Ken G., a Gladeville Utility District customer, often spent time away from his home during the winter months. As a retiree, it wasn’t a problem for him to secure his home and enjoy himself somewhere else.
Unfortunately, after one of Ken’s trips, he came home to an unpleasant surprise – a wet and muddy lawn. It was bad news for Ken, because his soggy lawn hadn’t been caused by a rainstorm, but by a broken water service line connecting his home to the Gladeville Utility District’s water distribution system.
“The water line had broken halfway between the house and the road, and it was on my side, and it was my responsibility,” Ken said.
Ken learned that his water bill for the month would be more than $1,000 – a whopping 40 times the average cost of his monthly bill. However, Gladeville Utility was a participant in the ServLine Leak Protection Program by HomeServe. The program would cover the portion of the bill th
at exceeded Ken’s average monthly usage once the leak had been repaired. That meant that Ken would only pay his usual bill and not be on the hook for nearly $1,000 for his water bill, especially after having to pay for the repair to his water service line.
Additionally, Gladeville Utility would receive the money the utility was owed, instead of having to write it off. As water utilities continue to struggle with maintaining aging systems and the rising costs of treating water, the leak protection program allows utilities to avoid bad debt, improve customer satisfaction and employee morale.
Ken gave his utility a call and because he did not opt-out of the leak protection program, was happy to learn that he wouldn’t have to worry about a big water bill.
“I had super service from Gladeville Water,” he said. “All those folks were super nice, helpful and happy. I have no complaints. You can’t beat them for being courteous, friendly and helpful.”