An Unresponsive DWP Soaks This Customer

In “4 Local Agencies Claim DWP Overcharges of $200 Million” (April 2), the DWP’s Chief Operating Officer Frank Salas claims that “all our rates are fair and equitable . . . we are not overcharging anybody.” Amazing. My home in the Hollywood Hills was destroyed on June 24, 2001, by a 99-year-old, broken DWP water main. It sent thousands of gallons of water and sewage pouring through my home, rendering it unlivable within an hour. I moved out that day and have not yet been able to return due to the extent of the damage. The power was shut off the day of the flood. Yet the DWP continues to send me regular bills, and they are within $10 of what I was paying for service when I was living there.

When I called to inquire about this suspicious situation, I was told that a field representative would conduct an investigation. Ten days later, I received a form letter explaining that my bill was correct and that water and electrical usage vary during different seasons of the year. The audacity of the DWP to bill me regularly for service is adding insult to injury. “Fair and equitable”?

Shame on the Department of Water and Power.

Michele Greene

Los Angeles