I called Rogers, in the afternoon for service, and the rep asked why I wasn't in school. I am almost 50, and a woman my voice sounds youthful but I do speak in a very articulate manner. I think there is some bias for how she was treated. This woman needs to be taken more seriously because I agree it is BC's fault. I hope an attorney is watching this news piece and willing to represent her.
@@Jeffrey-s9n From Alberta Minimum Housing and Health Standards: "Housing Regulations and the Minimum Housing and Health Standards are also different from building and other construction codes in that the latter are enforced primarily through a system of permits which are granted after plans and specifications have been submitted and evaluated and at which time the construction would be subject to inspection. The appropriate government and accredited agencies maintain control through their power to issue and withhold the required permits. Housing Regulations and the Minimum Housing and Health Standards, however, are enforced by inspections of housing premises by Public Health Inspectors/Executive Officers of Regional Health Authorities on a systematic or complaint basis."
@@Jeffrey-s9nhindsight is 20/20… In reality virtually no electrician would have ever seen this problem before and more than likely, would tell her to contact BC hydro. And the odds that she’s talked to multiple people and trades about the issue is also high. Much of our intelligence comes from pattern recognition/repetition-whereas this is falls into the one off category-making it incomprehensible, hence being blocked every time she tried to tackle the problem. However, in your version, by taking matters into your own hands and cutting the power would have instantly solved the problem. Even if they just shut it off for five minutes while the neighbours were home-could have cracked the case!
@@Atite_Lometen Lawyers don't matter. The law does. BC Hydro breached contract and overcharged her. Bring it to court, and she'll get her money back, and BC Hydro would get a reaming from a judge for not resolving this case outside of the courtroom.
Just let them try to bill you then contact your banks security department for fraud. No matter how big they always quiver in the face of those of actually control the world. It’s how I got amazon to finally stop dragging their feet after I got scammed by a third party seller before.
Say it’s people like you is why you companies don’t apologize because you immediately say they admitted guilt, which is why they can’t apologize. They indicated they paid her the overage. Punitive damages would be a court issue if she wants to sue.
@@bob-p7x6j Sorry my comment was targeted those in the United States. In the United States companies cannot apologize since that would basically mean they lose in court even if they were innocent yet many Americans demand apologies that they know they can’t get.
For every person like this though there is a massive onslaught of people who claim things without realizing they lets say are running appliances that have massive phantom drain. First if you suspect a problem you should compare what the meter read vs what is displayed on your bill. In this case it would read drastically different, unless if the electrician cross the wires in the walls at which point it also becomes how would Hydro know the wiring internally was done wrong. If it was drastically different as well, then you would easily be able to see that the meter right next to it was reading the numbers near your bill. So at that point you take that issue to hydro. The other thing being, you turn off your main breaker, look at your hydro meter, wait an hour or two and check again. You should have used no energy, but if you did you know that the lines have been switched.
So if you work for BC hydro billing or maintenance, you are a SHILL, go away. If you don't work for them and don't have a 2nd magical connection to her metrr, you know absolutely nothing! Why should she trust THEIR incompetence when it comes to calculating her loss? Court would settle it more independently, and perhaps impose punative measures as well. @TentaclePentacle
The way she is demanding things I hope she takes them to court; as she will quickly realize that she is owed a whole lot less. The boxes were switched [which could still be the fault of the electrician who did the initial install] so they have the bill difference. The difference is what they offered her. While I do think they should pay her back with interest the amount she is asking for is essentially the full install cost [and she just recently installed solar which she includes in the cost]. Overall it was $5k over 12 years when hydro compared [and that assumes BC hydro didn't already factor in interest]. That's $416 a year difference, and the earlier times it is most likely less because there wasn't he solar. She is asking for over $20k, her settlement offer is just an insult
The worst thing is that B.C. Hydro dismissed her concerns. I think this lovely lady should sue for a complete refund, court costs, and a good amount for mental anguish. The arrogance of some companies’ petty officials is mind-boggling.
Exactly. If they had listened to her from the beginning they wouldn’t be in this situation. They ignored her, they made her pay for someone else’s bills. Disgusting 🤮 behaviour from this company. She deserves compensation.
@@kerrynicholls6683 They did offer her compensation. She wants compensation which would effectively amount to having solar installed and the heating installed. We don't even know the extent of what the issue was as it could have been wiring inside the house that caused the general issue as it looks like it's a duplex. This could easily be resolved by herself as well. If the meters ID's were switch, which would be BC Hydros fault, then when she thought there was an issue she could have easily just looked at the meter reading and looked at her bill. From there she could have just told BC Hydro that the bill meter reading doesn't match her statement. If it is the case where the wiring got crisscrossed which would be the original installer not Hydros fault, then they wouldn't really have known even if they went and checked her house.
The bigger rip off is the 15000 dolalr trane heat pump that costs about 2-3000 wholesale for the contractor, he charged you 12 thousand dollars for 6 hours labor for 2 3rd year apprentice refrigeration mechanics at a cost of 35/hr to the owner. Normal cost for that install should be around 8-10,000 MAX
I know our contractor only got a 10% discount from retail cost. He cannot get wholesale pricing because he doesn't have the volume required to access wholesale pricing. Our contractor paid $6588.43 USD for our heat pump. Our install was less than $1,000 and took a team of 3 about half a day to install. With taxes it cost a little under $9k. I got a rebate of $5k from the government so, my final cost was around $4k. I did all site prep myself to save time and money on the install.
The bigger rip off is you math :) Let's apply your logic if you will 8000 (minimum cost) - 3000 (maximum HP price) = 5000. Divided by 12 hours of labor = 416 dollars/hour. Or the other way round: 10K - 2K / 12 hours = 667 dollars/hour. I don't know about you, but either wage point is not really acceptable to me. Or are there more items you need to account for?
She must've replaced the entire system for that much (excluding duct work). Outdoor unit, indoor coil, indoor unit, thermostat, wiring, etc. And on top of that, it wasn't installed properly because it absolutely does not have the proper clearances and most likely doesn't breathe well.
In the eighties in a very cold storm my meter literally blew up on my property. I maintained a file and dropped it off on the 2nd. floor Hydro desk of the exact employee who was handling it. he was somewhere on training something for a couple weeks, so I didn't worry. After I moved (there was a fire as well) the file sat on his desk for six months (I found it exactly where I put it) but in the meantime my credit rating was imploded by Hydro BC, and I spent the NEXT SIX months straightening it out. Fortunately, I didn't NEED my CR at that time, but if I had it would have been a disaster. These people make HUGE COIN with fantastic benefit packages, and STILL can't do their job withou tacting like a politician??
Except she sues them and the judge would give her...dun dun dun...the amount they offered her. She is demanding almost the cost of her expenses for the heat pump and solar. Yes she was overcharged but BC Hydro offered her the difference [and maybe more] in regards to what she lost out on
What is she going to sue them for. Does she think they didn’t give her the full amount back. They’re not paying for a heating system. That’s not what they do.
A great story, and yes BC Hydro needs to be held to account, which would include penalties, not just the amount she was overcharged all of these years!
It would depend on their policy. If they only give credit for overcharging then that is what it is and going into court would be a dangerous precedent to set for all business. Where I have a problem with is that she notified them of the problem with their equipment and they did nothing, they sent nobody to check on it. Now if she makes changes to her property to save money on her bills that isn't Hydro's responsibility to pay for that, that is considered an investment on your own property. But it highlighted that equipment of Hydro's wasn't working and from the day she made them aware until present day that is what she is afforded. Hydro can argue how are they to know the meter was or was not working properly before that day she notified them?
@@barcelonachair6487 The issue is the meters were either switched, or rather the internal wiring might switch it. Especially if the wiring in the wall was where it switched then Hydro wouldn't realistically be able to easily know that even if they came out. Sure the person complained, but I'm sure hydro gets lots of complaints like this where the energy savings someone is expecting doesn't manifest itself. It's easy enough for the home owner themselves to verify anyways, the homeowner would switch off the main breaker. After that look at the meter to see the power usage [which should read zero]. Then turn on the heatpump and check the reading. If in that case you don't see it hit zero and then a large load, you know that the wires were switch [which while still "Hydro's issue" it also is one that wouldn't be detectable by hydro]. If it did match up, then she should have been able to easily say "my meter reading doesn't match my bills reading"...at which point Hydro would investigate. I suspect the amount offered by hydro is one where it also includes the interest payments as well.
@@barcelonachair6487 The meter wasn't broken, it looks like a duplex so on the exterior either the meters were swapped OR the interior had it wired up so it would be switched. In either case it would have been easy for her to prove something is wrong. You look at your bill and then look at the meter. I suspect she might have just called them up and said my bill is too high I think something is wrong.
The number on your meter must match the meter number on your monthly bill. Every home owner and renter who pays for their electricity and who gets a bill should do this once.
She has over $400 power bills and their offer is less than $500 a year in difference? I highly doubt it was so little. I had a dispute with the power company for overbilling due to a defective meter, just getting them to come out and have a look was a challenge. It was overcharging for 10 years but it kept getting worse and worse, the last year I had that meter was astronomically high bills and the disc on the old mechanical meter spinning like a top even though nothing was on in the house. I finally got the power company to come out and take a look and they were shocked at how the meter was behaving... I received a $17,000 check from the power company as compensation for 10 years over charging. My advice is if you think there is something wrong with your bills and your meter stay on them, these devices aren't as infallible as they would have you believe.
It’s entirely possible it went un-noticed. I like to think I’d notice something like that, but for most people who are 1) not aware of their consumption and 2) don’t care to scrutinize bills likely just would not notice. Also 12 years - that house could have easily had multiple tenants/owners in that time.
Think about what your response was here for a second Steve... "Damn bottom feeders" - jesus Steve... Let BC Hydro entirely off the hook for THEIR mistake that lasted over a decade, while ignoring the notifications from the person who was losing thousands of dollars, and now likely has to get a lawyer for any shot of making anything close to her money essentially jacked by BC Hydro and handed to whomever lived in this house during the entire stint. Somebody else pointed out for example, somebody could have moved out shorly after she installed the heat pump, you have no idea, and then everything would just seem pretty normal to them moving forward... Youre the type of guy to just complain about the homeless population, but then ALSO complain that you dont want the govt to spend a single penny of "your tax dollars" to help get "these bottom feeders" off the streets, and get a roof over their heads... Think about what you just said... 0:36 - This lady says she informed BC Hydro something was wrong MULTIPLE times, and they dismissed her concerns (clearly, since the issue went on for over a DECADE) Your response weirdly lays WAY too much fault on the consumer, not BC Hydro, who screwed up in the first place, and then screwed up in the second place, refused to check out the issue once, for once again I remind you, OVER A DECADE... Nvm screwing up a third time, and not IMMEDIATELY jumping on her settlement over that was thousands of dollars below what shes rightfullly owed... Not to mention this assumes completely they didnt also say something, and just like she says she was, these neighbors were ALSO ignored. On and on I could go, but I hope you see what you said here was very goofy indeed...
This lady is out to lunch. Why would Hydro need to pay the cost of the heat pump and solar panels? The only thing she is out is the lost savings in electricity consumption, which BC Hydro is offering her. She has a strong case for interest as well, but thats a far cry from her demands.
Same thing happened with us where my neighbour was paying our higher bill. After installing AC we noticed that our bill did not go up. When enmax came they noticed the mistake refunded our neighbour and charged us for the entire thing because of their mistake even though we told them about the problem.
Had that happen to me once. I followed the meter and was going to other tenants place. So Hydro didn’t want to do anything so I quit paying g my bills. They kept threatening me they will shut off my hydro. I said go ahead. Was fixed later after I moved out soon after they shut off other tenants hydro.
My electric comes from ComEd (northern Illinois). On my bill is a "Meter Number". That number is also on the electric meter. Easy for a homeowner to verify. BTW, I was an electrician. This problem my have been caused by an electrician replacing the meter socket and not keeping track of what goes where.
All she had to do was shut off all the breakers in her apartment and then go look at the meters! Happened to a friend of mine who lived in a duplex. It was fixed within two days.
Come on, B.C. Hydro; make this right. This woman has done everything right to be powersmart, and reported the problem, but was a victim of a B.C. Hydro mistake and failure to investigate.
Yeah, there was a stuff up!! BC Hydro payed back the difference, although they could have paid interest too (if the fault was their doing)… however asking for them to cover the full cost of both her Heatpump and solar installation is outright insanity!🤯
If a power company finds a faulty meter they can just retroactively deside how much you owe them. It should be the same for her. The law goes both ways
When I moved into my condo, over 30 years ago, Mississauga Hydro was reading the wrong meter for my unit. I also noticed my bills didn't seem to match my usage after I stopped using a freezer. However, that was quickly investigated and resolved.
Damn now that I think about it, this has happened to me in Winnipeg. I've cut down use of hydro significantly over a period of a year but the hydro bill and water as well remained consistently high. Meanwhile, my neighbour would talk about how low his bill is every month.
What was her bill total for 12 years minus her neighbors bill for 12 year? That number plus interest and a fridge magnet is what hydro should credit immediately.
I think that’s how they came up with the 5k credit. She’s asking them to give her the cost of the heat pump and solar panels (but obviously the solar panels were JUST installed since they are what tipped them off that something was wrong when the power was being backfed into the wrong meter) - they haven’t had time yet to generate savings.
These corporations must be held accountable, if it was the other way around and she owed them for a mistake they would be threatening, bullying and resorting to strong arm tactics for immediate payment no matter the cost. She’s entitled to the full amount plus interest and should receive damages due to stress from having to deal with these A- holes. The only thing these corporations react to is money and will not do the right thing unless forced to.
The meters at my house were also backwards. Sounds like they're doing a bang up job of making sure this thing doesn't happen. It caused a HUGE fight between my neighbour and I.
No, it is not rare. Our neighbor's condo, and the next one were missed metered. She was often gone on business trips, the other had recently moved in. Neighbor complained multiple times to the Electric company about high bills, the other bragged about low costs. One day she asked my to flip the connections at the meters. Sure enough flipping hers cut the other condo, flipping the others flipped hers. Electric Company refunded her, her 15 years of over payments about $18,000 and went back 2 years on the new owner and 3 years on the old owner to collect their underpayments. (they were limited to 5 years for under billing collections, but not in refunds)
For those who think the utility is the bad guy, consider: the Utility has the meter reads from the other meter that was connected to her house, so it is easy and accurate for the utility to calculate the difference between what she was charged versus what she actually consumed, which is what she apparently was offered as a refund. The utility is not responsible for the cost of the heat pump itself nor the cost of the solar panels she just installed recently.
She could argue that she would not have purchased the heat pump or the solar systems “but for” the erroneous bills. Basically she could argue that she made the decision to buy solar and the heat pump BECAUSE of the high bills she was getting. If her bills were correct, maybe she wouldn’t have made those investments to lower her bill. She relied on incorrect info to decide the size of her solar system, probably similar for the heat pump
@@somethingsomething404 That would be quite a stretch to say that BC Hydro would be financially responsible for a homeowner not verifying the consumption before making these investments, especially when she noted that she was aware that there was an issue with her usage.
The simple question is where did BC Hyrdo come up with their figure? The right way ir to compare the bills, month by month and credit the difference for each month. Plus interest. That MAY be what they did. Or not. The story says nothing about how they came up with their numbers.
Retired from a electric utility and I can attest this happens more than you think. Most occasions it's the result of negligence on the electrical contractors (not the power companies) when gang meter centers are improperly labeled. In this case it appears the power company may have made the mistake.
Don’t they have any utility regulatory agencies up there? In the US, in most states, an inquiry to the commission is often enough to start things moving in the right direction.
Who installed the electrical panels? Seems they mislabeled the 2 meters and it's their fault. I'm having trouble understanding how it's the electric company's fault when they just install the meter and the wiring to the meter.
Why wouldnt you go out to your meter and double check the reading and meter number and compare it to your billing? Right off the bat, you'd know your meter and the reading showing on your billing doesnt match. Not to mention, a certified electrician wires from the meter to the house/duplex, where the "switched meters" would impact the user, not BC Hydro. BCHydro should verify proper install when putting the meter on, but it would fall on the electrician who did the work, and on the owner to notice over 13 years that it wasnt being billed right.
Not rare. Utility company use low cost contractors. They installed my water meter backwards. No idea how since there are arrows pointing which direction the water flows
Why should the utility pay for her heat pump and solar panels? They are offering to pay the excess she was charged (plus interest, I presume). She wants the utility to pay for her choices.
Wouldn't it be fairly easy to determine exactly how much she should've been charged and how much she paid? All the data would just be read from the neighbor's usage.
This would be easy to fix. How much was her neighbor's bill vs how much was her bill. Subtract one from the other and there you go. This woman needs to fight because she's right. Lawyer up.
We’re fighting high bills with no explanation from our electricity company right now. We’re paying as much as a local business who uses considerably more power.
@@DougWolfe I agree, but if they only wanna offer a 5k discount after 12 yrs, I guess that means they figure the neighbour saved 5 K after 12 years. Neighbour is good, she deserves more.
The should go after the neighbour otherwise taxpayers subsidized their electricity bill. Imagine if a bank accidentally deposited a $1M in my bank account... is it free money? Just because the mistake was not my fault it doesn't give me any rights to the funds.
Thats a terrible idea to have the heatpump under a roof line like that. The heat will just radiate back down making it work harder to make your home cooler.
I have a feeling the same thing is going on in my duplex. I moved from a 750 sq ft 2 bd suite to a 660 sq ft 2 bd room. At my old unit my Hydro for the year totaled $261. Current Hydro is $1325 for the year. I live by myself. The other side of the duplex has 4 people living inside and another 3-4 living in sheds they piece-mealed together in the backyard. Hydro says my usage looks "normal" in comparison to the previous tenant. They should be comparing my usage to my previous address, not to the drug addict that used to live here who had a grow lab in the add-on.
Electric heating or hot water could account for that. Get a flashlight. Try turning everything off (hopefully on a breaker panel?) and make sure the meter stops.
Disconnect from the grid and hook those solar panels up to a power bank. On cloudy days run a generator to charge the batteries. Definitely cheaper in the long run.
Funnier Yet, she "Invested" $32,000 in equipment, to save maybe $400.00 or so a year........Basically a HUGE waste of money, she will never see ANY savings at her age......!
She might be out of gas because of statute of limitations, but she should be given the difference between here neighbor's bill and her own for the full amount of time and interest to boot.
if the issue was "ongoing" into today, the provenance of that issue in LAW would carry her case forward: i.e. no statute until the issue actually STOPPED.
@@DwightStJohn-w1l Yes, that makes sense. I hope that is how it is litigated (or settled, since there is no reason to litigate it. They need to do what is right.)
Our hydro bill went up 350 %, if not more. Sick and probably not doing math right. Our house was $40 a month and shop $15 a month. After they changed both meters, both were at $600 (house) and $350 for shop. Meter were only 7 years old but they went to the smarr one. They checked and said old meters were faulty, both of them. Whatever 🙄
The amount you spent on the solar panels is completely irrelevant since they fix that immediately. As far as her other Bill, it’s pretty easy to figure out how much she was over Bill. She knows how much she paid and the utility should know what the consumption was on the other meter. And interest for 12 years sure why not. 24 grand for equipment that’s not their responsibility.
First we don't know if that is true or not. She could of saved more. Not only that she kept buying into green because the prices were so high. They kept ignoring her saying there is no issues. She takes this to court she is getting way more then 27k... BC should settle all she wants is the 27k or whatever.
Wow!! .... If i lived in BC, I'd be reaching out to BC Hydro to tell them they better make this right; give her ALL her money back; their neglectgence and poor install is not her problem, they failed to address concerns when flagged at the beginning.
I hate to say it, but their offer does sound like it’s in the ballpark of the actual difference between the two meters. 25 a month works out to 300 a year, or 3600 over 12 years. 50 a month works out to 7200 over 12 years. More efficient systems don’t usually save all that much money in your electric bill (they’re only going to cut your bill in half except in very rare cases). They probably should add on interest and some extra for her hassle, and they definitely should give her cash, not credit. But their number sounds much closer to reality than her 24k number.
Umm BC Hydro will also have to backcharge the neighbour, umm corporate greed.. I wonder who hooked up the customers to the wrong meter.. Instaler of the build is also at fault.. BC Hydro should pay the customer and do its homework on the causes and culprits..
So Bicknell (sp?) is encouraging customers to check their meters but she checked it and told them and they just ignored her!!! What good is checking if they won't listen to you? She's actually being very reasonable, because she isn't asking for interest, which I would.
Sad story, but she is entitled to the difference in billing over the 11 years with interest for lost usage of funds. Beyond that, it would become a legal matter.
A customer should use that line to them if they can't pay their bill in B.C. "This is a lesson learned to you for what you did to that lovely lady in Victoria in the duplex with the solar panels." She really is such a lovely Canadian! Sticking it, so politely, to the man :)
Stories like this are why I prefer to have paper bills sent to my home, I don't use autopay and why I review each bill every month. I found out my water meter wasn't registering usage for several months after some contractors damaged my water pipes and got it fixed before the bill went too high.
She told them there was a problem and they would not investigate. It is BC hydro''s fault.
hydro "police" only care about illegal hook ups and bypasses. they could care less about screwing over the customer
I called Rogers, in the afternoon for service, and the rep asked why I wasn't in school. I am almost 50, and a woman my voice sounds youthful but I do speak in a very articulate manner. I think there is some bias for how she was treated. This woman needs to be taken more seriously because I agree it is BC's fault. I hope an attorney is watching this news piece and willing to represent her.
@@Jeffrey-s9n Not sure where she lives: but in many places you are required to have utilities hooked up to reside in a dwelling.
@@Jeffrey-s9n From Alberta Minimum Housing and Health Standards:
"Housing Regulations and the Minimum Housing and Health Standards are also different
from building and other construction codes in that the latter are enforced primarily
through a system of permits which are granted after plans and specifications have been
submitted and evaluated and at which time the construction would be subject to
inspection. The appropriate government and accredited agencies maintain control through
their power to issue and withhold the required permits. Housing Regulations and the
Minimum Housing and Health Standards, however, are enforced by inspections of
housing premises by Public Health Inspectors/Executive Officers of Regional Health
Authorities on a systematic or complaint basis."
@@Jeffrey-s9nhindsight is 20/20… In reality virtually no electrician would have ever seen this problem before and more than likely, would tell her to contact BC hydro. And the odds that she’s talked to multiple people and trades about the issue is also high. Much of our intelligence comes from pattern recognition/repetition-whereas this is falls into the one off category-making it incomprehensible, hence being blocked every time she tried to tackle the problem. However, in your version, by taking matters into your own hands and cutting the power would have instantly solved the problem. Even if they just shut it off for five minutes while the neighbours were home-could have cracked the case!
Sorry is not enough. Give her what you owe her plus interest.
Sorry BC hydro has better lawyers.
@Atite_Lometen yeee but they also don't mind paying out to keep her mouth shut 20k is peanuts for a company like that
@@Atite_Lometen Lawyers don't matter. The law does. BC Hydro breached contract and overcharged her. Bring it to court, and she'll get her money back, and BC Hydro would get a reaming from a judge for not resolving this case outside of the courtroom.
Just let them try to bill you then contact your banks security department for fraud. No matter how big they always quiver in the face of those of actually control the world. It’s how I got amazon to finally stop dragging their feet after I got scammed by a third party seller before.
@@Atite_Lometenno they don’t
she has a solid case, especially when BC Hydro is on camera publicly apologizing...
She should contact the ombudsman
There is a clause in Canada where an apology does not constitute an admission of guilt.
That said they're extremely guilty.
Say it’s people like you is why you companies don’t apologize because you immediately say they admitted guilt, which is why they can’t apologize.
They indicated they paid her the overage. Punitive damages would be a court issue if she wants to sue.
@@neilkurzman4907 yes, it's people like me, posting a comment on YT that is the problem in this story...
@@bob-p7x6j
Sorry my comment was targeted those in the United States. In the United States companies cannot apologize since that would basically mean they lose in court even if they were innocent yet many Americans demand apologies that they know they can’t get.
Bc hydro just STOP dismissing customers concerns ! Thats your problem ! Simple solution . Do your job properly 👏
For every person like this though there is a massive onslaught of people who claim things without realizing they lets say are running appliances that have massive phantom drain.
First if you suspect a problem you should compare what the meter read vs what is displayed on your bill. In this case it would read drastically different, unless if the electrician cross the wires in the walls at which point it also becomes how would Hydro know the wiring internally was done wrong. If it was drastically different as well, then you would easily be able to see that the meter right next to it was reading the numbers near your bill. So at that point you take that issue to hydro.
The other thing being, you turn off your main breaker, look at your hydro meter, wait an hour or two and check again. You should have used no energy, but if you did you know that the lines have been switched.
her offer for settlement is less than they owe her, yet they wouldn’t take it. take them to court.
The owe her 5k plus interest for 12 years that's 6k at most.
So if you work for BC hydro billing or maintenance, you are a SHILL, go away.
If you don't work for them and don't have a 2nd magical connection to her metrr, you know absolutely nothing!
Why should she trust THEIR incompetence when it comes to calculating her loss? Court would settle it more independently, and perhaps impose punative measures as well. @TentaclePentacle
@@TentaclePentacle Plus adjusted for inflation.
The way she is demanding things I hope she takes them to court; as she will quickly realize that she is owed a whole lot less.
The boxes were switched [which could still be the fault of the electrician who did the initial install] so they have the bill difference. The difference is what they offered her. While I do think they should pay her back with interest the amount she is asking for is essentially the full install cost [and she just recently installed solar which she includes in the cost].
Overall it was $5k over 12 years when hydro compared [and that assumes BC hydro didn't already factor in interest]. That's $416 a year difference, and the earlier times it is most likely less because there wasn't he solar. She is asking for over $20k, her settlement offer is just an insult
Statutes of limitation vary province to province, but there's no way to go back 12 years in any province. Not even 10. In Ontario it's 2.
The worst thing is that B.C. Hydro dismissed her concerns. I think this lovely lady should sue for a complete refund, court costs, and a good amount for mental anguish. The arrogance of some companies’ petty officials is mind-boggling.
Exactly. If they had listened to her from the beginning they wouldn’t be in this situation. They ignored her, they made her pay for someone else’s bills. Disgusting 🤮 behaviour from this company. She deserves compensation.
@@kerrynicholls6683 They did offer her compensation. She wants compensation which would effectively amount to having solar installed and the heating installed.
We don't even know the extent of what the issue was as it could have been wiring inside the house that caused the general issue as it looks like it's a duplex.
This could easily be resolved by herself as well. If the meters ID's were switch, which would be BC Hydros fault, then when she thought there was an issue she could have easily just looked at the meter reading and looked at her bill. From there she could have just told BC Hydro that the bill meter reading doesn't match her statement.
If it is the case where the wiring got crisscrossed which would be the original installer not Hydros fault, then they wouldn't really have known even if they went and checked her house.
The bigger rip off is the 15000 dolalr trane heat pump that costs about 2-3000 wholesale for the contractor, he charged you 12 thousand dollars for 6 hours labor for 2 3rd year apprentice refrigeration mechanics at a cost of 35/hr to the owner. Normal cost for that install should be around 8-10,000 MAX
is that how much it cost back in 2011?
I know our contractor only got a 10% discount from retail cost. He cannot get wholesale pricing because he doesn't have the volume required to access wholesale pricing. Our contractor paid $6588.43 USD for our heat pump. Our install was less than $1,000 and took a team of 3 about half a day to install. With taxes it cost a little under $9k. I got a rebate of $5k from the government so, my final cost was around $4k. I did all site prep myself to save time and money on the install.
The bigger rip off is you math :) Let's apply your logic if you will
8000 (minimum cost) - 3000 (maximum HP price) = 5000. Divided by 12 hours of labor = 416 dollars/hour. Or the other way round: 10K - 2K / 12 hours = 667 dollars/hour.
I don't know about you, but either wage point is not really acceptable to me. Or are there more items you need to account for?
She must've replaced the entire system for that much (excluding duct work). Outdoor unit, indoor coil, indoor unit, thermostat, wiring, etc.
And on top of that, it wasn't installed properly because it absolutely does not have the proper clearances and most likely doesn't breathe well.
$15k that's all. I was getting quotes for $45k.
If you suspect something like this, look at your meter, then turn on your A/C and look at it again. If it's not spinning up, something's wrong.
New meters do not spin.
@@hotpuppy1 Ok, fine, if the digital numbers are increasing.
In the eighties in a very cold storm my meter literally blew up on my property. I maintained a file and dropped it off on the 2nd. floor Hydro desk of the exact employee who was handling it. he was somewhere on training something for a couple weeks, so I didn't worry. After I moved (there was a fire as well) the file sat on his desk for six months (I found it exactly where I put it) but in the meantime my credit rating was imploded by Hydro BC, and I spent the NEXT SIX months straightening it out. Fortunately, I didn't NEED my CR at that time, but if I had it would have been a disaster. These people make HUGE COIN with fantastic benefit packages, and STILL can't do their job withou tacting like a politician??
Get a good lawyer and sue those POSs
Where do you find one of them? I can’t, I tried. I got thrown around to three different places and got no help, or a lawyer.
Except she sues them and the judge would give her...dun dun dun...the amount they offered her. She is demanding almost the cost of her expenses for the heat pump and solar. Yes she was overcharged but BC Hydro offered her the difference [and maybe more] in regards to what she lost out on
What is she going to sue them for. Does she think they didn’t give her the full amount back. They’re not paying for a heating system. That’s not what they do.
If you wanna make things right THEN GIVE THE LADY HER MONEY THAT YOU STOLE OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS...SMH
A great story, and yes BC Hydro needs to be held to account, which would include penalties, not just the amount she was overcharged all of these years!
She is greedy she wants 24k. She is owed 6k at most with penalties.
It would depend on their policy. If they only give credit for overcharging then that is what it is and going into court would be a dangerous precedent to set for all business. Where I have a problem with is that she notified them of the problem with their equipment and they did nothing, they sent nobody to check on it. Now if she makes changes to her property to save money on her bills that isn't Hydro's responsibility to pay for that, that is considered an investment on your own property. But it highlighted that equipment of Hydro's wasn't working and from the day she made them aware until present day that is what she is afforded. Hydro can argue how are they to know the meter was or was not working properly before that day she notified them?
@@barcelonachair6487 The issue is the meters were either switched, or rather the internal wiring might switch it.
Especially if the wiring in the wall was where it switched then Hydro wouldn't realistically be able to easily know that even if they came out. Sure the person complained, but I'm sure hydro gets lots of complaints like this where the energy savings someone is expecting doesn't manifest itself.
It's easy enough for the home owner themselves to verify anyways, the homeowner would switch off the main breaker. After that look at the meter to see the power usage [which should read zero]. Then turn on the heatpump and check the reading. If in that case you don't see it hit zero and then a large load, you know that the wires were switch [which while still "Hydro's issue" it also is one that wouldn't be detectable by hydro]. If it did match up, then she should have been able to easily say "my meter reading doesn't match my bills reading"...at which point Hydro would investigate.
I suspect the amount offered by hydro is one where it also includes the interest payments as well.
@@barcelonachair6487 The meter wasn't broken, it looks like a duplex so on the exterior either the meters were swapped OR the interior had it wired up so it would be switched.
In either case it would have been easy for her to prove something is wrong. You look at your bill and then look at the meter. I suspect she might have just called them up and said my bill is too high I think something is wrong.
The two meters were right next to each other, it should have been easy to see which one changed after applying a load.
That’s what I would do take them to court and when they rule in your favor also make them pay all court costs and fees for your attorney.
I wonder how common that is in apartment buildings around the world.
The number on your meter must match the meter number on your monthly bill. Every home owner and renter who pays for their electricity and who gets a bill should do this once.
Meter might have matched bill, but wiring in behind those meters was crossed. .....
What?! That’s even crazier. That’s the home builder
@@elizamay6402 You're telling me that Sharpie isn't infallable?
She has over $400 power bills and their offer is less than $500 a year in difference? I highly doubt it was so little. I had a dispute with the power company for overbilling due to a defective meter, just getting them to come out and have a look was a challenge. It was overcharging for 10 years but it kept getting worse and worse, the last year I had that meter was astronomically high bills and the disc on the old mechanical meter spinning like a top even though nothing was on in the house. I finally got the power company to come out and take a look and they were shocked at how the meter was behaving... I received a $17,000 check from the power company as compensation for 10 years over charging. My advice is if you think there is something wrong with your bills and your meter stay on them, these devices aren't as infallible as they would have you believe.
And who are the neighbours that didn’t say anything about low power bill after the installation of someone else’s equipment. Damn bottom feeders!
It’s entirely possible it went un-noticed. I like to think I’d notice something like that, but for most people who are 1) not aware of their consumption and 2) don’t care to scrutinize bills likely just would not notice. Also 12 years - that house could have easily had multiple tenants/owners in that time.
Think about what your response was here for a second Steve... "Damn bottom feeders" - jesus Steve... Let BC Hydro entirely off the hook for THEIR mistake that lasted over a decade, while ignoring the notifications from the person who was losing thousands of dollars, and now likely has to get a lawyer for any shot of making anything close to her money essentially jacked by BC Hydro and handed to whomever lived in this house during the entire stint.
Somebody else pointed out for example, somebody could have moved out shorly after she installed the heat pump, you have no idea, and then everything would just seem pretty normal to them moving forward...
Youre the type of guy to just complain about the homeless population, but then ALSO complain that you dont want the govt to spend a single penny of "your tax dollars" to help get "these bottom feeders" off the streets, and get a roof over their heads...
Think about what you just said... 0:36 - This lady says she informed BC Hydro something was wrong MULTIPLE times, and they dismissed her concerns (clearly, since the issue went on for over a DECADE)
Your response weirdly lays WAY too much fault on the consumer, not BC Hydro, who screwed up in the first place, and then screwed up in the second place, refused to check out the issue once, for once again I remind you, OVER A DECADE...
Nvm screwing up a third time, and not IMMEDIATELY jumping on her settlement over that was thousands of dollars below what shes rightfullly owed...
Not to mention this assumes completely they didnt also say something, and just like she says she was, these neighbors were ALSO ignored. On and on I could go, but I hope you see what you said here was very goofy indeed...
Only time I check my bills is when it goes over a certain amount. Most of the time, its just paid.
This is theft any which way you look at it! The least the power company could do is pay what she's asking! It's at least not what she's owed!!!
This lady is out to lunch. Why would Hydro need to pay the cost of the heat pump and solar panels? The only thing she is out is the lost savings in electricity consumption, which BC Hydro is offering her. She has a strong case for interest as well, but thats a far cry from her demands.
Same thing happened with us where my neighbour was paying our higher bill. After installing AC we noticed that our bill did not go up. When enmax came they noticed the mistake refunded our neighbour and charged us for the entire thing because of their mistake even though we told them about the problem.
They need to pay her for the years of unknown damage.
Had that happen to me once. I followed the meter and was going to other tenants place. So Hydro didn’t want to do anything so I quit paying g my bills. They kept threatening me they will shut off my hydro. I said go ahead. Was fixed later after I moved out soon after they shut off other tenants hydro.
Time to lawyer up. BC should’ve refunded her the overcharged price and bill the neighbors the undercharged amounts. Not this woman’s problem.
Now what’s the compounding interest. They are trying to say she only over paid by about $420 a year. I doubt that very much.
BC hydro u just have to pay her back.
My electric comes from ComEd (northern Illinois). On my bill is a "Meter Number". That number is also on the electric meter. Easy for a homeowner to verify. BTW, I was an electrician. This problem my have been caused by an electrician replacing the meter socket and not keeping track of what goes where.
No electrician handles those meters...at least you better not be. Only a lineman or meter department employee does that.
That's fraud and embezzlement
All she had to do was shut off all the breakers in her apartment and then go look at the meters! Happened to a friend of mine who lived in a duplex. It was fixed within two days.
Come on, B.C. Hydro; make this right. This woman has done everything right to be powersmart, and reported the problem, but was a victim of a B.C. Hydro mistake and failure to investigate.
Sue them
Yeah, there was a stuff up!! BC Hydro payed back the difference, although they could have paid interest too (if the fault was their doing)… however asking for them to cover the full cost of both her Heatpump and solar installation is outright insanity!🤯
It what she should have done if she thought the meters were installed wrong was to unplug hers and she what happened
sounds like years of dereliction of duty and failure to provide required care.
They need to pay her the money they owe her.
lawsuit. Some lawyer that wants to make a good name for himself should take this up pro-bono. This is open and shut.
If a power company finds a faulty meter they can just retroactively deside how much you owe them. It should be the same for her. The law goes both ways
Same thing happened to my parents about 60 years ago in Denver. They discovered the problem when they talked to the neighbors about their bill.
When I moved into my condo, over 30 years ago, Mississauga Hydro was reading the wrong meter for my unit. I also noticed my bills didn't seem to match my usage after I stopped using a freezer. However, that was quickly investigated and resolved.
Damn now that I think about it, this has happened to me in Winnipeg. I've cut down use of hydro significantly over a period of a year but the hydro bill and water as well remained consistently high. Meanwhile, my neighbour would talk about how low his bill is every month.
Government agencies in B.C. are notorious for screwing over their customers!! You're lucky you are in Ontario!!
What was her bill total for 12 years minus her neighbors bill for 12 year? That number plus interest and a fridge magnet is what hydro should credit immediately.
I think that’s how they came up with the 5k credit. She’s asking them to give her the cost of the heat pump and solar panels (but obviously the solar panels were JUST installed since they are what tipped them off that something was wrong when the power was being backfed into the wrong meter) - they haven’t had time yet to generate savings.
A lesson learned you've stole this woman's money and the neighbor next door is just as guilty of stealing
Typical utility company, no accountability.
sue the company and get court costs.
Yeah I have also experienced this. Always try to verify the meter correspond to your usage when moving into a new place.
BC Hydro doesn't want to be accountable, typical.
I hope she gets her money.
Get a lawyer
Incredibly rare, who are they kidding
These corporations must be held accountable, if it was the other way around and she owed them for a mistake they would be threatening, bullying and resorting to strong arm tactics for immediate payment no matter the cost. She’s entitled to the full amount plus interest and should receive damages due to stress from having to deal with these A- holes. The only thing these corporations react to is money and will not do the right thing unless forced to.
The meters at my house were also backwards. Sounds like they're doing a bang up job of making sure this thing doesn't happen. It caused a HUGE fight between my neighbour and I.
Refund the money!
Neighbor, " Honey! Look at this! We're using more electricity but the bill hasn't gone up. "
Pay up!
No, it is not rare. Our neighbor's condo, and the next one were missed metered. She was often gone on business trips, the other had recently moved in. Neighbor complained multiple times to the Electric company about high bills, the other bragged about low costs. One day she asked my to flip the connections at the meters. Sure enough flipping hers cut the other condo, flipping the others flipped hers. Electric Company refunded her, her 15 years of over payments about $18,000 and went back 2 years on the new owner and 3 years on the old owner to collect their underpayments. (they were limited to 5 years for under billing collections, but not in refunds)
For those who think the utility is the bad guy, consider: the Utility has the meter reads from the other meter that was connected to her house, so it is easy and accurate for the utility to calculate the difference between what she was charged versus what she actually consumed, which is what she apparently was offered as a refund.
The utility is not responsible for the cost of the heat pump itself nor the cost of the solar panels she just installed recently.
She could argue that she would not have purchased the heat pump or the solar systems “but for” the erroneous bills. Basically she could argue that she made the decision to buy solar and the heat pump BECAUSE of the high bills she was getting. If her bills were correct, maybe she wouldn’t have made those investments to lower her bill.
She relied on incorrect info to decide the size of her solar system, probably similar for the heat pump
@@somethingsomething404 That would be quite a stretch to say that BC Hydro would be financially responsible for a homeowner not verifying the consumption before making these investments, especially when she noted that she was aware that there was an issue with her usage.
The simple question is where did BC Hyrdo come up with their figure? The right way ir to compare the bills, month by month and credit the difference for each month. Plus interest. That MAY be what they did. Or not. The story says nothing about how they came up with their numbers.
Boy that neighbor is about to be in shock lol.
Here gonna bill the neighbors why fighting this poor lady for every last penny.
Retired from a electric utility and I can attest this happens more than you think. Most occasions it's the result of negligence on the electrical contractors (not the power companies) when gang meter centers are improperly labeled. In this case it appears the power company may have made the mistake.
Don’t they have any utility regulatory agencies up there? In the US, in most states, an inquiry to the commission is often enough to start things moving in the right direction.
That lady making that fake apology is hilarious.
So what does BCHydro do if YOU owe them money?
They shut your power off?
Charge more to turn it back on?
Screw with your credit?
Who installed the electrical panels? Seems they mislabeled the 2 meters and it's their fault. I'm having trouble understanding how it's the electric company's fault when they just install the meter and the wiring to the meter.
Why wouldnt you go out to your meter and double check the reading and meter number and compare it to your billing? Right off the bat, you'd know your meter and the reading showing on your billing doesnt match. Not to mention, a certified electrician wires from the meter to the house/duplex, where the "switched meters" would impact the user, not BC Hydro. BCHydro should verify proper install when putting the meter on, but it would fall on the electrician who did the work, and on the owner to notice over 13 years that it wasnt being billed right.
Why would the utility be responsible for the cost of her heat pump?
I had the same issue and called them every month for a year until they finally sent someone out to check it.
Sue…
Full reimbursement is required and the right thing to do.
Full reimbursement is 5k. But I think she should get a little extra for interest which should be 6k at most.
Good for her and if this is such a rare occurrence, then BC Hydro should just correct it, but giving her the money,
Pay the lady.
Not rare. Utility company use low cost contractors. They installed my water meter backwards. No idea how since there are arrows pointing which direction the water flows
That means the water company pays you. Thank your contractors.
So was that the difference between what her neighbor paid and what she paid?
Why should the utility pay for her heat pump and solar panels? They are offering to pay the excess she was charged (plus interest, I presume). She wants the utility to pay for her choices.
Wouldn't it be fairly easy to determine exactly how much she should've been charged and how much she paid? All the data would just be read from the neighbor's usage.
This would be easy to fix. How much was her neighbor's bill vs how much was her bill. Subtract one from the other and there you go. This woman needs to fight because she's right. Lawyer up.
We’re fighting high bills with no explanation from our electricity company right now. We’re paying as much as a local business who uses considerably more power.
I wonder if BC Hydro is trying to recover the savings the neighbour got?
They shouldn’t go after the neighbour either as none of this was their fault either. This is ALL on BC Hydro.
@@DougWolfe I agree, but if they only wanna offer a 5k discount after 12 yrs, I guess that means they figure the neighbour saved 5 K after 12 years. Neighbour is good, she deserves more.
There's a real possibility that they will give the neighbour(s) the old bills to pay over the course of multiple years. Both past and present.
@@ivanvarela3215 exactly. nice that it got exposed tho.
The should go after the neighbour otherwise taxpayers subsidized their electricity bill. Imagine if a bank accidentally deposited a $1M in my bank account... is it free money? Just because the mistake was not my fault it doesn't give me any rights to the funds.
Thats a terrible idea to have the heatpump under a roof line like that. The heat will just radiate back down making it work harder to make your home cooler.
I have a feeling the same thing is going on in my duplex. I moved from a 750 sq ft 2 bd suite to a 660 sq ft 2 bd room. At my old unit my Hydro for the year totaled $261. Current Hydro is $1325 for the year. I live by myself. The other side of the duplex has 4 people living inside and another 3-4 living in sheds they piece-mealed together in the backyard. Hydro says my usage looks "normal" in comparison to the previous tenant. They should be comparing my usage to my previous address, not to the drug addict that used to live here who had a grow lab in the add-on.
Electric heating or hot water could account for that. Get a flashlight. Try turning everything off (hopefully on a breaker panel?) and make sure the meter stops.
Write the girl a check already!!! You screwed it up,,,, now pay up!! Sounds like it's not in the U.S. so I dont know about talking to an attorney.
Disconnect from the grid and hook those solar panels up to a power bank. On cloudy days run a generator to charge the batteries. Definitely cheaper in the long run.
Funnier Yet, she "Invested" $32,000 in equipment, to save maybe $400.00 or so a year........Basically a HUGE waste of money, she will never see ANY savings at her age......!
She might be out of gas because of statute of limitations, but she should be given the difference between here neighbor's bill and her own for the full amount of time and interest to boot.
if the issue was "ongoing" into today, the provenance of that issue in LAW would carry her case forward: i.e. no statute until the issue actually STOPPED.
@@DwightStJohn-w1l Yes, that makes sense. I hope that is how it is litigated (or settled, since there is no reason to litigate it. They need to do what is right.)
there is no such statute in canada
She was already given the difference between her bill and her neighbour's bill for the duration of the issue
Go for it ! plus interest and your time spent with them about the problem and stress ! looks like the ball is in your court
I'd like to hear how well she does suing BChydro. And recouping her full refund, please
suing *
A lady with class. Best to her!🎉🎉🎉🎉
It cost $32,000? I would never see that supposed 'price benefit' unless I live there for 30+ years.
Look at how snooty that Hydro rep is
Our hydro bill went up 350 %, if not more. Sick and probably not doing math right. Our house was $40 a month and shop $15 a month. After they changed both meters, both were at $600 (house) and $350 for shop. Meter were only 7 years old but they went to the smarr one. They checked and said old meters were faulty, both of them. Whatever 🙄
Well I’d be really upset
The amount you spent on the solar panels is completely irrelevant since they fix that immediately. As far as her other Bill, it’s pretty easy to figure out how much she was over Bill. She knows how much she paid and the utility should know what the consumption was on the other meter.
And interest for 12 years sure why not. 24 grand for equipment that’s not their responsibility.
She spend 32k in green energy upgrades and she gets 5k in savings. That sounds about right. What is she complaining about?
First we don't know if that is true or not. She could of saved more. Not only that she kept buying into green because the prices were so high. They kept ignoring her saying there is no issues. She takes this to court she is getting way more then 27k... BC should settle all she wants is the 27k or whatever.
Wow!! .... If i lived in BC, I'd be reaching out to BC Hydro to tell them they better make this right; give her ALL her money back; their neglectgence and poor install is not her problem, they failed to address concerns when flagged at the beginning.
I hate to say it, but their offer does sound like it’s in the ballpark of the actual difference between the two meters. 25 a month works out to 300 a year, or 3600 over 12 years. 50 a month works out to 7200 over 12 years. More efficient systems don’t usually save all that much money in your electric bill (they’re only going to cut your bill in half except in very rare cases). They probably should add on interest and some extra for her hassle, and they definitely should give her cash, not credit. But their number sounds much closer to reality than her 24k number.
So many companies ignore simple problems, thus turning them into giant messes. Sad.
Umm BC Hydro will also have to backcharge the neighbour, umm corporate greed.. I wonder who hooked up the customers to the wrong meter.. Instaler of the build is also at fault.. BC Hydro should pay the customer and do its homework on the causes and culprits..
So Bicknell (sp?) is encouraging customers to check their meters but she checked it and told them and they just ignored her!!! What good is checking if they won't listen to you? She's actually being very reasonable, because she isn't asking for interest, which I would.
That definitely should not have been, but having said that, she's not going to saving anything noticeable with those solar panels. Waste of money.
Sad story, but she is entitled to the difference in billing over the 11 years with interest for lost usage of funds. Beyond that, it would become a legal matter.
Shame on BC Hydro.
A customer should use that line to them if they can't pay their bill in B.C.
"This is a lesson learned to you for what you did to that lovely lady in Victoria in the duplex with the solar panels."
She really is such a lovely Canadian! Sticking it, so politely, to the man :)
Stories like this are why I prefer to have paper bills sent to my home, I don't use autopay and why I review each bill every month. I found out my water meter wasn't registering usage for several months after some contractors damaged my water pipes and got it fixed before the bill went too high.
Pay the woman.