Three hours lost to a faulty water meter reading in Bothell

I spent my entire Saturday morning fighting with the city about my water bill. They claimed I used 8,000 gallons last month, which is impossible for my 850 square foot house. After driving down to city hall and waiting in line for 45 minutes, they finally admitted the meter was busted. The whole thing took three hours and I still have to wait another week for a corrected bill. Has anyone else had this kind of run-around from the city utilities office?

3 comments

3 Comments

pat_murray1621d ago

Did your friend Mark ever get them to finally fix the meter? My buddy in Shoreline had a similar deal where they claimed he used enough water to fill a swimming pool and it took him two months and three separate visits from city workers to prove the meter was faulty. He finally got it sorted but only after he threatened to take the whole thing to the city council meeting.

gavine412mo ago

Admitted the meter was busted." That rings a bell. My buddy Mark in Everett went through the exact same thing. City swore he was watering a secret jungle.

shah.olivia2mo ago

Oh man, that's rough. But honestly I gotta say it's not just a Bothell thing, the whole region's water billing system is a mess. My neighbor in Kenmore had the exact same issue last summer and they tried to tell him he used 12,000 gallons in a month when his lawn was completely dead and brown. He literally had photos of his dry grass as proof and they still made him jump through hoops for weeks. The city finally sent someone out who found the meter was reading double what was actually flowing through. So you're not alone in this fight, but if you ever get a corrected bill in writing, hold onto it forever because they'll try to "lose" it in their system.