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Tonya Papanikolas and Becky Bruce reporting Hundreds of Questar customers around the state are being billed hundreds and even thousands of dollars more than usual. The bills are an attempt to make up for what Questar realized was a mistake in gas readings that may have gone back three or four years.
No one can agree on whose responsibility this should be. The bills were sent to about 500 individuals and small businesses. That's a small percentage of Questar's 870,000 customers, but to those people receiving the high bills it's a huge imposition.
Recently Bob Slattery and his wife, Ann, got a surprise in the mail. "She came in like, 'Gangbusters! What's this? Past due!'" Bob said.
Their normal $112 Questar natural gas bill was $400, and $370 of that was listed as a "correction." "It's the way they did it, just out of the blue: 'You owe us!'" Bob said.
When the Slatterys called Questar, employees explained the company put radio transmitters on its meters four years ago. Employees drive through neighborhoods using computer equipment to gauge the gas readings from those transmitters. But this November, the company loaded new software into their computers and for the first time, checked the information being transmitted.
"Started to notice some of the readings we were getting were out of line with historical uses," said Chad Jones, spokesman for Questar Gas.
It turns out 500 Utah customers had meters that hadn't been set correctly, collecting only half the usage they should have. So, Questar billed customers what they would have owed over the last two years: an average of $1,200 a customer. That means the company is seeking about $600,000 in back payments.
"We think people ought to pay for what they use, and so that's our position," Jones said.
"It's their goof-up. We shouldn't be made to pay for it, and that's what it all adds up to, period," Ann Sattlery said.
Bob said, "I'm upset at the whole system because all I look at is complete greed."
Questar admits it was their mistake but says the money has to be recouped. "There's no dispute about the fact that they used the gas," Jones said. "It's no different than if a cash register or a scale at a store was wrong and the retailer came back and said, 'Hey, we under-billed you.'"
"Other companies, when they goof up, they eat the loss. Not them. I've got to cover it," Ann said.
Questar says it is working with people to establish a payment plan. But not everyone's happy with that. Thirty-four customers have filed complaints with the Division of Public Utilities.
Some have even filed requests for a hearing with the Public Service Commission(PSC). Julie Orchard, spokeswoman for the PSC, says once a complaint comes in, the PSC tries to help mediate the discussion between the customer and the company. If either party is not satisfied with the mediation, they can request the hearing.
"I would encourage the customers to let us know if they do have a complaint, so this issue can be fairly dealt with," Orchard said.
The commissioners are still trying to decide in this case whether they want to handle all the complaints at once, or individually -- especially because complaints are still coming in. The bill in question showed up for most of the people affected with their February bill.
E-mail: tpapanikolas@ksl.com
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
