Utility Water Company
Florida Governmental Utility AuthorityHeadquarters
This business is NOT BBB Accredited.
Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Utility Water Company.
Reviews
This profile includes reviews for Florida Governmental Utility Authority's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Review Ratings
Average of 24 Customer Reviews
Want to share your experience?
Leave a ReviewReview Details
Review fromCharles B
Date: 02/24/2024
1 starYou cannot pay your bill online. The website is garbage. The water quality is questionable. Often our water looks like milk. One time our water was brown. Two guys came out to see what I was talking about. They put water in a glass. It was clear so they said Nope,it's fine and started to leave. I had to tell them to wait a minute. I started filling up a clean bucket. The ****** it got the ******* the water got. So it turned into a pretty big job they had to do to fix it. Either they didn't want the big problem or they were just incompetent and didn't even know how to check water properly.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 02/27/2024
Good afternoon, ******************:
Thank you for contacting the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) with regard to your concern listed below. The FGUAs online bill pay system has been experiencing intermittent service issues, which is affecting some customers efforts to make payments. Customers are asked to use ****** Chrome for the best experience. The FGUA is currently testing a new, more user-friendly Online Bill *** System, which we anticipate will be available this Spring. We will let customers know when it becomes available. The FGUA apologizes for this inconvenience, and thanks you for your patience during this transitional time. In addition, the FGUA is making it aware to their customer base on their website with displays communicating the time frame of the new payment service.
Alternatively, customers can make payments by phone, using a credit or debit card, at no additional charge, by dialing **************. Please make sure to have your FGUA account number handy, should you choose to remit payment using this payment method. Customers can also make payments to the FGUA at any Amscot location or their local **************** Office. For a list of locations, please visit our Hours and Locations ********************************************************************************.
In regard to the water quality at your home; If you have a water softener, I recommend making sure that it is being properly serviced and maintained, including replacement of the filter media, as dirty filter media can not only affect the quality of the water coming into the home, but can affect the water pressure, as well, thus using more water. The water softener can also change the color of your water if not properly maintained.
We can schedule for our service technicians to visit your service location to conduct a water quality test at you request if nothing has changed or corrected.
Thank you again for contacting the FGUA regarding this matter. If I may be of additional assistance, please let me know.
Sincerely,Review fromLiz S
Date: 01/16/2024
1 starI have lived in my house for 16 years by myself. I have worked in a different county for 20 years. My water bill has always been high and I have complained with no results. I have had my home check by plumbers over the years as well as FGUA (that use to be call ***** Utilities) I have a 2 bedroom 1 bath home and I am under contract with **************** to remodel my bathroom. I rented an airbnb from 11/25/23 through 12/22/23. No shower no toliet no water usuage at all in my home for 28 days. I received a bill from FGUA for ***** showing **** gallons of water usuage ( 11/24/23 - 12/22/23) I was charged a sewer charge when there was no toliet. When I phoned and spoke with customer service I was told someone from management would call 24 to 48 hours. I received a call from **** that would not actually refused to give me her last name or bad number. She stated well you do not know what the construction company used. Not **** gallons of water to mix mortar. **** stated that FGUA could come out and check the meter but if there is nothing wrong with the meter i would be charged ****** I am a senior citizen that works Monday -Friday 6:15-6:00 everyday.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 01/19/2024
The FGUA is in receipt of ******************' billing dispute. Today (January 19, ****) FGUA ********* Services Coordinator ********************* responded by e-mail to ******************' concerns. She shared that she reviewed the comments and the acccont, and that ***** gallons registered on the meter from November 24 to December 22 and that the FGUA cannot determine how the water was used during that service period. ************** also shared that the sewer rates are determined based upon the understanding that not all water is returned for wastewater treatment. However, FGUA still incurs costs for water that is returned and treated. ************** offered to have a meter accurcy test conducted and scheduled for a time convenient for the customer to attend. ******************** does assess a $125.00 premise visit fee if FGUA's staff determines that there is no issue with the previous meter reading, there are no leaks at the meter connection, and the accuracy results meet American Water Works Associaiton (AWWA) meter accuracy standards. This cost covers operations and administration staffing costs for investigating the concern. However, if there is an issue with previous meter reading, or if there is an issue with the meter's accuracy or condition, the FGUA does not assess the fee and will replace the meter if there is an issue with the meter at no cost to the customer.****************** contacted me by phone this afternoon regarding the ongoing dispute. She advised that there are cameras set up inside and outside the property, and the videos do not indicate any water being used by a contractor with the outside hose bib. ****************** expressed concerns that previous billing inquiries and staff investigations did not require a fee. I advised that the FGUA held duly-adveterised public hearings in December 2022, advertising public hearings in cutomers' bills in the Fall of 2022, which included information on the possible adoption of a $125 premise visit fee assesed on a customer's account when there is not an issue found on the utility's side after the visit. The FGUA ***** of ********* Approved the Fee as part of an update to miscellaneous fees and charges at their December 15, 2022 meeting.****************** will be reaching back out to me after all the renovations are complete to futher review this concern. In the meantime, if the BBB has any questions, please feel free to contact me by phone at **************, or by e-mail at matt.****@fgua.com.Sincerely,*********************** FGUA ********* Services ManagerReview fromDeanna K
Date: 12/29/2023
1 starI closed on my property in Lake County on September 2023...I have a refund coming from my water deposit. I have call and emailed several times to get a deposit returned. They tell me that it has been processed time after time and the last time I called they said it was mailed on December 6th... Today is December 29th, 2023 and I still have not received it...I'm tired of their lies. Sorry I couldn't leave them 0 stars.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 01/17/2024
********************:Thank you for submitting your Better Business Bureau (BBB) review concering the status of the security deposit refund. I understand that ********* Services Representative ********************* assisted you by e-mail on December 6 and ********* Services Representtive ********************* also addressed your e-mail on December 12, both sharing that refund checks are issued four to six weeks from the date of the final biling statement. The final billing statement was issued on October 26, 2023. The security deposit refund (minus any final charges) of $138.99 was issued and mailed on December 2, 2023, and was mailed to the requesed forwarding address of ***********************************************************************. The check was cashed on January 3, 2024.The FGUA is not responsible for any mailing delays caused by the ************* *************** As the ***************** Manager for the FGUA, I apologize that previous staff did not review or advise of the status of the refund check. Staff has been advised to check with our *************************** in the event that customers have not received a refund check within six weeks of their final billing statement. Thank you again for submitting your review to the FGUA. If I can provide any further assistance, please contact me by e-mail at ************************************* or by phone at **************.Sincerely,*********************** FGUA ********* Services ManagerReview fromRich R
Date: 11/26/2023
1 starLike most utility services you have no choice when signing up. This is the case with FGUA. Otherwise, believe me when I say NO ONE would use them.
Their customer service is atrocious. Their website is uninformative, slow, and archaic and the payment link NEVER works.
See below. Nothing but 1-star reviews, because 0 stars is not an option.
We also have a business account and recently FGUA announced mandatory work, I believe a backflow-preventer. Mysteriously after their work, we had a broken water pipe adjacent to their work site and had a water bill 3 times higher than normal. We contacted a local plumbing company that informed us that this was a frequent repair being called in our area all following FGUA work. In addition to 3 times the water bill cost until we realized the leak we had to pay $600 for the repair. But FGUA was so accommodating that they reduced our water bill by reducing sewer costs by $28.
We need competition and should be able to choose our water company!Review fromJon N
Date: 11/06/2023
1 starWe moved to the Oviedo area back in June of 2023 for service starting July and obviously had to sign up with FGUA because they have an illegal monopoly and there are no other providers in the area.
While signing up for their services we opted for the "auto draft" bill pay option (which we would find out later was not applied to our account).
We received a notice on August 24th that our bill was past due, and gave a due by date of November 13th. We weren't sure why there was a past due balance (knowing we had signed up for auto pay) but it was all good and we would handle it before the 13th... They came out and turned off our water on Nov 6th with no other notifications. We have a 5 and a 3 year old, which made this a real problem.
Upon calling and finding out that the auto pay that we had signed up for was not active on the account, we informed them we had no problems paying the bill immediately and asked for auto pay moving forward. The response was that we would also have to pay a 250 dollar "reconnection fee" (mind you to reconnect the water a human simply opens a valve so water can flow again) because the water was cut off. Ashley, the company rep on the phone who was unhelpful and quite rude, then smirked when it was pointed out that this harsh punishment was only allowed because of the monopoly they enjoyed. These types of disgusting business practices are why FGUA has a 1.2 star approval rating on Google, and 1/5 stars here. These people would NEVER make it in the free market, with their terrible customer service and ridiculous fees and fines. It's an absolute crime there are no competitive utilities... and I look forward to moving outside of their service area.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 11/10/2023
Hello Jon ******,
Please provide a service address or account number in order for this to be investigated.Review fromAmanda M
Date: 07/06/2023
1 starThey are scammers. They said they did not receive my check. They argued with me and said it was my fault (even though I can prove through my bank it was mailed) and there are other ways to make a payment. I have been mailing a check for over 6 years. They said I need to make a new payment ASAP. I mailed them a new check and had to cancel the old one. Then I canceled the new check because they still have not received payment and the due date was the next day. Next thing I know they hit me with two $30 NSF funds and will not waive either of them. They magically found both checks and tried to cash them. In the meantime, I already made a payment for the full amount with my credit card. Every person that I have spoken to and/or emailed have been rude and have a don’t care attitude. How is this company even allowed to operate? They also don’t make it easy to do automated bill pay but I probably wouldn’t trust them doing that anyway. So disappointed that this is who I am stuck with for my water company.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 07/28/2023
Thank you for contacting the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in regard to your recent attempts to pay your account balance to the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA). We strive to offer the best customer service to our customers, and we are here to assist you on this matter.
On May 26, 2023, the FGUA community services team was in receipt of your payment concerns, and you were advised that the FGUA does not have a direct-to-direct relationship with financial institutions at that time nor at this time, and that customer whose payment have not been received in the mail in a timely fashion are encouraged to contact their local customer service office, so that staff can exempt the account from late fees and potential disconnection for past due payment or nonpayment; and to provide more time for payment to arrive. Unfortunately, since the correspondence from May 26th, the FGUA did receive two check payments on 06/07/2023 and 06/12/2023 in the amount of $69.28 and $143.56, respectively. On 06/13 and 06/19 the FGUA was notified by our bank that there were nonsufficient funds from the payments and the FGUA was assessed a $30 Nonsufficient Funds fee on each of the payments. As a result, the FGUA charged a $30 NSF onto the customer for each of the attempted payments.
As a courtesy the FGUA will remove one of the two $30 NSF fees off the account. As the FGUA community services team advised on May 26th, offered additional methods of payment to avoid delays of payments being received by customers financial institutions and/or by the US postal service. As a reminder, some additional ways that were discussed as payment methods are as follows:
FGUA offers several alternative methods for consideration for submitting payments:
1) Automatic checking withdrawal (EZ-Pay)
2) Online Bill Pay; and
3) Automated, Toll-Free Pay-by Phone: Customers may call 1-855-396-1256, paying using their debit card, credit card, or checking account information, which is available 24/7.
More information on our accepted methods of payment is found on our website, FGUA.com.
Thank you again for reaching out to the BBB with your FGUA billing concern. If we can be of additional assistance, please let us know.Review fromCarrie H
Date: 06/22/2023
1 starI have never taken the time to contact the BBB, but after multiple incidents this one is the icing on the cake. If you can possibly rate this place, it would be a -0.
My parents are elderly and try their best to make sure all their bills are paid on time. My father is primarily a Spanish speaker and has written his checks to FGUA (More than 6) as well as many others for years in Spanish.
Twice in the last few months his checks have been returned by an individual named MARLENE-Customer Service Representative, because the amount was written in Spanish.
We contacted the bank and were informed that as long as the "Paid to Order" is written legibly (as he did write "FGUA") to the correct Vendor and the numerical amount is CLEAR, the banks will accept it.
This feels personally targeted, because the individual receiving the payment for processing either lacks the ability to speak the language, understand bank protocol, or has a personal vendetta against those of Spanish origin.
My father has never stopped paying his bills and this is the ONLY place where this has become a noticeable issue. The best part is he receives it back a month later!! Which causes an accruement of late fees. Which they expect to be paid of course. Then when we try to use the portal to login even after resetting the password it doesn't work. Then when they provide you with a temporary password to your email to reset, that doesn't work either! In otherwise, their website is inefficient. Get it together FGUA! I find this not just disrespectful but degrading. TAKE THE CHECK! AS LONG AS YOU GET PAID THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!!Review fromRonald M
Date: 06/06/2023
1 starThe worst customer service. The payment process is a shambles, can't pay online because the debit card expiration field only goes up to 2025?? So, next option, pay by phone with Debit; can only accept up to $350; my bill is $414.xx. Customer service response; just call it in twice. Oh, she said it's been broke for 3 weeks. Time for new leadership! Fix your system, please.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 06/08/2023
Mr. *****,
We have asked our vendor to update this. At this time, we do not have an ETA. The payment processing system is out sourced to a 3rd party vendor. The FGUA has plans to revamp the website and make it a more user-friendly experience. We are currently looking at options / vendors to help us reach this goal. We apologize for any issues this might have caused you in having to call in to the pay by phone system twice due to the $350 limit per transaction.Review fromMeagan B
Date: 05/31/2023
1 starThey deserve 0 stars. They are always so rude and unwilling to look into anything that may be a problem. They are blaming the lack of water pressure on the county which is a blatant lie and trying to charge me to do THEIR job and check their stuff. Multiple people are complaining about this issue and they just want to charge everyone and do nothing. This is the worst possible company, but nothing we can do because they have a monopoly of my area. They have no business being in business. The water is green and smells of chemicals too. So mad I have to bathe my toddler in this nasty excuse for water.Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 07/28/2023
The FGUA is in receipt of the review and the FGUA Community Services Coordinator, Patti Clark, attempted to follow up with MS. ****** and offering to schedule a water quality test and address any inquiries Ms. ****** may have.
The FGUA meets all state and federal water quality standards. In the event that the utility is in exceedance of any standard, the FGUA takes immediate action to address the concern and notify customers of any precautions customers should make until the issue is corrected.
The FGUA retains annual water quality reports called Consumer Confidence Reports (CCR) which are available on the FGUA website. Please follow this link that will lead you directly to the report: Water Quality - https://www.fgua.com/community/water-qualitySincerely,
FGUA Community Services TeamReview fromAndrew D
Date: 05/15/2023
1 starIncompetent water company who overcharges for poor water quality. I live in Trinity and would much rather have Pasco County water which is much cheaper. It costs me a horrendous amount to water my lawn which I must do because of CRR's. I would get rid of FGUA in a New York minute if I was able to do so!!Florida Governmental Utility Authority
Date: 08/01/2023
The FGUA is in receipt of Mr. *********** concerns. FGUA Community Services Manager, Matthew Rihs, followed up with Mr. ********* regarding his concerns. Mr. Rihs and Mr. ********* reviewed the customer's irrigation patterns, and Mr. Rihs recommended that the customer monitor irrigation usage by reading the meter before and after an irrigation cycle is complete. The customer also shared that he recently had maintenance on his irrigation system, and a sprinkler head was repaired. Consistent with the FGUA's Courtesy Leak Adjustment Policy, customers who are experiencing leaks or have faulty irrigation sprinklerheads or lines may submit the receipt from the irrigatiion company for consideration for a ccourtesy leak adjustment.
During the discussion, FGUA advised that its rates are determined by an independent, third-party rate analyst, and, as a government entity, cover the operational, capital improvement, and debt service costs. Rates are determined by the number of customers in the particular system, and the Aloha Gardens/Seven Springs system has approximately 18,000 customers, compared to a larger utility, such as Pasco County Utilities, that has significantly more customers, dividing those costs among a large customer base.
Following the conversation, Mr. Rihs sent Mr. ********* an e-mail with a guide on how to read the meter before and after irrigation, links to FGUA and Pasco County's websites on irrigation and water conservation, instructions on submitting his irrigation receipt, and encouraged the customer to contact him at the time water quality concerns are experienced, and to contact Mr. Rihs if he can provide further assistance.
Thank you again for notifying the FGUA of the customer's review. If we can provide further details, please let us know.
Florida Governmental Utility Authority is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.
To become accredited, a business must agree to BBB Standards for Trust and pass BBB's vetting process.
Why choose a BBB Accredited Business?BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period, except for customer reviews. Customer reviews posted prior to July 5, 2024, will no longer be published when they reach three years from their submission date. Customer reviews posted on/after July 5, 2024, will be published indefinitely unless otherwise voluntarily retracted by the user who submitted the content, or BBB no longer believes the review is authentic. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this company, please let them know that you checked their record with BBB.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.