A sign of the times?

[myrdale]

This evening after work, I walked my yard over spraying dandelions and the other weeds that are starting to sprout up. While doing this, I picked up several scraps of paper. My neighbors have never been very tidy and their trash has a habit of blowing over my way.

As I made my way around the house and up towards the street, I noticed a bright red slip of paper on the ground, just on their side of the line next to the water meter. Figuring the wind would blow it over eventually I decided now would be as fine as any time to pick it up. However when I did it was a bit of a surprize.

The red slip was a disconnection notice from the city water department. The total bill owed was $33. I decided it would be best to tuck the slip into the edge of the water meter cover and I continued on my way.

As I continued on, I remembered an incendent about six months ago, when I'd received my water bill. Seeing I had a late charge on it, I immedently went though my records and found where the check had cleared. I then realized the bill had my neighbors' name / address on it. Afterwards I delivered it to their mail box.

So obviously they have had a history of not paying bills on time. It probably helps if the mail rider actually delivers the bill to you aswell. But I am really curious how in the world their water could get cut off for only $33. As a single guy, I run $14 a month. They are a family of three, I'd have to guess that is only a month's worth.

Are utility companies so bad that if your only one month behind they'ed turn the water off on you? I know they run their AC heatin / air unit nearly 24 hours a day. Everytime I step outside it will be going. I can only imagine what their power bill is.

I believe they both work. I see them coming and going as I head out to work in the mornings. Though I do not know if they have been affected by the local economy lately.

Under different circumstances, an awsome thing to do might be to sneak down to the water department and pay my neighbors bill annoymously to get it cut back on. But they are a weird bunch who, quite literally run inside if they see you step outside your house. Not to mention the amount of trash that blows over from their side. They'ed save $30 a month simply by turning the AC off at night I am sure. And ultimately what do you expect will happen if you don't pay your bills on time.

[disneysteve]

It does seem odd that they'd turn off service for a bill that small. Our water bill runs just over $40/month. $33 is nothing. They must be more delinquent than that to be getting shut off.

[SavingCash]

I wish my water bill was that cheap.

The county sewer department where I'm living bankrupted the sewer system and has increased rates dramatically to try and fix it. My sewer bill and water bill are bundled together, but the sewer is usually 4-5 times higher than the water.

Ugh.

[wincrasher]

You really should keep to your own business. If you don't like the trash situation, then go knock on their door and ask them to do better job of picking up their stuff - and hand them their deliquent bill.

FWIW, water companies generally are a pain. They cut off if you are a few days late, don't accept electronic payment, etc.

Probably just a hectic and messy household and that bill just gets lost.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

FWIW, water companies generally are a pain. They cut off if you are a few days late, don't accept electronic payment, etc.

I wouldn't know about the cut off issue because we never pay our bills late, but our water company takes electronic payments. In fact, our water bill is automatically paid from our checking account so I don't do anything (and it can't ever be late).

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I've forgotten how delinquent an account here must be before water gets turned off here. But it seems very rare to me that it happens. (Gas and electric service seem far more often turned off.) In the case of your neighbors, it could be that they paid most or all of the arrears and were allowed to continue service, but that they did not totally get caught up, or even had a fee added to the late payment. That could make the account read late for a total of 3, 4, 5, 6 months even if the total still owed was less than what a normal monthly bill is.

[SnoopyCool]

Maybe they've been delinquent on numerous occassions and so their account is flagged.

[GREENBACK]

Glad I have a well and never have to deal with this stuff. I would talk to them out of curiosity but I'm curious by nature. They very well could be so busy that they don't know what's happening(unlikely) or maybe they need a knock on the door to wake them up. Your call; they're your neighbors.

I think most of us have had these wierd neighbors at one time or another.

[FrugalFish]

I once new a guy (worked with DH), who lived with his mother. They both worked pretty decent jobs. They were forever having their utilities shut off. It was a way of life to them and they treated it like no big deal. If they failed to plan to pay a water bill, well then the water was shut off and they'd get it turned back on when they got paid. It was very foreign to me, but didn't seem to phase them a bit.

I wouldn't intervene, certainly if you don't know them.

[creditcardfree]

Maybe it is time for an act of kindness, pay their water bill anonymously for them this month. Just think what it might do to their spirits.

[MonkeyMama]

Honestly, my mom just got one of those (& she had paid the bill). Said she had never paid a bill late in her life and they left her a giant red notice over around $30. When she called they said, "Oh yeah - we received your payment the same day we left the notice. Nevermind." Seems kind of crazy to threaten to turn off the water for a long time on-time paying customer if a bill arrives like a day or two late, due to the mail. Seems they could have waited a couple of days, to cut down collection costs.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. & I wouldn't pay their water bill!

Utility companies (mine) generally do not charge late fees or get aggressive on collections if you pay a couple of weeks or a month late, even regularly. Historically anyway. These days they need to get more aggressive. & they are. (I know this personally from my maternity leave days. We were juggling bills and I knew which ones to pay on time and which ones could wait. I never got any notices though. Because we always paid our bill, always in a reasonable time frame). These days I think I would put the water bill up there with the mortgage - FIRST to be paid!

[neatdesign]

Frankly I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here saying that paying a bill late, particularly if it's a small bill like the one in question, should be treated as if it's no big deal.

Sure, $33 isn't a big deal when you're only talking about one customer. But if the water company has 10,000 customers, and just 10% of those customers owed $33 and were late paying that month, that's $33,000 in unreceived payments. That money is used to pay the water company's employees and to maintain its vehicles, facilities, etc.

While I agree that it might seem a bit heartless to cut off someone's water for a mere $33, at the same time I can understand why they would have such a policy and enforce it.

Like the others, I think the OP needs to might his own beeswax. Unless it affects him directly in some way, he should just give them the bill and be done with it.

~ Jenney

[PrincessPerky]

While I wouldn't fault you for ignoring it, maybe paying for them would be a way to open the door to them, instead of running away when they see you they might try a smile first.

I don't think being nice is ever bad, though it often seems like a waste of time.

[myrdale]

Originally Posted by wincrasher

You really should keep to your own business. If you don't like the trash situation, then go knock on their door and ask them to do better job of picking up their stuff - and hand them their deliquent bill.

I am definatly not going to bring the notice to their attention. With out any doubt they are aware of the situation.

As for the trash, for now, it's just a random piece everynow and then, nothing worth bringing to their attention yet, IMHO but just an annoyances.

Personnally I look at paying a bill late the same as I would walking out of the store with food under my cart that didnt get paid for. Possibly an innocient mistake, but somethink I would be terribly embarsed about when I reallized the mistake and had to go back in to pay.

The slip was still in their yard as I was mowing grass yesterday afternoon. It may be they did pay the bill and the water is back in service. I can say that just from hurricans alone, 3 days with out water for a family starts getting miserable when you have to start carrrying a bucket outside to dispose of... stuff.