Complaints

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:07/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  The water at our property *** *** ** *********** ** *****, account# ******* has been shut-off. I have the bill, dated 6/18 and due 7/9. It shows that the prior bill was paid in full. The current bill was paid on 6/25. We received no shut-off letters or any alerts regarding an emergency. I checked their website and see no service interruptions reported the area. A copy of the last bill is attached. I sent an e-mail on 7/11 at 12:30 PM to [email protected] in addition to sending 2 messages via their website. I have not received a response. E-mail response in writing required. Thanks, ***** ***** *** ********* ********** ******** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2024

  First I apologize for not answering this when it was first sent out. I had many emails that day and
  somehow missed this email.
  

  Regarding *** ****** * being shut off – this account is current and has always been current.
  

  There were no orders to shut this property off nor did anyone call to let us know that they did not
  have water. Is the water still off? If they do have water did they make an appointment with us to
  have someone turn it back on? There has been only one order made on this account which was a
  “Perm turn on” done in 2017.
  
  Thank you
  

  Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority
  Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2024

  ** ******* ****** ** ******** **** ***** ********* **** ********** ** *** ********** *********  ** *** ***** *** *** ****** ** ****** ******* ****
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. The water has been turned back on, and we may close this case. But just to be clear, I did also contact WPJWA directly (they claimed I did not contact them). On Thursday, July 11, 2024, I e-mailed them and sent a message via their website. On 7/12, after I did not receive a response from them within 24 hours, I filed this complaint in addition to sending more messages to them directly. I did not receive a response from them until 7/15. As of 7/18, the water was confirmed as being on, and I did already update BBB with that information via e-mail. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/26/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  On 6/25/24 we received a late notice for account# ******* for **** ******* *** *****. Please note that even though the received letter shows a date of 6/17/24, the letter was actually received 6/25/24. They sent this via certified mail, USPS, and their records should reflect the actual delivery date. The letter shows an unpaid bill for account# ******* in the amount of $70.63. This bill was paid (cleared) on 5/31/24 as evidenced by the attached cancelled check. Per the attached bill dated 5/16/24, a payment date of 5/31/24 was prior to the due date of 6/6/24. The check amount of $70.63 reflects the "account balance" shown of the 5/16/24 bill. Moreso, I reviewed the account number on the cleared check. Account# ******* is in fact displayed on the memo of the cancelled check. So, I fear that I am at a loss as to what the problem is. Per my research, this payment was received by WPJWA without issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/28/2024

  The payment was keyed in error on an account with a very similar account number.  Once brought to our attention we applied the payment to the correct account and removed all late fees.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Per my e-mail to BB on 6/28/24, I will need the administration fees covered and will need WPJWA to send a letter to the tenant directly....

  1. A credit of $32.08 must be applied to the account in order to cover the administrative fees involved with correcting their mistake. We utilize an outside service to process utility bills. A copy of their bill, which shows time spent resolving this issue, is attached.

  2. A letter must be issued directly from WPJWA to the tenant in order to nullify the shut-off notice they issued to them on 6/24/24. The tenants pay Riverside Confidence Property Group for their water each month. If those tenants are being told by the water company that their property management firm is misappropriating the funds that should be utilized for their utilities, trust is eroded. In order to restore that trust, the tenant must receive notice from the water company themselves that the mistake was on their end and not a result of RCPG keeping water payments for their own profit. 

   

  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

  Thank you, *******. I received an email from WPJWA, which is attached. They admitted that they did not properly allocate the payment. There is, however, confusion about what the new balance should be. In the attached e-mail, WPJWA gives me a new balance of $59.70. This does not reconcile with the newest bill (6/18/24), which is attached. The newest bill shows "total current charges" of $74.70. That total does not include the "previous balance" or the "penalty/adjustment" of $8.00. By my understanding that should bring my new balance to that $74.70 number. I understand that the balance they are providing is lower than what I expect. Because it seems to be another mistake, however, my fear is that if I short pay the current bill and only pay $59.70 that they will again send my tenant shut-off notices and add penalties to the account. So, I would like for this new balance to be clarified. 
  
  In light of their admission, I request the following...
  
  The payment amount of $70.63 should be applied to the account. (It does seem that they are planning to do this.)
  The penalty of $8.00 and any other penalties in reference to this issue must be credited. (It does seem that they plan to do this too.)
  A credit of $32.08 must be applied to the account in order to cover the administrative fees involved with correcting their mistake. We utilize an outside service to process utility bills. A copy of their bill, which shows time spent on this issue, is attached.
  A letter must be issued directly from WPJWA to the tenant in order to nullify the shut-off notice they issued to them on 6/24/24. The tenants pay Riverside Confidence Property Group for their water each month. If those tenants are being told by the water company that their property management firm is misappropriating the funds that should be utilized for their utilities, trust is eroded. In order to restore that trust, the tenant must receive notice from the water company themselves that the mistake was on their end and not a result of RCPG keeping water payments for their own profit. 
  
  Thank you,
  ***** ***** ********* ********** ******** *****  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2024

   

  We are truly sorry for the inconvenience you experienced regarding this misapplied payment.  We have investigated the error and due to our new scanning equipment and the account numbers were very similar the payment was misapplied.  
  
   We have since corrected the misapplied payment and have removed all late fees.  This account is in very good standings with the authority and currently has a zero balance.  We will not be able to credit you $32.08 since these fees were not applied by this Authority.
  
  Your tenants will not receive any further notification from the Authority unless there is a problem in the future.
  
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention and assure you that this will not happen again. 
  
  The Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority
  Customer Service Department
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/09/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  I'm confused as to why you will not be able to credit the $32.08 because "these fees were not applied by this Authority"? When a simple error has been made on my end and you did not get payment by the due date, I have been expected to pay for certified letter charges in addition to the high late payment fees. I, in no way, have ever asked you for a certified letter, yet you have no issue charging me for something I did not request. Just to be clear, these certified letters and charges are levied after only one payment is missed. These are not fines that are reserved for accounts that perpetually miss multiple payments in a row.  In addition to the monetary punishments, for a single error, you issue shut-off notices. Again, these are for a single error. When the single error is on your end, however, you are not expected to do the bare minimum to rectify the situation. Not only do refuse to pay for the very low administrative fees, you cannot issue a simple letter to the tenant letting them know that you made an error although when you believed that the very simple error was made on my end, you had no issue with taking the time to harass the tenant, threaten to shut-off their water, and in doing so disparage my company, Riverside Confidence Property Group. And let’s be clear, you would have shut off the water had we not sprung into action, gathered evidence and responded immediately. YOUR error resulted in charges on my end. If I’m expected to pay for certified letters that I did not ask for when I make a simple error, you should be expected to pay for the charges incurred on my end due to your error. If me saying I am "truly sorry" does not satisfy whatever fees you decide to charge me for a simple error, why is it to be expected as fair compensation when the mistake is on your end?

   

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

  Business Response

  Date: 07/16/2024

   

  I have already responded to this complaint.   There is nothing more to add.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/30/2024

  Regardubg **** ******* *** – This has been replied to twice – all penalty fees were removed on
  6/27/24.
  

  Thank you
  

  Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority
  Customer Service

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  As I previously stated, we will need the administration fees to be reimbursed in addition to a retraction letter sent directly to the tenant (to offset the turn-off notice they sent directly to them.)
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/21/2024

  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.

  For the second time in 2 months our water was shut off accidentally and still has not been restored. our neighbor has not paid their water bill and this company continues to shut off our water accidentally- on weekends when they are closed so our water is not restored for 2 days. of course the company is open enough to shut water off just not open enough to receive phone calls or return emails. Myself my fiance my landlord and the neighbors to our duplex have all called and not received any response. Again they shut off the water today several people have called today and still have not received a response. It seems pretty disruptable to have enough staff to shut water off incorrectly but not enough to resolve the problem that the company themselves have created. This is not the first time it's happened we estimate it happens about every two months. And if you call the company out when they are closed they also charge a fee even if they are at fault for the water shut off. It's pretty Shifty to accidentally turn off people's water and then to charge them to even show up to see what was wrong

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2024

   

  After my investigation the water at this property was not shut off accidentally.  There was a main line break on James St that affected many consumers that day.  While we apologize for this convenience we try to work quickly and effectively to restore service as soon as possible.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/24/2023

  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.

  Had to call off work and wait all day for them to come out …then charge me a 50 dollars come out fee because I didn’t call in after I made a payment..It’s not stated on there website that you have to call in after you made a payment to schedule a turn on

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2023

  This is in response to the above-mentioned Complaint.  Consumer’s bill went out on August 4, 2023.  It still was not paid by the shut off date of October 16, 2023.  Consumer’s water did not get shut off until October 23, 2023. Consumer paid the delinquent balance through our automated pay by phone option on October 24th.  There was no way for our customer service department to know that this consumer had made a payment unless we received a phone call from the customer requesting service to be restored.  It was explained to the customer that his water was shut off in September and he paid by phone and he knew then to give us a call to restore his service.
  
  Consumer called in the afternoon of October 24th for the requested turn on which had to go out with our nightman service.  This service carries a $50 nightman fee.  
  
  Thank you
  Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority
  Customer Service Administrator

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  My account balance was 300 something I contacted WHAWAL WHICH IS A GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THEY PAID OFF ENTIRE BALANCE HOWEVER I'm still charged 330 for my next bill was told my balance would still be high because they are billing me for July?? This September I've been paying howdo I owe that when they paid the entire bill

  Business Response

  Date: 09/28/2023

  Consumer continued to carry a running balance on this account since March of 2020.  We attempted to shut water off on 8/21/23 for non-payment of $124.70 for the June bill.  We found out that the curb stop needed repaired and the water was never shut off.  

  LHWAP did pay customer's balance off in full on 9/12/23 in the amount of $272.34.

  Consumer's regularly monthly bill went out on 9/21/23 in the amount of $331.29.

  Since we never got this water off I did remove the $25.00 "turn on fee".  Her balance is now $306.29

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/17/2023

  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.

  Our water has been out for two days and when attempting to reach out through the company’s emergency line we hit a voicemail. We are spending money we can’t afford to spend on jugs of water until this is fixed. We don’t know what’s going on. Have had no communication from the water company. Please help us, we don’t know how much longer this will go on for.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2023

   

  There was a water main break over the weekend that did shut water off to that area but was restored.  We sent a crew out to check and flush the water line today to see if the water lines were clogged with debris, however they were not and there was plenty of water.  I called the landlord who verified that his tenant had confirmed they had water.

  Thank you

  WPJWA - Customer Service Administrator

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Our landlord called today and informed us of the situation. We have water again so we are good on that front now. But what is the point of an emergency line if it goes to voicemail? We had to go the entire weekend without water. When our landlord got ahold of the water company today they were able to clear the issue fairly quickly, literally had water within hours. Water is as basic as it gets when it comes to basic necessities. The company’s mistake and lacking communication system left us stranded, forcing us to spend money on jugs of water just to flush the toilet. I’m content that the issue is resolved now but what happens next time this happens and we have no way to communicate with the company? Leaving a voicemail on an emergency line makes no sense so either update how that line works or get ride of it completely.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2023

  Type:Billing 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 am being overcharged for water that's contaminated and also the amount is absolutely extreme and unjust and I believe they are scamming consumers out of money

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2023

   

  I have attached our CCR report (Consumer Quality Report) that comes out every year.  This report tells the consumer how we meet and/or exceed DEP and EPA water quality standards.

  I have also attached our residential rates which are comparable to other water authorities in our area.

  Consumer's March, April, May and June bills went out before a payment was received.  Consumer may be looking at the total account balance when looking at her bills.

  Thank you

  Donna

  Wilkinsburg-Penn Joint Water Authority

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  I had called my landlord 2 weeks ago about a plumbing issue. Last week Monday, she brought a plumber that said he would have to pipe work to fix the problem. She put in a water shut off notice so the plumber could do his work. 2 days later she brought another plumber who was able to fix the issue without going into the pipes. She never canceled the shut off notice and today, 7/18, I woke up around 11:30am to no water. I called immediately because I know I will be on hold with this company for at least an hour because of their terrible customer service. Within that time I found the shut off notice on my door and remembered what my landlord had done. An hour and 8 minutes later I finally contact someone and explain the situation. She says someone will be able to come between 12:40 and 4pm. My fiance immediately sat outside on our front porch and waited for the worker to come. Around 3:40pm I noticed someone was still not here. I called again, fearful of the wait time and hoping to catch them before 4. Someone answered at 4:07 and said someone came by around 2pm which is impossible because my fiance was outside at that time. Additionally, there was no blue slip on my door. I'm explaining this to the customer service rep and she tells me she has to go according to what worker said despite me having proof and a witness that they did not come. She said she could send a worker but at an additional $50 charge to me because they are coming late. Now I am paying money out of my pocket because their worker did not do their job. I could not wait until tomorrow for them to come because 1) I haven't had water access since I woke up and 2) I have a young child that will be at my house until tomorrow afternoon. This is a huge inconvenience and unnecessary expense at the fault of the worker at the water company. This is also the second time I've experienced something like this with them and I started my service with them less than 30 days ago.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2023

  
  
  The landlord of this property scheduled a Temporary Off for Repairs on 7/11/23 to be turned off on 7/20/23.  Our inspector shut the water off at approximately 10:25 a.m.  With these types of orders, we automatically schedule an ON order for the afternoon so the time slots do not fill up for customers that are making repairs.  We always want to get the water restored by the end of the day to prevent a nightman order that carries a $50 fee.  The same inspector stopped back at this property at approximately 2:00 p.m. to see if the repairs were made and to turn the water back on.  He knocked at the door, and no one responded.
  
  After the customer called in to say there was someone home, we went back to the property at approximately 5:35 p.m. and restored service.
  
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Your worker reported that he showed up, but my fiancé was outside at 2pm and I had pets over that would’ve alerted me of a guest. There was no blue slip left to verify his presence. I know for a fact no one came to my home and I was charged for your company’s negligence.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 07/26/2023

   

  We apologize if our inspector did not leave a blue tag.   As a courtesy,  I will remove the $50 service fee.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/26/2023

  ** ******* ****** ** ******** **** ***** ********* **** ********** ** *** ********** *********  ** *** ***** *** *** ****** ** ****** ******* ****
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/26/2023

  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.

  Since April The utilty company " Wilkensburg Penn joint water has shut down there online systems and scrambled their shut off dates. Today is 3 days before my bill is dur, yet I am now without water. The phone service keeps people in a loop and requires a customer to know employee names to get help. This company, which provides water the thousands is the worst run company in Pittsburgh. Thousands have been shut off without notice and the company has done nothing to help.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2023

  Good afternoon,

   

  The customers bill that the service was terminated for was due on May 10,2023 and the next due date was June 8,2023. The bill was not paid in full before the shut off date, and that is why the service was shut off. We apologize for any inconvenience caused due to the high call volume and long wait times. As an alternative, some questions can be answered by emailing [email protected] during normal business hours. Feel free to contact us with any additional questions.

   

  Thank you,

   

  WPJWA

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/21/2023

  Type:Billing 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 phone number listed on the bill does not work the bill has an error and I cannot contact anyone to discuss by phone and I am not physically capable of going in person I can view any information regarding my account online due to their system issues a payment I’ve made doesn’t reflect

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2023

          Due to changes to our website and payment portal, our call volume has become very busy.  All customers also have the option to come into our office located at **** ******** ***** ********** **  ***** Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.  Our Customer Service department would be more than happy to assist you with little to no wait times.  We expect to have the payment portal up and running by October 2023.
  
  Our phone number ************ is available to speak to a real person Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  During heavy call volume times, a customer may get a busy signal.  We are also working to improve our phone system in the very near future.
  
  After reviewing this customer’s account this customer did speak to one of our representatives on 6/22/23 and had all her questions answered.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Donna M**
  Customer Service