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has anyone had problems with their bill being REALLY low for months at a time due to being issued a credit.......then the bill jumps from $7 a month to $117 despite the actual and estimated being the same?
Did you call the electric company and ask them what the problem was with your bill?
If you were being credited by the electric company for x amount of months, and the credit amount ran out, you're expected to pay the actual usage due on the next bill. Is that what happened?
My bill went up almost $30 this month from last, but that's because it's been in the 90s everyday for the last month.
Did you call the electric company and ask them what the problem was with your bill?
If you were being credited by the electric company for x amount of months, and the credit amount ran out, you're expected to pay the actual usage due on the next bill. Is that what happened?
My bill went up almost $30 this month from last, but that's because it's been in the 90s everyday for the last month.
yea i called and their answer was 'well we under billed you, so we're making up for it" those were the exact words. so i said explain the estimated and actual being the same?
If you're metered you can easily check your usage as the numbers aren't that hard to read. I don't know how things work in your area but best bet is to go down there personally with your latest bill and ask them to explain how they came up with the latest accounting. It's really that simple. Let us know how it works out!
yea i called and their answer was 'well we under billed you, so we're making up for it" those were the exact words. so i said explain the estimated and actual being the same?
Take STT's advice and go to the office with bill in hand. Learn how to read your meter..sometimes they do read it wrong.
Usually it's either an estimate or the actual..not both. Did they answer your question?
Take STT's advice and go to the office with bill in hand. Learn how to read your meter..sometimes they do read it wrong.
Usually it's either an estimate or the actual..not both. Did they answer your question?
yea they just sent me an email today.....so apparently im stupid from what they're saying because i actually know why credits are given out. and they basically said the same thing i just typed beforehand about 'we underbilled you' so if i have to go to the city i will, its rediculous that have to pay this much and people in houses dont.
clerical error my butt.
they do both here. estimated one month, actual the next. but this is just for electric. gas companies had to change theirs to actual because they'd gouge people on estimates.
Well, I have never seen a bill for $7 for electric in my life. Not when I was single and living alone in an apartment 20 years ago and certainly not anytime recently. Honestly, you should have called them a long time ago to find out why it was so low. They have every right to bill you the amount you used even if they didn't do it when they should.
You might ask them if they can prorate the amount over the course of a few months to make it easier. They may be willing to do that.
Mine is, and for several months the reading was estimated because the meter was not working properly. I get my bills online, and the online version of the bill did not indicate that it was being estimated. I finally picked it up because I wondered how all the usage could be the same month after month.
What you need to know is the actual usage. You only need two readings: the last one you know was correct and the current one. You can then calculate the actual amount owed and compare it to what you have paid.
I concur with others who recommend doing this in person. Be there when they open and stay until you are satisfied with their explanation.
they do both here. estimated one month, actual the next. but this is just for electric.
Don't get hung up on "estimate" and "actual" because they may have nothing to do with it. Each utility company has to publish their rates for the service type you are billed for. Grab a bill from when you first started paying below market monthy bills and write down the starting use number. Grab the last bill and write down the actual ending use. Times that by the rate for each unit and you have the actual amount to be billed. next add any monthy charges that you pay and taxes and surcharges to all that. You should have the estimate total based on you use. Next subtract what you have payed them and that should be the amout you owe, if anything.
If they were undercharging the units used (actual or estimated does not matter) they are allowed to collect the undercharge. So if you were to pay $2 a unit and they were billing you $1 a unit by mistake, you owe them $1 for all the units you used. If they charged the correct amount but undercharged you the taxes, surcharges or other cost, they are allowed to collect that back amount.
You need to first know before making a sink is if this was a undercharge based on rates and such, or was it a undercharge based on usage mistake. Two thing that are handled diferently.
We had a family here that was underbilled for electric for over a year. They didn't know they were being underbilled and the electric company didn't know it either. Somehow, the electric company finally caught on and you can imagine how upset this family was when they received their first correctly read bill with the last year's underbilling added. They were responsible for that usage and even though they cried and screamed and called the papers and tv stations...they had to pay it. They were able to make payments on it but they owed A LOT of money.
I guess I read the part about you getting credited every month to mean something else.
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Did they answer your question?
You need to first know before making a sink is if this was a undercharge based on rates and such, or was it a undercharge based on usage mistake. Two thing that are handled diferently.
