Roomate and I getting screwed on heating bill , what to do

[hotsauce615]

Long story short we got billed like 190$ for a gas bill when we didnt even turn the heat on, (It was still summer weather). We spoke to the energy company and they sent a techinician to look at the equipment and reread the meter and it was indeed that high and we're still getting billed. Our landlord still wont accept responsibility. What to do? Id say [censored] it and take legal action but to save 80$? What if this happens again, wtf! Any advice?

[Blarg]

I'd like to know the answer because the same thing happened to me with the power once.

[Phoenix1010]

Write letters to the landlord and energy company and keep copies of both the letters and the replies. Contact the building inspector if nothing is done and show him the correspondence.

[Felix_Nietsche]

What you need to fight this is INFORMATION.
Get the meter readings for LEAST three months before the error. It is possible the meter reader screwed up. Perhaps he screwed up a digit and undercharged you on a PREVIOUS month and was trying to 'correct' the mistake by adding those charges to the month in question...

You may want to consider contacting the govt agency which oversees the gas company. Your landlord was correct not to get involved.

[hotsauce615]

no i got the readings going back a year, its not just this month but the month before also. Noone lived here for a few months so it seems likely to be a malfunction. We're two guys who take one shower a day and dont even cook food here, theres no way to use 190$ worth of gas. The company claims the gas was used. Im going to talk to my landlord in half an hour to see what hes goin to do.

[Bluffoon]

I'm sure you've thought of this but how do you heat your water?

[hotsauce615]

gas

[canis582]

maybe there is a leak, or someone is stealing it.

[Argus]

I used to work for a natural gas retailer. Basically, you're screwed. Unless you can prove there is an error in the reading there's nothing you can do. I once had a woman call me to complain about her $6000 residential gas bill, which was clearly in error because the reader shifted all the digits over one place, and my supervisor insisted that I tell her to pay it. Our policy was that if it was an error it would be corrected on the next reading and she'd get a refund. Apparently the reader didn't want to get in trouble for making a wrong reading, so he'd been continuing his error for several months. Pony up the $80 and move somewhere you don't need natural gas.

[DrSavage]

[ QUOTE ]
We're two guys who take one shower a day .

[/ QUOTE ]

Together ? Hot!