The Utility of Being Specific
There’s been a huge emphasis in cable and phone companies on bundling. Cable, internet and phone. Land line and cell service. But in Hudson, Ohio, City administrators may have taken the concept one step too far.
Hudson provides utilities. Plural, but in a singular way. Their approach is so bundled, in fact, that I’m not even sure what a utility bill is actually billing me for. I wonder if they know? And while I appreciate the chutzpah of sending a polite letter informing me that I’m being charged an amount for some nebulous concept, I ordinarily need a little more background before parting with my money. But I gave them direct access via auto-pay, so they don’t exactly ask first.
The term “utility” is a measure of the usefulness of an item. But, of course, “utilities” in our modern world are electricity, gas, water, sewer, cable, and phone. The City of Hudson sells these services to the public and has a centralized billing department. Perhaps too centralized.
At this point, not every one gets every thing from the City. Some areas receive water service, some get electricity, and they are working on offering broadband. Gas? I’m not even sure on that one. If at some point they can provide all services to all residents, great. But they will need to provide an accounting of what, specifically, is being provided. Other utility companies must do this, and are overseen by state agencies.
I wouldn’t mention this at all, except that I recently received one of those polite letters telling me Hudson was applying an unpaid utility balance from a recent home sale to my current utility account. My phone chirped at 4am to alert me that had helped themselves to the money, but I don’t know specifically what the bill was for.
Without boring you with too much real estate law, when a property transfers in Ohio, the water bill stays with the property, while other utility bills are a debt to the customer named on the account. The title company handling the transfer is responsible to settle the water bill but not other utility bills. In rental property in Ohio, the water bill is the responsibility of the property owner, not the tenant. In my current apartment, I get my electricity from the City of Hudson. I think. So did they apply a water bill from another property (and a different owner) to my electric bill?
I’m having to guess because the letter didn’t say. A local Government agency, with direct access to my private bank account, billed me and just helped themselves to the money without providing me specific information as to what the bill was for. That’s too much bundling for my taste, thank you. Hudson may want to unbundle utility billing just enough so that they don’t operate as thieves in the night.
Hudson provides utilities. Plural, but in a singular way. Their approach is so bundled, in fact, that I’m not even sure what a utility bill is actually billing me for. I wonder if they know? And while I appreciate the chutzpah of sending a polite letter informing me that I’m being charged an amount for some nebulous concept, I ordinarily need a little more background before parting with my money. But I gave them direct access via auto-pay, so they don’t exactly ask first.
The term “utility” is a measure of the usefulness of an item. But, of course, “utilities” in our modern world are electricity, gas, water, sewer, cable, and phone. The City of Hudson sells these services to the public and has a centralized billing department. Perhaps too centralized.
At this point, not every one gets every thing from the City. Some areas receive water service, some get electricity, and they are working on offering broadband. Gas? I’m not even sure on that one. If at some point they can provide all services to all residents, great. But they will need to provide an accounting of what, specifically, is being provided. Other utility companies must do this, and are overseen by state agencies.
I wouldn’t mention this at all, except that I recently received one of those polite letters telling me Hudson was applying an unpaid utility balance from a recent home sale to my current utility account. My phone chirped at 4am to alert me that had helped themselves to the money, but I don’t know specifically what the bill was for.
Without boring you with too much real estate law, when a property transfers in Ohio, the water bill stays with the property, while other utility bills are a debt to the customer named on the account. The title company handling the transfer is responsible to settle the water bill but not other utility bills. In rental property in Ohio, the water bill is the responsibility of the property owner, not the tenant. In my current apartment, I get my electricity from the City of Hudson. I think. So did they apply a water bill from another property (and a different owner) to my electric bill?
I’m having to guess because the letter didn’t say. A local Government agency, with direct access to my private bank account, billed me and just helped themselves to the money without providing me specific information as to what the bill was for. That’s too much bundling for my taste, thank you. Hudson may want to unbundle utility billing just enough so that they don’t operate as thieves in the night.
Comments
Post a Comment