Baltimore Gas and Electric Bills - UNBELIEVABLE (Secretary: home, employment)

[janetvj]

Deregulation sounded like a good idea. You know - free enterprise - competition and rates would drop. Why didn't it work?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by janetvj

Deregulation sounded like a good idea. You know - free enterprise - competition and rates would drop. Why didn't it work?

A couple reasons: first off the rates were frozen at 1995 or so levels until two years ago so no company wanted to come in; then the rules for choosing another provider were awfully convoluted (which is partly opinion on my part); then, just like with long distance, people were basically happy with what they had. There were warnings back in 1999 about the sticker shock that would come but no one really paid attention.

[janetvj]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

A couple reasons: first off the rates were frozen at 1995 or so levels until two years ago so no company wanted to come in; then the rules for choosing another provider were awfully convoluted (which is partly opinion on my part); then, just like with long distance, people were basically happy with what they had. There were warnings back in 1999 about the sticker shock that would come but no one really paid attention.

So if the current rate is just a correction to bring it up to date, why does it seem so high in comparison to other states? Do other states still have their rates regulated to keep them at an artificially low price? Or are providers able to offer lower rates where there is true competition, and then overcharge others (like us) to make up the difference?

[North Beach Person]

A lot of states are still regulated, VA was going to deregulate starting this year but saw what happened in MD and pulled back, same with PA. Under regulation rate payers pay the cost of production/distribution plus a profit and rate increases have to be approved by the state's regulating authority. What griped me in MD was the rate payers had to pay BGE "stranded costs" because the assumption 10 years ago was that the power plants would decrease in value. That proved incorrect, and when the electricity went on the open market instead of being dedicated then prices sky rocketed.

[The Bo]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Constellation Energy-makes electric (parent company of BGE) and sells it to
BGE-brings electric to your house

The MD legislature is trying to reregulate but that is probably almost impossible. Electricity is now bought and sold on the commodities market. We should have stayed regulated but we didn't, a show that was brought to you by: Gov. Parris Glendenning (D), Sen. Mike Miller (D) and (former) Del. Caspar Taylor (D), now a lobbyist for Constellation Energy.

Corruption, plain and simple. I'm sure he must be so "proud" of his parting gift to his sponsors at the expense of the voters who gave him the privilege of calling himself a Delegate. Disgraceful.

[Scriv]

Originally Posted by The Bo

Corruption, plain and simple. I'm sure he must be so "proud" of his parting gift to his sponsors at the expense of the voters who gave him the privilege of calling himself a Delegate. Disgraceful.

Welcome to Maryland!

[LSF5657]

I too have had high bg&e bills. I started receiving letters from the company Feb 08 stating that memter was not accessible or that they could read the meter because of the dog. We have a 6lb yorkie that can't get in the front yard!! My bill went from 273.83 to 1042.70 from july to aug o8. 214.90 to 477.69 from sept to nov 08 then to 738.21 for dec. We don't heat with electric and all of our appliances are less that two years old. nobody at bg&e seems like they can figure this out and then they relaced the meter in nov o8 and by Jan 09 the said it was malfunctioning again. How can they justify these bills if the meter was broken? My bills are supposed to be reviewed by the high bill resolution team which was suppose to take 21 days. It has been 1 month and even though I have called them they have not resolved these bills and on top of that they are charging me late charges!!!! Whats a person to do. Bg&e has all the power !!! whats a consumer to do? Any help or suggestions wouls be appreciated.

[bande1102]

Originally Posted by LSF5657

I too have had high bg&e bills. I started receiving letters from the company Feb 08 stating that memter was not accessible or that they could read the meter because of the dog. We have a 6lb yorkie that can't get in the front yard!! My bill went from 273.83 to 1042.70 from july to aug o8. 214.90 to 477.69 from sept to nov 08 then to 738.21 for dec. We don't heat with electric and all of our appliances are less that two years old. nobody at bg&e seems like they can figure this out and then they relaced the meter in nov o8 and by Jan 09 the said it was malfunctioning again. How can they justify these bills if the meter was broken? My bills are supposed to be reviewed by the high bill resolution team which was suppose to take 21 days. It has been 1 month and even though I have called them they have not resolved these bills and on top of that they are charging me late charges!!!! Whats a person to do. Bg&e has all the power !!! whats a consumer to do? Any help or suggestions wouls be appreciated.

Did you try the Maryland Public Service Commission here Maryland Public Service Commission

Maybe try filing a complaint against them? There's lots of info here so it might be a start.

[summer grace]

A few years ago in Minnesota, we begun getting these HUGE natural gas bills for house, which was old and drafty. Yes, it was cold, yes, it was an old house, but the bills still seemed high. Well, a few years later the natural gas company admitted they had been overcharging people ( just as we suspected, but we could do nothing about it) and they actually refunded us $1,000. So there's hope, sometimes these utility companies don't get away with overcharging people.

[trying2moveup]

Originally Posted by LSF5657

I too have had high bg&e bills. I started receiving letters from the company Feb 08 stating that memter was not accessible or that they could read the meter because of the dog. We have a 6lb yorkie that can't get in the front yard!! My bill went from 273.83 to 1042.70 from july to aug o8. 214.90 to 477.69 from sept to nov 08 then to 738.21 for dec. We don't heat with electric and all of our appliances are less that two years old. nobody at bg&e seems like they can figure this out and then they relaced the meter in nov o8 and by Jan 09 the said it was malfunctioning again. How can they justify these bills if the meter was broken? My bills are supposed to be reviewed by the high bill resolution team which was suppose to take 21 days. It has been 1 month and even though I have called them they have not resolved these bills and on top of that they are charging me late charges!!!! Whats a person to do. Bg&e has all the power !!! whats a consumer to do? Any help or suggestions wouls be appreciated.

Get all your paperwork, notes, names, dates and times of calls back and forth to BGE and call EVERY SINGLE NEWS STATION'S CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT in Baltimore and DC (WJZ, WBAL, WUSA, WJLA, WNBC-4, WTTG-FOX 5). Tell them your story. Shoot, with that extortion I'd be calling newspapers, radio stations, TV -

you can even try small claims court and sue them if your total damages you're seeking is less than 5K.