Utilities - what now?

[Hyperion]

A few years ago I rented out an apartment for a year with two room-mates who eventually turned out to be unreliable. Luckily, I had the foresight to only put the electric bill in my name under a 6 month plan. I found a replacement room-mate around month 6, apologized to the landlord, and moved out after one of the room-mates started messing around with heroin to an alarming degree. Take note I warned this dude of the heroin usage and he didn't care so this is not an issue of karma.

About three years later now I check my credit score and see it has been dinged by a collection agency for a debt owed to said electric company. I find out that the company continued to use my name in the account, and then towards the end (months 10-12) whoever was using this account stopped making payments.

I have proof that the contract was 6 months long (their records indicate as much, too) and I have retained an email correspondence (using the company's service request database) between myself and an employee where I said in no uncertain terms I would not renew. For those 6 months, all of the bills were paid. A Lannister pays off his debt, etc, etc. The employee provided a phone number which I know for a fact I called to ensure there were no loopholes. I even wrote down in a journal some brief notes about the conversation.

They also applied my security deposit to this account, but it was only a drop in the bucket. Apparently I owe $2,000 for electricity I never used. I have told them in addition to sorting out this mess that I want my security money back in full or I would file a complaint with the PUC and sue. They are a regional electrical company, not national. What are your opinions on how I should proceed?

[Winchester]

Never heard of a 6mo contract for utilities nor one where the responsible party didn't have to proactively contact the utility company to take one's name off the account. If nothing else why didn't you contact the utility company when you moved out?

As far as proceeding, I'd just take the ding to your credit rating and go on with life.

[The Dharma Bum]

Just request that all three credit reporting agencies remove the entry from your record. If the utility company doesn't actively prove to them you owe the debt they will remove it.

Most creditors don't even bother responding.

[Professor]

Take Dharma's advice.

And, either if that doesn't work, or concurrently, you can contact the regulatory agency over the utility. You mentioned PUC - I'm assuming that's Public Utilities Commission? Yeah, contact them and ask how to proceed. You can also contact your local state representative and/or state senator. Often they can help. Basically, you will probably be able to follow an administrative procedure to have this dropped.

[jimmyz]

Accept you responsibility in not cancelling a utility contract properly by requesting and receiving a cancellation of your electric utility account in writing. At best you may dispute the billing and collection note with the credit reporting entities and win its removal. At worst the collection will remain on your report and drop off some months/years down the road. I would start with the utilities billing department supervisor/manager. And keep aspirin handy for the headache.

[Professor]

I don't know. I deal in contracts daily. If something says that it expires in 6 months, there is no need to go back 6 months later and cancel the contract. We have literally hundreds of contracts that have termination clauses that term in 2 years or so. We review the contracts that are scheduled to soon, and figure out which ones we wish to continue. Then, we remove the other ones from our active list.

it's kind of like Office Space and Milton's paychecks. We simply stop paying them. 90% of the time, the other party never calls us. But, sometimes, they call and say, "Hey, you aren't paying us." We send them the contract, and that's the end of the story.

[Winchester]

[The Dude]

[uebermann]

6 month plan = 6 month commitment. then it goes to month to month. usually cheaper to have power on a plan these days than going month to month.

Electric NEVER never ever shuts off power unless someone calls to cancel it. Never.

[Spider]

I've seen power shut off plenty of times. No money no lights. Just takes a few months of non payment before they cut you off.