20190125Mendez Complaint.pdf

RE(:TIVEDRaul Mendez
2712N. Goldeneye Way
Meridian,ID 83646
PH (208)860-s037
[e-mail]
RAUL MENDEZ,
Complainant,
VS
INTERMOUNTAIN GAS COMPANY,
Respondent.
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
L\'PH l: 2l+
cASENo. INT- G- lq-o3
CUSTOMER COMPLAINT
NOW COMES RAUL MENDEZ, complainant charges as follow:
Mr. Mendez complains against the above utility company providing gas for Idaho residents. Mr. Mendez
notes that most of his communications over the past 1.5 years have been with staff at the Idaho Public
Utilities Commission thru the Informal complaint procedure, Rule 402 01; IDAPA 31.21.01. He has
received little correspondence from Respondent because they indicated that they don't respond to email
even when their website indicate that it is one of the means to contact them. Mr. Mendez charges that
the staff with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission violated his Due Process rights and Intermountain
Gas violated his rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA).
ISSUES
I ) Is an account initiation fee of $ 1 4 dollars a valid charge on an already existing account?
2) Should the charges be consistently the same over the summer on an account that shows no use of gas?
3) can a customer disconnect gas service without incurring additional fees such as an initiation fee for
restarting service?
FACTUAL BACKGROUNI)
On71612017, Mr. Mendez contacted respondent questioning why he had been charged $7.41 for July
2017 when on July 2016 and over the entire Summer of 2016 the charge had been $5.34. Mr. Mendez
indicated that he does not use gas over the summer including heating for water. He questioned why there
was an increase of 2.07 from the previous summer when it should be identical since there is no gas usage.
Furthermore, he indicated that for many years it had been $5.34 over the summer months when he does
not use gas.
On 7 /7 12017, Respondent explained that the difference in the bill from 20 I 6 summer to 2017 summer is
due to the customer charge going from $2.50 to $5.50 as of 5lll20l7.
On7125/2017, Vfu. Mendez called utility to ask how to disconnect service over the summer since there is
no usage of gas and to save money for the winter. He was told by Sydney in Customer service that there
would be a 14 dollar reconnect fee to restart service in the winter.
On713012017,Mr. Mendez contacted respondent via email and told customer service that he has not
being able to find on their website anlhing in regards to a l4-dollar reconnection fee.
On 8/3/2017, Mr. Mendez requested respondent send to him the information where it says that there is a
l4 dollar reconnect fee.
OnBl4l20l7, Respondent explained to Mr. Mendez that the $14 fee is not a reconnect fee but initiation
fee for starting service. He was directed the FAQS on the company's website. see exhibit 1.
On 81412017, Mr. Mendez replied to respondent pointing out that an initiation fee is entirely different than
a reconnect fee. I already have the service on. therefore the l4-dollar charge does not apply.
furthermore. I see that you do indeed charge a reconnect fee only if the service has been disconnected due
to non-payment. The company's website indicate that an initiation fee is charged on each account opened
with Intermountain gas. see exhibit l.
On 81912017, Mr. Mendez contacted respondent stating that if there is no usage then there should be the
same fee every statement during summer whether it's $5.34 or $7.41. How is it possible that the cost of
gas per terms and the distribution costs varies from July 2017 to August 2017 when there is no gas usage.
see exhibit l.
On8l24l20l7, Curtis Thaden with the IPUC handled the informal complaint. He indicated that when the
customer places a request to reconnect a $14'account initiation charge'is assessed to open a new account.
He further indicated that the account number in the new account will be the same as the closed out
account. He stated that if an account is closed for longer than 10 days and a request is made to reconnect
service the utility company will consider that person an applicant and not a customer. Mr. Thaden
indicated that though your furnace is not operating in the summer months Therm usage is being recorded
More than likely the recorded usage is from a pilot light of the furnace and hot water heater and gas is
being used to heat the water. This explanation was provided even when Mendez made it clear that no
gas is being used at all during summer including heating for water and when for many years the per
therms and distribution costs have been the same during summer months when there has been no use. see
exhibit l.
On9ll2l20l7, Mr. Mendez questioned respondent if the fees are being manipulated. It was 4 therms
summer 2016 as well when there was no gas usage. However, it was $2.06 and $7.08 in 2016 when the
customer charge was $2.50. It is still4 therms summer 2017 but because the customer charge is now
$5.50, it appears that Intermountain Gas has lowered the same 4therms to $1.86 and $0.69. it was $5.34
summer 2016 and it is $8.05 summer 2017. No gas is being used at all during summer. Comparison
between prior years and20l7 summer show a consistent 4 therms but somehow the statements for this
year ends up being 3 dollars more. He got no response. see exhibit 1.
On 4130/2018, Mr. Mendez contacted respondent again regarding a seasonal shut off over the summer
since he does not use gas during warm weather. He noted in August 2017 that there was no point in
disconnecting service that late since it would have to be restarted in October but he would plan on the
seasonal disconnect in 2018.
On 512/2018, Respondent talked to Mr. Mendez on the phone and provided him with Order
No2738941026 and indicated there would be a $14 initiation fee to restart service.
On 5/412018, Mr. Mendez told respondent that the $14 fee is for new accounts but his account has been
open for 15 years.
On 51412018, Respondent told Mr. Mendez that once your account is closed for 10 days you're no longer a
customer. So, the $14 initiation fee for a new account would apply when you start service in the fall.
see exhibit 1.
On 5/12/2018, Mr. Mendez asked respondent to provide the exact location on the policies where it states
that the utilities can charge the l4-dollar initiation fee on an already existing account. see exhibit 1.
On 5/18/2018, Mr. Mendez told respondent that his account has been opened for l5 years and that they
are trying to charge 14 dollars to restart the service on an existing account which is current and not
stopped due to non-payment. see exhibit 1.
On 61712018, Mr. Mendez contacted Mr. Thaden with the IPUC regarding the ongoing issues with
respondent. Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that the IPUC has approved a l4-dollar initiation fee on a new
account but not on existing accounts that have been temporarily disconnected.
On 6/8/20 I 8, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that Section 9.4 of the approved tariff allows intermountain
gas to charge a fee of $ l4 or $40 whenever a customer requests service, even if the requestor previously
had an active account. Ifa customer requests disconnection ofservice, service is disconnected and the
account is closed. The account is no longer active and the former customer is no longer classified as a
customer. see exhibit l.
On 611412018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that he had not being able to find anywhere where it
specifically states that an existing account becomes a new account after it has been closed for more than
l0 days.
On 6119/2018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that the word existing is causing confusion and that existing
implies that something is current. when a customer closes out their account, the account is no longer an
existing account and that person is no longer a customer of the utility. Only active accounts are existing
accounts. A customer is defined by the Utility Customer Relation Rules as someone who is receiving
service from a utility or has received service within the past ten calendar days prior to termination by the
utility. see exhibit l.
On 8/212018, Mr. Thaden indicated again that if a customer voluntarily disconnect service and then
decides to reconnect service again an account initiation charge is assessed. Often. IG will issue the same
account number as previously issued as a courtesy to a customer for the purpose of bill pay and automatic
withdrawal from the individuals banking account. see exhibit 1.
On8/212018, Mr. Mendez replied to Mr. Thaden that if the same account number is "issued" for the
purposes of billing, then any reasonable person would conclude that it was an existing customer with an
existing account with an existing billing information that is having the service restarted. ln other words,
it is not a new applicant for service.
On7120/2018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that under section 9.4 of the tariffand under the fee policy
(approved by the IPUC) there was nothing in the language indicating that "when a customer closes out
their account, the account is no longer an existing account and that person is no longer a customer of the
utility. If he/she, at alater date decides to become a customer again, and requests service be established,
an account is opened."
On 8/3/2018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that the customer definition specific to "has received service
within the past l0 calendar days prior to termination by the utility." Termination by the utility refers to
any condition that brought about the termination of service which includes customer requests. see
exhibit 1.
On 8/15/2018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that he could not find anything on the IPUC rules regarding
to "any condition that brought about the termination of service which includes customer requests."
On 1019/2018, Mr. Mendez contacted respondent noting that he received the bill for l0/2018 for which 14
dollars had been charged as an initiation fee on an existing account which now showed as being active.
On l0/18/2018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that if you file a formal complaint and the Commissioners
accept the complaint, IG will respond to the Commission. see exhibit 1.
On 10125/2018, Mr. Mendez attached a link from the Idaho Supreme Court for Mr. Thaden review. The
link is a guide regarding the IPUC and utilities in Idaho. It asks the question: my utility charged me a
deposit before they turned on my service. Can they do that? Usually. no. However. a utility may
charge a deposit when they turn on your service if you had your service terminated for nonpayment at
previous address. The link indicated too that IPUC rules applied to the water utility like Suez. yet. Suez
does not charge am 'initiation' fee for restarting service after temporary disconnections. Aren't the rules
the same for all three utilities? see exhibit 1.
On 111612018, respondent told Mr. Mendez that the l4-dollar initiation fee as well as the interests on the
past due balance is allowed, and even mandated by our tariff that is approved by the IPUC. see exhibit
1.
On 111612018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that if the Commissioners were to rule in your favor I am
certain that Intermountain Gas would be ordered to remove the $14 fee and interest charges from your
account. The l4-dollar initiation fee is allowed per each company tariff and is not a violation of any rule
Also, keep in mind that both lntermountain Gas and Idaho Power incur costs when having to reconnect
service and those costs are not recovered in rates. see exhibit 1.
On 1ll8/2018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that basically, the l4-dollar charge that is in dispute is for
sending someone to turn on service on an existing account. it's just that IG are not saying that it is a fee
connected with sending someone to turn it on; instead they claim it is an initiation fee on a new account.
What about Suez? many people request seasonal disconnects during winter if they are away from home
to avoid frozen pipes. They don't charge an initiation fee on existing accounts. aren't the IPUC rules the
same for the utilities?
On 121412018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that when you called IG to start service again an account was
opened; often the company will issue the same account number as previously used for a customer's
convenience for electronic payment purposes. IG assesses a $14 account initiation fee when a request for
service to be established is requested. For service to be established an acaount has to be opened. In
review of the company's tariff under section 9.4. the wording states "on each account opened" not new
account. Suez water does not charge an initiation fee. Each utilitv company has its own set of
guidelines. business practices. and rate design so policy will vary from utilitv to utilitv. I do not believe
the commission will waive a fee that has previously been approved by the Commission. see exhibit 1.
ARGUMENT
Mr. Mendez has only included email correspondence on exhibit I for organizational purposes of this
complaint. He refers to some links/attachments in the above correspondence that will be included as
separate exhibits. He will refer to pertinent Rules and he will also refer to K.W v. Idaho Department of
Health and Welfare, State of ldaho. Case No 1:12-cv-00022. A US District Court of Idaho case
involving violations of due process rights. He will refer to the FDCPA.
On 5/18/2018, Mr. Mendez attached a picture for respondent of his IG account showing as the service
being stopped. see exhibit 2. On 101912018, Mr. Mendez attached a picture for respondent of the same
account number with the same account name for the same address showing as the service being active.
see exhibit 3. On 101912018, Mr. Mendez also attached a picture of respondent's website showing the
fees approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. see exhibit 4. Respondent and Mr. Thaden
frequently refer on the above emails to 9.4 under IG tariff. see exhibit 5. On 1012512018, Mr. Mendez
attached a link from the Idaho Supreme Court website to help people with questions about utilities. see
exhibit 6.
Rule 5 of IDAPA 31.21.01 defines an applicant as any potential customer who applies for service.
Defines customer as any person who has applied for, has been accepted by the utility and is: receiving
service from a utility or has received service within the past ten days prior to termination by the utility.
defines utility as any public utility providing gas, electric or water service subject by law to the
Commission's j urisdiction.
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule 101.01 states that no utility shall demand or hold a deposit from any current
residential customer or applicant for residential service without proof that the customer or applicant is
likely to be a credit risk or damage to property of the utility. A utility shall not demand or hold a deposit
under this rule as a condition of service from a residential customer or applicant unless one or more of the
following criteria applies: a) the customer or applicant has outstanding a prior residential service account
with the utility that accrued within the last four years and at the time of application for service remains
unpaid and not in dispute. b) the customer's or applicant's service from the utility has been terminated
within the last four years for one or more of the following reasons: i. nonpayment of any undisputed
delinquent bill; ii. misrepresentation of the customer's or applicant's identity for the purpose of obtaining
utility service. d) the applicant did not have service with the utility for a period of at least 12 consecutive
months during the last four years and does not pass an objective credit screen.
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule 104 states that if the utility requires a cash deposit as a condition of providing
service, then it shall immediately provide an explanatim to the applicant or customer stating the precise
reasons why a deposit is required. The applicant or customer shall be given an opportuni8 to rebut those
reasons.
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule 107.02 states that the utility shall promptly return the deposit (with accrued
interest) by either crediting the existing customer's current account or issuing a refund. Rule 107.03 states
that the utility shall pay interest at the annual rates established in Rule 106 for the entire period over
which the deposit was held.
IDAPA 31.01.01, Rule 21 states that the Commission may provide that informal proceedings may
precede formal proceedings in the consideration of a rulemaking or a case.
Mr. Mendez has already spent a significant amount of time corresponding with Mr. Thaden in regards to
his complaint against Intermountain Gas. The informal complaint has resulted in a violation of Mr.
Mendez right to Due Process as Mr. Thaden has provided information that conflicts or overshadows the
language of the IPUC rules, or just misrepresented information to Mr. Mendez. ln the Federal Case K.W
v. Idaho Department of Health ond Welfare, State of ldaho. Cose No 1:12-cv-00022; Judge Winmill
explained that the frst Notice reducing benefits to disabled participants failed to provide due process
because it made it difficult for a participant to determine why his budget had been reduced and left him
unable to effectively challenge the reduction. A second proposed notice failed to properly notifu
participants of the reasons for IDHW's actions. Judge Winmill stated that one of those procedural
protections is the establishment of clear ascertainable standards that "insure fairness and ...avoid the risk
of arbitrary decision making." citingCarey v. Quern, 588 F.2d 230,232 (9th Cir. 1978).
The explanations provided by Mr. Thaden thru the informal complaint violate Due Process because they
make it difficult for people to determine why RespondenVutilities under IPUC Jurisdiction are charging
$14 to restart service and the conflicting information makes it difficult to challenge the charge. Mr.
Thaden explanations failed to properly inform the public why utilities like IG charge an initiation fee on
existing accounts. Judge Winmill ruled against the IDHW in violations of Due process precisely because
the lack of clear ascertainable standards to avoid the risk of arbitrary decision making.
For example: Mr. Thaden stated that the l4-dollar initiation charge is assessed to open a new account
and if the account had been closed for longer than 10 days and request is made to reconnect that the utility
will consider the person an applicant and not a customer. Mr. Thaden also stated that Section 9.4 of the
tariffallowed IG to charge the l4 dollar whenever a customer requests service even if the requestor
previously had an active account. Mr. Thaden stated that the customer definition specific to "has
received service within the past l0 calendar days prior to termination by the utility; termination by the
utility refers to any condition that brought about the termination of service includes customer requests.
Mr. Thaden stated that if the Commissioners were to rule in your favor I Am certain that IG would be
ordered to remove the $14 fee and interest charges. Mr. Thaden stated that Suez does not charge an
initiation fee and each utility company has its own set of guidelines, business practices and rate design so
policy will vary from utility to utility and he also noted on his last email that he now did not believe the
commission will waive a fee that has previously been approved.
IDAPA 31.21.01 RuIe 5 defines utility as any public utility providing gas, electric or water service
subject by law to the Commissioner's jurisdiction. The Utility questions under the the Idaho Supreme
Court site to help people show that the IPUC adopts rules that apply to residential customers of
investor-owned utilities such as Idaho Power, Intermountain Gas and Suez water. Mr. Mendez has seen
nothing in the IPUC rules to indicate that Suez has a different set of rules than other utilities under IPUC
jurisdiction in regards to the 'initiation fee.'
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule 101.01 clearly state that a utility shall not demand or hold a deposit unless: 1) the
customer or applicant has an outstanding prior account with the utility that accrued within the last four
years and at the time of application of service remains unpaid and not in dispute, 2) the customer's or
applicant's services from the utility has been terminated within the last four years for i. nonpayment of
any undisputed delinquent bill, ii. misrepresentation for the purpose of obtaining utility service, 3) the
applicant did not have service with the utility for at least 12 consecutive months during the last four years
and does not pass an objective credit screen. It is clear that the l4-dollar initiation fee on Mr. Mendez
case became a deposit that respondent charged (to restart service) to an existing account that did not met
any of the above criteria under the rule. Respondent would not have been able to assess the l4-dollar fee
if there was no account on file even if the applicant/customer was delinquent for four years or if the
applicant did not have service with IG for 12 consecutive months during the last four years. Mr. Mendez
account was already opened and was temporarily disconnected by the customer NOT the utility.
Mr., Thaden stated that "has received service within the past l0 calendar days prior to termination by the
utility"; termination by the utility refers to any condition that brought about the termination of service
includes customer requests. However, that is not what the rule states. IDAPA 31.21.01 Rule 5 defines
a customer as any person who has applied for, has been accepted by the utility and is: receiving service
from a utility or has received service within the past ten days prior to termination by the utility. Due
process requires that the rule specifically state that "termination by the utility refers to any condition that
brought about the termination of service including customer requests." Otherwise, there is no clearly
ascertainable standards. Due process requires that the 9.4 Tariff actually state that Respondent is allowed
to charge the 14 dollar whenever a customer requests service even if the requestor previously had an
active account. Otherwise, there is no clearly ascertainable standards. Due process requires that IPUC
staff don't toy with people when Mr. Thaden first, state that "that if the Commissioners were to rule in
your favor I Am certain that IG would be ordered to remove the $14 fee and interest charges," then later
on he tells people that "I do not believe the commission will waive a fee that has previously been
approved." It gives the appearance of arbitrary decision making and an attempt to discourage/prejudice
people.
The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act is a Federal Consumer Protection Law intended to shield the
public from the menace of unscrupulous and dishonest debt collectors. Among other provisions, The
FDCPA makes it illegal to: collect charges not permitted by law (15 U.S.C. 1692f(l)); falsely represent
the character, amount or legal status of the debt (1692e(2Xa)); falsely represent the compensation
lawfully permitted for services (1692e(2)(B)); threaten to take any action that cannot legally be taken or
that is not intended to be taken (1692e(5)); use false representations or deceptive means to collect or
attempt to collect the debt (1692e(10)), and threaten to take nonjudicial action to effect dispossession of
the property (l 692f(6)).
Respondent never answered Mr. Mendez concerns with the charges being manipulated since there is no
gas usage over the summer including no heating for water means that it should be consistently the same
every month over the entire Summer. In fact, Mr. Mendez pointed out that prior to the Summer 0f 2017
it had been a consistent $5.34 every single month of the Summer for years. It was 4 therms summer
2016 as well when there was no gas usage. However, it was $2.06 and $7.08 in 2016 when the customer
charge was $2.50. It is still4 therms summer 2017 br;/' because the customer charge is now $5.50, it
appears that Intermountain Gas has lowered the same 4therms to $1.86 and $0.69. it was $5.34 summer
2016 and it is $8.05 summer 2017. No gas is being used at all during summer. Comparison between
prior years and20l7 summer show a consistent 4 therms but somehow the statements for 2017 year ends
up being 3 dollars more. While Mr. Mendez got no response from Respondent; Mr. Thaden told Mr.
Mendez that the difference was attributed to a "pilot light of the furnace and hot water heater and gas is
being used to heat the water." NOTE: Mr. Thaden provided this explanation even when told that there is
no gas being used to heat water and when the readings showed a consistent 4 therms during Summer for
many years, precisely because of the no usage.
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule 104 states that if the utility requires a cash deposit as a condition of providing
service, then it shall immediately provide an explanation to the applicant or customer stating the precise
reasons why a deposit is required. The applicant or customer shall be given an opportunity to rebut those
reasons. The assessing ofthe l4-dollar initiation fee to an existing account to restart service is an
example of "collect charges not permitted by law (15 U.S.C. 1692(l))" and since Due process protections
requires the establishment of clear ascertainable standards that "insure fairness and ...avoid the risk of
arbitrary decision making." Carey v. Quern, 588 F.zd 230, 232 (9th Cir. 1978). Having discussed
extensively how the IPUC informal complaint violated Mr. Mendez Due process, then stands to reason
that the same explanations given by respondent are in violation of Law including the aforementioned
FDCPA.
CONCLUSION
l) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission that the 14 dollar "initiation" fee assessed to his existing account in
order to restart service on 10/2018 be refunded along with Interests accrued since l0/2018.
2) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to Order Respondent to pay costs incuned in the drafting of this
Utility complaint. Mr. Mendez has incurred costs of Gas/mileage in raveling to the Law library to do
research and for printing/copies. His Costs totalT2 dollars.
3) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order baning Respondent from charging customer's
fees for voluntarily disconnecting service. Especially ifthe reasons for disconnect are due to financial
hardship.
4) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order warning Respondent that they must comply with
the IPUC Rules.
5) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order waming Respondent about manipulation of fees
to the detriment of Idaho customers.
6) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission for more accountability and transparency of the IPUC complaint
process and to warn staffof not giving the appearance of bias.
Dated: January 25,2019
o^J Vl,\,--r
Raul Mendez \
I
EA
,{
ulra4l - ru. 49vL ,f 1\-1\-1\-1\-1\-/\-Z\!JWW L raBtr+olll\
I have not being able to find where it says that there is a 14 dollar to reconnect service. would you please
send me the link where it says that there is a 14 dollar reconnect fee? I asked to have the service
disconnected during hot weather because I don't use gas at all and I need to sEve money, but I was told
that there is a reconnect fee. I hope that you're not misleading customers. I might have to contact the
ldaho Public Utility Commission to explain my situation and lntermountain gas unwillingness to work with
customers when the statements clearly show there is no gas usage and I'm being charged 7.41 for
'maintenance'fees.....and please do not ask me to call you because I already did and you did not offer any
solutions,
-;'
Raul
lQuoted text hiddenl
Rau! Mendez <raulmen dez2$[e-mail]>
To : Customer Service IGC <CustomerService@intgas. com>
Thu, Aug 3,20i7 at 5:54 PM
I have not received a response and it concerns me that when customers contact you via messaging on
your website that apparently any responses can disappear from custome/s email. I have these questions:
1) can you please send me the information where it says that there is a 14 dollar reconnect fee?
2) you can go back several years and see that there is about 4-5 months out of the year where there has
never been gas usage on my account during warm weather. I have paid my bills for no use. \Mty do you
need to send a technician to disconnect the service (then charge a 14 dollar reconnect fee) when there is
clearly no use of the service during this time of the year?
3) can you just make a note on my account not to be billed during this time of the year when there is no
gas use? do you need me to sign an agreement so to make sure that lwon't use gas during warm weather
and you won't bill me for it?
4) do you need proof of income? I cannot oontinue to pay for no use during warm weather and when I'll
need the money during winter to pay bills as high as over 100 dollars. As explained before, I have already
tried the 'utility assistance' organizations such as ElAda, Salvation Army, St Vincent De Paul, etc but they
all have limited funding giving priority to elderly, disabled and family with many kids.
5) lf you need to disconnect service then schedule for next week so that I can unlock the fence for the tech
to access the meter. Call me ahead of time. Even though I believe it to be a waste of time/resources when
l'm not using gas during 5 months of the year.
thank you,
Raul
lQuoted texl hiddenl
Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez < [e-mail]>
Fri, Aug 4,2017 at 9:42 AM
Hello Raul,
I have attempted to contact you by phone several time to discuss your issues. The 514.00 fee is not a
reconnect fee but initiation fee for starting service you can find this information on our website in the
FAQs, https://www.intgas.com/utility-navigation/faqs. lf the gas service is on you will be charged a
customer charge each month this is the same for every customer of lntermountain Gas Company. lf you
x
httnc.//rnail crnnrrlp nnm/tnail/rtlfic)ilr=a\'T0l.AaQAOPrriia.',_afP'no..^L-^ll0'-^*+L:l-+L-^^l 1-t ln ln^l 0
)IJJaLL - .r\r-i. clvv! t7 ./r,-/\-/\-1r-/\-/\./\vvv L raB,sJUrrr
wish to have the service off during the summer you will need to contact our Customer Service Center at
1-800-548-3679, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sincerely,
Mary Customer Support Lead
lntermountain Gas Company
Phone : [phone], M-F, 7am-7 pm
ffiffiEy
ffi
From: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Thursday, August 03,2017 5:55 PM
To: Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: acct # XxxxxXXOO0 2
** WARNING: EXTERNAL SENDER. NEVER click links or open attachments without positive sender
v*erification of purpose. DO NOT provide your user lD or password on sites or forms linked from this email
[Quoted text hidden]
Rau I Mendez < rau lme ndez2002@g mail. com>
To : Customer Service IGC <Cu sto [e-mail]>
Fri, Aug 4,2017 at6:35 PM
Hello,
."fl an initiation fee is entirely different than a reconnect fee. I already have the service on, therefore the 14
dollar charge does not apply. furthermore, I see that you do indeed charge a reconnect fee ONLY if the
service has been disconnected due to non-payment. Here is what your website states:
Does lntermountain Gas charge any special handling fees?
Our goal is to keep costs for service to our customers as low as possible. ln order to do this we believe
individual customers should bear the cost of any special handling they require instead of having all
I'f+--.//*^:l -^^^lo ^^-/-^;l/,.lnDil,-^<1nAC.^OA(l9..,ia.,--+9-^^^-^L-^ll 9--^-+Lil+L-^-l t^rF /^n I rr
\rltr.4lL - lw. 4vvL t lvvvvvv\vvv &rsSwvvl rrr
customers pay for these services. The ldaho Public Utilities Commission authorizes lntermountain to
recover the following costs:
. lnterest on Past Due Accounts: Amounts due for your previous month's gas bill, which remain
unpaid at the time of the next billing date, will be assessed interest at the rate of 106 per month.
Participants in the Level Payment Program will be exempt from late payment interest charges.. Field Collection Fee $15: lf a company representative must visit your home to collect a past due
payment, a $15 fee will be assessed. lf gas service is discontinued, this charge does not apply (see
Reconnection Fee).. Roconnection Fee: A reconnection fee is asseseed when sErvlce b rEsbrEd ficr a customer afier a
non-pay service interruption. This fee is $22 during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and $44
during the hours of 4:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A reconnection fee of $50
will be charged on weekends or Company holidays.. Returned Payment Fee $20: This charge shall apply when a payment (check or electronic) is not
honored and returned by the bank.. Account lnitiation Fee ${4 or $40: Each new account opened with lntermounhln B a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, will be billed a $14 fee with the first regular bill. A $40 fue will be charged br
all accounts opened after 5 p.m,, Monday through Friday, weekends or holidays.
l'm troubled by your attempts to be misleading. I don't understand why you would not want to work
something out with a customer with such an excellent payment record. I got laid off by Micron and so l'm
working taking care off my disabled mom but it doesn't pay well. I don't have a choice but to disconnect
then during warm weather when I don't use gas so to save money for winter. lt makes no sense for a tech
to come twice during the year to disconnect then reconnect when you have documented statements over
the years showing that I don't use gas during this time of the year, but whatever if that is what it needs to
be done then fine. l'll probably wait until next year to start disconnecting the $rvioe afrer cold weather
since it's already august and the tech would have to come in October to reconnect.......just to be clear
though there is no reconnect fee based on the information on your website.
Thank you,
Raul Mendez
[Quoted text hidden]
.d,
C ustomer Service IGC <C usto [e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
Mon, Aug 7,2A17 at8:38 AM
Hello Raul,
lf you would like to discuss this more you will need to contact our Customer Service Center at
1-800-548 -3679, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. tq 7 p.m. We will no correspond with you by email on
this matter.
Sincerely,
Mary Customer Support Lead
httns://mail soosle aomlnailltt/Olik:e\1O46e.Rc19&vieu/:nf.&seareh:all,trnermfhiddhreed- 1) 11l)N I
final - l(E: acct fi /\.{,/\ -Al\,^,vuv L
lntermountain Gas Company
Phone: [phone], M-F, 7am-7pm
raB,E / ur rr
ffiffiIty
rrEUffittdor*Httarur
From: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Friday, August 04,2OL7 6:35 PM
lQuoted texl hiddenl
[Quoted text hidden]
Ra u I Mendez < rau lmen dez2O02@gmail. com>
To : Customer Service I GC <CustomerService@intgas. com>
Wed, Aug 9,2017 at 5:50 PM
Mary,
you have email and social media available to customers, presumably so that customers can contact you. I
already call and talked to Sydney who told me that you would not waive the misleading 14 dollar reconnect
fee. she also told me that you do not have any kind of customer assistance program for low-income people
who would qualify for it. lt seems like lntermountain Gas is the only utility that does not have any customer
assistance program.
lf there is no usage then there should be the same fee every statement during summer whether it's 5.34 or
7.41 because apparently there is a customer charge of 5.50 that is now fixed. ldsnt understand then how .J:
the charge for this month is 8.05 as opposed to 7 .41 from last month and 7.41thie month plus .07 inbrest. 'f'-
The billshould be 14.89.
how is it posslble that the cost of gas per terms and the distribution costs varies from last month to this
month when there is no use? these are all valid questions. lf there is no intent to mislead then there is no
reason why the questions would not be answered by anyone either by email, phone, or any other social
media available on your website to customers to reach you.
Thank you,
Raul
lQuoted text hiddenl
Raul Mendez <raulmen [e-mail]>
To: Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
Fri, Aug 11,2017 at 6:45 PM
no response from customer service to my valid questions/concerns? well, it isn't like I could just switch
service to another company in ldaho and I wonder if this is the reason why you try to get away with
misleading people. I'm not going to pay a 14 dollar reconnect fee and I'm not going to pay more for the
'cost of gas per terms and distribution costs' that should be the same every month while service is not
r - _ _ ___ t--- -rtl--l^nll-_^E4AAr-o)t\ O--,:^----.O-^^^-^L-^ll 9--^-+Lil+L-^^l 1.t ln lnr|l 0
\[nau - r w: rnrc[rrounEun \rtls, r.aul lvlcnugz,rage r or ru
Ra u I Mendez < rau lmen [e-mail]>lr4 Gmail
FW: lntermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,
5 messages
Curtls Thaden <Curtis.Thaden@puc. idaho. gov>
To: "raulme [e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 21,2017 at 4:03 PM
Thank you for contacting the ldaho Public Utilities Commission concerning the issues you outlined in your
email.
Previously, the customer charge was set at a seasonal rate (Aprit - November $2.50, December - March
$6.50). The Commission approved a year round rate of $5.50. The year round rate was approved (Case
No. INT-G-16.-02) and went into effect May 1'2017. Having the same customer charge throughout the
year is consistent with how the lntermountain Gas incurs customer related costs over the year. Costs most
closely tied to specific customers are the capital costs and expenses of metering, meter reading, billing, the
service line, and customer service. lntermountiain Gas asked for $10.00. Staff recommended $5.50 and
the Commission approved the recommendation. The low usage of terms on your billing indicates possible
usage by a pilot light, This might by why you are seeing 3 to 4 therms of use over the last two billing
periods? ln June and July of 2016 term usage was 4 therms per month.
lf a custorner requests
as the tf is connected after hours fee is
lf you are disconnected from service icr non-payment and then reconnected a 'Reconnection Fee" of $22
is assessed and if outside of regular business hours the charge is $40.00, and $50 on weekends and
Company holidays.
At this time lntermountain Gas nor does any utility in ldaho offer rate assistance to ldaho low income
customers. El-Ada provides energy assistance grants to help with customer heating costs. The agency
can be reached at [phone].
I will address the issue of your preferred method of communication with lntermountain Gas (email) and why
the Company told you that you have to call them to get an answers.
$40. Any time a customer voluntarily stops service and then a request is made to estrablish service again
an "Account lnitiation Charge" is assessed. Please nob that if the account ig cloeed for bnger than 10- *
days and a request is nrade to reconnect service the utility company will onsider that perso=n an applicant
and not a customer.
t - - - '-t t- - ,n o:l--- cFrn A a -o )^ g-- ': ^.. --+ g.^^^-^L-^tl p'--*+tri rl:fL-oor{ - I " /< /?n 1 g
HiMr. Mendez,
t
Gmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,Page2 of 10
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on disconnection of services due to financial hardships, assistiance
programs, and consistent utili$ statement fees.
Sincerely,
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
OriginalMessage
Subject lntermountain Gas
From: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]
To: Beverly Barker
CC:
Good Afternoon,
I have concerns and issues with this utility company. I don't know if I have to fill out the form on the ldaho
Public Utility Commission website or if you can route my concerns to the right personnel.
I'm low income and I don't use gas during warm weather. I contacted intermountain gas via their email
address around 7EnU7 wondering why the he has gone up trom 6.34 ta7,41ewry mon$t dufing
summer when for many years it had baan 5.3,4. lwas told that I had to submit any questions/concerns via
their internal messaging system on the customers account. lG has social media, email, and phone as
means for customer's to contact them.
So, I asked them via their internal messaging system on my customefs account why the fee had gone up
from 5.34 to7.41when there is no use during summer and when for many years it was 5.34 during this
time of the year. ln addition, I asked them what to do in order to disconnect service during warm weather
in order to save money for non-used service.
I was told via their internal messaging that the fee increased had been approved by the Public Utilities
Commission and that the difference was due to the fact that lG had decided that it would be a flat 5.50
customer fee every month as opposed to a changing customer fee thru the year. I was also told that there
would be a 14 dollar reconnect fee if I decided to disconnect service during warm weather.
A copy of the internal message and the company response are fonrarded to the customers email address.
However, I noticed that afier a few days the company responses disappeared from the copy that had been
fonrarded to my email address. only the customers inquiry show up now.
On 7125117 I talked to customers service over the phone. Again, I asked them about the disconnecting of
service during summer when I don't use gas in order to save money. I was told that there would be a 14
dollar reconnect fee that would not be waived. I was also told there was no assistance program br low-
income custome/s.
I asked lG for a copy of the policy stating that there is a 14 dollar reconnect fee.
On 81412017 a supervisor send me a link of the special hes stating that the 14 dollar is an "initiation" fee
for starting service. This is what the sites state:
I
J.,t
Does lntermountain Gas charge any special handling fees?
Crmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,rage J or ru
(
Our goal is to keep costs for service to our customers as low as possible. ln order to do this we believe
individual customers should bear the cost of any special handling they require instead of having all
customers pay for these services. The ldaho Public Utilities Commission authorizes lntermountain to
recover the following costs:
. lnterest on Past Due Accounts: Amounts due for your previous month's gas bill, which remain
unpaid at the time of the next billing date, will be assessed interest at the rate of 1o/o ger month.
Participants in the Level Payment Program will be exempt from late payment interest charges.. Fleld Collectlon Fee $15: lf a company representative must visit your home to collect a past due
payment, a $15 fee will be assessed. lf gas service is discontinued, this charge does not apply (see
Reconnection Fee).. Reconnectlon Fee: A reconnection fee is assessed when service is restored for a customer after a
non-pay service interruption. This fee is $22 during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and $44
during the hours of 4:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A reconnection fee of $50
will be charged on weekends or Company holidays.. Returned Payment Fee $20: This charge shall apply when a payment (check or electronic) is not
honored and returned by the bank.. Account lnitlatlon Fee $14 or $40: Each new account opened with lntermountain 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, will be billed a $14 fee with the first regular bill. A $40 fee will be charged br
all accounts opened afier 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, weekends or holidays.
I pointed out to the supervisor that lG is misleading cu$tomers. An initiafion fee is when an account is
being opened and there is a reconnect fee onl1i after eervice has been shut dorn due to non-payrnent.
lreceived
is no use.
during his
if the
reason it is due to
there is no late charges/interests)and in fact
been the same every month when service has not being used
Lastly, I believe that utilities should not be allowed to abuse and mislead customers. Unbrtunately, lG is
the only gas provider and so it's not like customers can just switch service provide/s.
Sincerely,
Raul Mendez
Raul Mendez <raulme [e-mail]>
To: beverly. barker@puc. idaho.gov
Mr. thaden,
See my responses below.
See my responses below.
Forwarded message
From: Curtls Thaden <[e-mail]. gov>
Date: Thu, Aug 24, 2017 al4:03 PM
Mon, Aug 28,2017 at 11:03 PM
r- _- rr o-- --.+Li l+L-^^ J 11t< t1fll I
lntermountain gas stated that they would no longer answers my questions via email and I had to callthem;
which concerns me since I already talked to them over the phone and told me that 1) there is a reconnect
fee of 14 dollars that is not being waived, 2) there is no assistance program for low-income/poor people. I
believe that there is an intent to mislead customers.
assistiance
same every monft ilttts
prior years show that the
rE.^^ vw, ^\4sr IVIVUUVZJ,Page 4 ot l0
Subject: FW: lntermountain Gas, RaulMendez,
To : "ra u I m e ndez}O}2@g ma i L co m" < ra u I me n de 22002@gma il. co m>
HiMr. Mendez,
Thank you for contacting the ldaho Public Utilities Commission concerning the issues you outlined in your
email.
Previously, the customer charge was set at a seasonal rate (April - November $2.50, December - March
$6.50). The Commission approved a year round rate of $5.50. The year round rate was approved (Case
No. INT-G-16.-02) and went into effect May 1'2017. Having the same customer charge throughout the
year is consistent with how the lntermountain Gas incurs customer related costs over the year. Costs most
closely tied to specific customers are the capital iosts and expenses of metering, meter reading, billing, the
service line, and customer service. lntermountain Gas asked for $10.00. Staff recommended $5.50 and
the Commission approved the recommendation. The low usage of terms on your billing indicates possible
usage by a pilot light. This might by why you are seeing 3 to 4 therms of use over the last two billing
periods? ln June and July of 2016 term usage was 4 therms per nd that intermountain
Gas decided to make it flat fee of 5.50
yeelg it
same when there is
no usage of service like in prior years
lf a customer requests disconnection of service the account is officially closed. \A/hen the customer places
a request to reconnect a $14 'Account lnitiation Charoe' is assessed to open a new account (account
number used will be the same as the closed out account). lf service is connected after hours the fee is
$40. Any time a customer voluntarily stops service and then a request is made to establish service again
an 'Account lnitiation Charge' is assessed. Please note that if the account is closed br longer than 10-
days and a request is made to reconnect service the utilaty company will consider that person an applicant
and not a customer. I have read the entire policy of lntermountain gas and that is not what it states. I
highlighted in blue on my previous message what the policy defines as an "initiation fee" and "Re
connection fee" as approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. Reconnectlon Fee: A
reconnection fee is assessed when service is restored for a customer after a non-oav service interruotion.
Account lnitiatlon Fee ${4 or $40: Each new account opened with lntermountain. I'll like to know how
why is it
i
{J
you came up with such inforrnation
that the other utitfics in ldaho have
reconnectlng servfr:e forthe sam€
are.
you the ones regu the
because it is
are
fees fur
how is
that fair across the board for all utilities and more importantly how is that protecting the public interest? l'm
assuming that other utlities can sue the IPUC for allowing lntermountain gas to make the charges that you
came up with.
lf you are disconnected from service for non-payment,and then reconnected a 'Bgggrcgtlgffgd of $22
is assessed and if outside of regular business hours the charge is $40.00, and $50 on weekends and
Company holidays.
At this time lntermountain Gas nor does any utility in ldaho offer rate assistance to ldaho low income
customers. El-Ada provides energy assistance grants to help with customer heating costs. The agency
can be reached at [phone]. There is a misconception that all these "assistance agencies" such as
EIADA, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Ada County lhdigent Services, etc will pay for everyone that
httns://mail onnole nnm/mai I /rr/O?ilr=a 5 1 ntA.6.o9 AA Rrrrianrmrfrocorale:^ll I'ro*+Li J-+L-^^ ,r 1alc/^,1ro
Gmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,
walks thru their doors, Unfortunately, I called
qualify. they have limited
disabled or large familiEs
funding thru the year,
Page 5 of l0
witr chlldren. !t is imperative then to quetffon why
allowed to mislead customers trying to charge fees that are not applicable and not
I will address the issue of your preferred method of communication with lntermountain Gas (email) and why
the Company told you that you have to call them to get an answers. You did not address the initial portion
of my message which raises questions as to why if you contact them thru the
customer's account that the company responses can.he them Kon their internal meeaaging but the responses were was a
14 dollar me even
though it
for reconnec{ir€ the
ls one of the means
&e. LasUy, they hlrl
A supervisor named Mary did notavailable for customefs
return my last phonecall. so what do I do? it is clear to me they are misleading customer's
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on disconnection of services due to financial hardships, assistance
programs, and consistent utility statement fees.
Unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised to find out that the ldaho Public Utilities Commission is now claiming
that lntermountain Gas can charge bogus fees not in accordance to what has been approved by you.
while other utilities don't charge reconnect fees and you can disconnect service if you choose to. The
State of ldaho has a ne{arious history of violating the law and constitutional rights of the same people that
put food on your table and that allow you to have excellent benefits/retirement. Just take a look at this
links;
https:/iwww.acluidaho.org/en/news/federal+ourt-rules-against-idaho{epartment-health-and-welfure-
med icaid-class-action
https://www.acluidaho.org/en/news/idaho-supreme-court-rules-favor-aclu-publicdefense-case
The common theme of course being how much the Staterof ldaho despises poor people. I'm not surprised
to see that you're allowing lntermountain gas to charge fraudulent fees for someone that want to
disconnect due to harship given that the IDHW withdrew benefits from disabled people or that poor people
cannot get proper legal representation in Criminalcases.
i'lljust disconnect unused service next year during warm weather and if lntermountain gas wants to charge
me a reconnect fee then l'll sue them.
louoted text hiddenl
Ra u I iiendez < rau lmen dez2$lZ@gmail. com>
To: Curtis.Thaden@puc. idaho, gov
Mon, Aug 28,20'|'7 at 11;04 PM
,,Y
t polrcy
Gurtis Thaden <Curtis.Thaden@puc. idaho. gov>
To : " ra u I me ndez2002@g ma i l. co m" < ra u I men d e 22002@gma i l. co m >
Hi Raul,
Thu, Aug 31,2017 at 2:50 PM
[Quoted text hidden]
I
Gmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,Page / ot lU
the Commission approved the recommendation. The low usage of terms on your billing indicates possible
usage by a pilot light. This might by why you are seeing 3 to 4 therms of use over the last two billing
periods? ln June and July of 2016 term usage was 4 therms per month. ! understand that intermountain
Gas decided to make it a flat fee of 5.50 year round. However, it does not explain why the per therms and
distribution cost changed in the months when there has been no usage of gas AND when for many years it
has not reflected a change in the per therms and distribution costs. it should be the same when there is
no usage of service like it has been in prior years
!f I understand you correctly you are stating that you understand the customer charge has been raised to
$5.50 year round but your billing dollar amount should be the same every month when there has been no
usage of service?
I reviewed you usage history dating back to July 2014 and usage has been recorded every month and
billed accordingly. I compared the past 3 months of (June,to the same months in 2016
- see below. Though your furnace is not
More than likely the recorded
being used to heat &c water. Last year your July, and August was $5.34 each month
because the recorded Therm usage was the same each month. This year the Therm usage has been
different each month for June, July, and August; therefore the billing amount each month will not be the
same.
June 2017 9 Therms - total gas charges $1 1.23
July 2017 3 Therms - totalgas charges $7.41
August 2017 4 Terms - totral gas charges $8.05
Note: the total gas charge each month is different because the recoded Therm usage waa a
different amount each month.
June 2016 4 Therms - total gas charges $5.34
July 2016 4 Therms - total gas charges $5.34
August 2016 4 Therms - totalgas charges $5.34
Note: the total gas charge each month was the aame because the recorded Therm usage (4
Therms) was the aame.
Further Review:
August 2016 billing total gas charge - $5.34, of that amount $2.50 is the customer charge. All charges
associated with 4 Therms of usage was billed out at $2.84
August 2017 billing total gas charges - $8.12, of that amount $5.50 is the customer charge. All charges
associated with 4 Therms of usage was billed out at $2.62
Please note the Distribution Cost ($0.017187) is lower this summer than it was last summer ($0.196)I
ln summary, the billing dollar amount for your recorded Therm usage this summer is lower than it was last
summer. Therm usage has varied month{o-month which is the cause of a different billed amount each
month.
lf you believe there should be no recorded usage at your residence during the summer months then there
might be a gas leak and lntermountain Gas should be contacted.
lf a customer requests disconnection of service the account is officially closed. When the customer places
a request to reconnect a $14 "Account lnitiation Charqe" is assessed to open a new account (account
number used will be the same as the closed out account). lf service is connected after hours the fee is
$40. Any time a customer voluntarily stops
10-
an appllcant
not what it staEs. I
an'Account
read the entire
r ^ re r^n I o
gas is
is assessed,
days and
and not a
I
gae and
t
highlighted in blue on my previous message what the policy defines as an "initiation fee" and "Re
connection fee" as approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. Reconnection Fee: A
reconnection fee is assessed when service is restored for a customer after a non-oav service inte .
Account lnltlatlon Fee $14 or $40: Each new account opened with lntermountain. l'll like to know how
you came up with such information because it is abundantly clear what the fees are. furthermore, why is it
that the other utilities in ldaho have no problems disconnecting unused service and not charging fues for
re-connecting service for the same accounUcustomer? aren't you the ones regulating the utlities? how is
that tair across the board for all utilities and more importantly how is that protecting the public interest? I'm
assuming that other utlities can sue the IPUC for allowing lntermountain gas to make the charges that you
came up with.
[When an individual requests service from lntermountain Gas the Company willcharge either a $14 or $40
Account lnitiation fee depending on the time of day and day of the week service is connected. lf an existing
customer decides to disconnect service the Company will disconnect service without charge. lf the same
individual decides to reconnect service lntermountain Gas will again charge an Account lnitiation fee. As
an example, if a customer requests disconnection of service in April and then requests reconnection of
service in October lntermountain Gas will charge another Apcount lnitiation Fee. Furthermore,,ono6 a
cusbmer is disconnected from eervice for more fran l0dayed hs&ho b m bngerchsrifiEd as a cilstomer
but rather an applicanl You asked how I carne up urith Urio infunration? Tho.Acsrlr{ lnHation Fee ie
contained in lnUrrmuntain Gee Company's Erifion.fib with &€. Corfimhibn. {n the Company's Tariff the *
fee is called Account lnitiation Charge.
9.4 An "Account lnitiation Charge" in the amount of $14.00 during regular business hours and $40.00
outside of regular business hours will be assessed on each account opened with the Company and will be
billed with the first regular bill. This charge will not apply to landlord temporary service where a landlord has
signed a Continuous Service Agreement or to code compliance inspections mandated by the ldaho Public
Utilities Commission.
ldaho Power charges a fee anytime a request is made to establish service. lf an existing customer
voluntarily requests disconnection from service and then asks for a reconnection at a later date the
Company will charge a Service Establishment Charge of $20.00. Suez Water does not charge a fee when
a request is made to establish service, only when a reconnection is requested when service is terminated
for non-payment or a request made to temporarily turn service off due to a repair.
Allthe fees mentioned above have been approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commission and are valid
fees. ln summary, anytime a request is made to establish service (lntermountain Gas and ldaho Power),
after service was voluntarily requested to be disconnected, a fee will be assessed to establish service. The
fee was approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commissionl.
At this time lntermountain Gas nor does any utility in ldaho offer rate assistance to ldaho low income
customers. El-Ada provides energy assistance grants to help with customer heating costs. The agency
can be reached at [phone]. There is a misconception that all these "assistance agencies" such as
EIADA, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Ada County lridigent Services, etc will pay for everyone that
walks thru their doors. Unfortunately, I called around and all of them have no funding even if you do
qualify. they have limited funding thru the year, rely on volunteers, or give particular preference to elderly,
disabled or large families with children. lt is imperative then to question why lntermountain gas is being
allowed to mislead customers trying to charge fees that are not applicable and not according to policy
[You are correct. Not everyone who applies for energy assistance will get approved and there are times
during the year when the agencies funding has been depleted. The fees that lntermountain Gas
communicated to you are valid and were approved by the Commissionl
I will address the issue of your preferred method of communication with lntermountain Gas (email) and why
the Company told you that you have to call them to get an answerc. You did not address the initial portion
of my message which raises questions as to why if you contact them thru the internal messaging on the
customer's account that the company responses can be later deleted. they instructed me to contact them
aB6vev^rv.-
I
i
.,1,'.1
https://mail.eoosle.conr/maiUu/0?1]r=l57046c8d9&view=t&search=all&oermthid:thread-... l2l5/2018
tt lvvvvv vrvvv -raBE ru ur r.
From: Raul Mendez [mailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2017 7:40 PM
lQuoted text hiddenl
lQuoted text hiddenl
I
,!'
-I-"t\
Rau I Mendez <raulmend [e-mail]>
To : C ustomer Service IGC <C ustomerService@ intgas.com>
Tue, $ep 12,2A1V at5:16 PM
Hi,
This is what works best for me and the Commission assured me there was no reason why I could
communicate via email since this is one of the many options you have available for customers. Here is the
thing:
Does that make sense? I don't use gas during warm weather including no usage of hot water. lt appears
obvious that the fues are belng manipulated. lt wouldn't make much difference to people who have a
decent income but for those of us who are struggling every penny counts. I was told that all these
assistance agencies get federal funds for heating from November to March and I'll see what kind of help I
can get. the IPUC regulates nothing and they sleep with the utility companies. \Mat a bizarre world we
live in where people slave away to support the corruption of public officials. Just take a look at these:
https://www.cheatsheet.com/business/10-states-with-the-most-minimum-wage-workers.html/?a=viewall
http://boisestatepublicradio.org/topic/bottom-rung-living-low-wages-idaho
http://www.idahopress.com/newslstate/shame-idaho-ranks-poorly-in-many-key-areas/article_69e564a4-
3f3f-1 1 e1 -a84c-00 1 9bb2963f4. html
Earnings can affect everything as shown on poorly ldaho ranks top or near top on many areas. Public
officials are responsible for this but it should not be a surprise given the nefarious history of the State of
ldaho as shown here:
https://www.acluidaho.org/en/news/federal-court-rules-against-idahodepartment-health-and-welfare-
med icaid-class-action
https:i/www.acluidaho.org/en/news/idaho-supreme-court-rules-favor-aclu-public-defense-case
It is not surprising to see that the IPUC allows lG to charge bogus fees given how the above information
points to not only a disconnect with the people of ldaho but how public officials despise poor people as a
whole.
ln short, I don't use gas during summer AT ALL, comparison between prior years and thb summer show a
consistent 4 therms but somehow the statements for this year ends up being 3 dollars more. I guess there
really isn't a solution to it, is there?
Raul
[Ouoted te)rt hidden]
Raul Mendez < raulmend [e-mail]>
To: Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
Mon, Sep 18,2017 at 11:31 PM
httOS://mail.SOOSle.ComlmailllulO?ik=aS7O46cRdq,Ovie\rr:nf,t'ccarnh=all,&namrhirl=th.a.,{11ln lanl 0
t-
Jrnalr - ltE: acot r ^'-1*A-6,-AJ\ ,VUU Z rage ll o1 ll
Mary,
you did not respond to the last email on 9112120'17. you requested the following: lf you would like to speak
about your billing exactly we ask if you could please log into your online account and use the contact us so
we could correspond securely on our side and when we reply it willcome to you through email.
I tried to see:
Your system does not allow me to contact you and I need to have a response to my issue as to why
lntermountiain gas is manipulating the fees so that starting this summer I'm being qbarged 3 dollars more
for the same 4 therms that have billed on prior years. it might be dfficult to see how charges are
manipulated during cold weather when people use lot of gas. is this going to be fixed or not? I should pay
exactly as it has been prior years and i'm not going to pay more even if I get some heating assistance
during winter.
I might have to do some research to see whose the Federal agency overseeing the utlities maybe they are
more responsible than the IPUC. Otherwise, the difference between this year and prior years would stay
forever on my account because i'm not paying it.
than you,
Raul
lQuoted text hiddenl
q,
so alt accourt
X Rc$t
1r8A!&&3470
t6 a t r E
,a&6szh,2d0ndl.m
* .i a ---,..,,-',, ..,r!/,.,i$ i:.,r !,,, -" iiFd...,^i
A rr.it-r.,..dlr (
Emdl Addrutr
Colmilt u.
lh, x snd wb Url tr, ,r I !d ntr
{l*,r!!rwr dsrd n'c tn
dv I LcEflr{Biilrlb WlxtrS:iHr!lrs ij
(ryJdBn: Mry qk[!!i WlrY\'dvl&] tu
.lriffin ,h6ftllH{
rf ,i_r tt (l
, '1, ,n ort F4Ata -o -ln O-,-: ----.-LO--- ----l---tt L-- ------at-:JJt----- l aa14 16A1 0
I
i
t
Gmail - Contact Inquiry
Good Momlng,
I callsd customrr B.Nlc. on 5/2 to dbconnGc{ tho r6rvlca ovcr the Eummrr. I spokc wlth Mloholla who gavo mo
r€quosEd to spaak to a mane06r Elnce shs told m6 that thore would bo a 14 dollar Econnoc't fo3 durlng wlntrr;lffF
locofliarlyou hrvc FodmtE[.4& h.. m.d.! aouFL db! p.y{lLfibnollfic tulh !.h0
untl cold wBethcr ls to havo tho monoy whcn I ac,tuelly us6 Oa3 and bllls aro mucfi hlgher. ln addruon,
leving mc 25 dollarE
ttlg your pollcy lt lrgerdlno tlconncc.t fro:
l! thera . charge tor ruconnectlon?
A raconnec{lon fee B aas€ls€d when sorvlce b rastorad br a customcr after a non-pay sarvic. lntenupton. Thls f€a 13 S22 durlng tho houru of 8:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and S44 during the houB of 4:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A E@nnocilon Eo of S50 wlll bo charged on
weekends or company holldays.
It ls claar that e r.connac.t fs6 appllas only whan tha sarvlco is r€stored altor nonpaymont srrvlco intoruption. Thrra b r la do,[.l h&&0 ha lor nil
eccounb. howcver, rny accotrllt hat Daan opdl bf 10 ytal! md t{a b,[d t rlryohty @ d aan|I b rlul ttEIr?. I havc born dllconnccdng lcMco
tomporarlly for othor utlltl.s aa woll to Bavc mon€y end thoy hava not chargrd e roconnoc't h€. I rvould llk€ to b€ ebla to n ofi thlng! out with lntrrmountaln
geB so that thar€ 13 no reconnocl t66 contrary to your poliry. I igur6 that maybe Mlch6llo was miBt kon.
Thank you,
R.ul
Iof4Page
i
-3
JQuo{ed t8xt hlddcnl
Cultomor Sclvlcc IGC <Customers€[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mond.z <[e-mail]>
rf[ try 4, 20rt d 1r:t Ail
Good momlng Reul,
-g Thank you for your small. Unfortunately, ona. your reoufit ls clo..d lor ,0 days your arl.no lon0cr. ouabmatr go, tha 014.00 h![rlbn !6c lor. nav
6 aocount would apply *tlon you atartyour solvho ln ths fall.
lf turther asll3tanc6 is necdcd pbase fB€l fr.6 to 6mall, or call Customor Servlco at 1-800-548-3679, Monday-Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thank you,
Kat, Cu3tom6r Suppod
lntormounteln Gaa Company
Phono: 1{00{4E-367t, m+, 7.m-7pm
nffimy
I$w-
Frcm: Reul Mcnd6z lmallto:[e-mail]]
Ecnt: Frlday, May 04,20'18 11:21 AM
To: Customer Servlce IGC <[e-mail]>
9ubJcct: Re: Contaot lnqulry
louolcd toxt hiddenl
Raul lland.z <[e-mail]>
To: Customor Servlca IGC <[e-mail]>
Frl, May 4, 2018 at 11:42 AM
HI,
Would you plcaoc rcnd mr thc link to thls prr{cular lnformafion? I oould not flnd lt ln your polldc!. My conc.m b thal nono of lhr othcr ufrlluor chargo a
rcconncct fca whcn a cultomar dl3connlc$ 3cesonally or dur to hard3hlp. Oncc you rrconncc{ wlth othcr ullltt.t, you ltll h.vr th. lrmr oxlltlno lniormatlon
on thelr systrm.
Thank you,
Raul
lQuolcd t€xt hlddenl
I
(Jrrranl - uullraur urqurry rags J ur rJ
Cultomrr Sorvlco IGC <Customsrs€[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
,6 Hello Raul,
ffiffiEr
Mon, May 7, 2018 at 3:55 PM
Ws w€r6 unabl3 to r€rach you by phone to dlscuss your @ncsms wlth tho account lnltiauon too. W€ und€Ftiand that that othor uullt33 may havo dlfioront E€s
when lt com6s to stopplng ssrvlc6, aven for a few months. W€ are also awar€ how lmportant lt E to kosp ths costs low for thosc thal wlll utlllz€ thc aervic€.
A brlal oxplanatlon ot the account inltlauon bo B found at our w8bsite h the ar6a for Frequently Asked Quastionr. A moro detallcd vorslon can b€ found h
our tarltls at ths ldaho Publlc Utlllues webslte httprtu/ww.puc.idaho.gov/fileroom/tarlff/gas,/approv6d.htrnl.
lf you have sny turth€r qu33uon8 r€garding tho f€e, wo ar6 haPpy to spaak wtth you to bottor a8slst you. Plcas€ contact our otnco at E0O-54E-3079, Monday
through Frlday, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thank you,
AllBon, CuEtomer Support
lntsrmounlain Gas Company
Phono: l-E00{48.3070, t-F, 7am.7pm
@-rm,-
From: Raul Msndez lmailto:[e-mail]]
Sent: Friday, May 04,201E 11t42AM
To: Customer SeMc€ IGC <[e-mail]>
Sublect: Re: Contact lnqulry
[Quotrd toxt hiddEn]
Raul Hondoz <[e-mail]> S* lry 1e aofE at 3tut ru
To: Customer S6rvice IGC <[e-mail]>
I dld not get tho link on your website ln r€gards to the 14 dollar inltiation fee on existlng accounts after dlsconnocl. I tlll get a tink ta tlo tafifi lor the IPUC,
would y?u be ro Xhd b polnt mc dfr@ l,o ufiorr n spgomcafu ctatcs thrt you can 6fial!6 the 14 dg[ar Htlatlon lb. on m ffrt@ ad8&tr ar6owr? Here ie
what I tound on your wobsite rogardlng f8es:
Our goal 19 to koep coBtg for s€rv|@ to our cugtomors a9 low as possible. ln ordor to do thls wE beliove lndlvldual cu3tom€ls should b€ar the cost of any sp€olal
handllng they requlr€ lnsbad of havlng all cu8tomsrB pay for fiese s€Mcas. The ldaho Publlc Utllliles Commlsslon authorlzes lntsrmountaln to rBcovor lhc
followlng oost3:
lntoEst on Palt Due Accountt3 Amounts duc fior your provlou3 month's gas blll, whlch r€maln
unpaid at the tlmo of th6 nsxt billlng date, wlll bo aEsessed lnter€st at the rate of 1% per month.
PartldpanB ln tie Lavel Payment Program will bo sxempt from lato paymenl lnt€rsst chargos.
Flold Coltectlon Fec 115: lf a oompany Epr$entatve must vlslt your home to coll6cl a past due
payment, a $15 Es will be assoss€d. lf gas s€rvioo ls dlsconthued, this charge does not apply (s6e
Roconnecllon Fes).
Rgconn6ctlon Foe: A reconnec{on iBe is a$tossod whsn s€rvloa ls restored for a ouBtromsr alter a
non-p€y s€rvica lnbrruptlon. Thb fe€ ls $22 during the houB of 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and $44 during
th€ hours of 4:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m., Monday through Fr'lday. A reconnec*lon l€e of $50 will b€
charged on w66kEnd3 or Company holldays.
Retumod Payment Fce 120; Thb chsrg€ shall apply when a payment (ched( or electronlc) b not
honored and E tumed by the bank.
Account lntuatlon F.o $'t4 or 040: Eaoh new account opened with lntermountaln E a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Fdday, wlll b€ bllled a $14 f€e with the firBt rogular blll. A $40 toe wlll b€ chargcd for
all aooounts opGned after 5 p.m., Monday through Frlday, weekends or holldays.
t-z---.u---2t -^--r- -^*t--:tt--l^q2l--^<1AAC^9Arl9..,:^.,--+0.^^^-^L-^1t9.-^*+L:l-+L*^^,I 1111 11A1 Q
\Jlrlanl - l-uutaut urquuy rage o or lJ,;
My account lhcw3 a8 b€lng cunrntly stoppcd I h.ua nC b.hg ablo b nM .ryUlne h rElflrh b fr hmffit fr.f lplum b m t$$rt & I hs b.ol
dopad tl f0 fiy1 lt s€€m! b m. that thls b Jurt a calc of gfttcd on tlto pstf of lG bcllevlng thet you c.n mblcad pcopL. lt le ny undeistandlng thet bgatv
you oannot lcav. peoplo wlthout ge! durlng wlntor svon It thcy ar€ b€hlnd on paymonb. would you dony ma Bbrtlng lhc lcMca durlng wlntor duc to thr 14
dollaB on an oxlstlng acoount? I will pay tho cun3nt balanco whicfi apparunuy you hsv€ now changcd lt frrom 36.65 to 37.02 du. to a ou3bmcr cfiaroc fot non-
s6rvlc6?
Reul
lQuolcd l.rl hldd!nl
J
Curtomcr Ecwlca IOC <[e-mail]>
To: Raul M€ndoz <[e-mail]>
Mon, llry la, lOlE rt 12:s7 PM
Tho lhk la: https:/4,$yw.intgas.cofiVrates-sorvicas/ratos-tedfi8 Thl3 l! undcr rnoquenuy alkod qucaflon!.
. looouri Ht{.8on Fil ftlor$0: Eactrnfl rcEuntopan {, urm lnhrrnolrnbh t e.m. to 5 p.n, Monday through Frtday, will b€ bilted a 014 fr€
wlth th6 flr3t regular bill. A $40 feo wlll be charged for all accounts opened afiar 5 p.m., Monday thmugh Frlday, w€ekend8 or holldays.
. It furthcr aBsl3tanco ls naodad, plsasa call Custom€r Sorvico at 1-80G54E-3679, Monday-Frlday, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thenk you,
Danlola, Cu3tom€r Supporl
lntarmountaln Gas Company
Phone: t {00+118-3679, t-F, 7.m-7pm
nr[By
$tm'-
From: Raul Mondez [mailto:[e-mail]]Sont: Saturday, May 12, 201E 3:04 PM
{Quot6d terJ hiddcnl
IQuoted ten hlddonl
Raul ilcnd.z <[e-mail]>
To: Customar Servlco IGC <[e-mail]>
ye3, I can laad and I !€c
Frl u? 10,al8d 11:.rtAM
thatonthctc€sapFovsdbyth€|PUCyoucanchargoa14dollarlnltetionfDefora NEWACCOUNT. !taco$*hatb-nI b crrtm@ lbppcd lo ..lo rrl mnry; look:
Ii
7I'
MAKE A PAYMENT
as uax taouxT ?
, tuffiad.&
vilrturbr.lME
:"'|J,:i|!Ja' ,,, 1: Li
Eo,;,"",*,
you'Eryh{tbohargG14rbilrl!bIt&tlhGlaMcaonancxffirgaooorIllutrhrrLcfirrfiandtrctdofporldarbnor}prymJll. tothscontrary,youhavo
rocord lhat ElAde hes m8& e couplt t f pbdues lo mekr paymonts on my eccount therrfore the oaron to save money lor wlntor whan tha 3orvico 13 u3od
and bllllng 18 much hlgher. 30, what lf I thc 8€rvlc6 wa3 rtoppod and th6n tran3t6r lo another r.sldcnc.? you dont cfrargc an lnithuon fE€ for fan3f€r! a3 fiar
aswhattho|PUChaeapproved. youdon'tcfiargoa{b€foryourtschnblangolngtohom€sbchangothcmctors,lsilfyaltnttlrlnebctaOor{4(blhr
EoPdbGc.u.c thc bfililoBr har b gob r qtliomc/0homcio rlsErtlcrvtsc on !n dthoard om!|rt€c@unm
L++-..//-.il -^^^lo ^^a/*^:l/,,lnOil,-^<1nAA^A4(l9,,,:^,,--+9.^^^-^L-^ll 9.-^-+Li,l+L-^^l lnlll^A1 o
1
iG;;i,;lATNTIRMOUNTATN
rF
\Jluall - l\J rtrtrs
M Gmail
rage r ()r /J
Rlul ilendez <[e-mail]>
lG Fees
25 messages
Raul Mendez <[e-mail]> Thu, Jun 7, 2018 at 1:29 PM
To: [e-mail]
Hello Mr. Thaden,
I don't know if you remember me fiom last year about my complaint sgainst lntermountain Gas charging 14 dollars inithtlon fee. Here ls a
refresh€r and the last of my contacts with the company:
you're tryang to charge 14 dollars to re8tart the service on an existing account which is cunent and not stopped due to non-paym6nt. to the contrary, you
have record that ElAda has made a couple of pledges to make payments on my account therefore lhe reason to aave money for winter when the service
is used and billing is much higher. so, what if I the service was stoppEd and then transfer to anothsr residenca? you don't chaEe an initiation fee for
transfers as far as what the IPUC has approved. you don't charge a fee for your technician going to homes to change the maters, so why are you trying
to chargo a 14 dollar fee Just because the technician hae to go to a custome/s home to restiart seryice on an existlng and cunent account?
you have not responded to my question in regards lo whether you'll refuse to restarl th6 service during winter without paying the initiation fee on an
existing account? it is my belief that you cannot leave people without heating during winter.
Basically, you told me that the IPUC has approved such a fee but you did not provide me the link to the speclfics of such approval nor ls it stated
anywhere on lG policies. The policies state that a 14 initiation fee applies fur NEW ACCOUNTS. furthermolo, I did contact the FTC r€gaft,ing the
matter who advise me that 1) the state public utility commissions have a formal complaint procedure in place to addrs8E such matters 2) the
heating companies cannot leave cuslomers without gas during ceriain portions of winter.
lcould not flnd Euch formal comphint procedures on your site. I will have to look up the Administrative rules slnce mosl agencies do have some
kind of hearing with administrative Judges wherBby they issue rulings, which lhen can be appealed to the head of the agency, which then can be
app€aled to the ldaho Supreme Court. How does your process works?
Can lG refuse to restart my seruice during winter without paying the 14 dollar initiation fee on an existing account? My account is cunent and I
have received some assistiBnc€ wlth paying my bills.
It b cursnty dtscoonoobd b Eayo ng rmro than 25 dollao durlng su.m€r. ln addition lG doos not charge customers a fee for going to their
homes to do malntenance Sudr as cianging msters,/egulpment, or charge i ,ee br transbnlng service to another place because such bes are nol
approvedbytheIPUC. ThoIPUChasappmvedaladoilhrhrudbnEeooanowacccrdbdttotmdlthg8mlIrhlhathflab€cns€asorldly
rtlroonnoc,tad lo satopoopb'a morEyand0Erlo3dto lolyon othtrsb pay 0loltbh ao[frdgafrsfng$ffifiEr$r.
Sincerely,
Raul Mendoz
#
Gurtb Thaden <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Hello Mr. Mendez,
Thank you for the email. Yes, I remember you.
Fri,.irn E,20rE at 2:53 PM
Below is the llnk to lntermountain Gas Company's approved tariff on file with the ldaho Public Utilitles Commission. Contained in the approved tariff is Section
9 (Discontinuance and Reconnectlon of Servlce). xumber9.4albryclmeflrooatdoO.otodlar83Eia.Ef $faor$f$wiafnteraqrctoncrxqtnstrseMc!,
evenlftierequegtorprcvlouslyhadanacthrcaccorrrt. [acumngrqurcts&cqrnedorofscnlc.,slntrbdlsconnedcdsndtltr.cGountbcbsld. The
accdrm b no bnter actlue and thc formcr arctorner ls no lon8er Ehs6fflcd r a ctrsomor. ln summary the fee is allowed to be charged retardless of having a
prevlous account or not.
#
lntermountainGas@!refusetorestartyoursewiceifyourclosedaccounthasbeenpaidinfull. Thepaymentofthe'accountlnltiationcharte'isnot
required to paid prlor to servlce being establlshed, but rather the fee is added to your first billint.
http://www. puc.ldaho.govfi leroom/tadfi/gadlntermountsin gas.pdf
9.4 An "Account lnitiation Charue'in the amount of $14.00 during regular busineas hours and 040.00 outelde of reguhr buslness hours will be
aseessed on each account opened with the Company and will be bilhd with the flrtt rcgular blll. Thie charge will not apply to landlotd tomporary
eervics whers a landlord hae signed a Continuous Service Agreoment or to code compllance inspeclions mandated by he ldaho Publlc Utilities
Commiesion.
Lr+--.//-^:l ^^^-l- ^^*/-^:l/"/nrr:I,-^<?nia^gAa 0-,,i^.,-+9-^^^-^L-^rt o--^-aL:lJL---l r^rtlAn I o
ulllur-tvrvwo
Sinceraly
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilitles Commission
208-334-0322
From: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]
Santr Thursday, June 7, 2018 1:29 PM
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]. gotr,
Sublech lG Fees
IQuotod text hidd6nl
Rrul tcndez <[e-mail]>
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
Ht,
Thur.ln lt.201C at E:26 PM
This long document i6 hard to read. Would you be able to specilically scan the portion where it says hat? all I know is what lntermounhin Gas has
underthefeeeapprovedbytheIPUC. thehesspecificallystatethatthe'initiation'fueisbrNEWACCOUNTS. lhtlbndDom&bfid
snnvholcrrhc,lltsp3oealyBt tosthatoedslhgaocountbccorreandrmunttilfrtlnlcqtcbadfunroIlflrl0&yt" i'mconfused
so you're saying lG ian ctrarie an lnlthttofl Fc on t]t frsflng accoun0 but you don't approve them to drarge a he for transfurs td a new
residence? so, does the IPUC have due prooes8 proceduro whereby people can hav6 their cases heard by a hearlng offcer just as tha other
agencies do? i find lt hard to bellove that thls ls lt? just contacl you to be told the hes are approved by the IPUC? what lf people want to dispute
il?
Sincerely,
Raul
lQuotod toxt hidden.l
Cuillr Thrden <[e-mail]>
To: *[e-mail]' <[e-mail]>
Trc,.tn $,mltd2:t3 Ftl
Hi Raul,
Thank you for the email reply. I have attached a scan of the section in the lntermountain Gas Company tariff that you requested concerning
"account initiation charge."
out
tf a later date,
decides to become a customer again, and requests service be established, an account is opened, and a service technician is dlspatched to the
residence. An "account inltiation charge" is assessed anvtime service is established. The wording in Section 9,4 of lntermountain Gas Company'
tariff states that the charge "will be assessed on each account opened with the Company and will be bllled with the first regular bill." Only actlr/E
aouDrf,rB 8l CrittiB Eccounts.
Lastly, a customer is defined by the Utility Customer Relation Rules as someone who is receiving service from a utility; or lu3 recalved servlce
wlthln the past ten (10) calendar days prior to termlnation by the utility; or has resumed responsibility for payment of service provided to
another or others.
Does my explanatlon help with understanding why an account inltiation charge will be assessed when you reguest service in the fall, and that a
closed account ls not an o(istlng account? Let me know and we can proceed from there,
Sincerely,
+\
httns://mail.soosle.corn/mail/r:/0?ik=aS7046c8d9&view:ot&search:all&permthid:thread-... l2l7l20l8
^-B
As previously stated, if a customer decides to voluntarily disconnect service and then decides to reconnect service agaln an "account initiation
charge" is assessed. lf an individual is no longer receiving service from lntermountain Gas (not using the company's services) he/she is no lonBer
a customer of the utility and the account is no longer an active account. When service is requested again an account is opened and an order is
placed to reconnect service. Often, lntermountaln 6as wlll is$ie the sene accotnt number u prevlously irsr.Ed a3 a courtasy to a customer for
the purpose of blll pay and automatlc withdra$al from the individuals banklng/checlirts ecount.
On a side note, ldaho Power will also charge an individual a fee for reconnecting service if he/she voluntary asked for service to be :i
disconnected. As an example, let's say a customer requests service be disconnected because they will be out-of-town for a few months. When ' . i
the customer returns and requests service be reconnected ldaho Power will charge the customer a fee too. 1
The Commission does not have an administrative hearing officer. When a complaint is filed against a utility Company, the Commission forwards
the complaint to the Utility in an attempt to resolve the issue. An individual has the option of requesting what is called a formal complaint, but
that can only be done after an informal complaint process is utilized.
Sincerely,
Curtis
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
-l
From: Raul Mendez [malho:[e-mail]]
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2018 4:34 PM
lQmtrd t.rt hiddonl
lOuot d toxt hiddonl
B Dlacontlnuance and Reconnectlon of Servlce (Sectlon 9.4).pdf
82K
Raul tendcz <[e-mail]>
To: Curtis Thad6n <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 2, 2018 at 7:38 PM
Hi,
I dont mean to sound like a probl€matlc customor/per8on. l'm only diBputlng the "initiatlon'fee becauB€ my frnandal sltuatlon it's not grcat as the
ELAda contributlone prove; ther€bre the reason to 86v€ money. I wouldn't mlnd paying lt even when il'8 clear that tho atlach€d pollcy stales that
such a fea applies only aft6r th€ utility compeny ha8 dl8connected the s€rvlc€ lo customers because it wae their declebn. See this: has received
service within the past ten (10) calendar days prior to termination hl$gu!!!!!y Usually because issues with non{eyment.
l'm guesring then that a brmal complaint can be establlshed onca the company chargee the 14 dollals?
are these $o 6pplicable rulcs?
httpE://admlnrules.ldaho.gov/rules/cunent/31/3101 0 l.pdf
https://adminrules.idaho.oov/rules/current/3't/3 1 2 1 01.pdl
Th6re 16 bunch ofstuff:
l
https://mail.goosle.com/maiUu/0?it-a57046c8d9&view:pt&search=al1&permthid:thread-.. . l2l7l20l8
Iteo
- rLJ l'ti(iD raEq J uUJ
\Mrat elee applles to a brmal comphlnt? there is actualty two IDAPA 31 .21.01. the one on the wobsite ls 25 pagos long and the one you attach i8
49 pageg but it doesn't say when or if lfg updated.
Thank you,
Raul
lQuotrd tsxt hidd.nl
Rrul tondoz <[e-mail]> Thu, Aug 2,20lE al 7:42 PM
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
lntermountain Gas will issue the same account number as previously issued as a courtesy to a customer for the purpose of bill pay and automatic
withdrawal from the individuals bankinB,/checking account.
existing account with an existing billlng lnfumation thal ls having
Raul
lQuotod toxt hlddsnl
\-t,,,Y
Publlc Utilltles Commisslon
ACcy Cmdl(rd Kt in
Ptroor (201, tl{43ml|fty vibrt
IDAPA ll Admif,Bratiw Rutei
' r: r' nr,. lB / --ilr.,,rb
u *JrrJ..srdAffi ,eri 44 k lrtrh ksr.E@glffi, l t1 c! tnlBt {!d)/,,!*! lirra-..*b
r r'rr or i.ar.xf hrh r-.\k.*,ikntd *
. r ll ol.,,,kA,nk
u ,1.r! Or. art(r .d{un i;d rd Y{,$nilPlur ho&a
, !r'v\ertriii D rP 5*, rrn
! ) | 4 0r. *t{u htrrrt tr.i
n l:.* 1!, r,/e, " :&,f5tr* ltra Fr,.i45 lrs,
| )r.t!.or, F.l, kdr,{rIrddq r&
,r I.st rl, {$$ h'k4, atulwi Mn irxir 0,k
D ,: ar 0r, h ir e eprBl4l* ilrsr ?4&
r l.rr o, rd!,d til{,., N. kiH\rrlr r rh
n ,i l !t, hr?:'r!nr1bk,ii!{ trlr
Curtlr Thaden <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <raulmend€[e-mail]>
Fd, Ary 3, t016 at 3:52 ru
Hi Raul,
I do not perceive you as being problematic. I work with many of the CAP agencies and know firsthand from my position at the Commission that
many people are stru8gling to pay their utility bills.
You are correst, the link below ls the Rules of Procedure for the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. When you imhate service again.
lntermountain Gas will charge you the S14 lnitiation fee. The fee will appear on your first billing. lf you still object to the fee you can file an
informal complalnt by calllng the IPUC ftont desk at 208-334-0300 or online at htF:/ irww.puc.idaho.gov/forms/oonsumerassistance.aspx
lf the issue is stlll unresolved you can then elect to file a formd comphlnt by fo[oxrln8 the requlEments (Ruh 54] contalned in the Rules of
Procedure for the ldaho Publlc Utilitles Commlssion. The formal complaint must be in writin& state the tacts and specify how you would like the
problem to be resolved, Unlike an informal complaint, which is handled by the commission's Staff, the Commlssioners must consider a formal
complaint. The Commissioners will decide whether it is appropriate to accept the formal complaint. lf it is accepted, a formal legal proceeding
will be started, lf the Commission does not accept the formal complaint, then nothing further will be done.
swl
!JS8
Lr<-^.//-^il -^^-lo ^^-/-.il/,,lnniV-d<"lAA6.oQAOf:viarrmf.Prsaarnh=otl.ezna*vvrthid=thrporl- 1', 11 nfil9
ullErl-t\rrwvD rage
lf you decide to file a formal complaint, you are required to submit to the Commission, in wrltinB, the following information:
r The utility or person the complaint is agalnst.
. Fully state the iacts conctltutlng the acts or omlssbns of the utility or per8on agalnst whom the complaint is frled antl the dat68 wh6n the act8
or omissions occurod.
o Rehr to the specific provlslon of statuto, rule, order, notlce, tarif or oth6r controlllng hw that the utlity or person haa viohted.
r State what actlon or out@me should be taken to resolv€ the complaint.
The address to send the formal complaint to the Commission isi
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
PO Box 83720
Boise, lD 83720-0o74
Th€ cu$omer rleflnitiofl 6Fcmc to 'tlrs rr@lvcd servlce wtthin the pt t (1O) Galcndar &yi fior to tormimtioo bf tic ntillty.' Termlnatlon by
tk utHty refers to any condtbn that brou$rt about tfu tcrmktailqn sf sprvice which includes customer requGstl.
Lastly, one thing to consider. Even though the S14 service charge will be assessed, you will still have a net savings for the timeframe of when
service was disconnected.hJ
Sincerely,
Curtis
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
-3
hftn<.//mail onnolp nntn/rnail/rrl0.'lih=a\lA46nQrlOfrrrierrmtProaamh:oll.P'-a..fLiz{:+t -o^J 1n11 /tf\l o
'i,',.';i.b/
- IG Fees PageT of73
From: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]
SGnt Thursday, August 2, 2018 7:39 PM
lQuotod text hidd€nl
touoted tsxl hiddenl
Raul tcndoz <[e-mail]> $/b4lu$l!. U0tt st 3:t|4 PM
To: Curtis Thaden <Curtis.Thad€[e-mail]>
I work with many of the CAP agencies and know flrsthand from my position at the Commisslon that many people are struggling to pay their utility
bills.
Which agencies have you worted wlth? what klnd of wotk does the IPUC do wlth such agendes? lcan tell you rlght now fiom poconal
experience and frrom accounts by otherE that lt ls extnmely difiqrlt to get "assistance' hom these agsndes because hoy elweyB tell people that
theydonothavefundsnomatterwhatUmeoftheyoaryouatk. lfyoucall 2llwlthlDHwthentheys€omtobelhvethatbyglvlngyoualietwlth
numbers from these agencl* that someho,v th€y will povide people wlth help.
I know that th€se arg bderal funds glven to the |DHWwho th€n apparanlly hands out the monoy to lho 'agencles but somoholy they never have
money to help out people? hae anybody ln he State of ldaho evsr boherBd to do an audit on such sgencles? becsuss lt seems rather strange
that they always tell people lhey dont have funds but somehow they keep expandlng wllh dlftrcnt locatlons and pald stBfi. Thsy mlght g€t
donationr and additional funding fom elsorflhera to support lheir organlzaUone, but that only helps to furher ocrutlnlze why hey never seem to
have help for utlllty asslstance. ElAda i8 the only agencl that I know that at lo88t thoy p8y a uUli$ bill onco a y€ar. Ada County lndlgent Services
do pay your utllltles blll but they ask people to repay the county later on.......6oe, lhoy g€t money twlce fiom the IDHW and hom he people repaying
the county for the u0llty asslstanco; do you soo eomethlng wmng wi$ that? lt ls hderal money glyen b the county pr€cl$ly to asslst pooplel
So, the IPUC knows that many people are etruggling to pay their ulility bills but somohow arc allowlng the utility companies to charga
they are not entltled and not pr€viously apprcved by the IPUC although it appear8 that you're now twlsung the meaning of the policles
utility company.
lf you still object to the fee you can file an informal complaint by calling the IPUC front desk at 20&33t1-0300 or onllne
athttp://www. puc.idaho,gov/forms/consumerassistance.aspx
fees fur which
i lo bvor the
a.
s(
.c
I thought that this inbrmal going back and brth email convsrsatlon was an infurmal complaint which has/tt will obvlously not resolve anything.
lf the issue is still unresolved you can then elect to ffle a formal complaint by following the requirements (Rule 54) contained in the Rules of
Procedure for the ldaho Public Utilities Commission..,.,..,lf the Commission does not accept the formal complaint, then nothing further will be
done,
There is no rule 54 under the ldaho admlnistrative rules for the IPUC. There are
these: https://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/cunenU31/310101.pdf. https://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/currenuSl/312101.pdf
Whlch make mention to a rule 54 but none exist. what are fof.rrrhkt the bmdcompldm? andln
I such denial will state thatthe proee$ d.|ly pcople ade$Dte procedural I'm assuming
it can be appealed to the ldaho Supreme Court? see:4
termination by the utility refers to any condition that brought about the termination of service which includes customer requests.
Lastly, one thing to consider. Even though the S14 service charte will be assessed, you will still have a net savings for the timeframe of when
service was disconnected
I coulrt ftid ndhlnt on tne ruhs rG6ardhg to "ry condltion $at brg€ht abgut the teflnlffion of iervic€ whici tlEt(Elcustom6r requstsn . \//
the key belng termination by customer therefore a 14 dollar initiation fee is charged. There ls most certainly no such speciftc definition on lG )1
website. ln fact, they initially told me it was a reconnection fee, then they chanBed their story to an initiation fee.
How much do you think that l'll be saving myself after the 14 charge? no more than 12 dollars and how much do you think people pay monthly
during winter for gas? if you know firsthand how much people are stru8gling to pay their bill then you would know that people are struggling
because of the high fees during cold season therefore the reason to save money now when fees are low for later on.
lguess that l'll be filing the lnformal complaint which would then become q formal complalnt since it appears the informal proceedings solve
nothing.
Raul
lQuot€d t€xt hiddenl
rage t/,\
Fromi Raul Mendez [[e-mail]]
SGnt: Friday, September 21, 2018 1:21 PM
lQuoted t€xt hiddenl
lQuoted toxt hiddanl
lQuotad t6xt hiddonl
lQuoted text hiddcnl
lQuoted text hlddenl
[Qmted taxt hiddenl
lQsted tsxt hddenl
. lQuoted text hlddenl
lQuoted t6n hiddonl
Wtat else applies to a brmal complalnt? there is aclually two IDAPA 31.21.01. th6 ono on lhc webclte 18 25 pagos long and thc on6 you
attach ia 49 pago8 but lt doesnt say when or if its updated.
, Thank you,
louoted ten hiddsl
Raul
Rlul Xlondez <[e-mail]>
To; Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
Tue, Od0, 10iE at 3:28 PM
so, lcoeltrd&r{*xncotbr$irmffiffiSdcrlhdwolll0lZ)tNt1E. fiiemyunderstandlnglhatth6 14dollarlniliationheb6ingdisputoddooE
not havc to be pald pondlng $o oubome of the brmal complalnt thorofore no lntereats should be chargod to thc 14 dollars. it will take me a{rme
tlme to prepare the brmal comphlnt sinco Buch complaint mlght end up br review in front of the ldaho Supreme Court. I havenl had the chanca to
read the entire rules but normally lG has to glve thelr sld6 or not? do you or do I have to nouf them hat l'll be frllng a brmEl complaint dlsputlng
the 14 dollam?
Raul Mendez
louotod t€xl hldd6nl
Curtlr Thrden <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
ftu. Oci t0. 20re d 3$8 PU
Hi Raul,
lf you only pay your monthly usage amount in full and not the S14.0O, the payment will apply to any past due amount first, therefore you will
never be up for a disconnection. Your account will always show S14 past balance plus a 1% late fee added each month (14 cents the first
month). ln summary, as long as you pay for your usa8e you will not receive a disconnection notice; therefore you can take as long or as much
time as you want to file a formal complaint.
lf you flb a formal complaht snd the Commissloners accept the complaint, lntermountain 6as will respond to the Gomnbdon.
Sincerely,
I
httns.//mail onnole cnm/mail/rtlfilib:a\7fi46nRrlO&rricrrr:nf,Prcaornh=all.P'-amfLirl:+L.oo.l 1', 11 lanlo
':ry
l
I
II
\Jrllall - uurrlaut ruqurry
hurtdorGilumroucl
t f,t tmeeeool.nno
rag,c y ()r IJ
Raul mondcz <[e-mail]>
To: Cu3tomer Sorvlce IGC <[e-mail]>Sat, Nov 3, 201E at 2:0E PM
I hav€ boon lnbrm€d by EtAda that a plodgo tor 123 dollars would appear on my lG account som.Um6 ln tho mlddl. of Nov.mbcr. I rrc.lvod tha latrst
8tatem€nt 3hourlng .14 cants lnl€Est on tho dlsputod 14 dollar lnluauon tc6. Ploas€ do not utlllzo tho 123 b pay tho dlsputrd cfiargct a8 I'm ltlllwortlng on
how to put togethor tho brmal complaint ln hont ot the IPUC commlE3lon€rs whlcft lf they r!tus€ wlll b€ appcalcd b tho ldaho Suprcmo Court. I wlll ralt ralo
agaln do not use tha 123 dollar3 hom ElSde to pey tho 14 plust hterBgt.
Thank you,
Raul Mendez
l0volrd lcn hlddlnl
Guatomsr Sorvlco IGC <Cu8bm€[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
T|,l, ,aov t, 2010 rt 4:47 PII
Good Aftemoon Raul,
Thank you for your conospondenco. Unbnunatav, whon a paymrnt ls rBcslvod ln our olflco, no matbr th6 sourcq I airplo md tha trpd.h[tq{l.nl
poaton of ttc bfi tl'lt Our sy3tem do6r not allow tor us to maks exoaptom and dlst€gad portons of thc balanc! whrn cGdttlng an account.
IfU|€UHEAPp|€dg€ot$123.00 lsI€colvsdlnourolllco, ltwlll paythorntI€bahnc.. ltwlll rnottllk lynrultlnacGdltonlh€.ccountthatwlll balppllrd
towad tufur€ chargos ar woll.
Tlrc 114,00 srrrt hn 0or ts .t wdl !! lhr hb[!d ot ttl. pst Olc lC.ttc lt .tomd, rtld rytr m.ndabd, ry oqr T.r[t lhd b .gptoyGd by flc kbtro
R.tbtcUfnrCtrmr*t bn.
Plsase cllck the llnks balolrv to r6ferBnco tho appllcable rule8:
http://puc.idaho.gov/laws/Utility%20CustomeP 20Rehtions%20Rules_2010.pdf
202. DUE DATE OF BILLS - DELINQUENT BILLS (Rule 202).
0t. Ordlnary Due Date. The utility may rcquire that bills for service be paid wlthin a gpecified time afier the billing date. The minimum
specified time afrer the billing date is fifleen (15) days (or twelve (12) days atsr meiling or dellvory, lf bills are mailed or delivered more
than three (3) days afrer the billing date.) Upon the expintion of this time without paymsnt, the bill may be conslrcrud delinquent. C/-1-93)
http://puc. idaho. gov/llleroomltarlft/gaG/lntsrmountalngas.pdf
8.{ An 'Acoourd lnfraton Ch.rgp' h tto .mount o( 114.00 during regular buslne8r
houB and $40.00 ouElde of rsgular bu8lne$ hours wlll be ass€ssed on oach
accourd opafild urltr tha ComFIry $d Wll b€ bllled wlth the lirst l€gular blll.
This charge will not apply to landlord tamporary servlce wh€ra a landlord has
slgned a Contnuous Servica AgrBamont or to codo comPllancs lnsp€ctions
mandatod by the ldaho Publlc Utllitles Commi$lon
4.3 All blllings r6nd6r€d shall bo net and oech monthly blll shall be due and payablo
withh 1 5 days from the date ol rBndltlon, excopt as provldod for ln th€ ldaho
Public Utllltle3 Commi$lon's CIPUC') Utilty Customer Rolatlons Rules. W?l€n
the customer account ls partlcipathg ln the 6l6ctronlc transler of funds, the
billlngs Ehall be due and payabl€ wlthin 11 days from tho dste ot rendiuon.
Lk^.//-^:l -^^-t^^^-/-^:l/..lnqil.-^<nit4.^OAng..,i^..-+9.^^^-^L-^tl 9.-^-+L:J-+L-^^l 1llnl^A1 o
dnail - IG Fees Page 13 of73
Curtis
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
From: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 3:28 PM
IQuoted toxt hiddenl
Iquoled l6xt hiddonl
Rrul fcndcz <[e-mail]> Thuio0t3fr.80u.tit3t PU
To: Curffs fiaden <[e-mail]> i 'r
Ok. My next questlon then is lf I prevail on the appeal of the 14 dollsr inltiatlon h€ then the 14 dollar plus lnterost wlll bs eras€d ftom my account?
plus lwlll request lG from cfiarglng improper bee in he fufurc to cusbmers. Does the IPUC regulatec water, healng, and electiclt? I see that
the ldaho Supreme court web5ite has a placa br coud help ln whlch they mention that you do (cee link). ln adtlition, lt appeare lhst accordlng to
such llnk they have the bllowing lnformatlon regardlng deposiUhe prior to starting servlce:
My lumod on my no. llouEver, a ulllity ruy chargo a doposil when
-it they
so, t sr.m8 lfllB ths lG rebslb ls acenstl h that thry can dwp s tsc ody afrcr mn-peyment. h rddllgl, donl tho ruleE all th8 samo tur aH
fiI€s uufl$Gs?
Sincerely,
Raul
https :/courBelft olp. ldaho. gorr/brocfi ures/H-7. pdf
lostrd toxt hiddlnl
{
l
Curtls Thrden <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
Tns, l.lov 0,2016 at 1:14 PM
Hi Raul,
lf the Commissioners wcreto rule in your hvor lam certaln that lntermountain 6as would be ordered to remo!,/e the S14 fee and interest
charges from your account.
fie Commlssion regulates investor-owned or privately owned utilities thal provide gas, water, electricity or some telephone services for profit,
We do not regulate services provided by Co-Ops' or municipalities. The UCRR (Utility Customer Relation Rules) apply to electric, gas and water
utilities. The TCRR (Telephone Customer Relation Rules pertain to telephone companies.
Keep in mind that anytime a customer cancels service and then requests service to be reconnected, lntermountain Gas will charge the S14 fee.
Idaho Power will do the same though the fee is S20. This is allowed per the each Company Tarlff on flle wtth the Commission and is not ln ,v
vlolation of arry rule, Atso, l(sep ln tnind that both lntermour*ain @s End Halro Power kicrn costs when havhg tg rcconri€ct servlce and those ,'1
costs are not recovered in rates.
Curtis
rrmarl - lu lees rage zl ot tJ
I do hope your situation improves.
As previously dlscussed, in review of the Utility Customer Relations Rules a "customer" ls classified as someone who ls receivlnr service from a
utility, When a customer requests service to be disconnected, the indlvidual is !g!g!ggI receiving service and therefore is no longer a customer
of the utility. The account is closed out and a final billing is generated; therefore the indlvidual is no longer a customer of the utility. S[mru
tarlfr, under
Section 9.4 notnewac@$tt,
Suez Water doer not charge an account inithtion or service establishmcnt charge. Each utility h6 lts oiln set of grddEllnss, business practk€s,
and rate design so policy will vary from utllity to utility.
Though I understand your position, I do mt believe the Commhsion wi$ waive a fee that h6$ prevbusly beell approyed by the Commlssion, but
you can certainly file a formal complaint if that is what you choose to do.
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
From: Raul Mendez [mallto:[e-mail]]
Scnt: Thursday, November 8, 2018 3:07 PM ''\
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
Sublect Re: lG Fees \
\.t\
Curtis, '\.
br new accounto. A reconnect fte applles when fie utility
with the utility sending a tech to reconnect servlce for
sending someone to tum on the Bervico after a soasonal 6hut ofr.
saylng that ll is a be connected with sendlng som€ono to tum lt
fum on the servica on an axis$ng account. lfs Just lhat they aro not
they clalm lt ls an lnlllation be on an new account.
Wtat Ebout Suez? I was told that a lot of poople requests ofis during winter if they aro away from homs to avold trozen pipes. they
don't charge an inltlauon lee on exlEtlng accounts. aren't the it makes no sens€ to charge lnitiatlon bec on exlsting accounts and
the only reason people
non-existent in ldaho.
ln my posi$on temporarily shut ofi ls to money since you already know that public uUlity aseletanc€ ls almost
Besicslly, lt eppears that the is that in ldaho cannot shut off their servlces becauEe it loooes money to
the ufllity companles? I hop€ my sltuauon will year but I still ifs worth to di8pute lhe chaEe Elnce tak6n ln the context of how
mudt they are charglng br lnltation hes to oher
chaEing 14 dollarg on exlsling accounb. I'm still
then you realize they are mEking a lot of money on the gueEtbnable pradice of
research so it might a while because I want to give myself the b€st chance ln cas€ it
ends up belng appealed to $e lclaho Supreme
Sincerely,
Raul
d-
i
I
.r, ,46.t ?4 r. _oln o_,-:_____r0-_____L__ll O__^_+L.ll+L_^^l 1a11 la0lg
for servtce tE be establblted ls requested.
Basically,
I
(
rmage.png
MAKE A PAYMENT
PAYTEXl SOURC;,
ADD BANK ACCOUNT v PAYgEilI OAT:
06t21t2018 v P4YtrE{1 ATOUNT
t37.02 v
, This rccount is on oBill.
VIew your lalesi statemenl below.
:intir:i).-lo.f]!tiler..!il,r!lsI)rfii$
rage I ot I
ox
q i.',,,rr'
ADD AN ACCOUNT -2734513000-2 $topped
t
A
537 02 $37.02 05t25t2018
n,nGJr(o(Fnylu:l l
_4Of
INTERMOUNTAIN
6A5 COMPANY
s'GN OUT
Q lype hac to sorch
iA/a/^nro
XAKE PAYIEilT
ConrallDili, rarln, "tr/ ,0.fm&(0'al t.
= MENU
0 '1'llnlJ,,..,:,.3,],]1"i: j [l iI
(
rmage.png Page I ofl
$ Automatlc Paymonts
Sign up for Autopay
y' Tlrls account ls on 69lll.
View your lalesl statement below
;i.i1ltL.t.iEi:aiu:!:jqi*rliaxlls
VIEW STATEMENTS
CURREI{T 9IATEM€NT AMOU}IT CURRE'IT PAYMENI DUE DAIE$2846 ES@
VIEW FRlt{T. OR OOW|ILOAD (ckcl or rhumbBil)
niil slate$inr RacX of Blll Cr0$s 8ore..
PAYMENT HISTORY
)aH Level Pay
Sign up for Level Pay
Prymcril Statua
CURREtr"t STAIEMENT DAIE
10i44!2418
Galekeeper.
CURRENT ACCOUitT BALANCE .
273451 C000
928.46
SELECTA STATEMENT
STATEMENT DATE
10t04t2018 v
{*
ii?u!Lrl.4 l-]-ij il1-l .'.l,ll
Tracking Numbct *Paym.nt D.tc
05/31/201 I
P.ym.nt Amount
s37 02
@ O Tvpeheretos€arch 0
t,
q
ADD AN ACCOUNT .$28 4{;
c
AIIT&:,,9!t$ArN
n
e
$28 46 | 1At2?1201{l
ntS@re:l6C - Onine Ac
l,iiertrroutrta,rt Gd! Coupany [tlS] i htlp!'.s5lorcer.intgd5.aufir
rY:
,i,,**P*0CftAlltCATflcr{R
OomFlati{t
(Slctl OUT
'l
{cl,lr,!iial.ilrll arr,rrritiJ! fiur!trl
=t€NU
213151300{) 2 Actil}
'Ei i! c$1r?'; fM
1 o/9/2i] r c Lrd .. flJ 4,)
lmage.png
A
!| O rvr",,.,"*oi,.i-"'^-^-
a,D
ll'i:, 3:r-:.Y.;" v ir r..;:.i.rit, w a
O Doae lntcrmountaln Gas ch.rge.ny cpcclal h.ndllng racs?
Our goal is to keep costs for service to our customers as low as possible. ln orcier to do thrs we believe individual
customers should bear the cost of any specral handling ihey require instead ol having all customers pay for
these services. The ldaho Public tJtilit,es Commissicn autlrorizes lntermountain to recozer the follo,rring costs:
. lntorc5t on Prst Oua Accounts Amcunts due for your previous month's gas bill, which remein unpaid at
the rime of the nert billing date, u:ill be assessed interest at the rate cfl% per month. Participants in the
l-evel Payment Program will be exempt from late payment interest charges.
. Flrld Collectlon Fcc fl5: lf a company represeniai;ve mus! \,lEil your home lo ccllec! a past due payment, a
$.l5 fee viill be assessed, lf gas service is diEr:c'ntinueC. this charge does noi apply (see Recon,'lection Fee).
. Riconnactlon Fac: A re.otlhection fee is assersed when service is restored for a customer after a non-pay
service inierruptiorr. Ttiis fee is $22 <iuring the hcurs of 8:CCt a.rn. to 4:3O p.nr- and $44 during the hours of
4r3O p.m^ tllrough 7:00 p,nr., Monday through Friciay. A reconnection fee of 950 will be charged on weekencis
or Ccrrpany hcllidays.
. Retumed Prym€nt Fcc 32O: Ihis chatge st''all epply w'hen a payment (check or electronic) is not honored
and rerurnecl by the bank.
. Accounl lnltl.tlon FGc $14 or !$4Oi Eaclr new acccurlt ooened \4iih lntermountain B a.m. to 5 p.m., t\,.londay
through Friciay, will be billed a $]4 fee lvith llre f irst regular bill,.A $40 fee will be charged for all accounts
opened after 5 p,m,, Monday tlrrougir F.riday, weekends or lrolidays.
O How docs the Lrwcl Psy progrrm work?
O How docs the Autopay progrem work?
O llow cen I3witch to pepcrlcss bllling st:tcm.nts?
O Do you havc a thlrd-perty notlficttion program?
0 Where can I gct motc lnformrtion about cntrgy assistancc?
0
Page I of 1
g
(
:. , - - .:, Y
C a lillp5 v/srv.r'rtrjd!-({rn
6 lA{.b " lnleror6ntB,n a;as C ril
Ei El c,.. 8r,1,) r;XL;rYs U18
I
Y-
I.P.U.C. GasTarlff
Secfron A
Elohth Rs\rlgad SheetNo.6
Mme
of U$lty lntermountain Gas Company
tDAlto PuBuc ununEs commssloNApprcvd Efhctlw
tlay l$ 2014 mry26,201.1
Jean D. Jewall Sectatary
9. DISCONTINUANCE AHD REGONI{ECTION OF SERVICE
9.1 WhEn a customer dEslres to dlscontlnue seMoe hE shall glve noflcg to the
Company at lEasttwo business dap ln advancE and shall be responslble for all
gas consumed for lhe two days after date of guch notce.
The Company may dlsoontnue seMce for any of the reasons set brth ln the
IPUG's Utllg Customer Relaflons Rules. SeMcE cannot be dlsconnectEd on
legal holldays recogntsed by the state of ldaho or any dayr where the Company
is not open for buslness.
9.3 Whenever seMce has been discontnued by the Company for any roason
speclfled ln the IPUC's Ufllity Customer Relatlons Rulee, a charge to rscover
the reconnec'tlon shall be collected by the Gompany before servlce ls restorpd.
SeMce shal! be reconnected as soon as posslble, but no later than twenty-four
(24) hours after the customer has made satiefuctory payment anangements
with the Gompany. The chalge for reconnectlon shall be:
$22,00, provlded saUsfadory anangemenE for payrnent of all proper drarges
have been made durlng the hours of 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday
throqh Frlday, except Company holldays; or
$44.00 lf such arangements are made during the houns of 4:30 p.m. through
7:00 p.m. Mondaythrough Frlday, except Gompany holldarc.
lf such anangements are made durlng hours other than the aboro, the
rsconnecton shall be oompleted on the follorlng day except br medlcal
emergencles or where a customer has beEn dlsconnected ln enor. A
rs@nnectlon completed on a weekend or Gompany hollday wlll be charged
$50.00.
Reconnec{ons required for medlcal emergendes or where a customer has
been disconnected ln enorwilt be completed the same day, lncludlng Company
holldays and weekends.
9.4 An 'Account lnltiaflon Charger ln the amount of $14,00 durlng ragular buslnesg
houna and $40.00 olrblde of regular businese hourE wlll bg assossd on eaclr
account opened wlth thE Company and wltl be bllled wlth the flrst regular blll.
Thb charge wlll not apply to landlord temporary seMce where a landlord has
slgned a Contnuous Servle Agreement or to code compllance lnspectlons
mandated bythe ldaho Publlc UUlttes Commlsslon.
hsu€d by: lntermountaln Gas Gompany
By MlchaelP. Mc€rath
Effsctve: May26,2O14
TiUe: Dlredor - Regulatory Affairs
9.2
nGcS?
EI fr
.E.a6g
= uiof(EFo o6E *:0_=oEE8
E# [- LJ
,- 9,9tr oO8Eeo'E or ;EE! E
QAEI'tz b E
^I EEE
- E tE
sSEA:I E BE,
S: rf ;€ E5EE
EEasEEaiigEE$
S E
:iBEE EJE JEE
oEo(f,
-E(ECoo
EHsoPo:>E'6
EUooo€eb
B6E? ctroo8EE3ge>oq)
E,e!i9-rts(r
$H
^E6t d.sEE B
EH8.Y I,,
EH
,ac,9
E
oo
6oEo
Eo
E€;EEp.tIlsHi r
qEgEEEE
gEIEEEE
Sli oEEeg
EilEi!EEc! EtlrF (E OE X
= tir o IEJ o 0)
Et-.4 \
HEss i ur
rs$HE Eg
iET$* "uafl
EFI F$EB A
E EE g
E g '
$*E$EE
rgEiE xo'r= -.:i: o c
I5 E EBE€= E sEedt-O n tu h cD
gEiHii
: i,E i,Eg
!ud9
eBE(E'=oE_gE
EE
(EE(JJaP
EberrE OFotrtr.9 6.1612(l)fzoa)
s ce3 6 .E , E
ErAgggEEE=gEgEFE
EEi,BiiEiEBFEiiEg,ga;;i H€:Ecr:e;$iEgsi
5s
H!t>Ebggio>r\et
8.S P*ESss$-E$
at
5
ooL-o
-oo.2
L.E
!9s!9
EB-0)co'6oE-!Et,ooo(,o9ge,tE o)
0eEei'i
EE
E;fii,siE
EEEig{g
*EfigEEE*eFoES=E>E;E.dEso_E
IE B*EgEB
3P:= ,l.
iH E
E H;\-LO)g {E t,
= -'= g): ts Etru - (DE
9!89
;efi E
;E an
+EEEEAAFJE' >O.
I -orc >€aI E I
H;E i€E - - L.-
- A! J{5i as.
EEggE6I9 EebP9EETEYEE! EEBeE FgEb-S 6 o O=
1E 3E E2€ Ee E
E>t c\Er .E
Lq\
$ Eg 3,O R5 E* Irt
!EEEtr )oooE\E= .EEE E3E86E
*
.9crt€o\Ec-G
Ef;
-iSE}o-.#g:soh7;
ES
=
eS(EQSa
€E
BE
ERIo
I
{(E 6' -oC e :lI(! :(b!JO- osic -os frE;E;ri
ItfiEEExs
EEBB$€EH
EE$EEEEEI
EEiggBE
o
.iia\rE
tla5
EtrGo
ogotr
osgi;
-oE3oO.99>Etro<I
i:::
E : : :-:? , io . f IE',:ii :;:-:*iEig: ,**i:E ii ii lqfii'2 '? { E gi
sEseEeEgEfrEEE$
x e"E EE; F_sea5 6-9r i
fis Ei$;
'sE PPl€
iEE+Eas- e -tEE E
= 5 Ur=: E. E. 9,8; 8
b
'6 >-l-c€ q=
a.o glc
H EEIe
'E I ql*
€6 g{H
u! c <l x
a'f; 3lEo o\l L
E 3=6leo -ctfo
-s9o lt)Lo
-Y'=o.=EEooOv .iiFE>\E oI hetrEOf oiO CDE> o.p
8.9. _E6
.o'g6'6o=CEoo(9(J
oo
.9too
1'
G
EDoJ
o
(Eg
jsjffii jlEgtffiir
=:ozzu
=
o_aOEi)'f,l!9or-cc
oo)o(od) d)oo++cn(')(f) (O
t
.9o.9
Etrtr
=llN6PRoE98S;
=>r-. Of E.9Esfilt$)o.
o
og
=o!-o(!-c 0,.9. bEo(!-tr6-goll
a.sCt/Jg.e i(! ='6Yra#c E.6 5.e =6,.(n fHoo
(L 6'do E€f ot
uiO= r,gl E.qF>=E#=
I 6.eo .E;6oa
= (E0-'# Ee^9sEg
-E'E 9(U g=i !ar ? ol.9
EiEE
-eLEi(,ot
iEEE
aa