Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

I received mine in park slope, but cannot understand the logic behind it. They're increasing taxes, yet we continue to get these checks that area mostly for the wealthy (the poor don't own real estate in new york). as much as i love getting my $400, it's ridiculous that we still get it. kudos to bloomberg for at least trying to get rid of it (but less so for not putting up much of a fight).

Posted by: bkmatt at January 2, 2009 6:24 PM in response to Poll: Have You Gotten Your Rebate Check Yet?

here's more information on Jake:
http://www.dailyslope.com/2006/05/23/have-you-seen-this-guy/

I sometimes question why people feel such a need to give to Jake (a seemingly nice guy granted), instead of homeless kids, older people, etc. I think jake makes more than the people working at Ace.

Posted by: bkmatt at November 26, 2008 12:29 PM in response to Big Plans for 79-81 7th Avenue Quashed

Vinca --

1) If given a credit 6 months after you moved in, would you do much to question it?

2) See above -- again, Con Ed gives me a credit, I don't complain.

3) Of course i set up an account. I wouldn't have electrical without it.

Posted by: bkmatt at November 10, 2008 2:35 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

Actually, Bkmatt, my mother taught me that money and electricity doesn't grow on trees, and that you don't take/keep what doesn't belong to you. (Not so) Funny that you "don't complain" when the money's coming out of someone else's pocket, but start howling when it's you who needs to fork up. As if the issue was about complaining, rather than about your own ethics. And BTW, for a certain period and unless requested otherwise, Con Ed doesn't turn off service to apartments when a tenant vacates--they terminate the tenant's account, but maintain the service.

Posted by: vinca at November 10, 2008 3:10 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

it seems odd that ConEd would have given you a credit right off the bat like that. even if there was a credit owed to a previous owner, they must know that you're a different account. it sounds like they just plum screwed up, but you are justified in asking for proof of what you owe. of course, considering the quality of ConEd's billing, I wouldn't hold my breath for a detailed summary. but when you get the bill, do the math and see how much it really comes out to per month, counting in your credits and what you've actually paid. if it turns out to be within the realm of possibility, eh, just pay it.

Posted by: Jimmy Legs at November 10, 2008 3:28 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

ConEd really is a terrible company. you might or might not owe the money. If you can take advantage of their mistake, more power to you.

Sadly, it will probably end up like a bank error where you get excited at first and then disappointed when the error gets fixed.

Posted by: slick at November 10, 2008 4:10 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

Vinca, please.

Every Con Ed customer deserves to get one bill every month that clearly states how much they owe.

The clarity of that bill should not depend upon the customer's work schedule, the timeliness of their individual meter-reader, the goodwill of the person they phoned in their reading to, or even how put-together the customer is about diligently writing down the next meter reading date on a calendar.

Posted by: vanburenproud at November 10, 2008 5:22 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

I think Matt deserves an explanation from ConEd, and maybe a break as well, in the sense that he has thought (and has asked for confirmation from ConEd) over the years about his admittedly low bills. At the very least, they should give him a number of months to pay off the bill without incurring interest charges or penalties. For starters, they've screwed up the billing to date, he has to be careful they haven't screwed up again.

Posted by: Minmin at November 10, 2008 7:04 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

I had a similar issue with a utility company in Chicago a number of years ago (RCN for cable TV). They were billing another customer's credit card some amount of my bill (say $50) and I was having the remainder (say $45) automatically debited from my bank account. Since I had direct debit, I never really looked at the bill. At some point they figured out what was happening and instead of sending me a new bill saying what I owed, they shut off my service and reported me to a credit agency. Their basis was that I was so far behind on my bill. I paid it in full right away, but had to battle to get it removed from my credit report. I know my story doesn't help you any - it just shows that the utilities kind of have you. They can provide lousy service and there isn't much you can really do about it.

Posted by: HaHaYourDadsNotHandy at November 10, 2008 7:07 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

Vinca, not sure what more OP should have done...offer to pay Coned money that they said he didn't owe?! How much should he have paid? And how many times should OP have conscientiously called them in order to pass your arbitrary morality test? It's not as though OP can go measure his own kilowatts to check up on the bill. And how the hell is he supposed to track down the prior tenant?!

What makes you so sure Coned is right about the money they say is owed? Perhaps OP doesn't owe anything and this charge is a screw up. You're lucky your meter reader is so prompt. I haven't seen my guy in months. That said, OP, if you used the service you oughta pay for it. But you should get a precise accounting from Coned before you fork over a dime.

Posted by: basketball_jones at November 10, 2008 8:15 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

When you're a brand new occupant, and delivered a giant refund, it's neither arbitrary morality nor much of a stretch to figure out the money's not yours. You think the previous occupants would have liked to get their money back, or that, no, they intended Bkmatt to "luck out" with a random act of charity?

Railing against Con Ed is a bit like cursing the Creator for dumping a load of snow on your sidewalk. When you're done venting, you've still got to shovel the walk. And if you want to be a homeowner in NY, you've still got to arrange for Con Ed to read the meters. In 1/4 the time it takes to post a complaint, the next meter reading date could have been added to your calendar. In 100th the time it takes to read your own meter(s) and call it in, you could have applied yourself to a more worthy cause than qualifying as a "put together" customer. And if you never note the date at all, you virtually assure that you'll perpetuate your aggravation by not being home when ConEd arrives.

Had Matt called ConEd when the first huge credit showed up, it probably would not have taken much to straighten out his account and return the credit to the rightful owners. Now he'll make the effort to reduce his total owed and/or work out a payment plan. Either way, consider it expensive tuition toward both learning experience and services rendered.

Posted by: vinca at November 10, 2008 9:57 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges

I have had a similar problem. A new tenant got a bill for $400 and we have tried to clear the issue up with them for over a month now without success. The tenant just moved in and there is no possible way they could have run a $400 bill!

Tomorrow I am having the meter read (they were estimates till now), however when I called in the meter reading they informed me that the excessive charge is correct!!

Posted by: landlord at November 11, 2008 7:29 PM in response to Con Edison charging for 2 years of back charges