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Water bill overcharge of $7,000 resolved after couple calls ABC 6 On Your Side - Fox 28

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Water bill overcharge of $7,000 resolved after couple calls ABC 6 On Your Side | WSYX

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A Columbus family needed help after getting a water bill for more than $7,000.

It turned out the City of Columbus Water Department made a mistake with the bill that would have been due on Christmas Day.

Shelly and David Powers said they went back and forth for weeks with the Water Department, trying to figure out where that number came from.

So, they called ABC 6 On Your Side.

The Powerses sold their Columbus home on Centennial Drive in October.

They moved, and were already expecting one more bill from the water department. But not for $7,000.

David Powers said he made multiple attempts to follow up with customer service. He said he was told a clerical error was to blame.

"But, then they said, 'You must have a leak,'" he said. "Well, a leak is not going to (cost) $7,000. It must be a bad leak. She said, 'Forget it I'm calling 6 On Your Side.'"

ABC 6 On Your Side called the Water Department, which said it was actually a meter-reading mistake.

The water department said it's in the process of upgrading all city water and power meters to improve reading accuracy.

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