UPDATE: Freeholder Wants Utility Companies To Waive Fees For Residents Left Homeless Or Displaced By Storm
Ocean County Department of Consumer Affairs working on survey to address the problem
Call it adding insult to injury.
That's Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari's reaction to utilities that continue to send bills to Superstorm Sandy victims who may not even have a home left or one they can live in.
"If you lost your home, it no longer exists," he said at the Feb. 21 Board of Freeholders meeting. "But you are still getting a bill."
Vicari said he has already spoken to Jersey Central Power and Light representatives, who have agreed to make corrections in bills sent to residents who lost their homes or are displaced.
"Adjustments will be made," he said. "We are working on that. We hear what people are saying."
Many residents who have been displaced are now actually being double billed - first for utility usage in homes they can no longer live in, and then in homes they have relocated to, Vicari said.
"Give them a credit for what they have paid for, dollar for dollar," he said.
In all fairness to utility companies, Vicari said they may not even be aware that a home was destroyed or damaged. In some areas of Ocean County, they are unable to even access gas, electric or water meters to read them and send out estimated bills instead.
"It's hard for them to determine whether a house is operational or not," Vicari said today.
Vicari said the county Department of Consumer Affairs is working on an analysis to determine the scope of the problem. More information and utility contacts should be available by early next week.
"We're trying to work it out in a spirit of cooperation," he said.
Due to the high volume of calls Vicari's office has already received since this story was posted, please e-mail his secretary at cbove@co.ocean.nj.us and provide your name, address and the utility. This way officials can compile a list and send it on to the respective utilities.
Residents without internet access may still call Vicari's office at 732-929-2002, or the county Consumer Affairs Department at 929-2105.
Have you received utility bills for a house you can no longer live in? Take our poll and tell us your experience in the comments section.
Kathy Bottone
1:48 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
My sister's home in Normandy Beach is uninhabitable, yet they have been billed $8.25 per month by NJNG even though the gas is not on. This is apparently for the hook up to the gas. If they have the box "locked" there will be no fee but to hook up again when and if they get into the house will cost $15.00. I have also heard from an elderly woman displaced by the storm that she is paying $10.00 a month to JCP&L for the same reason.
I have spoken
2:03 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I'll bet your talking about the facility charge and the franchise fees. For expample over $30.00 of my water bill is those. As long as you own the property it will never be waived.
Sue
2:15 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Here is the Ocean County Consumer Affairs Dept. COMPLAINT FORM:
http://www.co.ocean.nj.us//WebContentFiles//c82ce8cc-492b-4d65-a7d1-273a832bd669.pdf
Everyone should lodge complaints against the utilities that have gouged them, including your municipal water and sewer depts. Sock it to them!
Resident of Lacey
10:11 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I recently had this same BS with the @ss company NJNG they even REFUSED to give a credit but offered the terminate the service and CHARGE me when I want it back on. Yup they are all just looting our bodies as we are rotting in depression waiting until the day when we can all return home again. When will that day be? Will it ever come?
Bob
1:57 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
What about Comcast? I have been trying to get them to replace a flooded out modem and router for three months. You must remain on hold and/ or dial through a maze of options before you get to speak to anybody. They told me they would send me a modem and all i had to do was send the damaged one back. All they sent me was an empty box. After my second and equally frustrating call they sent me another empty box! All the while billing me for service I cannot even access!! I explained after a third call and they told me they would waive the previous charges and send me a new modem and router. Of course that did not happen and the next correspondence was a demand for payment! I finally just called a fourth and fifth time and just cancelled them out. I wonder if I ran my business the same way if i would still be around?
I have spoken
2:01 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Why don't you just drive over to the local office? Most of the time you're on hold longer then the ride.
Art Penrose
3:22 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Bob, what you do is place the damaged modem and router in the box, and return it to them. Then, they will send you a replacement. Geezzzzz....
butch cassidy
7:55 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
okay dont get me started on comcast! spoke to someone he was from the carribean..how the heck does he know about what we are going thru here? and how about we are being charge for those black boxes you HAVE to have on your tv even tho they were supposed to be free..check your bill people..lol if you can figure that out..charges everywhere and i have no clue what for
Sue
2:03 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I was displaced 3 months and i discontinued my elec., gas, water and Verizon FiOS. I contacted Toms River Munic. Utils. Authty. (run by Brick mayor Acropolis) for credit on my SEWERAGE bills -- since there was no water and therefore no seweage. I was told they'd have their "investigator" look into it.
A December letter from Acropolis says barrier island and mainland TR customers may be offered assistance if homes were "deemed non-inhabitable as a result of the storm."
I'm still waiting for an investigator, and I'm still waiting for that promised assistance. Meanwhile I had to pay my quarterly sewerage bill. I've restored my home and moved back in, but the sewerage utility seems to be constiplated. Where's my credit for 3 months? Maybe Consumer Affairs can look into this -- for all of us victims.
The other utilities provided credits for unused services. Will the TRMUA be held to the same standard?
Barry K.
2:45 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Not sure why folk's post things on here that not true. I guess some have agends's or whatever. I live on the barrier Island and called the Dover MUA , the story Sue is telling is not true. So , call there for yourself and you will hear a different version then a anonomous poster that may or may not have a agenda.
mineeeemoh
5:48 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Maybe you should call Brick town hall and ask to speak to - Former Clark, NJ Republican Councilwoman gets a job at Brick Town Hall. I heard she is the GOP replacement for Brando?
Respectfully,
After6
tr
2:15 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Ocean County Utility Authority, which has a beautiful office , kitchen, resturant grade appliances and sits at the end of Hickory Lane in Bayville, is probably the biggest offender. They have yet to reduce any charges to any towns struck by Sandy and therefore the towns have no way to pass savings on to disaster victims in Ocean County. My gas, electric, and cable bills were stopped, no problem, but, my sewer and water were not. I had the local MUA service man remove the meter from my garage, shut the water off at the street on November 5, 2012, and I still got a bill for voer $160.00 at the beginning for Feb. 2013. These county commissioners get paid, they get benefits and they get a country club building to play politics in. Their next meeting is Feb. 26, be there Freeholder Vicaro. This problem begins at home, not with private utility companies.
proud
2:37 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I really don't understand why we have all these Municipal Utility Authorities, anyway. For that matter, why do we have municipal governments at all? 600 school districts?
CCGG
2:17 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Hey Folks, 3 Words!....Public Utility Commission, that's what they are there for.
George
7:55 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Why didn't Vicari think of that?
foggyworld
2:05 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
And their work product is right down there with Fema's: an F. But the Governor thinks we all should stick around to keep these civil "servants" afloat.
Mark Wauben
7:55 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Our home was flooded during Sandy, we waited 6 weeks to get the power back on, only to then be told it was too dangerous to use it since the wiring was submerged, we turned off thepower, gas and water right away. Today we got a bill for over $100 for water and sewer which has been turned off since November 3rd.
When we called the town to inquire, they said to pay it and that they were sending out a letter to explain...explain what?
I'm thinking why would I pay for water and sewer I haven't used in 4 months...what kind of idiots would have the gall to send me a bill for services that I didn't use?
...thanks for your support Brick, we appreciate it...
Teresa
10:11 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
I too received a water and sewer bill for $115 in point pleasant beach...I had to pay them $30 to shut it off after Sandy.when I called to find out why I received a bill since my water was shut off, the girl told me it's a convenience fee so they can turn it on as soon as I call...Are they kidding me??? Contact the BPU for all of the utilities!!!
Lagoongram
10:11 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Stafford Township is charging people in BHW for water and sewer also. They have no compassion for the people in Beach Haven West that cannot live in thier homes.
Xavier
8:31 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
If you're in Stafford good luck getting any kind of credit out of them. They just jacked up rates because they need the money.
proud
7:44 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
So did Lacey@Xavier. Get rid of these wasteful entities already.
Skitch
1:31 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
I live in Beach Haven West/Stafford Twsp. What i have left of my house is a roof and 4 exterior walls that are jack off of the foundation. I have no toilet, no sinks left, no tub and no showers. No working plumbing at all in the house. I can not use any water or flush a toilet yet i still have to pay my water bill because i still own the house. The only way to stop the water/sewer bill from coming is to cap off the line at the street for a pretty steep cost. I will be doing this within the next week or so because i will not be back in the house any time soon. All other utilities were cancelled without a problem.
Resident of Lacey
10:11 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
Dont any of you know that water and sewer is the biggest and longest running scam left totally unchecked. We are all part of the machine, it quite simple make a bill that looks to be based on usage when in fact it is always going be based on a minimum amount of usage that you likely will not use. It is a great business model for them, count the number of buildings in town(vacant or occupied simply does not matter) and break them down in to groups by water meter main pipe size use the minimum charge for each group and multiply. What you now have is %100 percent guaranteed income! People will either pat the extortion (bill) or the tax lien eventually. Bottom line it they will always get paid and it doesn't matter if you used one drop or the entire minimum usage amount they still get paid and you might not even use the service. Someone needs to fix this!!!
Xavier
8:31 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
Yep. In Barnegat your first 15,000 gallons of water in a 3 month period is $37 if you have a 5/8" water meter. In the winter I use *maybe* 6,000 gallons. If you have a larger meter and still only use 6,000 gallons you get to pay more than me simply because of the size of your meter and the assumption that you are putting a heavier load on their supply.
The sewer rate is always a flat $90. The people who get really screwed are the ones being charged based on the number of faucets, toilets, etc. That is just a stupid way to bill for water usage.
That being said, I can't complain too much about the water rates in Barnegat as I'm paying less than anyone I've spoken to from different towns.
foggyworld
8:31 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
These are Public utilities that are governed by the State of New Jersey. How the hell do they get away with a billing system that isn't based on factual data. This makes Verizon look good which ain't easy to do.
Resident of Lacey
5:18 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
They have a "special" exemption.You will never see the division of weights and measures check or certify any of the revenue meters placed on buildings. It simply doesnt make sence because the meters are there to give the illusion of fairness.
Just Look at IT
5:18 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
If the Freeholder really cared about sandy victims and thier money they would put thier money where thier mouth is and waiver the Permit fees for sandy victim in all the towns for the next 6 months. But they dont so they wont ,,More Republicannibals smoke and mirror crap...