Thread: I HATE Rochester Gas and Electric

This is a rant.

Me: How can I possibly be using 10 units of gas per month in the summer, when I only used 16 per month in the dead of winter?
RGE: How do you know you were using 16 units of gas per month in the winter?
Me: On 12/29, your people read my meter at 4653. On 2/28, your people read my meter at 4690. Can we agree that, between those dates, I used 33 units of gas?
RGE: No. You have to consider the month before that, and...
Me: Do you disagree with those numbers, or is that what you have in front of you?
RGE: Yes, those numbers are correct.
Me: Are you saying that the difference between two meter readings does not tell how much gas I used in that period of time?
RGE: That is correct, you have to consider...


This literally went on for about 15 minutes.

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Me: Fine, forget the winter. There is no way I was using 10 units per month in the middle of summer with the heat off, cool showers, no drier, cooking for one, laundry for one, etc.
RGE: No, 10 units per month is about normal.
Me: Can you compare that to my usage last summer? (I seemed to remember my usage being way lower).
RGE: We can, but 10 units per month is about normal, so that must be right.
Me: Normal for WHO?

(I checked - last year from 2/27 - 6/28 I used a TOTAL of 11 units over the 4 month span. They are trying to say that I used 50 from 3/1 - 8/3 this year. Of course, from the first back and forth, I'm sure they'd debate that too.

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Me: Is it possible that my meter is reading incorrectly?
RGE: No. If the meter was broken, it would stop reading all together. Nothing else is possible.
Me: Can I get someone to check the meter to see if it's accurate?
RGE: Yes, but it will cost $150.
Me: So... I'd have to pay to fix your error?

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I'm not even kidding, it's like talking to a brick wall. Forget if it's their fault or mine. Forget that there's even a problem. How did these people get past middle school?

Man, that sucks. But I assume this is a similar theme among utility companies, so perhaps you can find solace in that.

Out here we have Comcast Cable, with whom I've had similar encounters regularly over the past ~4 years. It's absolutely ridiculous the stuff they've pulled and tried to pull on me, such as:

-Charging me $5 per month for 6 month for "cable modem rental" when I own my own modem
-Constantly changing the price on my bill when my services never changed
-Technicians not coming during stated times, ever
-Telling me I can't use my own cable modem, and have to buy theirs, because it: isn't calibrated/isn't activated/isn't registered with the network
-Activating and deactivtaing my online account, where I pay my bill, at random

The list goes on and on. And around here, they're really one of few choices. The only thing you can do really is crack a beer, take a break, and try again with them tomorrow.

(The only saving grace I'll give to Comcast is that Comcast Sports Net carries the SF Giants and SJ Sharks games - this is why I only hate them 99% of the way)

It may be the person and then again it may not, I believe its probably company policy to pick so many people a month and screw their bill and life up. They know that sooner or later most will pay rather than suffer the threat of losing the utility. This practice really shot up in the80s and 90s when most utilities did away with the neighborhood office. You used to be able to face somneone when a problem arose. Not anymore, you wait on the phone these days wondering why the menu on the phone addresses every situation but yours, then there is the hold time, the debate time and the "we will get back with you" time.

As Lily Tomlin used to say in her most famous skit, "We dont care, we are the Phone Co., we dont have to.".

Dylan,

That is exactly the type of exchange I have with Roger's Telecommunications on a bi-monthly basis. I swear I'd have more luck changing my bill if I just put it between my head and the wall before I started banging my head against the wall!

Dylan, I would have thought teaching the utility lady simple math would have brought out your inner teacher?

Get a big rare earth magnet place it on meter and see if it stops it from working.

The real life sucks, don't it?

Originally Posted by Dllandry

Get a big rare earth magnet place it on meter and see if it stops it from working.

And above all consult with a lawyer beforehand.

Why don't you ask to be escalated to a supervisor - they're generally better.

The closest experience resembling yours that I had was with verizon wireless. What fixed the issue was just calling again the next day and drawing a person who's passed third grade this time - the bill was corrected properly without any need of explanation on my behalf - the issue was obvious to them.

Originally Posted by thehekler

Dylan, I would have thought teaching the utility lady simple math would have brought out your inner teacher?

My landlord's wife was standing next to me while I was on the phone. She actually said "You are so teachery. It's very cute."

Originally Posted by Dllandry

Get a big rare earth magnet place it on meter and see if it stops it from working.

Me? I would never do a dastardly thing like that. :-)

Originally Posted by gugi

Why don't you ask to be escalated to a supervisor - they're generally better.

Oh I did. The first time, I was put on hold for 30 mins and no one ever picked up. The second time, I was told they would call back shortly; of course they never did.

Just imagine if this was the same song and dance from the people who hold your mortgage. You're not alone Dylan. Everybody in America puts up with this.