Never responded to call
A building I own was broken into and all the copper was stolen. The water line into the house was torn out, including the meter and shut off valve, and the basement was filling with water. I made several calls to the water dept. for them to come and shut off the water at the curb but they never responded. After 2 days I got a plumber to come and do it.

Phones lines are constantly busy
I have been trying for days to get through on the phone and the line is constantly busy. This afternoon, after hours of trying to get through, I called 311. 311 told me that they've been getting a lot of calls about the Water Dept.'s busy phones and that I'd have better luck calling the emergency number. They tried putting me through to it twice but got busy signals themselves both times. What is going on with the Water Dept.?

Because ...
If the problem was inside the property it was your responsibility to have a plumber shut off the water. And Water Revenue is a different department than Water. Go figure.

Service v. Usage Charges
I'd like to know what the water department is doing to create incentives for residents to reduce their consumption, or what they are doing to provide some kind of assistance or credit to those who already are. I am a little annoyed with the steep increases in the service charges on my bill. My fiance' and I work hard to reduce our water consumption and decrease our waste water. We have two rain barrels, have changed all of our toilets to flush with less water, and have made several other changes around the house as well. The service charges on our bill are twice as much as our consumption charges. I did some research and discovered that a part of the service charges are based on an average amount of waste water created by residents in that area. Now that we have an official Office of Sustainability, doesn't it make sense to start looking for ways to encourage people to get on board with the movement and use less? It will save the city plenty of cash in the long run.

Advancing into the mid 1990s!
The Water Department - this may actually be a review for the Water Revenue Department - has a website but as my wife can attest, it does little more than let you know that the department does, in fact, exist. Numbers listed are often busy and the link to "Pay Bill Online" is broken (and would only be slightly less useless if clicking on it brought up a box that told you to stand IN line at the Municipal Services Building.) After spending so many millions to update the computerized billing system and then spending it again when the first update didn't work, you would think that cost would have included a better web-based customer interface. Water Department... sorry if this review is misplaced but the failure of your revenue arm just stinks up all the water. (And can I give a zero stars?)

Constant busy signals
Had to call yesterday. Tried over 3 dozen times. All busy signals. Got through today buy calling the emergency number.

Busy signal??
Can never get through to the water dept., line is always busy no matter what time of day. Went to main office at Municipal building, waited over 2 hours to get answer about bill, by the time I got to desk was told to come back when someone was there or call back? It was 5:30 p.m. on Friday when I was told this, everyone was leaving or gone for the day to get a answer?

Bills too expensive
But the bills are going higher and higher. Mine almost doubled this past year and I don't use any more water than usual. What the heck is going on? Disgusted in Philly

TRY THIS NUMBER
215-685-6300 (the same one listed above). I called and got an answer after 1 minute on hold. They could at least change their web site to show a number that works, and put a message on the old number.

Erratic Billing
I have noticed that over the past year I have only been recieving my Water bill every other month. At first I dismissed it as my fault, perhaps I missplaced the bill or it got thrown out with the junk mail, however it has become a constant issue. I also recently learned that several of my neighbors are having the same issue. I have been attempting to contact them to find out what the problem is but I have been unable to get through, only busy signals.

In comparison ...
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20091217_Audit_finds_much_of_Camden_s_water_supply_missing.html

Non-responsive
I bought a home in Philadelphia 6 months ago. The water bill was not in my name for the first 4 month but it was finally switched to my name after that. The problem is, they send the water bill to the house of the previous owner, but with my name as the customer. I called them several times and each time was told it would be corrected. I just received my current bill for the property, addressed to me, yet still mailed to the New Jersey address of the previous owner...

wasting water
For over two years, i have call the water department about a leak in the 4400 block of RIDGE AVENUE on the right going west. This is down the street from Gustine/ASHE tennis courts. A man from the water company told me that they knew about it but it was a major to fix and that the water company did not want to do the project. This water is running from the hillside. DO ANYONE CARE ABOUT THE WASTE?

Shocking $3k bill
I recently purchased a property in September of 2009 in the City of Philadelphia. I noticed that I had been receiving estimates of my bills (all for farily normal amounts), so in December I scheduled an appointment for the water department to come to my home and check out the problem. My meter was not hooked-up properly, so they installed a new meter. The next bill I received was for $3,000! After numerous calls and visits to the water department (all resulting in different outcomes), calls with my title company and Councilman an investigation was finally launched through the water department to find out what the issue was. Turns out, they are charging me for a 93-month period (2/2002 through 12/2009) and the amount I have been billed is accurate! The worst part is I have proof that all of my bills were paid while living here, plus I have proof that the previous owner was up to date on their bills - so not only are they charging me for when I didn't own the home, they are double-dipping for months that I know were paid for! Everyone I spoke with (including my Councilman's office) agrees that this is outrageous, but no one has been able to help. I have compiled a packet of info (about 50 pgs, including settlement sheet, proof of payments, etc.) and I filed for an appeal, but from everything I have read in the news I have a feeling that either me or my title insurance (I have filed a claim) will have to pick up the bill before my water is shut-off at the beginning of April. I have been fighting this everyday since December and haven't gotten anywhere. I feel like I am banging my head against the wall and I know that I am not alone. No wonder no one wants to buy a home in this city - it is the most impossible place to get anything accomplished or even get a straight answer.

Overpayment of Water Bill
I was co-owner of a property with cousin. I paid the water bill every month. Property was sold 9/28/09 and water department was aware their was an overpayment. I filed the necessary forms for my refund 0f $34.95 and to date have not received it. The water company is asking for copy of my settlement which they should have as the buyers and mine were the same.. They put water in name of new owner(buyer) less then month after property sold. Why? They had to have some proof from him of purchase and a recorded deed.All this is public record imformation. Why is it that the utilities do not want to give you a refund for an overpayment. The records clearly showed their was an overpayment. The water department refers me to the water revenue department and I'm still not in receipt of my refund.. It's my money.

Broken system
Hear ye, Hear ye, when placing a call the the water department for payment arrangements pressing #1 does not work, press # 2, where you speak with a person. The wait is loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong as....Eventually someone may answer.

Unfair Charges & awful response time
my empty property was broken into & pipes & water meter was stolen. The water dept had already turned off the water but are still charging me for service chrg & estimated usage for almost 2yrs now. An investigator came & confirmed the pipes & meter missing, no water & no occupants. I appealed the bill,it took 3 months to get a response. I was told that I am still responsible to pay for water that is not being used even though they turned the water off & have it on record. The bill is now an outrageous amount due to penalties & interest. I am appealing to the Tax Review board, and am waiting for a court date. I am willing to pay a fair amount but to pay for water when it was turned off is ludicrous.I don't think any of this is fair. Also, they take forever to give you an answer. The property is in a depressed area & not worth much, but I am trying to sell it but the water dept took so long giving me an answer, that the buyer backed out. They also want me to buy a "no water usage permit" that cost $100. Talk about insult to injury. I can't believe the way people are treated by this dept. I really feel helpless. The only reason I rated them a "1" is because there is nothing lower, like "sub-zero".

Person to Person for a Balance why?
why do I have to sit and wait to talk to someone regarding a balance. I just wanted to check to see how much to pay, since I did not receive a bill and had to wait 20 mins. Why not be able to check bal and payment without putting their employees and me through uneccasry idle chatter. You people need to get your heads and butts wired together. Geez Louise

About new billing structure...
Before too long, EPA will begin charging PWD if philadelphia does not meet clean water act requirements. This was no PWD's idea. This billing by EPA will be passed on to you the ratepayers if CWA is not met. PWD has changed billing so that people who own land that causes more runoff will be billed more. This restructuring is an effort to gradually encourage the problem properties to rethink the way they deal with stormwater. This will save us all a lot of money in the long run and help the environment. This is not the environmetal way, hippy way, liberal way or whatever you would think to call it. It's the cheap way. Read this for more info http://www.phillywatersheds.org/

water in basement
I have water coming into my basement for a month now. The water department has came out here several times each time they come out here they can't find the problem. They gave me 2 violations. Both said that I had leaks in my water line. They gave me 10 days to fix the problem or they would shut my water off. I put in a whole new water line that cost me $3250.00 and, I'm still getting water in my basement. I called them back and, they came back out here and, they still can't find the problem now I'm stuck with a $3250.00 bill and my basement is still getting water and, it's getting damaged! Now they're giving me the run-around instead of finding out where the water is coming from! I need a lawyer so I can sue their asses! What should I do?

Say What?
Okay, so I go to the Northeast "City Hall" or whatever they call it on Welsh Road to pay my water bill. Can you believe that the only methods of payment at this location are a check or money order? What year is this? 1968? Are you kidding me?

Seperate the WRB from PWD
Inky, you're doing PWD a disservice by not seperating out which responsibilities are the Water Revenue Board's, and which are PWD's. You should explain it, and have two different pages. Or, do you not know the difference?