BC Hydro admits to overbilling

[Liquidnails]

A CBC News investigation has discovered BC Hydro has been massively overcharging several tenants in a Burnaby condo tower after installing smart meters, forcing some of them to move out.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... error.html

[mexi cali]

I called BC Hydro about a spike in my bills since the installation of my smart meter and was basically told the same thing by the gal i spoke with.

Basically, the reason for the spike was my doing.

While mine wasn't as extreme as the examples in the article, it was still substantial and I apparently have no recourse.

There is definitely something wrong here and BC Hydro have already been proven liars so what can a person do?

[hobbyguy]

Well, here's one plan, and what I'm doing in anticipation of Fortis going "smart meter":

1. Keep an archive of bills, I have two years worth and growing. These bills also show your average daily usage history by month.
2. If I see a "spike" in my billing if and when the smart meter is installed, I will use this to argue my case with Fortis.
3. If the response form Fortis is unsatisfactory after moving up the "food chain", then I will file a claim in small claims court. Pretty simple process: http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/small_claims/info/guides/making_a_claim.htm

Pretty sure that just getting the notice of the suit will get their attention, and result in settlement (including filing costs etc.). If not, they will have huge costs, and armed with the archive data, pretty much assured to win on "balance of probabilities".

Note that "moving up the food chain" is important. Get the name of a supervisor/manager and try to talk to them. If no suitable response is received, send them a registered letter once again detailing the issue, and advising them that if a satisfactory agreement can not be reached that you will be seeking legal recourse. By doing so, you make it such that the path of least resistance to resolve your problem, not just fob you off with a "tough toenails" response.

Yup, it's a bit of work - but they count on you not doing it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[southernfrau]

Ready for this one. Hubby was out of work this Spring, so I phoned in to make payment arrangements on the bill as we are on equal payment plan. We had dates to pay by. Only 2 dates as we split the amount up. I sent in the payment 4 days before the due date. I got my bill showing that I had paid the correct amount but they credited it to the new billing and I was told I was in default of my payment arrangement. I went up and down them, and rheamed them out but good. They said there new computer system couldn't apply it to the arrangement as 1. it came in before the due date and 2. the computer reads the bank paid date.

So if you make arrangements in the future. Pay it on the day of and then the computer can read the bank data and synchronizes it with the arrangement date. I was so mad I was spitting nails. They corrected my bill to show the arrangement had been paid in full and I wasn't delinquent at all on it. Then I paid the new bill off.

If you send in 45.00 - 4 days ahead of the arrangement date and that is the exact amount agreed to, wouldn't you think it would trigger and go to the agreed upon amount. Nope. It has to be dated exactly for the day.

Back in February when the reconcilation was done for the year, it showed I had a credit of a lowly .02 cents and that it had been reconciled. I left it until the next billing date for March. Thinking I had a credit of .02. Next bill I got said I actually owed another 400 dollars and it was past due. Huh? Computer again. It didn't play connect the dots and credit my account properly. Again a fight with them and this time an apology with a corrected billing.