How To Read & Contest Statements
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio released a guide to understanding and contesting water bills, after receiving more than 500 complaints from New York City businesses and homeowners about unexplained charges and unhelpful customer service at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The six-page pamphlet helps customers determine if unexplained spikes in their bill are warranted, and includes tips for successfully disputing a water bill. The guide will be distributed in partnership with twenty-one other elected officials from across the city.
“Homeowners and businesses need all the help they can get when they tangle with a bureaucracy that assumes the customer is always wrong. We put together this guide to help New Yorkers fight-and win- when they’re hit with unfair charges in their water bills,” said de Blasio.
The guide is based on hundreds of cases pursued by the Public Advocate’s Constituent Services department over the past two years. It includes:
– explanations for bill increases to help customers determine if new charges are caused by legitimate reasons like leaks or past under-billing, or if they are the result of mechanical problems like a mismatched meter head that miscalculates usage;
– tips for navigating the dispute process, including all the steps, timelines and paperwork required to contest a bill;
– programs to help customers who can’t afford to pay such as one-time loan and relief programs-including those specifically for seniors; and
– a detailed water bill diagram to help customers decipher bill language.
The guide is available for download online at https://advocate.nyc. gov/water-bills and an initial print run of 2,000 copies will be distributed in partnership with City Council Members Elizabeth Crowley, Inez Dickens, Daniel Dromm, Daniel Halloran, Peter Koo, Oliver Koppel, James Oddo, Annabel Palma, Debi Rose, Jimmy Vacca, Peter F. Vallone Jr, Jimmy Van Bramer; Assembly Members William Colton, Phillip Goldfeder, Grace Meng, Michael Miller, Francisco Moya, William Scarborough, Eric Stevenson, and David Weprin; and State Sen. Jose Peralta.
