Wednesday letters: Columbia water, sewer insurance offers raise questions

On the same day last week, I received by mail two offers for water line and sewer line insurance. The first was from SCE&G, and I wondered why our gas and electric supplier was offering to protect my sewer line. The other was made to look like it came from the city of Columbia, our water provider.

As both letters pointed out, we are responsible for a break or blockage in these lines between our homes and the main sewage and water lines. One plan was priced at $4.99 monthly, the other $5.99.

We have encountered only one sewer line clog in 40 years. It happened at night, and we called a local service that sent a truck out and pushed the clog into the main sewer line, and then advised us to call the sewer folks since it was now their problem, not ours. This service was not cheap, but we were grateful to find someone who knew how to fix our problem.

I called the contact phone numbers on both offers and asked why two companies were offering what seemed like the same insurance. Both companies said they were just looking for another way to make money. One added that I might not need the insurance if I can afford to pay several thousand dollars for a possible repair. At the conclusion of both calls, I thought, “Well, at least they were honest” and tossed both letters in the trash.

Columbia

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 7:50 PM.