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:07/08/2025

  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.

  Their was an issue with the water bill starting in Dec 2024. Our tenant has lived in the property since 2020 and has been consistent with water usage. Her normal range would be between 640-5,502 (Highest recorded was Nov 24). Starting Dec 2024, her water bill went up to 1 *****+ total usage GAL with no changes to her lifestyle. We have contracted several plumbers since January 2025 and all have come back to say the house has no leak. Our property management company, along with the tenant has called Carolina Water multiple times within the past 6 months to get this escalated and has had no help. We need someone skilled to call us and meet us out at the property to figure out where this water issue is coming from.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2025

  Thank you for sharing our customer's concerns and allowing us provide follow-up. We met the licensed property manager at the customer's property (renter) for a site equipment inspection. During our inspection, we observed continuous water usage as indicated by the external meter, along with signs of a leaking toilet. As a precaution, we recommended turning off the toilets water supply to monitor any changes in usage. Water usage subsided significantly once the water was shut off,confirming the likelihood of a leak. We recommended addressing the issue promptly to prevent further water loss or potential damage. Customer has shared update and expenses incurred due to the issue with property manager. We provided our standard leak adjustment and understood that the issue is being addressed with property manager. Carolina Water Service remains available for any further information or support needed in this manner. 
  
  Kind regards. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2025

  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.

  Carolina water has Increased again without providing clear water. Water is yellow, full of black spots and the fee of $150 a month just for their service is 4x the rate is ************* water. We need to have them removed from ********* and put on county water.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/08/2025

  Hello we appreciate you sharing our customers concerns. At ****************************************************************** of N.C., we strive to conduct an open dialogue with customers to ensure concerns are heard and addressed to the best of our ability. Upon receipt of this inquiry, our Operations Team visited the customer to address the issue and obtain a water sample for testing. The results were reviewed by our Area Manager and Vice President of Operations. All parameters looked good and are in regulatory compliance (photo of water sample attached). We were pleased to provide the satisfactory results to the customer. Our Operator assured customer that we remain committed to providing the best possible service and remain available for any questions or concerns.  
  

  Thank you, 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/07/2025

  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.

  With CWS, our bill is never lower then $275 a month. Sometimes, it is as high as $350. I started taking showers at the *********** to save on water. We are using paper plates so we don't use the dishwasher! They do not have a budget plan to help customers. Oh, by the way, no ********************** today for 15 minutes, as well as neighbors, They had no idea and no explanation as to why there was an outage. Someone help us in the ******** neighborhood in ************, **. We are all begging someone to review their practices and lower our bills!

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2025

  At Carolina Water Service of NC, we welcome customer feedback and strive to resolve issues and address complaints to the best of our ability. We care about the customers we serve and want to ensure we are meeting their needs. After reviewing this customers account since its inception in 2007, we are not seeing any extremely high fluctuation in usage periods. The customer averages ***** to ***** gallons of water a month. One of our operators in the area spoke with the customer and determined that the meter did not indicate any signs of a leak. As a follow-up, we installed a new automated meter and will monitor the data in the near-term. We have also sent the old meter out for testing. We will communicate results directly to the customer as soon as possible.
  
  The customer has experienced an increase in monthly bills due to rate increases over the years. We work to provide customers safe and reliable drinking ********************** at affordable rates. To do so, infrastructure must keep pace with demand and technology.?Our customers rates are based on a thorough cost,operations, and quality of service review by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (**** or the Commission), the **** Public Staff, North Carolina ************************* and other intervenors in the proceeding.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/28/2025

   
  I am rejecting this response because: Regardless of water usage the rates are outrageous. Carolina Water Service is not addressing the issue. The rates vs. any other water company is insane. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/30/2025

  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.

  Reviewing my credit report, Carolina Water Services of the Carolina's has placed a collection on my account for ****** dating from June 2024 until Jan 2025. I have not done business with this company since June 2023 in which I lived at ***** Northgate ********************************. At the time of move out, my bill was paid in full to my knowledge. I called the company to let them know to return the service back to the owner of the home which is ********************. I never received any bill owed. After I moved out there should have been no further charged associated with my account.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/10/2025

  At Carolina Water Service of N.C., we strive to conduct an open dialogue with customers to ensure concerns are heard and addressed to the best of our ability. As always, we encourage customers to contact our Customer Experience Team as a first step to resolve issues.
  
  We reviewed Ms. ***** account and found that the account was stopped on 6/21/23. Last payment we received was on 4/20/23, which did not bring the account to a zero balance. A bill posted on 5/11/23, covering the billing period of 4/4/23 - 5/4/23. Two bills posted on 6/27/23. First bill covered from 5/4/23 - 6/5/23 and the final bill covered from 6/5/23 - 6/21/23. A late fee was added to account on 7/24/23.
  
  The customer account was setup on paperless billing. My Utility Account reflects that notifications about billing being view and **** reminders were issued as followed: 5/13/23,5/25/23, 6/29/23, and 7/9/23.
  
  Please let us know if you would like us to re-issue the final billing statement.
  
  Kind regards. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2025

  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 got a water bill January 9th 2025 for ****** and told me it was from sept to oct of24 and December i been paying anywhere from 28 dollars to *****dollar never this much I live on a fix income my light bill is 270dollars because of the weather i live in mobile home our light bills and water high and housing development is low they also said that what computer said i owe i am going through my bank statements now because i have a hard time getting into my account ****************************************************************** ink i am trying to figure out were my swimming pools are and my son is too next door i have no leaks had new water lines put in had to replace three hot water heaters because somewhere there is a water leak and they shut off our water and the pressure after they turn water back on it has lot pressure and blows hot water heater right now i turn my water heater off but this water bill is to high and made a payment December 4th for ***** and that was by phone and that was the full bill

  Business Response

  Date: 02/05/2025

  Hello - we are currently reviewing this customer's account with our Customer Experience team. ********************** will respond to our customer directly to ensure account privacy. We always encourage customers to please contact our Customer ********************** Department at **************, with any questions or concerns. 

  Thank you for reaching out to Carolina Water Service of NC to make us aware of this issue. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2024

  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.

  Water pressure is horrible. It makes it impossible and frustrating to complete tasks at home such as washing clothes, showering, cleaning because water is barely coming from the faucets. This requires us to run water longer which means our bill is higher. Multiple complaints have been made against this company. We have no option because the community we live in only uses this water company.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  Thank you for passing along our customer's concerns. At ********************** (CWSNC), we welcome customer feedback and strive to resolve issues and address concerns to the best of our ability. We care about the customers and communities we serve and look forward to engaging with our customers and stakeholders to ensure we are meeting their needs.

  Please see the below information in response to this inquiry:

  ***** Operations Team went by and met with the customer. The customer stated they experience loss of pressure first thing in the mornings and then in the afternoons. The pressure was checked at the residence. It was 59psi. We had the customer open a fixture and run ********************** while the pressure gauge was installed. The pressure bounced down to 57psi and then went right back up to 59psi. These pressure reading are well above industry minimums.
  
  The customer does have a ********************** softener and a pleated paper water filter. Operations discussed best practices. It was also advised that the next time they see a drop in water pressure to bypass the water softener to see if the water softener is playing a role in pressure drops.

  Our team is always open to dialogue and will provide any further updates, if additional concerns arise.

  Thank you. 

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2024

  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.

  Carolina Water Service (CWS) provides water and sewage service to select households in *********, **. They have their own water, but utilize the Town of ********* for sewage processing. The Town of ********* sends CWS one big monthly invoice for sewage processing. In turn *** bills their customers a pro rata share based on ********************** consumption.The Town of ********* has suspended sewage processing bills effective Oct 8, 2024 until January 2025 to include *** as one of their customers. *** refuses to suspend their sewage billing to customers for that time period, but will accept non payment to the Town of *********. Is this a mail fraud case?

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2025

  Thank you for your inquiry and we certainly appreciate your patience in our response. In the aftermath of Hurricane ******, we have been diligent in assessing and repairing our systems throughout the region. Carolina Water Service of North Carolina is a Public Utility subject to Regulation and ********************** of the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). The rates charged to sewer service customers in ****************** and ************ were approved by the **** in an Order dated April 26, 2023, in Docket No.W-354, Sub 400. Carolina Water Service has charged the approved rates to its customers since this order. However, due to the unprecedented damage during Hurricane ******, we are able to provide our Fairfield Mountain and Apple Valley sewer customers a credit for the prorated portion of their October bill for the days that the No Flush Order was in effect for Carolina Water Services customers. ******************************************************************* decision to offer this credit has been approved, and the credits will be issued once processed.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/10/2025

   
  I am rejecting this response because:  The credit does not account for the three month sewer charge credit received from the town of ********* that was not passed on to customers.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/17/2025

  CWSNC Response: During the timeframe that the Town of ********* was not billing, Carolina Water Service of North Carolina (CWSNC) continued to deliver wastewater service for all but nine days (Oct. *****). We provided customers a bill credit for the nine days that we issued a No Flush Order and did not provide wastewater service.  

  CWSNC is a Public Utility subject to Regulation and ********************** of the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). 

  N.C. Utilities Commission Rule R10-20 - SALE OF SEWER SERVICE states: No utility shall charge or demand or collect or receive any greater or less or different compensation for sale of sewer service, or for any service connected therewith, than those rates and charges approved by the Commission and in effect at that time. 
  

  The rates charged to sewer service customers in ****************** and ************ were approved by the **** in an Order dated April 26, 2023, in Docket No. W-354, Sub 400. ***** has charged the approved rates to its customers since this order. In a timeframe that our neighboring customers were experiencing devastating circumstances, ***** was pleased to be able to continue service and maintenance operations in the ************ & ****************** communities. We look forward to maintaining these good relationships.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/26/2024

  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.

  I am a customer of ******************************************************************. My monthly bill is normally around $60 per month. For instance, this past April my bill was $47.64, May was $72.04 and ****** was $45.88. In June, my bill was $2,293.15. Carolina Water registered that I used ******* gallons of water. I didn't receive this bill until mid July and therefore did not know that there must be a leak. As soon as I knew that there was a leak, I hired someone to come out to my property the following day and dig up the broken pipe and fix it. This cost me $1,268.05. My bill for July was $1,236.79 reflecting the leaking water for for the first 16 days of July. When I spoke with Carolina Water Service, they told me that a person came out and read my meter. That means that someone read ******* gallons of water had been used and they did nothing to try to alert me. They didn't knock on my door, leave a note, call me, send me an email, or anything else. They simply let the water continue to leak, wasting a precious natural resource and racking up my bill. In all ******* gallons of fresh drinking water were wasted because Carolina Water has no means or intention of alerting a customer of a potential ********************** leak. This is the most environmentally damaging policy a water company could possibly have and they should be forced to implement a leak detection protocol.Of the $3,458.88 that they charged me for the leaking water, they have issued an adjustment of just $1,653.57 leaving me to pay $1,805.31 in addition to the $1,236.79 that I paid to fix the broken pipe. I understand that it is my responsibility to fix the pipe and simply bad luck that it broke on my side of the line, but I refuse to accept that I should pay $1,805.31 for wasted water when the leak should have been detected by the water company the day that the pipe broke, just like every other modern water company does.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2024

  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.

  The issue at hand is due to a human error by one of the very few employees they have employed. The meter for the water service was read incorrectly or not read at all and therefore the be**ef is that I'm the w incorrect meter was was accord***ly. Therefore we I w as a overage charged for water service to ice for the month of May 2023. I received a bill in the amount of approx. $4*****. My normal bill usually ran in between *****- ***** monthly. But to my surprise I received a bill for excess gallons of water consumed or used by me myself, as a Widower of the residence. I also have no other occupants ** to *** within the home. Normal visitors is a usual but never a party or th*** significant that could possibly explain this enormous bill. I have tried to resolve the issue over the past year and a half several times, at least once a month since I received the bill. No successful has been made to forebear this large bill that I can in no way possibly ever pay on the fixed income I received each month. Your Assistance with this matter will and would be greatly appreciated.Thank you, ******* *******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2024

  I am researching this complaint and will respond week of Dec. 2. Thank you for your patience. 

  Kind regards, ******* ***

  ********************************************

  ************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/12/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  This letter is in response to some correspondence regarding a complaint filed with BBB on Carolina Water Service, **** I am requesting that this complaint be reopened at this time since there has been nothing done in resolution to this matter. Complaint submitted on 11/18/2024, 

  ID# **************.

   

  Thank you,for your cooperation with this matter,

   

   

   

  ******* *******

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2024

  Thank you for passing along our customer's concern. We have researched this customer's account, and we found: 

  Customer was underbilled for their usage over a two-month period resulting in a catchup billing. In good faith, we have adjusted the customer's account to reflect a credit for the average billing for the 12-month period in question. 

  I will be reaching out to the customer directly to address any further questions or concerns associated with this resolution. 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2024

  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 a fixed low income. I am 1-2 people in the house - we do not dish wash, we do not wash clothes for less than 2 weeks, we do not shower excessively nor garden . I live in ************************ Neighborhood , *********, ***** that has a HOA of *************************I want to formally request to have investigated the decision of transferring our local Water Company ************************ that was an advantageous not for profit water company , for which I first was paying 11 $ a month, in 2008 , later I was paying at the most 30 $ a month. to a private national corporation that is disadvantageous to us: Carolina Water Services.On behalf of ********* Farm homeowners, someone decided to our disadvantage , without having a public consultation of this decision, to transfer the water services to a private corporation that is not local and that is practicing outrageously high prices.We want back our not for profit water company , own water well and reservoir called ************************ We also want back compensation for the money that was ****** charged for our water bills for these past two years.Past HOA's of ********* Farms to be investigated for corruption, fraud for making a disadvantageous decision in our behalf without getting the whole community agreement for a decision that has no logical reason.Carolina Water Services to be sued for practicing outrageously high prices and to compensate for the past two years our high bills . The company to be caped to practice friendly prices for water that is a basic human need, and to be forbidden to practice flat fees no matter the usage ( 70$ is the flat fee- but I always am getting over a 100$ per month ) ( My current bill is 290$ for June, 172 $ for *** and the whole past year over 70-120$ )

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2024

  Hello we appreciate you sharing the concerns from our customer. At ****************************************************************** of N.C. (CWSNC), we strive to conduct an open dialogue with customers to ensure concerns are heard and addressed to the best of our ability. In reviewing this customer's records, our operator identified that the customer had a leak during the billing period of Feb. 13 - March 12. We are extending a leak adjustment form to the customer via U.S. postal mail and email (Date - 7/15). Upon completion of the form, we can potentially provide a credit to the account and advise the customer of the total amount. Thank you.   
  

  Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or challenges in completing the form.

  Thank you, *********************

  ************