Bills Will Be Adjusted To Reflect Consumption
BELCO have apologized to anyone who may receive an estimated bill, and said the bills will be adjusted to reflect actual consumption.
The two recent storms caused widespread power outages, with some 27,000 customers losing their power in Fay, while over 31,000 lost power in Gonzalo.
The statement from the company said, “Over the next several weeks, customers who lost power in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gonzalo may receive estimated BELCO bills, if the meter reading scheduled date was when they were without power.
“The estimated bill is based on an average of the last three months actual usage, and may be higher or lower than the period being estimated.
“Where the estimate is higher or lower than the actual usage, next month’s bill would be adjusted either up or down to reflect the actual consumption.
“The meter only operates when power is flowing to the home or business. When there is no power, there is no electricity being used, and no consumption is recorded.
“BELCO apologizes to all who may receive estimated bills. Please be assured that your bills will be adjusted next month to reflect actual consumption, and over the next two months you will have paid for no more than you actually used.”
For all our coverage of Hurricane Gonzalo click here, and for our live blog where we are bringing you continuous live coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Gonzalo click here.
Wow,
Umm belco I am NOT ok with this. I don’t care if you will even it out over 2 months. Common sense says that if 90% of your customers were without power, even if only for one day, then their bill is going to be lower. So for you to estimate bills based on the prior 2 months usage is absolutely 100% wrong, unethical! All of that interest from everyone will add up; perhaps to supplement how many people that have been without power for a significant portion of time.
I agree 100% Jim Bob! How often do they do these estimates?? I’m thinking more often than not because we have actively been trying to reduce our energy consumption and it has made no difference on our bill. So much so that we have recently begun reading our meter everyday with a photo to see how accurate these readings really are! I just got a bill with a meter reading dated Oct 20 and I know for a fact that no one read my meter on the 20th (now I know just an estimate). How many other months have I been overpaying Belco??!!
Unless the 3 people that disliked my comment are cavemen, please can you explain what there is to dislike? I’m really curious on that one.
The real question is, why aren’t Belco reading the meters? The meters will currently be accurate…no power, nothing to record – power on, meter will record appropriately.
Take their sweet time getting your power back on but they want to make sure you all know you better pay all that you owe, and on time. Disgusting.
facilities charge for those of us without power since fay shoild be ZERO for the entire month……..
I am part of the Fay 1500 and received my bill electronically last night and couldn’t believe it. No power for for 11 days and got the nerve to send me a bill that includes $68 in facilities and fuel adjustment charges! Would be a nice gesture of goodwill to waive those charges for all 1,500 of us – what you say BELCO?
EVERY bill should reflect consumption shouldn’t it!? Time to boycott Belco anyways!!
And what about facilities charge?? Surely BELCO will not be charging for not providing facilities to houses that are still without power from Fay…12 days ago??
Just maybe Belco should have waited to send out bills until all the customers had their power on.
For each day we were without power, Belco needs to pro rate the monthly access fee for meter usage.
I lost power in Fay, and still do not have it. I was somewhat surprised to receive my BELCO bill, on my blackberry, during the height of Hurricane Gonzalo.
I’ve just had power restored today. As long as my bill is reduced next month, I am ok with the estimate being used. As for the facilities charge, the fact that workmen were around until 9pm to get us hooked up makes me feel like this month it has actually been used for something.
This last two weeks have been challenging, but they could have been much worse and for that I am thankful.
Hope everyone else gets power back soon.
Those of you, like me, who have no power should boycot paying your bills until the power is back on. I mean what are they going to do? Cut off your electricity?
Belco won’t mind then if I estimate how much I should pay based on the fact that I was off-island for most of the month! Or I can pay the full amount they’ve estimated, but I want the same interest rate that short-term lenders get!
How many ‘estimated’ bills have we all gotten over the years? So if I decide to turn off my lights for a month, unplug the hot water heater, pitch a tent in the backyard, cook on my gas BBQ every day, and go down to the ocean for daily salt-water baths, is my bill going to be the same as the previous month when I was using current?
Who regulates issues like this? The Consumer affairs dept? It’s time BELCO had some competition.
I totally agree with you!
Exactly!! I bet every year they estimate September/October bills because they know it’s cooler and most people aren’t running their a/c’s anymore. By using an average from the two previous months (the hottest months) allows them to collect more than actual consumption! And what choices do we have…pay up or go without! Makes me sick!!
we were without for seven days, we threw insuline out , food, and your making interest for a month for services not rendered?…if the service isn’t provided it cannot lawfly be billed out…that would be fraud!
We have not had power for 13 days now – what exactly is the service charge supposed to be for? We have no service and no sign of Belco in our area! Belco wake up and finally do something right – waive the service charge for those wiothout power for longer than 10 days.
The fact that BELCO is a virtual monopoly (and a privately-owned profit oriented one too) is troubling, especially in situations like this.
In 1987 after Emily, there was an undertaking (on the record) to switch the whole island to underground electricity cables, which was never carried out due to the expense. Now you have customers who have no electricity for 12 days since Fay at a cost of who know’s how much, as well as the inconvenience. This is the 21st century in the first world. Its totally unacceptable. Dividends to shareholders should NEVER come before efficiency of service. Bury the cables.
amen!! cannot believe the cables are not underground this place is the wealthiest country around!
The consumption is lower because those of us who are waiting have had no electricity for 23%-40% of the month (depending on if you were put out by Fay or Gonzalo), but we have to pay a full month now anyway? And they are taking an average of the last three months which were the height of the summer and the most expensive months of the year!! And to do this at a time when people are incurring extra costs in replacing food and goods, buying ice, eating out. Bad move. How about this BELCO? You take the estimated bills, ask those people to pay 50% of that bill, then next month you can adjust it upwards based on consumption, instead of making the public front your costs for you.
lol’ Saw it coming’ Belco’s just getting started – just wait until they send you the cleanup/power restoration bill. – mark my words!
how is this not just part of the service? we pay out the tail for electricity and isnt repairing lines etc just part of the continuity of service?!
It’s like when they estimate my bill at Christmas and I was away for the holiday- it was the same as when I was here. how is that? it’s called being dishonest Belco Maybe I will estimate how much I want to pay you this month.