A woman in her early 80s has found herself at the center of a billing nightmare involving a government agency and a property she's held on to for sentimental reasons.

Despite never requesting any changes to the home, she agreed to a city recommendation that quickly turned into a six-figure crisis.

The woman, already managing her life post-retirement, is now being asked to pay more than many people make in an entire year—and she claims she didn’t use a single drop of the utility she’s being billed for.

And the city has now threatened to go after something she thought was protected—her pension.



The issue began in 2024 when the Chicago-based woman, identified as Diane Carli, 82, was approached by the city regarding a water meter installation at the property she inherited from her late husband in 2017.

The home didn’t have a meter—or even active plumbing—and she had never requested one.

Despite that, she let the installation proceed. Within just six months, Carli received a bill totaling $233,439.90, alleging that she had used over 500,000 gallons of water.

The city’s Water Department put the account in collections and began pursuing her pension to recover the claimed debt.


“This is unbelievable. This is totally wrong,” Carli said. She added, “I said, “A bill for what?” And they said for water.”

“I’m slow, I’m dumb, whatever you want to call me, but it’s going to take an Einstein to figure this s*** out. I don’t care what you say.”

“I’ve never in my lifetime seen a bill like that. They’re going to put me in the grave with this, because what do I do?”

Initially, her daughter Lisa tried to dispute the charges on her behalf, but the city didn’t budge.



Also read: A new invention could help lower your water bill and clean the air at the same time

Carli then reached out to Ald. Raymond Lopez, who stepped in—but even he has had no success so far in getting the city to waive the bill.

Lopez, referencing years of similar reports from CBS News’ Getting Hosed series, said: “One would think that, after six years of seeing your stories on Getting Hosed, people within the Water Department, people within the Law Department, and people within Finance would understands mistakes happen.”

After receiving media attention, the city came back and replaced the meter. The new device is reportedly showing zero water usage.

Despite this clear discrepancy, officials have not canceled the original charges.


Lopez and others are now fighting to have the full amount erased from Carli’s record.

But the case remains open, and it's unclear if the pensioner will ever see justice for what she believes is an error she should never have had to suffer for.

What to do if you’re overcharged​

If you're ever charged more than what you owe at a retailer or by a provider, there are ways to push back.

Customers should report pricing discrepancies to a manager immediately, especially if the charge is higher than the posted or quoted price.



Also read: Man’s water bill jumped from $200 to $2,000—could yours be next?

Keeping your receipt is essential in disputing charges. Retailers must honor the lowest posted or advertised price—even if the promotion has expired.

You can also dispute questionable charges directly with your bank or credit card provider.

For major billing disputes, contacting a city representative or consumer protection office can offer additional support.

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What do you think? Should the city be held responsible for the mistake? Have you had an issue like this before? Let us know in the comments!