Electric Bills 'Shock' Sandy Victims

[FlintyV]

So, for those of you who don't know how this works, and obviously the customers responsible for this story being written.

Because energy providers own their own infrastructure. In the US at least, if you live in one region, your power is provided by a specific company. And if you live in another region, it would be provided by another. The power companies are also regulated be federal and state law.

If there were 15 energy companies in one region, you'd have a ton of power poles and lines running down all the streets, it would look like a really badly organized network patch panel everywhere you went.

Ah that's crazy that there isn't some kind of governing body to help prevent monopolies from forming.

[nekkidtruth]

You can't be serious? So someone's house was destroyed and no longer standing, not to mention where the meter may have ended up... that's not a good excuse? Please explain how you expect them to get an exact reading... I'll wait while you reply.

So there's no house or meter, yet they're charging an average knowing full well there IS NO POWER. Who's the one who can't be serious?

[Hum]

^ I think all power bills should be suspended, until they can physically confirm who has and does not have working lines and meters.

[Japlabot]

Because energy providers own their own infrastructure. In the US at least, if you live in one region, your power is provided by a specific company. And if you live in another region, it would be provided by another. The power companies are also regulated be federal and state law.

If there were 15 energy companies in one region, you'd have a ton of power poles and lines running down all the streets, it would look like a really badly organized network patch panel everywhere you went.

In other countries, the power poles/lines etc. are either owned by the Government or another company without any interest in the Retail market who wholesale the usage to Retailer providers.

Customer then has to purchase from a Retail Provider, where there is a competitive market. The Retailer handles all the billing, customer service, etc. The wholesaler just supplies the retailer at regulated wholesale rates regardless of the physical topology.