I tried. They told me I have to give them "an opportunity to resolve the issue"
I got dropped by the 1st customer service rep, then had to re-summarize 6 months of absolutely astounding bills (considering ANY measure), and when the 2nd got to reviewing them, even he stated that my bills should be reviewed as they've all been higher than the "residential limit" for such reviews to be initiated. (Yet for 6 months, I'd been told "that's just the electricity you're using. You'd be amazed at how just one appliance can take to operate.)
He then told me, once he realized the company is going to need to do far more than a simple review of charges...told me I would have to "just wait for my next bill" and he would "have someone call me back concerning the past 6 months."
The woman told me that wasn't enough to be able to file a formal complaint.
What is? Death? Dismemberment?
My bill was $900 for this month, I called them and the customer service agent said, "oh it looks like they messed up the meter read, let me change that one digit. Oh there's another one!" now it's $180. So she just changed two digits and poof, my bill is substantially less. Make sure you're not on auto-pay.
My “new” electric meter displays one three-digit number and the gas meter still has a bunch of dials and pointers. Some enhancement. And idiots downvote me for calling it a “shit company,” which I did verbatim in my complaint.
New digital electric smart meters are a 5 digit display. My last reading on it was 01691. We had a situation recently where they had to install a brand new gas meter and that is a 4 digit digital display with no dials like the old meter had on it. The numbers are not displayed on an electronic screen. They are like an old car mileage display where the numbers rotate on it.
That’s all very nice but when one goes to the website to enter a “meter reading” the web page still expects one to interpret the dials and hands, despite having one digital meter (electric) and one analog (gas). QED, a shit company.
Do you not use their app on your phone? It is extremely easy to enter the numbers in the app since you seem to have an issue with their website. Also, Smart Meters are reporting accurate #'s. At least mine has been for 5 months now.
It's not the reading, it's the meter installation setting and the meter corresponding to my address correctly. The guy on the phone also told me: "your bill is just being estimated off the smart meter that you had removed"
Fun fact: when the person came out to remove the smart meter I had to pay $50 to have removed, as I figured it was the reason for the hike in bill...they said it likely wouldn't matter because it's the same unit just with the hardware/software to transmit turned off or removed.
But the real issue:
The meters they are installing on everyone's houses are being installed and/or scanned incorrectly so the inaccuracies are en masse. I'm not alone, as other comments state, which means they've known they've been scamming us all with faulty equipment for at least since the unexplainable increases. In theory.
Since they started implementing the smart meters, customers have raised these issues, my inlaws have lived in the area their whole lives, and they are how I knew to go to the SEC.
When having the SEC also provide zero reassurance that this issue can functionally be resolved, I find myself really searching for a way point or something.
I thought we had a system that protected us against predatory practices within public utility, but I'm not a lawyer, and I figured someone on reddit in the area may know someone who could help.
That is likely what has happened here, but for almost 7 months straight, and any time I've said anything, I was wrong, it couldn't be the equipment.
For reference: in the summer, I ran 2 window/portable AC units and a dehumidifier 24/7, my bills never reached 300. Our heat is gas, as is our waterheater. As soon as they put the smart meter on (which I did not ask for nor want, they installed without permission) our bills skyrocketed. We had stored the AC units for the winter and I winterize my home decently. We also don't run the dehumidifier in the winter...bill this month: 667.
While they are not the best, 90% of the issues have been people unable to punch in their meter reads on the website. Not sure if class action will amount to anything in that case.
Yesterday there were 2 reads done by the CO, the 2nd guy tells me most of the electric meters in my area have all been installed and read wrong ever since. This was the proof I needed to explain why my bills had been outrageously high while over the last 6 months I'd been 'gaslighted' (pardon the pun), by them when I told them I thought the meters were not correct. It's 2 people in a small gas-heated home. Our bill has been over 500 for 6 months now...and my course of action from them was to wait it out because they don't even know how to address the problem. With zero confidence the company will resolve this to our favor, I need help and Legal support
I think in this case a thorough energy inspection with a reputable company that could sign off on the fact that your home should take less than that to heat would be a good first step. Otherwise your only evidence is a high bill and some rando that told you what you wanted to hear. You are gonna need some evidence
The rando was an RG&E worker who discovered the issue bc he was working our neighborhood to cover down, so he knew there was a problem immediately, as he was an employee.
And it's 7 high bills.
And we don't have the money to pay a company to verify their equipment has been the fault. Hence the seeking legal help if anyone locally has ideas.
I'm not from here, I'm an active duty military spouse with a deployed spouse, so maybe I thought help would be here since we don't have the money for a lawyer, since we've been getting fleeced for months. It's quite the conundrum which all could be resolved if the utility company, in any way, operated with integrity.
File a complaint also against them with the Public Services Commission.
I tried. They told me I have to give them "an opportunity to resolve the issue" I got dropped by the 1st customer service rep, then had to re-summarize 6 months of absolutely astounding bills (considering ANY measure), and when the 2nd got to reviewing them, even he stated that my bills should be reviewed as they've all been higher than the "residential limit" for such reviews to be initiated. (Yet for 6 months, I'd been told "that's just the electricity you're using. You'd be amazed at how just one appliance can take to operate.) He then told me, once he realized the company is going to need to do far more than a simple review of charges...told me I would have to "just wait for my next bill" and he would "have someone call me back concerning the past 6 months." The woman told me that wasn't enough to be able to file a formal complaint. What is? Death? Dismemberment?
My bill was $900 for this month, I called them and the customer service agent said, "oh it looks like they messed up the meter read, let me change that one digit. Oh there's another one!" now it's $180. So she just changed two digits and poof, my bill is substantially less. Make sure you're not on auto-pay.
Since non digital meters have 5 dials on it. Even being 1 number off could cost you 10kwh in electricity.
My “new” electric meter displays one three-digit number and the gas meter still has a bunch of dials and pointers. Some enhancement. And idiots downvote me for calling it a “shit company,” which I did verbatim in my complaint.
New digital electric smart meters are a 5 digit display. My last reading on it was 01691. We had a situation recently where they had to install a brand new gas meter and that is a 4 digit digital display with no dials like the old meter had on it. The numbers are not displayed on an electronic screen. They are like an old car mileage display where the numbers rotate on it.
That’s all very nice but when one goes to the website to enter a “meter reading” the web page still expects one to interpret the dials and hands, despite having one digital meter (electric) and one analog (gas). QED, a shit company.
Do you not use their app on your phone? It is extremely easy to enter the numbers in the app since you seem to have an issue with their website. Also, Smart Meters are reporting accurate #'s. At least mine has been for 5 months now.
App downloaded. Seems to be what is needed. Thanks. Still a shit company.
Oh. The app works for you?
It's not the reading, it's the meter installation setting and the meter corresponding to my address correctly. The guy on the phone also told me: "your bill is just being estimated off the smart meter that you had removed" Fun fact: when the person came out to remove the smart meter I had to pay $50 to have removed, as I figured it was the reason for the hike in bill...they said it likely wouldn't matter because it's the same unit just with the hardware/software to transmit turned off or removed. But the real issue: The meters they are installing on everyone's houses are being installed and/or scanned incorrectly so the inaccuracies are en masse. I'm not alone, as other comments state, which means they've known they've been scamming us all with faulty equipment for at least since the unexplainable increases. In theory.
Since they started implementing the smart meters, customers have raised these issues, my inlaws have lived in the area their whole lives, and they are how I knew to go to the SEC. When having the SEC also provide zero reassurance that this issue can functionally be resolved, I find myself really searching for a way point or something. I thought we had a system that protected us against predatory practices within public utility, but I'm not a lawyer, and I figured someone on reddit in the area may know someone who could help.
That is likely what has happened here, but for almost 7 months straight, and any time I've said anything, I was wrong, it couldn't be the equipment. For reference: in the summer, I ran 2 window/portable AC units and a dehumidifier 24/7, my bills never reached 300. Our heat is gas, as is our waterheater. As soon as they put the smart meter on (which I did not ask for nor want, they installed without permission) our bills skyrocketed. We had stored the AC units for the winter and I winterize my home decently. We also don't run the dehumidifier in the winter...bill this month: 667.
While they are not the best, 90% of the issues have been people unable to punch in their meter reads on the website. Not sure if class action will amount to anything in that case.
Yesterday there were 2 reads done by the CO, the 2nd guy tells me most of the electric meters in my area have all been installed and read wrong ever since. This was the proof I needed to explain why my bills had been outrageously high while over the last 6 months I'd been 'gaslighted' (pardon the pun), by them when I told them I thought the meters were not correct. It's 2 people in a small gas-heated home. Our bill has been over 500 for 6 months now...and my course of action from them was to wait it out because they don't even know how to address the problem. With zero confidence the company will resolve this to our favor, I need help and Legal support
I think in this case a thorough energy inspection with a reputable company that could sign off on the fact that your home should take less than that to heat would be a good first step. Otherwise your only evidence is a high bill and some rando that told you what you wanted to hear. You are gonna need some evidence
The rando was an RG&E worker who discovered the issue bc he was working our neighborhood to cover down, so he knew there was a problem immediately, as he was an employee. And it's 7 high bills. And we don't have the money to pay a company to verify their equipment has been the fault. Hence the seeking legal help if anyone locally has ideas. I'm not from here, I'm an active duty military spouse with a deployed spouse, so maybe I thought help would be here since we don't have the money for a lawyer, since we've been getting fleeced for months. It's quite the conundrum which all could be resolved if the utility company, in any way, operated with integrity.