San Diego's Water Department has gone to the dogs with a new Water Complaint hotline.
On Thursday morning, UCAN will begin inserting 290,000 court-authorized solicitations for membership into City of San Diego water bills. The newly approved inserts are signed by UCAN's new Executive Director and provide a complaint hotline for City of San Diego Water Department. Full story.
Do you have a potential smart water meter?
The City of San Diego water department does not employ smart meters, but are they gearing up to do so? Recently, a UCAN member tipped us off that the water department installed a new water meter capable of transmitting wireless reads.
UCAN services
UCAN's Fraud Squad is currently offering a full range of service to our members and San Diego residents. At this time, the Fraud Squad can still assist you with a dispute with SDG&E, City of San Diego water department, and San Diego telecom companies. Feel free to fill out our online complaint form and we will contact you if we can assist with your issue.
Send Us Your Water Customer Service Complaints!
In dealing with the San Diego Water Department’s Customer Service Representatives, have you been the victim of one of the following:
Water Bill Self Help Directory
Did your water bill double or triple for no apparent reason? Are you suspicious that the City isn’t reading your meter? Want to know why your water bill remains the same even when you go on vacation? Read our Water Bill Self Help Directory to learn about your water bill and how to keep it as low as possible.
Keep an eye out for double water bills
Don't be alarmed if you see a high number on your water bill this month. Due to an "internal error" inside the water department, some July bills were not sent out as scheduled. This was about the time they switched to the new billing system so I'm assuming they experienced some glitches.
The Water Department doesn't want to talk to you
There's no worse feeling than having a person hang up on you. Except, of course, having an automated message saying you can't talk to a person and then hanging up on you. And that's what you'll get if you call the City of San Diego water department.
How To Read Your City of San Diego Water Bill - Why is my bill so high?
With the most current round of UCAN's inserts in the City of San Diego water bills, our phones have been lighting up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. One thing we've noticed is that many people do not know how to read their water bill. The callers can definitely see how expensive their water bill is each month, but they don't know what each line item represents. We can help break though all the confusion, but we have to warn you that you can't unsee the horrors that are the Four Horsemen of the Water Bill.
How to make sure your new sewer service charge is correct
You've probably already noticed that the format of your water bill has changed, but don't be suprised to see a few of the numbers change as well. July 1 is the date that your new annualized sewer service charge comes into effect. If you're suspicious about the figure on your bill, you can use this rough guide to verify that your charge is correct.
John Mattes is an embedded reporter for the New Media Rights Community Journalism Project investigating UCAN issues.
Why water reform is necessary: SPUD water shut-off policy harming San Diego's seniors
This WATER story by Joe Little of ABC 10NEWS San Diego exposes how the Water Department's shut-off policies and lack of low-income assistance is harming many San Diego seniors. MORE.
Sewer Refund Settlement
After more than two years of litigation, the City and UCAN's Executive Director agreed to a settlement that would return about $40 million to overcharged residential customers and, perhaps more importantly, allow for the creation of independent oversight of City water and sewer operations.
Utility Consumers' Action Network - (619) 696-6966
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