ComplaintsforMissouri American Water Co

• Initial Complaint

  12/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid my bill in full for October. My November cycle end date was November 30th. I called on November 30th to discontinue my services because I was moving out. I received my November bill in December and they are adding $26.11 that they are saying is overdue from October. I called and spoke with a customer service agent named Sierra, and she said her supervisor would call me the next day, I never received a call back from the supervisor. I've called again to try to speak with supervisor but continue to speak with customer service representatives who will not put me through to a supervisor.

  Business response

  12/26/2023

  When the customer paid the $45.00 on 11/8, this amount covered her charges from 09/09/2023-10/06/2023, plus charges from a previous bill.  On 11/9/2023, a new bill was generated for the time frame of 10/7/2023-11/07/2023 for $26.11.  This bill was never paid.  The customer ended her account as of 11/29/2023 and a final bill of $50.29 was generated on 12/1/2023.  This bill included the past due amount of $26.11 that was due on 12/1/2023 and the final charges of $24.18.  The customer did pay the final billed amount of $24.18, but never paid the $26.11 for 10/7/2023-11/07/2023.  I have attached copies of the invoices.  

  Customer response

  12/28/2023

  I just contacted my bank and I paid $45 November the 3rd of 2023 and that was my bill for November I pay my bills every month I don't have the copy of my bills at this moment because I have moved out the residence and do not have the bills on me where I'm presently staying they are in my storage but each month I pay my water bill exactly on time maybe a little late but I do pay my bill and we just had straightened out this matter before November they're trying to say that when the bill is due is for a prior month the bills are monthly bills so when I pay the bill it's for the month of the bill date not prior and not after the fact it's due on the month that I have paid I paid my October and I paid my November and my account should be closed I do not owe American water anything and if I paid my November bill for no for $45 how can you come back in December talking about a prior bill I have not had service for December at all I should not be coming back for a prior bill that they should have discussed with me of me on them at that time so when I discussed my bill with the agents I was not told that I had a prior bill that was behind that's why I paid the portion of the $45 that the bill said you cannot come back 2 months later and stating that I owe you anything from October that should have been added to the November Bill if I owe them anything the bill was paid a $45 November the 3rd and American water never discussed that I had any prior balance at all before December..

  Customer response

  01/10/2024

  I'm responding I know I left a message I'm waiting on the statement from my bank that I paid the $45 in November it takes 10 business days from the call that I made to receive the statement and you all can look at the bills that I copy to you all look very closely about September, October, November they have gotten paid twice in November the $19 for October that was my October bill like I stated before it was late and I paid it in November my November bill you can look at and the $19 that was added for October with November so that what made it $45 pay attention to the dates on the bills that I submitted let it all make sense if I owed you $19 in October and the bill for November added together and that's why I was $45 and I paid that and I paid you twice in November because I just gave you payments from United healthcare so you got paid twice for November and I would like my refund and I will be moving forward with legal matters because I know December it's not my bill that's the owner's bill so you need to go to Rick Harris or rjk management they took over the bill for December 1st I have it in my text mails when they changed over the building with you all the billing came out of my name November the billing came out of my name on  31st 2023 and I will be submitting the statement as soon as I get it from my bank you would never get over on me getting more money than you deserve...

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am getting a bill from Missouri American Water co. for dates 10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023. I paid them on 10/04/2023 for the prior month and I was informed that they sent a bill out that I never received. I received a delinquent bill in the amount of $46.28. They are combining this delinquent amount with another bill. They sent a letter two or three months ago stating that there billing is having some issues and that customers may not receive a bill. How am I even delinquent on bill. I would like for them to be looked into. I would like a billing adjustments. The dates are not even matching up.

  Business response

  12/13/2023

  Called the customer and explained we did not get a payment in November.  We typically receive his payments on time every month.  He stated he never got the bill.  I explained that when bills are mailed, we cannot be 100% sure all the time that the bills are received.  He has paid his account in full and now has a zero balance.  I gave him my phone number to call me directly if he has anymore issues or concerns regarding his account.  He was satisfied at the end of our call and thanked me for calling him back.

• Initial Complaint

  11/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We are asking for help related to a home water bill for $933.28, we believe we have been over charged for our water service but have not able to get a response from the billing department regarding our request for a review of our bill and itemized bill. This is related to a broken water meter from 2019, and we are unable to access bills this far back online. We have received another bill notification but have not received a response to our inquiries via phone and email on 10/30/23. We are concerned we will face late fees or disconnection related to bill we have not paid due to the concern about an overcharge. We are not disputing that charges are owed for water usage but are disputing the amount billed. Our bill from 10/23/23 includes $243.38 which appears to be an estimation of unpaid water service in addition to a charge of $595.13 which appears to be the actual measurement of water consumption calculated after our broken meter was removed from our house on 9/18/23. By billing both an estimation and actual usage, it appears we have been over-charged. What complicates this matter is it first began when our water meter stopped working in 2019, but due to a series of miscommunications, we did not realize this was the case until now. Per American Water, they attempted to send us a letter on 9/22/19 regarding a meter malfunction, but this letter was not sent to our current house/billing address, rather it was sent to an old address from 9 years prior and we did not receive this letter. Subsequently, we did not receive any communication from American Water to our service address regarding the issue with our malfunctioning meter. In January 2020, we determined there was an issue with not receiving bills for water service, we learned American Water had reverted to using an address from 9 years prior, we got this corrected and arranged to pay our unpaid charges for which we hadnt received a bill. At this time, we were not notified of the malfunctioning water meter. Our bills then received an add-on charge for move-in charges for an existing service of 9 years, which then had to be corrected. This series of miscommunications lead to a delay in receiving correct monthly bills, and we did not realize that the bills we were now receiving were for fees, but not for water usage. Of note, this was the beginning of the 2020 pandemic that was impacting our family and school-aged children. We were paying our bills but did not realize we had a broken water meter and were not receiving bills for water usage and were only paying for fees.In June 2023, almost four years after we have now learned that our meter appears to have stopped working, we received our first notification in the mail of the malfunctioning meter and scheduled a technician visit. We later discovered that prior notifications for this were sent to our billing email address in April and May of 2023, which we did not see. On 9/18/23 the water meter was replaced in our home after we completed the repair to a faulty water valve that was needed before the repair could be completed. On 10/23/23 we were billed for back charges for our water usage. On 10/30/23 we called customer service due to the high bill amount, but they were unable to provide an itemized assessment of the charges or explanation of our bill. We hope that BBB can assist us as we have had poor experiences with communication with American Water in the past and are worried that we will face high late fees or disconnection fees given that we have received another bill after putting in a case for a billing dispute from which we have not received a response.

  Business response

  12/19/2023

  There were two issues that caused a higher bill for the customer.
  
  The first is the out read on the old meter was enter in as 670 instead of 570.  This caused the customer to be billed for all of that usage.  This has been corrected ****** gallons of water and a dolar amount of $930.84.  
  
  The second was the customer was back billed for a stopped meter as well.  This has been corrected in the amount of $243.38 and total gallons 37,400.  
  
  As far as the bills back to 2019, these were sent on October 31, 2023.  They were also emailed again on December 1, 2023.  The customer acknowledged on December 4, 2023 that they were received. 
  
  

  Customer response

  12/21/2023

  We appreciate American Water's eventual response, they have addressed our concern regarding the bill and provided past billing information requested.

  Our frustration with this is the delayed and limited communication, we contacted American Water multiple times and could not get an explanation of our bill within the time frame provided by the company. Over this time period, American Water sent us multiple copies of our billing information by email and mail without an explanation of how they arrived at the total amount on the bill of concern despite multiple calls placed asking for assistance. We went from monthly bills of about $30 a month to a one-time bill of over $900 and could not get an explanation for over 7 weeks which felt like a long time to have such a large and unexplained bill remain unresolved. 

  10/30/23 - called and submitted billing dispute, advised we would receive a response within 30 days.

  12/4/23 - no response to 10/30 request, called and requested a supervisor call back, advised we would receive a response within 2 days

  12/7/23 - no response to 12/4 request, placed a new freeze on the account for any fees or disconnection, placed a request for a supervisor call back. 

  12/11/23 - received voicemail from supervisor call-back, returned call but unable to speak with a supervisory, placed another case for supervisor call back 

  12/19/23 - received communication from American Water via email that **** was under review without details provided, received follow-up call from ************************* regarding the case we logged which provided information about the charges that would be addressed. Subsequently received email from American Water with further details on explanation and resolution of billing dispute. 

   

  Customer response

  12/21/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* And *********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a home in St Louis on 7/28/2023 and requested an initial meter read for the same day. The bill I received on 10/13/2023 indicated an initial "estimated" meter read of ****** occurring on 8/1/2023. An "actual" meter read of ****** took place on 8/2/2023. Another "actual" meter read of ****** took place on 8/8/2023, indicating a usage of ******* gallons for 7 days or ****** gallons per day. The bill also indicated usage rates of ****** gallons from 8/9 - 9/11 (565 gallons per day) and 27, 200 gallons from 9/12 - 10/9 (1007 gallons per day). Upon receiving the bill, I called Missouri American Water and requested a technician to come out and check the meter. The technician visited on 10/26 and found no leaks to account for the high ********************** usage from 8/2 to 8/8. During the period in question (8/2 - 8/8), I observed no leaks and the only water usage was that for bathing and watering the lawn, which has not changed during the subsequent billing periods. Since the "estimated" reading from 8/1 and "actual" reading from 8/2 are identical, I believe the "actual" read from 8/2 is a clerical error with the "estimated" read from 8/1 being erroneously entered to calculate the usage. I have called Missouri American twice to request a billing adjustment without a response. My case number is **********. I am requesting a billing adjustment for the period 8/2 - 8/8 based on my average usage for the subsequent billing periods.

  Business response

  12/13/2023

  Our system estimated the bill instead of using an actual reading.  The billing for the customer has been corrected.

  Customer response

  12/13/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  11/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They are not sending me my bill from 9/1/2023-11/2/3023. They took about $75 out account and no bill attached.Poor communication and refusal to let the customers know whats going . I had an credit balance of about $150 and now is about $80 they took out the account and no billbposted on their website and no bill mailed.Missouri American Water has refused to send me my bill from 9/1/2023-11/2/2023. I look on their online site theres no bill posted. However, on 11/2/2023 I had extra money on my account and they took out $75 off the extra money in my account. need my bill and the cost for services post on website and mailed.They never sent out a letter letting me know they was going to dig up the yard and put a meter out in yard. They also had put a meter in my front yard. They have never called or knock on my door asking for access to the meter.After they put the meter in around 9/28/2023 I havent received the bill from 9/1/2023-11/2/2023.However I was told multiple excuses from call center representatives stating that there has a computer error. I was told I have to wait about 30 days after the meter was put in. They have refuse to be honest and talk to the customers and not communicate.Why was about $75 deducted on 11/2/2023 out of my excess money on the account and no bill sent 9/1/2023-11/2/2023?Also on 10/2022 they came to my property and turned to stop clock in the ground.it was captured in camera. I called them multiple times and ask them why are they out in the front turning the stop clock in the ground.my bill was current and I was told they dont have any record of anyone on the property despite caught on camera in the American Water truck with a 5 foot pipe turning it and put another lid over the top that had been missing.If they break the stop clock they want the home owner to spend thousand dollars to have a plumber to dig up the yard to fix them . So why are they not communicating with me the customer. They are dishonest and shady.

  Business response

  11/21/2023

  There is a case open and we are resolving this with the customer.  Due to privacy rules we can not talk about this case. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  MO Am Water dug up front yard for pipe replacement. When we got a letter before the project began about a year ago, the letter said our yard would be restored to how it was found. That is not true. We had lovely green grass in our front yard and all they were going to do was put down straw and since they filled in the hole with dirt over 2 months ago, there were weeds growing and they weren't even going to get back to just dirt before putting the straw down. As a matter of fact, we had so many weeds, they skipped us. I called about that and they said they would come back so we dug up all the weeds to get back to dirt. Then after reviewing some neighbors who had straw put down about 6 weeks ago and the areas looks like mostly dirt and weeds, we decided to buy sod and put it in ourselves. The cost was $64. I called the next working morning at 7 am to cancel having anyone come to "restore" our yard and cancellation was confirmed. 6 hours later a get a phone message stating someone will be backt o restore our yard?? I called customer service back and they said the call came from the "local" office and I should call them but the voice message had the phone number for ******* cut off. They could not give me the local number to call. All the main customer service number could do was send an email and they could not copy us on the email because god forbid we get their email address. Worst customer service ever. I would like to be reimbursed for the sod since Mo Am water was never going to "restore our lawn to how they found it". I would also like to know how to contact the local office.

  Business response

  09/27/2023

  The turn around time for permanent restoration is approximately 90 days from work being completed.  The customer did not allow MAWC to perform permanent restoration prior to installing sod on her own.  The contractors were still working in the area on the main replacement and service line replacements. The customer will not be reimbursed for the sod that was purchased. 

  Customer response

  09/27/2023

  Complaint: 20558140
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  Missouri American Waters "Restoration" was to throw out some seed and put hay on top of that in the hopes that grass would grow.  When they dug up our yard, they dug up beautiful green grass - not weeds and hay.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  09/28/2023

  Seed and hay are a temporary restoration measures and as it was stated in the the previous response, permanent restoration was not completed.  

  Customer response

  09/29/2023

  Complaint: 20558140
  
  I am rejecting this response because I received no communication about what types and when restoration was happening.  Based on neighbors up the street who had seed and hay laid in early August, I have not seen any "permanent" restoration completed.  And the crews have left the area.  In addition, when the seed and hay were first tossed, all the houses on our street were done EXCEPT for ours.  There were weeds growing in the dirt that was filled in a couple months earlier and I guess someone figured weeds were green so they were done.  If seed and hay were temporary restorations, why wasn't seed and hay put down VERY soon after the dirt was put in.  Everyone in this area knows dirst won't stay dirt for long and weeds and crab grass will take over.  What I most don't understand is why we were not receiving some sort of communication on the status/progress of this construction.  Since there was no communication, we had to do something before the cold weather to assure the completeness of our yard.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received an unusually high bill and called in to question the bill. The person I spoke with told me that I must have shut off service and restarted it. I assured her that I did not and she said she would investigate the bill. After a month I am being billed the same amount. I did not ever stop or amend services in any way and I attempted to make this very clear. I am the only person in my household who manages this account. I am being billed and bullied into paying a bill that has an error on their part and apparently since they cannot figure it out- they are billing me the entire amount that I do not owe. To be clear- I have lived at this address for all of the past 4 years. I have never left the country or taken more than 1 weeks vacation so there is no way that I would ever stop my service. Nor did I ever have an interruption in my service but I am being billed as I did. I spent a painful hour plus speaking to a woman on the phone and nothing was resolved. I need assistance. I will not be bullied into paying for an administrators error. Please not the bill shows a $386 addition that is unrelated to my actual water usage.

  Business response

  09/27/2023

  The customer's account was investigated and there was nothing indicating that the meter was reading incorrectly.  MAWC is unsure how the water was used only that it flowed through the meter.  If the customer is unable to pay the balance they may be eligible for an installment plan. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 20, 2023 at 10:40am an inspection was done to the water meter at my home address, per my request because my bill amount tripled. The inspection revealed there is not an outside water leak to the meter and of course this would not have been the problem. I called on July 20, 2023 close to 6:45pm and I spoke with ******* to let her know I was not satisfied with the inspection results. She took my information and said she would assign a case to the dispute (Case # *** *** ***** and ask someone to contact me. I requested to be present when the inspection was done and this part of the request was not honored, either. She said she was going to escalate the matter and assigned case number (*** *** ****) for a supervisor to respond the matter. I am enclosing the current bill and it will reflect an amount of $43.00 which will account for 2 months of past payments...there is a credit of $.55. The current bill is $72.53 which is almost 3 times the amount of previous monthly bills for approximately $23.00. You will also find the door tag with the inspection results and recommendations. I will close by saying there is not anything wrong with my toilets. They are new and water saver toilets. I do not have any leaky faucets OR anything that needs repair that would justify my bill tripling. Surrounding neighbors at ***** ****** ********* have had some serious water problems in their basement. They have placed sod in their yard which needs a lot of watering. Neighbor at **** ****** has an above ground pool that is not maintained very well and is probably leaking somewhere. His name is ****** *****. I know we are supposed to have separate meters but you never know what can cause problems for you living near negligent homeowners. Truly appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue* **** ****** ************ ******

  Business response

  07/24/2023

  In reviewing the customer's hourly/daily usage there is high usage on 8 days.  The usage pattern is similar to when a customer waters their lawn or possibly a toilet flapper is sticking.  Looking at the customer's historical usage, in June 2020 they used 9724 gallons and in June 2021 they used 10,472 gallons.  So historically their water usage is higher in June. 

  I have attached the customer's usage from May 1, 2023 through July 23, 2023 for their review. 

   

  Customer response

  07/24/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  In the years (20-21) I was using more water because my lawn was being totally redone.  Previous owners left the yard in very poor condition..  To portray a very close comparison to the actual/current usage please use 2022.
  

  I do not have any toilets that are not operating properly and I have watered my lawn very little because we have had major rain in our area.  I have offered to have the inside of my house inspected by the water company.   My property is maintained with a high degree of care.

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

• Initial Complaint

  06/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I’ve received calls and two letters about meter changes and after calling the number provided it’s going to a medical alert center. After reading the reviews I know now that this is a scam and they need to be reported. My bill is current and they are threatening to cut my water off if I don’t reach out by a certain date.

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  The customer's water meter is inside the home, we require access to change the meter.  Per MAWC Tariff if the customer does not allow access, then water can be discontinued.  I verified that the phone number on the letters is all the same, ###-###-#### which is for our customer service department.   The letters sent to the customer are legitimate and if she believe this was a scam, she should have contacted customer service.  She needs to contact customer service immediately to schedule an appointment to avoid discontinuance of service. 
  
  
  Per the MAWC Tariff
  Rule 15 Meter and Meter Installations
  H. Approved meter installation locations in dry basements, sufficiently heated to keep the meter from freezing, may remain, provided the meter remains readily accessible, as determined by the Company, for servicing and reading, the meter space provided is located where the water service line enters the building, and a properly installed electrical ground wire is installed around the water meter. Meter space guidelines are based on meter size and will be provided to Customer by the Company upon request. It is the responsibility of the Customer to provide a location for the meter, which in the event of water discharge as a result of leakage from the meter or couplings will not result in damage. If a Customer refuses to provide a reasonable and an accessible location for a meter installation and servicing as determined by the Company, the Company will notify the Customer and the Missouri Public Service Commission before ultimately refusing service or proceeding to discontinue service.
  
  Rule 19 Access to Customer's Premises
  A. Authorized personnel of the Company shall have access at all reasonable hours to the premises supplied for the purpose of making necessary examination of the plumbing and fixtures, taking meter readings, changing meters, installing, removing or servicing remote reading attachments, and for any other reasons deemed necessary by the Company. Such access must be provided as specified in this rule to avoid discontinuance of service.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Acct # :**************** We received a letter dated for 5/31/23 that our meter was going to be replaced. Our meter is located in the basement in a cabinet. In the past we received a notice for them to replace it, but when they tried to replace it they said they were unable to because of the location. I had to call 8 times before I was able to reach anyone. I called to voice my concern that the letter seemed threatening by saying failure to allow access to the meter at all times would lead to our water being discontinued. The meter was located in the basement inside of a cabinet when we purchased the house. I also wanted to confirm that they would be able to change the meter, and the person I spoke with couldn't confirm they would be able to do so.

  Business response

  06/07/2023

  We require that the meter be accessible and if it is in a cabinet and the customer has been told prior that the meter could not be changed, it would be the customer's responsibility to make it accessible. 

  Per the MAWC Tariff

  Rule 15 Meter and Meter Installations

  H. Approved meter installation locations in dry basements, sufficiently heated to keep the meter from freezing, may remain, provided the meter remains readily accessible, as determined by the Company, for servicing and reading, the meter space provided is located where the water service line enters the building, and a properly installed electrical ground wire is installed around the water meter. Meter space guidelines are based on meter size and will be provided to Customer by the Company upon request. It is the responsibility of the Customer to provide a location for the meter, which in the event of water discharge as a result of leakage from the meter or couplings will not result in damage. If a Customer refuses to provide a reasonable and an accessible location for a meter installation and servicing as determined by the Company, the Company will notify the Customer and the Missouri Public Service Commission before ultimately refusing service or proceeding to discontinue service.

  Rule 19 Access to Customer's Premises

  A. Authorized personnel of the Company shall have access at all reasonable hours to the premises supplied for the purpose of making necessary examination of the plumbing and fixtures, taking meter readings, changing meters, installing, removing or servicing remote reading attachments, and for any other reasons deemed necessary by the Company. Such access must be provided as specified in this rule to avoid discontinuance of service.

*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. ↩