An Italian woman with a salary of 1,200 euros was shocked to receive two huge water bills, totaling 55,469.88 euros, from the company Arca, which holds the concession of the integrated water service, reports “Il Resto del Carlino”. Normally, her bill for six months was only a few hundred euros.
PHOTO: Archive
The invoices were detailed as follows: 29,650.39 euros and 25,819.49 euros. The woman, who lives alone in a house in the Reggio Emilia region, immediately contacted the company, sending messages and calling the offices for clarification, but to no avail. Later, she turned to a consumer protection association to resolve the situation.
Inspections revealed that the exorbitant bills were caused by o “hidden leak” in the water installation.
“A bill like this could only be a mistake: €55,000 worth of water is enough to fill several Olympic swimming pools, and the woman lives alone in a detached house.” explained Lucia Lusenti, coordinator of the association for Reggio Emilia.
After identifying the leak, the woman entered into a mediation process with Arca, and her bills were reduced by more than 90%. In addition, he had access to a “loss fund”, which covered part of the expenses.
