An electric company in Maryland, Allegheny Power, sent its customers some CFL light bulbs as part of a consumer education program. Sounds nice until you find out that they customers were charged $0.96 a month (about $12 a year) for the two light bulbs.
From the Cumberland Times-News:
In May 2005, Susan put her family on an Allegheny Power payment plan that automatically deducts the total amount due on her monthly electric bill from her checking account. In her own words, she has “never, ever, ever, ever been late.” Not once.
So when Munck called Allegheny Power’s toll-free customer service number Wednesday morning to let the company know she had no intention of paying the 96-cent surcharge for the next 12 months for receiving two compact fluorescent, energy-efficient light bulbs, she was understandably taken aback by the company’s response.
“They threatened to turn off my power if I didn’t pay this 96 cents,” said Munck, one of 220,000 Allegheny Power residents to which bulbs were sent.
When Munck told the customer service representative she didn’t need the bulbs – her home already is “full of those bulbs” – she was told she could give them to a neighbor but, regardless, she’d be charged for them.
“That was really underhanded what they did,” Munck said. “It’s unconscionable.”
Some consumers are questioning whether or not it’s legal for a company to randomly mail you things, then charge you for them.
The Times-News heard from a number of upset power company customers in the past two days. Cumberland residents Howard Losiewicz, Jeff Hedrick and Richard Kirchner all questioned whether it was legal to send an unsolicited item through the U.S. Postal Service and charge for it.“If they mail it to you, it’s yours,” Hedrick said.
Hedrick, an at-home pastry aficionado, said he bakes a mean chocolate chip cookie and plans on sending a tin full of them to Allegheny Power every 30 days – with an invoice equal to his monthly electric bill.
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman said mail customers have the option of refusing an unsolicited item and requesting a refund as long as the package has not been opened.
Turns out, it doesn’t even matter. The power company is charging its customers for the bulbs even if they were returned unopened or if the customer claims they never got them. No exceptions.
Faithful Allegheny Power customer considers mailing ‘underhanded’ [Cumberland News-Times]
(Photo:Paul Keller)
More From Consumerist
-
ComEd Says Some Of Its Wireless Meters Are Maybe Kinda Starting Small Fires
-
The Thing About A $1.3 Million Electric Bill Is There’s No Way You’ll Have To Pay It
-
Family Suing Electrical Substation Near Their Home Because High-Voltage Shocks Aren't Pleasant
-
Saab Hopes To Emerge From Its Own Ashes As Electric Vehicle Brand
-
Electric Company Reimburses Woman $10,500 After Billing Her For Powering Nearby Streetlights For 25 Years
It’s a gift. Keep it: [www.usps.com]
No doubt, this is illegal. From the USPS website …
“If you open the package and like what you find, you may keep it for free. In this instance, “finders-keepers” applies unconditionally”
…
“Furthermore, it is illegal for a company that sends you unordered merchandise to follow the mailing with a bill or dunning communication.”
See: [www.usps.com]
Go back to basics: If they really approved a tariff like htis, the PSUC likely overstepped its enabling legislation.
I confused by:
“A U.S. Postal Service spokesman said mail customers have the option of refusing an unsolicited item and requesting a refund as long as the package has not been opened.”
which contradicts the ABCNews link and the USPS links provided in other comments. Maybe the spokesman meant in cases where the recipient has already made a payment? but that if you haven’t paid it’s free? The reporter for the original story seems not to have adequately done their homework.
I would suggest that Alleghany customers look at switching electric companies, but the only company I would recomend, MXenergy.com doesn’t serve that area. Maybe one of the Green alternative energy companies serves them?
Not only is this underhanded (and probably illegal), but the price is also too high. Two CFLs can be had for $6 or less. The best price I have seen on them has been $1.67, in the form of a 6-pack for $10.
A supermarket in my area recently had two-packs of dimmable CFLs on sale for $2.00, sale price subsidized by the electric utility. Considering that dimmer-compatible CFLs are hard to find, this kind of offer makes the Allegheny Power CFL shenanigans all the more suspect.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the CFLs Allegheny sent were the standard non-dimmable variety.
@Carbon-Arcs: Where can you get the dimmable ones? My bf needs a few.
I was charged for this I guess. My bill is so small every month that I glanced at it and didn’t notice a 1 dollar increase. I just got bulbs in the mail and said, cool.
I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s one dollar. If you can’t afford that go to a parking lot and pickup change.
On the other hand I think if the customer wanted to send them back they should be able to.
@zephyr_words: ahh read again more closely and saw it was 12$ That sort of sucks. Sorry it’s late.
@Buran: Try the on-line merchants. [www.1000bulbs.com] has quite a few, [www.lightbulbemporium.com] also has a decent selection. Not sure if anyone plays with the PAR bulbs, but 1000bulbs has great prices on PAR36′s! 75% less than what the local places want for them.
@sonichghog: that’s what I was thinking, when I read it. Not even a, “you charged me too much on my cell phone bill, and the USPS holds some weight” kind of mail fraud, but straight up, “I’m trying to extort you by sending you an unsolicited product and charging you for it,” mail fraud. Not as simple as a CoD scam, but a similar premise.
@LikeYourFace: “I just want to make sure I’m close enough to see the look on the judge’s face when he hears that you cut my power off for my not paying a fraudulent charge.”
A rate increase of $10 or so a year seems fine. Charging for a product that was not asked for does not. They could do this by mailing you a notice that your rates will increase, then separately send you a CFL as free gift and educational tool (there are still way too many people that think CFLs are as bad as they were 10 years ago). Then, ta-da: no fraud, all profit.
@Buran: my local Target carries them. They aren’t that great though, they dim to about %70 of the full output and they won’t turn on unless the dimmer is set to max.
I’d be interested to know if any of the other dimmable CFLs are any better.
@zephyr_words: And that’s why they do it. Because people won’t care.
@Dibbler: He could be posting from a mobile device. Or IE.
@Buran: The ones I got were from a Ralphs in a San Diego, CA suburb. San Diego Gas and Electric subsidized the low price.
While not known for its low electric rates, at least SDG&E has offered attractive subsidies for CFLs over the years.
Rather presumtuous of the power company to even assume that people have lamps that can use these bulbs. Some customers may be using only the long tube florescents throughout their homes, or bulbs that have mini-bases. Or candles, for that matter.