Getting screwed on Reliant Energy electric bill

[GRhino]

We haven't lived in this house for 15 months & have been trying to sell it. Our electric bills have been running $40 or less per month & kwh usage was averaging around 130.

Then last month I get a bill for $120 & they say we used 741 kwh. I told them they must have read the meter wrong or something because nobody is living there & there is no way our usage went up that much. Since they were going to charge me to make a special trip to read the meter, I told them just to wait for the next meter reading, then give me a credit. Then we get another bill for $80 that says we used 369 kwh.

It's not the money that bothers me. It's the principal of it. Any suggestions of what I can do? I've already argued with reps & supervisors & they aren't bending. They just tell me somebody must me using electricity there.

 

[Bookman]

Write them a certified letter saying you dispute the debt and ask for a verification pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Act.

 

[hollisdude]

Not sure where your home is in Houston, but you do know that Centerpoint Energy reads the meters, not Reliant. Centerpoint reads the gas and electric meters for all of Houston. Also, the don't read the meters every month, it's too labor intensive and expensive. Instead they will read some meters every three months and make a best guess in between based on last year's usage. Every three months it corrects itself.

Have you physically gone out to your house and read your meter to see if they are correct? Or are you basing it on $ only. Also, what rate plan are you on? Check your $ per kw charge and see if the rates went up somewhere. It's all just a matter of math (and maybe a squatter spending nights there in your empty home).

 

[GRhino]

The house is in Burleson, TX, just south of Fort Worth. I now live 2 hours away & I really don't want to make a special trip there just to read the meter. The people with Reliant told me my meter was read & the charges are not based on any kind of rate plan or average usage. According to them, the bill is just based on actual usage. My realtor assures me nothing has been left on & there shouldn't be any way my bill had increased that much.

 

[HatDaddy]

I just left Reliant after 6 years. They wouldnt come down off their .18 cents a KWH rate, when others were charging about .10 or .11
I have a 2 BR condo that they said was generating 1500 KWH per month and I'm rarely here and rarely use my HVAC until summer. F them.

 

[madscientist]

if the house is in burleson, then TXU would read it right?

 

[GRhino]

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[ChiroHorn]

My brother owned rental property in NW Austin. One of the units was unoccupied, but the electricity was left on for viewing purposes. One of the neighbors ran an extension cord connected to an outside outlet & 'borrowed' some electricity.

 

[GRhino]

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[Luke Duke]

Oncor is reading your meter. I would guess that one or more of the following is happening:

1. Squatter/neighbor using electricity
2. Something left on like the heater or a/c
3. They were (mis)estimating your bills

Do you have any friends in town that know how to read an electric meter?

 

[LonghornCatholic]

I'm an ivestigator for Oncor Electric Delivery. TXU, Reliant, and others do not read meters - they contract Oncor to read, set, install new meters and service; in other words - Oncor does all the field work. Have you ever seen a Reliant field truck? Probably not.

This is true for the Metro-plex, Midland/Odessa, Round Rock, Stephanville, Killeen, Brownwood, and many other areas in Texas......but I'm not sure about the Houston area. It could be Oncor or an equivalent company.

First the meter reading - your bill will state if it was estimated or actually read. Under PUC regulations, Reliant can charge customers if they request a re-read, but if the customer is right and the meter was misread, then they can not charge you.

Second, theft of electricity is rampant! Trust me - its what I do.
I currently have over 300 accounts that I am investigsating for theft of electric services - and thats only in my area. I find everything from upside down meters to fools climbing the eletric pole to connect wires.

I also find neighbors running extension cords from their vacant nieghbor's home via breaker box or outlet. People are crooked. I hate to say that but if you saw the things I have seen, you would know. I can't stay on top of my work - it grows everyday. It doesn't end.

Anyway, you should really make a trip out there, read the meter yourself, check for broken seals, squatters, extension cords.

 

[IRC]

Totally Off Topic, but these kinds of statements always bother me:

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[LonghornCatholic]

You're right. What was I thinking.

People are not crooked.

 

[GRhino]

Since we closed on the sale of this house Tuesday, I'm not going to worry about it anymore. I just wanted to get an idea of what could have happened, so I could decide whether I want to fight my bill or just pay it. Since I'm now pretty much convinced somebody must have been hijacking our electricity, I'll probably just pay it & be done with it.

Thanks for the help.

 

[horns58]

This discussion made me realize something. We recently put up a new fence around our backyard which we have been keeping locked up. Our electric meter is in the backyard. How does the electric company read our meter? Do I have to keep my gate unlocked for them to get in?

 

[Ignatius]

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[LonghornCatholic]

horns58 - is your meter obstructed by hedges, trees, shed, etc? I would say about 95% of meters are read with binoculars. Meter readers can scope your meter from between the pickets, if your fence is wooden. Or they can stand on something to look over the fence and scope. If they walked in every yard to read the meter - they would never complete their route.

Your bill will state if it has been estimated, but don't underestimate those meter readers. They can read a meter from long distances and with only a small opening to see the meter. Trust me, they want to read your meter. If they skip your meter, even if it for good reason (pit bull, shrubs, etc) they lose bonus money. They want to be accurate and read 100% of the meters, if possible.


To the other poster - sure, I'm crooked...............silly libs.

 

[nashhorn]

Hey HatDaddy,
Where can you get elect for .10/.11 per kwh?
I am in Katy on Reliant and get for .163/

 

[horns58]

Thanks LonghornCatholic. My meter is not obstructed by any trees or shrubs, but we have an 8' board on board fence, so it would be hard to see through. I checked the most recent bill and it says that the reading is "actual", so I guess they must find a way to look over it somehow.

 

[OldHippie]

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[Rip76]

It's happened to me twice in the last 2 years....

We had a new AC/Heater unit installed in December of 2007.
I get an electricity bill in March of 2008 saying that we owed..

get this $875.00. Yes in March.

So I check my meter... Not even remotely close to their kWh reading. My meter was no where near their number.

So what I did was calculate everthing.
I took a photo of my meter (with the date), and sent it in to their customer service.

I was credited everthing back, didn't owe anything on that bill and about $68.00 on the next one.

Same thing happened again last month..

They are estimating... it's freaking BS.
I've got no dog in the back, and my fence is easy to open.

I think i'm going to start reading my own meter.