When the water bill for $8,000 arrived, a New Jersey man quickly found out why his showers had been so weak over the past few months. It turns out that the pipes had burst in his yard, sending nearly a million gallons of water into the soil. He doesn’t think he should have to pay because when he called the water company to complain, they told him his pipes were probably just frozen and so he should just wait for warmer weather. “Like an idiot, I listened to them,” he told The Star Ledger.

Josh Macklin says that the East Orange Water Commission failed in its duty to him and other consumers by not sending out a tech to do a remote reading of his water meter.

The commission says his claims are all washed up. “Our responsibility stops at the curb stop,” executive director Harry L. Mansmann told The Star Ledger. “His system broke and he didn’t fix it. It’s his liability.”

The commission said that if they annulled Macklin’s bill, other consumers would have to pick up the difference. They blamed him for not calling a plumber when the water pressure dropped.

“Your house plumbing is all connected,” Mansman said. “You’re going to know. You can hear the sound of the water flow.”

TAKEAWAY: If the advice a company gives you is to ignore a problem and that it will resolve itself in time, get a second opinion.

South Orange resident hit with $8K water bill after pipes burst [The Star-Ledger] (Thanks to David!)

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