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City can be friendlier with water bill issues

Marshall Chiaraluce Stonington

Publication: The Day

Published 03/20/2010 12:00 AM
Updated 03/19/2010 11:42 PM

I read the story of Waterford's Sam Brown, who received a $2,499 water bill from New London when his average billing was $205. ("Waterford man still mired in troubled waters," March 17.) Upon complaining and paying the bill, the city issued him a $37 credit. Not satisfied, Mr. Brown turned to small-claims court but the city moved to transfer the case to Superior Court.
Most government-run and private water utilities have much more reasonable and user friendly processes in place for adjudicating high bill complaints that do not involve lawyers and the courts. They involve an independent review and appeal process that serve both parties very well.
Some water utilities even offer one-time "waste adjustments" equal to one-half of the excess usage in cases where a silent underground or fixture leak created the bill, and a proper repair returns consumption to normal usage.
New London should investigate these programs to adopt more user-friendly procedures that promote good customer relations while avoiding costly attorneys and overburdening an already burdened Superior Court docket.
Editor's note: The writer is the former CEO and chairman of The Connecticut Water Co.

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