Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
PSNC Energy has discovered that the meter they installed at our home in December of 2007 was not done properly and was not correctly reading our usage. They are back billing us for 12 months to recover the extra usage they say we had.
I see on the NC Utilities Commission website that they are allowed to back bill us 12 months EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT OUR FAULT.
Had we been receiving bills for the correct amount, we could have adjusted our usage. Now our hands are tied and we are stuck with a large bill.
If anyone knows anything we can do, I'd certainly appreciate the advice. Otherwise, make your gas company come out and manually read your meter on a regular basis because apparently it is still YOUR responsiblity if they do it wrong.
I just moved into my house and checked the gas meter. They regularly do "estimated" readings (says so on their website - Nicor Gas). Well, when I checked, they were almost 200 therms over what my meter was reading...
I definitely agree that all utilities should come out and do manual read. And if your meters (gas, elec, or water) are read remotely, you should still be responsible enough to verify the amount you are being billed is the amount you are using. At least once in a while!
I got hosed on my first billing when we moved into this house. I should've done a reading right before we moved in.
I wound up with an $800 gas bill for my first month. They claimed I used 42Mcf for the month of December. I asked for the previous owners last reading so I could verify their bill and they refused to give it to me. That really ticked me off but I had no option other than to complain to a toothless PSC.
So I regularly check my own meter now. They do a manual reading here every other month, so on the off months I can enter my own..
Yes, NJNG likes to estimate my meter reading as well and they always estimate too high. After one of the recent readings I had a $30 credit. I want to start reading it myself but I have to read it on certain days and report it which is a PITA.
We went through this here in Detroit. The more we complained, the more they increased the bill that they were claiming. By the time theyw ere done, they claimed that we owed them $6700 or something like that over and above the monthly bills that we had already paid. OUr calls just resulted in getting the run around, outright lies and hand offs. Finally after trying to get to upper management, wirting letters etc. I filed a complaint withthe public utilities commission.
I was contacted right away and the whole issues resoved favorably almost immediately. We paid a fraction of what they were claiming. I still do nto kow where they got their number from, it seemed like they were pulling them out of a hat.
Anyway, the short answer is - file a complaint with the public utilities commission for your state.
I just moved into my house and checked the gas meter. They regularly do "estimated" readings (says so on their website - Nicor Gas). Well, when I checked, they were almost 200 therms over what my meter was reading...
I definitely agree that all utilities should come out and do manual read. And if your meters (gas, elec, or water) are read remotely, you should still be responsible enough to verify the amount you are being billed is the amount you are using. At least once in a while!
My meter matched what my bill said (I check it myself about every 3 months). The problem is that the meter was incorrectly installed and they are pulling from the backup meter which they assure me is correct.
At any rate, for those who are not checking their meters regularly, I recommend specifically requesting a person come out and check the meter several times a year so you aren't hit with a giant surprise and expected to happily turn over a check.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
