Royal Palms' Electric Meter:
Royal Palms Manufactured Home & RV Community - Meter Readingsref: on March 20th, 2013
Q: How does Royal Palms charge me for twice the amount of electricity, instead of what I have actually used?
A: I am submetered! I pay my electric bill, which is added to my regular lot rental statement with other charges, the lot, the meter, the trash, the water, the fines and extra fees; all to Royal Palms as one huge bill. I do not pay anything directly to the electric provider; The City of Austin's Electric Company - Austin Energy. So the meter actually belongs to Royal Palms, it does not belong to Austin Energy. So if there was a dispute I would have to take that up with the management at Royal Palms directly. Please read on...
I received my monthly statement form Royal Palms and I could not believe my electric bill was twice as much as I thought it would be. I am a very energy conservative, so the first thing I did when I got home was to go out and read the meter myself. I could not believe what I saw, so I went out and took some pictures of the current meter reading. Here are a few of those photos taken on March 20th, 2013 at approximately 10 P.M. You can also take a look at the full size original photo if you still can not read the meter in these smaller ones. You can also check the EXIF information data stored in the original photo's data set header to determine the exact time and date the photo was taken. I did not some how alter the EXIF information, or alter the photos in any way that would make the electric meter appear to read something different than the electric meter reading actuall is.
Then I referred back to my statement. I get both a Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) file in my email, and I also get the yellow hard copy that is usually stuck in the tube on the mailbox, or sometimes taped to my door. Charlie actually handed me mine this month as I was walking around the corner to Olmos Dr. Here are a few snippets from the .pdf file of the actual statement I recieved that are relevant to my electrical usage this billing cycle.
Also notice the 'base service charge $0.00' above, but if you look at your own statment you will see an item 'electric base service charge of $8.50' in the transaction descriptions. That is confusing enough, and altogether another matter.
So I replied to the email that I had received with the .pdf file of the statement. I attached the photos above and also reattached the .pdf file of the statement I had received. Here is a partial screen shot of the email I received. You really should really pay attention to the warning that says "Be careful! This sender failed our fraud detection checks." From: Darshan Jani (rpmanager@austin.rr.com), March 20th, 2013, 10:13 AM.
As well as the as partial screenshot of the reply email I sent also. To: Darshan Jani (rpmanager@austin.rr.com), March 21st, 2013, 12:05 AM.
In case you can not read the email, I sent above, it says: Attached some pictures of my current meter readings March 20, 2013 apx. 10PM. On the current billing cycle statement it states the meter was last read on March 14, 2013. As you can see from the photographs my actual current reading is 9217. Royal Palms current reading (March 14th) was 9732, that is 516 K.W.H. over the current reading (plus it was six days of usage later). A meter reading can never be less than when read at a previous time; nor be greater in the past, than it is in the present. No wonder by electric bill was twice as high of what I thought it would be. How do you explain these discrepancies? (I did block out some of my personal information on this web post; where the black rectangles are at. The second picture had my address on it at the bottom and the date information. Then I found a typo in my orginal email reply: I had used 'by' instead or 'my'. I hope that does not get me another fine or fee.)
From my own calculations my meter was 690 K.W.H. LESS when I read it this evening than the Royal Palms' reading six days earlier. So I wondered what the actual read out on the meter was at the time when Royal Palms read it. It says on their statement 9732, but I am only seeing 9217 at this time. How did that second digit get all the way from two to seven? I suppose maybe by somebody reading the meter incorrectly, writting it down wrong, or misreading it when they read it back later. What else on earth could possible look like a 7? Maybe a 1? You know, like in europe, they put little bars through their sevens so they will not confuse them with ones; but they do not do that in america. In america they just make a one up and down and a seven slant and have a bigger upper bar, but sometimes they put a small left up stroke on top of the one if it is a machine or something that is supposed to look professional. So I guess somebody could accidently read a one as a seven. I sure hope it was not intentional, that someone would read the meter and exaggerate the reading for some nefarious reason. So my best guess is the actual meter reading was 9132 when it was read by Royal Palms on March 14thregardless of what the statement said.
This would make my actual electric consumption for the billing period 597 K.W.H, not 1206 K.W.H. which is just a few kilo watt hours more that double the actuall usage. So I was billed for twice the amount of electricity that I actually used. Please feel free to check my calculations...
The electrical rate had also increased from the time of the previous statement billing period February 1st, 2013 thru. February 28th, 2013 from 0.123 per K.W.H. to 0.1485 per K.W.H. and the water rate increased from 0.0137 per gallon to 0.0149 per gallon.
My water usage was also more, but I have been watering some grass that I planted where I just had dirt and weeds before. I estimate I used about 10 gallons a day to water the new grass, because I use a one gallon milk jug to water it with and I count every time I fill it up, averaging about ten times each day; so that is roughly 300 gallons a month, it did rain a little bit one day, and that 300 gallons seems to be about the same amount as my water consumption increase. The water meter reading is now greater than the last Royal Palms' reading six days ago; so maybe the water usage is correct. I just did not know that I would be paying more for both water and electricity this month. My budget is blown, should I give up my phone?
I do not even have a real phone... I use skype, a story for another time.
I had been thinking all along that the meter was skewed, I just have no way to prove that at this time. Other residents have voiced their concerns with this problem. When they are hardly ever home and their electric bill is $200. I would usually call my electric provider to have the meter tested but since the electric meters actually belong to Royal Palms; I would think, if Royal Palms tested them I would get billed for the electricity used in the test, and they would say they are 'Ok'. The $8.50 'Electric Base Meter Charge' that the statement already reflects, I pay $102.00 per year for electric service even if I never used a single kilo watt of electricity.
Several of the neighbors here have had their electricity turned off in the past couple of months, or they have been thrown out of the trailer park when they have disputed it, even when they paid up the bill. Another couple had told me they had the manager had used up their $200 deposit and applied it to their bill with extra fees and fines that had been added as well, then wanting them to pay for another deposit. I have helped out a few people in need that have asked me for help, but I have gave all I can give, and now I can not help myself.
I guess eventually my electric meter will hit 9732. If I pay for all of that now will I get a break next month; and maybe have the next billing cycle electricity consumption be zero? Do I really want to wait and see?
Simple Mathmatics:
Royal Palms Electric Meter Reading: 2/14/2013 8526 Royal Palms Electric Meter Reading: 3/14/2013 9732 My Personal Electric Meter Reading: 3/20/2013 9217 Waiting for the manager's reply... still waiting...
Update: Ok, three days later, I finally resolved this problem with the manager. He never replied or responded to my email. The second day I had left a letter for him at the office, he was not in. I noticed on my caller I.D. that he had called me after three days but had left no message. I called him concerning his call on my caller I.D. and he said that was when he had 'sent a text' to me. I do not have text on my home phone. The conversation went like "I did not come over to look at your electric meter..."; so he must have got the email and just ignored it at the time, because he knew about it. The letter I left at the office was my ten day written notice: "I'm moving out!", as I could not communicate with the attendant that was on duty at the time. I did finally get her name and a few 'oh's', 'ew's', and 'ah's' out of her as she frantically typed on her computer. I thought maybe she was trying to use Google Translator, I was not. All of the construction noise and dust in the office might have been a distraction to her, but she was able to make a copy of the letter when I handed it to her and pointed to the copy machine and said 'please copy it' several times. She handed me back both the original and the copy and she did not attemt to read it or look at it. I gave her back the original and pointed and said the manager's name several times then she took the letter and left it in the back.
Yes, the manager did get my letter because I had mentioned they had still not picked up the limbs and sticks I had placed out in in front of my residence that had fallen in the wind storm that happened over month ago, as he had said 'the guys' would pick them up over month ago, and he had somehow known the limbs and sticks had still not been picked up... yet.
'The Guys' did drive by a few times during the month in the golf cart and once one actually said "We will pick that up when we are not too busy", and he rushed off to tape another flyer or 'notice' to tow' on someone elses door. So I thought to myself, "I will pay my next rent when I'm not too busy." So anyway... they did finally pick up the limbs and sticks after the fact I terminated my contract.
And so the way the electric meter seemed to, magically run backwards, they should owe me money by the time I move out. No, I am not running a generator, nor do I have any photovoltaic solar panels, or wind turbines, or my cat in a exercise wheel feeding power back into grid. I will settle my balance upon my departure, and hope; I do not have to make another update to this page as I will not have any internet access at that time.
Just to make it clear, the manager did acknowledge that the electric meter 'might' have been misread. No mention of the people a few trailers down that were thrown out "By Noon Tomorrow" a few weeks ago when their meter might have been misread at their place last month, and they could not pay their electric and rent in full at the time. They had paid some more on it during the month after Royal Palms had pulled out their electric meter. When one of the maintenance men came to reinstall it he was electrocuted and knocked on the ground. I am sure he is not a licensed electrician to do such proceedures, as the meter housing was scorched and smell of ozone lingered for some time. It did not kill him or stop his heart, but I talked to him the next day as he drove a golf cart through my back yard and over some obstructions at the back of the lot and then ran over over my sewer line. He said he was "Alright". I later reconnected the sewer line as one of the neighbors had pointed out it was leaking.
As for the man who came over in the middle of the night and knocked on my door to ask if he could plug in his nebulizer machine because his electricity had been turned off all day, so he could do his breathing treatments, and his roommate with one arm and who could barely walk with his walker and had to walk to the office the next day as one of the maintenance men had come by and yelled at him from a pick-up truck window, from the street, as he drove by, "Darshan wants to see you at the office!" This alone made me cry, seeing him trying to attempt that with his best effort, and struggling to get down the street in so much agony. I walked along with him, slowly part of the way as I was on my way to an appointment that day and caught up to him on the street. He had not taken a bath in several days because he had no hot water. I tried not to notice that he was beginning to smell a bit like burning wood and he might have wet his pants accidently on the way. Their trailer was towed away the next day, no one was exactly sure how or when. I had noticed for sometime before that the tires on their trailer had gone flat, and they did not own a truck or have any other transportation that I know of to tow their trailer with, but it never had occured to me that they would have to leave in such a hurry or under such circumstances. They had left all of their belongings on their lot in their shed, and a bar-b-que pit, large container plants, chairs, and a small white cross with flowers next to their driveway with plastic flowers. I do not think they ever came back for their shed, or the items it contained, or their other things left in the yard; but if you leave anything on your lot upon leaving you are usually billed by Royal Palms for another $200 for a lot cleaning fee. Several days later the shed and other items were gone and there was another trailer there with a Kenworth Tractor Truck running it's onboard generator all night long parked in the street as it has been almost every night since. I just hope the men that used to live there made it to some place safe. (A few photos below, hover for descriptions.)
No one seems to have heard from them, or know where they went, or what happened to them since they were thrown out. I was across town and a couple recognized me and asked me if I lived at Royal Palms. I said yes... then they brought up these men out on the blue asking me if I knew what happened to them that they were gone and they were good friends with them and had no idea what had happened to them the day before, that them and their trailer were gone, all their stuff left out in the yard. I could not answer their question; I have no idea where they are at. Then another young woman who usually stops by my place on Sundays to visit asked me that too, she had walked by their place first and she was upset that they were gone, "They were my friends" she said. She had also said that the manager also made her cry one day when they fined her for something she did not take care of within few minutes and she had also been receiving $200 electric bills and had to pay them. I can believe that. She had said she had thought something was wrong with her electric meter also. Her and her roommate are gone to school all day and they try to sleep at night. She did not understand why her power bills were so high at Royal Palms. A man with cancer also mentioned he was concerned with his power and water bills at Royal Palms and said he had just been paying it for years, although it just kept going up, when he was in the hospital for so long and nobody was at home.
A month or two ago another neighbor had also discreetly asked me if he could borrow some money from me. His electricity also been turned off at that time but he did not tell me that; and though I tried not to let him know, I could hear his wife crying inside their trailer. I had noticed that none of their lights had been on at night and all of the windows had been left open in the daytime. No A/C during the day when is was eighty degrees or more, or heat at night when it was getting down just below freezing in the mid twenties during that time. You might not think that this environment is too extreme, but when you live in a trailer, such as theirs, if you have no ventilation on a eighty degree day outside, inside it raises that to about one hundred degrees when the sun is hitting the metal roof even when all the windows are open. It does not seem cold when it is freezing either, if you only have to be outside for a few minutes. I did see some other people bringing them some food and extra blankets that night. He said he would pay me back next Friday when he gets paid, or when he can. He never has paid me back, so I suppose he can not pay me back. He does still say 'hello' and waves and then hangs his head down, not because he is ashamed, because he is trying as hard as he can and still can not make ends meet. Would you give up your change jar to help somebody in need? I did, and I really do not care if he ever pays me back or not. I would rather that he would be in a better position, to help somebody else, the next time somebody might ask him for some help.
Enough Said... To Be Continued?
Personally I think that all of the electric meters at Royal Palms Manufactured and R.V. Community of Central Teaxas need to be tested for accuracy at this time. If you are noticing a huge jump in your electric consumption or usage please take the time to know your rights in this matter. Consult with The Public Utility Commision of Texas and study the sections on this webpage, submetering, concerning RV and Mobile Home Parks and Disputes:
RV and mobile home park tenants may be charged a fixed rate for electricity based on the average cost per kilowatt hour for the park over the past year. The park owner may not make a profit on the sale of electricity to park residents or include charges for the cost of electricity for the park's common areas. If the power company supplying electricity to the park increases its rates after the park calculates its fixed rate, the park's owner may recalculate the previous year's average charges using the new rate and calculate a new fixed rate to be charged to residents.And from the Smart Meter Safety Fact Sheet: (.pdf file)In the event of a dispute between the tenant and the owner regarding any bill, the tenant can file a complaint with the owner. The owner has 30 days from the date of dispute notification to investigate and report the results to the tenant. If the tenant is dissatisfied with the results of the investigation, the owner shall inform the tenant of the Public Utility Commission of Texas complaint process, giving the tenant the address and telephone number of the commission's Customer Protection Division.
The lease must also clearly state that the property owner, not the tenant, is responsible for the cost of electricity serving “common” areas and facilities of the complex, such as patios, pool areas, picnic areas, walkways, laundry rooms, and parking facilities.I do not recall anything about that when I signed my lease. I am looking at my lease and I do not see it. No, we do not have smart meters (.pdf file) and we do not want them. We just want somebody that knows how to read the meters that we already have and confirm that they are working correctly, or not. I do not have 'thirty days' to file a complaint with the owner and wait for the results; as I can not stand the stress of living in such conditions any longer.
Darshan actually said on the phone that he" though I would be mad, but he was as polite as was I was, I said "Don't do that to people." I hope he got the message. It was bad enough that this bill nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw it. It was their error, not mine, but the fact that I had caught them red handed and so many other people have found themselves in the same circumstance and could defend themselves from these thieves makes me sick. He could not take two minutes out of his time, sitting in his chair in the office, to come over to my place and even look at the meter himself or talk to me, much less send over someone that could talk to me about it, perhaps in English. We will settle it once and for all at the end of the month.
I pray this ends well, I packing my boxes and petting my cat. He seems very upset too, because he can tell I have been very upset about this for about for some time now. I will be so grateful that I am out of this hell hole called Royal Palms, and I do not care if I wind up camping in the woods again for a year. At least I will be happier than this. I have never spent so much money in my life trying to keep up with the bills, and dealing with the stress, and the noise, and the rules; that is about this place has to offer.
Good Bye and Good Luck Fellow Residents!
I'm outta here... but I will be back to visit you all, some day soon.
I have other things to take care of that are more important than this.
May Peace Be With You All,
Kimbob
![Lot Overview, shed in the background, bar-b-que pit barely visible to the left notice the sewer line sticking up where it used to connect to the trailer. [Click For Larger]](24E-lot.jpg)
