Quetion for all you electrician kind of guys

[MossRoad]

... the meter makes 3.8 revolutions per hour, every hour, with nothing attached. ...

Now that you have it repaired, can we figure out how much money that would have actually cost you per year at your current rates?

Then let's multiply that by the number of customers they have to see the potential overcharge money they could make if everyone's meters crept like yours. I think it would be fun.

 

[Dargo]

Now that you have it repaired, can we figure out how much money that would have actually cost you per year at your current rates?

Then let's multiply that by the number of customers they have to see the potential overcharge money they could make if everyone's meters crept like yours. I think it would be fun.

Honestly, I thought about doing just that. However, since there is zero chance of me getting anything back, I'm not sure I want to know.

 

[LBrown59]

Utility companies must believe that the meters can fail or be inaccurate.

One time my house was not occupied for a number of months which caused the utility bill to drop drastically. I happened to arrive there just as the PG&E guy was swapping out the meter. He said he was swapping out the meter because there must be something wrong with it. I didn't bother to explain to him the reason for the low bills. I thought I'd let it make them crazy since the house was going to be unoccupied for awhile longer and the new meter wasn't going to change anything.

Bet they wouldn't have been so quick to change it had it been reading higher that normal .

 

[MossRoad]

Honestly, I thought about doing just that. However, since there is zero chance of me getting anything back, I'm not sure I want to know.

Hakim fessed up about his well problem.

 

[hitekcountry]

And then there was the time when I was doing a total remodel on a rental. I'm talking to the studs, new elect, plumb, windows, the works. I don't remember how long it took but it was probably close to a year. Hay what can I say I'm no Eddie Walker and at my age I'm only good for 4 or 5 hrs a day. Anyway PG&E apparently assumed there must be some error in either the meter or the meter reading because one month I received a large utility bill, I don't remember now the exact amount but it was close to $2000. They just went back to previous year's usage and estimated what the normal usage should be and sent me the bill.

Now we didn't have any trouble explaining that the place was unoccupied and they reversed out the charges, but I was amazed that they would even do that in the first place, just make up a number!!!

 

[Kfbeal]

Now that you have it repaired, can we figure out how much money that would have actually cost you per year at your current rates?

Then let's multiply that by the number of customers they have to see the potential overcharge money they could make if everyone's meters crept like yours. I think it would be fun.

It would be about 15 kwh / month or 186 kwh / year * .10/kwh about $18.60/year IF it's a constant 3 revolutions per hour.

Normally the Public Utility Commission will allow you to re-bill 6 months in the utilities favor, or all the way to the beginning if in the customers favor.

If you owned a store and someone bought something and brought it back saying they didn't use it and you had no way of knowing, would you believe them?

 

[ultrarunner]

And then there was the time when I was doing a total remodel on a rental. I'm talking to the studs, new elect, plumb, windows, the works. I don't remember how long it took but it was probably close to a year. Hay what can I say I'm no Eddie Walker and at my age I'm only good for 4 or 5 hrs a day. Anyway PG&E apparently assumed there must be some error in either the meter or the meter reading because one month I received a large utility bill, I don't remember now the exact amount but it was close to $2000. They just went back to previous year's usage and estimated what the normal usage should be and sent me the bill.

Now we didn't have any trouble explaining that the place was unoccupied and they reversed out the charges, but I was amazed that they would even do that in the first place, just make up a number!!!

PG&E has done that to me several times... sometimes they estimate usage and other times they have replaced the meter because I was overseas and only had a refrigerator going...

I caught them one time at a rental... they came in and read the meter to establish new service and 20 minutes later the regular meter reader came by and read the meter... my usage for 20 minutes at a vacant single family home was $22.

I complained and told them there was no way I could use that amount of electricity and gas in 20 minutes... turns out they attempted to bill me all the utility usage from the time the previous tenant vacated and had the service taken out of their name...

Apparently this is standard operating practice for utilities... they get paid no matter who they get paid from...

I've called PG&E before to report that a tenant has moved out and squatters moved in and they would not talk to me unless I was willing to put service in my name... I wished them well... about a month later I got a call asking if I know the whereabouts of the previous tenant because of a $440 outstanding bill... I told them I had no idea... but I had called to let them know the tenant had moved out the month before and was told they couldn't discuss it with me...

Sometimes I've had to appear in person with ID and my Grant Deed just to get service turned back-on... It's kind of a one way street with the Utilities now... they will call and ask all kinds of questions about a customer but will not divulge any information in return...