October 25, 2009


To Whom It May Concern:

I received a bill from Con Edison stating that I owe them $3030.24 for electricity from March of 2008 until now (October 2009). I could not understand why I had received such an expensive bill. I have been paying my bills on time and in the full amount. I called Con Edison to figure out the problem. They stated that there had been an error with my meter. All along Con Edison’s computers were charging me a factor of 1 per kwh. All of a sudden, they state that me meter should be a factor of 10 per kwh. They stated that the error was theirs. I in turn told them since you admit that the error is yours, then how can I be responsible to make a $3030.24 payment for a mistake I did not make. They say that the factor should be a factor of 10 per kwh. How do we even know if this is correct? We have no explanation and no proof that this his the correct factor.

At this time my wife is currently out of work and one of my apartments is empty. I cannot afford to pay a bill that is $3030.24, but more importantly I do not think I have to pay this bill as it is not my error. I have been receiving my electric bills and paying them. Those bills stated the amount that I owed for the electric service and usage. I made my payments according to what Con Edison sent me. I do not think that I should have to pay for an error that they created. If the mistake had been mine, I would be responsible. How is it that the mistake is theirs and I am still responsible? If it had been any other business they would have accepted their loss and moved forward, but Con Edison thinks that they are exempt and are trying to make me pay for someone else’s mistake at their company. Why not ask the person who inputted my meter information incorrectly to make a $3030.24 payment??? They are the ones who made the error, not me.

Thank you for your time and I would appreciate a resolution to this ridiculous balance on my electric account.

Sincerely,
Sergio

I am a resident of Washington Heights for the past 38 years. I weathered thru 2 and 1/2 blackouts up here. My con edison bill as well as all my neighbors and friends was EXTREMELY high this month. My Bill has never ever been 87 dollars...My average in the Summer has been 60-70. This is preposterous, and since it is not only my bill. I would like to request that Con Edison be investigated to make sure they are not overcharging customers in certain areas...to reimburse those 100, 000 people in queens...we have a suspicion that this may be happeneing. Ive called con edison to complain, they were patronizing and told me to have a nice day.

About 6 months ago we received a bill stating that we had been overcharged and they kept sending monthly bills stating that we had a credit. We even had a bill sent that said it was the adjusted bill and had a credit over $1000.oo. A few months later we had a bill sent that said we owed over $2000.00. We called and it was almost impossible to talk to someone but they finally said it was a mistake and we needed to pay it. We took it to the board and after awhile they said we needed to pay it even though the bills cleary state month after month that we had a large credit. They even took $1400.00 out of my account because I was on a level payment plan and they had access to my account. I finally had to pay the whole amount because they were going to shut off my power. I contacted the Better Business Bureau but they cannot get in contact with anyone. Is there anything else to do? They have power to do whatever they want and they are rude and incompetant when you speak to them.

Why is it in 2009, Con Edison is unable to give you a timeframe on when they intend to have a technician at your home to read your meter. There is no way that they are unable to determine in this day and age if they will be at your home at 8am or 2pm. they are not held to any standards, they are basically allowed to do whatever they want and there are no repercussions when they don't show up. Twice within the past 6 months this has happen; yet somehow if I am unavailable, I am charged a non-entry fee.

Who do we complain to when these utility companies refuse to adhere to their own rules and regulations?

I am really frustrated with Con Ed's apathetic treatment of their customers yet their rates continue to rise.

I have been trying to resolve an account problem for over a year. I had moved from an apartment in Yonkers and was unable to turn off the service because my landlord needed to have light to that she can paint and such after I moved. She assured me that they would adjust the account once she provided me with a statement indicating the date I vacated the apartment. I spoke with Con Ed and explained to them that I had moved and they asked for proof, a new apartment lease, moving bills, etc. I don't have a lease because I purchased a new home and was able to provide several documents such as the HUD and some closing documents. After a year of the back and forth "requesting and providing" there determination was that I did not call them to interrupt the service so I was liable for the charges. And of course, the landlord does not respond to my calls or letters for that matter. It seems ridiculous that if they were not going to adjust the account, then why ask for me to provide the documents as proof of the move. Now I am being contacted by a collection agency, which of course, I am contesting. Don't know what else to do.