CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — A Cleveland Water customer called News 5 Investigators about her bill that was so high, she couldn’t believe it. Her concerns are similar to previous reporting we’ve done about water department problems.
“I really thought it was a mistake,” said Diane Jones, 77, from Cleveland Heights.
She showed us that her water bills, month after month, are usually about $30. However, she just got a bill for more than 10 times that amount and a sewer bill even higher than that.
“This is for a three-week period. Something’s wrong,” Jones told us.
She said customer service told her it must have been a leak. Our past reporting shows they tell that to nearly every customer with a problematic bill.
“Was there a leaking tub that you heard?” we asked Jones.
“No,” she replied.
“A leaking faucet?” we asked.
“No,” Jones told us.
“A toilet running?”
“No,” she answered.
Jones told us she even called out a handyman and a plumber, and they found no leaks. She said she asked Cleveland Water to check her meter.
“The meters are always correct,” said Jones.
“That’s what they told you?” we inquired.
“Always correct,” she answered.
Jones said she didn’t do anything different in the house, but the billing showed the leak had just stopped on its own.
“And (the bill is) like it was before,” she told us.
“It magically fixed itself?” we asked.
“That’s what (customer service) told me. It fixed itself. And I said, 'Lady, leaks don’t fix themselves,'” Jones told us.
One leak she did notice was outside her home on the street for two to three weeks.
“The day that the water department came out and fixed the leak across the street then (the higher water usage) stopped,” she told us.
She’s not alone in her theory about big bills and work being done around roads.
Like the guy who used to own a car wash on Cleveland’s East Side who said that when he got his massive bill, a major road construction project was happening.
RELATED: Local man facing $22,000 water-and-sewer bill; CLE Water blames customer
Like Gary Adamic, who said he was coming home from vacation.
“And the front tree lawn was dug up…I thought that was unusual because I had no idea why that occurred,” said Adamic.
Like Joyce Craig from Cleveland, who said she had a bad bill. “They broke the pipe underneath the ground. They could never get the water turned off,” Craig said.
RELATED: Cleveland Water putting water bill liens on properties, leading to more questionable charges
After we contacted Cleveland Water, it then sent someone to check Jones’ meter. They said it’s fine. Then, they told us they “…believe that all her concerns have been addressed satisfactorily.”
“Did they satisfy your questions?” we asked Jones.
“No,” she answered.
“Your concerns?” we asked.
“No,” she told us.
We asked the water department many questions, such as if the department claims there was a leak, shouldn’t it prove that? It gave no response.
It’s another way Jones said the department let her down. “I was just so disappointed,” said Jones. “And they say we’ll call you back and they don’t call you back.”
Cleveland Water said that because Jones’ account hasn’t received a shutoff notice, she’s not eligible for a Water Review Board Hearing. Without a way to fully dispute the bill, Jones said she’s now on a payment plan for a bill that’s wrong.
Here’s Cleveland Water’s full statement:
“We have maintained contact with the customer and believe that all her concerns have been addressed satisfactorily. On November 15, a technician was sent to the customer’s home to conduct a meter investigation. The technician found no issues with the customer’s meter.
To reiterate, Cleveland Water’s work on a water main in the street does not register on the meter in the home; therefore, it would not increase the home’s water consumption or the customer’s bill.
Customers who would like to review their water consumption can do so by visiting the Cleveland Water web portal or by calling our customer service department.
Our customer service department is available to answer customers’ questions, review accounts and help address any outstanding balances. If there are other customers that you are aware of with concerns, we would appreciate their addresses and phone numbers so we may follow up to address their specific accounts.”
