From Dallas To Amarillo, Why Can’t Texas Get Water Bills Right?

Water bills are a part of life. It's so routine that it seems insane to think that anything could go wrong. How could anything go wrong with something we've been doing and will be doing forever? Recently, there have been issues with paying water bills from Dallas, Texas to Amarillo. How do water bills get messed up?

Surprise In Amarillo! Residents Getting Bills That Are Years "Overdue"

In Amarillo, Texas, there were several cases recently of residents getting bills from the City that were years overdue. Come to find out, the City was tackling some backlogged bills. Some of the bills that went out were for hundreds of dollars and residents were blindsided, especially when they had supposedly already paid. It makes you scratch your head and wonder just how could something like this happen. Water bills are so routine you'd think the process would streamlined and without any room for major errors. I guess that's what we all get for thinking.

According to reports, the City was chalking it up to short staffing and the pandemic.

Also, don't forget about the multiple times in recent history that bills weren't able to be paid thanks to software errors. This was more of a headache for the City than the residents since we all got to delay paying our water bill until the issues were resolved.

Dallas, Texas Surprises Residents With New Payment Method; Chaos Ensues

In Dallas, a new payment system was implemented and some residents found themselves confused about how to even pay their bill. For some, the only solution they found was to actually go pay it in person. Supposedly, the new system was designed to make it easier for residents to pay their water bill and other bills with the City.

For some, the issue came with having to set up their profile and automatic payments. Even if they already were enrolled in auto payments they had to set it back up under the new system. It didn't "roll over".

I understand the push to make things "easier" and more "accessible" for people. That's what technology is supposed to do. It's frustrating, dare I say infuriating, when something that worked seamlessly for so long suddenly becomes a massive headache. Maybe we shouldn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to water bills. As the old saying goes; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.