Winter gas bill from hell: Oklahomans face paying $1.4bn over snowstorm

[John6185]

I'm sitting here wondering why ONG doesn't just read the meter and charge us for the amount used? To me that makes sense because we would pay for the amount used-not the amount the neighbor used or businesses. Unless they are making us pay for something I'm not aware of...
I copied this off of the Oklahoman website: "ONG is not only charging everyone the same flat fee whether they live in a mansion or a studio apartment, but they are also trying to lock them into a lifetime agreement of which the only way out is to pay a ransom.
So if you do have natural gas and are heating only with an insert, you still get stuck. The guy with the $50,000 home with 1200 SF will pay the same blackmail rate of $687.50 as the guy in the $500,000 home with 3,500 SF. How will this affect the poor? Will they get a break?

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I'm sitting here wondering why ONG doesn't just read the meter and charge us for the amount used? To me that makes sense because we would pay for the amount used-not the amount the neighbor used or businesses. Unless they are making us pay for something I'm not aware of...
I copied this off of the Oklahoman website: "ONG is not only charging everyone the same flat fee whether they live in a mansion or a studio apartment, but they are also trying to lock them into a lifetime agreement of which the only way out is to pay a ransom.
So if you do have natural gas and are heating only with an insert, you still get stuck. The guy with the $50,000 home with 1200 SF will pay the same blackmail rate of $687.50 as the guy in the $500,000 home with 3,500 SF. How will this affect the poor? Will they get a break?

Do you have a link?

 

[SoonerP226]

Do you have a link?

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/bus...ice-exit-fee-ong-bill-pay-utility/8795571002/
It's from a quote from Sean Voskuhl, AARP's Oklahoma state director.

 

[John6185]

Do you have a link?

Why ONG is charging customers 'exit fees' to cover winter ...

 

[El Pablo]

Do you have a link?

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/bus...ice-exit-fee-ong-bill-pay-utility/8795571002/

 

[OKCBird]

I saw a $45 increase on both the electric and gas bills this year over the same month last year.

 

[SlugSlinger]

So all you folks seeing bigger ONG bills, did you lock in the $4.54 rate or paying the current market rate ONG is charging?
The current rate was $7.33 vs. the locked rate of $4.54. That’s a 61.45% difference.

My January bill is $57, but I’m on the average payment benefit. The actual billed amount is $77.80 and that’s for a 3,000 house. December was warm. Wait until it gets cold!

 

[swampratt]

I did not lock in but the only thing so far using gas that is on is the water heater.
If I was smart I would run some electric to hook up an electric one.
You can have your gas shut off during the summer months and turned back on if you only use it for heat.

I talked to ONG about doing that.
It's free.

 

[SlugSlinger]

OKLAHOMA CITY -
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has approved ONG's payment plan for the winter storm in February of 2021.
The commission voted 2-1 in favor of the plan.
The Commission also said “No” to a proposal that would have imposed a fee on ONG customers who terminate their natural gas service to switch to a different fuel source.
“This means that the monthly impact to ratepayers will be far less than it otherwise would have been,” OCC Chairman Dana Murphy said. “It’s estimated that the natural gas costs owed would have cost an average residential consumer $15.32 per month without securitization. Securitization allows the cost to be spread out over up to 25 years, dropping the monthly payment to an estimated $7.82 for the majority of ONG customers.”
It's estimated that the average ONG customer will pay an extra $7.80 per month for the next 25 years. The emergency costs from the storm exceeded $1.3 billion.

https://www.newson6.com/story/61f06...ssion-approves-ongs-winter-storm-payment-plan

 

[OHJEEZE]

Correct me if I am wrong, but if your utility company says your monthly rate is xx for their service and they make a mistake and fail to cover their ass, how is it they have the right to come back on you for a mishap they did not account for?

Be like going to the gas station and buying 20 gallons of gas for $3 / gal, paying with a check, credit card, or debit card, getting your reciept for a $60 charge, then later on seeing your bank statment that the charge was changed to $70!

You call and complain and they tell you we made a mistake and due to circumstances of our screw up, you have to pay more!