Isn't It Ironic? (Updates on a Crazy Week)
To say that it's been an "interesting" week is...well putting it mildly, it’s the kind of week as Alanis Morrissette would say: "Well, life has a funny way of sneakin' up on you. When you think everything's okay and everything's goin' right. And life has a funny way of helpin' you out. When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face."
Let's start with the BIG
one: the
plumbing issue in NJ . I went to work on Tuesday morning (and so
did my son, which is another update) leaving the door to the basement
unlocked. The subcontractors (with the camera) and the plumbers were
supposed to arrive between 12-2. They showed up at the front door (not
the back) a little before 2. Thanks to technology (Ring), I was able to
tell them to go around back and that Mike (who was not there yet) would explain
everything. Meanwhile, my husband (who was in PA) used Echo Dot
technology to listen in and advise once they were in the basement. (As
Roz would say, "Always watching; always watching.") My husband
could hear their progress and amazingly (it's a miracle), they managed to
mostly clear the sewer pipe. (It's not 100% at some points, but it is
okay.) The roots that have gotten in have not cracked or harmed the
pipe. For now, we are good. However, they have recommended that we
annually have a clean and check and that at some point in the future, we will
have to replace the sewer pipe. But not now.
Here comes the irony (sort
of). My son and I both got home and were ready to celebrate our plumbing
win. So before I headed back to PA, we ordered pizza. While we were
enjoying our pizza, my husband called in a panic. There was a leak in the
kitchen sink in PA! Actually what had happened was the hose to the
sprayer developed a huge hole. So every time you turned on the water, it
sprayed everywhere under the sink. One bullet dodged in NJ, with another
issue coming up in PA!
The plumbing/HVAC company we
use in PA has an owner who answers the phone at pretty much any hour.
My husband spoke to him about the problem, as well as a slow draining
sink in the main bathroom, and he said he'd have a tech out the next
morning. My husband also mentioned our issue in NJ and he had another
possible solution. Furthermore, for us he was willing to go to NJ for the
job. (We are good customers!) However, he needs to see the
pictures/video from the job. We haven't gotten them. We haven't gotten
a bill yet either. (Although they double billed me for the initial snake
out. I know that's because there was a problem getting the charge
through. Once I see the bill for the 2nd visit, I will either request a
partial refund, if the 2nd visit is less costly, OR I will just pay the
difference. I'm remaining calm over this...a rarity!)
The tech did arrive on Thursday
morning. Getting a new hose unit is going to take a bit; its 10+ years
old, but a unit is available. (And it beats replacing all the hardware in
the sink.) So in the meantime the water to the kitchen sink is off and
we're not sure if we can use the dishwasher. The bathroom sink has been
cleaned out, but I won't get charged for it until the kitchen sink issue is
resolved.
Other semi-ironic (or not)
updates: Let's take the
water issue. My email to the company president remains
unanswered. My voicemail to my corporate contact has not been
answered. However, when I tagged the company on social media (LinkedIn of
all places) I got a message. And here is the exchange:
"I'm sorry you have had a
negative experience. I can help understand the current charges. It was for the
rebill issued on May 1st, 2026. The current charges were 380.26, but the
account balance was $1.74 because of all the payments you'd already made. The
previous bills were canceled, leaving a credit of ($378.52) prior to this bill
being issued. The charges of $380.26 represent the customer charge for 518
days. -$378.52 $380.26 = account balance $1.74. Does that help answer your
question? -$378.52 + $380.26 = $1.74"
Me: "No, this
doesn't explain. Where is the $380.26 coming from? Every month I
have paid exactly what the Aqua bill and website says. So how are
you coming up with this amount?"
"All of the payments from
December 2024 to April 2026 were canceled, then rebilled. It is part of the
process for the type of service order completed when your meter was exchanged.
So the $380.26 is all of the customer charges from December 2024 to April 2026.
You had already paid those charges throughout the years, so there was a credit
for all your payments, and then it was rebilled in a total of $380.26. It
included a few more days than what you had paid for, which is why there was a
balance of $1.74."
(Okay, that kind of makes sense
dollar wise, but WHY would you cancel and rebill? Seems like a lot of
trouble for no real reason, but...)
Me: "Okay, that sort
of makes sense. One more question, I am on paperless billing. And I
did receive the bill in my email box for $1.74 (which was paid). WHY did a
paper copy for this amount get sent to my alternate address in NJ?"
"That is also because of
the process when there is a meter exchange. It is possible that it will happen
again with the bill issued on May 21st as well, but no more after that. I'm
sorry for the inconvenience. Starting in June, your bills will be paperless
only again."
So I am getting PHYSICAL bills
(one for $1.47 and then the one for May, which I have already paid) because of
the meter exchange. Does anything about this process make sense?
Isn't it ironic (or something like that), that by correcting one issue a whole
bunch of others are created?
Lastly, I've written numerous times about how the road we live on in PA does not go through; it's a private drive. People ignore the signs. They ignore the unplowed road in winter. But will they ignore this?
As for now, May is almost over and I'm hoping for a less ironic (and crazy) June. Let's see...
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