Texas family hit with $8,000 electric bill

[PM5K]

I thought this one was interesting because it's a family here in San Antonio, billed by CPS.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/05/15/texas-family-hit-with-8000-electric-bill/?hpt=T2

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Am I reading that correctly? She didn't pay for electricity for 5 years and now she's upset she has to pay $8000 all at once?

[PM5K]

Essentially someone at CPS made a clerical error when her meter was changed out, and after that point she wasn't billed for electricity usage, just base electricity charges and gas, which she paid. CPS figured out the error after almost five years and now wants her to pay 100.00 a month on top of her bill for the next seven years to pay off the 8,000.00.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

Oh noes, you mean they actually have to pay for what they've already consumed?

The horror.

[The Cougar]

"The customer on their bill could have seen electric service was given to their home, however they had no consumption," Cortez said.

nobody reads that shit

[thispego]

But Rubio said she saw nothing unusual on her statements stuck out to her.

"We don't know how to calculate those numbers and what those numbers mean,"
That's exactly right. It is not the customers responsibilty to make sure they are being charged enough. However, I'd be quick on the phone if I thought I was being charged too much :lol


Company policy calls for the utility to bring in all money owed for services rendered, Cortez said. The company's sales revenues support the city budget, she said.
CROFL!!! :lmao :lmao Too fucking bad CPS!!! Fix your fucking clerical mistake and start charging the family apprpriately. The loss is all on you, fuckin jew rats!

[CosmicCowboy]

nobody reads that shit

Uhhh...you would think they would wonder a little when the A/C is cranked down to 60 in August and the bill is only $40 a month.

[Wild Cobra]

Well, first of all, I'd say they the family should have known they weren't being charged.

As for CPS wanting her to pay? I say bullshit of the full amount. If from day 1 she was charged correctly, she probably would have cut her consumption and not run up $8,000 of usage over this five years. My thought is this needs to be mediated, and she shouldn't be responsible for more than half, at most.

How do such laws read anyway? In some instances, people only have recourse for something like 90 days on billing errors. Doesn't this apply both ways?

[jack sommerset]

5 years and the family said nothing to the electric company! Make them pay. I would try to get them to pay the whole thing at once.

[jack sommerset]

"It's gonna be real hard," said Rubio in an interview with CNN Radio. "My boyfriend is the only one in the home who works. There are days when it's slow and he doesn't work at all. I have to pay it back no matter what and I feel cheated."

She feels cheated but the only one in that house who makes any money is the boyfriend. SUCKER!

[CubanMustGo]

"Gee, I wonder why my electric bill was only $20 despite the AC being on 7x24 the entire month." Nah, that would never happen, you just "trust" that the bill is right. GMAFB, anyone with an IQ over 70 would know that something wasn't right. She took full advantage of it and now it's time to pay the piper. If $100 a month is a problem go get a freakin' job at McDonalds 10 hours a week.

[BlackSwordsMan]

How can we blame obama for this?

[z0sa]

GMAFB, anyone with an IQ over 70 would know that something wasn't right.

Yep. This is a standard procedure fail on CPS' part, and an epic fail on the woman's part.

[Trainwreck2100]

"Gee, I wonder why my electric bill was only $20 despite the AC being on 7x24 the entire month." Nah, that would never happen, you just "trust" that the bill is right. GMAFB, anyone with an IQ over 70 would know that something wasn't right. She took full advantage of it and now it's time to pay the piper. If $100 a month is a problem go get a freakin' job at McDonalds 10 hours a week.

not 100 a month, but 100 plus whatever her bill is.

[desflood]

Two things here...


"It's gonna be real hard," said Rubio in an interview with CNN Radio. "My boyfriend is the only one in the home who works. There are days when it's slow and he doesn't work at all. I have to pay it back no matter what and I feel cheated."
Maybe she could, I don't know, GET A JOB.



The loss is all on you, fuckin jew rats!
This is uncalled for.

[mrsmaalox]

It's too bad for that family but ignorance is not an excuse. Personally, if my CPS bill is below $300 I dance with joy and push the pay button without a second glance. But over $300, I dissect that thing to the cellular level and NEVER find any mistakes :depressed

PS I think CPS should probably split that bill between the family and the employee who made the mistake!

[Gordon Gekko]

Her bill should be a legal docment. A few months I can see....but after 6 months the fault is on CPS. They paid on time and held up their end...now it is time for CPS to hold up theirs. Greed is a good thing when done right.

[attyjackiechiles]

Sure, blame the victim. This is a clear violation of your rights as a consumer. It's an infringement on her constitutional rights. It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous!

[ididnotnothat]

It's too bad for that family but ignorance is not an excuse. Personally, if my CPS bill is below $300 I dance with joy and push the pay button without a second glance. But over $300, I dissect that thing to the cellular level and NEVER find any mistakes :depressed

PS I think CPS should probably split that bill between the family and the employee who made the mistake!

Doesn't ignorance work both ways? CPS is just as ignorant for not billing correctly for months and months.

[thispego]

This is uncalled for.

why's that? cps are jew rats for trying to charge this family for their mistake

[Slydragon]

Fuck that, 2 months of a low bill, eh but 5 damn years and they never called cps??? Fuck her she knew she was stealing and never said anything and now she's caught and wants pity from everyone and she made it a media event.

Sell your tv/car/ipod and all the nice shit you bought with the cash you saved from not telling cps you was getting under billed for 5 years.

Stupid people.

[ididnotnothat]

Fuck that, 2 months of a low bill, eh but 5 damn years and they never called cps??? Fuck her she knew she was stealing and never said anything and now she's caught and wants pity from everyone and she made it a media event.

Sell your tv/car/ipod and all the nice shit you bought with the cash you saved from not telling cps you was getting under billed for 5 years.

Stupid people.

Exactly..5 damn years and CPS didn't correct THEIR error. THEY made the mistake and now want to cover their asses!?!? Stupid CEO's who don't do shit need to take the blame for hiring idiots who don't know how the difference between a 0 and a 1 and they don't have an audit system in place with all the money they bring in!?!? Screw them.

[thispego]

I got free cable for a year because time warner forgot to disconnect the cable after the previous renters moved out of my old duplex. I was wrong for not going to time warner and telling them to charge me :lmao :lmao you people really are suckers

[thispego]

if this happened to me you'd see me walking in to cps, crumpling up the bill, throwing it at someones face and walking away laughing my ass off to another electricity provider

[CubanMustGo]

if this happened to me you'd see me walking in to cps, crumpling up the bill, throwing it at someones face and walking away laughing my ass off to another electricity provider

Too bad CPS customers don't have any choice in providers.

[bigzak25]

i could be jaded and say that if she trusted the bill without question before, then she should continue to do so and pay what they tell her to pay...


at worst, they should meet half way and give her a very extended payment plan...she could pay off a $4000 dollar bill in 10 years with just 33 bux a month extra...


at best, she should get off scott free as it was CPS error and they need to be responsible for an audit system that ensures customers are being billed properly.


i think the middle ground is the fair option...

[thispego]

Too bad CPS customers don't have any choice in providers.

i was wondering about that as i was posting. i think austin has alternate power options. i could be wrong though. but the fact remains, I would NEVER pay that $8000 bill

[jack sommerset]

I got free cable for a year because time warner forgot to disconnect the cable after the previous renters moved out of my old duplex. I was wrong for not going to time warner and telling them to charge me :lmao :lmao you people really are suckers

You can lie and tell the cable company you don't watch TV. Sort of hard to deny electricity.

[HennyYoungman]

watt the hell was she thinking?

[HennyYoungman]

I would have been shocked seeing a CPS bill that low!

[HennyYoungman]

Some of these posts are electrifying.

[HennyYoungman]

The power is in CPS's hands.

[HennyYoungman]

Sometimes going with the flow can back fire.

[HennyYoungman]

Plug it in....plug it in...is not a good strategy.

[HennyYoungman]

Man..talk about flipping the switch!!

[HennyYoungman]

Ducking the bill has its consequences.

[HennyYoungman]

Payback is a bitch!

[greyforest]

you guys are morons, she is ahead of the game. she ignored what was an error on the electric companies' part, and hoped it wouldn't be corrected. it did, unluckily for her, so instead of free electricity, she essentially gets an interest-free loan for several years.

furthermore, since there's a national news article about her explaining how it's unfair to pay it back, she's probably going to court. she has a case...it's the company's job to not give out free shit accidentally.

[mrsmaalox]

I got free cable for a year because time warner forgot to disconnect the cable after the previous renters moved out of my old duplex. I was wrong for not going to time warner and telling them to charge me :lmao :lmao you people really are suckers

Nah you shouldn't have paid for it and I doubt TimeWarner would have tried to collect. The difference in the CPS case is that she actually called CPS at some point, asked them to provide service to her home, and agreed to pay for what she consumed. In your case Thisp, ignorance is the perfect excuse! :lol......:toast

[Nbadan]

All she has to do is pay a lawyer about 1K to file papers to make CPS prove that she used the energy they say she used ,,,which they obviously can't because of negligence on their part, not the consumers....CPS could counter-sue but they would have to meet a tough reasonableness clause depending on the amount of 'base' she was getting charged...in other words, even if they won she would end up paying much less...

[MannyIsGod]

Wait, its the customers responsibility to get billed for the right amount? The fuck?

CPS fucked up and this is entirely on them.

[Stringer_Bell]

Well, first of all, I'd say they the family should have known they weren't being charged.

As for CPS wanting her to pay? I say bullshit of the full amount. If from day 1 she was charged correctly, she probably would have cut her consumption and not run up $8,000 of usage over this five years. My thought is this needs to be mediated, and she shouldn't be responsible for more than half, at most.

How do such laws read anyway? In some instances, people only have recourse for something like 90 days on billing errors. Doesn't this apply both ways?

WHAT?! Don't pretend that people and corporations are on the same level. The little customers don't deserve more than 60-90 days to call mistakes to the company's attention...the corporation supplying the product has an infinite amount of time to look over what has been supplied and how much is costs the consumer - even to the point of dropping a big $8000 charge on them.

People need to stop trying to make things fair, they aren't fair for a reason!

[Dex]

Wait, its the customers responsibility to get billed for the right amount? The fuck?

CPS fucked up and this is entirely on them.

This.

People don't budget 8000 dollars away just in case their energy company or cable company or whatever is accidentally undercharging them.

You get your bill, and you pay the amount that's on it. I think due to the fact that CPS has admitted that this was attributed to a clerical error by one of their representatives, this lady may have a case. It's not like she was stealing the energy; they weren't charging her for it. Why should she have to face financial hardship due to CPS' oversight?

[thispego]

these guys are good!

[Rogue]

i was wondering about that as i was posting. i think austin has alternate power options. i could be wrong though. but the fact remains, I would NEVER pay that $8000 bill
then you will pay the lawyer's bill instead.

[thispego]

then you will pay the lawyer's bill instead.

I would represent myself and probably win. My track record is pretty good :tu

[Wild Cobra]

How can we blame obama for this?
What do you mean? It started while president Bush was in office. How can we blame him?

[Wild Cobra]

Her bill should be a legal docment. A few months I can see....but after 6 months the fault is on CPS. They paid on time and held up their end...now it is time for CPS to hold up theirs. Greed is a good thing when done right.
Yes, some kind of a time-frame should come in play.

[Wild Cobra]

I would have been shocked seeing a CPS bill that low!
Her bill was combined for electricity and gas. She didn't necessarily read the detailed billing section, but just paid.

Does anyone disagree that if she was correctly charged, she probably would have reduced her usage for these last 5 years, and budgeted differently? Asking someone to make that much money up when there was clearly a CPS error, but unclear of the error on her part is very unethical, on CPS' part.

[Wild Cobra]

Fuck that, 2 months of a low bill, eh but 5 damn years and they never called cps??? Fuck her she knew she was stealing and never said anything and now she's caught and wants pity from everyone and she made it a media event.

Sell your tv/car/ipod and all the nice shit you bought with the cash you saved from not telling cps you was getting under billed for 5 years.

Stupid people.
She may not have know. We don't have all the facts. What if they installed the new meter between occupants? What if she moved from an area like mine, where low electric charges are common in places with natural gas heating?

[Clandestino]

If a customer called them about 5 yr old error cps wouldve told them to fuck off

[Mavs_man_41]

I would represent myself and probably win. My track record is pretty good :tu

:lmao do you know what the odds of this are? a simple intro to criminal justice class would make you think twice about that.

[thispego]

Rofl. Intro to criminal justice :lmao
yeah I took the cop who gave me a pi to intro to criminal justice class and wiped the courtroom floor with his bitch ass. I'd do the same thing with cps, IM PRETTY SURE

[Liar]

Rofl. Intro to criminal justice :lmao
yeah I took the cop who gave me a pi to intro to criminal justice class and wiped the courtroom floor with his bitch ass. I'd do the same thing with cps, IM PRETTY SURE

Yup, I'm sure you are a regular Perry Mason.

[thispego]

When it comes to defending MYSELF? I'm better

[boutons_deux]

"very unethical, on CPS' part"

how charmingly naive. Corps don't operate by ethics or morals, only by laws and regulations, and there, just up to the edge of the law.

[Mavs_man_41]

Rofl. Intro to criminal justice :lmao
yeah I took the cop who gave me a pi to intro to criminal justice class and wiped the courtroom floor with his bitch ass. I'd do the same thing with cps, IM PRETTY SURE

Idk man, if you really did that I think it's more of a miracle in a case where it was blatantly obvious that the cop was in the wrong rather than a testiment to your lawyer skills. I wouldn't push my luck twice because the odds of representing yourself and winning are next to nothing. Innocent people go to jail because they can't afford a private lawyer, and rich people get off the hook all the time. The lawyer is as much a factor in a case as whether or not you actually committed the crime, that's just how our criminal justice system is.

[Wild Cobra]

"very unethical, on CPS' part"

how charmingly naive. Corps don't operate by ethics or morals, only by laws and regulations, and there, just up to the edge of the law.
How absolutely stupid of you to call me naive over this. You stated the obvious as if I didn't know. Many do operate like that. What they should do, and what they do are different.

How did you assume I thought they would do the right thing without pressure?

My God.... You are so damn stupid. Please, please... Show me where I assumed CPS would be ethical.

[BacktoBasics]

Services are cut after 90 days of non-payment. 6 months to collection. Its not her responsibility to seek services cut for non-payment. She's responsible for 3 months. 6 at the most. You can't run up charges without notice....a reasonable billing period. She received no notification of amounts due. She did not sign a contract to be billed at 5 year increments. She was to be billed monthly just like everyone else.

She won't have to pay near the amount they're seeking. CPS was stupid to even ask for it. They're laws against these types of business practices. Intentional or not.

[thispego]

yes, thank you 4cc, I am above the law.

and mavsfan41 lacks faith

[Torso]

for the record

thispego IS above the law

i can testify to his wiping the courtroom floor with popo, embarrassing his pig ass in front of the judge and assistant district attorney

Oh, well then that makes it a fact!! You just can't do things like that.

[thispego]

sarsly dah!

[bus driver]

i wouldnt pay that bull shit. i tell CPS to go fuck themselves.

their error their problem.
what kind of business lets 8K slip through the cracks after 5 years? no wonder cps sucks