WRATES - Formal Complaint against SJWC, a very long journey

WRATES - Water Rate Advocates for Transparency, Equity and Sustainability 
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WRATES filed  a "Formal Complaint" with CPUC regarding a long history of overcharging SJWC (ratepayers) and failing to prorate the increased service charges. This particular complaint shows how difficult it has become for ratepayers, in particular customers of SJWC (San Jose Water Company) to get a straight answer.

The history, at this link, shows the steps that were went through to resolve the issue, with SJWC and CPUC (Water and Rates Department). Several events really shine a light on the machinations and the ex parte communications that occurred, in an attempt to avoid addressing the Formal Complaint. Additionally CPUC requested a list of the roughly 8,000 customers that filed "informal complaints", but their computers couldn't accept or CPUC staff was unwilling to download the file, so Rita Benton (WRATES) prepared and sent 8 copies on individual DVDs to CPUC.


Latest update from WRATES (Rita Benton)

Thank you to all who responded so quickly to the request for signatures for the formal complaint against SJWC regarding the Service Charge Overcharges. I received over 50 signatures in less than a day. I am so impressed with you all. I refiled the formal complaint on May 30, 2017. I was informed on June 7, 2017 by the docket office that I needed to jump through a few more hoops (the ~8000 petition signature file I submitted is too large and I needed to create a link to the file on the WRATES website and I will need to mail 9 DVD copies of the ~8000 petition signature file). I created the link on the WRATES website and I will purchase and mail the DVDs to the CPUC asap. At 4:44pm today, history was made and my formal complaint finally received a docket number - C.17-06-009. You can view the complaint and supporting documents at the CPUC website at the link below:

http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/SearchRes.aspx?docformat=ALL&docid=189818390

This blogger has to disclose,  I signed the Formal Complaint, along with over 50 other SJWC customers, not for the couple of bucks, but because it clearly points out that SJWC may have a long term history of accounting errors in not prorating charges it makes to it's customers. If it does, should it be a CPUC responsibility to protect ratepayers and conduct an audit of the SJWC financial records, not to stall the complaint and have ex parte conversations with SJWC executives, to avoid it going into the public record? The effort delayed the Formal Complaint, but persistence paid off, thanks to Rita Benton and WRATES.

If you haven't signed the WRATES complaint please do it now, let your opinion clearly heard by CPUC and SJWC.

In addition to signing this petition, it is very important that EACH and EVERY one of us file an informal complaint or comment with the CPUC and/or Consumer Affairs Branch! The more complaints they get, the more we will be heard.

Complaint about SJWC, to Consumer Affairs Branch: 

http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/cab/

Complaint about CPUC and your comment about SJWC:

 http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/publiccomments/

WRATES Complaint Instruction page:

 http://sjwfacts.weebly.com/file-complaint.html

 Sorry US Postal Service, no stamps required. We can send email to our elected officials and the press and TV Investigative services:

http://sjwfacts.weebly.com/contactsemails.html

 Grasshopper, "The journey is the reward". 蚱蜢“旅程是奖励”