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Business Profile

Utility Water Company

Kansas City Board of Public Utilities

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Utility Water Company.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 9 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 6 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/20/2025

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    Upon relocating to Kansas City, Kansas, I encountered challenges with the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) when setting up my utilities, particularly due to the issuance of an excessively high deposit.,After expressing my financial constraints to BPU, they conceded to place me on a payment plan, with an agreed monthly installment of $117.00.,Despite being on the payment plan, I continue to receive monthly bills exceeding $1000, and BPU insists that I am still obligated to pay these amounts.,This discrepancy in the payment plan and the actual billed amounts presents a significant challenge, as it is impractical for me to cover a bill of $1100.,The current approach to the payment plan appears illogical and fails to align with my financial capacity, prompting my need for assistance.,Regrettably, my attempts to seek resolution through customer service have been unproductive, as they have not provided the necessary support in addressing this issue.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/28/2024

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    This company is fraudulent they sent me more than one bill in a months time frame, they have increased prices fraudulently. I will seek legal help. They made an payment arrangement that was fraud it began to soon in the same month as the prior bill. The price doesn't add up to the meter.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/13/2024

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 have an account with them and due to having a child and being on leave, had to wait until Friday to get my paycheck. This is December 13th and the high for the day was 38 degrees with the low being 18 degrees. My electricity went off with a newborn at home and was charged fees for the disconnect when it should have went off in the first place. Talked with 2 extremely rude customer service reps (1 hanging up on me) and they informed me that the forecast today showed a high of 40 degrees in the next 24 hours, so they were allowed to shut it off regardless of if the low was under 32 degrees. Which is not what their policy states. I was also told that this policy- from their website was wrong and not up to date. Their only policy (update just 1 month ago) states: "BPU Cold Weather Rule takes effect Nov. 1 (KANSAS CITY, Kan.) — The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities’ (BPU) Cold Weather Rule, aimed at ensuring residential customers remain connected to power during the colder months, goes into effect tomorrow, November 1 and will remain in place through March 31, 2025. Under this rule, BPU WILL NOT DISCONNECT electric service for residential customers due to non-payment when the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures at or below 32 degrees AT ANY POINT during an upcoming 24-hour period. This ensures that customers have uninterrupted power when cold weather poses safety risks." If you are showing false information on your website, that should not punish me and put my child in danger being in a home with no electricity with temperatures dropping to the teens. This is not ok and customer reps are blatantly lying to customers and turning off their service illegally. I have talked with the Wyco commissioner and am also contacting the state senator ***** ***** and ******** **** the state Rep to report this company. If my child develops RSV or pneumonia because our home is freezing, I will sue. This makes no sense.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/21/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    My electricity went down over 24 hours ago. There is a number you can call to report the electricity outage, but no one responds. No one return calls. No one advises on the status of our electricity coming back up. This is horrible.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/15/2024

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    After moving out of Wyandotte county and paying my final BPU bill, on January 1 of 2024, they started mailing me a bill to my new out of state address, for storm water charges on my old property in wyandotte county. It is for usage for Jan 2024 through Now, so it's not a past due bill that I didn't pay. After calling BPU, calling the county 311 help line, and working with Community Engagement Officer over email, I am still receiving a bill every month and my name is now associated with a past due bills as obviously Im not paying this since I do not own any property in Wyandotte County. They have not fixed the issue and really it sounds like they do not know how to fix the issue. At some point I will have to take legal action as this charge adds up every month under my name. I have no current business with BPU and Wyandotte County and they need to remove my name, and stop contacting me. I've uploaded a copy of the bill and a copy of the property detail from the county's website showing that I am not the owner of this property.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 04/26/2024

    Adding the latest bill we received from them. 

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:11/14/2023

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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.
    On multiple occurrences this business has failed to provide routine waste removal despite collecting fees for trash & recycling. When complaints are reported to the company, they claim that they only handle billing despite being our servicer for trash & recycling

    Business Response

    Date: 11/14/2023

    The KC BPU is simply the bill collector for the Unified Government of KCK/Wyandotte County.

    The utility has absolutely nothing to do with the waste management company hired by the city and as always, all trash complaints are handled by the city's public works department. 

    The best contact is eithe dialing *** ** *************

    Thank you

    Customer Answer

    Date: 11/14/2023


    Complaint: ********

    I am rejecting this response because: as the intermediary between consumer & product, there must be something that BPU can do to assist in the resolution of this issue. Continuing to direct consumers to report without any additional action by BPU to mitigate this is unacceptable.

    Sincerely,
    ******** *******

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:12/01/2022

    Type:Customer Service Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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.
    My issue with this company began with my purchase of a home in their service area. I noticed the conduit on the city side of the meter had pulled loose from their meter can and there was a half inch gap on the city side of the can. No big deal, I'll call and tell them it needs fixed. They run a monopoly on the area so of course they make the rules and that is my problem. I don't question it and accept that I'll fix it. I then receive two notices that it still hasn't been fixed. I know that, I told YOU about the issue and I've been busy. I then call an electrician and hire them to take care of the task. At this point it is a week into November. By the end of that next week we have a "service disconnect" scheduled with BPU two weeks later on December 1st. The service disconnect is necessary in order to fix the conduit problem, so they are aware that the problem is scheduled to be resolved. I then patiently wait the two weeks for THEM to service my repair and I arrive home on the last day of November to no water in my home. The KCC places rules stating Kansans shouldn't have power, water or gas shut off under 35 degrees it was 26 out. But BPU answers to no one including KCC. They strong armed me because "that gap is unsafe and I haven't fixed it." How did shutting my water off the day before your own employees are scheduled and already paid to come out and help resolve the issue make my home any safer? It is like dealing with a crime ring that makes its own rules because there is nothing you can do about it. I will be writing letters to every person in power to stop this type of business practice. After two hours of attempting contact, I finally spoke with ****** at BPU whom agreed their company should do better communicating with itself and that my water shouldn't have been shut off. She disagreed that it was a strong arm tactic. What is it then? I feel sad for vulnerable people like elderly that would have been preyed on even harder than myself in this situation.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:10/25/2022

    Type:Customer Service Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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 customer service representatives refuse to allow me to file for fraudulent usage on a utility account that is keeping me from getting approved for housing. I am currently homeless mostly because of this account balance. I am also disabled and live on a fixed income. I moved out to help with my dying sister in July 2019 and forgot to get utilities disconnected from my name due to high stress levels, hospital visits and caretaking for my sister. BPU charged me for illegally turning on electricity in September 2019 when in fact there were squatters that took the house and more than likely the ones who illegally turned on service. Even the landlord had to call the sheriff's dept to make them vacate. BPU refuses to acknowledge my residencey timestamps and stated that a supervisor would call me back to discuss my account in further detail. However, nobody has yet to call and I'm facing extreme hardship due to being homeless.

    Business Response

    Date: 11/14/2022

    I have reviewed Ms. ******* account and the charges are sustained. Per BPU policy it is
    the customer responsibility to contact us to have the services disconnected, Section 4.02
    Discontinuing Service. A supervisor did contact the customer; however, Ms. ******* did not
    answer. A message was left for the customer and Ms. ******* did has not contacted us back.
    Since the services were in her name she is responsible for the charges. The charges are
    sustained.

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