How do I fight my gas company for an inaccurate gas bill?
Question:Hi all, I received my gas bill this month and it was $100 which is completely inaccurate. All of my previous gas bills for the 4 years I've lived in my apt have been $15-$20 so its impossible that it would jump that high in one month. Plus, I was gone for some of the month and I rarely cook at home, nor do I have A/C/heating. I called the gas co. and they claim they will "look into it" but was wondering if any of you have used any successful methods (besides asking them to re-read the meter and check for accuracy). I really don't want to pay this bill when I know it was an error but I feel that the gas co. will just force me to (It is SoCal Gas, by the way). Thanks in advance for your help.
Answers:
Do you have all of your previous gas bills? What you need to do is, first of all, is read your gas meter yourself. It is very easy to do and if you don't know how to read it, ask the gas company for directions on how to read it. Trust me, you can read your own meter. THEN, read it. Get your most recent bill and look at the actual reading and the date the gas company said they read it. Look at today's reading on your meter. Compare the two readings. This will tell you everything you need to know. If your current reading is a LOWER number than the reading on your most recent bill, then you know that the gas company made a mistake. The meter reading naturally increases with use so you should be quite able to determine what is going on. The gas company cannot dispute an incorrect reading. It is there, plain to see. If they DID make a mistake or maybe didn't even read your meter, they will have to read it the next month and this will correct the mistake. Bottom line, learn how to read your meter and know the date they are going to read the meter every month and record the reading on that day just to compare. Good luck!
Definitely call the gas company and ask for some clarification. You might be surprised at how fast the gas prices can jump though!
You really should not have a fight on your hands. I've know of two people who just recently had bills in error. (Southern Calif. also) They both called the utility company and had the bill adjusted without a problem.
unfortunately, in america, you just can't fight city hall! Also, natural gas is becoming an energy problem just like fossil fuels..They have the power to decide how much you pay, unfortunately, and every year it just gets higher! They have the attitude of:Forget global warming, lets up the energy prices and deepen our own pockets!! Good luck with your gas bill!
First of all you most likely will have to pay the bill... and then receive a credit if they are a reputable company.. you may also want to write them and provide your previous bills also contact a supervisor or have them check your household for an apparent leakage of some kind... if all else fails talk to your local news station most of them have consumer reporters who would love to bring this to the general public attention. good luck
Tell them they misread the meter. Take a picture of it and send it with the letter. They will come back and re-read it. But you may as well just pay a normal amount for the period.
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