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May 13, 2013Water Service Line Coverage FAQ
Des Moines Water Works is pleased to offer a low-cost water service line coverage program now available through HomeServe. This coverage offers protection for water service line breaks for single-family residents in the City of Des Moines and Des Moines Water Works’ total service areas. This program is voluntary and offers customers additional choices. The decision to participate is entirely yours.
Q
: What am I responsible for?
A: As a homeowner, you are responsible for your water service line, from Des Moines Water Works water main to the water meter inside your home. The decision to insure this risk is entirely yours.
Q: How does the coverage plan work?
A: Step 1: In the event of a home emergency, just call HomeServe toll-free at 1-855-695-1493.
Step 2: A local, licensed and insured plumber will be dispatched to your home to make your repair or replacement.
Step 3: Once covered repairs are completed, just sign the repair form and HomeServe pays the plumber directly for you.
Q: What is included in the Water Service Line Coverage Plan?
A: You will be covered for qualified costs to repair or replace the broken or leaking exterior water service line, from the water meter inside your home to the Des Moines Water Works water main, including the cost to repair the exterior shut-off valve. This includes all service call charges, labor and materials for covered repairs, and basic restoration – so you’ll have no bill to pay for covered repairs. HomeServe coverage also covers situations where a customer’s meter is located in an outside meter pit, covering the line from DMWW’s main to the point where the line enters the building.
Q: How much does it cost and where do I send my payment?
A: The coverage costs $3.99 a month. Customers who sign up will be billed directly on their monthly Des Moines Water Works bill.
Q: How can I obtain more information and/or purchase the HomeServe policy?
A: You can contact HomeServe directly at 1-855-695-1493 or go to www.homeserveusa.com for more information. Sign up for coverage at www.dmwaterplans.com.
Des Moines Water Works Announces Water Service Line Coverage Offered through HomeServe
Des Moines Water Works is pleased to announce a low-cost water service line coverage program now available through HomeServe USA (HomeServe). This optional coverage offers protection for water service line breaks for single-family residents in the City of Des Moines and Des Moines Water Works’ total service areas.
“Many customers don’t realize the entire exterior water service line that connects your home with Des Moines Water Works’ water main is your responsibility as a homeowner,” said Bill Stowe, CEO and General Manager, Des Moines Water Works. “If you were unfortunate enough to suffer a break in this line, or discover an inoperable shutoff valve, it would be up to you to find a plumber and face potentially costly repairs.”
To provide homeowners with an option, Des Moines Water Works has selected HomeServe to provide homeowners with a plan that protects them from costs associated with repairs to their water service line. After a thorough evaluation process, the coverage provided by HomeServe was determined to be the most comprehensive coverage and tailored for Des Moines Water Works’ customers.
“You may receive offers from other companies – but unlike this coverage offered by HomeServe, those offers are not customized for Des Moines Water Works’ customers, nor recommended by Des Moines Water Works,” said Stowe. “Des Moines Water Works is pleased to offer this optional coverage as a service to our customers.”
HomeServe policyholders will have an Emergency Repair Hotline that is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to bring local, licensed and insured plumbing contractors right to their home for repairs. The plan includes locating, excavating and repairing or replacing the damaged water pipe.
“This program can save you a significant amount of money, as a service line replacement can cost thousands of dollars. It can also save you the time and inconvenience of finding a qualified plumber, which can be difficult in the best of times, let alone in an emergency,” said Tom Rusin, HomeServe Chief Executive Officer. “Having this program also eliminates worry, as you can be sure the job is professionally completed by a local, licensed and insured Des Moines area plumber.”
Des Moines Water Works has secured this optional policy coverage at an affordable price of $3.99 per month, which will be conveniently billed on Des Moines Water Works’ monthly statement. For more information on the program or to register for coverage, call TOLL-FREE 1-855-695-1493 or go online to www.dmwaterplans.com.
Welcome New DMWW Customers
Effective January 1, 2013, Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) began providing total service to approximately 465 Polk County Rural Water District #1 customers. DMWW will perform the activities of meter reading, billing, payment processing and general customer service. In addition, DMWW will begin maintaining water distribution system and providing field customer service, including water sampling, leak detection, locate services, meter repair and replacement, meter reading equipment repair and replacement, service termination, and service turn-on. DMWW welcomes its new service customers and is proud to deliver water you can trust for life.
New Technology for Pleasant Hill Customers
Des Moines Water Works is implementing new meter reading technology in our Pleasant Hill service area. Currently, meter readers walk Pleasant Hill neighborhoods and collect reads manually from meter reading devices located on the exterior of your home or business. In January, we will be kicking off a project to install “fixed base radio frequency” for Pleasant Hill customers. This technology eliminates any manual intervention in collecting meter reads and creates a more efficient reading and billing process.
In addition to being more efficient, utilizing this technology will also bring enormous benefits to you. You will be able to access your meter reads online at www.dmww.com and/or set up a consumption alert that will advise you when your consumption has exceeded a set number of gallons specified by you. This will help you detect leaks, running toilets, or a garden hose left running as it occurs, saving you the unwelcome surprise of a high bill. In addition, DMWW will be able to monitor for situations of water running continuously at a property (the sign of a potential leak), allowing us to proactively contact you to make you aware of a possible leak.
The project will begin in January and will continue throughout 2013 in phases. Because we may need access to your meter, you will receive a letter asking you to call Des Moines Water Works to schedule an appointment. We look forward to bringing you more robust technology with features that will help you better manage your water usage.
Utility Bill Scam Advisory
Des Moines Water Works advises customers about a nationwide utility bill scam that has reached the Des Moines metro area.
The scam claims President Barack Obama is providing credits or applying payments to utility bills. Customers are asked to provide their social security numbers to apply for the program. The scammers then give customers a phony bank routing number. Customers are told to provide the routing number to pay their utility bills or to receive a credit on their utility bills. If the routing number is entered during an online transaction, it may appear that the customer’s bill has been paid (or that credit has been applied), but no government funds are applied to the customer’s account, and the balance remains due. According to reports, the scammers are also using e-mail, text messages, and social media to reach customers.
Des Moines Water Works has recently seen an increase in rejected e-check payments with improper bank routing/account number, as many as 20 in one day. When contacted, customers confirmed that they provided their social security number in exchange for a special bank account number to pay their water bill.
Des Moines Water Works does not ask or require social security numbers from customers. If anyone asks for this information on behalf of Des Moines Water Works, do not provide it.
If you think you have provided Des Moines Water Works with an incorrect bank routing number, please contact a Des Moines Water Works customer service representative at (515) 283-8700.
Customer Advisory Council – We Want You!
Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) strives to deliver programs and options that are valued by our customers. Two of the biggest concerns we hear from residential customers relate to leaks in service lines and inoperable stop boxes. Customers are responsible for maintaining their water service line, including the stop box, and when a service line or stop box needs repaired, the cost to repair is often significant and unexpected. For many customers, this can be devastating to the family budget.
To provide customers an option, Des Moines Water Works has recently requested proposals from service providers to offer a service line warranty program to our customers. DMWW has committed to performing all the due diligence to ensure the program is cost-effective, offers full coverage without “small print exclusions,” and is overall, in our customers’ best interests.
We would like to invite residential customers to participate in a Customer Advisory Council to review DMWW’s recommended provider and program and provide feedback. The time commitment is approximately one hour. If interested, please email Amy Kahler, Director of Customer Service and Marketing, at kahler@dmww.com. Take this opportunity to help shape an important program for Des Moines Water Works’ customers!
Avoid High Water Bill Surprises
Des Moines Water Works listened to customer suggestions for more functionality to online customer account information. A new customer account feature now available at www.dmww.com is consumption alerts. Don’t be surprised by a high water bill anymore. Customers now have the ability to set a daily consumption threshold. If your daily consumption exceeds that on any given day, an automated alert will be sent to an e-mail account you provide.
To set up a new consumption alert:
- Log in to your Des Moines Water Works account at www.dmww.com
- Select the Account Services tab and then select Consumption Alerts
- Select the meter you would like to be alerted
- Check to select either Gallons or Cubic Feet (DMWW bills in cubic feet, but many people find it more natural to think in terms of gallons)
- After reviewing your last bill statement and the average daily recommendations listed as a guide, enter in your daily consumption threshold and click Save
- The new consumption alert will be listed below
- Changes to the alert can be made at any time by deleting your existing alert and creating a new one.
We encourage customers to save money and save water by taking advantage of the consumption alert feature now available. Too many times, customers don’t notice a leaking toilet until they open their water bill and find that it has doubled or even tripled its normal amount. The new alert feature allows customers to be notified as the leak is occurring and promptly correct it, avoiding wasted water and the surprise of a large bill.
If you have questions about setting up a consumption alert, contact Des Moines Water Works at 283-8700.
Do I Need Water Service Line Coverage?
Des Moines area residents may recently have received a letter from HomeServe, a company offering water service line coverage. Although Des Moines Water Works believes such a service could be of value to our customers and we are, in fact, in the process of creating a program that we could recommend to our customers, Des Moines Water Works does not endorse HomeServe at this time and did not provide any customer information to the company.
The letter correctly states the property owner is responsible for the water service line from the main to your home or business, which includes the stopbox. Leaks in the service line or an inoperable stopbox can be expensive to repair, which is why DMWW is researching solutions for customers who wish to protect themselves from the risks associated with their water service line. In our research, we have found most plans offer only limited coverage and do not cover all aspects of the service line, such as an inoperable stopbox. We are thoroughly researching service providers and plans and will select a partner we can recommend only after a thorough and rigorous review of the company’s qualifications and services. We anticipate a program that DMWW can fully endorse will be available to our customers later this year.
“Before selecting any service provider or coverage, we encourage customers to ask questions specifically related to the coverage offered to ensure it covers the service line from the tap to the home or business, including the stopbox, and to be sure the offer is made by a reputable company,” said Randy Beavers, CEO and General Manager.
DMWW considers ourselves your partner in ensuring you receive a quality product and service for all aspects of your water service, and we take very seriously our mission to provide responsive services that provide high value to our customers. We cannot affirm that HomeServe’s offering meets this high standard.
If you have any questions, please contact Des Moines Water Works at (515) 283-8700.
Water Works Park Road Facelift
Those who enjoy the beauty of Water Works Park by walking, biking or simply cruising, have probably noticed Water Works Park received a minor facelift recently. The western portion of the Park, known as the Event Loop, has taken a beating from age, flooding and a high water table. The road was crumbled, cracked and even non-existent in some areas, providing an uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe surface. The 1.7 mile loop received a 3” overlay of asphalt, which amounted to 4,100 tons of asphalt! In addition, to improve drainage and channel water, 4,050 feet of ditches and 376 feet of culverts were installed. Thanks to the completion of the project, which cost approximately $410,000, recreation enthusiasts can now enjoy a smooth riding and walking surface.
IMT Des Moines Marathon runners will enjoy the new Park roads Sunday, October 16. Enjoy the beautiful autumn weather and experience the improvement for yourself!
Understanding Your Water Meter
Your water meter is read each month to determine your water consumption. Meters are typically located in your basement, although most residential and commercial meters are read by remote equipment which does not require Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) staff to enter your home or business. Each month, your meter read is displayed on the bottom of your statement. If your meter is easily accessible, you can read the water meter yourself to verify the reads against your statement.
The readings are displayed like the odometer on your car and read from left to right. Most meters in Des Moines measure in cubic feet, and typically reflect six digits. The first four digits on the meter are shown verbatim on your statement (exception: any leading zeroes are omitted). However, DMWW bills only in hundred cubic feet increments, so the last two digits on your statement will always be “00,” regardless of what is shown on your meter.
DMWW’s automated radio frequency meter reading equipment in most of our service areas allows DMWW to receive two meter reads each day, and these reads are available to you via your online account at www.dmww.com. If your consumption is higher than expected, you can monitor your daily reads at any time by querying your meter reading data on our website. If, after monitoring your daily consumption, you believe you may have a leak, don’t hesitate to call us at (515) 283-8700 and visit with a customer service representative about what may be causing the high consumption.