Gas Bill
Last month natural gas, largest bill I have had. $58 [:)]
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Well we live in a home built in 1900. Needless to say, there is no insulation, other than blown insluation in the attic. I replaced the windows a couple years ago with brand new Pella Low-e windows. Everything is sealed up well. Then they decided to double the price of natural gas in our community. Ok. Now this winter has been a mild one to say the least. Only once has it been in the teens. Last year it was much colder and our gas bill was just over $200-225. I'm kind of enjoying the warm weather so I'm not paying out an arm and a leg. Granted it's getting a little colder, but this bill that has just arrived is for $195. I see gas usage only cost me $114, then they tack on some $60 fee for maintenance costs. I haven't seen a single person from them in a year. I've had no work done. I've talked to a few people with the same company. Each of them said they have the same fee's, in different amounts of course. My theory is that they expected to make a killing this year since prices are still high, but with the warm weather and all, they aren't. So let's tack on a fee so we can bring in some extra cash. I've never seen this fee before.
Am I crazy or should I take the matter up with them?0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslovers
Well we live in a home built in 1900. Needless to say, there is no insulation, other than blown insluation in the attic. I replaced the windows a couple years ago with brand new Pella Low-e windows. Everything is sealed up well. Then they decided to double the price of natural gas in our community. Ok. Now this winter has been a mild one to say the least. Only once has it been in the teens. Last year it was much colder and our gas bill was just over $200-225. I'm kind of enjoying the warm weather so I'm not paying out an arm and a leg. Granted it's getting a little colder, but this bill that has just arrived is for $195. I see gas usage only cost me $114, then they tack on some $60 fee for maintenance costs. I haven't seen a single person from them in a year. I've had no work done. I've talked to a few people with the same company. Each of them said they have the same fee's, in different amounts of course. My theory is that they expected to make a killing this year since prices are still high, but with the warm weather and all, they aren't. So let's tack on a fee so we can bring in some extra cash. I've never seen this fee before.
Am I crazy or should I take the matter up with them?
It won't hurt to take it up. The bigger question is: are you willing to go to that much effort over $60. It's not a pittance, but if it costs you 1 hour, you've done well. If it costs you 3 hours, then it's $20/hour. If it costs you 12 hours.....then they got you, because you just paid yourself $5/hour.
Usually, I'm willing to go to great lengths just on principle, but in that case I don't fool myself into thinking I'm making money because spending 12 hours arguing a $60 bill (and winning), is really not very fiscally sound. But it sure feels good!
In your situation, I'd spend 30 minutes being pissy on the phone and if that didn't work I'd give it up.0 -
I'm one of the ones that will go out of my way to prove a point about the principle as well. If they're charging every customer in town(60k people) $60 on top of their gas usage. That's a ....wait for it.....pharkin' lot of money. It's a poor practice, I'm sure it's downright illegal if it is the case. Maybe they will realize that if people are raising eyebrows, they'll cut it out. It's a freaking monopoly anyways. There is one Gas company, one electric company, and until recently one cable company. They can charge what they want, just like the Gasoline stations, we have to pay it.
I don't plan on going to great lengths about it, but if they are going to hit me with $60 every month that we have a warm spell, that's a lot of money saved.0 -
quote:Originally posted by cubslovers
I'm one of the ones that will go out of my way to prove a point about the principle as well. If they're charging every customer in town(60k people) $60 on top of their gas usage. That's a ....wait for it.....pharkin' lot of money. It's a poor practice, I'm sure it's downright illegal if it is the case. Maybe they will realize that if people are raising eyebrows, they'll cut it out. It's a freaking monopoly anyways. There is one Gas company, one electric company, and until recently one cable company. They can charge what they want, just like the Gasoline stations, we have to pay it.
I don't plan on going to great lengths about it, but if they are going to hit me with $60 every month that we have a warm spell, that's a lot of money saved.
So you truly believe it's wrong and are willing to do a bit about it, but you're not willing to press the case to its fullest extent? I think that sounds about like how my reaction would be. You should think about how you can maximize the effort you put into this. Are you friendly with your neighbors? Can you convince them to make the same complaints you're making? Several written complaints might go a long way.
Let us know how it turns out.0 -
quote:Originally posted by spurgemastur
Let us know how it turns out.
Will do, thanks for the advice.0 -
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Electric heat?
In the country you can never have enough insulation. I think the idea of sealing up a house too much and not allowing it to breath is bunk. The wind blows so much, it will breath.0 -
I hadn't looked at my gas bill until I saw this thread.
$48.25 for "Distribution and Service Charges" and they charged me sales tax on this amount as well as on the gas.
I'm getting on the phone right now.0 -
Go wood heat, and let the gas co. gig the others. My annual heat bill
is less than $300., and that's having someone else cut/split/stack the wood.
If I were still cutting my own, it would be less than $100.0 -
"for service in English press 1"
I did not press anything.
When the computer finally gave up and I got through to a person I asked for an explanation. $11 every month no matter whether I use any gas or not plus an additional charge per unit (100 cubic feet or whatever) of gas that I use.
I put in a call to Skelgas to find out what it takes to have propane here in the city. He wasn't in but I left a message.0 -
Talk to a manager, get a full name, tape the conversation if you can and if not settled, go to local TV station. Most have a "consumer watch" segment on the 6 o'clock news. They love to wave the BS flag.
I have a feeling that it is some sort of shotgun tactic. Atach a fee to every bill on the hopes that most sheep jst don't pay attention. If even half complain, still get the rest.[V]0 -
Cubs- if you have not already done so, check electric outlets- especially on exterior walls, see if you have "draft stoppers" under the outlet cover. These sell for a couple of bucks a pack, take 60 seconds to install, stop a LOT of cold air in older houses. And be sure to change or clean furnace filter about every 30 days- makes a big difference. 0 -
...you should (?) have a state Utility Commission [:D], we do here...but it is made up of X CEO's etc, from utility co.'s ([:0][:D] SUPRISE!)...and just about useless to argue w/them; fox hen-house type thing.
...My personal favorite is the phone bill. I just found (for how many years?) a charge for a little less than a buck...for "touchtone service" [:D]..anybody have a "dial" phone??...would it even work now days?
The utitility co.'s bite...I heat mostly (99%) with wood, w-a-y cheaper...[;)]0 -
I logged on to their website, registered my account, paid my bill, and posted the following under "report a problem"
quote:I recently purchased a home that is currently served by Vectren Energy. I received my first bill and found that over 25% of the cost is "distribution and service charges". You may rest assured I will be contacting the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission about this outrageous circumventing of their authority to regulate costs.
Also you will notice I said this home is "currently" being serviced by Vectren. I hope to be switched over to LP gas in the very near future.0 -
this very type of thing is why I no longer have a land line phone in my home,it cost $35 a month just to have it even if you never use it,it was way cheaper in the long run just to add my wife and son to my cell phone account 'I have to have a cell for work" ,get them their own cell phone and drop the house phone.I also use wood and propane for heat,I fill my propane tank once a year always around $125.00 and buy $250 worth of wood,,,we also cook with propane ... 0 -
Our propane runs around $350-$400/ month in the winter.[xx(] 0 -
One thing I would consider doing is replacing the insulation in the attic with thick batting. Most of the heat goes up and out, the old blown in insulation packs down over time and it was not that efficent when it was new. This is a change that is fairly easy to do yourself and it not that costly. You will recoup your investment very quickly, less that one year.
I agree to blast the utility with letters, better to put stuff in writing. They will simply blow off telephone calls. Letters to higher ups with copies to media and utility regulation organizations will be hard to ignore. If you can get others to join in your campain that might wake them up.
I was getting the BS extra taxes and charges on my landline telephone bills so I cancelled and went with the internet phone for less than $20 per month. Plus I get FREE long distance now. I was ripped off by the phone companies for years!
Now I have everything through Comcast cable. Phone, Internet and TV. Most of the cost is for the TV movie channels.0
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