Today I received a bill from the City and I wasn't even going to open it, figuring they sent me a bill for $0.00 and wasted a stamp.
What a pleasure it was to open it up and see I was being billed for non use of water and sewer. NOT! So I called and asked, what's this?
Well Mr. Albero, you called on such and such a date and that was THREE days past the billing cycle. In other words, I PAY THE FULL AMOUNT for the past THREE months because I allegedly went three days past the billing cycle. So I asked, look at my last bill, did I use ANY water and sewer the cycle BEFORE? They replied, NO. So I haven't used ANY water and sewer for at least 6 months but I'm subjected to paying for it even after I cancelled the last billing period? YES.
I explained how $84. some odd dollars won't break anybody but come on. I did the right thing. I did NOT get any services for at least six months, yet you want to bill me for such usage. There was nothing they could do about it.
Then they told me, get this! IF and WHEN my building is sold I'll have to PAY the City another $25.00 to go out and read my meter. I said, the water is cut off, why would you bill me to read my meter if I'm NOT using it. Well, some people illegally turn it back on so we have to make sure it hasn't been used.
OK, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Who in the hell makes up these rules. I just paid for THREE/SIX months worth of service I did NOT use with the exception of three days, in which they verified I actually DIDN'T. And people wonder why the hell so many are running like mad out of the City.
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Salisbury is NOT business friendly. Oh, I'll PAY the bill but this time tens of thousands of people will READ about it because it has NEVER been exposed before in the past.
While this may seem small to some, believe me, there's plenty of uncovered stories out there you haven't heard of yet and my hope is that YOU use comments to expose your similar experiences with the City.
A private company would prorate your 3 days service so you would have only had to pay that, you would think they would do the same at the City of Salisbury.
ReplyDeleteThe term customer service has been lost on all government entities.
anonymous 3:07, Very true. However, I'll add, you'd think they would have said something at the time I cut it off to let me know up front, yet they didn't. If I had known this I would have left the water on at least for another two months and got my moneys worth.
ReplyDeletejust another way the city of salisbury SCREWS it's inhabitants. the downtown area will NEVER flourish with this sort of management, or lack of i should say. if my financial situation was ANY different, i'd be moving out of the city of salisbury AND the state of maryland altogether!
ReplyDeleteWow. I have had similar experiences where there was unfair billing. So infuriating!!! I paid the unfair bill too just so I didn't have to deal with it. So sorry this happened to you
ReplyDeleteI just got my water bill in the Town Of Pittsville. 180 bucks! I wish I could pay 84 per quarter.
ReplyDeleteDon't even get me started with Pittsville. I turned my water off SEVEN years ago in that Town and I still get billed around $1,200.00 a year for it. Because the pipes are on MY side of the road and even though I don't use water and sewer in the building, I pay for "ROAD FRONTAGE". It's a load of crap.
ReplyDeleteGetting back to Salisbury, I feel for those who get much higher bills. Now just look at what we pay for NO water usage. NONE for the past 6 months, so double this bill.
The city does not care. The big difference is this- in business if you treat people poorly they will go buy from some else. If the government treats you poorly they do not care because you have to deal with them and they know that. SBY is not business friendly. I hope when the gay on a tray is done someone with real leadership steps up to run this place.
ReplyDeleteThat's what you get for trying to slither your way into the mayors office. It's called karma Albero, get used to it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jimmy. I'll remember that and I'm sure ALL of the other citizens will too.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how Mr. Albero's run for the Mayor's office has anything to do with this water bill. If anything, your statement seems to further his, and many other citizen's, beliefs that the city is corrupted. You are insuating that because the city does not like him, they are charging him for a service he did not use. Congrats, you just pointed out how prejudice this place really is.
ReplyDeleteJoe here is another Lil thing I noticed years ago that proved to me Salisbury and wico. County are not business friendly. About 20 or so years ago I started buying a subcontractors license to hang drywall in the winter when I would get laid off doing road work.to buy this license in Salisbury it would cost me around $100.00 a year which at the time wasn't that bad till I found out you can simply drive 15 miles to princess Anne and get the same license for $15.00 . just goes to show in one way how the area of Salisbury is not business friendly.
ReplyDeleteBuying water, there used to be an old artesian well in front of your place when it was a hardware store, guy drank a gallon daily and lived into his 80s
ReplyDeleteDP&L is no better. For several years prior to leaving MD for FL, I would turn off every breaker in my box except for the refridgerator and outdoor security light. The pipes were drained and heat turned off. My bill for Dec, Jan, Feb and March were more than when I was living in the home in the summer and using A/C. Complained several years in a row getting nowhere each time. They said I was using the energy and that was that pay up. F them and MD. Moved to FL.
ReplyDeleteI had a full tank of propane with United Propane which went unused for a year. Then they billed me $200 for a "storage fee" on my property. I was about to sell the house, and asked them if I could donate the propane to a needy family, a church, etc. They said no, they did not have such a policy? They did say they would wave the storage fee, if I gave them the full tank of propane worth $425. Nice folks they are!!
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing this out in public. Everyone needs to know what will happen to them if they live in an area that is annexed in to the city limits.
When I moved here, we intentionally stayed out in the county where we have well and septic...to avoid the piggyback tax. Now I understand they are limiting new construction to a certain type of septic system that is both unsightly (mound in the yard) and expensive. We will not be purchasing other property in this area...we may leave it though!
Sorry to hear that 4:21, back when my mom died Tri County gas did retrieve the gas we had in her tank. Think they charged $10 or something but received a nice rebate.
ReplyDeleteAnytime the city ever got over on me I broke something of theirs.
ReplyDeleteDo the right thing. DON'T PAY THE F-ing BILL. Why pay for service you did not used.
ReplyDeleteI just learned that water bills, (such as this one) should be appealed by the City Council. This should be FUN.
ReplyDeleteI should have said, if I bring it to them.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't surprise me at all. Several years ago the city sent me a $300 bill for a street light that had been installed and contracted by the previous homeowner FIVE YEARS earlier. Apparently they had just gotten around to sending out the bill, then expected me to pick up the tab. No lien recorded, no disclosure, nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhen you lost the election, Joe, I decided to get out of Dodge. Just waiting to retire, then I am out of here.
I like the fact you have to register a vacant house with the city of salisbury, or be fined.
ReplyDeleteanonymous 5:49, I believe you also have to pay a FEE to register it. Also, IF you leave a home empty for a year you also have to pay a fee for that too. My Mother In Law moved to the Carolina's and had her home up for sale. Because we're related, the City went after her after the home was on the market for more than a year.
ReplyDeleteI love the title of this article.
ReplyDeleteJoe I agree with you a 100% but answer this what's going to happen? Nothing, because people won't stick together and government continues to do whatever they want. We are a society of complainers and we expect this to solve our problems. Look at voter turnout?
ReplyDelete3:37, thank you for letting us know that the Salisbury government will retaliate against people they don't like. Certainly under this mayor who falsely promised to be different than the last.
ReplyDeleteThis must be the reason barely anyone lives in this area. They're trying to get as far away from Salisbury as possible, since the eastern half of maryland is a district on it's own.
ReplyDeleteHow could one expect proration? Computation, accounting and billing are complex matters. A simplified quarterly billing regardless of when service ends within that quarter, is about all the city system can handle.
ReplyDeletePlease remember they have no competition nor any incentive to be service oriented. This coupled with bureacratic malaise that exists within the mentality of bureacrats provide the outcomes contrary to good service, one of which you have personally experienced.
Salisbury just happens to be worse than some other municipalities due an even less effective Mayoral leadership.
why would anyone live or do business in city limits? I understand people have lived there prior to this mayor and the dumb ass before but why move there since he took office?
ReplyDeleteFruitland says that if you cut your water off they will condemn your house in three days
ReplyDeleteIn Ocean Pines if you have an empty lot, no building and no plumbing, you still get a minimum water bill! How's that for screwing a property owner, approx. $125 water bill and no building to use a drop!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Shanie and the other woman don't give a rats a$$ about any of this , they are on public assistance and their bills are paid for by our taxes. Also most of the people they represent.
ReplyDeleteI have an uncovered story about the hysterical society. Still haven't heard from them regarding hearing requested in november, all according to their rules. Yet they heard the gillis' story in a special meeton 12/5. We were denied a meeting for more than the 45 days. We had to sign a release giving them more than 45 days to hear us. We have NOT heard...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't pay it. You can always get a well.
ReplyDeleteTake it to the Better Business Bureau - helped my daughter.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago the city council voted to increase water/sewer fees RETROACTIVELY, and did!
ReplyDeleteI brought this to Terry Cohen's attention at the next round of rate increases, and she spearheaded the fair and correct implimentation of the increase.
Are the slumlords paying fees for their many vacant homes?
ReplyDeleteThe ONLY solution --- there are no others, including your sheeple, predetermined "elections" -- is to march them all outside, and one at at time (make the other weasels watch and wait their turn), HANG THEM. Legalized stealing, under the color of "law", is still stealing. They do it, just not here, but EVERYWHERE in this country. With bureacratic impunity. They know, of course, that they have a standing army to make sure you know your place. Which is on your knees.
ReplyDeletePay up and keep cheering.