He Was Away From Home for Three Weeks, Then His Water Bill Mysteriously Spiked: ‘I’m About to Freaking Crash Out’
The water company had an interesting excuse.
Utility bills are a never-ending part of life, a boring but necessary monthly obligation that most adults must meet. But Noah Osborne (@notnoahosbrne) took his water bill issue online, claiming that he was overcharged by his service provider.
“Y’all, I’m about to freaking crash out,” the internet personality said on TikTok. Osborne said that his water bill was higher than usual, prompting him to investigate. He compared his billing statement to his previous statements from the past months, and found it unusually high.
“Mind you, I was out of town for about three and a half weeks of the entire month, so there’s no reason this water bill should’ve been higher than usual,” Osborne argued. He said he called the unnamed water company to ask about the sudden spike in his bill, and the explanation surprised him.
The person on the other end of the line allegedly told him that they sent a person over to read his water meter. But apparently, the person couldn’t read the water meter, so the unnamed company based the charge on the water usage from the same time last year.
“That doesn’t make any sense to me, because I wasn’t living here last year. I started service with you guys in January, so you’re pulling the average of how much water was used in July last year from someone else that lived in this property?” Osborne reasoned. Nobody wants other people’s bills charged under their names. One woman even said she was willing to send her mother to jail after she tried charging her daughter bills she didn’t agree to pay.
A suspicious utility bill
“Also, why didn’t you notify me that you couldn’t read my water meter?” Osborne wondered. To add, he also claimed he and his friend could read the meter manually. But the company allegedly pushed back, saying that they’ve read the water meter electronically through a car. Because the electronic reading didn’t work, the company’s speculative charges stood. Osborne wasn’t convinced, insisting that the water meter could be read manually.
“You guys charged us for way more gallons than we actually used in the previous month,” Osborne claimed. He added that the charge was $60 more than usual. The company allegedly told him that they could send someone to do a manual reading. However, Osborne said that he needed to pay $25 just for someone to check on the water meter again.
In a later video, Osborne added that if he agreed to the $25 inspection and the findings show a different reading, then his bill will be adjusted. However, Osborne also stated that since the bill has been pulled from the account, the company could only adjust the amount and refund him in the coming month.
The story spread on social media, with many commenters advising Osborne on his next steps. One commenter wrote, “This is fraudulent billing, report it to the state AG.” But according to a report by NBC Washington, Osborne could ask the company for its billing dispute process. He doesn’t immediately have to fight the high water bill charge through court.
It is unclear if Osborne was able to resolve his billing problem at the moment. People often have a budget they live by every month, and some can’t even afford to eat, let alone deal with unexpected expenses.
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