Somerset Water Department

In April of this year my check to The Somerset Water Department accidently bounced. I received a call from Patty Carreiro, the department's billing Coordinator. She began yelling at me threating to turn off my water in five days. I explained to her that I was waiting for a check would pay the bill in a week. She kept talking over me. I then hung up the phone.

This month I received a bill for $420.41.. I called the water dept. and spoke to Ms. Carreiro aka "Patty." I questioned a charge of $105.16 which was labeled as Balance Forward. She said very curtly: "That's your sewer charge." I asked: " how can that be if the sewer charge appears above my bill for $85.00?" "Patty's" response was "You always had that on your bill." I informed "Patty" that I never saw this on previous bills. Ms. Carreiro response was: "yes you did." My response was: "I'm looking at previous bills and I don't see it." She insisted saying: "you paid that before."

After some researching I discovered The Town of Somerset attaches a yearly water bill charge which it began just last year. Chairperson, Scott O'Brian gave a very vague statement in the "Southcoast" newspaper. Mr. O'Brian stated: "We have no choice." "It's got to happen because we have a lot of things to do and we have to be prepared." I left several messages with Mr. O'Brian but he never returned my phone calls. In addition to the yearly sewer bill there are vague fees: water min fee of $70.00, sewer base fee $85.00, and an infra fee of $63.05 my total bill was: $420.41. After I only used $97.20 of water! I'd like to see the details of what Mr. O'Brian meant by "a lot of things to do".

My main complaint is with Ms. Carreiro, All she had to say was: "the charge of $105.16 is your yearly sewer bill." Instead she was defiant, hostile, and passive aggressive. Question your bill. Be prepared to encounter "Patty" aka Ms. Carreiro and good luck in getting a polite and clear response.