Newport News Waterworks - Customer Service

"Probably to worst run criminal organization I've ever dealt with. I understand that having a monopoly on services reduces the need for good customer service, but I draw the line when bad service turn into illegal business practices. I lived in a rental home for over two years without seeing a water bill (thinking I was on well water) only to have a $2K water bill dropped on me all at once. When I argued the validity of the charges, I was told "we've got records to show your usage". Which I found strange.....if they knew about my account and knew how much water I was using, why didn't I ever get a bill? Why weren't my services shut off when my bill wasn't paid? How many other customers have been treated this way? Is this an isolated case of discrimination against me? Or is this more like a blanket policy specifically applied to minorities or certain demographics at the discretion of NNWW Leadership? So for two years, NNWW was ok just letting my bill rise over $2K, but the SECOND I was notified of this debt my water usage has been under a microscope and my services were shut off three times last year. After struggling to pay this ridiculous bill I was finally caught up and thought I could rest with the confidence that I wouldn't come home to any service disconnections anymore. Today I've received a notification in the mail from NNWW letting me know that their records show continuous usage (a leak) somewhere in my house, and it is recommended that I call a plumber to investigate. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!? This leak wasn't reported AT ALL when we were arguing over how much money I owed. This leak wasn't discussed as they stood by their "records" as justification for why I needed to pay past bills that I wasn't notified of. To Recap: NNWW is an incompetent organization that clearly has NO regard for the residents it services. They are the ONLY option you have here in Newport News, so you are pretty screwed. Good luck!"

"I spoke with Kia and she was extremely rude. Several people reported a broken water line on our street (I did not know this at the time). I called 45 times before getting to the representative who said this problem has been reported several times, she doesn’t have a technician eta, and it’s not her job to do anything other than relay the information. I apologized for not realizing someone got through….she said ok and hung up mid sentence."

"Newport News Waterworks Backflow Preventer Team has sent me 3+ notices threatening to shutoff my water, because of their incompetence. My inspector sent the report to them multiple times over 2 months ago, but they keep sending shutoff warning notices. To make it worse, nobody will respond to the phone, email, or anything so it's been impossible to rectify the issue."