Several years ago Washington Water Service purchased the water system we have been on for almost 50 years. We have had few problems with either company; however, based on recent service responses I must say I am impressed with Washington Water Service. Recently we have had a couple of episodes of colored water; just enough to be noticeable in a full clear tumbler. I emailed them Thursday night and received two nice voice messages Friday morning saying they didn't know of any problem, but would notify their local service department. Friday afternoon a service technician stopped by and check our water meter and quality. He was very pleasant and remarked that he usually didn't get a chance to talk customer and appreciated our chat. He said the cause of our turbid water may be high demand this time of year which may stir up a little sediment in the pipes. If it continues they will flush their lines. Bottom line: It was very refreshing to deal with very nice real people instead of wasting time on the computer trying to find answers as most businesses, and government, expect you to do. read more

I have been with WWS since 1986 and what I would consider a good customer. I have my payments set up on auto through my bank so I don't have to worry about monitoring my bills. Apparently last July, WWS service changed their billing system to include every account number of their customers. I was told today that their new system would not accept the account numbers currently assigned. Keep in mind this is 8 months later and the first I am hearing of it. In this day and age, I am calling "bull" that they couldn't figure out how not to disrupt the customer. I work for a company that had the same issue and it was a matter of a quick programming change, adding some zero's to the number to allow for the transition for the old customer to not be impacted by the change. Second, WWS choice was to take the time to return my checks instead of cashing them, stating they do not have time to go in and fix the account number and that it is my responsibility to do it. Really? You have the time to return the check but not to deposit into the correct account? Obviously they can tell what account the checks belong to, as taking the time to return the check to me as a way of punishing me verse making the adjustment and depositing the check then perhaps giving me a call months ago is poor customer service. The attitude from Caroline was very snotty, It came across as a scolding and how could I not have taken care of this. After I asked her can't she just deposit the check today her response was, "no, if I did that you would never change the account number and we need people to fix the account numbers, we don't have time to do it and I am returning your check." I am laughing right now at the horrible level of service. Again I have been a good customer and lived in this area for 33 years and have known the water company to always be community oriented, kind and easy to work with. I suspected that something must have changed as this was not the company I had come to know over the years, and yes as I started to look up who I could complain to I found that our local water company had been bought out by the California Water Service Group. Now it makes sense, hey California, get it together, Gig Harbor is a small community and does not want to be treated with the disrespect that the customers in California are treated with. Just because you are a utility company does not mean you can get away with being horrible at customer service. FYI, this is not Caroline's issue, it starts at the top. Unreal read more

Horrible customer service, arrogant and disrespectful. If there was a rating less than 1, WWS is where you would find it.

If you have any choice at all, be wary of doing business with these people. They seem very dishonest. Even if you want your water turned off they still charge you a monthly charge to maintain the water in the street. If you tell them you don't want water at all they threaten that if you want to sell your property they won't guarantee they will hook up water for the next person. Very shady business. read more

I am sorry that there is not a choice if you have to use this water company. When I signed up for water service as an individual homeowner I asked for written instructions on what I needed to do to connect to the waterline at the road. They said they did not have anything written up. They have been in business for many years and it's hard to believe they can't give you something in writing to tell you what kind of valves, hoses and what's expected of the people you hire to connect to the water service. I made numerous calls to the office to clarify issues and often got different answers to the same question. After lots of misinformation, not for lack of trying on my part, I told them that I had lived in the harbor since 1983 and never had as much trouble with a utility company as this one. In fact I've never had any trouble with any of the utility companies. It's all about money. Not customer service. And yes, they got their money. It's the lack of consistent answers that is the problem. read more

Resident for over 10 years in a community with a Lake that this company uses to pipe into our homes, and took our rights away by denying our right to dig a well or capture rainwater. Then, summoned to serve our country, I checked in with them and told them I would be absent - they took advantage of the opportunity and mailed notices to the house only to call me the morning that they were turning off the water. Seems 4 hours is not fast enough to return the call - they already locked the valve at the street and wanted $25 to unlock it. Asked why they didn't call me as requested if there was a problem (no problems for past 10 years) and they said they only send letters. I regret you have no option but to deal with these people, but if you're in the market for a home that is serviced by Washington Water - buy a home elsewhere. read more