Complaints

This profile includes complaints for City Of Phoenix Water Service's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  City Of Phoenix Water Service

  305 W Washington St Phoenix, AZ 85003-2187

• 

  City Of Phoenix Water Service

  200 W Washington St Phoenix, AZ 85003-1611

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  A serious issue regarding a utility bill that has been incorrectly assigned to my name.The utility account was originally under the name of ****** *****, the previous owner of the property at ******************************************************************************. Unfortunately, ****** passed away on May 27, 2023. We were married only a few weeks prior to his passing, primarily due to his terminal condition. Following his passing, I moved to an apartment and began my lease on June 1, 2023. I provided a death certificate and my full lease agreement to your office as proof of these ********** June, I paid $88 towards the utility bill, but was informed that I could not cancel the services as my name was not on the account. In October 2023, I received a bill of $594.92 for ******** address, but shockingly, it was in my name. I was informed by the city that since my name appeared on the death certificate, his account was transferred to me. This is a gross misunderstanding and should never have happened.I have been disputing this issue for nearly two years now. After speaking with your accountant, **** ***** *******, I was told my new balance was $42.64. Despite this, I received a bill from a collection agency and paid $51.37 online on December 17, 2024, at 8:24 am. However, I am now receiving additional bills from Ability Recovery Services, with contact person ***** ****, who has been less than empathetic and quite unprofessional. I never signed up for City of Phoenix Utility services at the aforementioned address and have been unfairly burdened with this situation. ****** had no will, no money, and no successor. I am seeking a full refund for the undue stress and financial burden of the past two years and request that this matter be resolved immediately. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to rectify this situation. This is an urgent matter that requires immediate attention.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/18/2025

  Hello ********,

  
  Thank you for your inquiry.  I'm sorry you had this experience with our vendor.  Your account was paid in full with the city of Phoenix as of 1/1/25.  We contacted the collection agency on your behalf to confirm that their information matched ours regarding the adjustment completed on your account last October and the outstanding balance due.  in response, they have informed us that the account is considered paid in full with them as well. 

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called customer ********************** today to get help setting up new services. The *** was condescending and getting help felt like pulling teeth. Not looking forward to Phoenix services here if the very first interaction was painful.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2025

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Services were started for this customer on 2/14/25.

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/02/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bill from city services dated 10/22/2024 to 11/19/2024 was never received nor any email notification of bill was sent. Instead, the bill was generated on 12/17/2024 after an additional month of service had gone by resulting in even a higher water usage bill. The water leak was detected and repaired 12/13/2024. Had I known on 11/19/2024 that my bill was so high due to an obvious leak, I would have addressed it immediately. I called on 12/16/2024 asking why I had not gotten an email notification of an upcoming bill or an auto draft on or around 12/10/2024 to be told the bill was not generated yet and told to call back after 12/17/2024. I pulled up my account on 12/18/2024 to see an excessively large bill of $1585.44 for services from 10/22/2024-11/19/2024. I immediately called and was told by the team lead ********** that the bill was not sent until 12/17 because "it was so high that they had to verify it". Why did it take a month to verify? On 12/19/2024 another bill was generated for an even larger bill of $2182.48. The water leak would have been repaired on 11/20/2024 if we had known. I promptly paid $1585.44 on 12/18/2024. An additional payment of $700 was paid on 12/18/2024 toward a payment arrangement.I am asking for a bill adjustment of a minimum of $2182.48

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2025

  Good Afternoon,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention. I can certainly understand the frustration in this situation and I apologize for the delayed receipt of the bill.  Regrettably, under Phoenix City Code we are unable to offer any adjustments to charges resulting from a leak on the property. Specifically, Section ***** (A) states: Each customer served by City ********************** is responsible for all leaks, or damages due to leaks, downstream of the customers point of ********************** delivery. Each customer is responsible for full payment of charges to the City for any water lost due to leaks and other causes downstream of the customers point of ********************** delivery.

  I see the account has already been placed on a payment arrangement, which is the assistance we are able to offer in this situation. If a longer repayment period would be helpful I would be happy to review that and potentially extend the time frame.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2025

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ****
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I contacted City of Phoenix Services to Start water/trash/sewer services for a house I am purchasing. First online and also by phone. I was informed that I needed to show proof of ownership in the form of a settlement statement before they will start services. Hello? I don't get a settlement statement until I officially close and take possession of the property. Then I'm supposed to wait 2-3 days until you physically come out and turn the water on. Are you kidding me? When I questioned the representative on how this is possible, she had no answers and I was told that this is just the way it is. There has got to be a way to get the water turned on so its available when I move in. Please advise.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2024

  Good Morning,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  Although we're aware you may not receive the final settlement statement until the closing, an estimated version is provided prior to the closing.  We will accept either the estimated or the final version of the settlement statement or the deed as proof of ownership.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/28/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Today is Oct 28th 2024! I noticed the city Phoenix water department has a new website when I tried to pay my bill a few days ago. The site kept saying no account found! Note I've been a customer for over 15 years. Everytime I try to reset my account with the Code sent to me I get the same error 'NO ACCOUNT FOUND'. I tried to contact customer ********************** this morning and I've been on hold for 20 min as I'm typing this review. Clearly the AUTOMATED phone system is not allow me to pay my bill. I've never had an issue paying my bill till this month. What is crazy they don't answer the phone but open at 8:00 A M. I finally got a customer ********************** *** online after holding for 30 minutes. She explained they rolled out a new website, they service millions of customers and they don't have the ability to send out notices that the website was changed! Customer would have to re-register their accounts. Pure utter laziness on a City of Phoenix water department.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  We appreciate the feedback on the website rollout and apologize for your wait time.  Call volume is usually highest on Mondays and Fridays between the hours of 8am - 9am and 4pm - 5pm.  Calling outside of these days/hours will typically result in a shorter wait time.  

  Thank you,

  ****-***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I recently tryed to start services on a new address. after my request being denied, I received an email stating that I have a past due balance from 2009 on a property. the agent informed me the city was able to match me with this account only by my phone number and my name. They attempted to veryfy me with a PIN number, but I was unable to provide this because I have never lived in that address. after receiving approval from a supervisor to provide me with more info they informed me about a different address the invoice was being sent to, That I do not know. I informed them I did not have any past due balance. In fact. I have had multiple services and never once did they provided me with this information. I requested a proof, like a subitter contract or request to start services at this address. and they say they are unable to provide this to me. because they do not have an excisting start service form or contract on file. I am now stock with a pressumed balance on a property I do not know. and they are unable to provide me with proof. I hope to be able to receive solution to my issue. it feels like their word is all i got and they are not being fair.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/27/2024

  Hello *********,

  We've reviewed the situation and the start request you submitted and we will not require you to pay this balance.  We will also process the start request you originally submitted.  I apologize for the delay and inconvenience.  Thank you for bringing this to our attention.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/14/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hi, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding an issue with my water service account.In June 2023, I applied for water service at a property I was renting. Unfortunately, my application was denied due to missing documents. Despite my efforts to clarify the situation with your team, the water service was never established in my name. However, I noticed that water was being supplied to the house without any official agreement or contract with the city.As a tenant, I assumed the water was being managed by the property management company. Now, I have learned that I am being charged for water usage from last year, amounting to $1,000, despite the fact that I never signed any contracts or documents with your company.I believe it is unjust to be billed for services I did not formally request or agree to, and I am concerned about the legality of this situation. I kindly request your assistance in resolving this matter, as I do not believe I should be held responsible for these charges.Thank you for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your prompt response.Sincerely,

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Hello ****,

  Thank you for your inquiry.  We received a lease from you indicating that you have been residing at the property since 6/9/2023, which you also acknowledged in your complaint.  As you were residing at the property and received the benefit of the services provided, you are responsible for the cost of those services.  

  You were back billed in accordance with Phoenix City Code, Section 37-1.1, which states:

  A. If an error occurs and an account holder has received water service but was not charged for that service, the Director may charge the account holder an amount not more than the cost of 36 months of service before the date the Department becomes aware of the error.

  I also reviewed the lease you submitted and it specifically states that the tenant is responsible for all utilities, including water. 

  We understand the financial impact of an unexpected high bill, therefore as a courtesy I have placed the balance on a 12 month payment arrangement.  The installment amount for that arrangement is $91.64 per month.  This amount will appear on your billing statements as a separate line item in addition to your regular monthly charges.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Dear *******************,
  
  Thank you for your response regarding the lease and the utility charges. I appreciate the clarity you provided.
  
  However, I must express that I do not agree with your decision concerning my responsibility for the costs associated with the services provided. Additionally, I want to clarify that I have not signed any legal contract with your office regarding this matter.
  
  Given the circumstances, I believe it is necessary to escalate this issue for further discussion and resolution. I am open to exploring potential solutions that can address this situation appropriately. 
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.
  
  Best regards,

  Business Response

  Date: 08/15/2024

  Hello ****,

  Thank you for your response.  When you sign up for service, you agree to all of our terms and conditions as stated in Phoenix City Code, Section ******: "The provisions of this chapter are the terms and conditions under which the City provides water service to customers."

  In addition to the code I provided previously specifically related to the back billing, Section ***** reiterates that "[t]he Department will assess water charges, fees, and costs for any use of City water, even if the person who used the water failed to apply for or establish water services."

  You are responsible for all charges under code.  The full text of Phoenix City Code is available online.

  Code does provide the option to proceed to an Administrative Hearing under Section 37-95.  In order to do so, you will need to submit a protest in writing or by email that identifies the amount of the bill challenged and specifies the reasons for the challenge.  This written dispute must be received by the city of Phoenix no later than 60 days after the bill date of the charges you are disputing.  

  We respond to complaints submitted through the BBB as a courtesy to our customers.  However, as a municipal utility the BBB does not have jurisdiction over the City of Phoenix Water Department.  A dispute sent to an unaffiliated third party therefore cannot be accepted as an initial protest; you will need to send something in writing to us directly if you wish to proceed.  Emails can be sent directly to our customer ********************** at *******************************************************************************************************************. 

  Please keep in mind that should you choose to proceed to a hearing it will be your responsibility to provide a preponderance of evidence that you are not responsible for the services provided.  The department will be relying on the code I have provided, the clause in your lease, and all requests submitted to attempt to start service in your name from May 2023 and June 2024.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I received a final bill a few weeks ago stating a final amount due and the date it was due, 7/17/2024 Today, 7/16/2024, I went to the Phx Pay Online website to pay the bill. My account was frozen and was already sent to collections even tho the due date for the amount was not shown as past due.I was not even able to pay the bill online due to my account being frozen.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/17/2024

  Thank you for referring this complaint to my attention.  I reviewed the account information and the final bill was sent on 5/31/24 when the services were stopped.  That bill was due on 6/21/24. 

  A follow-up invoice was sent on 6/26/24, however that **** was for a late fee only.  All other charges were already past due, and it is those outstanding charges that caused the referral to the collection agency.  Regrettably, the balance does need to be paid to them at this time.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/17/2024

  I did not receive any bill dated 621. I received two bills via email with a due date of 717. I never received a letter or any statements at all.

  I have gone back through all my emails and done a search and do not have any written or digital communication regarding any other bills except the bill that was due on 717

  I did speak to a customer ********************** representative on May 15 and ask for a paper bill to be mailed to my new address which I also never received

  Business Response

  Date: 07/18/2024

  Hello ***,

  Thank you for your response.  On 5/15 we received an online request to stop service on 5/31.  I checked the stop service request and per that request the final bill was to be sent via email.  No alternate mailing address was provided.  The final bill was therefore emailed to you in accordance with that request on 5/31.  So there is no confusion, the 6/21 date was the due date of that bill.  

  We also sent a letter notifying you of the past due balance on 7/5.  Regrettably, because no alternate mailing address had been provided it was mailed to your service address and therefore would have relied on mailing forwarding to reach you.  However, we also reached out to you via phone and email on 7/16 in an effort to connect with you and allow you to pay the balance prior to the account going to collections.  It was referred later that evening, and therefore payment to us was no longer an option when you contacted us on 7/17.  We do not have any record of speaking to you on 5/17.  

  I will send a duplicate copy of your bill to the mailing address you provided with this inquiry.  However, as previously advised you will need to pay any balance due to the collection agency at this time.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/19/2024

  Again, I only received 2 bills, both with a due date of 7/17/24. These were emailed to me. 
  

  Again I have gone thru ALL my emails all the way back to May and do not see any other communication. 
  

  the issue I have with this is that I can only pay the bill thru your collection department which is totally stupid to make it more complicated to pay the bill in an effort to punish late payers for your lack of communication. 
  

  I will not pay thru a collection agency and if thats the only way to pay then you will not be paid   Your choice 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/29/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I just moved and am trying to have my water turned on at my new house. The City of Phoenix is now saying that I have a balance of $408 and some change from 12 years ago and that if it is not paid they will not turn on my water. I have lived in 2 other houses in that 12 years and never once did someone say I owed money. Then they tried to tell me that when I had my services turned on at my house on **************** that I never turned off services at the house on 45th drive. I did have services turned off when I moved and had services turned on at the **************** house. I have called them trying to resolve this and was hung up on twice and was on the phone for more than 2 hours trying to get a hold of an executive that they never transferred me to.I have been a customer for 20 plus years and have paid my bills.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/01/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for forwarding this complaint to my attention.  

  I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Under Phoenix City Code any prior outstanding balances must be paid prior to ** starting new service.  Regrettably there is no consideration for the age of the debt nor any ability to settle; if debt exists it must be paid in full prior to us starting new service.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/04/2024

  I have had 2 more houses set up with services with you. Why did no one say anything when I set up any of the other houses in between now? Seems like really bad business. I have paid my bills with you for the past 27 years or so, but 12 years later its ok to tell me oh by the way you owe $408 with no mention of it for 12 years? 

  Business Response

  Date: 03/05/2024

  Hello *******,

  While it is certainly regrettable if this balance was missed previously, that does not change the requirement.  Per code the outstanding balance must be paid before we can start new service.

  Thank you,

  **********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The city of Phoenix claims that I owe in excess of $19,000.00 for non payment dating back to 2020. My water was shut off for non payment late in 2023. I have been given several different answers by different representatives as to how this can be resolved and how they would wait three years to turn off services. My most recent attempt at remedying the situation was to submit bank statements showing payments from 2020 to 2023. ******* said they needed to research the information. That was last week. As of now my family is still unfairly without water service due to an error by the city.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/16/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for forwarding this complaint to my attention. 

  The last recorded payment we received on this account was on 3/2/2020.  In the nearly four years since that payment was received, charges have continued to accrue and compound.  During the height of the ******19 pandemic we were not disconnecting service at all, and after that time our initial action was still to restrict the service to low-flow rather than an immediate disconnection of service.  Due to these events it did take some time for service to be completely disconnected.  Regrettably now that it has occurred the only resolution available to have service restored is to satisfy the outstanding balance.  

  On 11/20/2023 I sent you an email with contact information for some help agencies.  If you have not already, I would recommend reaching out to them to see if they are able to provide some assistance.  Additionally, any payments you are able to make toward the outstanding balance will be beneficial; at this time monthly base fees and late fees continue to accrue.  

  We do not have any record of contact with you since November of last year when I emailed you.  Please forward any bank statements showing payments made to us after 3/2/2020 to me; you can respond to my email address.  If you no longer have that email please respond here and I will forward it to you.  

  Thank you,

  **********************************