LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - A handful of Lowell residents received a bit of a surprise when they opened their latest water bills, invoices that claimed they owed more than $200,000 in some instances.
“(It was) one of those shocking things. This cannot be real,” said Stephen Giuffre, who waters the fruits and vegetables in his small garden. “I texted my wife and (said) ‘Looks like no showers or laundry for the next couple of months.'”
Giuffre says his water bill is typically around $200. However, his latest bill overflowed that amount. This time the balance due was more than $210,000.
“This email was technically a reminder email, saying, ‘Hey, don’t forget. Your water bill is due in three days.’ (In) three days, I can’t pay that.”
Giuffre wasn’t alone.
“I thought maybe I was paying for water for the whole city,” said John Kolakowski, whose bill ballooned from a typical $152 to more than $172,000.
“I knew it was a mistake,” he said. “There’s just no way.”
The city of Lowell quickly confirmed it was a mistake, saying there was an error in the third-party system the city uses for online notifications.
In a statement city wrote in part: “The vendor has apologized for the inconvenience and is dedicated to working with the Finance Office to reconcile and correct the balances.”
Now, Giuffre is drenched with delight knowing this was just a mistimed April 1st mistake.
“Yes, I can use my water again,” he said.
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