LADWP is a joke (Los Angeles: credit card, house, tenants)

[Ingenere]

We bought our house in Laurel Canyon this time last year. We just sold it a week ago.

During that year of ownership, we received a grand total of ONE bill from LADWP.

And it was incorrect. We requested to have the water/electricity shut off two weeks ago, still have not gotten anything from them. When I log in, my account still shows me having a negative balance (credit) of $7.

I would like to move on from having to think about LA utility bills and wondering when, if ever, this joke of a department is going to bill me and how absurdly incorrect it is going to be.

I can't imagine being employed by such an inept entity and being able to sleep at night.

/rant

[timtemtym]

That is insane! Awesome, but insane! I hope it doesn't catch up to you. When I moved out here, I had to pay a $90 deposit that they returned one year after I'd made 12 on time payments. Even though I had "references" from my previous utility where I'd been a customer since 1999, they still insisted on a deposit. That was So Cal Edison. I've heard that LA DWP bills you once every two months? What is that about?? I am moving into the city limits in 3 months! I hope I don't have to pay a deposit again.

[West of Encino]

Originally Posted by timtemtym

That is insane! Awesome, but insane! I hope it doesn't catch up to you. When I moved out here, I had to pay a $90 deposit that they returned one year after I'd made 12 on time payments. Even though I had "references" from my previous utility where I'd been a customer since 1999, they still insisted on a deposit. That was So Cal Edison. I've heard that LA DWP bills you once every two months? What is that about?? I am moving into the city limits in 3 months! I hope I don't have to pay a deposit again.

You mean it's worse with Edison than DWP?

[CALGUY]

Now that we are on the subject of this grossly inept company, I have a couple of stories to share with you.
A year ago I was approached by one of my tenants in regard to the high cost of trash removal on the bill.
Ladwp is the billing agent for the bureau of sanitation.
Sanitation is an entirely different department from ladwp, and the only tie they have is billing.
I decided I would, in the interest of my tenants, see if I could get a private contractor to pick up our trash.
I found one, and compared to what the city was charging, it would be a big savings.
When I called the bureau of sanitation to have them stop picking up trash at my property, they stated that I could not opt out of city trash pickup.
I asked why, and the clerk told me there is no way to opt out.
I called my city council member, and got nowhere.
I then called Ladwp, and told them to stop billing for trash at the address I owned, and they said they could not do that, and once again, that I could not opt out of trash pickup by the city.
I told them if they billed me, or my tenants for trash pickup, they would not be paid.
We would pay the electric part of the bill, but not the trash fees.
The clerk stated if you don't pay the trash fee, Ladwp will shut your lights off.
At this point I was rather livid, and hung up the phone.
Them shutting of electricity because the trash portion of the bill would not be paid is like having a walmart credit card, and because I didn't pay my j c penney card, walmart shut off my credit card privledge.
Makes about as much sense.
As if that wasn't bad enough.
Usually when a tenant moves out, Ladwp comes over to shut the power off to the vacant unit.
They showed up a couple of weeks ago, and shut the meter off as expected.
Later that night, one of my tenants came over and told me his lights were out.
I checked all the brakers, and they were fine.
I immediately knew what the problem was.
At midnight, I called Ladwp, and within an hour someone showed up.
Sure enough, the tenant's electricity had been shut off, as well as the meter for the vacant one.
The tenant was up to date with his payments, so there was no reason to disconnect his service.
Now fast forward to last Friday.
The unit was re-rented, and Friday was the day to have the electricity turned on.
Oh the meter guy turned on the electricity alright, but for some stupid reason, he also turned off the electricity in another occupied unit, which in this case happened to be my own unit.
I wasn't home at the time so when I returned home, I had to call this stupid company, and wait another hour for the jerk to come back and turn my light back on.
This company is a disgrace.
They should fire all of them and start over.
And as for their billing screw ops of late, don't even get me started.

Bob.

[Mr. Mysterious]

LADWP is a freaking joke! It is really hard to get services from them, and its like they are avoiding you. They have terrible management and all of them have no idea what they are doing. They also refuse to take responsibility on services they are supposed to do. The only thing they are good at is stealing your money!

[BRinSM]

for the first 18 months of living in my current home i was not billed for electrical use. having said that, when LADWP adjusted my bill, we were hit with a lump sum that could be paid over the next 12 months that averaged $77/month!!! I live in the valley, there are periods in the summer were our electric use is over $200 per month, so i think i came out quite a bit ahead on that one. other than that, LADWP has caused me no issues. i'm also not complaining since LADWP electric rates are lower than those of Edison.

[Count David]

I would be happy if I were OP. Verizon home phone did the same thing to me for 6 months, circa 10 years ago. After moving out, they sent me a check for $65. Only received one bill during that time, which said I owed nothing.

Gotta love it.

[SpaceMonkyPunks]

Originally Posted by timtemtym

That is insane! Awesome, but insane! I hope it doesn't catch up to you. When I moved out here, I had to pay a $90 deposit that they returned one year after I'd made 12 on time payments. Even though I had "references" from my previous utility where I'd been a customer since 1999, they still insisted on a deposit. That was So Cal Edison. I've heard that LA DWP bills you once every two months? What is that about?? I am moving into the city limits in 3 months! I hope I don't have to pay a deposit again.

SoCalE waives it if you sign up for automatic billing every month.

Having said that - I signed up for it and have yet to receive a single bill - 5 months later. Starting to get more than a little concerned, haha.

IMHO tho before I moved to a SCE area, I had zero problems with DWP - I prefer the every 2 month cycle, and they didn't make me pay a deposit even after moving from out of state.

[timtemtym]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkyPunks

SoCalE waives it if you sign up for automatic billing every month.

Having said that - I signed up for it and have yet to receive a single bill - 5 months later. Starting to get more than a little concerned, haha.

IMHO tho before I moved to a SCE area, I had zero problems with DWP - I prefer the every 2 month cycle, and they didn't make me pay a deposit even after moving from out of state.

Thanks! I have never heard of paying every 2 months. But whatever, I also get paid on the 5th of every month, so I'm getting used to Los Angeles' odd scheduling ways.

[thursdaymcgee]

We moved in to our house in January - we actually called and ASKED them to please send us a bill, because we wanted to apply for the Turf Removal Program, and that requires a current bill. They said they couldn't do that, but did send us an account confirmation letter. They said because of the billing every 2 months, we probably won't get a bill until end of April/early May, but to expect it to be quite high.

It does strike me as ridiculous that it takes them 5 months to begin billing, and when I ask to pay them I am told I can't...