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On Your Side: Sewer Bill Drains Maryland Home
posted 08/05/08
5:26 pm
ANCHOR:
THIS NEXT 7 ON YOUR SIDE INVESTIGATION WILL GET YOU CHECKING YOUR BILLS CLOSELY, BECAUSE WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN COST YOU A LOT OF MONEY. ROSS MCLAUGHLIN HAS THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF A MARYLAND MAN WHO GOT BILLED MORE THAN A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR NOTHING.
ROSS MCLAUGHLIN:
TALK ABOUT MONEY GOING DOWN THE DRAIN. FOR TEN YEARS RALPH HUNTER OF CLINTON WAS BILLED FOR SEWER CHARGES ONLY TO FIND OUT HE WAS NEVER HOOKED UP AND HE WAS HAVING A BIT OF A STRUGGLE TRYING TO GET HIS MONEY BACK.
STORY:
Ross:"Hey Ross McLaughlin. The septic system's outside isn't it."
Ralph Hunter:"Yes."
JUST AROUND BACK.
Ross: "What's this here?
Ralph Hunter: "They dug up looking for WSSC's pipes."
BUT THERE ARE NO WSSC PIPES UNDER HERE.
Ross:"Why."
Ralph Hunter:"Because none exist."
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT BY LOOKING AT HIS BILLS. OVER TEN YEARS HE PAID MORE THAN 12 HUNDRED DOLLARS IN SEWER CHARGES. WHAT RALPH HUNTER DIDN'T KNOW IS HE HAD A SEPTIC SYSTEM.
Ross:"You didn't know you had septic tank."
Ralph Hunter: "No, because I had a flood and I saw some sewage."
WHEN CREWS STARTED DIGGING FOR THE PROBLEM... THERE IT WAS THE SEPTIC TANK HE DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD.
Ralph Hunter:"I just want to get reimbursed for my ten years that I had been paying for sewage and I'm not hooked up to WSSC."
BUT ALL WASHINGTON SUBURBAN SANITARY COMMISSION WAS OFFERING WAS A 3 YEAR CREDIT OR ABOUT 400 DOLLARS.
CITING GOVERNING LEGISLATION THAT STATES A CUSTOMER MUST FILE A CLAIM FOR A REFUND WITHIN 3 YEARS.
Ralph Hunter:"I just feel like I'm being victimized twice."
THERE'S GOT TO BE A WAY TO DO THE RIGHT THING. WE TALK TO WSSC'S PUBLIC RELATIONS. THEY CHECK WITH THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT AND VOILA. THEY TELL US "A MISTAKE WAS MADE TEN YEARS AGO...AND WSSC WILL ISSUE A FULL REFUND TO MR. HUNTER."
Ross:"Hello."
BACK TO DELIVER THE NEWS.
Ross:"A full refund."
Ralph Hunter:"Great."
Ross:"What do you think of that?"
Ralph Hunter:I love it. So happy. You guys are great.
ROSS IN STUDIO:
RALPH SAYS HE DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD A SEPTIC SYSTEM BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER DISCLOSED WHEN HE BOUGHT THE HOUSE. HE'LL BE TALKING TO HIS REAL ESTATE AGENT ABOUT THAT. AND TONIGHT YOU CAN GET A FULL HALF HOUR OF 7 ON YOUR SIDE WE'LL TAKE YOUR CALLS AND EMAILS ON "INSIDE 7 ON YOUR SIDE" LIVE AT 8:30PM ON OUR SISTER STATION, NEWSCHANNEL 8.
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