Metcom

merc669

New Member
Own a townhouse in the Park that was trashed by the tenant that was evicted. So for now we need to get it repaired if insurance will pay for it. Meanwhile we wish to turn-off the water, while we argue with USAA over their interpretation of if they will pay. METCOM says Oh!, you need to come in person to pay a 50 dollar reconnect fee for when the water is reconnected. In addition, METCOM will bill you for 87 dollars a month for water whether you have water or not. What kind of SOMD piece of trash ripoff company is this? I have been ripped every which way by the state of MD over renters rights (Stacked Against the Home-Owner) and this 2-Bit Fly-By Night MetCom Company. All I can say I am looking forward to the day I can kiss this state good-bye and they can shove it up dark-side......:burning:
 

merc669

New Member
I never wanted to rent this in the first place. Long-Story short, M-in-L moves in with dementia and bad hip. She cannot climb stairs well. So we end up moving to a single story home. Same time the Real Estate Bubble goes upside-down. Now Townhouse is worth 50% less and we are upside down. Needless to say we have to rent. And the land values have not gone up as much as the news lets on. So after renter #one a Section 8 (She wiped the savings), and two other so-so ones and then this last real loser who knows the MD system and works it for themselves and we are screwed. They owed rent thru Apr of this year. I got rent to Feb of this year. METCOM threatens both them and me with shutting off the water and a lien. I say fine shut the water off. Do they? No. Bunch of worthless crooks themselves. How insane is it to shutoff the water and still owe a waterbill? I can see the 50 for the turn-on. But during the rest of the lime? Why would I be stupid enough to pay for something I am not getting. Give me a break. As far as renting it again, I am ready to put it up for short-sale which has its own set of issues..... What a bad soap opera and a real bad nightmare in SOMD and this screwed up state...
 

NorthBeachPerso

Honorary SMIB
The $87 may be a benefit charge to pay for the system infrastructure, the bondholders will require that to be paid whether the water is running or not.
 

merc669

New Member
Thats a nice way to veil a charge for a product not received. I suppose when I move out of this state that charge will follow me....:sarcasm:
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
If you need to have it fixed up/repaired/renovated before you rent it out again, won't you possibly need water while that is going on? For getting water to clean, or mix some kind of compound (drywall repair, etc) or to utilize the facilities while working?

Just a thought.
 

Roman

Active Member
If you need to have it fixed up/repaired/renovated before you rent it out again, won't you possibly need water while that is going on? For getting water to clean, or mix some kind of compound (drywall repair, etc) or to utilize the facilities while working?

Just a thought.
:yay:
 
$87/mo for no service? I only pay $32/mo for water on an active service. Does that include sewer or something?
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Yeah it is, they likely rolled the benefit charge into the usage bill. You just didn't know you were paying it. Water going through the pipes or not there's a bond payment due every 6 months.

I was executor of my grandfathers estate and for two years the house sat empty and the water was shut off and no bill was owed.
 

merc669

New Member
If you need to have it fixed up/repaired/renovated before you rent it out again, won't you possibly need water while that is going on? For getting water to clean, or mix some kind of compound (drywall repair, etc) or to utilize the facilities while working?

Just a thought.

Yes you are right on that. But if I am not doing anything with it until we settle with insurance then it would save me a few dollars in the long run. Still do not understand the 50 dollar reconnect fee if I am still going to have to pay for something I am not getting but I am forced to get if I want to save the 50 dollars. But in any case its a nightmare being a LL here in this State and County. I am sure there are laws in other states like those of MD. Never again would I want to be a LL and would not wish that on anyone else..Next time I will Short Sell it, even though it has its own set of issues also...
 
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Kinnakeet

Well-Known Member
I never wanted to rent this in the first place. Long-Story short, M-in-L moves in with dementia and bad hip. She cannot climb stairs well. So we end up moving to a single story home. Same time the Real Estate Bubble goes upside-down. Now Townhouse is worth 50% less and we are upside down. Needless to say we have to rent. And the land values have not gone up as much as the news lets on. So after renter #one a Section 8 (She wiped the savings), and two other so-so ones and then this last real loser who knows the MD system and works it for themselves and we are screwed. They owed rent thru Apr of this year. I got rent to Feb of this year. METCOM threatens both them and me with shutting off the water and a lien. I say fine shut the water off. Do they? No. Bunch of worthless crooks themselves. How insane is it to shutoff the water and still owe a waterbill? I can see the 50 for the turn-on. But during the rest of the lime? Why would I be stupid enough to pay for something I am not getting. Give me a break. As far as renting it again, I am ready to put it up for short-sale which has its own set of issues..... What a bad soap opera and a real bad nightmare in SOMD and this screwed up state...

This state is screwd thanks to the democrats and Martin Omalley
 

BernieP

Resident PIA
Thats a nice way to veil a charge for a product not received. I suppose when I move out of this state that charge will follow me....:sarcasm:

I wasn't here when METCOM was put in, but I remember my parent's going thru the connection charge to public sewer (we had public water).
There were two very nice bills, one based on the front footage of your house (poor folks on the corner lots because their bill was double) and the other to connect to the trunk from your house. MECOM may be amortizing those connection costs via the monthly bill. But my water and sewer service form METCOM is around $82.
METCOM is a public utility, there is no private ownership, there is no profit to be made for shareholders. But there are construction bonds that do have to be paid off.

So to come full circle, the monthly fee you are charged is probably simply the amount that covers the payoff of the initial construction and connection. Not for monthly water and sewer use.
 
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