Utility Companies, Monopolies and Billing Errors

[Pink Cashmere]

The company that provides electricity, gas and water for the area I live in, has been the subject of outrage from local citizens for a while now.

The latest upset is because the smart meters they installed everywhere a few years ago, thousands of them have failed, and many residents have not received bills since the end of last year. Many residents still paid every month, I guess, guesstimating what they figure they owed, and now many of them are getting bills for several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, due on the due date for this billing cycle.

In addition to that, thousands of other residents are getting bills for what the company says was due to billing errors that didn’t charge correctly for July and August, and those bills are also much more than normal, and those totals are also due on the due date for the billing cycle. So people paid what was on their July and August statements, and now have a huge bill for September, because the company says there were errors on the July and August statements.

Years ago, when I lived in the house my Grandmother owned, I got a huge bill, because the company said they hadn’t been billing me for gas usage for a couple of years. I was very upset, because I paid the amount I received a statement for, every month, and now, you are telling me if I don’t pay a lot of extra money on this month’s bill’s due date, my services will be cut off?! I called and talked to supervisors, but none of it mattered, because the bottom line was that if I didn’t pay it, my services would be cut off.

So me having had that experience, I completely understand why people that are upset about these latest billing fiascos. This is also the same provider that it has become common these last few years, that if the wind blows too hard, thousands of homes are without power for several days, or several weeks. Which adds fire to the fuel concerning outrage about the recent widespread billing errors. They can’t even keep our power on, and and people are getting huge bills because the fancy dancy smart meters they forced on us don't work properly too? TF?!

My other house has an excessively high bill because of this. Mister’s Dad has one too. I thought my Mom must be going nuts running the a/c at my other house when I saw what the bill is for this month (which is still in my name), until I started seeing posts on FB about the company sending out bills to make up for errors in July and August. I already knew about the issues with people not receiving bills at all since last year, because the meters weren’t working.

The bill for my other house is $600, and I guess I should’ve known that was way too much for one month when I saw it. They have been averaging between $200 and $300 this summer, and now they are saying that the bills should have been even more than that? My Mom can’t afford to pay a $600 bill at one time. I get on her about paying what it costs to live in my house, but I know she can’t afford that, even if she is on her best behavior. And it upsets me the way the billing errors are being handled. So what am I supposed to do, pay it for her? I’d really rather not, but this is one time that a mess isn’t of her making, because the bill has always been paid according to what the statement said was owed. I know that, because the bill is still in my name, and i make sure it gets paid. I cant get upset with my Mom for a big bill that is due to the utility company has been fucking up.

What about people that got hit like that, some for thousands of dollars, who don’t have someone that can help them pay it so they don’t lose access to electricity, gas and water?

I guess this is a rant more than a question, but I’d like to hear what you all think about how this company is treating their customers, knowing the customers HAVE to pay whatever they demand, or go with electricity, gas and water in their homes.

[busymom]

Have you, or anyone you know tried contacting the attorney general's office in your state?  That's who we would contact here if such a problem was going on.


It's crazy that they can go on for months like that, and then throw huge bills at their customers.  I see a lawsuit in that company's future...

[Tennesseer]

I have been fortunate in getting a bill each month. But then I live in one of the unincorporated areas of Memphis. Maybe that is why.

What I did not see was any change in the total charge for the July 2023 bill when I had no power for five days so couldn't use electricity or gas. Saw no difference between that bill and my July 2022 bill. Same for my February 2022 bill with no power or gas for a week and my February 2021 bill.

Hmmmmm.....

[CCL]

So electric, gas and water are all in one combined account? That seems kinda nuts. What about local TV stations? Do any have a consumer advocate/reporter?

[Tennesseer]

Sept 14, 2023 19:06:34 GMT -5 CCL said:

So electric, gas and water are all in one combined account? That seems kinda nuts. What about local TV stations? Do any have a consumer advocate/reporter?

Memphis's monthly utility bill includes charges for electric, gas, water, sewer systems, fire department (insurance), Mosquitoe/Storm water treatment, and for some of us like myself, Keep the Change (rounding up the total month's charges to the next dollar).

[CCL]

So if you are late paying any portion of those utilities, they can disconnect all of them? That sucks. Just doesn't seem right.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 14, 2023 21:00:21 GMT -5 CCL said:

So if you are late paying any portion of those utilities, they can disconnect all of them? That sucks. Just doesn't seem right.

There is a grace period allowed. I don't have a current bill in front of me but I am allowed three late payments before it becomes an issue with MLGW because I have been paying my monthly bills on time for the past 29 plus years. Others if they are frequently late have zero opportunities.

But I think the issue in pc's opening post is some citizens have not been receiving a monthly bill so they are paying the utility company what they paid the previous month.

Plus their smart meters are not working. So MLGW is just guessing what they might owe.

[toomuchreality]

I don't know if they can actually discontinue service, if the bill estimated. Here, they would have to know how much service you actually used.
They'd be setting themselves up for some major lawsuits for discontinuing service, over an unpaid bill that they don't actually know how much service you actually used.


Say they shut someone's service off for non payment, then the person died from heat, cold or whatever. Then it turned out they had really only used 1/2, or 1/3 of the amount they'd been billed /shut off for, so their services should not have been shut off. I see a huge lawsuit coming from that.

Do you not have a utilities commission that regulates things like this, there?

[finnime]

I agree with the others. This is a huge lawsuit waiting to be executed. A consumer advocate on the newspaper or local news station would be a great starting place. It is painful to consider those without resources to be facing losing their essential utilities.

Wow. 

[Pink Cashmere]

I forgot I started this thread lol.

When the weather is extremely hot or extremely cold, they don’t disconnect services. But the day the weather warms up or cools off, they go back to disconnecting. 

I haven’t been on FB yet today, or watched the news, so idk if there are any updates yet. If I see anything, I will be back.

[TheOtherMe]

Here, it's during the winter services can not be cut off.  There are dates that I think are in a law.  So in frigid Iowa, you shouldn't freeze to death for lack of payment until spring.  The utilities will be cut off on the date in the spring.  

[susana1954]

The water/sewer company, which is county-owned, did something like this.  But the problem was really with people who didn't pay their bill because they didn't receive one.  There are people who don't understand that they owe money for services or purchases, whether they receive a bill or not.  And then they are stunned when a huge bill comes due.  I won't say it is their "fault," but they shouldn't be surprised.

And faulty "smart" meters do exist.  The gas company swapped my meter out for one, and I had really low bills for two months.  It was providing the wrong information.  But I guess an audit caught it before it was too bad.  I couldn't complain; I knew the bills were lower than usual. 

Pink Cashmere, your mom may not be paying attention to how she sets the thermostat.  Mine is at 78 in the summer, and 68 in the winter.  Does that make me hot in summer and cold in winter.  Sort of.  But I can't afford to do otherwise.  A programmable thermostat and an app on YOUR phone might solve the problem.  Then if she runs it up, you can cut it back down after an hour or so.  

Just something to think about . . . 

[bookkeeper]

Make a complaint with the PUC (Public Utility Commission) in your state.  That sounds like a huge technology/billing cluster f**k.  

No well run utility company would fail to send out a timely correct bill.  Mistakes do happen, but when it is as wide spread as you describe, there is a serious billing software/tech interface problem.  It is in the best interest of the utility to send a correct bill and get paid on the regular.

I speak as the spouse of a retired electric utility CEO.  Complain to the PUC and get the TV Consumer Reporter on the job!

[chiver78]

Sept 14, 2023 21:00:21 GMT -5 CCL said:

So if you are late paying any portion of those utilities, they can disconnect all of them? That sucks. Just doesn't seem right.

this may not apply in TN since it's generally warmer than here, but we aren't allowed to have heating fuel completely disconnected for non-payment in the winter. I've gotten the disconnect letters b/c I sometimes forget to pay those bills (aren't on autopay) but never in the winter. 

[Pink Cashmere]

Here is a news story about it from July link

and one from this month. link

There is a board meeting scheduled for Wednesday that the public can attend.

[toomuchreality]

Sept 17, 2023 15:50:02 GMT -5 bookkeeper said:

Make a complaint with the PUC (Public Utility Commission) in your state.  That sounds like a huge technology/billing cluster f**k.  

No well run utility company would fail to send out a timely correct bill.  Mistakes do happen, but when it is as wide spread as you describe, there is a serious billing software/tech interface problem.  It is in the best interest of the utility to send a correct bill and get paid on the regular.

I speak as the spouse of a retired electric utility CEO.  Complain to the PUC and get the TV Consumer Reporter on the job!

This is what I was trying to say. But my thought process wasn't very good that night. I used to work for the local public gas company.
Well said.😊

[NastyWoman]

Sept 17, 2023 15:56:01 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Sept 14, 2023 21:00:21 GMT -5 CCL said:

So if you are late paying any portion of those utilities, they can disconnect all of them? That sucks. Just doesn't seem right.

this may not apply in TN since it's generally warmer than here, but we aren't allowed to have heating fuel completely disconnected for non-payment in the winter. I've gotten the disconnect letters b/c I sometimes forget to pay those bills (aren't on autopay) but never in the winter. 

So freezing someone is a big no no but it is ok to cook/boil people (rhetorical  question, I am not accusing you of anything in the slightest)? I would think a similar restriction needs be in place for the summer  in the hotter parts of the country!

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 18, 2023 12:26:24 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Sept 17, 2023 15:56:01 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

this may not apply in TN since it's generally warmer than here, but we aren't allowed to have heating fuel completely disconnected for non-payment in the winter. I've gotten the disconnect letters b/c I sometimes forget to pay those bills (aren't on autopay) but never in the winter. 

So freezing someone is a big no no but it is ok to cook/boil people (rhetorical  question, I am not accusing you of anything in the slightest)? I would think a similar restriction needs be in place for the summer  in the hotter parts of the country!

They do not disconnect during extremely hot weather here. 

[NastyWoman]

Sept 18, 2023 13:19:27 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sept 18, 2023 12:26:24 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

So freezing someone is a big no no but it is ok to cook/boil people (rhetorical  question, I am not accusing you of anything in the slightest)? I would think a similar restriction needs be in place for the summer  in the hotter parts of the country!

They do not disconnect during extremely hot weather here. 

That is good but do they have specific months during which they do not disconnect? Just because the "current" heatwave is over does not mean that there won't be another one in the season.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 18, 2023 14:06:49 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Sept 18, 2023 13:19:27 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

They do not disconnect during extremely hot weather here. 

That is good but do they have specific months during which they do not disconnect? Just because the "current" heatwave is over does not mean that there won't be another one in the season.

I don’t think there are specific months, just when the temperatures are dangerously hot. Then it cools down a little and the resume disconnections, which poses the problem you mention, with the next heatwave. That’s my understanding of what I recall hearing on the news about them pausing disconnections during extreme weather. 

[TheOtherMe]

Here during the summer, all that happens is cooling centers are opened, but they are closed at night.  

[Tennesseer]

Saw this post on Nextdoor this afternoon.

Oakleigh is a neighborhood in Memphis. The poster has asked MLGW why his bill is so high.

Oakleigh • 2 days ago •
I just got an MLGW bill for $8,659.00, it’s normally around $400/month. I’ve been paying the bill every month. They added a huge previous balance with late fees with no explanation.

This is what some Memphis MLGW customers are experiencing as of late.

[saveinla]

Oh wow - thats wrong.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 18:39:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Saw this post on Nextdoor this afternoon.

Oakleigh is a neighborhood in Memphis. The poster has asked MLGW why his bill is so high.

Oakleigh • 2 days ago •
I just got an MLGW bill for $8,659.00, it’s normally around $400/month. I’ve been paying the bill every month. They added a huge previous balance with late fees with no explanation.

This is what some Memphis MLGW customers are experiencing as of late.

I’ve seen several posts like that on Facebook. People paid what they guessed they might owe, even though they weren’t getting bills, then they suddenly get huge bills for thousands of dollars. 

And apparently when they call to try to discuss the bills they are receiving, they can’t get through to talk to an actual person. 

It’s all crazy to me, and totally unacceptable. But MLGW has the gold, because if you don’t pay, your services are disconnected. That’s a bunch of bullshit imo. 

[toomuchreality]

Sept 19, 2023 18:39:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Saw this post on Nextdoor this afternoon.

Oakleigh is a neighborhood in Memphis. The poster has asked MLGW why his bill is so high.

Oakleigh • 2 days ago •
I just got an MLGW bill for $8,659.00, it’s normally around $400/month. I’ve been paying the bill every month. They added a huge previous balance with late fees with no explanation.

This is what some Memphis MLGW customers are experiencing as of late.

That just seems ridiculous!
No wonder people are freaking out.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 20:21:41 GMT -5 toomuchreality said:

Sept 19, 2023 18:39:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Saw this post on Nextdoor this afternoon.

Oakleigh is a neighborhood in Memphis. The poster has asked MLGW why his bill is so high.


This is what some Memphis MLGW customers are experiencing as of late.

That just seems ridiculous!
No wonder people are freaking out.

Yes, it really is ridiculous. 

My Mom and Mister’s Dad house got bills that were much more than normal, but at least neither bill was for thousands of dollars.

People have already been getting upset with the company because of the power outages that have become more common and last for way too long. 

Even neighborhoods with buried power lines have started losing power sometimes, when people that have lived in these neighborhoods for decades, say they had never lost power until recently. We live in a neighborhood where the power lines are buried, and we’ve lost power a few times this summer, but the longest time was for several hours, not for days and weeks, like some people have had happen repeatedly.

Now there is this mess with the billing errors, and it’s not just a few people, it’s widespread, with many thousands of customers in the area. 

If “the public” does show up at the board meeting tomorrow, I am sure it will be interesting.