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Nicor Gas review: Billing and meter reading 7

C
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11:54 pm EST
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I have been going back and forth with Nicor. In September our bill was higher than usual and was an actual read. We had not ran our heat or anything so I called and read my meter. It was about $100 less than the bill. I know how to read my meter because I have done it before because my bill would be too high or too low. I paid the new amount on Oct 5th. A few weeks ago I was going through my checkbook and noticed that Nicor had not billed me since the end of September. I was in shock and dreed of what was to come. I called Nicor and customer service said I had a 0.00 amount and explained the story and was transfered to another rep that stated my bill was pending. What did pending mean I asked and got a half a**ed answer. I emailed Nicor explaining my dreed of a high bill. I wrote the BBB and citizens utility board. I received a letter stating my bill would be sent out the 16th of this month. I received this bill and it was 309.42 and is to be paid by 1/7/09. It is for 75 days of service. It is an estimated meter read on top of it too. I wrote again Nicor, BBB, and Citizens utility board. Nicor wrote me an email stating BBB closed my case and wrote about reading the meter every other month. My big problem with them is that I didnt receive a bill for months and it wouldve been easier to pay. They lied to BBB stating they read meters every other month too because if that was the case I wouldve received an actual meter read bill in Oct/Nov. but instead got no bill at all. They lied about BBB closing the case cause the same day they emailed that to me BBB emailed me letting me say I was dissatisfied with the response Nicor gave me and let me explain to BBB about it. I sent Nicor this letter letting them know I know they lied to me. Makes me upset that Nicor also said to BBB that customers can go on the website and read meters and report it on the site. Last I checked I was not receiving a check or benefits from Nicor as an employee. So if I dont pay this bill I will have late fees/be reported to credit bureaus/shut of after winter months but they can go 75 days not sending a bill and there so far is nothing I can do about it. Does not make sense. They are a big enough company not to be so incompetent. If you have any similar stories I would love to hear about them. Write me at [protected]@aol.com.

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The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

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7 comments
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rectrac
Morton Grove, US
Aug 16, 2011 9:22 pm EDT

I have had in the past few weeks a phone call left on my answering machine from nicor gas co. every other day requesting to set up an appointment to read my meter.I called the gas co. and made the appointment for August 27th between 8am and 12n I am still getting phone calls from them to set up an appointment to read the meter or they will interupt my service.I pay my bill monthly on time.I find their phone calls rude.I called them back again on August 16th to ask them why their calling when I have an appointment on Aug.27th.The person Michelle that answered the phone had no idea I had an appointment.I find their service to be very poor and she was not very respectful to me as a customer.Why does their equipment need to be in my home to start with? I've asked for it to be located outside but would cost me as the customer a lot of money to be moved.I don't quite understand or like their buisness ethics.

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AVongl
Chicago, US
Apr 27, 2011 1:19 am EDT

My parents have not recieved a bill since 2009. It is now 2011 and their gas was shut off today. There bill is a little over $3000 dollars. I am livid. They are senior citizens and pay their bill when it is sent to them. The fact that Nicor will not except a payment plan is ridiculous. I don't know what to do and I really need an answer quickly!

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drjules900
Skokie, US
Dec 17, 2009 7:17 pm EST

We had a "meter reader" come to the house one morning even though I had rescheduled that particular appt. I let him in and followed him to the basement where he poked around and read the meter. Then he left. A month later we got a notice in the mail stating that Nicor needed access to read the meter or they's shut off service. So I called them and said, "What is this notice? You were here on November 7th!" The woman flatly said, "We have no record of anyone coming to your house that day." So my husband and I discussed it and called the police. A Skokie police officer came to the house and filed a report. I told him that the "meter reader" had a Nicor identification card around his neck but I didn't see a Nicor vehicle in front of the house. The officer said if it was a criminal, he was doing a "look-around" to see if there was anything worth stealing like a big screen tv, etc. We don't have one, thankfully. It's also possible that the man was a legitimate Nicor meter reader and he just screwed up the meter read. I have since re-scheduled the meter read 3 times and they don't show up! Once they showed up without an appt. and left a tag on the door saying they need access to the house. I've called and emailed explaining what happened. This is insanity! I'm not going to deal with this crap anymore. We're going to make them install a meter on the outside of the house. If they don't I'm going to sue them for punitive damages.

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kimmyj
Hazel Crest, US
Jul 10, 2009 4:13 pm EDT

Nicor Gas did the exact same thing to me in 2007 - I received no bills, no one came to read the meter, and I couldn't get a coherent explanation of why for almost a year. Then I received a bill for over $700, with only an offer of a payment plan.

Today, I get a bill from Nicor for over $1100, even though I have paid any and all bills on-time. Their explanation is that they had noaccess t0 read my meter for 8 months (no one came out to read the meter, and the online meter-reading application would not accept the entries I made), and when they finally sent out a person in March and May, that lead them to determine that they had underbilled me for over a year. I work from home, and I have dogs that bark when anyone steps onto my property, so I KNOW that no one has been sent here to read my meter, and when they DO come, they have access.

Again, no real explanation and an offer of a payment plan. If anyone knows to whom we should complain, please post that information. Thanks.

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tgawron
Lake Zurich, US
Jul 08, 2009 11:08 am EDT

same here did not read all winter sent me low bills I thought it was because had replace furnace in fall.Then hit me with a $650 bill.When I called them they did not seem to care said they would put me on a payment plan.I paid some on ccc card on phone then they sent me late payment fees.This has got to be the worst gas utility company in the u.s.

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Mother of sons
Bloominton, US
Feb 21, 2009 11:50 am EST

I have not been given a bill for sometime and their excuse was there was something wrong with my bill and it went to some other department, uh for 4-5 months now cannot get them to send me a bill ? I am so sick of the automated crap and they still will not answer what was wrong with the bill, so how can I send my payment if I do not know what it is or if it will credit to my account I asked to have the supervisor call me gal said would but no call back and a waste of time. Why are they not being accountable to losing my bills in a system?How will I know if they charge me correctly? I am afraid to even send money as I do not know if it will go to my account if something, whatever that is, is wrong with my account! exasperating! If they cannot even give me the due amount how am to pay?

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GEORGE
glenview , US
Feb 12, 2009 2:06 pm EST

Everything is true because I had the same problem of overcharging around $5000 and saying that the gas price went high during those months .I had to restore by paying that amount because they shuttt off the connetion and Iwas doing a resturant bussiness so surely they know I need gas fo my bussiness..