About 15,000 utility customers in Palo Alto received an unwelcome surprise in their February bill: an overcharge on their gas bills that officials say was caused by a data-entry error.
The error affected nearly all of the roughly 20,000 residential customers, though about 5,500 of them were undercharged. The error related to the tier system that City of Palo Alto Utilities uses to assess payments. The billing system swapped the rates in the different tiers, assessing customers in Tier 1 rates that should have applied to Tier 2 and vice versa, said Catherine Elvert, communications manager for Utilities Department.
Tier 1 rate is for gas usage up to two therms per day in the billing period. Tier 2 applies to usage beyond that amount.
The department is now in the midst of sending out letters to all impacted customers, informing them of the error. Residents should receive these letters about a week before their adjustments appear in their April bills, she said.
"Those who were overcharged will received a credit with their bill," Elvert said.
The letter explains the error, informs residents of their credit or debit and offers an apology.
"We appreciate your understanding and patience as CPAU takes the necessary steps to correct the situation and fulfill its responsibilities to redress the rates charged to our customers," the letter states.
Elvert said the error was caught in mid-February and applied to the period between Jan. 1 and Feb. 13. Utilities took steps to ensure the correct rates were applied going forward from that date.
The department has also added verification steps to the data entry that resulted in the error to prevent future occurrences, Elvert said.
Elvert said the average customer who was overcharged was billed an extra $15, with the maximum overcharge totaling $45. For those who were undercharged, the average amount was $25, she said. For about 500 customers, the total adjustment was less than a dollar, Elvert said.
Comments
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:10 am
Registered user
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:10 am
Please remind Gennady that "impacted' is not an adjective. It also is not a verb.
Impact is a noun: "the car crumpled on impact."
The correct word to use here is "affected."
Crescent Park
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:18 am
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:18 am
Let me get this straight. They overcharge (which is nothing new) and the city just says "oh our bad" while places like the old post office building as used as a refuge for the homeless who urinate and seep there while the city does nothing?
Tell me, what is wrong with this picture?
Downtown North
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:18 am
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:18 am
[Post removed.]
Midtown
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:59 am
on Mar 29, 2017 at 10:59 am
"...average customers who WERE overcharged WERE billed..."
Barron Park
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:10 am
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:10 am
Is that a picture of a gas meter in Bulgaria?
I'm pretty sure copper piping at a gas meter is illegal in California according to the Uniform Plumbing Code.
Greene Middle School
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:48 am
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:48 am
I commend the city for recognizing this error and rectifying the situation. Thanks for the responsiveness.
To err is human, to forgive divine!
another community
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:01 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:01 pm
When I worked in City Hall ("worked" is the verb, past tense) utility refunds had to be made in cash (verb "to be" in passive, subjective voice). It would have been (again, verb "have been" in past perfect tense) a real hassle for the three of us to make out 20,000 refund checks.
Downtown North
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:29 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:29 pm
[Post removed.]
Professorville
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:31 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:31 pm
Well, "Elvert said the error was caught in mid-February". In mid-February, I made my first trip to the Utilities addressing this error, and their employee looked at me like she had no idea what I was talking about. She had to call somebody who informed her about the error. Two weeks later, my March bill came with no adjustments. I spoke with them again and they sounded like they had no knowledge as to when the error would be corrected. Last week, it was my third conversation with them, and only then they finally mentioned a letter of apology and the presumable credits.
Barron Park
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:41 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 12:41 pm
Miriam Palm, according to Dictionary.com and merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impacted impacted is an adjective. Impact is a noun.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:23 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:23 pm
So, basically, even though the the Utilities Dept KNOWS exactly who was overcharged, they will not offer refunds or adjustments on future bills unless the victims each complain to them, individually????
What a crock!
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:35 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:35 pm
Miriam Palm and Katy Mast: impact is also a verb, with several meanings, again according to Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries.
One problem for us old folks is that the usage rules we learned lo these many years ago often no longer apply, given the fast-changing nature of language. Another problem is that dictionaries don't really set rules for language; rather, they record the way people are using words currently. And, to start a sentence with a conjunction, they don't always agree.
There are dictionaries that record usage over the years, the most famous of which is the Oxford English Dictionary. You can find the OED online, but you'll have to pay for the privilege. Unless that's changed as well...
Oh, and when I taught English, in the dark backward and abysm of time, I did teach about fragments, ending sentences with a preposition, dangling and misplaced modifiers, and the like. Along with any number of examples of exceptions to the "rules" and places where informal usage made for lively and interesting writing.
As for when usage does make a difference, the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves is very instructive. As is the recent article in the New York Times about the non-use of the Oxford Comma possibly costing a company millions of dollars.
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:37 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 2:37 pm
@Deep Sigh, if what you say is true. that's absolutely outrageous. How are we supposed to know if we were over-charged or not! This is just one more example of the city's communications failures AND attempts to get as much as they can from us while delivering as little as the possibly can.
Anyone have any advice on the best ways to request our refunds?
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Mar 29, 2017 at 4:57 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 4:57 pm
Hi all, I would like to clarify a few things I have seen in this comment thread. This billing adjustment is necessary to redress the over-billing or under-billing that occurred based on an accidental reversal of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 gas rates, which are based on the volume of gas consumption. Some customers were charged the Tier 2 rate when they should have been charged the Tier 1 rate and vice-versa. Upon discovery of the billing system data entry error, the rates were corrected immediately so customers would be charged the correct rate moving forward. Staff then calculated the precise adjustments for each customer and will mail customized letters with those details.
Each affected customer will receive a letter with an explanation of the reason behind their billing adjustment and details on the credit or debit that will be applied to the utility account. The billing adjustments will be reflected on the April utility bills. This is an automatic process and does not require customers to contact Utilities to request the adjustment. Customers can expect to receive the letters in the mail approximately one week or so before receiving the April utility bill. If there are questions or concerns, please contact Customer Service at (650) 329-2161 or UtilitiesCustomerService@CityofPaloAlto.org. Account access is also available via the online My Utilities Account service at www.cityofpaloalto.org/myutilitiesaccount
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on Mar 29, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Registered user
on Mar 29, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Folks, thank you for the grammatical discussion. I care about correct usage rather than what is in vogue. I love "Eats, shoots and leaves."
Old Palo Alto
on Mar 29, 2017 at 5:40 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Who is paying for the correction of this error? The expenses of calculating the errors, making the adjustment, and mailing out letters will not be borne by the people who allowed this mistake to happen, but rather by the victims: the utility customers. Grin and bear it.
Midtown
on Mar 29, 2017 at 6:42 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 6:42 pm
Many thanks to "Downtown Parent" for first bringing the overcharging to the attention of the Utilities Dept., and for persisting!
Midtown
on Mar 29, 2017 at 6:50 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Regardless of whether it is an "Impact" or an "Affect" it's still about $15, you can't argue about that. And as far as the Oxford Comma goes, there is nothing worse than being hit by an Oxford Comma. R.I.P.
Downtown North
on Mar 29, 2017 at 8:14 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 8:14 pm
"They overcharge (which is nothing new) and the city just says "oh our bad" while places like the old post office building as used as a refuge for the homeless who urinate and seep there while the city does nothing?
Tell me, what is wrong with this picture?"
The utter lack of logic in that statement shows how wrong it is to assume that intelligence is evenly distributed in this town. That is further reinforced in the following:
"Is that a picture of a gas meter in Bulgaria? I'm pretty sure copper piping at a gas meter is illegal in California according to the Uniform Plumbing Code."
What copper piping? There's no copper pipe at that meter. The concealing coat of paint notwithstanding, those fittings are not used with residential copper pipe, but are widely employed with the black iron pipe used for gas plumbing.
Palo Verde
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:23 pm
on Mar 29, 2017 at 11:23 pm
Somebody sure changed that gas meter photo quickly. As for the Hamilton Post Office homeless shelter, that's Federal Property not under our jurisdiction. And they recently began locking the doors at 6:00pm. Now the tenants are out camping on the porch. The stench continues, but hey, this is Palo Alto. Don't get me started on the number of people camping in doorways on University. That's a matter of human rights, like the mendicants who take advantage of our Farmer Market venues. Yeah, straying off-topic here.
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 30, 2017 at 10:43 am
on Mar 30, 2017 at 10:43 am
Miriam, Katy, and Midtown Resident, what a pleasure to have a discussion about diction and usage! Much more interesting than talking about a few dollars here and a few dollars there in our utility bills. I haven't even checked my CPAU bills yet, although I'll get to it. Soon, I hope.
Midtown Resident, the Oxford Comma may appear to have very little impact at all at first glance, but left out of a law, it turns out that it may end up hitting a trucking company in the pocketbook, to the tune of millions of dollars. Am I mixing metaphors here? Hmmm...
Miriam, as an English teacher (retired), I applaud your search for correct usage. Alas, it's current usage, which you dismiss as "what is in vogue," which determines what is "correct." Would that there was some eternal standard of correctness to appeal to! Sure, some errors are still considered egregious, and some make us vulnerable to the judgment of others. But English changes from year to year, mostly in the direction of simplicity and wider acceptance of variations in grammar, mechanics, and usage.
Back to the City of Palo Alto Utilities Department: Billing errors have happened in the past; anyone remember the surcharges for extra water use? They'll happen in the future, I'm sure. As a long-time resident, I have to remind people of the times when our utilities made enough of a profit that significant funds were sent back to the general fund. It would have been nice if those extra funds had been used to repair infrastructure--storm drains for example? Now we're paying extra for such things, as well as for being good at conservation. Oh, well...
Evergreen Park
on Mar 30, 2017 at 4:30 pm
on Mar 30, 2017 at 4:30 pm
Miriam Palm.
Just for reference "impacted"is an adjective
Downtown North
on Mar 31, 2017 at 1:27 am
on Mar 31, 2017 at 1:27 am
Impacted is an adjective and "to impact" is a verb with its usual tenses: "impacted" is one of those tenses.
Please stop "correcting" people publicly wether they are right or wrong. It's bad manners
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Mar 31, 2017 at 12:10 pm
on Mar 31, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Goodness gracious sakes alive, ndn, are you going to take away all the fun of livening up an otherwise boring discussion of PAMU billing errors by talking about something far more interesting: correct usage? Of course, only language nerds would find any of this worthwhile! But I'll accept that label gladly...
Dunno if it's bad manners to point out mistakes a journalist makes in a story. Maybe not so good if the corrections are themselves incorrect. Still, it seems worthwhile to debate such arcane matters from time to time.
Oh, yes, are you correcting Roger or just amplifying what he said?
Not to correct you, but I'm sure you've already noticed that "wether" is either a spelling or diction error. Would I be showing off if I mentioned that "wether" is a real, if uncommon, word? It means a certain kind of sheep or goat. Yes, I'm afraid I am just showing off! You bet! The shame of it all!
Palo Verde
on Mar 31, 2017 at 5:28 pm
on Mar 31, 2017 at 5:28 pm
... so who here wants to be the bellwether?
Midtown
on Apr 1, 2017 at 2:58 pm
on Apr 1, 2017 at 2:58 pm
The cost of correcting this billing error may well be surpassing the total amount of refund.
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Apr 7, 2017 at 11:42 am
on Apr 7, 2017 at 11:42 am
I still haven't gotten anything from the city about the over-charge that occurred back in February but I did notice that today Gov. Brown declared CA's drought officially over.
I wonder how long it will take PA Utilities to end our monthly drought surcharge. My surcharge is $21.94 each month ($263 a year, almost $8,000,000 for 30K homes assuming everyone pays the same.)
Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Apr 13, 2017 at 6:05 pm
on Apr 13, 2017 at 6:05 pm
Has anyone else gotten a letter about the refund yet?
I haven't but one person has posted in Town Square that he/she has.
Barron Park
on Apr 13, 2017 at 6:23 pm
on Apr 13, 2017 at 6:23 pm
Yes, we received a letter last week. Our adjustment was a little over $16.
Palo Verde
on Apr 15, 2017 at 7:54 pm
on Apr 15, 2017 at 7:54 pm
I was looking forward to receiving a letter telling us we were overcharged and that we would receive a rebate in our next bill.
Unfortunately, today we received a letter telling us we were undercharged and would receive an extra debit for $9 in our next bill.
Not fair!