SAN DIEGO — More San Diego water customers are coming forward, saying they, too, are receiving months' worth of delayed bills all at once.
On Thursday, CBS 8 first reported on Ben Jarboe, who lives in San Diego’s Skyline neighborhood. He recently received ten months' worth of water bills all in one week after having not been mailed anything since April of last year.
“It's added up to $1,208 dollars,” said Jarboe.
After the story aired, several viewers wrote in with similar experiences, including Joni Low of Scripps Ranch.
“I thought, oh no, there are others. I couldn’t believe it,” said Low.
Low told CBS 8 back in April of 2022, she got about six months of bills after having not been billed since the summer.
“I pay all my bills when they come in, and I didn't notice I wasn’t getting my water bill. It added up to almost 2900 dollars,” said Low.
When CBS 8 asked the City Thursday about Jarboe's case, a spokesperson said:
“City of San Diego water bills are based on water usage, measured by a water meter. The vast majority of our water meters are manually read every two months.
The water meter read for (the address in question) for the billing period ending June 6, 2022, was not in line with historical usage, so the system held the bill. The same occurred in subsequent periods. When staff researched the account, it was clear that the water meter was misread. The team then corrected the misreads and released all of the bills. The meter is also on the meter replacement list, as it is challenging to read.
There were two other misreads on that street in the past year, resulting in delayed billing. We apologize for the errors and remain committed to improving our service. Additionally, please note customers can pay off their accounts over time with no penalty or interest charged.”
CBS8 followed up by asking if other parts of the City were impacted.
The same spokesperson said:
"Situations similar to this case can happen from time to time, and City staff works to resolve the issues as quickly as possible."
In light of all the responses our initial story got, CBS8 reached out to the City again Friday to ask if there's a bigger issue within the department.
A spokesperson responded, saying:
“It is essential that water/wastewater bills are accurate. That is why when a discrepancy appears, the bills are held from release to customers until the issue can be investigated and correction can be made. Due to staffing challenges, the Public Utilities Department cannot investigate each account immediately. Multiple bills may be released when another billing period passes before an investigation and resolution are complete.
While receiving more than one bill at once may seem overwhelming, customers can pay off their accounts over time with no penalty or interest charged. At this time, customers are notified via a letter with details about the issue when the bills are released. We are committed to improving communication with our customers.
We are actively taking measures to address the staffing challenges. In addition to hiring and training staff, we’re working with the City's Performance and Analytics Department to improve and streamline the customer experience and relieve the strain on the customer support team.”
Back in Scripps Ranch, Dori Low is on an 18-month payment plan to clear her debt. While not ideal, she did knock off 700 dollars after complaining to Public Utilities and asking her council member to get involved.
She advises others in the same boat to do the same.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego man received 10 months' worth of water bills in same week