IS IT TRUE? September 23, 2011
IS IT TRUE that a young educated female professional who is moving to Chicago today contacted the City County Observer regarding her Vectren bill which will be her last?…that she has been living in a one bedroom apartment in the historic district for the last year?…that all last winter her Vectren bill was in the $120 – $150 range and that she kept her thermostat at a comfortable 70 degrees?…that she was pleased with this amount as it fit her budget and she was able to keep as warm as she wanted?…that her most recent Vectren bill was a record $380 for a month that she was only home about 70% of the time?…that she thought something had to be wrong and placed a call to Vectren regarding the bill?
IS IT TRUE that the explanation that she was given was that for the entire time she had been living in her apartment that Vectren’s meter had something wrong with it that resulted in her being undercharged for the entire time?…she was told that Vectren discovered that the meter had been incorrect recently and back billed her for all of that time into a single bill?…that if she had known that the bill was really as high as it was she would have turned the heat down to make sure that her Vectren bill was within her budget even if it meant turning it down to 62 degrees and wearing a coat in her apartment?
IS IT TRUE that we are somewhat confused as to how Vectren could have had a broken meter for that long and been able to figure out exactly the number of kWh that they had under billed her for?…that this broken meter was never the less consistent in its readings and that the amount of the bill for all of the winter was about what her landlord had told her that it would be?…that seems like having a car with a broken odometer, keeping no written records, and then declaring a year later what the exact mileage that was driven was?…that Vectren is somewhat clever and may have some way of knowing exactly what was used when a meter is repaired so let’s assume that the number of kWh that she has been billed for is correct?…that even accepting that this young lady was tricked by the bad meter into using more heat than she could afford and that some compromise on Vectren’s part is entirely appropriate?…that without a compromise this young lady who is leaving Evansville will have this memory of Vectren making her pay for their mistake as she gets on with her life?…that this may influence any future decision to move back to Evansville?
IS IT TRUE that she does report that the Vectren customer service representative was courteous and offered to set up a payment plan but was not compromising in the least when it came to the amount of the balance?…that the rate charged seemed to all be at the new rate?…that given this case that the electricity that was used last winter before Vectren’s rate increase went into effect was billed at the current rate?…that some downward adjustment in this young ladies bill is in order?…that in all fairness it was Vectren’s broken gear that sent her the false signal that 70 degrees is affordable so the honorable thing to do is for Vectren to accept what she paid as payment in full, fix the meter, and accept responsibility for their dysfunctional meter instead of sticking a 24 year old with the bill?
IS IT TRUE that we wonder if this was an isolated random occurrence or if this happens often?
If she’s moving to Chicago why doesn’t she give them the one finger salute and head for the Illinois state line? What are they going to do? Hire an attorney to sue her over $380?
Adios, amiga!
Vectren may be willing to ruin a young person’s credit over $380. They won’t hire a lawyer but they will report is as bad debt even though it was their mistake and disputed. Heads Vectren wins, tails this girl loses.
I am no legal eagle but I believe that this woman has a case. I believe that the meter belongs to Vectren. Therefore it is their responsibility to maintain it in good repair. If a malfunction results in a misreading and a misbilling, Vectren is accountable. They then are responsible for fixing the meter and for all problems resulting from the malfunction.
I wonder if there is an attorney in Evansville with the anatomy to take this case on pro bono. (Wait, what am I thinking? Most attorneys are pretty much in the greedy arena with Vectren)
But Vectren and its monopoly status need to be called out on this one. It could set a precedent for other Vectren issues that would help others. We will not change the monopoly problem but it would strike a blow for the little guy (or gal) and it could embarrass this greedy company.
Does the Indiana regulatory commission know about this situation? It is this mentality that makes Evansville laughable to the rest of the country. It is not just “all about me”: it is “all about me and my bank account.”
You’re right, you are no legal eagle. This is from the Indiana Administrative code:
170 IAC 4-1-14 Billing adjustments
Authority: IC 8-1-1-3; IC 8-1-2-4
Affected: IC 8-1-2-34
Sec. 14. Adjustment of Bills. (A) Adjustments Due to Meter Errors. If any service meter, after being tested, as provided for
in these rules, is found to have a percentage of error greater than three percent (3%) for watthour meters and four percent (4%) for
demand meters, the bills for service shall be adjusted as follows:
(1) Fast Meters–When a meter is found to have a positive average error, the public utility shall refund, or credit the customer’s
account with the amount of any charges in excess of either (i) an average bill for the kilowatthours and/or demand units
incorrectly metered or (ii) separate bills individually adjusted for the percent of error for the period the meter was fast, if such
period can be determined, or one year, whichever period is shorter. An average bill shall be calculated on the basis of
kilowatthours and/or demand units registered on the meter over corresponding periods either prior or subsequent to the period
for which the meter is determined to be fast. No part of a minimum service charge shall be refunded.
(2) Stopped or Slow Meters–When a meter is stopped or has a negative average error, the public utility may charge the
customer for the kilowatthours and/or demand units incorrectly registered for one-half of the period since the last previous test
or one year, whichever is shorter. The amount of the charge to the customer shall be estimated on the basis of either (i) an
average bill as herein below described or (ii) separate bills individually adjusted for the percent of error. An average bill shall
be calculated on the basis of kilowatthours and/or demand units registered on the meter over corresponding periods either prior
or subsequent to the period for which the meter is determined to be slow or stopped. The utility may charge the customer for
such amounts except where the utility negligently allows the stopped or slow meter to remain in service.
(B) Other Billing Adjustments. All other billing errors, including incorrect tariff applications, may be adjusted to the known
date of error or for a period of one year, whichever period is shorter. (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; No. 33629: Standards
of Service For Electrical Utilities Rule 14; filed Mar 10, 1976, 9:10 am: Rules and Regs. 1977, p. 346; readopted filed Jul 11, 2001,
4:30 p.m.: 24 IR 4233; readopted filed Apr 24, 2007, 8:21 a.m.: 20070509-IR-170070147RFA; errata filed Jul 21, 2009, 1:33 p.m.:
20090819-IR-170090571ACA)
What about defective meters where the CUSTOMER is OVERCHARGED? Is the customer notified and immediately refunded the overcharged amount?
What is the ratio of defective meters that read less then actual usage to meters that read more than actual usage?
How was it determined just exactly when this particular meter became defective? Or was it a meter reader who just continually read the meter wrong until someone at Vectren caught it?
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Vectren subcontracts their meter reading, to the lowest bidder. The guys in the meter shop say they can always tell when there is a new meter reader by the increase in complaints. It was a lot better in the old days when they read their own meters
Vectren misread my electric meter last year, but the size of the bill and the huge spike on their bar-graph stuck out like a sore thumb. I went outside and looked at the meter myself and could tell the reader had made a mistake. I did not send the amount requested, and told them I would not be sending them anything until the meter was read again.
I have to wonder how many people have fallen victim to higher charges like this and never knew it, they just went ahead and paid the bill?
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I have never heard of any other type of business that can come back and charge you for their mistake or faulty equipment.
Imagine this scenario. You get your credit card statement and notice a charge from a gas station in Florida. You haven’t been in Florida since a vacation a year and a half ago. You call, and discover that the station claims they found some faulty pumps and is now back charging you for what they are claiming it should of been. No real explanation, just a charge added to your credit card. Every consumer group in the country would be outraged, yet Vectren can do EXACTLY the same thing and hardly a word is said.
Remember what they did to the guy who used to have the great Christmas display on Oregon St? Claimed they had misread him for several years and socked him with a back bill of somewhere around $15K. Their greed and questionable antics shut down this display, a loss for all of us who enjoyed what he did.
Yes, they would have no problem ruining this girl’s credit. I tell you though, if she wants to fight these crooks, let her come on here and start up a legal fund, I will gladly make a contribution.
It appears the the solution may be to buy Vectren stock and reap the rewards of their excessive billing. That of course will be predicated upon the chance that there are any monies left after their excessive salaries…how much is our former congressman being paid for the job of which he had not viable or obivious credentials?
Last year they misread my meter. They sent s bill of $1300. When I read my meter, they were way off. Come to find ou the bill should have been $400, which I think was still too high, but better than $1300. They didn’t apologize or anything. During the ice storm a few years ago, they had to repair some lines and instead of contacting me to unlock my gate, they pushed my fence over by the gate. It was up to me to keep calling them for a month, and mention possible legal action, if they didn’t fix my fence they damaged.
If you built your fence on their line easement you are lucky to get anything
How many people had pipes burst a couple of years ago because Vectren could not provide service only to be told that Vectren was not responsible for customer costs from interuptions in their service? Whether it was rotten food or broken pipes these hosers do not take responsibility for anything.
Where would I find such an administrative code for Ohio?
Hey ! I am thankful for the specifics . Does someone know if my business would be able to obtain a fillable a form form to type on ?
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