Baltimore City Bureau Of Water And Wastewater

This review is for the Baltimore City 311 service in general. I’ve called numerous times for trash-​related issues and have had nothing but courteous, helpful, and prompt service. This last time was so jaw-​dropping amazing that I had to leave a review, even though there doesn’t seem to be a place to review just the 311 service.
When I moved to this neighborhood (I know, I need to change my profile) there wasn’t a single trash can within blocks of here. The first time I called to request one, the guy said they were told they don’t put trash cans in this neighborhood anymore, that the city was out of trash cans.
How can a city be out of trash cans, I wondered. Did the trash can tree die? Can you put in a request, anyway, I asked? He did, bless his heart, and Lo. And. Behold. there was a trash can there the very next day.
Emboldened by this success, I requested three more over the following weeks with similar results. Now, I am surrounded by trash cans and the neighborhood, while it still has a long way to go, is definitely less littered.
Then New Years came and went and the trash cans were filled to overflowing, but no one came to empty them. Finally, one morning, I was walking to get coffee three blocks away and, on the way, dialed 311 to request a pick-​up. I got my coffee to go and, believe it or not, on my walk back THE TRASH CANS WERE ALL EMPTIED.
Wow. Kudos. Hats off. Bravo.

Sewage line is backed up… again. After calling 311, the clean out guy came out the next day and snaked the line for a bit and said «the machine broke», so he had to send another truck out. That was three days ago. Three days of not being able to go to the bathroom or take a shower in our home. Lovely.
Follow up calls to 311 assured me that a new truck would be out on the «next shift». Well, that was a lie.
Our city might as well be run by Comcast given the level of customer service and outright lies you get in exchange for paying a premium.
My advice — DO NOT MOVE TO BALTIMORE (unless you like swimming in a pool of basement feces and constantly being terrorized by entitled hood rats on dirtbikes and grown up thugs who assign no value to human life). You will die here in a sea of ambivelence choking on your own helplessness.

311 Baltimore City Call Center: «Thank you for calling 311, this is Ms. Smith, how can I help you?»
(Who the hell refers to themself as Ms. or Mr.?)
Me: «I have raw sewage coming up from my basement toilet and my plumber says it is the city’s sewer line.»
311: «If you don’t have an external cleanout between your home and the sewer line, I can’t help you.»
Me: «I don’t know if I do, but the plumber can’t fix the problem and says it is the city’s fault. I have young children and this is awful, can you please send a truck.»
311 inconvenienced city employee now with an attitude: «I’ll send a truck within 24 hours.»
Me: «24 hours? This is a big problem.»
311: «That is all I can say, 24 hours.»
A very small water truck comes out three hours later.
Water truck guy: «I can’t come in your house, you don’t have an external cleanout, so I can’t help you.»
Me: «Can you just check the manholes to see if there is a backup.»
Water truck guy: «Oh, I see there is a big backup in the line. I’ll call for big truck to pump it out.»
House evacuated I call 311 24 hours later.
311 different person same bs attitude: «This is Ms. Jones. The problem is fixed. We had a truck come at 3am last night to pump out the line.»
Me: «Sewage is still coming into my house. The plumber says you pumped the storm line instead of the sewer line. Can you please send another truck?»
311 bs attitude: «I’ll send a truck in 24 hours.»
Me: «This is not good enough, I need to speak with a Manager.»
311: «I can put you through to someone in Wastewater in City Hall.»
Wastewater Manager in City Hall: «I’ll send the next truck out. They shoud be there in 2 hours.»
6 hours later at 10:30 pm Water truck guy: «We pumped this line last night, you should be fine.»
Me: «I’m definately not. How about you take a look at the manhole right next to you that says „sanitation“ instead of the one that says „storm“?»
Water truck guy: «I don’t know.»
Me: «Do you guys like beer? Pop that sewer manhole and I’ll hook you up»
Water truck guy: «OK. Say, that is almost up to the top. We’ll pump it out.»
Me five minutes later: «Here is your beer.»
Water truck guy: «Take a look at the line, it is now down about 10 feet. That was really backed up. Put the beer in the front seat.»
You won’t have any recourse with the city. Make sure you have a 12 of beer to grease the skids.