Notifications
Clear all
Topic starter
So, I went to my mail box today (which I check every day) and I received not only my current WAPA bill, (which by the way I was on the lookout for), but my past due bill in the RED envelope. When I tried to call WAPA customer service (or non-service) I was never able to speak to anyone. I just kept getting the recording to wait for the next available rep. Several people told me today that they received their current and past due WAPA bills at the same time in their mail today. I guess WAPA has decided to use a new "ploy" on the consumer by not only ripping us off with their rates but now is going to get a little extra money by sending the current and past due bills in the mail on the same day. Guess they need the extra $4.60 from me to help pay for.....what exactly? Has this happened to anyone else on STX?
Posted : February 13, 2008 7:38 pm
We haven't had that specifically, but they have been charging us triple the actual kwh that we have been using, and still haven't gotten it straighted out. 1900 sq. foot house, all energy efficient appliances, no a/c, all compact flourescent bulbs and $450/month. Unreal! We are going to start taking pictures of the meter at the same time every day with that days newspaper beside it to prove our point. It shouldn't have to be like this.
Posted : February 14, 2008 12:55 am
I received a past due bill today for a rental property and the first bill still hasn't arrived. Maybe it will come tomorrow. I think they are still recovering from all the days off over the holidays as they are just now getting the December bills out in the mail. It's pretty pathetic that the late notices arrive first!
A couple other rental property landlords received their December bills yesterday but didn't mention if the late notices arrived at the same day. The hold-up meant that tenants moving out at the end of December have had to wait a while longer than normal to get back their deposit balance refunds. WAPA doesn't lose on the deal, but everyone else is inconvenienced. Same 'ol, same 'ol.
Posted : February 14, 2008 4:00 am
chistineq,
What will your plan accomplish? Unless you think that they are bumping the meter forward on the day it is read?
Your meter is being read incorrectly, or not at all and they are estimating usage.
Or the consumption is in reality more than you think.
Or the meter is bad (highly unlikely).
Have you been reading the meter yourself and comparing your readings with the billing?
Posted : February 14, 2008 7:15 pm
Heepajeep,
I'm hoping that we will be able to prove that our consumption is approximately 20 KWH/day instead of the 70 KWH they are charging us for. If they see the meter reading each day with the paper which shows the date the photo was taken and then each daily meter reading thereafter, they will see that they are reading the meter wrong or not reading it at all. The meter was 500 KWH less the day we got the bill, then the ending amount they had on the bill from a supposed reading taken weeks before! How do they even begin to explain that?
Posted : February 14, 2008 11:32 pm
It would sound as if WAPA just hopes that customers will take the readings and resulting charges as gospel and pay. What is WAPA's response to the meter reading being off by 500kwh? Most utilities will re-read the meter and then maybe change out the meter with a new one.
Most bills will have a notation somewhere indicating the meter reading as actual or estimate.
It is very common for every other reading to be estimated.
Meters can go haywire and log more kwh than consumed.
You might want to vist your local electrical supply store and see if they rent watt consumption meters.
That way you have a comparative way to confirm the accuracy of the WAPA meter.
Something like this:
http://www.energytracking.com/kWh_Meter.htm
or one of these:
http://www.powermeterstore.com/c628/home_energy_monitor_kits.php
Posted : February 15, 2008 2:52 pm
Their response to the 500kwh issue was to send someone out to read it again. They then told us they had UNDER read the meter and we were actually 1500 kwh more than the bill! So when we objected they sent another person out who read it correctly. Now we have to wait and see what they do about it. This is a new house with a new meter, and we are the first ones to live there. For the first 4 months we lived here, they were charging us a commerical rate because that is what the builder was be charged. We got that straight and now we have this issue. Thanks for the links. Great ideas!
Posted : February 15, 2008 4:03 pm
Solar Power = Electricity
WAPA rates are going to go higher! 34-36 cents and climbing... Most on any US soil anywhere in the world. Its sickening.
Strong Sun and more sun hours + high electric costs make solar power a reality.
VIEO and WAPA now have net metering and rebate incentives in place to take advantage of!
you can save over 600-700 dollars a year on your wapa bill with a 1k PV system, double that for a 2k system. System pays itself off in about 8-10 years.
Posted : February 22, 2008 2:02 am
Hi:
Something else to consider if your bill is abnormally high: an electrical short or other overdraw of current somewhere. During one period we were paying several hundred dollars a month on a house that was empty and had no appliances!! We had WAPA out, checked for electrical theft, and finally hired an electrician who got it straightened out, TG.
Islandlola
Posted : February 22, 2008 3:04 am
