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by Anonymous on May 2nd, 2007
The Water Works people do not know who or what lives in a residence. all they see is an unpaid bill and water shutoff is spelled out in the water contract.
Have you called the water people and asked for a grace period? it may too late now, if your water has already been turned off. you will have to pay a restoration fee. you should have done this, before the water shutoff date. these people cannot help you, if they do not have your information.
If you have not done so, i would give them a call or visit, and ask for mercy. they are human, just like everyone else.
by monkey do on April 26th, 2007
Unfortunately it's a business and they want their money. Many years ago, during a very busy time in our life, I just came home from the hospital with my baby. I took her home and she messed herself so I gave her a bath.to give her a bath. In the middle of the bath the water went off. I ran outside, pleaded with the guy to leave it on long enough to finish cleaning her up. He did it. So, my husband ran to the water company & paid the bill that he forgot to pay.
by Gideon on May 2nd, 2007
The law will depend on which state you live in. In some cases, water and utilities may not be shut off if written notice is given that someone in the house has a disability or may become physically ill as a direct result, such as an infant.
However, in most cases children in the house who are not immediately endagered don't factor in.
If it's a landlord shutting off the water for non-payment of rent rather than the water company for non-payment of the bill, the laws change significantly.
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on May 2nd, 2007
You chose to have children, you are responsible for them. dont expect ME or your neighbors to feel sorry for you because you are not capable of paying a Bill on time. And you might be "enchancing" your story a bit. How many Waring letters did you get till you water was shut off? I doubt it was that much of a surprise like you make it out. the water company isnt shutting off the water 1 day after you are late.. so my guess is yu were anywhere from 60-90 days late.
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on April 26th, 2007
I doubt it. No more "illegal" than not paying your bill. are you saying that all of us who pay are bills on time should pay for your kids water too? that certinly isnt fair.
by vmtz2002 on December 29th, 2010
To the person who said she was responsible for having a baby and that she had must have known they were going to cut off the water. I hope you find yourself in a similar situation quite soon so that you see how wrong you are to judge. You don't know what this person's situation was. She may have well known she needed to pay it, but couldn't. I hope you remember this on your dying day when you are begging for mercy.
by Anonymous on January 4th, 2009
Of course. Gas is a commodity like all other commodities. If you do not pay for the commodity, you have no right to that commodity.
Most states have welfare programs that help low income people with the cost of utilities. However, you must apply for and get approved to take advantage of those programs.
by turbowray on July 15th, 2007
We don't have to agree with the situation, but we should answer it, without comments. The truth is, if you have a child under 3, and they are aware of it, they can not turn the water off, if the child is over 3, you must obtain a note from a doctor stating that not having the water could harm your child. If there is a medical note on record, they can not turn it off, it is the same with electricity, but they can limit the amount that you get!
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on May 2nd, 2007
It was a question. And you never answered it. Why should people with small children get special privileges? Why should someone who works hard (like you) get there water turned off and you dont? why do your kids make you special? If you cant keep food on your table that is not my fault, so why should I pay? Maybe you should let a state agency take care of your kids if you cant keep the water on. Dont expect people to happy to give you water when you cant even pay the bill.
by vmtz2002 on December 29th, 2010
You don't know this person's particular situation to be judging Mr. Holier than thou. I hope you find yourself in a similar situation. So, what if she'd gotten previous warnings. That doesn't mean she could have paid. The day you die, I want you to remember what you've said here and beg God for mercy. I hope it fries in your brain.
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on May 2nd, 2007
no i am not! I am not I am not I am not!! NOOOOOOO!!!
...
okay maybe a little....
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on May 2nd, 2007
and your bad credit followed you! amazing!
by El Soupy spanish for the soupy on May 2nd, 2007
most utilities ask for deposits when people have either a bad credit history, or no history of payments whatso ever... I havent paid a deposit for a utility in over 25 years...
by Lippycow on May 2nd, 2007
I thought i read somewhere that it couldnt be disconnected if there were children under 5 years old,as having no water can cause illness not being able to wash yourself or clothes and genral cleaning of the home,but this could be the UK i could be wrong.
by thinkin on April 26th, 2007
Yeah haveing kids does not matter any more. In the middle of winter my friend had her gas shut off and she had kids. that was there heat
by still loves cheerios on July 15th, 2007
Its not illegal,However useually they will work with you if you can prove that you have small children or elderly peaple who are sick. They cant shut the water off in the winter because the heat situation.Lots of times the landlord will try to take advantage of this and not paythe bill
by Sheriff Raff -Answerhag on May 2nd, 2007
Pay the bill and this will not be an issue. I am not sure what is legal in the state you live in but United Water company that services my home is a business not a charity organization.
by Mom of Three on May 9th, 2008
Yes they can, and so can power companies or the gas company. I have found that our water company doesn't care. If you’re late it's off. However, when we were having trouble last year and ran into this situation twice, I was home and the man knocked on our door. He noticed the kids and said he'd put me at the end of his day. I managed to pay so he wouldn't have to come back, but they still charged me for the turn off fee, because it was "scheduled". There are places that can help with bills. If you contact your WIC or State office they can help you find places that can negotiate and even pay your bill for a month or two depending on your circumstances.
by JimmyG on January 4th, 2009
I couldn't find anything on the rules/laws, but I did find an online complaint form:
http://www.ok.gov/launch.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.occeweb.com%2F
AB doesn't handle these links well. On the page this takes you to, look down the right for Public Complaints -> Public Utility Complaints.
by Victoria_L386 on February 17th, 2011
You people are all assuming that someone is not paying water bills. I have paid my water bills consistently until 4 months ago when bills jumped from 30. to 80. - I contacted them, they said I had a leak, called plumber plumber checked out home-no leak. 50.00 is disputed amount, every month since paid 30-50. but cont to get 80-90 bills-which are ridiculous. There is no leak, it is myself & a 3 yr old-I do not have a dishwasher & do laundry over at my daughter's home. They cut off my water for the disputed amt, then although my next bill is not due for 20 more days want me to pay that-which is illegal to try & force me to pay & a 60.00 deposit-although I paid a 25. deposit intially that has never been refunded. Come to find out there is more to the story-West Morgan East Lawrence Water is controlled by a private group of individuals on their Board-there is no accountability to county commissioners, elected officials, etc. In fact there has been multiple complaints filed & our county attorney has requested & been ignored that 2 people from Lawrence County be put on board to represent our interests.
by 11cherbear on May 28th, 2010
well people really want to jump on couples with children.....in our case they were sending the bill to our old address despite being able to prove we called at least twice to change the address...they also had the new address on the bill, just not in the mail to section and its still off. we have children, we pay our bills every month, the automated phone call cut out half way through on the cell phone and all we heard was "Thank you from Direct energy." who knows what that was supposed to be about. Long story short it truly was the companies fault as we had another account with them but they didnt match it up and they dont care. They mail it wrong, do not send out any notices and now we have to wait 5 days for heat. Thank god we have a fireplace
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THank you
by ashymama on May 2nd, 2007