From genescoffeetalks.com/messages09.htm#Public utilities regulated by government have unreported profits from billing scams.


(July 21, 2009)
Public utilities regulated by government have unreported profits from billing scams.
Public utility scams should not surprise anyone.  Regulators turn a blind eye to energy provider abuse in favor of more tax increases to pay more regulators to look the other way.
In Maryland and Virginia, abuse is prevalent due to numbers of politicians from across our nation seeking residual income from law making.  Apparently, political office cannot support political families without those bag lunches over which law is written.  Agnew was caught, but didn't affect tradition at lower levels.
Recently, a case was started against Washington Gas, although this incident is not isolated to them.  It is just a great example of greed and corruption performed by incompetence as long as no one recognizes their billing system as utterly fraudulent.  BG&E and Pepco plus Midwest companies follow precedent established in the DC region.
Case in point.  An apartment resident establishes an account for gas or electric.  A third-party calls a utility company, could even be a company employee, closes the account and billing goes through a third-party company, while utility collects auto pay from resident.  After problem is identified they just continue to bill apartment owners four states away for gas feeds and electric.  Amounts continue to grow as customer service reps keep promising resolution that never is addressed.  Other nails in utilities' coffin include threats to account holder to turn off gas and electric even though it was paid multiple ways:  landlord paid through a consolidated payment FOR vacant apartments, and resident double-paid since 09/01/2002 through documented, bank generated auto-pay.
Public Utility solution is to delay resolution for a month or two, especially if utility owes consumer; then try to keep the monies from all parties by applying it to an account without disclosure.  MD public Commission filed an inquiry and responded with..."Often the company is able to resolve your dispute with minimal intervention on our part." (CASE LOAD [Complaint Number  709110629] MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ADJUDICATE IN FAVOR OF CONSUMERS)
Protection comes from bank notice of fraud and with police reports resident can recover all paid amounts.  Apartment owner can withhold all payments for empty apartments or conjoin with resident for Due Process -  What is Due.  
A fraud investigation is pending.  If litigated it could exceed Madoff's time and money while indicting those with regulatory responsibility to fraudulently capitalize on proceeds from incompetent legislation allowing such activity.
As utilities cry over cost of supplies, perhaps they need less government subsidy, less government protection, and more competition.  Rate increases cover huge bonuses and payoffs to fourth and fifth-parties who are outside third-party involvement thus, those costs should be adsorbed by utility executives and investors who inflate losses to governments hoping to gain billions in profits squirreled away in foreign banks and floats through NASDAQ and AMEX allowing by law non-covered risks of speculators.
It should not be customer loss due to false inflation from utility accounting fraud and should not be resident responsibility to create profit complying with government created corruption for sole source.
We're talking about billions of dollars in misappropriated payments buried in murky accounting procedures to generate huge bonuses as in pharmaceuticals and healthcare.  It seems that if it works in one mandated or required industry, it should be possible in all others.  Common thread is; all those politicians ignore best practices when legislating government regulations at all levels from Home Owners associations, through community leaders, onto city-townships, to political districts, to mayors, county council persons, Congressional members, Governors, etc.  Take those listed out of billing and costs for survival may become realistic to wages of customers not salaried servants from government.