Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/29/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Cwe over charged me and adds fraud later fees on the bills, ****** ***** is a manger there she called me and was extremely rude, disrespectful, argumentative and refused to send me an email with my bill do dates and payment amounts made! She refused to give her email! This company is committing fraud, doesnt return phone calls and refuses to go over bills in writting and over the phone!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Commercial Water and Energy provides ************************ for over 200 apartment and condominium properties across the country.  We read utility meters and perform billing and collection services on behalf of the property.  Billed utility rates are equal to the rate of the municipality that the Property is in. The Property determines any fees or services that they would like to have billed to the resident including but not limited to trash, stormwater, and recycling, and late fees.  This property is The Metropolitan in *************, ******** The Residents account number is ******.
  
  Although this resident has only resided at The Metropolitan since January 2024, he has earned late fees on 9 of his first 15 invoices even with a 4-day ***** period set by the property.  On his first encounter with our office in April of 2024 he verbally abused our staff.  We notified the property that we would be unable to help him through our call center however he could access any records he needed through our online portal or through their office.  Below are screenshots of notes in our system following that encounter.  Our call center staff members name is redacted:
  
  In late April of this year, although aware of our non-contact position with their resident, the property asked if we would reach out and try to explain their contract policies (late fees in particular) to him as they were unsuccessful trying themselves. In an effort to appease the resident, they did offer (and provide) a credit of $180.00 to his account.  As a courtesy, and against my better judgement, I reached out to the resident personally.  Below is the screenshot of the result of that call:
  
  
  The resident became increasingly hostile demanding personal information from myself.  I declined to provide that information.  Additionally, when the abuse because excessive, as noted, I terminated the call and we notified ******************* at the Metropolitan that this resident is still no longer welcome to use our call center but that he had access to all of his invoices and payments through our online portal or through their office.
  We work with residents with many issues and questions and this is the first time we have notified a property that we are unable to assist their resident due to his egregious behavior.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/27/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This issue is a reoccurring issue. When you do reach someone in customer service and they give you conflict information. One individual told me that it was an error. Because they had changed their computer billing systems . Please ignore it the overcharge and ANY LATE FEES listed The adjustments will be reflected as + CREDIT to your next bill. . The next statement came, which did not include a credit but included the same previous months, billing error, and an additional late fee. I called the office with my concern and was hung up on by one of the representatives there. Having had that experience and been told by the customer service representative NOT to pay any late fees because its an error. I have not PAID LATE FEES but they keep adding them onto ALL STATEMENTS going forward. I HAVE ACTUALLY SENT TWO HANDWRITTEN LETTERS WITH COPIES OF THE STATEMENTS AND HOW THE ***** OCCURRED INITIALLY WITH NO RESPONSE. . There is an option to send a payment to the California address office and include a canceled check so they can start automatic billing from your checking account. I sent that payment along with a canceled check with the proper routing number and respective account. Expecting the next month to have an auto withdrawal taken out of my account that has not happened. I called the Florida office again after this incident and was told dont you ever contact the California office? Again I tried to get the individual to understand my situation only to have the representative. Hang up on me again.. I live in an apartment Im only here the month of October through May the bill was so usage on my part in June July August September when no one is in the apartment. The icemaker is even turned off. I understand if there would be a flat fee but thats not what happens its made up.usage. My biggest complaint is that Ive written two letters call 5 x to the office, not emails, handwritten letters and no one showed me the courtesy to even contact me.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2025

  We have repeatedly tried to find this client.  They provide no address or account number.  We need some information to identify the resident to assist him with the issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2025

  Commercial Water and Energy provides ************************ for over 200 apartment and condominium properties across the country.  We read utility meters and perform billing and collection services on behalf of the property.  Billed utility rates are equal to the rate of the municipality that the Property is in.  The Property determines any fees or services that they would like to have billed to the resident including but not limited to trash, stormwater, and recycling.  This property is ****************** in *******, ********  The Residents account number is *****.
  
  In the case of this Resident, the municipality minimums are fairly high.  In the months where she was not present, water usage was 10 gallons (typically a leaky toilet) and during months where she was present the usage was between 1200 and 1500 gallons.  Average bills for when the Resident is present is approximately $110 and is approximately $100 when the Resident is not present a difference of approximately $10.00.  These numbers do not include the lates fees earned by the Resident for late payment.
  
  In regard to late payments, our *********** never recommends to residents to short pay the late fee -- they always recommend paying the entire invoice including the late fee.  This is due to the fact that late fees are assessed on any invoice not paid in full.  All late fees need to be approved by the Property and then, once approved, are credited to the residents account to be used on a subsequent invoice.  This Resident has earned 42 late fees since January 2021. As a courtesy to her, the Property has approved a credit of $1150.47 which has been applied to her account and appears on Invoice ******* (copy attached).
  
  Regarding the Resident stating that her written requests were ignored, please find attached an email from one of our *********** Specialists explicitly stating her options for payment.  There is no option for her to send a cancelled check to ********** to set up automatic billing from her checking account.  Additionally,we only have one *********** so there would be no reason to tell the Resident not to contact the California office because there is no office there to contact.
  
  As stated, rates are determined by the municipality and fees are determined by the Property.  We read and **** based on those parameters.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/16/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding excessive water charges from Commercial ************************************************* at the Paradise at *****************************************************************************************, under account ******. Since the end of 2023, I have noticed a significant and unjustified increase in my water bills. For comparison, the bills from the last few months of 2023 were considerably lower:November 2023: $27.74, December 2023: $35.23, January 2024: $38.94 However, in 2024, my bills have risen sharply:February 2024: $86.61, March 2024: $63.61, July 2024: $83.72 My apartment does not have amenities such as a dishwasher or laundry facilities, which should result in lower water consumption. Additionally, I compared my bills to another units in the same complex, which was charged only $15.19 for 740 gallons of water in a recent month, while I have been billed significantly higher amounts for similar usage.I have attempted to contact the company for an explanation, but have not received a satisfactory response. Therefore, I am requesting an intervention to investigate these charges and ensure that there are no unfair or incorrect billing practices.I am attaching copies of my recent bills for your review and am available to provide any further documentation if needed.Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to your prompt response.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/26/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is the biggest scam for apartments and their residents. They bill a charge and state that you can send a check through mail or do an Echeck online without a fee. I've sent a couple checks through the mail with 5+ days to get to their business and end up with a $20 late fee. So after that I switched and did online echeck only to find out they charge a $4 fee to do this. I know companys charge a fee to use debit/credit cards but nowhere else do they charge a convenience fee for a check because it comes straight from the checking account. They state on their website that you can sign up for auto payments however on the resident account there is nowhere to sign up for that nor are there instructions on where to go. I have called multiple times to their customer service line only to be told I was out of luck basically for the fees and that they don't have autopay for their company (they still have the statement on their website claiming they do). I've only been connected to a representative once and the other times I've been on hold and sent to someones voicemail to leave a message and receive no call back. I did a ****** search of this company and they have the worst reviews I've ever seen for any business, let alone a professional company. It's a shame they lock apartments into contracts with them and scam the residents out of money.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/10/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have lived in an apartment for the last 3 years, this company manages the water and sewage usage. When I first moved in the billing seemed normal with one exception where i got a bill for double almost triple the usage amount. I spoke with our property manager and they stated this was an error and adjusted it. I thought it was a one off error however now it's happening almost every other bill where I am getting charged double the amount of usage than my average monthly usage for the last 3 years. I was told by property management that this company doesn't even look at the meters and several other residents have had this same exact issue. I find it criminal that this company is just charging whatever they feel like for water and sewage usage that I did not use. I am paying more for water than my own electrical bill for a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment that sits vacant 80% of the day. I have tried to call and have been hung up on and transferred to voicemail.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2024

  Commercial Water and Energy provides *************** Services for over 200 apartment and condominium properties across the country.  We read utility meters and perform billing and collection services on behalf of the property.  Residents are billed at the current rate of the provider utility in this case the **********************, *******. 

  Regarding this case, I reviewed the last 12 months of invoices (usage numbers attached).  All bills were actual readings and not estimates.  We are required to note on the invoice if an estimate has been performed.  In the past year, the residents usage appeared to increase in the fall.  Numbers like these typically indicate a leak usually a flapper on a toilet.  The January number shows a significant drop off in usage which typically indicates that the leak has been resolved.  Again, we want to point out that all usage for the past year for this resident have been actual readings and not estimates.
  

  We strive to be helpful and assist residents with questions about their utility bills. Unfortunately, on occasion a call will be lost, especially if they are being transferred.  Feedback ultimately helps us improve our processes as we remain committed to providing helpful customer service.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/21/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Recently purchased a new condo build in downtown ********. We are receiving a water bill from this water company with no options to pay in person or to pay with cash. Forcing a $4 credit card fee or a check option only I feel this is not fair and legal I should be able to pay cash somewhere for any utility such as FP&L does or any water bill with the county or city.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2023

  While I understand the resident's position, we are not a utility.  We are a billing company, and we bill on behalf of the ***** of ********* of the community.  We are contracted to mail billing statements and process payments and apply late charges per the association's directives.  

  It's important to note that CWE doesn't charge the resident anything.  The charges are from the community.  We also accept bill pay from most banks.  Any funds we collect are remitted to the association.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 19630544
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/12/2023

  They have not called me back to discuss billing options

   

  I left three messages with billing supervisor, at the least they should be redirecting me with the person I should be talking to regarding my bill if they have nothing to do with it. They are not trying to assist us customers they are simply trying to collect credit card fees and late fees this is not fair I am requesting for cash billing option or at the least automatic credit card or bank account withdrawal, as regarding billing options and no one has called me to discuss with me this is not fair

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  Can he provide a number and I will have someone call him direct.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/13/2023

   
  Complaint: 19630544
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/14/2023

  I truly cannot get a hold of any manager or administrator to discuss billing options for our water bill, they are charging $4 for every credit card transaction, I am simply trying to ask billing department if they can work out a automatic monthly withdrawal from a checking or credit

  Business Response

  Date: 04/20/2023

  Yes we can and we provide an auto pay option.  That is setup through your community management office.  Please recall we bill for the association and the association is in charge of your account.  They should have a form to provide you or they can request we send a form again if they can't find it.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a resident in one of the apartments you serve: the Hub in *************, **.I mailed you payment on or about October 1st, but you did not credit my account until October 25, 24 days later, after which you charged me a late fee equaling 40% of the supposedly outstanding balance.On November 5th I received your bill with a due date of November 7th. This has been a consistent pattern for months of minimal turnaround time, and it has been observed by other residents and our local postal carrier.You need to reverse my late charges and revise the due date.These are abusive commercial practices, and they need to stop immediately.I sent you an email on this matter on November 6th; it's been over two weeks and you have not responded or provided credit on my account.*******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've always thought that this companies billing practices were less than stellar, especially their Account Admin Fee's which seem to change from bill to bill. However, I just paid them up until Hurricane ***. We had no water for 8 days and no trash service (as they call it in their bill), for more than 2 weeks. I was astonished to see my bill was identical to the prior month (before ***). I called the number on the bill and the person I spoke with had obviously heard this from other residents due to her tone and generally bad attitude.."we are not the water company, we just do the billing" said all I needed to hear from her. I am turning this over to the ******* ********** of ******** Services. How companies like this are even legal in *******, or anywhere for that matter is beyond me.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/10/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On the attached invoice, no ******, the Water Service charge is showing ***** Gallons at $0.0082/Gal with a total of $96.82, but ***** x $0.0082 only comes to $60.35, an over-billing of $36.47, which is about *****% more than the actual calculation.When asked why there was a discrepancy, the customer service representative was only able to reply that there was a minimum charge in the calculation, but would not say why that minimum charge was not shown separately on the invoice nor why the price per gallon was not shown with the correct rate.This is very deceiving since most customers do not double-check the calculations, and they are over-charging by significant amounts consistently.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  7/18/2022 amount paid $13.77 which includes $4.00 processing fee. At this point I had a zero balance after they took off late fee of $10.00. Only problem is late fee is not taken off until the following month. There for you are always charged an additional late fee of $10.00 every month. They tell me I have to pay $10.00 late fee to avoid additional fees. Even when I do not owe the extra $10.00. I am a senior citizen and every dollar counts. Their accounting practices need to be changed.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/31/2022

  Commercial Water & Energy Company provides *************** Services for 200 apartment and condominium communities around the country.  ************** sets their own late fee structure.  ************** has set that late fees are to be assessed if the payment is more than 5 days late.   Residents are allowed to petition the property to waive a late fee but that decision is the property's alone.  When permission by the property is granted, a credit is applied to the resident's account which will be rolled into their next bill.  Residents are advised to pay the late fee as the credit will not be active until their next invoice.  If the resident chooses not to pay the late fee, the accounting system sees that there is a past due balance and will assess another late fee.  If the late fee was paid, the approved late fee waiver credit would be applied to their NEXT invoice.  This particular resident chose not to pay the late fee and incurred another late fee.  We have credited these fees and she currently has a negative $10 balance which will offset the late fee that will be assessed on her next invoice leaving her to pay only the net balance due.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/31/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************