While it’s not actually a scam, Granville village residents have been receiving a letter prompting them to pay for a service that isn’t really necessary.
The mailing, which comes from HomeServe USA, presents daunting potential water line repair costs for those who are uninsured by the company.
“Our records indicate that your property does not have Water Service Line Coverage from HomeServe. You are responsible for the maintenance and repair of the exterior water line at the above address. Repairing a broken water line could cost you thousands of dollars without coverage,” the letter reads, and it goes on to offer coverage for $4.99 per month.
Village officials, however, want residents to know they did not send this letter out and do not think the insurance it is offering is needed.
“The village doesn’t support this or think it’s a necessary expense or service. Most residents are customers of the village water system,” said Clerk Rick Roberts.
When problems do arise within this system, Roberts said the department of public works quickly takes care of the issue, day or night, and that’s it.
“I’ve talked with Dan Williams (superintendent of public works,) and he said if you’re a customer of the water system and you have a problem, like a leak, a kink or something needing to be replaced, they’ll come out and fix it,” Roberts said, adding that they usually charge only a nominal fee.
“It’s not something they would charge an exorbitant price for,” he said, because they would charge only what is necessary to facilitate the repair or replacement.
As the letter has arrived at various mailboxes throughout the village, Roberts has received a number of calls from seniors or others who are vulnerable.
“They say, ‘Is this something the village sent out?’ No, it’s not,” Roberts said. He wants people to realize the letter is simply from a company trying to sell insurance for services that are already available through the village of Granville at a reasonable rate.