I would like to be on the budget plan to help with paying in the winter months when my heat pump would run all the time and my electricity usage was very high. Sounded good so I agreed to the budget plan. They said they would look at my last 2 years of bills and average them all together and that would be my monthly charge. If I had overpaid or not paid enough at the end of the billing year, they would refund or charge me the difference. "When can I start?" I asked. They told me with the next billing cycle. So after the next bill came, I thought the $78 would be the amount that I would pay every month for the next year. Isn't that how a budget plan works? Not so! The next month I got the bill and it was $46.11 more than the previous month. Called them to question what was going on. They told me that I really needed to pay them more than the $124.11, but since I was on the budget plan, that would be the charge. "How did you come up with that number?" I asked. They told me they have a formula they use to determine the amount. "Can you share that with me so I can get an idea how your budget plan works?" No they couldn't! "So every month my bill will be different, much like it was before I went on the budget plan?" I said. "That's correct, and it's based on the amount of electricity you use," they replied. "Well, how about with the next billing cycle, you take me off the budget plan and I'll pay the exact amount for the electricity I use." "Are you sure you want to do that since you just started it?" they said. "Then I won't be surprised by some number from your formula," was my response. They couldn't understand why I didn't understand how I was being billed. "Well, since you can't tell me your formula, I want off the budget plan." And the next month I paid exactly what I should have, as I did for the previous 20 some years. No surprises!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - As I was doing my spellcheck on my entry, the only word that showed up as being misspelled was PPL. How about that PP&L.
Friday, March 25, 2011
The "Budget Plan" Story
It was an ordinary day. Just got off the phone with PP&L. Really made me mad when they changed their name to PPL when PP&L worked just fine for me. What's wrong with the "and"; did the & sign on their computers stop functioning? Well, the reason I called PP&L was to inquire about how they can screw up their billing when I'm on their budget plan. They called and asked if I would like to be on the budget plan to help with paying in the winter months when my heat pump would run all the time and my electricity usage was very high. Sounded good so I agreed to the budget plan. They said they would look at my last 2 years of bills and average them all together and that would be my monthly charge. If I had overpaid or not paid enough at the end of the billing year, they would refund or charge me the difference. "When can I start?" I asked. They told me with the next billing cycle. So after the next bill came, I thought the $78 would be the amount that I would pay every month for the next year. Isn't that how a budget plan works? Not so! The next month I got the bill and it was $46.11 more than the previous month. Called them to question what was going on. They told me that I really needed to pay them more than the $124.11, but since I was on the budget plan, that would be the charge. "How did you come up with that number?" I asked. They told me they have a formula they use to determine the amount. "Can you share that with me so I can get an idea how your budget plan works?" No they couldn't! "So every month my bill will be different, much like it was before I went on the budget plan?" I said. "That's correct, and it's based on the amount of electricity you use," they replied. "Well, how about with the next billing cycle, you take me off the budget plan and I'll pay the exact amount for the electricity I use." "Are you sure you want to do that since you just started it?" they said. "Then I won't be surprised by some number from your formula," was my response. They couldn't understand why I didn't understand how I was being billed. "Well, since you can't tell me your formula, I want off the budget plan." And the next month I paid exactly what I should have, as I did for the previous 20 some years. No surprises!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - As I was doing my spellcheck on my entry, the only word that showed up as being misspelled was PPL. How about that PP&L.
I would like to be on the budget plan to help with paying in the winter months when my heat pump would run all the time and my electricity usage was very high. Sounded good so I agreed to the budget plan. They said they would look at my last 2 years of bills and average them all together and that would be my monthly charge. If I had overpaid or not paid enough at the end of the billing year, they would refund or charge me the difference. "When can I start?" I asked. They told me with the next billing cycle. So after the next bill came, I thought the $78 would be the amount that I would pay every month for the next year. Isn't that how a budget plan works? Not so! The next month I got the bill and it was $46.11 more than the previous month. Called them to question what was going on. They told me that I really needed to pay them more than the $124.11, but since I was on the budget plan, that would be the charge. "How did you come up with that number?" I asked. They told me they have a formula they use to determine the amount. "Can you share that with me so I can get an idea how your budget plan works?" No they couldn't! "So every month my bill will be different, much like it was before I went on the budget plan?" I said. "That's correct, and it's based on the amount of electricity you use," they replied. "Well, how about with the next billing cycle, you take me off the budget plan and I'll pay the exact amount for the electricity I use." "Are you sure you want to do that since you just started it?" they said. "Then I won't be surprised by some number from your formula," was my response. They couldn't understand why I didn't understand how I was being billed. "Well, since you can't tell me your formula, I want off the budget plan." And the next month I paid exactly what I should have, as I did for the previous 20 some years. No surprises!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - As I was doing my spellcheck on my entry, the only word that showed up as being misspelled was PPL. How about that PP&L.
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