BlsdMama Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 What do you consider slightly? I ask because I called around the area for quotes for having our septic pumped. The general quote was $300. I actually went with the highest quote because the company advertises the most, so it was the most familiar to me. The quote was: $300 + $10 transport charge ALTHOUGH, she said, it could vary slightly based on weight. I got the bill last week. It was $480. To me, this is not *slightly.* Let's face it, it's a 1250 gallon tank (which is what the quote was for) how much could it possibly have varied? Actual removal was approximately 1450 gallons, btw. I'm not a confrontational person by nature so I've *never* said to someone, "Whoa! That's a far bit from your quote." But do you then just pay without questioning it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I would call. That is 60% higher. Anything over 25% goes over the "slightly" to me. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 How did they get 1450 gallons out of a 1250 gallon tank? I'd throw a fit, slightly in my estimation would top out at $350. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Dispute it. That's ridiculous. I would start by questioning whether I'd received the correct invoice and move on from there.... Anne 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Yeah that's not my definition of slightly either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Slightly would be 10 to 15% but I would've clarified beforehand if the contract didn't specify upper limit of overage. It should be somewhere on the paperwork? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Slightly would be within 10-20% of the original cost for an inexpensive item, less so far an expensive one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 How did they get 1450 gallons out of a 1250 gallon tank? I'd throw a fit, slightly in my estimation would top out at $350. I don't know.... I was wondering if maybe there is an interim area or something? It is a fairly big company around here. And to add to that, after the pump, he strongly recommended we pump it every 12 months. I actually don't doubt his honesty (because before emptying it he thought we were doing it too soon at 18 months) but I really don't want to spend $500 / year to empty my septic. I may as well live in town and pay sewer bills. :P (Because beyond the annual cost, you eventually have replacement costs.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I don't know.... I was wondering if maybe there is an interim area or something? It is a fairly big company around here. And to add to that, after the pump, he strongly recommended we pump it every 12 months. I actually don't doubt his honesty (because before emptying it he thought we were doing it too soon at 18 months) but I really don't want to spend $500 / year to empty my septic. I may as well live in town and pay sewer bills. :p (Because beyond the annual cost, you eventually have replacement costs.) huh, I've never heard of sewer bills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 ok, apparently here that is part of the city taxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Sounds like more than "slightly" to me, too, but I'll bet it's common because it happened to us, as well. I was annoyed, too, but I paid the bill. I probably should have complained, though. Did you get a written estimate before they did the work? We didn't, but if you did, I would definitely call and complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cera2 Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 That is not slightly to me and it doesn't make any sense. 1250 gallons for $300 is .24 per gallon. 1450 gallons at .24 per gallon is $343. Add in the $10 transport fee and your bill should be no more than $353. I would lay out the math for them and expect them to either have a very good explanation to justify the difference or expect the bill to be adjusted. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I don't know.... I was wondering if maybe there is an interim area or something? It is a fairly big company around here. And to add to that, after the pump, he strongly recommended we pump it every 12 months. I actually don't doubt his honesty (because before emptying it he thought we were doing it too soon at 18 months) but I really don't want to spend $500 / year to empty my septic. I may as well live in town and pay sewer bills. :P (Because beyond the annual cost, you eventually have replacement costs.) I spend about $50/month for city sewer so $500/year sounds right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 My sewer bill is a few $ more than the water bill, so it averages about $25 per month (water is around $20). $500 per year is way too much IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 My sewer bill comes yearly and is never over 300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I wish our sewer bill was less than $500 per year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 The sewer bill variations might be based on how old the sewers are. Where I live, both they and the treatment plant are only twenty years old or so. That probably explains why my sewer bill is higher than some other towns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 The sewer bill variations might be based on how old the sewers are. Where I live, both they and the treatment plant are only twenty years old or so. That probably explains why my sewer bill is higher than some other towns. I always assumed that our town was just greedier than other towns. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 It could be that your tank is larger than you thought (would explain why they got so much more out of it than capacity. So that could explain the over charge. It could be that the septic guy made a mistake (wrote down the wrong amount pumped out. It could be that the septic guy made another sort of error. It could be that the office personnel made a mistake. I would call and ask for an itemized bill, or ask them to explain why it went so high over the estimate. Wait until you're not angry, just perplexed. I'd probably say something like, "Hi. I just received the bill for my septic pumping last week. It is 60% over the estimate, and I'm wondering if you could explain it to me." Then, listen to what they have to say. If they say it because they pumped out 1450 gallons, instead of the original estimate of 1250 gallons, and you're sure that the tank is only 1250 gal, point it out, and ask how they got 1450 gal. out of a 1250 gal. tank. If you're not sure of the size of the tank, see if you can get confirmation on the size before you call. If there was another reason (access was difficult, trip fee wasn't included in original quote, greater than average amount of solid waste, etc) they'll be able to explain it to you. Express your dissatisfaction in not having the septic guy explain it at the time of service. Make it clear that you will be calling another company in the future for your septic needs. They may cut you some slack and promise to be more transparent in the future. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 That is a misquote, not a slight adjustment. I would definitely ask for clarification. I would probably go into it assuming there was an error on their part. On the city sewer fees: The age of the system/number of current sewer projects the city is paying for or undertaking will affect the cost. This is probably the biggest factor. But it also varies based on the number of homes served. We moved from a small to large town. Our sewer and water costs are far less here because the larger town spreads the cost out over a lot more people. We pay $50 less per month here for water and sewer combined. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyhwkmama Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Was the charge by weight or by volume? that makes a huge difference here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share Posted October 27, 2015 I spend about $50/month for city sewer so $500/year sounds right. It would be even.... Except when my septic needs to be replaced in twenty years I have to pay $12k. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 You could install composting toilets, recycle grey water, and save money in the long run, if zoning permits. But it would take some up front investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksr5377 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Our water bill (which includes sewer) is about $225 every 3 months. The sewer part cost is always more than the water part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 What do you consider slightly? I ask because I called around the area for quotes for having our septic pumped. The general quote was $300. I actually went with the highest quote because the company advertises the most, so it was the most familiar to me. The quote was: $300 + $10 transport charge ALTHOUGH, she said, it could vary slightly based on weight. I got the bill last week. It was $480. To me, this is not *slightly.* Let's face it, it's a 1250 gallon tank (which is what the quote was for) how much could it possibly have varied? Actual removal was approximately 1450 gallons, btw. I'm not a confrontational person by nature so I've *never* said to someone, "Whoa! That's a far bit from your quote." But do you then just pay without questioning it? Whoa....I paid $160 for the most recent visit. It's a bit smaller tank, but goodness. Heck no, you address it. You state, "I was told, and I quote, (insert exactly what you were told). Now, I have received a bill for $480.00, which is outrageous. I trust that we can resolve this issue and I can have the price I was quoted." Silence. You wait for an answer. If doing it by email, same thing. Wait for an answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 That's not "slightly" at all. I would call them or if you don't want to have someone else call them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 You could install composting toilets, recycle grey water, and save money in the long run, if zoning permits. But it would take some up front investment. Just the thought of composting toilets makes me want to gag. :ack2: I would pay almost any amount of money to avoid having to use one of those. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Just the thought of composting toilets makes me want to gag. :ack2: I would pay almost any amount of money to avoid having to use one of those. :iagree: Although I might consider something like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 :iagree: Although I might consider something like this. Not me! You are a far braver woman than I am! :D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Yeah but I've always wanted to live off the grid in the middle of nowhere, the lack of flush toilets and internet are the sticking points. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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