Osoyoos resident Mel James is warning others to take a close look at their power bill after he was overcharged for almost a year.
He says FortisBC was taking the estimated rather than actual meter readings and that was leading to higher charges, which put him into a more expensive power tier.
“It makes you feel like you’re kind of being ripped off,” said James. “It makes you more alert of what’s going on. You know you trust these people and you find out their not doing their job.”
James began scrutinizing his bills after a series of stories by Global Okanagan News about FortisBC billing problems.
“In my case, it ended up being a $100 to $150 total since July. It’s not a pile of money, but it’s as good in my pocket as it is in theirs,” said James.
In recent weeks, there has been a litany of complaints about FortisBC. Some Okanagan residents have seen their power bills double; in one case, a two month bill for a small mobile home near Oliver came out to $1,100.
According to the B.C. Utility Commission, there have been 50 complaints about FortisBC billing since January 1, which is higher than in previous years.
The B.C. Utility Commission believes this stems from a pair of rate increases that jacked up rates almost 7% as well as a new tier system that started last July.
- RCMP arrests alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh leader
- Fall COVID-19 vaccine guidelines are out. Here’s what NACI recommends
- Some 2019 candidates ‘appeared willing’ to engage with foreign interference: Hogue inquiry
- Thousands of Canada’s rail workers have a strike mandate. What happens now?
FortisBC says that with a simple phone call, problems like this can be resolved.
The company says that unlike most of its customers who get billed every two months, James is on an ‘equal payment plan’ where he’s billed monthly and it’s perhaps why he was charged more.
“The way we do an equal payment plan: we do an estimate and we do a read,” said Neal Probran of FortisBC. “So if customers think the estimate is out of line with the electricity usage they’ve had for that month, they should just call us and we’ll work through that and kind of streamline that system for them a bit better.”
FortisBC doesn’t believe overestimating is widespread and says the installation of smart meters will eliminate these problems in the future.
James was eventually given a credit by FortisBC after he called the company.
FortisBC also says customers can submit their own meter reads if they like.
Comments