Mistakes in Georgia Power Bills (Columbus, Dallas: attorney, relocate, transplants)

[USA_Mom]

We have our electric bill automatically deducated every month from our account..so there is NEVER any late payment or carry over, i.e., it's is paid. They are around $60-100 at the most. Today's came in at ONE-THOUSAND FOURTEEN DOLLARS.

That's right $1,014.00.

WTH?

So far no one there knows what the deal is, but I don't have that AND money to pay our other bills (moving here has been a nightmare--we've lost all our savings but that's another story).

At any rate has anyone had this happened the anyone else or what?

[clsmith15]

Yes, I got an unusually high bill in June. I called GA Power and asked them to re-read the meter. The bill was changed from $288 to $80. It's possible that an appliance can malfuntion and suck up the power but if everything seems to be normalI would call them. Meter readers are human and make mistakes.

[USA_Mom]

Apparently according to them no one has read the meter since April and these were guesstimations, which apparently were close to our other power bills since moving in here November. Basically we were told pay or get disconnected. I have had things happen before on other homes where they didn't read the meter, but $1000 off? Geez! I really wonder what people on limited incomes do? The guy next door was $850 off.

[rasmom]

I would call Ga. power and have the meter reread...if you have been on a plan where they charge a set amount each month from Nov. my only guess would be that they underestimated your usage...that is if the reading is correct. Remember, in the south, you use more power to keep cool than to keep warm. It's always cheaper in the winter. This summer has been sooooo hot that I can only imagine what my next bill will be! You didn't mention, are you all electric or gas/ electric?

[rasmom]

What other "Nightmares" have you encountered...maybe we can help!

[USA_Mom]

Oh no we are not on levelized payments because we have not lived in this house a full year yet, so we are having to pay the bill. The people who bought the other house (we are renting thankfully) had the same experience. I think it's because the people that lived here before traveled and it was a family of 2, not 5. The supervisor said the meters are not read monthly so that's the deal. I was used to high electric bills, coming from Dallas...but oddly our average there was $300 a month; $500 in the summer usually--$200 in the winter--in our 3000 square foot home. Typically Dallas has over 100 days of 100 degrees so I am used to high electric bills. That was the ONE good thing here electricity seemed less.

As far as the other things: The first house we rented had toxic mold, I had to spend thousands on missed work, medical appointments (I lost my sense of taste and smell--thankfully both came back within a few months of moving out), laboratory testing for the mold, my dog's vet, etc. etc. We finally got out of the lease but were out around $5K. I found no attorneys in Muscogee County that would touch the case I was basically told I *might* win depending on the judge because apparently according to the people I talked to "it's very connected there" with regards to the property management company.

Our 2005 truck that was in great shape was hit in a parking lot. This truck has gone camping, fishing, boat--not a scratch. Someone hit it and left a huge dent. We had to replace the tailgate on it. Ironically this was while I was at a doctor's appointment. My mom's rental car was in a hit and run. I don't know what the dealio here is with hit and runs.

The company that my husband signed on and relocated misrepresented about 90% of what he was told. Except for his salary, basically everything else was not what it was represented to be. It's not fixable so no need to get into it.

Those are the big things, there were dozens of little in between and I'm through to be honest. Georgia is a beautiful state, but I have NOT felt welcomed here at all, neither have my oldest son or my husband. He *is* a Southerner (Louisiana) and I was raised in New Orleans and then California, so I think as soon as I open my mouth people hear my accent and assume I'm "one of them" or something. I don't know. I just know I've lived in the South (5 years as an adult in Louisiana and 10 in Texas which I don't count as the south really) and never felt so unwanted in my life on such as consistent basis.

ETA: Oh yeah this house is all electric. Our previous house in Texas was gas for cooking and water heater so it was about $500 plus $60 or so for gas.

[JLA]

USA_MOM there are far to many people living in Columbus with accents from all over the world, why are you having such a hard time? With my accent which is not southern I do not have any problems.

[FireballFL]

Originally Posted by USA_Mom

We have our electric bill automatically deducated every month from our account..so there is NEVER any late payment or carry over, i.e., it's is paid. They are around $60-100 at the most. Today's came in at ONE-THOUSAND FOURTEEN DOLLARS.

That's right $1,014.00.

WTH?

So far no one there knows what the deal is, but I don't have that AND money to pay our other bills (moving here has been a nightmare--we've lost all our savings but that's another story).

At any rate has anyone had this happened the anyone else or what?

Call your electric company! I live in Florida and our bill was 161.00 and that is the highest, but it has dropped as low as 40.00. I would never agree to paying that sort of bill without more of a detailed explanation.

[FireballFL]

Originally Posted by USA_Mom

Oh no we are not on levelized payments because we have not lived in this house a full year yet, so we are having to pay the bill. The people who bought the other house (we are renting thankfully) had the same experience. I think it's because the people that lived here before traveled and it was a family of 2, not 5. The supervisor said the meters are not read monthly so that's the deal. I was used to high electric bills, coming from Dallas...but oddly our average there was $300 a month; $500 in the summer usually--$200 in the winter--in our 3000 square foot home. Typically Dallas has over 100 days of 100 degrees so I am used to high electric bills. That was the ONE good thing here electricity seemed less.

As far as the other things: The first house we rented had toxic mold, I had to spend thousands on missed work, medical appointments (I lost my sense of taste and smell--thankfully both came back within a few months of moving out), laboratory testing for the mold, my dog's vet, etc. etc. We finally got out of the lease but were out around $5K. I found no attorneys in Muscogee County that would touch the case I was basically told I *might* win depending on the judge because apparently according to the people I talked to "it's very connected there" with regards to the property management company.

Our 2005 truck that was in great shape was hit in a parking lot. This truck has gone camping, fishing, boat--not a scratch. Someone hit it and left a huge dent. We had to replace the tailgate on it. Ironically this was while I was at a doctor's appointment. My mom's rental car was in a hit and run. I don't know what the dealio here is with hit and runs.

The company that my husband signed on and relocated misrepresented about 90% of what he was told. Except for his salary, basically everything else was not what it was represented to be. It's not fixable so no need to get into it.

Those are the big things, there were dozens of little in between and I'm through to be honest. Georgia is a beautiful state, but I have NOT felt welcomed here at all, neither have my oldest son or my husband. He *is* a Southerner (Louisiana) and I was raised in New Orleans and then California, so I think as soon as I open my mouth people hear my accent and assume I'm "one of them" or something. I don't know. I just know I've lived in the South (5 years as an adult in Louisiana and 10 in Texas which I don't count as the south really) and never felt so unwanted in my life on such as consistent basis.

ETA: Oh yeah this house is all electric. Our previous house in Texas was gas for cooking and water heater so it was about $500 plus $60 or so for gas.

Join the club on the accent part. I do not have a northern accent and do not have a southern accent, which places me at a distinct disadvantage. Here in FL it is no big deal, but in NC, it was the whole deal. I was born and raised in Eastern West Viriginia near Washington and Baltimore and people just assumed I was from the north because I did not have a southern accent. It may be an interesting accent, but for me, it was not always a welcoming one. And to think, I lived 30 minutes south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Fiddle dee dee.

[USA_Mom]

JLA I do not know why we are having such hard time, but as you know after months of this we give up. Never done that before. I have met a few (probably 10) very nice people--oddly none of them are from here which I find kind of funny. A lot of the transplants I've met have had similar experiences and back in Louisiana my MIL was shopping. She met a man who lived in Columbus and had pretty much the same experience, same company, except for he didn't have a house with toxic mold and they didn't have a hit and run--they had their car stolen and trashed.

We have called. We have spoken to 2 supervisors and 1 other person. They say they do not read the meters monthly, that they average it out, and when they came to read it is is $1014 period. They will obviously make payment arrangements, we didn't look into it because we can pay the bill (taking money out of savings to move back) and frankly I don't want to owe anyone anything when we leave.