Meter Reading ShenanigansFollow

I'm surprised they check so little, is that normal there?

We get checked every month, expect a couple of times when the weather interfered. Those bills were estimates; and that bit us one month when their estimate was off, and we had to make up the difference. Nothing like 10x though.

Sounds like they aren't too good at estimating, or you ran the AC too much or something?

They don't have to actually check it, they can "estimate" it and base it on other users in your area, time of year, and your previous usage. The local power company here puts either (ACTUAL) or (ESTIMATED) near the KWH reading on the bill. I usually check my meter when I get the bill to make sure they didn't over/underestimate me and I would get hit with a usage fee for too much the next month if they greatly underestimated me.

Of course, there are times during the winter when my bill says (ACTUAL) and I know that no one walked to my meter because the snow has no footprints in it at all, and hadn't for a good 2 weeks.

So, check your bill and usage when you get it, and call them up if it is greatly different. They should be able to issue a corrected bill. Shouldn't just assume they are billing the correct amount.

Edit:
I have had an estimate bill be about 50% too high one month, but didn't care. And the following month was an actual reading, and ended up being almost nothing. I went from like... 300 dollars one month, to about 30 the next. It was an oddly cold summer month that didn't get the AC usage it did the previous year.

Edited, Oct 7th 2011 3:37pm by TirithRR

What's bothering me is that there was an 8 month period between readings, and the difference between the estimation and the actual was $180. But I moved into this apartment 4-5 months after that reading, so their estimation could have already been low by that point.

Even if I'm only going to be here 1 year? If they truly do it every 8 months, there wouldn't be another reading while I'm here.

Lol, no, I just can't do math.

It was only me here during the summer months, and only sparingly even then. So only the stuff in my room and the kitchen was plugged in, my AC only ran in bursts on the hottest nights, etc. So we figured it would be about 2-3x more with my roommates here, especially once we plugged in the rest of the lights/appliances. But this bill was well over double what we thought it would be.

If it's just charges on energy that I used, I don't care. But I have no interest in paying for the previous tenants' electricity.

You scare me sometimes.

Well at least it's a step up from the invertebrate thing.

Yup, it's in my name. And none of the prior tenants are still here.

I started service on a new account--it's not like I just had the old one transferred to my name or something.

Places I've stayed have done this. Annoying as hell. However, you agree to it when you sign up (unless whomever wrote the contract is a moran). Sometimes it works out in your favour, but very rarely. They should work with you on a payment plan or something, but, unless local/state statues and/or their contract state otherwise, this is perfectly normal/legal. (Although I think it's bullsh*t, personally).

Edit: Different places do estimates on different intervals, but many recalculate them anually.

Edited, Oct 10th 2011 1:31am by acprog

I believe that most/all of the meters here in Phoenix are now electronic, I've always gotten an 'average daily usage' graph on my bill showing how much i use per day of the week. What's funny is my January bill is my highest, either because I'm inside all the time, or because I despise the cold and the insulation sucks in my apartment.