I received a Shut Off Notice today

[Alleycat]

Today I get home from work to find a 10 Day Shut Off notice from UGI Utilities for electric service. The due date on the bill was 2/14. I paid the bill electronically thru my checking account in full on the 2/18 but since that was a Saturday the payment didn't generate until 2/20. Due to the fact that I only get paid once per month which in the month of Feb happened to be the 17th I pay all bills at once.

I have never been more then a few days late on this or any of my utility bill or any bills for that matter since things either get automatically taken like mortgage and credit card (same amount each month) or I paid the bills that change each month thru my on-line bill payment at my bank.

Aren't they acting a little quick to shut off services or is this the usual?

[bleedingheart]

1. it could also be due to meter readings...

check on that...

my brother has a meter in his house. he wasn't home any of the times they came to check.
he gets a notice that his electric will be shut off unless they can read it.
he then fills out the post card and then tells them that they better put the damn meter outside...

it was ugly...

if it was related to the late payment...it might just be an automated notice...the computer just looks at dates and it may have been printed before the payment was received...but I would still check to make sure that all is kosher

[MissB]

2. I would avoid paying late in any case.

It is my understanding that creditors can look at your payment history on other bills to determine whether or not to jack your interest rate up. For that reason, I'd do everything in my power to make sure I could pay the bill a couple of days before it was due.

It may hurt for a few months to make the adjustment to your budget. Because of our pay schedule, I sometimes have to hold money to pay an upcoming bill for almost a month before the bill arrives. I do not like to pay late.

They could be acting this quickly because so many of their customers are having a hard time paying.

[Alleycat]

5. I try to stay ahead but

Working on a once a month pay schedule sucks. I got paid on the 17th of Feb and won't get paid again until the 17th of March. But it not always on the 17th. For example in April the pay date is the 28th which is really going to suck. It just depends on the number of weeks in the month. I do have to save money from this one for Mortgage which is auto drafted on the 1st. I have never been late on mortgage or credit card because of the auto draft. I never thought they would get so uptight about 7 days but times must be tough.

[LostinVA]

8. The once a month does suck, doesn't it?

[WI_DEM]

3. Does this include your heating bill?

I've heard they can't shut that off during the winter. I'm sure with the prices of energy the way they are these days that lots of people are getting those. I think they usually are used as a scare tactic to get people to work something out with them.

[Alleycat]

6. No just electric

gas is seperate

[xmas74]

10. Heating does depend.

In my state they can shut off the heat if there have been three or more days of 55+ degree weather in a row.

The problem w/ that is this: Missouri is notorious for having a seventy degree week and then dropping down into the teens the next.

And here they can shut off the electric at any time, unless you can prove that you heat w/ it. Then they have to follow the cold weather rule that I stated above.

[grace0418]

4. People's Energy in Illinois does that too.

I pay electronically by the due date for 10 years without being late or missing a payment. But because the bill only comes once every two months I spaced out on it ONE time. ONE time in ten years it was late. I got that stupid shut-off notice within days. Fuckers. I called them up and told the rep that was ridiculous. It was a waste of time, paper, and postage to send a notice like that to someone who clearly pays on time 99.9% of the time.

[Alleycat]

7. Yea it is stupid

I just called them and low and behold they got the payment on the 21st. I just wanted to be sure the payment made it to them after it got taken from my checking account. Shouldn't they be spending the time hassling the people who are really late but I guess those people have already been shut off :)

[Radical Activist]

9. Privately owned utilities are mostly evil.

Jerks.