Letter to the Editor – Shocking Electrical Bills
To the editor:
THIS IS A WARNING TO PA RESIDENTS!
I am writing this letter as a warning about electric companies such as Pennsylvania Gas & Electric. I received my February electric bill today
for the month of January. I almost passed out when I seen it was $643.20.
The month before my bill totaled $349.15. I do not have electric heat, we use oil. When a bill as high as almost $350.00, had my name on it, I decided to change back to PPL. On January 9th I called PPL and made that change.
(…..as soon as my heart stopped racing and I could catch my breath!)
What I didn’t know was that I had 20 more days to be force to be a PG&E customer. (If I would have known this I would have switched off my circuit breaker and stayed with my mother for 20 days.) PG&E owned me until the
next billing cycle.
I am about to tell you an unbelievable story that should be illegal. If you are responsible to pay an electric bill in your home, this letter is worth your time reading.
We all get those pesky calls at least 3 times a day asking us to change electric companies. I just happened to actually listen to one sweet-sounding-honest -like lady in 2012. “Oh, Honey, look at the kWh you’re paying PPL. Why, it’s too much and we would’ve charged you $40 less”, said the wolf in sheep clothing. “OK, I’m in!” , I said. And boy was I in…. in way over my head.
For awhile they delivered as promised, then I noticed my bills were becoming a little higher. In November my charges from October were $171.77. Not a red
flag because we use an Eden Pure heater to help heat our downstairs. November charges were $240.03. I should have paid a little more attention, but that nice lady was so honest. THEN I received my December’s bill. It was one of those rare moments when words would not escape my mouth! That bill of $349.15 was because my kWh rate hiked to $0.1134, with an added tax of $15.51. I didn’t know it then, but PPL does not charge tax.
So, this is where my story becomes an unhappy ending filled with regrets. When I opened that $643.20, I thought I was mistakenly double charged! This had to be a mistake. But, it wasn’t….. just an ugly nightmare. PG&E raised my kWh rate to $0.2659 in one month, with $33.13 in gross receipt taxes. (Remember PPL doesn’t charge tax.) I used 2112 kWh and $82.10 of my payment will go to PPL.
This is unacceptable and should be illegal. I am far from rich and have a hard time putting oil into my tank…. Now this? I found out this has been going on for a while all over the state. It’s possible it’s too late for me ( I filed a complaint with the PUC), and I guess Ramen noodles will be on the menu for a few months, but if I can help one person think twice, before trying to save a few pennies, then some good will come out of this sad story.
Meanwhile, I am going to send this letter to every newspaper I can think of in the State of PA. Please, talk to your elderly parents, adult children, co-workers and friends. Know what you are signing up for. If this has already happened to you, report this to the Public Utility Commission @ 1-800-692-7380.
Today, I checked PG&E’s rates advertised on the inter-net. PG&E claims their
rate is 8.96 kWh. (Variable) A low variable rate will sucker you in, but my
variable rate is almost $27 cents a kWh. Now THAT should be illegal!!!
This might not be a nice thing to do, but for now on when those calls come-in…. I will be putting them on speaker phone, pretending I’m Keith Moon from the band The Who, and loudly sing in their ear, the song “Won’t get fooled again!”
Christine Graw
PA Resident
Clinton County, PA
