“It’s not even the right meter”: Craighall resident battles 16-month billing nightmare
Despite documented evidence and repeated complaints, the city billed him for water he never used.
For over a year, Craighall Park resident Michael Blanchard has been locked in a frustrating struggle with Johannesburg Water after being billed for water consumption linked to meters that are no longer, or never were, present on his property.
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Blanchard, who lives on Douglas Avenue, reported that his original water meter was removed and replaced on February 15 last year. The new device (meter no. 23111871) was installed with a zero reading. Despite this, the city continued to bill him for the old, decommissioned meter
(00318266) for an additional eight months. In November last year, the billing mysteriously shifted to an entirely unrelated meter (24038037), which Blanchard insists does not exist on his property.
What followed was a 16-month-long administrative nightmare involving repeated correspondence, monthly meter readings, photo evidence and several logged complaints – all of which, he claimed, were ignored. “Had they just acted on the original job card I sent through the same day the new meter was installed, this entire mess could have been avoided,” said Blanchard.
A technician from Johannesburg Water finally conducted a site visit on May 27 this year. He confirmed that the incorrect meter was listed and said it would be a straightforward fix. But Blanchard’s June statement still reflected the same error and overestimated usage. He claimed his average daily consumption was 0.81kL, yet he is being billed for more than double that amount.
To complicate matters, one statement claimed that 202kL had passed through the original meter after its removal, a volume equivalent to nearly two years of average usage in just nine months.
Johannesburg Water has since acknowledged the error. According to spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala, the incorrect meter was linked to the account due to a data entry mistake, compounded by delays in updating the billing system after the meter replacement. “Upon investigation, the correct meter has now been linked, and incorrect charges will be reversed,” she confirmed.
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The utility said a corrected invoice would be issued, and any overbilling would be credited. It also pledged to strengthen internal protocols to avoid future errors.
Blanchard welcomed the correction but believed it should not have taken 16 months. “All of this could have been avoided if they’d acted on the original job card I submitted the very same day. I just want to pay what’s fair, no more, no less.”
While Johannesburg Water insists this was an isolated incident, the utility acknowledged receiving other complaints of a similar nature and said each case was treated individually.
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