NEED HELP! ANY SUGGESTIONS?

Posted by iStone | Posted on 4:42 PM

I'll try to make this short, yet detailed enough to make sense.

My wife and I have been customers with the local public utility district (electric company), Cowlitz PUD, for over ten years, all at the same address where we live now. In the past there have even been several times when we paid extra over what our bill is into a program that helps low-income customers with their bills.

I am on a meager, limited disability income, and have been since 2002. My wife has not been able to work since August 2007 due to injuries suffered in a car accident. For the past 8 months or so, we have struggled to get our bills paid on time. While behind, we have always been able to get the bills paid, and have not had the service disconnected. Last week, however, Cowlitz PUD sent us a letter informing us that we need to pay them a $375 deposit within 5 days of the date of the letter, or they would disconnect our service. Our bill is one payment short of being paid in full. Thanks to a gift from a friend, the bill will be paid in full, and the balance will be zero first thing tomorrow morning (Tue. April 6, 2010). The "deposit" demand will still be in effect, however, and the plan to disconnect us tomorrow will still be in effect as well.

My wife discussed the situation with someone at Cowlitz PUD this afternoon, and they are STILL demanding the deposit. To me that is extortion. We have not been disconnected, and currently have service. How long-time customers, customers who have even helped others by paying extra at times, can be treated this unfairly is beyond me. I have contacted the Washington State Attorney General's office for help, but it may be up to a month before we get any response from them due to their workload. I contacted the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and they informed me that they have absolutely no jurisdiction over our local public utility district. From what I have learned so far, Cowlitz PUD is free to do what they want to do, and may extort money from faithful customers whenever they wish to do so, because, apparently, there is no oversight agency that keeps an eye on them? What the heck?

If anyone reading this blog has any helpful suggestions/ideas, any information on who we can contact to help us deal with this situation, or can help in any way, please contact me by email. My email address is iStone.me@gmail.com We desperately need some help immediately, because Cowlitz PUD has scheduled us for disconnect tomorrow. This is SO ridiculous, but it's really happening.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
God bless you all.

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