THAT
THAT THERE ARE NO SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS WITH THE CENTRAL 4@ MAINE POWER METERING AND BILLING
SYSTEMS.
GOOD EVENING, I'M PAT CALLAGHAN@
I'M CINDY WILLIAMS. 4@
THE REPORT RELEASED LATE THIS
AFTERNOON CONCLUDES THAT
THE SO-CALLED SMART METERS HAVE
BEEN RECORDING AND
TRANSMITTING CUSTOMER USAGE DAT@
ACCURATELY.
CMP CUSTOMERS BEGAN COMPLAINING
ABOUT THEIR BILLS
IN EARLY 2018, A COUPLE MONTHS
AFTER THE COMPANY 4@
SWITCHED TO A NEW BILLING 4@
SYSTEM.
SOME PEOPLE SAID THEY SAW THEIR
BILLS DOUBLE FROM ONE MONTH 4@
TO THE NEXT... WITH NO INCREASE
IN USAGE.
BUT CMP SAID THERE WAS NOTHING
WRONG WITH ITS METERS 4@
NOR WITH ITS BILLING.
TODAY, THE PUC'S STAFF AGREED...
IN THEIR REPORT TO THE
COMMISSION
MEMBERS, INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY
FOUND NO SYSTEMIC
PROBLEM WITH CMP'S METERING AND
BILLING... AND THAT CUSTOMER
USAGE DATA IS ACCURATE.
BUT THE STAFF DID SAY THAT CMP
MADE A MISTAKE WHEN IT RUS4@HED
TO PUT THE NEW BILLING SYSTEM
ONLINE.
NOW, BECAUSE THE BILLING SYSTEM
HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE ACCURATE,4@
THE PUC SAYS ANY CUSTOMER WHO
HAS BEEN DEFERRING PAYING
THEIR CMP BILLS MUST MAKE
ARRANGEMENTS TO PAY THEM OFF.
NEWSCENTER MAINE'S DON CARRIGAN
IS HERE WITH MORE ON THE ISSUES THAT LED TO TODAY'S
REPORT...
AND DON, NO MATTER WHAT IT
SAYS... A LOT OF CUSTOMERS ARE
STILL GOING TO SAY SOMETHING WA@
VERY WRONG WITH HOW THEY WERE
BILLED. 4@
BILLED. 4@ THE STAFF OF THE PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION APPEARS TO BASICALLY AGREE WITH CMP THAT
ITS METERING ANDS BILLING
SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS
4@4@
4@4@ ARE
4@4@ ARE WORKING ACCURATELY, AND THAT THOS4@E HIGH BILLS FROM 4@
JANUARY OF 2018 WERE THE RESULT
OF EXTREME COLD WEATHER 4@
MAJORING
MAJORING HOMES AND BUSINESSES USE MORE ELECTRICITY AT 4@ THE SAME TIME THE STANDARD OFFER
PRICE
PRICE OF
PRICE OF ELECTRICITY JUMPED 18 PERCENT., 4@ CUSTOMERS, AND THE PUBLIC
4@
4@
4@ ADVOCATE, ARE NOT GOING TO BE
HAPPY WITH THE REPORT.4@
THE HIGHEST IT EVER WAS WAS $120
AND THEN IT WENT TO $486..4@ MORE THAN 250 PERCENT.
THE TWO YEAR CONTROVERSY BEGAN
WITH PEOPLE LI4@KE4@
JUDITH
JUDITH HYDE, IN JANUARY OF 2018. SO I PAID THE BILL AND THOUGHT, THIS IS CRAZY WE'VE NEVER HAD 4@
A BILL LIKE THAT. I MEAN WE JUST
4@4@
4@4@ ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK WHEN WE SAW THAT BILL.4@
THEN TWO MONTHS OF NO BILLS.
THEN A DISCONNECT NOTICE.
FRUSTRATIONS ASKING QUESTIONS.
SHE DECIDED TO GET
RID OF HER SMART METER. 4@
AND I CALLED A GUY IN AUGUSTA
AND SAID PLEASE TAKE THAT OUT
AND
GIVE ME A REAL ANALOG METER. AND
SINCE THAT HAPPENED MY4@
BILLS ARE FINE. MY BILL LAST
MONTH WAS 24 DOLLARS.
THAT'S BECAUSE HYDE ALSO HAS
SOLAR PANELS. HYDE KEPT
HEARING COMPLAINTS IN THE SPRING
OF 2018 AND JOINED CMP4@
RATEPAYERS UNITE, WHERE SHE IS
NOW ONE OF THE ADMINISTRATORS.4@
AND LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHERS
STILL ANGRY AT CENTRAL
MAINE POWER.
I THIN K THEIR METERS ARE BAD, I
THINK THEY'RE RUNNING ON A
SHOESTRING BUDGET BECAUSE OF
SHAREHOLDERS. 4@
SHAREHOLDERS. 4@
I
I TELL
I TELL YOU IF CMP WERE A REGULAR BUSINESS WHERE YOU COULD4@ CHOOSE WHO DISTRIBUTED THEIR
ELECTRICITY THEY WOULD HAVE NO4@
CUSTOMERS IN MAINE, PEOPLE ARE
SO ANNOYED.
AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF
INVESTIGATIONS BY STAFF AND THE
PUBLIC ADVOCATE PEOPLE ARE STILL
WAITING FOR A CLEAR 4@
EXPLANATION OF WHAT WENT WRONG.
PUBLIC ADVOCATE PEOPLE ARE STILL WAITING FOR A CLEAR 4@ EXPLANATION OF WHAT WENT WRONG.@
A BILLING SYSTEM PUT ON
LINE TOO SOON WITHOUT ENOUGH
TRAINED STAFF? THE COMPANY HAS
BASICALLY ADMITTED THAT ROLL OUT
WASN'T GOOD. BUT INSISTS4@
THE ACTUAL METER AND BILLING
SYSTEMS ARE ACCURATE. 4@
4@
4@ PUBLIC
4@ PUBLIC ADVOCATE BARRY HOBBINS DOESN'T BELIEVE IT AND SAYS THE
4@ PUBLIC ADVOCATE BARRY HOBBINS DOESN'T BELIEVE IT AND SAYS THE@
PUBLIC NEEDS MORE ANSWERS.
WHEN YOU HAVE ONE PARTY THAT
COMPLETELY DENIES IT4@ AND4@
WONT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY WRONGDOING
OR NEGLIGENCE
YOU HAVE A DIFFI4@CULT SITUATIO
IF THEY WERE TO SAY WE4@
MESSED UP, WE ALL MESS UP,
PEOPLE WOULD FORGIVE THEM.
THEY'RE 4@
NOT GOING TO FORGIVE THEM AND
ITS REALLY TOO BAD4@
HE SAYS MAINE NEEDS A UTILITY IT
TRUSTS. AND NOW IT MAY BE UP TO
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
TO FIND A WAY TO
REBUILD THAT TRUST. 4@
THE PUC STAFF RECOMMENDS THE
COMPANY CREATE A SPECIAL4@
4@
4@ INDEPENDENT AUDIT SYSTEM TO DEAL WITH CUSTOMER BILLING
COMPLAINTS. AND ALSO AN
INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE BILLING SYSTEM. AS FOR THE COMPANY'S RATE HIKE
REQUEST, THE STAFF
RECOMMENDS IT BE MUCH LESS THAN
REQUESTED.ABOUT 20 MILLION PER
YEAR. 4@
THERE IS SURE TO BE A LOT OF
PUSHBACK ON THIS.CUSTOMERS
AND THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE.. BARRY
THERE IS SURE TO BE A LOT OF PUSHBACK ON THIS.CUSTOMERS AND THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE.. BARRY@
HOPBBINS SAYS BASICALLY HIS 4@
OFFICE INTENDS TO FIGHT THIS,
AND ASK THAT NO RATE HIKE BE
ALLOWED 4@4@
UYNTIL AFTER ALL THE ISSUES WITH
AND ASK THAT NO RATE HIKE BE ALLOWED 4@4@ UYNTIL AFTER ALL THE ISSUES WIT@
THE
THE BILLING SYSTEM R4@AISED BY E NEW REVIEW AND THE AUDIT HIS OFFICE DID ARE ANSWERED.
THE PUC COMMISSIONERS WILL BE
THE ONES TO DECIDE ALL THIS 4@
AT
AT THE
AT THE END OF THE MONTH.4@4@