East Conemaugh Borough

We are in receipt of your letter received June 30, 2014.
We are a municipal government entity and as such this matter must be brought before the entire governing body. East Conemaugh Borough held their regular monthly meeting on July 7, 2014, at which time this matter was discussed.
After also conferring with our Solicitor we wish to inform you that we do not discuss customer information pertaining to any customer with anyone. It is and has been the policy of East Conemaugh Borough to inform our customers they have a right to discuss their accounts with council. These customers were personally informed by the council president that council members would meet with them if they so desire at their convenience to address their questions regarding their account. To date, we have not heard from them.

Review: Unlike most cities, East Conemaugh Borough controls the electricity. Every month, the town is littered with shut-off notices because the borough office has NO CLUE what they are doing. I have received a shut off notice for the month of April in June and it is supposedly carrying a balance from January. Yet it states on the shut off notices that bills are to be paid in full or services will be suspended. For some reason or another, my bill is higher than that of a fully functional business and I only have a tiny 3 bedroom house. When I try to dispute my bill, I am given the run-around. Although I get numerous excuses, the most frequent is "we have a new computer system". They REFUSE to show me the math on how my bill was calculated. They REFUSE to work with me, but you can be rest assured that the town electrician will be here on shut-off day to turn that switch. It does not matter if it is in the dead of winter or if you have small children. They have their own laws. So unless I come up with the amount they specify on my shut off notice (without explanation), my service will be terminated. Over the past six months, I have paid approximately $3500 for electricity, yet none of my payments post to my bill. Not only that, the women that work in the office are very rude and refuse to show you how they came up with these figures. I have witnessed many other borough residents in that office asking questions about their bills and walk away with no answers. The borough has total control over us and they basically do what they want. According to my internet research, the average electric bill in PA is approximately $110 per month. Mine is $489 for the month of April. I have the typical appliances in my home, with the exception of two air conditioners, which are only run when necessary. The PUC cannot be contacted regarding this issue, as they do not regulate borough-owned utilities. Something needs to be done about their practices, because the excuse of "new computer system" is not going to fly with me!Desired Settlement: The borough office should be audited for how they bill electric consumers.

Business

Response:

We are in receipt of your letter received