Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Guardian Water & Power, Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Guardian Water & Power, Inc.

  1650 Watermark Dr Ste 170 Columbus, OH 43215-7006

  
• 

  Guardian Water & Power, Inc.

  PO Box 163488 Columbus, OH 43216-3488

  

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:01/19/2024

  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.

  I currently own a townhome in ***** **** ******* in Sarasota, Florida. Several residents have had meter and billing issues with Guardian Water & Power to include myself and these issues have been going on for months. Only 2 people live at my residence and every month my water bill averages $150-200, which is over double the national average for 2 people. Also, on my bill next to the amount is a status of "leak alarm/back potential" which gives me cause for concern. I have contacted Guardian Water & Power several times via phone and email, they refuse to come to my residence and check on my water meter to make sure that it is working correctly and there are no leaks that may be causing these issues. Apparently I needed HOA approval for Guardian to come out, I obtained that approval and they still refused to come out. I am paying monthly for their services, I don't think this is an unreasonable request. I would like to be contacted by the BBB if possible to discuss everything. I can provide email traffic between myself, my HOA, and Guardian, billing statements, and meter readings. Please help me, I don't know what else to do at this point.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/29/2024

  In response to the BBB Complaint ID ******** filed by **** *****, here is what we found:
  
  Guardian's billing department has coordinated with the HOA to validate the serial number on the submeter as there were concerns at several other units that the serial numbers did not align with the billing. Per the HOA, and per the resident's email on 12/18/2023 the serial number is correct for the address **** ****** Ct.
  
  It is physically impossible for a water submeter to advance (for the number dials to turn) without water flowing through the submeter. Water submeters are very simple devices and the only way the number dials turn is if water is flowing through it. The recent meter reading was 138,090 on 1/17/2024. If the reading on the meter face is above this number then the billing is accurate.
  
  Guardian does not service high bill amounts that may be due to leaks, as our technicians service only the submeter itself and any repairs on the plumbing lines themselves is outside of our scope of work. Guardian may very rarely inspect the meter for functionality, but we recommend first that the resident or HOA perform basic troubleshooting (listed below) to avoid any unnecessary costs.
  
  As such, we recommend continuing to partner with your property manager at ***** **** ******* HOA to thoroughly check for leaks or other minor plumbing concerns that may be contributing to the usage reflected in your bill.
  
  To have Guardian support staff assist with validating the recent meter reading, you may take a picture of the meter face (be sure to make sure the numbers on the front of the meter are visible) and send it to our [email protected] email address with the picture attached at your earliest convenience.
  
  Troubleshooting information:
  Most models of submeters have a leak indicator. A leak indicator is typically a dial that will spin if there is any water flow occurring. If all the faucets/taps are turned off, nothing on the face of the meter should move. If the dial/leak indicator spins, this indicates a potential leak.
  Track usage either overnight, or during the day if no one is home. Take a picture before and after to see if the numbers on the meter face advance during a time period when there should be no usage. If the numbers advance, this indicates a potential leak.
  Make sure the toilet(s) is not running in the unit. Even a small running toilet that is hard to hear could account for constant water usage resulting in a very high utility bill for the resident. Running toilets (AKA a toilet leak) accounts for 70% of the high bills that we see.
  To test for a running toilet, we recommend performing a toilet dye test, 
  1. Remove the tank lid. 
  2. Drop a dye tablet or several drops of food dye (or coffee, or any other liquid that is not clear) into the tank. Do NOT flush. Wait 15 minutes. 
  3. Check the water in the bowl for color. If the color appears in the bowl, there is a leak.
  
  Replacing the toilet’s flapper valve will likely stop the leak. To ensure proper flush performance, be sure the replacement flapper meets the toilet manufacturer’s specifications for your toilet model. If you turn off the toilet’s supply line, typically located at the back of the toilet, if the leak indicator on the meter stops moving this confirms the leak is stemming from the toilet
  Check for dripping faucets.
  Check for other water leaks, drips, etc. in the unit. There is likely no standing water you would be checking for, but any fixture in the unit that uses water should be checked.
  You could turn the shut-off valve off (next to the water submeter) at night or when not at home to avoid water charges for an unresolved leak.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/31/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Our apt complex uses services from Guardian Water & Power as 3rd party billing services for the gas usage at our property, they bill our residents for gas, issue I am having is no follow up, no clear communication, lack of timely response and billing mistakes affecting tenants and our property, I have emailed left voice message to our account rep ***** ******* with no response. We escalated issue with her upper management owner of company *** ********* also included in email and i have yet to receive direct email and response regarding my inquiries, I emailed 12/05/2023 which i have attached copy, I once again call leave VM to ***** ******* 12/15/23 and follow up with another message, I just received billing preview on 12/21/23 from ***** ******* with no response on my previous inquiry and they neglected to send Oct & Nov preview on time so they sent 2 billings cycles all in one statement, which has mistakes on billing, every time i call there is no answer and it always prompts me to leave a message and I find it very frustrating to be paying for a service i am not receiving or common courtesy of a call back or simple email, we all are busy so i understand but the lack of effort is beyond frustrating.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2024

  In response to the BBB Complaint ID ******** filed by ****** *****, here is what we found:
  
  Guardian understands there have been gaps in communications for the account. Billing structure changes outside the scope of the contract were requested and are now in effect at no additional cost to the property. A free maintenance visit was offered in October and has not yet been accepted by the property management. Please respond to the 12/21 email confirming the best point of contact for scheduling. The monthly billing will be reassigned to a new account representative in the next billing cycle to address the customer service concerns.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/22/2024

  Good morning,

  No rep has been assigned to our account yet, I still am working with ***** ******* who is the rep in charge of our account and for the most part communication has improved, she did send me preview billing, she will be assigning a new rep to our account I was told in February. For now, we can close complaint my main concern was lack of communication or follow up or even a simple response or email. I am happy to report that I am getting response back and not being ignored. I appreciate your help this defiantly was resolution I was looking for.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/24/2023

  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.

  Guardian Water & Power (GWP) is billing me for water usage on meter ********. My meter is ********. Initial contact with GWP was April 2023. My water bills in previous home were three people using 2,000/month. Current bills are 6,000-8,000/month. There are no leaks; overnight meter readings (when water isn’t used) reveal no water usage. Incorrect meter was detected in May 2023. GWP stated meter correction info must be received only from property management company ********** ********** ****. ********* ********** **. (**** ********************************* ************) has notified GWP of the mistake and provided correct information, but claims GWP is non-responsive and nothing else can be done.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2023

  In response to the BBB Complaint ID 20649176 filed by ****** ********, here is what we found:
  
  Guardian received a meter & transmitter photo from the property management for the equipment installed in the unit.
  After researching the information, it was determined that the meter was not programmed correctly.
  The account representative for the property is in the process of generating corrected bills and they will be sent to the property management in the next few days.
  Bills going forward should be correct as well.
  Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.Tell us why here...

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/19/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/01/2022

  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.

  Unable to provide water meter reading to renters but insist on abnormal high rates for water and sewer. - does not routinely provide bills - if water isn’t paid credit alert comes up - lack of readings between bill cycles

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/08/2022

  In response to the BBB Complaint ID ******** filed by ****** ********* here is what we found:
  
  Guardian is billing the property in question with a Ratio Utility Billing system (RUBs).
  This means that there are NO meters in the units and that we take the Municipal bill and divide it based on the number of occupants per unit.
  Since there are no meters, there are no meter reads to provide.
  I am not sure is meant by “if water isn’t credit alert comes up”. Guardian does collect payment from the residents for this property. Bills are paid to the management company so we would not know if payments were made or not.
  Guardian has only processed 2 bills for all units located at this address. One in October 2022 and one in November 2022. The bill being sent in December 2022 has NOT been processed yet.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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.

  Description: Constituent's checking account was hacked by someone so her bank put the account on limited status to allow all outstanding checks to clear the account. She had paid a water bill to Guardian Water and Power, which came back as insufficient funds from their bank, not hers. When Guardian Water and Power didn't cash that check, she wrote them a new one out of her new bank account. That check has not been cashed either. They are now stating that she owes penalties, amounting to almost $70, which includes the original bill of $22. She lives at ******** ******* ** ************ *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  The resident was billed $22.47 on 6/7/22.
  Guardian received a check via USPS on 6/22/22 in the amount of $22.47 (check # ****). Guardian processes the checks the same day they are received.
  Guardian was notified on 6/27/22 by our financial institution that the check was being return due to “Frozen/Blocked Account”. We were charged a $20.00 NSF fee that was then passed along to the resident.
  Guardian has not received any other payment by check via the USPS from this resident.
  We did receive a payment on 7/26/22 that the resident made via our tele-pay system with a credit card.
  Because we showed the $22.47 as a payment, but the bank did not cash the check due to the NSF, this amount and the NSF fee of $20.00 was add back onto the residents account. For a total of $42.47.
  Since the resident is the person that put her bank account on “limited status” they would need to talk to their bank to find out why the check was returned as “Frozen/Blocked Account”.
  Guardian had nothing to do with the payment not processing and should not be responsible for the $20.00 NSF fee.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2022

  Much of this coThe  info they gave you ahgain todat is not correctmplaint has been left out of the response by that company. I definitly will complete my response after I talk to the agent at the BBB Bureau. This is not  going to be accepted, no one will agree to the response given by that conmpanu.  I have proof and paperwork from the Bank to back me up and I will not accept their tactics. The lawyer will also back me up. this company does not seem to understand how to run a business correctly.  I was in the business world my entire life and never did anyone ever try to pull these tricks on our people nor us on anyone else.  I will not take their demands just because they want to make them.  The info they sent to you today is noy correct. I do not owe more money and I will show the correct facts to BBB with all my paperwork and ststements from people involved. They don't even seem to understand howthe banks work or what they were even told. I will show the facts.        Thank you.
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2022

  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.

  On July 30, 2018, I entered into an agreement with Guardian Water & Power to install meters, collect data and provide utility billing service. Guardian was committed to collecting monthly data from each unit and provide bills for each unit. Starting 6-4-21 a problem with the Account Representative getting the bills out. Her response,"I just sent the tenant bill. I'm not sure why it didn't send in the first place." On 8/20/21 email from Account Rep. reference a problem with the data collector being disconnected and requested someone check the data collector because it was disconnected from the internet and she needed to do the pullings for billing. This pattern of request for the building Manager and the Internet provider to trouble shoot continued on the following dates: 8/21/21 CenturyLink Technician diagnosed no problem with internet service. On 8/24/21 Account Rep, sent instruction and 8/26/21 she inquired about ethernet cord being plugged into the data collector. CenturyLink Tech. came to the site and test the internet connection, no problem was discovered. The Account Rep, finally stated she would have her tech dept. to check the system. On 9/14/21 she informed me of LTE service could be turned on for wireless at an additional $30.00 per month. The Staff Accountant emailed (9/27/21) Guardian Account Rep to inform her that the last tenant bills was for June, 2021. October I signed an authorization form notifying Guardian of the transfer of the property. Guardian requested if the cancellation was done in error, to let her know so steps could be taken to move the account back to Guardian. April 18, 2022 an invoice ($350.) was attached to an email for the last seven months of reading fees. Stating a cancellation form was sent to me and I never filled out and returned the form. May 4, 2022 statement was received stating I closed my account in April with an outstanding balance $350 and will sent my account to collection. Services were not performed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/24/2022

  It is unfortunate that our client was unable to resolve the issues related to her equipment connecting to her internet service and was not interested in the alternative cell phone connection offered to fix the issue. We are not able to resolve issues related to a client's internet provider as that is their personal relationship. Because the required cancellation form that was sent to the client was not filled out as requested, the account was left open and per our contract, responsible for monthly billing fees. After many attempts to have the cancellation process completed, the representative finally cancelled the account, on her behalf, to avoid further costs and fees were charged for the contracted months. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2022

  Again, there were zero problem with the internet service at anytime .  The problem was Guardian employee lack of delivery of service.  Look internal for the performance of the employee. At not time did they do any physical trouble shooting.  The request and instruction was for us to do the trouble shooting.  Apparently, they do not have technicians locally. Guardian was paid for services and I will not pay now or ever a debt not owed.