Nicor gas is killing me (can anyone help) just might cry.
Date: Fri, 11/16/2007 - 15:37
I called in June/July/August saying I never received a bill. They said that usage was so minimal that it wasn't necessary to receive a bill and they would send the first in fall.
I received a bill in Sept for $939.99. I called them and freaked out. I called them and they said for my new home that my bill was in the area of $120.00 and the remaining $819 was for the little apartment. I have called tons, sent letters, etc. They give no response, just say pay it or get disconnected. I dispute that it is impossible for a bill to be this high for a small apartment when my dec/jan bills were never this high. They didn't bill me for these months, and now expect me to pay all of this. My new much larger home doesnt have bills anywhere close to this and it is cold here in Chicago.
I want to go to Nicor and speak with someone, but they say there is no where to go. They speak with supervisors when I call, but won't let me. I just bought my first home and can't afford this bill, but they say tough and pay or get disconnected. They offered a 4-month payment plan with $280 due today to keep from disconnecting. I don't think the bill is accurate, but if it is, how do they not bill me for 6 months, and expect me to pay in 4 because they can't get billing straight.
Guess the question is if anyone knows where I can personally dispute this and if anyone knows where I can get legal help to fight this.
If they are charging absorbent fees contact your states public s
If they are charging absorbent fees contact your states public service commission.
Have you asked for a bill that shows the previous months? I woul
Have you asked for a bill that shows the previous months? I would do that asap and I would do what JCEMT said. Because even though I live in a different state that always shows up on my elec. bill, that if you have any problems contact the commission and it should have the number on there also.
Your state should also have utility laws, I know this as when I
Your state should also have utility laws, I know this as when I was researching my laws in dealing with my cable company....unfortunately for me they had laws governing typical utilities (gas, electric) but nothing for cable/internet. :cry:
But look up your states laws and find those detailing utilities. They Utility companies have to abide by these laws because electricity and gas are needed for healthy living, you do have some options.
Do like the others suggested, especially demanding the past bills, make them show you how they came up with those ridiculous charges.
Nicor Gas Complaints
My name is Talisha and a single mother of five. My oldest is an eleven year old girl, a nine year old boy, a six year old boy. I have a disabled four year old boy and last but not least my four month old baby girl. I am writing this letter to ask for help. I am about to lose my home because of an outstanding Nicor gas bill.
It started about two years ago when I applied for LIHEAP. I was approved for a payment towards my bill. The next month I didn???t receive a bill. Three months later I called Nicor and asked if they could send out a bill so that I could view my account and make a payment, I was told that I would receive one in the mail but still didn???t receive a bill.
One year after LIHEAP made that payment I applied for assistance again but was told from LIHEAP that I had to have a current bill. I explained to them that Nicor hadn???t sent one in the past year since they applied a credit to my account.
The LIHEAP representative called the gas company while I was there at the LIHEAP office and requested my account information but was told that something was wrong with the meter and that they would have to come out and read the meter. I was instructed to return to LIHEAP after a technician came to read the meter and then after the new bill arrived which Nicor stated would be up to two weeks. No one ever came and read the meter. I was then unable to receive assistance for the Nicor bill because of the deadline to the LIHEAP program and the fact that I still wasn???t sent a bill.
In December of 2008 I received a -letter-, not a bill from Nicor stating that they had to turn off the gas, exchange the meter and have it tested for accuracy then restore service and conduct a safety inspection, this would take place before April of 2009. In February of 2009 Nicor gas came out and removed the meter and shut off my service without restoring them. At the time my daughter had recently been born and was premature, it was very cold outside and there was no warning or no time to prepare for living without gas.
After calling Nicor repeatedly and being told that there is nothing that can be done unless I make a payment in full of an amount that they were unable to give me because of an inaccurate meter. I was then sent two bills a bill for $5605.62 and another for $4,385.51. I didn???t know what to do so I was told to contact the Illinois Commerce Commission to get help and file a complaint. I received a letter from ICC saying that they spoke to Nicor and my issue was resolved or satisfactorily explained, which was untrue. I then returned to LIHEAP with the new bills to apply for help and I was to pay service charges to be awarded. I was approved for payment in April of 2009 which left the bill around $2900.
I contacted Nicor in May of 2009 to receive the bill for the current amount owed after payments had been made so that I can make payments on my account when I was then told that the bill is now in excess of $6000. I asked why was the bill was higher if payments have been made after the service was shut off and was told that they made arrangements to the account that they took back. As I explained the situation to the representative I was treated as if it was my fault the meter was broke.
Now I am in risk of being homeless because of this bill. Please help or guide me in the right direction to resolve this problem. I have received a 5 day notice because the housing authority has stopped payments to the landlord. How can my family and I be penalized for a mistake on their behalf? How can they not bill me for two years and tell me something is wrong with the meter and expect me to pay two years in full or no service that is ridiculous and they need to be put to a stop. I have read of many others experiencing the same issues as myself. Now the bill is so out of hand no one wants to assist me. I have contacted all types of agencies that claim to offer homeless prevention programs and other programs that say they can???t help. I don???t know which way to go or who to contact that will help. Please assist me!!!
Do you have any kind of local advocacy group? Failing that, perh
Do you have any kind of local advocacy group? Failing that, perhaps you should go to your local Municipal Court and get a referral to Legal Aid to see what your rights are in this situation.
Nicor has some of the most ignorant people on the face of the ea
Nicor has some of the most ignorant people on the face of the earth working for them. You might want to try "The Fixer" from the Sun-Times and see if they can help or call the a news channel to expose them for who they are, idiots!!! Also, I would only correspond with them thru written
correspondence. Calling them will only add to your troubles. Hope this helps and I wish you the best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymous My name is Talisha and a single mother of five. My oldest is an eleven year old girl, a nine year old boy, a six year old boy. I have a disabled four year old boy and last but not least my four month old baby girl. I am writing this letter to ask for help. I am about to lose my home because of an outstanding Nicor gas bill. It started about two years ago when I applied for LIHEAP. I was approved for a payment towards my bill. The next month I didn???t receive a bill. Three months later I called Nicor and asked if they could send out a bill so that I could view my account and make a payment, I was told that I would receive one in the mail but still didn???t receive a bill. One year after LIHEAP made that payment I applied for assistance again but was told from LIHEAP that I had to have a current bill. I explained to them that Nicor hadn???t sent one in the past year since they applied a credit to my account. The LIHEAP representative called the gas company while I was there at the LIHEAP office and requested my account information but was told that something was wrong with the meter and that they would have to come out and read the meter. I was instructed to return to LIHEAP after a technician came to read the meter and then after the new bill arrived which Nicor stated would be up to two weeks. No one ever came and read the meter. I was then unable to receive assistance for the Nicor bill because of the deadline to the LIHEAP program and the fact that I still wasn???t sent a bill. In December of 2008 I received a -letter-, not a bill from Nicor stating that they had to turn off the gas, exchange the meter and have it tested for accuracy then restore service and conduct a safety inspection, this would take place before April of 2009. In February of 2009 Nicor gas came out and removed the meter and shut off my service without restoring them. At the time my daughter had recently been born and was premature, it was very cold outside and there was no warning or no time to prepare for living without gas. After calling Nicor repeatedly and being told that there is nothing that can be done unless I make a payment in full of an amount that they were unable to give me because of an inaccurate meter. I was then sent two bills a bill for $5605.62 and another for $4,385.51. I didn???t know what to do so I was told to contact the Illinois Commerce Commission to get help and file a complaint. I received a letter from ICC saying that they spoke to Nicor and my issue was resolved or satisfactorily explained, which was untrue. I then returned to LIHEAP with the new bills to apply for help and I was to pay service charges to be awarded. I was approved for payment in April of 2009 which left the bill around $2900. I contacted Nicor in May of 2009 to receive the bill for the current amount owed after payments had been made so that I can make payments on my account when I was then told that the bill is now in excess of $6000. I asked why was the bill was higher if payments have been made after the service was shut off and was told that they made arrangements to the account that they took back. As I explained the situation to the representative I was treated as if it was my fault the meter was broke. Now I am in risk of being homeless because of this bill. Please help or guide me in the right direction to resolve this problem. I have received a 5 day notice because the housing authority has stopped payments to the landlord. How can my family and I be penalized for a mistake on their behalf? How can they not bill me for two years and tell me something is wrong with the meter and expect me to pay two years in full or no service that is ridiculous and they need to be put to a stop. I have read of many others experiencing the same issues as myself. Now the bill is so out of hand no one wants to assist me. I have contacted all types of agencies that claim to offer homeless prevention programs and other programs that say they can???t help. I don???t know which way to go or who to contact that will help. Please assist me!!! |