What if you got an $11,000 power bill?

Charlotte Observer ^ | Sun, Nov. 14, 2004

[Willie Green]

THE ISSUE

Soon after the city of Monroe installed an automated electricity meter at JB's Midway Barbecue in April, the city's utility department notified owner Jim Benton the restaurant was using much more power than the old meter indicated.

First, his power bill increased from between $800 and $900 to $1,200 a month, Benton said. Then, he received a letter from the city informing him that a city analysis showed his old meter had been under-registering for almost a decade.

He would be billed almost $11,000 -- three years' worth of back charges.

Benton learned that a city policy allows Monroe's energy services department to back-charge up to three years if officials discover a meter has under-registered, even if a city utility worker caused the problem.

[OwnershipSociety]

"City of Monroe...meet my lawyer!"

[xJones]

I'd move.

[truthkeeper]

I got a $1,400 gas bill once. My ex-husband decided to heat the swimming pool in the dead of winter so he could take night swims.

Notice I said my EX-husband...

[Viet-Boat-Rider]

Pay the bill. Why should the rest of the customers supplement his power use?

[Clara Lou]

If he received the service and was undercharged, why shouldn't he pay for it? [providing he was actually under-charged] Everybody else in the city is expected to.

[Drammach]

a city policy allows Monroe's energy services department to back-charge up to three years if officials discover a meter has under-registered, even if a city utility worker caused the problem.

It's a "city Policy", not a law...
Take it to court..

[MisterRepublican]

Obviously Bush is ruining our economy. Halliburton is involved somehow, too.

[Sarah]

Sounds like fun!

[Brainhose]

Their meter was defective so the utility should have to eat it, unless there was absolute proof that the restaurant owner tampered with it, which is impossible to do without the meter reader knowing it.
I used to work for a software company that worked solely for utilities (Mostly gas). They are sooo notoriously cheap it's not funny.
They think just because our work came from our brains that anything they asked for extra after the contract was signed should be free, "Can't you just make this change I want? It'll only take an hour or two.".
I used to ask them to provide free gas to my apartment. This always shut them up in a hurry.
God, how I've come to detest utility companies. I hope these folks get their lawyer on this.

[Viet-Boat-Rider]

Lets increase you power bill by 100% until YOU pay for the power that this guy used and didn't pay for, but DON'T add anything to mine please.

[Condor51]

$11K, peanuts. That is noooooooothing!

Last year my MIL who lives in a single family bungalow in Chicago got a monthly Electric Bill (ComEd) for ....... $94,000!!

I called ComEd for her, explained that it was utterly ridiculous and that the electric bill for Sears Tower's probably wasn't that much. BUT the first thing the lady said was .... "did I check to verify the meter reading indicated on the bill was right". I said no and plus I didn't care WHAT the meter reading was, $94,000 was an IMPOSSIBLILITY. She finally agreed to void 'that' bill until they could get another meter reader person out to her house. Two months later she received a corrected bill for $42.00

I swear, the world is full of idiots and they ALL work for the gubmint and utility companies.

[Drammach]

Yeah, whatever..

[HairOfTheDog]

a city analysis showed his old meter had been under-registering for almost a decade. He would be billed almost $11,000 -- three years' worth of back charges.

Umm..... no it doesn't work that way.

[GeekDejure]

It's called the 'Monroe Meter Hustle" !!!

[Koblenz]

I think that the owner ought to pay this IF indeed he used the excess power AND IF the utility company can produce some sort of proof that he actually used that much more power. I always think you should pay for what you use. But here, did they know when the meter broke? If it's a clear case of the meter having been installed with the wrong setting, so it logged 2 KWH when it should have logged 3 KWH, then fine. But if it went defective some time during the last three years, and this was the utility's best guess, I'd negotiate something else with them, as they probably took the point of view that benefitted them the most... So in principle, I'm not against him having to pay, but I think he needs to check to make sure that the revision is indeed accurate.

[shellshocked]

"had been under-registering for almost a decade.
"

Does that mean it never resulted in a bill? If so, how could he possibly not pay any utilities bills? I say he would owe back bills.

[woofer]

his power bill increased from between $800 and $900 to $1,200 a month

Yikes! How the heck do you rack up a $800 Utility bill? Use 1000 Watt Floods in every socket?

But in response to the Title Question, if I got a $11,000 Utility Bill, I'd think their Accounts Payable was in cahoots with the Accounts Receivable and cross-checked their notes on me to extract financial revenge for all of the work I've done for many over the years.

[Nov3]

These very same people would be squealing like a stuck pig if a contractor installed faulty equipment and then came back for three years back billing, after they had paid in good faith. No matter what they say. I don't care how much they beat their chests keyboard.

[truthkeeper]

Oh, we paid it all right. Ugh. (It was 13 years ago.)