Man pretty sure there's a billing error on his $7,714,510.21 water bill

[Wonk]

CORPUS CHRISTI - ÊAfter hearing stories about outrageous utility bills, Chuck Richison finally received his own: a $7,714,510.21 water payment that the city claimed was due.

Richison's utility bill normally runs about $55. When he opened the new one last week, it was a shocker.

"It was the 21 cents that got me," he said.

Richison's meter had been recently replaced. But when he called the Utility Business Office for help, he was told that his meter wasn't misread.

more...
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2340397

[punpirate]

1. Corpus Christi privatized its water system recently? n/t

[GOPisEvil]

2. In a related story: Corpus Christi Water reports record profits

:D

[Lefta Dissenter]

3. does he have a leaky faucet? (eom)

[unblock]

4. drip, drip, drip

[Pithlet]

5. Something like that happened where I live

The local news ran a story about it, and the utility company said she was responsible for whatever her meter says. I never heard anything else about it, so I don't know if they actually ever got a judgment against her to make her pay.

Something like this could ruin your life. You'd have to claim bankruptcy, I would guess.

[Fenris]

6. Well, that's what you get when you buy water from Halliburton

:D

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Typical liberal complainer

unwilling to take responsibility for obvious overuse of water.

Sneaky little bastards they are.

Corporations (and therefore utilities) are never wrong - they have computers, which are error free, and also, and most important, corporations have only the best interest in people.

Unless this utility is a public utlity, in which case this bill is an obvious error and just the kind of error we can continue to expect so long as we continue to refuse to privatize all government functions, because under privitization, the market will be competitive, and therefore there will no longer be any incentive whatsoever to make errors like this, and the people will see their water bills actually DECREASE significantly.

:evilgrin:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. HA! That comment deserves a KICK! (nt)

:kick:

[radwriter0555]

9. HEY, that's liberal WHINER to you, pal. Geesh

can't get it RIGHT, can you?

[ProfessorGAC]

10. "The city later adjusted the bill, acknowledging. . .

. . .he was overcharged." YA THINK!
The Professor

[ZenLefty]

11. Fuckity fuck. They just replaced my own water meter.

The city replaced my water meter and I was too stupid to write down the odometer reading on the old one first. Crap.

[Love Bug]

12. Do you still have the last bill you received before the meter was replaced

Does your water bills usually have the meter reading on them? Perhaps you'll find it there.

[ZenLefty]

13. Yeah, I do have that

If there's an error I have some evidence to get it fixed to within a ballpark range, which is fine by me. It's just dealing with the Denver Water department that makes me shudder. There's no statistic for it, but I'll bet a number of their customers have slit their own wrists just having to talk to them on the phone. They are the bureaucratic nightmare of all bureaucratic nightmares. I think even Cthulhu fears them. :shudder: