INDIAN HILLS UTILITY OPERATING COMPANY, INC. CUSTOMER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Transcription

1 INDIAN HILLS UTILITY OPERATING COMPANY, INC. CUSTOMER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Central States Water Resources Welcome Indian Hills Utility Operating Company, Inc. Customers Indian Hills Utility Operating Company, Inc. (Indian Hills) as a subsidiary of Central States Water Resources, Inc. welcomes Indian Hills Subdivision customers. You may have noticed activity in the neighborhood recently as we have repaired more than 300 leaks in the water system. While the repair of these leaks will not result in large immediate results in terms of increased water pressure, it should help to reduce the water demand that the leaks produced in the system. Completed projects include: Replacement of all water meters Installation of a new 250,000 gallon water tank on the east side of the lake Construction of a new well house and well with a 50,000 gallon tank on the west side of the lake Installation of valves which will allow Indian Hills to control and isolate issues when they occur to prevent shut down of the entire system. Ongoing projects include: Replacement of deteriorated sections of water distribution lines. As water mains break, we will replace those parts, but we will also replace sections of the main as ongoing projects. Inside you ll find information about: What your utility company is doing in your neighborhood Your utility bill Payment requirements and procedures Conditions of termination, discontinuation and reconnection of service Starting or stopping service How to read your meter If you are absent from your residence for an extended period of time Services and fees Estimated Billing Procedures Regulations Complaint procedures Missouri Public Service Commission Missouri Office of Public Counsel Contact Us Clean Water is invaluable 1

2 Indian Hills Utility Operating Company, Inc. P.O. Box St. Louis MO (866) ACCOUNT NUMBER XXXX SERVICE ADDRESS XXXXXXXXXX CHARGES BILL DATE Water Usage Summer or Winter Water-Flat Rate XX/XX/XX $xx.xx $xx.xx READINGS Start (Date) (start reading) USAGE End (Date) (end reading) xxxxxxx PREVIOUS BALANCE CURRENT CHARGES ADJUSTMENTS PAYMENTS TOTAL DUE BY XX/XX/XX Use the code XXXXXX to sign up on-line at $X.XX ACCOUNT NUMBER SERVICE ADDRESS BILL DATE PREVIOUS BALANCE CURRENT CHARGES ADJUSTMENTS PAYMENTS TOTAL DUE BY XX/XX/16 Name REPLICA OF ACTUAL BILL (NOT TO SIZE) Paying your bill xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Address xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Pay by Mail - Send your payment to: P.O. Box , St. Louis, MO Please include your account number on all correspondence, either by sending the portion of your bill containing your account number or writing your account number in the memo section of your check or money order. Pay On-Line Use a credit card, debit card, or electronic bank payment; you may also set up auto-pay for monthly withdrawals from your bank account. A convenience fee of 2.99% of the total balance paid will be added to each transaction. Set up an on-line account by choosing Create New Account - enter your account number, your address, and the code from your bill. Follow the prompts. City xxxxxx, xx xxxxx XX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XX/XX/XXXX ***PAY BY DUE DATE TO AVOID LATE FEE PLEASE RETURN THIS SIDE WITH PAYENT To set up E-check auto pay, request an authorization form from Customer Service. A $.50 per transaction charge will be assessed by the third party card-processing company. To make a one-time on-line payment - choose Pay Now, enter your account number and the last name on your account. Follow the prompts. Auto-pay customers can expect to receive an (if address is on file) when autopay transaction fails or is cancelled due to multiple failed attempts. $X.XX Your Utility Bill We keep our rates as low as possible to maintain high quality and service to our customers. Your bill contains information about your water charges. Account Number This number should be included in any correspondence with the utility company including on your payment or check. Water This is the amount charged for water utility services. Previous Balance (Prev Bal) This is the balance from previous bills that is unpaid as of the date of the current bill. Usage This is the difference between the two meter readings with a beginning date and beginning meter reading and an ending date with an ending meter reading. Due Date The due date is 21 days after the date the bills are mailed. If we do not receive payment by the due date, the account is considered delinquent and may be subject to disconnection. Balance Due - Total amount due. If this amount is in parentheses, then it is a credit amount and does not require payment. Avoiding a Late-Payment Charge or Discontinuance of Service Payment is due and considered delinquent after the due date. A delinquent charge ($5.00 or 3%, whichever is more) may be applied if your bill is not brought current by the due date. At least 10 days before discontinuance we will mail you a written notice. If you receive a notice please take immediate action to avoid service discontinuance. Call: toll free (866) Restoration of service will resume after payment of your bill or settlement is made. A $35.00 fee is applicable for each turn-off and a $60.00 fee applies for each turn-on occurrence. Contact Customer Service toll free at (866) if you need assistance. See PSC rule: 4 CSR

3 Starting / Stopping Service To start service: erresources.com/ contact-us/indianhills Fill out: Request New Service on-line form and hit Submit at the bottom of the page - Call with any questions to: We request that an adult be present at the time of connection in order to prevent damage from water faucets accidentally left open. To stop service Fill out Stop Service online form and hit Submit at the bottom of the page DEPOSIT Indian Hills does not at this time require a deposit to receive services, however, if a customer has failed to pay an undisputed bill on or before the delinquent date for 5 billing periods out of 12, or service has been discontinued for non -pay, Indian Hills may require a deposit of an amount equal to 1 billing period plus 30 days usage. HOW TO VERIFY ACCURACY OF YOUR BILL The meters installed at Indian Hills Subdivision are digital remote-read meters. If you choose to check the reading on your meter, CAREFULLY remove the meter lid without unplugging the attached wire and lift the grey plastic lid on the meter register. It will look like the picture below. Look for the reading with six (6) digits and multiply that number by 10. Meters are read near the end of each month; the exact date will be on your bill. By subtracting the previous meter reading from the one just taken, you should get the number of gallons used since the previous reading. The meter reading you get will be close but not necessarily exact to the meter reading on your bill if you read the meter on the same day as the meter is read remotely. We ask that customers protect these meters from damage and tampering; keeping the lid securely sealed will prevent freezing and damage. Customers are responsible for the cost of repairing any damage to the water mains, meters, and meter installations caused by you, your agent (including your plumber) or tenant. You may also choose to call the billing number ( ) to ask if there is any indication of a leak. The meter automatically sends a reading every hour. By looking at the data, we may be able to tell if there is a leak; for example, if the meter is running constantly instead of having high and low values. Your billing representative is available to help you if you need information about your account If you leave your residence for an extended period and wish to avoid discontinuation of service you may forward your mail or sign up for automatic payment. 3

4 Services, Fees and Regulations Rate per month - Regular Metered Service Summer (months of April - September) Minimum Monthly Charge.$50.90 Water Usage Charge, per 1,000 gal $11.55 Winter (months of October - March) Minimum Monthly Charge.$50.90 Water Usage Charge, per 1,000 gal $ 7.70 Late Charge amount of $5.00 or 3% of the unpaid balance, whichever is more, will be added to delinquent billings. Returned Check Charge of $25.00 Door Collection Charge of $60.00 when payment of disconnection fee is paid at the door to serviceman to prevent shut-off. Emergency Call-Out Charge of $25.00 where customer requests shut off and emergency exists on customer owned facilities. Turn-off or turn-on fee of $35.00 for Termination of service and $60.00 for Restoration of services if for non-payment. Turn on or off at Customer Request $60.00 between 8am and 5pm M - F $ on business off hours New Service Tap-on Connection fee is the actual cost of connection. Service Connection Inspection $75.00 The water service line construction and maintenance from the property line or meter setting, including the connection to the setting, to the building is the responsibility of the customer, and is subject to inspection by Indian Hills. Customers are responsible for the cost of repairing any damage to the company s mains, meters, and/or meter installations caused by the customer, the customer s agent (plumber), or the customer s tenant. Estimated Billing Procedures A utility is allowed to estimate a bill 1.) When a utility is unable to obtain a meter reading for reasons beyond the utility s reasonable control, including the inability to access the customer s premises as necessary, 2.) When the utility does not obtain an accurate or correct meter reading due to equipment or mechanical failure, 3.) When a utility is unable to accurately obtain a meter reading due to human or billing system error, including a remote meter reading device s failure to transmit a reliable reading or 4.) When a utility does not obtain an accurate or correct meter reading due to failure to detect and verify usage at the customer s location, i.e. vacant with usage. A utility shall base the estimate on that customer s historical average usage at the same premises for the same billing periods during any or all of the past three years for which actual usage data is available. In the event that the customer was provided utility service at the premises for less than one year, then the estimate shall be based on usage from the average of the customer s actual usage for the previous three billing periods. If the customer has not had utility service for three billing periods or if actual usage during that time is not available, the utility shall base the estimate on the average usage of available actual usage data for the months the customer has had utility service. In cases where no prior actual usage information is available or the prior usage is estimated and cannot be determined by subsequent actual meter readings, the utility shall base the estimate upon average usage of similarly situated customers. A utility shall clearly and conspicuously note on the bill that it is based on estimated usage. The most current Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is available at: Call us at for a mailed copy. 4

5 Indian Hills Water Cross Connection Ordinance No water service connection shall be installed or maintained to any premises where actual or potential cross-connections to the public potable or customer's water system may exist unless such actual or potential crossconnections are abated or controlled to the satisfaction of Indian Hills, Inc. and as required by the laws and regulations of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. No connection shall be installed or maintained whereby an auxiliary water supply may enter a public potable or customer's water system unless such auxiliary water supply and the method of connection and use of such supply shall have been approved by Indian Hills, Inc. and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. No water service connection shall be installed or maintained to any premises in which the plumbing system, facilities, and fixtures have not been constructed and installed using acceptable plumbing practices considered by Indian Hills as necessary for the protection of health and safety. A plumbing cross-connection is defined as any physical connection or arrangement between potable water and any source of contamination. Examples of cross connections are shown below. A cross connection risks contamination of building water piping or municipal water supply with bacteria. A cross connection is a dangerous situation where waste water may enter and contaminate the supply water. A cross connection can occur in many places. One example is where a laundry tub has a faucet below the top of the laundry tub. If the faucet enters the tub through the wall, it is possible that when the tub is filled, the faucet will be submerged. If this happens, the waste water in the tub may back up into the drinking water through the faucet if the supply piping is being drained. The solution to plumbing cross connections is to raise the faucets above the top of a tub or basin, creating an air gap between the faucet and water in the tub. Cross connections are avoided through the use of an overflow. In bathtubs, for example, where the faucets may enter through the wall of the tub below the top, an overflow provided below the faucets will prevent a cross connection. faucet CROSS CONNECTIONS Cross connections can occur in fixtures where the faucet is below the high water level an air gap is required to prevent contaminated water from being siphoned back into the potable water supply under negative supply pressure conditions. bidet faucet laundry solution Install Flood solution Replace Older style bathtub with low Indian Hills Lead Plumbing Materials Regulations solution Replace fixture No water service connection to the public drinking water system shall be installed or maintained to any premises where lead-based materials were used in new construction or modification of the drinking water plumbing after January 1, Should any premises be found to be in violation of this, water service shall be discontinued until such time that the drinking water plumbing is in compliance. 5

6 Public Service Commission Indian Hills is regulated by the Public Service Commission (PSC). This information is being provided in accordance with the rules of the PSC. If you feel that we have not responded to your issue in a satisfactory manner, you have the right to request that the Missouri Public Service Commission review the unresolved issue. You may contact the Public Service Commission at: Contact Us Missouri Public Service Commission 200 Madison St., PO Box 360 Jefferson City, MO (800) More information is available at the PSC website: Missouri Office of Public Counsel Provides an additional resource for Missouri utility customers. The Missouri Office of Public Counsel (OPC) represents the interests of the public and utility customers in proceedings before the PSC and in court. Contact the Office of Public Counsel at: Governor's Office Bldg. 200 Madison Street, Suite 650 PO Box 9930 Jefferson City, MO (866) Give us a call for more information about our services Indian Hills Utility Operating Company, Inc. 500 Northwest Plaza Dr. Suite 500 St. Ann, MO Billing toll free: (866) Emergency: (866) ext. #1 Visit us on the web at: Customer Service 24 hours a day seven days a week Customer Support is available 24/7 to serve you. Support office hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday with 24 hr. messaging services. Customer Service: (866) Emergency: ext. #1 You may also contact us at: Filing a Complaint with the Public Service Commission Indian Hills will investigate your complaint and work to resolve every problem. If you have a question about a bill that we cannot resolve to your satisfaction, you may file an informal or formal complaint with the Public Service Commission under rule 4CSR You must file this complaint either by phone or in writing 24 hours prior to the date stated in the notice of discontinuance of service. Within four days after registering a complaint, you must pay the amount of the bill not in dispute. If we cannot come to an agreement about the amount of the bill not in dispute, then either 50% of the disputed bill or the amount of the bill at the same time a year ago will be charged, whichever is less. Complaints may be made by phone at (314) or via the PSC website at: The PSC will investigate and issue their findings. If you choose to file a formal complaint after the issuance of their findings, you must do so within 30 days to avoid discontinuance of service. 6