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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>In the meantime Georgia Power mad are reportedly
(last week’s AJC) planning to request another massive increase on top of the
ones they’ve already gotten recently including having us pay now for a nuclear
plant they haven’t yet built.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>A couple of months ago I detailed what
Commiecast had done to me. They finally straightened that out (knock on
wood).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>So of course Awful Telephone &
Telegraph decided it was their turn and suddenly started charging me for a long
distance plan on my landline that I never signed up for then had the gaul to
tell me they’d have to charge me a fee to remove the overcharge. They said it
was signed up for at the time I moved but couldn’t explain why if that was the
case it didn’t appear on my bill until 3 months later. That seems to have
gotten straightened out after 2 months of screaming at them. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Maybe the utilities just take turns and it’s
a game they play with each other. Whichever one of them finally wears you down
enough to pay for stuff you don’t owe wins.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
ale-bounces@ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces@ale.org] <b><span style='font-weight:
bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Jim Kinney<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, May 06, 2010 10:19
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">Atlanta
Linux Enthusiasts - Yes! We run Linux!</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [ale] [OT] utility
billing errors</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In the past 3 months I've
been closely watching my utility bills just get screwier and screwier. Makes me
wonder what version of Windows 3.11 they are running their accounting on.<br>
<br>
Ga Gas co screwed me over by cutting off my gas when I paid my bill in full the
day before the due date. They issued the cut order the day after I paid the
bill and their records supported my claim they cut first and queried the
payment database later. It took 2 hours of phone calling and I finally got the
consumer affairs dept to credit me back the reconnect fee which was not on any
bill.<br>
<br>
Dekalb h2o must be using the same billing process. Last statement bill was due
4-24. Prior statement was paid in full before the due date. The statement had a
0 balance carried forward. So they cut me off on 4-20!!! I paid them _IN_FULL_
and the reconnected me the next day. <br>
<br>
this months bill arrives and it has no record of last months bill being paid.
There is a balance carried forward of an exact $90.00 prior balance.<br>
<br>
Why is it I smell crappy database programming in all of this? Maybe I'm just
jaded with all the financial crap having puked itself to pieces, but a loud,
insistent voice in the back of my mind keeps saying "public company should
be required to use publicly auditable software". It's not enough
that their "financial records" be available for viewing (although we
all know they all pretty much keep two sets of books) but every bit of software
they use, especially the ones in the regulated utility realm, should be source
code available so anyone who wants to verify they're not getting hosed by the
code can do so.<br>
<br>
I caught the power co fudging the bill 10 years ago and yelled at them. So now
I have a internet capable power meter that send the usage to them
automatically. OK. So it saves them the poor slob who had to walk around and
read the meters. Maybe I'm just suspicious, but if they can _read_ it from 40
miles away, what else can they do with it?<br clear=all>
<br>
-- <br>
-- <br>
James P. Kinney III<br>
Actively in pursuit of Life, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Liberty</st1:place></st1:City>
and Happiness <br>
Doing pretty well on all 3 pursuits <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="2">Proud partner. Susan G. Komen for the Cure.</FONT>
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