Ottawa Real Estate Investors Organization

I am 24 years old and in September 2004 I moved into my first apartment, one that I was responsible for and didn't share with roommates.

I called Hydro Ottawa to get the bill put in my name and a few weeks later I received my first bill. No big deal, right? Well, along with that bill, I also received a second one that said "final bill" with charges of $60.52 that had my name on it along with the name of a stranger.

Puzzled and upon closer investigation, I noticed that while it was addressed to me at my correct address, the address under the service for field was that of another apartment in the same building.

I promptly called the utility to tell them of the error and was told that I was listed as a co-tenant with this stranger. I said that I was not and they said they would take care of it. I marked the envelope "moved" and sent it back thinking that the problem would be fixed.

That didn't happen. For the past year, I have been getting regular bills with that amount on it. They were in addition to the legitimate ones hydro sent me.

Each time, I called Hydro Ottawa and each time they said they would escalate the issue (I still don't know what "escalate" means, but now cringe when I hear it) and that it would be taken care of.

Several times, I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told, without fail, that they were all in a meeting.

In August, I received a "final warning" about the bill stating that if it was not paid within eight days the debt would be sent to a collection agency. That was very concerning.

I contacted Hydro Ottawa immediately and managed to convince them to connect me to a supervisor. She told me to send in proof that I hadn't lived there during that time. That same day, my building manager faxed them a letter saying that I do not, nor have I ever, lived in that apartment.

The next billing period, I was pleased to see only one bill in my mailbox. When I opened it, however, it seemed very high -- they had added the $60.52 to my own bill!

Enraged, I once again called Hydro Ottawa. The woman who answered looked up my account and said, "Yes, we've moved the charge to your account."

When I argued with her that it was ridiculous to expect me to pay a bill for hydro I had never used, she told me that now that my name was on the charge I was responsible for it.

So, what they're saying is, any time they have an unpaid bill, they can randomly pick a customer, put their name on it and say "sorry, you're responsible"?

She said that she would (that's right) "escalate" the issue and get back to me. I never got a call.

Since then, I've subtracted the $60.52 from my bills -- along with the interest they now charge on that unpaid amount -- and pay the rest of my bill for the electricity that I actually did consume.

This is just basic thievery. They are trying to force me to pay for something I never used nor requested simply because they made a mistake somewhere along the way. What's worse is that they are using threats of creditors to do so.

A co-worker suggested that I write to ask for your help, both in remedying this situation and informing the public of the lack of competence that we are paying for. Yes, it's only $60.52 and I could just bite my tongue and pay it, but to me that would be like paying off a bully to leave you alone -- they may stop picking on you, but they will just move on to another victim.

Sara Tarle,

Ottawa

"A Hydro Ottawa customer service representative has followed up with Ms. Tarle and her concerns have been addressed with our apologies. Her account has been credited for the amount of $60.52, and the associated late payment charges have been cancelled," Hydro Ottawa's Susan Barrett told me.

Call Tony Cote, 596-3737, 9 a.m. to noon weekdays, or write:

The Ottawa Citizen, Box 5020, Ottawa, K2C 3M4. Fax: 726-1198.

E-mail: tcote@thecitizen.canwest.com . Send photocopies of documents. Letters cannot be acknowledged. Seven-day subscribers can read previous columns at www.ottawacitizen.com .