A Tucson family is frustrated by extra water bills and shut offs - KOLD

A Tucson family is frustrated by extra water bills and shut offs

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - A Tucson woman wants answers, after receiving six water bills in a week. On top of that, she says her water has been shut off multiple times over the past year – for no apparent reason.

13 News looked into what’s being done about it and helped her get a resolution.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” said Rebecca Crane, a mother of three.

Crane says she’s been a Tucson Water customer since 2016. Last June, she says she moved into a new home and established service at that address. But within a month, she says the water was turned off and the problems haven’t stopped.

Crane says technicians with Tucson Water have come out four times to investigate and test the meters, but they still haven’t gotten it right.

“It’s not fair. I shouldn’t be made to feel worried about losing my water with three kids that need to take baths,” said Crane.

In addition, Crane says her bills don’t add up.

“I went to pay my bill on February 18th and all of a sudden I had a credit of $331,” said Crane. “So, I’m like maybe their investigations are going somewhere and they have some corrections to make.”

But after that, Crane says six new bills came in the mail all at once, showing she owes hundreds of dollars from last year.

“How do I know that these bills are even accurate at this point?”

Crane showed us a log of all the calls she’s made to Tucson Water customer service. She says agents are apologetic, but their explanations are futile. One even said: her account both started and ended in July 1993, when she was 12 years old.

“And I’m like that’s funny,” said Crane.

Pima County records show two homes sit on the eastside lot. Crane’s home was sold in 2022 and renovated prior to her moving in.

“When I’m shut off, here they are billing me for the wrong meter. There’s a house behind this house on the same lot. And they were billing me for his. But when they shut me off and I call, they certainly know which meter to turn back on,” said Crane. “So how come they can’t get the billing right?”

13 News pressed Tucson Water for answers and provided them with her stack of recent bills.

A spokesperson for Tucson Water tells us the property had issues with unit numbers and other circumstances leading to extra bills. But they wouldn’t share specifics for privacy reasons.

In a statement we’re told, “Tucson Water cares about its customers. We’re glad the customer brought it to our attention. We’re working with Ms. Crane to get it resolved.”

Crane said, “You can’t blame my landlord for purchasing a home and doing what he wants with it. You can only blame Tucson Water.”

Crane tells us she loves her rental home and the landlord treats her family well.

Leadership at Tucson Water are working with her to determine the correct balance and ensure mix-ups are corrected.

Meantime, if you are having trouble paying your bill, Tucson Water can help with payment plans for low income and instances of hardship. Click here for details and to complete a form.

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