,700.00 can you believe this.. Ive been trying for a year to get this problem resolved with Dekalb County.. Does any one know who I can talk to get this matter handled or do I need to take legal action
Hi Maxine, I actually had to call them. Expect some hold time but eventually you will get to someone who can help. Just pay a minimum amount in the meantime. Good luck!
OMG! My home has been vacant and For Sale for 11 months. There is no one living in the house and no water running. I have called Dekalb Cty 5 times regarding my water bills. 2 months ago my bill was $784 and for August it was $1,398! I have had the water lines inside and outside my home checked. Dekalb Cty says the Meter is running correctly. How can this be when there is no water running???? I guess my next step is an Attorney! Help!!!!
Hi Bette – wow. I would recommend parking yourself on the phone or going for an in-person visit if possible. I’m curious how they responded when you told them about the vacancy.
Hi Slim;
My bill have been consistently $30-34 for as long as I can remember. Almost 2 years ago I received a bill of $157 and complained but paid. I had been in person and on the phone with DeKalb Cty and was told that they needed historical readings therefore I waited until July called back and the representative agreed that the $157 stuck out like a sore thumb and was give a credit of $85. The next cycle I my balance was $31.06. I could not believe it! I was expecting $00.00 until the credit was consumed. I called back spoke with a supervisor and got the standard spill. So decided to wait, mind you I live in a house, don’t water the lawn, am single run the cloths and dish washer once a week and have painstakingly chain all toilet flow to new water efficient flows.
This bill I received was $79, now how did the water consumption drop and I made no changes…there’s some thing wrong with this and I don’t know how to resolve it? Do you have any suggestions of how I can get to the bottom of this because I am afraid that they are getting ready to really stick it to me!
Hi Danny – thanks for the comment. Wish I had some better insights but I really just made the original post out of utter frustration and found I wasn’t alone. But I would definitely recommend getting in touch and making complaints before paying (or at least just pay a minimum).