ComplaintsforMeterNet

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was charged an extra $25 as a brand new customer due to my *** info being entered incorrectly. However, I was sent an email saying my bill had been paid, and then NOT sent an email stating that the *** had not gone through. They just silently added the fee and said nothing. The only reason I noticed is because I always pay my bills on time and noted that the withdrawal had not occurred. So I went to check on the website. The website is not formatted correctly for use on a cell phone and is unclear, difficult to navigate, and archaic. It appears that this business is designed to not serve its customers, as I read multiple other complaints on the internet describing MeterNet as shady. That is the word Id choose as well. I immediately paid with a credit card (adding an additional $3.50 fee, which is also shady). Then I called customer service and they claimed Id entered the account number wrong. They told me that Id been mailed a letter about it, and I specifically have requested to have all communication through email with all providers. So they can email me a bogus statement saying that my bill has been paid, but they cant email me about the payment not clearing? Thats shady! No offer of a refund or any effort to restore themselves to my good graces as a brand new customer. I found myself wondering if this is how MeterNet makes its money, by slapping fees on customers and not informing them or making any effort to make their services about customer satisfaction or to be user friendly. Very disappointing and I dont trust this company at all. If I could choose a different service provider, I would. Unethical and shameful. Will be sharing this experience with others.

  

  Business response

  05/03/2024

  Hi *******,
  We are always looking for ways we can improve, so my sincere thanks for your feedback.
  
  I can definitely understand the frustration!
  
  When we go to process a payment through ACH, unfortunately, we dont know about a failure with the payment until the bank contacts us.  This can sometimes be several days later.
  
  Thats why you received the initial email about your payment successfully going through. From our end, it did process on that day. 
  
  Unfortunately, a few days later, we got an update from the bank that the payment did not fully fund.  At that point the bank charges us $25.00 for the payment failure, which is why that charge is passed on to you.  This is not a fee that we are making any money on. Its specifically a fee that we are billed by the bank for a failed payment.
  
  In terms of our website not being mobile friendly, you are right.  Its not pretty on a mobile device, and it's not a great experience.  We are working on a new portal right now, and I hope to have a new version for you in the very near future!
  
  In the meantime, Im going to get that $25.00 charge credited back to you to try and make things right. Im sorry for the bumps in the road, and I hope your experience with us going forward is much smoother.

  Customer response

  05/03/2024

  
  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

  02/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have an enormous problem with the amount of my monthly bill! This problem has been ongoing ever since individual water meters were installed at each unit here where I live. I've been living here as a homeowner with my 86 year old mother for 20 years now. Our only source of income is our monthly Social Security payments which don't amount to too much of anything. Between our monthly mortgage payment and our monthly ***************, we're barely able to make ends meet. And then, when you take into account this outrageous water bill, which is simply beyond ludicrous, times financially are indeed tough for myself and my mother. I'm including a copy of my recent water bill, so that you may see with your own 2 eyes, in plain black and white, the reason for why my blood pressure goes up every time I get ready to submit payment. My gas and electricity utility bills are usually less than my ridiculous water bill. Because my mother and I qualified for special low income programs through Southern ******************* and Southern ********** ******* those bills are pretty much manageable. As far as our water bill is concerned, I have made a variety of phone calls to various entities, to see if mom and I could enroll in some kind of a low income program, but was turned away. Supposedly, there is no such program presently available. Nor will there be one in the near foreseeable future. In conclusion, thank you for making the time to read my letter. Please notice how my monthly rate for water on the bill included was only $9.60. Yet after all those insane additional charges were added, my bill skyrocketed through the roof with a total of $75.46 due!!! Simply unreal. Wouldn't you agree?Sincerely,***************************** ************************** ****************************************************************. *****

  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  Great question ***!
  
  I can completely understand your frustration and I wish I could help!   Unfortunately, we do not control the costs charged by the water company, nor their fees.  We only pass along the exact charges that your community's water purveyor, **********************, charges the community.   
  
  Each line-item you see on your statement comes directly from the community statement generated by the **********************.  We are contracted by your HOA to evenly split those costs between the residents at your community based on your exact usage, and are legally unable to make any changes to those rates without their permission.   
  
  if your HOA or the ************* has a low income program that they can enroll you in, we can absolutely include that on your statement!  ************* water purveyor can be reached at www.****.com.   We just need the information for that program from them in terms of what rates to apply to your account, and an email with their approval, and we'd be happy to get that set up.
  
  I hope that helps some, and please don't hesitate to reach out to us if we can help out with anything else.   
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear BBB, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my concerns regarding a recent increase in my water bill through MeterNet Sub-metering Services, which I believe is unjust and requires immediate adjustment.Upon a careful examination of my most recent water bill ******** Number: ********, I was taken aback by a significant surge in the charges for water consumption. Throughout my history as a customer, I have prided myself on being responsible and consistent in paying my bills on time. I have also been diligent in monitoring my water usage to contribute to conservation efforts.However, this sudden increase in charges does not correlate with my actual water consumption patterns. There have been no reports of unusual leaks or issues on my property that could account for this substantial and unexpected surge in expenses.In an attempt to gain clarity on this matter, I reached out to MeterNet and engaged in a conversation with one of their representatives. It came to my attention that, for the months of Marchthough July, their system had experienced downtime, leading to estimated water usage during those periods. What further complicates this situation is the unavailability of my statements for those specific months on their website, despite my efforts to access them. The representative explained that they had estimated my consumption at 4 meter units, which she then went to say it ended up being an underestimation compared to an actual usage of 6 to 7 meter units used those months. This discrepancy has raised questions in my mind. I am confused as to why they opted for an estimation of 4 meter units when my historical usage had consistently been higher. Moreover, it remains unclear how they deduced that my consumption was 6 to 7 meter units during the system downtime, and it is unsettling to me that, after several months, they are charging me almost double the usual amount for an error in their calculations. It is unfair for customers to be confronted with such an unexpected and substantial charge increase without prior notice or an opportunity to address potential discrepancies. I firmly believe that it is the company's responsibility to rectify this situation, as it was their error in underestimating my consumption. I understand that mistakes can happen, and I am confident that we can resolve this matter amicably.I appreciate your prompt attention to this issue and your assistance in ensuring that my water bill accurately reflects my consumption. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in addressing this matter. I eagerly await your response and a swift resolution with this company Sincerely,***************************

  

  Business response

  10/20/2023

  Im so sorry for any confusion *******, and I apologize that you were not able to get more clarity on your questions!
  
  1. System down time- 
  -The system we use to read your meter was down for several months earlier this year. The meters themselves were perfectly fine and continued to register your usage during that time. We worked with your community to resolve this, and were able to bring the reading system back online at the end of August.
  
  2. Unavailability of statements- 
  -Im not sure why you are unable to access your statements online, and I will look into this.  In the meantime, we do have all your statements available.   We can send those to you digitally or even new ones in print any time you request them.   Just send us an email to ******************************************** and well be happy to have those sent over right away.
  
  3. Low estimation-
  -When we are unable to connect to gather someones usage, we will estimate the usage.  That way we can avoid any surprise bills.   That being said, when we estimate, we always go a little lower than your normal average.  The last thing we want to do is accidentally over bill you, and have you pay for more water than you actually used.
  
  4. How did you figure out the consumption during the downtime?- 
  -Your meter was still registering usage during this time.   The only thing that was not working was the system that sends us the reading of your meter (over the internet).  Once that system was replaced with a new one, we were able to get the exact read again from your meter.  Your historical usage over the last three years has been 7.9 units per billing cycle.   If we only look at your usage average over the last four billing cycles, which includes this invoice, youre actually lower than your average at 6.8 units per billing cycle.
  
  Definitely let me know if you have any questions on the above, or if there is anything else we can help out with.

  Customer response

  10/20/2023

  Dear MeterNet,

  Understand that estimating the bill was not my responsibility, and I appreciate that it's a complex process. However, it would have been beneficial if historical data from previous months and years had been considered to provide a more accurate estimate, closer to what the customer typically pays. In the event that it slightly exceeded the budget for that month, I believe it would have been preferable to estimate a bit higher on that month statement and to later receive a refund than to face the shock of receiving three extreme bill statements in a single month.
  
  From a customer's perspective, it felt like a decision made by the company without adequate communication or customer awareness. I received three statements, and during any of those times, I could have been informed about what was happening, allowing me to prepare for the variation in pricing. Alternatively, the company could have proactively reached out, and I could have provided meter photos to ensure a more accurate estimate.
  

  I understand that challenges can arise, but I don't believe it's fair for the responsibility to fall on me when a poor judgment was made. I hope that moving forward, we can adopt a more transparent and collaborative approach to better manage these situations.

  Respectfully,

  *******

  

  Business response

  10/23/2023

  Great questions *******, and I can definitely understand the concerns!
  
  1.  It felt like a decision made by the company without adequate communication or customer awareness
  - I'm so sorry you felt like you were in the dark on this! We had been working with your community on why your meter and others were not providing us with the reads and on the fix. Usually the community coordinates with the residents to ensure they are updated. I apologize if this was not communicated to you, and I can understand the frustration!
  
  2.  In the event that it slightly exceeded the budget for that month, I believe it would have been preferable to estimate a bit higher on that month statement and to later receive a refund than to face the shock of receiving three extreme bill statements in a single month - 
  I understand and agree, and I wish that were the case for everyone!  Unfortunately the majority of the residents we work with prefer to have us underestimate in these situations, than accidentally overbill.  That being said, we almost always can offer no-cost payment options as we can understand how an unexpectedly larger bill can caused budgeting issues.  I've setup your account to not have any late fees for the next 6 months - that way you don't have to pay for the back bill all at once, and can make payments as needed.
  
  Thank you again for your feedback, and if there is anything else we can do to help, please let me know.  

  Customer response

  10/26/2023

  Dear MeterNet,

  I appreciate your prompt response; however, I still have concerns about the situation and feel that the responsibility should not fall on me due to what appears to be a lapse in judgment on your company's part. Your proposed solution still leaves me responsible for an issue of which I was not previously aware. Had I been informed, I would have gladly taken a proactive approach and provided daily meter readings to avoid this predicament.

  I have been in the process of taking a daily picture of my meter to ensure that such issues do not recur in the future. In light of this, I respectfully request the removal of these charges. Your understanding and assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The water company for my property changed without any notice to me (the tenant). I just became aware of the bills, and they are trying to assess late fees for each month since they took over billing. The fees are about $300 in total. The water company won't waive the fees because I'm not the property owner.

  

  Business response

  10/03/2023

  Hi ******,
  
  I can completely understand your frustration!
  
  When we took over the water billing for your community earlier this year, we were provided the address for the owner of your property for the statements, and not you. Because they did not pay the statements, as they thought you were receiving them, the account did end up with $165 in late fees.   
  
  To help resolve this, we have been working with the property manager. She has indicated that they have directly credited you for the total amount of the late fees yesterday. 
  
  If you havent received that from your property manager yet, please let us know, and Ill be happy to forward over the email we received from them.

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Meternet has consistently overcharged me and when I have called them out on it, they always have some sort of accounting or system issue that requires "investigating". I have called Meternet now at least five different occasions relating to different billing issues, some of which have been repetitive. Each time, I am given the same story. Each time, I am told that they can see things on their end that consumers are not able to see. The lack of transparency is appalling. As is their flawed accounting system that apparently can never be fixed. I've been advised that credits would be placed on my account, but when I check my account, they are not there. I have been advised that some credit was placed on my account that I was never even advised of. When I check my account, I see that it is not a credit, but rather, an outstanding balance that needs to be paid on my next billing cycle, which makes no sense. When I ask questions about this, I am told that they have no immediate information and they need to investigate this.

  

  Business response

  08/24/2023

  Thanks so much for chatting with me today ********, and Im sorry for any confusion and trouble with your billing!
  
  As we spoke about, we were unable to read your meter for one of your billing cycles.  Because of that, we estimated your use for that statement based on your historical use patterns. 
  
  When we were able to read your usage for the next month, your water usage was higher than estimated, thus a correction was made.
  
  We worked with you to average your total usage out over the two statements and provide you with the LOWEST possible bill based on your usage over that period.  We sent over all of the details of this change, the usage, and the credits via email, and you sent your approval.   
  
  This change did require an adjustment within our system to each billing statement.  This resulted in two new line items: a credit to one statement, and a addition to the other.  The overall result of those two line items equaled the overall total for the two statements you approved in the email.
  
  Your automatic payment was processed for the new statement with the credit, followed shortly by the difference for the second adjustment. Again, the overall total payments made match the overall amount you approved.
  
  We do try our best to estimate usage when were unable to read a meter for a statement, but sometimes usage can be VERY different from previous statements.  In those cases, the back-billing for that previous usage can cause some confusion.   Ive sent you an email with all of the specific details again for your records and I hope that helps clarify some.

  Customer response

  08/24/2023

  This investigation remains ongoing. I neither accept nor deny this response. Absent from the explanation provided has been the need to continuously investigate different accounting issues. I therefore cannot immediately agree that the dispute at issue was not created due to accounting issues caused by Meternet. 

  

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  Thanks again for chatting with me earlier this week ********!
  
  Please keep us posted on the results of checking your residence for a leak, and let me know if we can help out with anything else.

  Cheers!

  Customer response

  09/13/2023

  
  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

  07/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Meternet has been over charging me for billing. They add red tags, late fees and high overdue balance with no credibility of where the charges stem from. Mind you I always pay my bill on time. They dont calculate accurately. The original amount was $123 from their misreading of the electric and water usage. I sent the original check of $123 with added late fees which was $214 in February. Instead they ignored it and sent threatening letters that I didnt pay. They added red tag and late fees to the 214 to amount to $******. My manager had to call them to rectify the charges before they fixed their mistake in April. Can you imagine from February - April is when they received my February payment in their system. Now they want me to pay twice for their stupid mistake so each month, theyre taking money out the random overdue balance and red tags from February and adding it to my current charges. So the overdue balance that was once ****** is now ****** which is now *****. So basically, my June charge was $53.95. If subtracted from ****** gives *****. Theyre making me pay twice for their mistake. So Im paying twice the amount for current and overdue charges. Also, they havent sent me my bill for July in the mail but if I dont pay for the July bill, theyll add a late charge of $7.50. How am I to pay for a bill when I dont get it? I never signed up for paperless billing. I have all the mails as proof. Their miscalculation started with the $123 bill and ever since then, Ive been double paying for their mistake. If this billing isnt rectified, Ill be suing meternet

  

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  I'm so sorry for the trouble and confusion with your billing!

  The good news is I do see where the trouble started, and I think I can help out! 
  
  It looks like the very first payment you sent in back in March, arrived to us late. That can sometimes happen with the mail, and I'm happy to help out. I'll go ahead and update the receipt of that check to be earlier and this will eliminate any late fees that were caused by the late receipt of the check.
  
  I'll send you an email with the details of those fees being waived as well.
  
  In terms of your July statement, that was mailed out just a couple of days ago. You should have it in hand within a day or two at most, and if you like, you can sign up for digital copies of your statements via our site. I'm also going to email you a digital copy of that as well.
  
  Again, please accept my apologies for the trouble, and once you receive my email, please let me know if you have any questions. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been living in my ******************* since 2021. I've never received a bill from Meternet until I contacted them in 2023. It appears the billing statements from Meternet that were coming to my house, were for my neighbors name (which I didn't know my neighbor at that time), so I sent them back to the postal service stating "not at this address". Because I was receiving so many, I decided to open one to find out what was going on. Upon opening it called Meternet and they told me they were not aware of my property being built and I was very, very upset. Once I told them who I was, they rushed me a billing invoice from 10/21 to 2/23. This is outgragous. If I owed Meternet, it would not be a problem with me paying my bills, but I NEVER RECEIVED ANY BILLING INVOICES. If it wasn't for me opening my neighbors mail to this day I still would not have an invoice. I could have lived here for the next twenty years and not received and bill and now they expect me to pay a *******************, which they can't accurately account for, since they are saying my property was never built. This is a error on Meternet's part. As a consumer, I deserve to have the opportunity to receive my bills prior to them being due!!!!!!! Why didn't Meternet send my billing invoices starting back in 2021 so I could have the opportunity to pay my bills as they became due? Now Meternet expects for me to pay the back bill which is at this time $1022.47 and pay my current bill. I have more information on this case, but I can only submit so many characters. I expect for this bill to be totall erased!! When I received my first bill back in February, I paid every single bill before it is due. Please look into this issue.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  I'm so sorry for the trouble and and I can understand the frustration ****!
  
  In terms of the date you moved in, it looks like we did not receive an update to our resident records for your community until earlier this year. Unfortunately, that's why those bills arrived with the wrong name on them.
  
  In terms of your bill, your statement ONLY reflects the exact amount of water that was used while you lived there.  It does not include any usage from previous owners. Your community updated us with your move-in date, and we were able to reflect that in your bill.  
  
  In terms of erasing your bill, I wish I could help out!  We provide billing for your community based on the water you have used, and reimburse your community with 100% of those payments. That water has already been paid for by your community, so we are unable to waive anything without the community's direct permission.
  
  If you reach out to your community and they agrees to waive some or all of those costs, we can absolutely take care of that for you.  We just need an email from your community giving us that approval.
  
  Again, I'm sorry for any confusion, and if we can help with anything else, please let us know.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We were recently added to a landlord's account in late 2022, after much trouble with the online portal and had previously been unable to access the account due to it being in the landlord's name. We recently were forced by the landlord/hoa/management company through threatening with a written notice to vacate if we did not pay the amount in full which at that point had accrued many late fees amounting to about 500 dollars on top of the base water fees. We had no choice but to pay all the late fee off to avoid losing our current lease.We are requesting a refund for the accrued late fees (not the water fees associated with living in the unit), as we were not mailed or delivered any bills with our name/address outlining our water usage, nor did the landlord on the account provide us access to the online account until midway through our lease.We attempted to speak to customer service on the issue but received no call back on how to help us pay the balance over time. They did however pause our late fees but provided no solution and were forced to pay the entire amount to avoid vacation of the property. Any help would be greatly appreciated as we have had to go through various entities to try to resolve the issue and just pay what we owed for our water bill.

  

  Business response

  03/17/2023

  
  Hello,
  
  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. We were not notified of your move in until December 5, 2022 and we processed the form and sent the email confirmation. As far as any late fees that were added to the account due to nonpayment, if you feel you are not responsible for those fees, we recommend reaching out to the owner of the unit, as they are ultimately responsible to the *** for payment from the unit.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Meternet Submetering Services is contracted by ******************************************************************************************************************************** *********************** ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** 77072.Meternet has been billing for 3000-4000 gallons of water per month since July 2022.These are my water meter meter reading I have taken and shared with ********************* and Meternet and still cannot get a refund for over charge. My meter readings are My July 20,2022 *****. August 3, ****** December 2022 meter reading *****. I have used **** gallons of water, *****-*****= **** gallons.

• Initial Complaint

  11/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear BBB:I am attaching a bill that I received from Meternet for $834.73. I was shocked because my usual bill is less than $150. Also attached is a letter stating that the bill reflects back billed charges from 2020. However, I was not residing at this address in 2020. I only moved into the unit in late Dec of 2021. Earlier this month, I phoned Meternet and twice spoke to a rep regarding the issue with the promise that it will be resolved. To follow up, I made 8 attempts to phone Meternet today and after holding on for a significant amount of time for each attempt, their customer service **** failed to pick up. I then tried phoning the Sales **** who transferred me back to customer service. Someone finally answered and after providing my account number, the person asked to put me on hold while she brings up my account. I held on for 20 mins and finally hung up. I am certain that it does not take 20 mins or more to bring up my account.From the bill I received, I cannot tell which charges are current and which are back billed. This concerns me because I would like to pay the current charges before the due date, but I cannot reach Meternet to ask them to identify the current charges so that I may pay them.The property manager for my residence told me that Meternet told them that they cannot separate the bill (between me and the prior tenant). However, they did not bill the charges correctly. Their own records show that I only moved here late last year, so they should have billed the prior tenant as well. There seems to be incompetence within their billing **** and a failure to take responsibility. I need these extra charges removed from my bill. They are not my responsibility. I am very upset because there does not appear to be any avenue for me to communicate directly with anyone at Meternet. Could you please help me with this concern? Thank you very much. Please find relevant documents attached.Sincerely,*************************

  

  Business response

  11/22/2022

  Hi ******* thank you for reaching out. There has been meter equipment failure at your community for an extended period of time that carried over from the prior billing company. We came on after it was in place. Due to these pre-existing equipment failures, we have been unable to receive your monthly meter reads and bill for your actual water usage since Dec 2020. As a result, we have only been billing base fees the water district charges your association for water service. During this period, the association was paying the costs of resident water usage without recovering those costs. Once we were able to get the prior vendor to make the required fixes, we were able to get meter reads data in October 2022. In discussion with your management, the decision was made to bill back for unbilled water usage. To be clear, proceeds from this backbill will be reimbursed to your association. We do not benefit from this back bill and are assessing it at the service of your association.

  Due to an error on how this backbill was processed, residents were charged the amount from the entire period where usage was unable to be billed, regardless of their move-in date. This will be corrected so current residents are only assessed charges relating to the period of their ownership. You will be receiving additional communication regarding this to provide visibility and how it will be resolved.
  
  Regarding your challenges in getting in touch with a customer service representative we installed a new phone system this week that has caused some transition challenges. It will allow us to better service our residents, but in the short term has had some bumps in rollout. I apologize for the difficulty you had in getting your questions answered. This is not the standard we strive to meet in serving our communities and our queue is typically a short wait. Ill look into what happened with your challenges to see if I can determine what may have caused it. If you have any further trouble getting in touch for questions to be answered you may contact me directly at email/phone Ill share with you separately.

  I apologize for the situation - we are always looking for ways we can improve our service to our communities. Ill be reaching out to you directly to discuss with you to ensure we have a resolution in place.

  Thank you,
  ***********************
  CEO - MeterNet

*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. ↩