Torn Elements

I just got a bill today also they want a 850.00 deposit. I will not pay and I plan on fighting it. I'm wondering if going to your MP would help.

Hi:
We just got our latest hydro bill/disconnection notice today.
Past due - $700
Current bill - $500 +
We are told that with this (the second) disconnection notice in two months)
we will be facing a deposit of over 2X our highest bill in the last 24 months.
Wow. That's really nice, eh!
We are depending on an insurance policy to try and keep our heads above water since a serious accident disabled my husband last June. Said insurance policy has a habit of 'forgetting to send out the odd two week payment' - maybe they're related to Hydro One! As a result, it all plays havoc with bill payments.
When I looked at the latest bill, I see that just over $200. was actual consumption.
An additional $188. was charged for 'delivery charge' Cripes, even Canada Post doesn't cost that much, or Purolator, or any one else.
I have to wonder, how much of all this blood money is going into already rich pockets? Perhaps Premier McGuilty, perhaps you would like to come clean?
Perhaps some of the Hydro One 'Exectutive' (I'm not sure what Executives do except count 'delivery charge' money; perhaps they may have had to deepen their pockets to hold all the lovely currency flowing in.
Perhaps we've all been too quiet for too long in this province.
If my typing strokes appear to be done with some sharp staccato, believe me, the keyboard is also suffering.
Yes, we can write the newspapers, we can contact the news agencies, we can protest to Hydro One, to the Premier's office, and on and on ad nauseum, but all it really does, is increase our consumption of Hyrdo One's precious power as we call, use our computers, and so on and so on and so on.
Can we do with less? Heck, yes. Turn it all off.
Start heating with wood.
Use the old coal oil lamp.
Go to bed earlier.
Play cards, read books (in the daylight), instead of watching tv.
It may be the slow, gradual way, but we'll have their tight little hydro parts right where we want them. With little demand, they'll have to come up with some gimmick to get customers back.....hmmmmm, a bit radical maybe, but when nothing else helps, get em where it hurts, in their own pocket book.
Don't know how many of us can pull this off, but regardless, if we can all do a little, then perhaps it may snowball into an effective mass of protest.
Good luck, everyone, I'm going to turn off my computer now, and hope to keep it that way......

Look...I've been here before to try to tell you people what is going on but you refuse to listen. This is the last time i'm going to tell you and if you don't get it or won't listen than you are on your own. Look up the North American Union and the Security and Prosperity Partnership. Both will unite us with america and mexico more than we would like. If you would also look up the UN and The Copenhagen agreement. Better yet, look up Lord Monckton and is "obama to cede U.S. sovereignty" Look it up on youtube. Look all these up on youtube. You assume these are just kids on youtube? no...it's people trying to inform you. I can tell you that the agenda for our government and the obama government is to deindustrialize canada and america and to turn them into third world countries. You will learn to suck the teet of big government or you will die quietly thankyou. Forget your utilities..they are going to get much worse. You will eventually be forced out of your homes and perhaps into apartments. They can keep better track of you that way. They want a socialist/fascist system and you might be in the way. Do some research for God's sake. Seek the Lord in these things because he is an immediate help in time of need. If you don't want to research what is coming than you are on your own. God bless. We are in for a rough ride and i suspect, very soon, another false flag like 911. Take care of each other it's all you got, besides Jesus of course.

Hydro One!

Why is it that the charges on our Hydro One Bill are so outrageous! We work, we pay taxes, we buy food to feed our families and assist our children in education and life. My 2 year old daughter will soon be calling Hydro to complain about lack of food and perhaps the inability to actually have an education. We are a working couple with one child, my wife and I both make a decent salary but yet the cost of Hydro and ability to maintain proper payments is a challenge. Our average bill right now (winter months) is $1000.00 per month. We live in the dark in fear of turning on lights due to hydro consumption. Everything we do is carefully considerate of hydro consumption. Why are we paying Hydro's debt retirement fund, Hydro surely are not going to pay for my debt retirement no time soon. My bill would resemble something like this: $350.00 hydro consumption in kW hrs at the given rates...then an additional $350.00 to $400.00 for "delivery" (a charge that is actually greater than my consumption)...don't forget the fluctuating debt retirement charge of $10-$30 plus a per kW hr charge on "line-loss" (power loss over lines and transformers - owned by Hydro One)POWER that I pay for that actually never makes it to my home for me to use properly. This charge should be a credit to my hydro bill for I am losing power that I am unable to use in my home. Does our "trusted" government, who is to have it's citizen's best interest in mind actually giving consideration to the "HYDRO" crisis as much as the consideration they give to a crisis that is not in our country. Look at the millions of "lost" dollars for Haiti, that is our tax money hard at work, I don't disagree with aid of less fortunate individuals, but what about those that actually live in Canada. We have our own crises and no light at the end of the tunnel. Why is the automotive industry able to receive "our" money and not the actual citizens that put the money there in the first place? We are in need of relief from sharks such as Hydro One and Union Gas. We live only to provide their executives with extravagant salaries & "bonuses".
The outrageous theft of incomes by the utility services such as the aforementioned, Bell certainly was in a similar "power of God" scenario, until other competition moved in, now "we", the people, have alternate options for those services resulting in manageable bills for luxuries. Hydro is not a "luxury" anymore we require this service in order to live as human beings - this is called evolution. Living in Northern Ontario results in extremely cold days and nights, how are we to survive these conditions with the inability to pay for services that keep us alive. I am sure that, "god-forbidding it", death is the only relief available from the Hydro "disease".

Does our government actually care about its citizens and the fact that remains a mystery - HYDRO? The over charging, blood demanding criminals must be controlled some how. Do they not realize that we are in economically challenging times!!! It is coming to a decision pay hydro or buy food...HYDRO is certainly going to disconnect us. And food keeps us alive to continue working to pretty much pay two things - HYDRO and TAXES!!

PS: now with HST about to hit Ontario - what are we to do about this additional increase on our Hydro bill? Will our governent help us?

i'm sorry to tell you..but it's about putting you out of your homes. There is no solution when you are dealing with a corporate entity. You are a commodity that has run it's course.
Get close to relatives if you have some but better yet. leave the cities and come together in a rural atmosphere. They do want you gone. Do some research. Don't believe anthing they tell you. God bless ..please learn to pray

Happy New Year to our Prime Minister...

If you would like to wish a Happy New Year to our Prime Minister and his team, you can contact Prime Minister Stephen Harper at this email address: pm@pm.gc.ca

The Government of Ontario and their Energy Board,can be reached by sending Premier Dalton McGuinty a message at the following website address:

www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp?Lan...

But, before you wish them a Happy New Year, you should read the following text...
During the Christmas season, many of us may pay our bills later than planned. While doing my monthly bill payments, I took the time to read some of them closely. I found that the late payment interest on Bell Canada is 26.82% annually. I looked at my other bills and noticed that the annual interest rates are the following: Bell Mobility 26.82%, Enbridge Gas 19.56%, and Hydro One 19.56%. Oddly, when you deposit money into your own bank and if you are lucky, you receive 1% interest annually.
In these economically hard times, many people have found out that Hydro One collects a security deposit, if you have a history of late payments. The Ontario Energy Board approves this practice and sets the guidelines. The interest rate on the security deposit, that is held for a minimum of one year, is the "Prime Business Rate" less 2%. This means the interest paid will be 0.25% annually, on your security deposit...Imagine if you are obligated to give a security deposit to all of your major suppliers: Telephone, Gas Suppliers, House taxes, Utilities...pleasant dreams. To make this more clear; Hydro One will charge you almost 20% if you are late but they pay you only 0.25% when they take money from you without your consent. Something is clearly wrong with this picture and our Government approves this policy.
Regretfully we vote for people at the head of our Government who little by little, aggravate the misery of Canadians, who already suffer in today's difficult economy.
Remember this letter when you send your New Years wishes to the head of our Government. Also keep it in mind when election time arrives, as it is not certain that the opposition will do any better.
Happy New Year to all Canadians, and bear in mind that you will be supported by our Government,when it is solely in their own best interest.

1.5 million canadians out of work, highest employment ever, hydro one too help the economy is raising our hydro. i just received 1 week before christmas a bill asking for a 880.00 security deposit. it is against the law to cut hydro between nov 11 & april 1. these money laundering basterds can wait. they invest our money for high interest & pay us 2% on our deposits. maybe our government should do something too protect hard working canadian famillys & our economy.

They are not paying you 2%. They are paying you 0.25%. Go on to the Hydro One's website and read all about their security deposit.....

They just did it to me...got the bill today. They added 488 in a deposit. I want to put an article in the paper. They do this to us even though we were never cut off...just late. Plus recession and being in second career...not easy to pay on time but we still always pay. They told me I can pay the deposit in 6 payments if I want....assholes.

The bastards disconnected me. They said they left warning but they did not - when I said this it's after all just a courtesy. They said I was disconnected b/c as a new homeowner I had not (nor had my lawyer) informed them on my moving in. When I got home my alarm was going off every 5 minutes because my alarm keypad is run on electricity. I had to turn it off that night b/c it was terrifying my daughter. It took them 5 minutes to get here, and 1 minute to turn it off. The Charge...? 185!!! I later spoke to my lawyer who had informed them off my move. But that's not good enough for them, I still chose to reconnect at night (even though it should have never been turned off since my lawyer told them I was moving in). That charge is nearly all I have for groceries every month. I'm so PISSED. They are money-grabbing crooks. And guess what else? I was told I could not even speak to a manager b/c the situation was resolved!!! Is there anywhere we can go for help against these bastards?

l'm laid off ,l just claimed bankrupty and l just got a $750.00 security deposit request from hydro one ,what the frig, emailed the priemer ,wondering why the hydro gets to threaten families, PAY IT OR ELSE, sounds like the loan sharks of the old days ,guess l'll be sitting in the dark and going with out heat for awhile or maybe for ever, someone needs to give those bloodsuckers some competition. l'll switch. the head of hydro one needs to live in the shoes of the poorer people of this province ..and the government needs to , too, prehaps a look at the life lifestyle will open some eyes..see you in the dark.

Dont know where my other post went. Hope it doesn't get posted twice. I HATE hydro one. I just finished paying off a 1200 dollar bill from previous home which was all electric and on equal billing. Had trouble paying and now they want a deposit. They are crooks. I am only going to pay my actual bill and see what happens. I was also told that they cannot disconnect for outstanding deposit but not so sure. I am going to contact marketplace and see if they will do a story on this. I will give them this link.

they will apply it to your deposit and tell you, you have an outstanding balance owing.

I used to work in the Hydro One office taking calls from you guys and I have to agree the deposit rules truly suck..as agents wed rather give people a break but the computer wont even allow it.hydro one passes the buck saying its the oeb but thats a load of crap since the oeb just rubber-stamps their request anyways.

the call centre is outsourced to this cheap-ass company from the u.s. called Vertex, and is ridiculously understaffed..can you imagine how stupid I feel saying "oh sorry sir we dont have the fax you sent three days ago" that would never happen in a normal company

tip -if anyone gets slammed with a security deposit you can push the agent to give you up to 6 installments..hope this helps a bit

I agree. I hATE hydro one. We have not been cut off but have been late. Now their requiring a 350 deposit on top of our normal bill. We are also struggling and we already owe 250 so that makes it 600. We just paid them 1200 from a previous home that was on equal billing (all electric!) Give me a break. I have dealt with Wasaga Beach hydro and never had this problem. Like you how do you come up with the deposit? Cant pay regular bill how are you suppose to pay a deposit! Should be a law about this. If you don't pay and they cut you off you have to pay reconnect charges also.

I can relate - I received a disconnection bill for $2700 and 6 days to pay it. I was recently laid off but don't have the hours to collect EI, so my spouse is the only one bringing in an income.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, though. You can't fight Hydro (not alone, anyway), but there are programs to help you out.

In the Toronto area (there is a list of other communities that qualify for this), there is the Emergency Energy Fund that can help, but if you're like me and in a small northern community, go to Ontario Works (welfare)- they will assess the situation and pay the bill for you (you don't have to be receiving OW to qualify).

I just got a bill in July and a deposit demand for 388.11, have zero idea how they came up with that number.
I told them I couldn't pay it until I was working again in Sept. 2009
They said it had to be paid within 48 hours and to ask a friend. Something I will not do. Actually I thought it quite rude of them to say that. I live on a tiny ammount of money in the summer, I teach and am self employed and can't collect EU.
So I am on a strict budget. I pay my bills, but not often ontime, sometimes I have to wait a month because other bills come at the same time and I have to cut them into months. I did not have any EXTRA to give them. I told them I can't go get electricity anywhere else, that hydro was not a priviledge but a necessity and that they always get their money within 2 months, not only that, my bill's don't run over 160.00 every two months. So the large deposit seems strange. I've also been getting calls from Enbridge I'm 3 days late paying. It's frightful. My father, years back only paid all the bills twice a year, all of them. He said there was no way they were going to take his interest away that he made within those months. It was a great savings for the family. Now adays, that is not the option. I called a house builder to set up an appointment to build an ecohouse with windmill, solar panels, etc...
I'm also writing my MP and many others. This is nuts, we do not live in the tropics, and our homes would be destroyed without electricity. Our business our sanity, our health..
They are treating citizens of Ontario like dogs and loosers if they can't see there is a rescession on. I want legislature that says that you can't turn off the lights in the winter months if there are children and if there has been a slump in income.
I want this Deposit crap to disappear. You can't get blood from a stone!
If someone has been paying the total off within 2 months, I want this Deposit crap to disappear. I've been at my address for 18 years, I'm not a flight risk, they get there money, I am not 1Cent behind on any electricity I've used. I don't get it.
Are they starving or are they vultures? I'm not done with this, I'm only starting.
In the meantime, I am looking for property to build on while others are looking for work, others looking to just get by and being forced to pay UNOWED money.
It makes zero sense. A late fee is already on the bill, but "DEPOSIT" ?
It urks me, to think I live in a country that does this to it's citizens.
I'll keep you posted.

Definitely keep us posted.

I'm anxiously(?!) awaiting yet another Disconnection Notice. Yup! It's time to dance with these wannabe mafia executives once again. And... Once again I have no cash to work with atm.

Like you, I am not willing to borrow cent-one just to make them happy. If I can't raise the cash to pay them, then I am certainly not going to borrow from family or friends if I am unsure of my ability to pay it back. I'll sit in the cold and dark before that happens!

I mentioned this in earlier replies: "Hydro is a necessity. Not a luxury!" Disconnection simply should not be an option; especially in winter months.

If it was just a case of paying simple kWh usage it wouldn't be so bad. Give us a break on all that other crap that appears on the bill. Usage accounts for LESS THAN half of the amount due. It's all the other crap they tack on our bills that makes Hydro outrageous.

It's funny how they took over $200 as a deposit when I first got connected then refunded it to me 3 years later. Then they turn around and want it back again shortly after.

Who runs this corporate empire? Darth Vader? "I find you lack of willingness to pay... disturbing" :)

Hi Everyone! Wow...I must say (don't hurt me) it's nice to know that I'm not alone! About 8 months ago I started getting much larger hydro bills...out of nowhere. With 3 teenage boys at home I was "used to" bills averaging about $250 with them being more in the deep winter. All of a sudden I was receiving bills that were between $550 and $1000 and of course fell behind in paying them....who can keep up with that? They were more than all my other bills including my mortgage put together! So when I fell behind and was having trouble catching up...you guessed it...I got a disconnection notice as well as a notice informing me that as I had received 2 disconnection notices and apparently was working on the 3rd as I couldn't catch up...they sent me a "request"..who am I kidding...a demand for $1000.00 plus the outstanding amount of my bill....the highest bill that I have sitting on my desk states that the Total amount that you owe ... $2,229.26 that of course includes the outstanding bill...or should I say bills as they of course take any money you send them and apply it to the deposit before applying it to the actual bill...so of course I was behind going on 2 months!!
I kept phoning them and telling them there was something wrong and asking them to come to my home and check what was up....they just kept telling me that I must be using more hydro...more people in the house, more appliances, electric heat...the list just went on and on....they didn't care that I kept telling them that everything was the same as it had been the year before...but because I had only purchased my house at the end of Aug'07 they didn't have enough historical data I believe they said to make a judgement....I was told to keep paying, phoning in my meters and eventually they may be able to do something. They just wouldn't come out to my home to investigate to see if there was a problem with my hydro supply or anything.
Now as it turns out I have figured out what the problem was! I live in the country on an acreage and therefore have a drilled well. The end of June I was outside working in my yard doing the flower thing...and there was one of those big tire planters around my well...and while I was cleaning up the debris from there I noticed that I could faintly hear the submersible pump running and throughout the day everytime I went near there I could hear it running. No one was in the house, no laundry running, nothing on...no reason for my pump to be running. I called in a well specialist and when he checked it he told me that my pump was pretty much "pooched" and that it was "stuck on" and apparently had been running for some time (I'm guessing about 8 months! GRRR)! I've changed out the pump, added a swimming pool pump and a water treatment system to my hydro load....and am in the midst of writing to HydroOne and showing them the comparison and demanding my deposit back! If they would have listened to me from the beginning and come out and did an inspection they would have found the problem and both my family and HydroOne would have been "happy" so to speak! I believe that it is their right (or apparently legal so to speak) for them to request a deposit if a customer is new or has been late paying on 3 bills....but if they would have investigated like I requested the problem would have been solved.....So we'll see what happens!

FYI I forgot to mention that my last two bills since I've changed out the pump, that I've received from HydroOne are under $220.00...nothing like telling them "I told ya so!"

it's about taking your homes away..do some research..the banks, the utilities and the government are all in cahoots...sorry to say

ask yourself this. are they dealing with real money? No. They are digits. Digits that represent money but it's not real money at all. What are they out? The bank is not required to keep more than 10 percent of your deposit in the bank. For every 100 you have in there they only need to keep 10. So it's not real. They are printing money, counterfeit money as there is no Gold standard behind it and hasn't been for a long time. Read, 'how i clobbered every bureaucratic, cash confiscatory agency known to man' by mary croft.

they are not billing you they are billing your legal fiction. look up the definition of legal fiction. look up 'rob menard' and 'mary croft'. you became a legal fiction when you were registered at birth. A corporate entity. The government uses that corporate entity to float loans etc. All you have to do is tell them you know that they are using your name without your permission. you are worth far more than you know.....they know it..
join the world freeman society. God did not mean for us to live this way. The world is controlled by evil and greed. i hope you will check it out.
sorry about the lack of caps, my shift key isn't working.

The most simple response is DITTO! I have similar horror stories. I have had hydro cut off, without a disconnection notice, and my two $300 fish died and everything in m y large freezer went bad. We had moved into a new house - our first! We called Ontario HydroOne repeatedly over not receiving the bill, and they said it sometimes takes 3-5 months for new home owners - not to worry. We went on vacation (camping), and came back with everything gone bad! The smell of dead fish is revolting! After sorting it all out, the hydro company had shut us down after 3 months of non-payment, after repeated phone calls to them. We also had a $2000.00 bill from the previous owner which had died. I had to fight tooth and nails to get out of that one! They accused me of lying, and said that someone had to pay it! I had to go to a Lawyer! I never got reimbursed for the loss of my food or fish.

Now, my husband and I are quite ill; he is on chemotherapy and is wasting away, and quite cold all the time. I was in a serious car accident (hit by a drunk driver, with no insurance, and who was never charged!). I am unable to work. We have had to go on welfare and at $989.00/month, we are losing everything! Hydro is disconnecting us again! We are in a rural area, and apparently a vehicle and insurance and phone are luxuries. So is hydro. My argument is that hydro has become a necessity, especially during an illness. Hydro ONe is refusing to accept a payment plan that we can manage. My hydro consumption is minimal - wood stove for heat, and a microwave oven to cut costs. I pay more for the delivery charge, the Ontario Debt Retirement Charge and Regulatory charges, plus taxes, than I do for the electricity I consume. It is criminal!

We all need to start registering our complaints with the Ontario Energy Board, and our MPP's. I have. If enough of us do, maybe they will listen. - good luck all!

Update from comment last week.
I came across this forum and made my comment out of desperation for my situation with being served with a hydro penalty (security deposit)
This forum and everyone's comments just sickened me and gave me the courage to make one more attempt to negotiate some kind of compassionate reconsideration on the outrageous request for more money from a family who is obviously already struggling.
I phoned hydro one and spoke with a representative and explained that I just wanted to be able to pay my bill and that the additional monthly payments toward the security deposit were making it very difficult for me to keep up with the payment. The request could not be handled at the base level and I was transferred to a senior representative who listened to my appeal. She immediately said that she could not change a decision that was already made with another representative. I continued my appeal stating that I understood that but that I was struggling and that I was not aware of the "poor payment" consequences until I had been informed of the security deposit. I explained that I was just very proud of myself for keeping our heads above water and now they have forced me back down a road of struggling to come up with even more money. At this point I had already made one monthly payment towards the security deposit with 5 more to go. The representative asked me to hold on for a moment and came back on the line about 2 minutes later and said that she had removed the penalty and had applied the $100 "security payment" toward my next bill.
THAT SIMPLE!?!
I believe I was very fortunate to have just got the right person at the right time, but this proves that they have some amount of flexibility.
Larry, I also agree with your warning for people to be aware of the "Ontario Energy Swindlers" These people are pushy and convincing and taking advantage of naive people. They visited my 80 yr. old parents just last week and my mother was quick enough to turn them away before they got their foot in the door.