Water You Doing In Customer Service With That Attitude?

I rent an apartment through a housing association. One day, I discover no water coming from my taps anymore, so I call the housing association for some clarification. They tell me they’ve had other tenants from my building calling with the same problem, but they transfer me to the city’s water company.

Me: “Hi. I’m calling because there’s no water coming from my taps. I wondered if there was unannounced plumbing maintenance somewhere that might be the cause?”

Employee: “Have you just moved into this apartment by any chance?” 

Me: “No, I’ve been living here for four years.” 

Employee: “When is the last time you received your water bill from us?”

Me: “I have not, because I—”

He cuts me off rather rudely and puts on a really condescending tone.

Employee: “Ma’am, you do know you have to pay us in order to get water in your apartment. It’s how the world works. You can’t expect to get water for free. If you don’t pay, your water can get shut off, so there’s no surprise there.”

Me: “If you’d let me finish… The water services are included in my rent, so no, I don’t get direct bills from you, as those are handled by [Housing Association]. Plus, I have heard that other tenants have complained there is no water currently, so it’s not just me. Now, can you please confirm that there is a water outage at my address?”

Employee: “Oh… Erm… No… We have nothing in our system about an outage. Can you try your taps again for me, please?”

It’s been a few minutes since I last tried, so I humour him. Lo and behold, water comes out of my taps just fine again.

Me: “Well, look at that. Looks like it’s resolved itself in the meantime.”

Employee: “Yeah, well, next time, check our website to see if there is a confirmed water outage in your area because there was nothing I could do for you now. Bit of a time-waster.” 

Me: “Excuse me for wasting your time, then. Goodbye.” *Hangs up*