The Waiting Game, Part 1
Just to catch you guys up on what's been going on for the past two days--I have talked to two companies and one federal department so far. More about Comcast later, but let me start with the light bill.
I discovered today that I'd entered a payment of 117.30 to the light company's website on 11/12, the day before it was due. This hit my bank account on 11/17, the day the light company sent out the bill for 400.00. If they hadn't gotten their payment until the day they sent out the bill, I could understand part of the discrepancy.
But, according to the woman I spoke to in Billing, this was not the issue. She said that there was a $230.00 charge in October. I told her that I did not get this charge. She offered to send me the October charge. I said no (though I will probably tell someone else to send me the charge), but I was puzzled by the increase. What, I asked, could be the reason for this?
Her response was very interesting. "Oh, well, it was the furnace. That was when the furnace started running again, right? So naturally there was an increase!"
Here I interrupted. "But--it couldn't have been the furnace--not in October!"
She got a bit testy then. "Why NOT?"
"Well, there wasn't any fuel in the furnace in October. The last time the fuel was delivered was in March. By October, there wasn't any fuel in the furnace at all. And Energy Assistance starts deliveries in November."
I got a very flat, "Oh."
After that, she couldn't get me off the phone quickly enough.
So yeah. It looks like C L & P estimated the October bill based on the size of the house and the probability that the furnace started running when the weather started getting cold.
Then I talked to the people at Energy Assistance. They were very understanding ("Oh, God, yes, this happens!") but they can't help, because Operation Fuel--which is designed to help people at or below the poverty line pay their electric bills--was canceled for December. Energy Assistance simply does not have the funds. The funds may be there in January...but then again, they may not.
Energy Assistance advised me to talk to C L & P about Winter Protection (or Shutoff Protection). The woman from C L & P advised me to change power companies, which may be possible but might be problematic because C L & P is, effectively, a monopoly in Connecticut.
So basically, the charge is bogus. I will probably have to pay it anyway, but it is not me.
***
I discovered today that I'd entered a payment of 117.30 to the light company's website on 11/12, the day before it was due. This hit my bank account on 11/17, the day the light company sent out the bill for 400.00. If they hadn't gotten their payment until the day they sent out the bill, I could understand part of the discrepancy.
But, according to the woman I spoke to in Billing, this was not the issue. She said that there was a $230.00 charge in October. I told her that I did not get this charge. She offered to send me the October charge. I said no (though I will probably tell someone else to send me the charge), but I was puzzled by the increase. What, I asked, could be the reason for this?
Her response was very interesting. "Oh, well, it was the furnace. That was when the furnace started running again, right? So naturally there was an increase!"
Here I interrupted. "But--it couldn't have been the furnace--not in October!"
She got a bit testy then. "Why NOT?"
"Well, there wasn't any fuel in the furnace in October. The last time the fuel was delivered was in March. By October, there wasn't any fuel in the furnace at all. And Energy Assistance starts deliveries in November."
I got a very flat, "Oh."
After that, she couldn't get me off the phone quickly enough.
So yeah. It looks like C L & P estimated the October bill based on the size of the house and the probability that the furnace started running when the weather started getting cold.
Then I talked to the people at Energy Assistance. They were very understanding ("Oh, God, yes, this happens!") but they can't help, because Operation Fuel--which is designed to help people at or below the poverty line pay their electric bills--was canceled for December. Energy Assistance simply does not have the funds. The funds may be there in January...but then again, they may not.
Energy Assistance advised me to talk to C L & P about Winter Protection (or Shutoff Protection). The woman from C L & P advised me to change power companies, which may be possible but might be problematic because C L & P is, effectively, a monopoly in Connecticut.
So basically, the charge is bogus. I will probably have to pay it anyway, but it is not me.
***