Our electric company has turned us over to collections for $60 of electricity that we never used and therefore refuse to pay for.
See, we have this barn. It costs us approximately $3 a month (never more than $5 a month) to operate the lights in that barn. A few months ago we received an "estimated" bill for $30 for the barn. I thought it would even itself out the next month when we got an "actual" reading on our meter. Nope.
The next month we got an actual reading and a bill for an additional $30. We called and were told that they had changed their policy and all "accessory structures" are now charged a minimum flat fee of $30/month. Our notice of this change? Reportedly sent in our bill...which we don't get anymore because we do e-billing. So I refuse to pay and they have now turned us over to collections.
Now there is this from the same company...
To help customers use energy more efficiently, we’re delivering two compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to the homes of residential customers of FirstEnergy’s Ohio operating companies -- Ohio Edison Company, The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison Company. These types of bulbs use up to 75 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs and can last 10 times longer -- contributing to significant money and energy savings over the life of the bulb.
and this hidden in FAQs on their website...
Q. Will I be charged for these?
You will not see a separate charge for these bulbs on your bill. This CFL program is part of a larger energy efficiency program that is being mandated by state law. As part of this law, the utility is able to recover the costs of these programs through customer rates over a period of several years. However, the impact on your bill for this program will be minimal.
Now let's never mind the fact that I have accident-prone dogs, cats and kids in my home...and I do NOT want mercury-filled lightbulbs anywhere near them.
And let's never mind that I'm already ticked off by this company.
But REALLY?!?! Something seems...I don't know...off. Public utilities can now send you stuff you didn't order and hide the charges on your regular bill?!?! REALLY?!?!
2 comments:
Yeah, my energy company encourages people to go to the "time of use" option for your energy use, which is great for me I am gone from 7:00am to close to 7:00pm during the week so we use minimal energy during the peak times. Now the energy company is talking about raising the rates for gas and electric by close to 15 %! Because the usage of electricity is down. Well No Shit Sherlock! You encourage people to not use it then jack up the cost more then if I was back to using it like we did before. They suck and they have us over a barrel because there is only one provider of electricity unless I get a generator and the neighbors would not be liking that. ;)
OMG! This blows! It makes you want to live off the grid!
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