City of Glendale, AZ Billing Set Up Expressly to Induce Service Reconnect Fees Glendale, Arizona

It's not like I'm trying to stall on payments or something.
- Of course not...that is why you want MULTIPLE warning letters.  Based on your comments it seems about 3 would be good for you.

As to one of your original comments..
(Phone payments were once an option, but this option was terminated a few years ago.) 
- Guess what...In looking at their web site I see the following.

E-Payment Services
You can now pay your City of Glendale utility bill quickly and conveniently online. Our new online payment feature is secure and free and available through our official Web site, www.glendaleaz.com.  Not only is it quick and simple, it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A variety of payment options are available: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or debit card with Visa or Mastercard logo. First-time users will create a unique, secure profile so that they can attach their utility account(s)  for easy access to information and payment options. 

Those who would prefer to pay their utility bill by telephone through an automated system can now do that as well. To pay by phone, residents can call 623-930-3639.

I underlined the part that may be of particular interest to you..oh and just for fun I tried that number and it was working.

The issue here is being able to set up automatic payments to AVOID the possibility of forgetting payments.  It's not like I'm trying to stall on payments or something.

All I want to do is set up reliable automatic payments, to spare the grief of lost service and paying penalties for forgetting payment.  (I've done exactly that with other services that require timely payments.  And never had a problem.)  Most utilities and other services provide painless methods of getting such payment apparatus in place.  I only provided this report because the City of Glendale, AZ DOES NOT PROVIDE A RELIABLE METHOD TO SET UP AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS.  Combined with the fact COGAZ is also trigger-happy with interrupting service, and won't accept payments that differ from the exact amount due.  (Even if the payments happen to EXCEED the amount due.)

Or to state this a different way, I would have NOT submitted this report had the City of Glendale AZ done JUST ONE of the following things.

1. Provide a reliable method to set up automatic payments.  (All my other utilities provide this option online.  COGAZ only offers this by mail, and constantly claims they never receive the applications.)

2. Provide banks to set up electronic bill pay.  (All my other utilities offer eBill payments through my bank.  I only use this option because it avoids problems with expired credit cards.)

3. Accept mailed check payments that EXCEED the amount due.  (I'd have the bank automatically send fixed checks for amounts over the amount due.)  I personally find this restriction particularly troubling, because I don't recall one other service that doesn't accept payments deviating from the exact amount due.  I must know the amount due, and often, I don't have immediate access to the information.  (This is a BIG problem whenever I'm out of town.)

4. Provided options to negotiate averting water shut off in the event the immediate due payment.  (Aside from traveling 20 miles to hand-deliver the payment.)

5. Sent reliable warning letters, multiple warning letters, or a pre-recorded courtesy call, in the event of past due bills.  (The only other time I recall a delinquent payment issue, the utility sent a "FIRST NOTICE", "SECOND NOTICE", and "FINAL NOTICE".  It was delinquent only because I had a lengthy dispute over a past bill.  The utility never interrupted service.)

I hope this rebuttal makes this issue clearer.  Thank you.

TK

Is someone making every excuse in the book to NOT make a payment.

Its services have been set up to force customers to remember payment, without warning, or their water will be shut off promptly. 
- You mean you actually have to remember that you owe a water bill?  What is the world coming to.  Seriously, you have been living there for 15 years.  So one could figure that you probably have received a few water bills over the years.  One could also figure that they come on a regular basis, probably monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly.

Now, I am sure that this comment will be met with the usual.."You don't know my life", "I have NO time to do this", or even "Well everyone else does what I want".  Again..those are just EXCUSES.  I would bet that 99.99% of their customers are able to make their payments and don't get their water shut off.  Perhaps you should get yourself a little calendar to remind you.

1.  The COGAZ only method of warning customers of shutting off water service is via mail notice, which usually arrives less than a week prior to the pending disconnection date.
- I thought you said that they disconnect it "without warning".  The last time I checked a mail notice is a warning, or is this a case where they don't give you a warning the way YOU want it?

Penalizing anyone who forgets to submit a payment merely a month past due.
- Mearly a month..LMAO?  So how long should a person be allowed to "forget" about the payment?