Some huge water bills in Lake Charles blamed on meter readers' mistakes - KPLC

Some huge water bills in Lake Charles blamed on meter readers’ mistakes

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - If your water bill is usually around $130 in the summer, what would you do if it was suddenly $1,760? Some people are getting high bills due to human error by meter readers.

Some residents who have new digital water meters in Lake Charles are receiving water bills 10 to 15 times more than usual. Dr. James Jancuska is concerned about the response citizens will get when they try to investigate their bills.

“People are going to call up and say, ‘I got a bill for $700 and it’s normally $15,’ and they’re going to say, ‘It’s right!’ And they’re going to have to pay it. It’s sad. It’s really sad. And I’m sorry, but our mayor should be on top of this. And everybody on city council should be on top of this,” said Jancuska.

Jancuska said four people on his street have received huge water bills due to human error. His neighbor Ed Gradney received one for $1,760.

“They said you must have a leak, and they were very nice, and so I went home, and I made sure everything was turned off in the house and I went and looked at the meter and it wasn’t moving, so I don’t have a leak,” said Gradney.

He went ahead and paid it in cash to avoid any late fees or cut-offs.

“If you don’t pay your bill, I would think they will turn it off. I’ve never had that problem, but you hear things. I don’t like to be late. But I had checked with them the week before and they said the bill was legitimate,” Gradney said.

He said he gave the Water Billing Office 17 $100 bills and three $20s in cash.

Dr. J, as he’s called, has straightened out his neighbor’s bill. But he’s worried some people won’t even realize if their meters were read incorrectly.

“How widespread is this? A lot of people thought their bill was high because they’ve been watering their yard and were just going to pay their bills. I mean one-third of customers have new meters. Are they being read wrong?” Jancuska asked.

City officials said human error caused problems on a contractor’s meter reading route and that they are working with individual customers to re-read meters and make adjustments.

The city’s meter reading contractor is Olameter. City officials said anyone who gets a bill that seems out of line with their normal usage should call the water billing office at 337-491-1307.

City spokesperson Katie Harrington said as long as the customer is in communication with the Water Billing Office, they will not be disconnected while a bill is being verified.

The city finance director said if a customer is due a refund, it usually takes ten to fourteen days for the customer to receive it.

This statement is from Emily McDaniel, City of Lake Charles director of finance:

“The City of Lake Charles Water Billing Office is aware of issues with recently distributed water bills along one of our meter reading routes. The City of Lake Charles contracts with an outside firm for these services and it was recently discovered human error led to some customers receiving inaccurate billing statements. The Water Billing Office is actively working with these individual customers to complete re-reads on these meters and make the necessary adjustments to these accounts. As always, customers who receive a bill that seems out of line with their normal usage, should call the Water Billing Office at (337) 491 -1307.

“Instances like these are all the more reason why the City’s Smart Meter Reading project is necessary and appropriate. The Smart Water Meter project currently underway citywide will substantially prevent these issues in the future as smart meters are installed and brought online. This project is approximately 40 percent complete, with an estimated completion timeframe of May 2024.”

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