Read Your Utility Bills!

[Y]

Ockey changed the software when he took over to supposedly make things easier.  Going to the utility office is now a joke.  Even the people who work there don't like it.

What do you mean by "Ockey changed the software"?  My understanding is the meters and the software are proprietary, which would mean if the software was changed the company changed it, not 'Ockey'.

Now I've never been much of a fan of the utility office, but the problem here isn't theirs - or Ockomon's - fault, it's the fault of Kevin Smith for buying a 'pig-in-a-poke' with taxpayer monies.

[me]

What do you mean by "Ockey changed the software"?  My understanding is the meters and the software are proprietary, which would mean if the software was changed the company changed it, not 'Ockey'.

Now I've never been much of a fan of the utility office, but the problem here isn't theirs - or Ockomon's - fault, it's the fault of Kevin Smith for buying a 'pig-in-a-poke' with taxpayer monies.

Seems strange though that the problem just started last year with the "estimated" bills.  Ockey made a lot of changes up there after he took office and not all for the good. 

[Y]

Seems strange though that the problem just started last year with the "estimated" bills.  Ockey made a lot of changes up there after he took office and not all for the good.

No, the problems were there from day one with Smith's administration but were DISCOVERED during Ockomon's administration.

AFAIK, the supposed changes are in trying to make the 'pig-in-a-poke' system work.

[Sandy Eggo]

Ockey changed the software when he took over to supposedly make things easier.  Going to the utility office is now a joke.  Even the people who work there don't like it.

I don't live there so I can't say, but the fact that the employees say they don't like it, doesn't usually mean anything. They say that to relate with the customer so that you'll stop yelling at them. Customer service 101.

[Palehorse]

No, the problems were there from day one with Smith's administration but were DISCOVERED during Ockomon's administration.

AFAIK, the supposed changes are in trying to make the 'pig-in-a-poke' system work.

The meters were being installed in 2007. I know that for a fact because when we built the house they mandated their installation on new homes. We have the new water meter on the old house, but still have the old electric meter, so they've still not completed the installations.

I believe the problems became apparent when more and more homes began utilizing them after installation. I know the water meters were installed in Meadowbrook starting in July of 2007, and in late 2007 I began hearing about the problems. I didn't experience it myself until 2009 , after having the meters working correctly for 2 years.

One of the problems has been that the "receivers" for these meters were not located in some of the areas where they needed to be so that they could receive the signals from the homes with the meters. Only after I raised a stink in August 2009, as did a number of my neighbors, did the city finally locate a receiver right across the road from the subdivision. Thus far that seems to have cured the problem in this area.

Now, surrounding the meters themselves, it is my understanding that the city is saying that the meters have batteries in them that are going dead. I am not so sure I believe that but that is the excuse they are using.

The fact that the issues with the system did not begin to become apparent, and as wide spread, until after the transition of administrations had taken place, and IMHO no one followed through in properly debugging the system and/or beating the company the system was purchased from about the ears to make good upon their promised performance milestones.

Any "software" issues I have heard about appeared to be more related to "change" than it was the functionality of the software itself. If Ocky changed the billing software, and it does not interface properly with the meter reading operating system, then that is solely on him, as well as the failure to properly follow through on assuring the system that WE paid for is performing as promised.

[Palehorse]

Now that is not to say the Smith doesn't hold any blame in the whole FUBAR situation. It does appear that someone didn't do their homework in order to assure the system was robust enough to handle the number of homes and businesses it is now serving. And, I would have expected that a training initiative would have gone along with any software required to support this system, as well as a validation of its functionality and ability to properly interface with any existing or new billing software program . . . Clearly, those things either did not take place, or someone failed to make them happen. . .

[me]

I don't live there so I can't say, but the fact that the employees say they don't like it, doesn't usually mean anything. They say that to relate with the customer so that you'll stop yelling at them. Customer service 101.

I was in the office and seen the software work.  It was a baby system that was not user friendly in the least.  The graphics even had the old 3.1 look to them. 

[Palehorse]

Atlanta (CNN) -- Imagine paying as much for water as you do for your mortgage.
Residents throughout Atlanta are outraged by hundreds, even thousands of dollars in monthly spikes in their water bills, and have questioned the legitimacy of the charges for years. Now, they're demanding answers.
"I thought we were sinking in a hole of water," said Debbi Scarborough. "It scared me to death. I thought we had a major leak when I got the bill."
Over two months last summer, her family's monthly water bill, shot up to $1,805 In July and then $1,084 in August, leaving a balance due of more than $3,000. She said in the past her bill has averaged $200 to $250.
"I'm not paying a $3,000 bill. And for those three months, we were pretty much out of town most of the time and there's no leaks," she said, showing CNN a copy of her plumber's report. . .

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/01/water.bills.war/index.html?hpt=T2

[me]

Atlanta (CNN) -- Imagine paying as much for water as you do for your mortgage.
Residents throughout Atlanta are outraged by hundreds, even thousands of dollars in monthly spikes in their water bills, and have questioned the legitimacy of the charges for years. Now, they're demanding answers.
"I thought we were sinking in a hole of water," said Debbi Scarborough. "It scared me to death. I thought we had a major leak when I got the bill."
Over two months last summer, her family's monthly water bill, shot up to $1,805 In July and then $1,084 in August, leaving a balance due of more than $3,000. She said in the past her bill has averaged $200 to $250.
"I'm not paying a $3,000 bill. And for those three months, we were pretty much out of town most of the time and there's no leaks," she said, showing CNN a copy of her plumber's report. . .

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/01/water.bills.war/index.html?hpt=T2