I would like to express an extreme displeasure with the way I am currently being treated by our common electric service provider, namely, Allegany Power. I, like many others, am on Allegany Power's Budget program, as a requirement to receive assistance with my electric and heating. Well like a responsible homeowner I am always looking for a way to lower my budget. Last year my family decided to supplement our current electric heating with a propane heater so we would not use so much on our electric bill. Now I am assuming because I used a lot less electric this year as opposed to the previous year, the budget I was on did not have the usual effect. I now have a difference between my actual balance due and my budgeted bill of over $700.00 (witch are advance charges for estimated future usage, not for actual usage). Now on the advice of OHEP I called Allegany Power to see if my budget could be reset since there was such a huge difference in my billing (this was once something that was done, automatically each year, by their computer systems to most likely prevent this kind of issue). I was told, in slightly more professional terms, "we don't do that your budget will adjust itself and you will eventually use up the $700.00 in future usage, by the way, since we looked at your account here is a deposit of $347.00 we are going to add to your next bill, because of your payment history." Also as a courtesy they did lower my budget amount from 270.00/mo to 200.00/mo. Now by my calculations, we take 200.00 X 12/mo= 2,400.00 subtract my yearly usage of $2,253 for the most recent 12 months= $147 in additional credit (part of which will be paid by grants from OHEP, because I am on energy assistance) and I will show as having a past due balance if i don't pay the budget amount upfront. And they add a late fee every month of about $3.00. Some way to be treated for trying to do the right thing, What do you think?
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