Complaint – Terms & Conditions – Water Meter Costs
Complaint Application
In the complaint application, Mr. Baux submitted that Decision 2011-061 did not stipulate that pre-existing non-metered sites must be metered, and that the changes to the T&Cs approved in Decision 2011-061 related to new services and not existing services.
The AUC did not agree with this interpretation.
The AUC found that Decision 2011-061 did not contain any directions as to who should have been included or exempted from the flat rate service. Rather, the primary purpose of the proposed amendments to the T&Cs approved in Decision 2011-061 was the elimination of the flat rate service altogether.
The AUC found that this in turn, meant that all current and future customers were required to have a meter.
Based on these findings, the AUC concluded that Mr. Baux is required to have a meter.
Timing and Cost Responsibility
The AUC noted Mr. Baux’s statements that he negotiated with HCWS and received an offer to “half the cost of a meter install to $400.”
The AUC considered that Mr. Baux and HCWS should share equally in the total cost of the water meter installation up to $800. The AUC ruled that any amounts over $800 will be the responsibility of Mr. Baux.
The AUC also directed that Mr. Baux should have a meter installed within 30 days of the date of this decision.
