Minnesota Power

Good afternoon,I have reviewed Ms [redacted] account including listening to the phone call on 4-5-when she called Minnesota Power to stop her electric service at [redacted] *, Long Prairie, MN.When Ms [redacted] called on 4-5-16, she was asked for her forwarding addressThe address she gave was [redacted] Long Prairie, MN Her final bill was created on 4-7-and an email should have been sent to Ms [redacted] at that time as she was signed up for our eBill programThe address on this final bill is the forwarding address she gave us on 4-5-16.The message on this bill said "We have received a request to discontinue billing for this service agreementThis is for service up to 4-6-16."There were subsequent notices for request for payment sent in the mail to the forwarding address given to us by Ms [redacted] Notice one on 5-16-and Notice on 6-6-When we received no response, we then sent this bill to our collection agency.The account will stand as it has been billedHowever, if Ms, [redacted] would like to speak with me, my name is Karen ***, Supervisor of the Customer Call CenterMy direct dial number is ###-###-####.Thank you,Karen ***

Hello,I apologize for this very delayed responseWe have checked our records and recorded phone calls to determine what happened on our end that lead to Ms***'s complaintWe did receive Ms***'s payment on 11-29-This was one day after her account was sent to the *** *** ***
Our practice is to call the credit agencies we work with when someone makes a payment on their Minnesota Power account that has been referred to themWe also send a monthly report that shows any payments that have come in for referred accountsI can only apologize for what is apparently a miscommunication between Minnesota Power and *** *** *** We did contact the agency and confirmed that they received the payment we forwarded to them for Ms*** and that the collection activity for Ms***'s account has been stoppedWe have also called Ms*** to apologize and offer her this same explanation.If you should need anything further or if Ms*** needs to speak with me, I would be happy to helpMy direct number is ###-###-####.Thank you,Karen M***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2016/03/02) */
My apologies for this delayed responseYour first and second letters were received by me on Monday, February 29,
I understand Ms***' concerns about this large billWe do everthing we can to assure fairness when we rebill for a
meter that has stoppedThe Minnesota Public Utilies Commission rule allows us to recoup up to a year of the estimated meter usageIn Ms *** case we rebilled her from April through January using historic averages for those monthsMinnesota Power did provide an explanation to Ms *** for the rebillingIf Ms *** has futher questions, please have her contact me directlyKaren *** - ***

Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/01) */
taken care of

I am rejecting this response because:I never once received anything by email or mail regarding a bill.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/18) */
Our crews responded to trouble calls on 11/06/15 and 01/04/15 at this address. On 1/4/15, our crew informed the customer that the problem was past our MP meter pedestal somewhere between the meter ped and her house and he left. He said he did...

NOT lay a temp on the ground to fix this.
On 11/6/15 our crew went out to the jobsite and said the temp service on the ground is not our wire, therefore we could not have done this. This is a customer owned problem, our crew never installed temporary service when they were at this address. Our crew diagnosed the problem as customer owned and informed the customer she would need to contact her electrician/property manager.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Minnesota Power DID in fact lay a temp on the ground. They stayed at my residence until the problem was fixed because it was very cold outside. They were at the time, very polite and helpful, and told me that they will need to come back and bury the wire when the ground thawed.I do not understand why they are stating that they did not put the temp wire on the ground. I do not have an electrician, and my landlord is a business, and they were unaware that there was ever a problem. I am very surprised that being the big company that they are, Minnesota Power does not have a record of installing the temporary wire above the ground. This must have been costly to them, and they should have a record showing that they installed this wire. Again, I do not nor have I ever had an electrician. They DID stay there and install the temporary wire to help me. I really need them to come and bury it.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/11/30) */
Our construction guide is a good resource for the ownership of facilities when the customer has lot line metering, like this one.
This can be found at http://www.mnpower.com/CustomerService/ResidentialConstruction.
This installation is consistent and compliant with Minnesota Power (MP) construction standard DCS 4400, underground meter pedestal. The pedestal and the conductors providing service to the pedestal from MP's system are owned and operated by MP. However, the conductors (cable) from the pedestal to the house are private and owned/operated by the customer. MP does not maintain, repair, or replace private facilities from the pedestal to the building.
Crews responding to the original trouble call determined that MP equipment was in good operating condition; the problem was on the customer-side of the meter and therefore the responsibility of the customer. MP Line Operations has also determined that the type of cable laying on the ground is not of the same design or specification as the underground cable purchased and installed by MP. Furthermore we do not work on residential, privately owned facilities. It is the customer that is responsible for their side of the meter.
We were not able to include the visual information in this response so we will send directly to [redacted] in the mail.

Good afternoon,I have reviewed Ms. [redacted] account including listening to the phone call on 4-5-16 when she called Minnesota Power to stop her electric service at [redacted], Long Prairie, MN.When Ms. [redacted] called on 4-5-16, she was asked for her forwarding address. The address she...

gave was [redacted] Long Prairie, MN 56347. Her final bill was created on 4-7-16 and an email should have been sent to Ms. [redacted] at that time as she was signed up for our eBill program. The address on this final bill is the forwarding address she gave us on 4-5-16.The message on this bill said "We have received a request to discontinue billing for this service agreement. This is for service up to 4-6-16."There were 2 subsequent notices for request for payment sent in the mail to the forwarding address given to us by Ms. [redacted] Notice one on 5-16-16 and Notice 2 on 6-6-16. When we received no response, we then sent this bill to our collection agency.The account will stand as it has been billed. However, if Ms, [redacted] would like to speak with me, my name is Karen [redacted], Supervisor of the Customer Call Center. My direct dial number is ###-###-####.Thank you,Karen [redacted]