DWP Urged to Stop Sending Shutoff Notices

By City News Service

With thousands of customers still receiving inaccurate utility bills following the rollout of a new billing system, the Department of Water and Power should stop sending out water and power shutoff notices, Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander said Friday.

Since a $59 million overhaul of its billing system in September, DWP has experienced software glitches and has had to estimate some customers' bill amounts.

Customers who have called customer service to dispute what they see as inaccurate fees for their water and electricity use have also experienced unusually long wait times, sometimes up to 50 minutes.

A council motion submitted by Englander would ask DWP to stop issuing disconnection notices while utility officials work to smooth out billing system problems. The motion will be considered at an upcoming City Council meeting.

"The fear of disconnection from vital utilities, particularly during the holiday season, is unfair to those who are essentially unable to resolve these problems due to inadequacies within the DWP's new billing and customer service system," Englander said.

The councilman noted he is still getting "an unprecedented level" of complaints from "ratepayers who are unable to resolve billing conflicts or inaccuracies."

On Wednesday, DWP officials told council members at the Energy and Environment Committee they are working to resolve the problems in their billing system.