20190301Decision Memo.pdf

DECTSION MEMORANDUM
COMMISSIONER KJELLANDER
COMMISSIONER RAPER
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON
COMMISSION SECRETARY
LEGAL
WORKING FILE
FROM: BEVERLY BARKER
FEBRUARY28,20I9 )),)T_ G_ tq oz
FORMAL COMPLAINT OF RAUL MENDEZ AGAINST
INTERMOUNTAIN GAS COMPANY
DATE:
SUBJECT:
On January 25,2019, Raul Mendez filed a formal Complaint, Attachment A hereto,
against Intermountain Gas Company (the Company). Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to order
the Company to:
(l) Refund a $14.00 Account Initiation Charge, plus accumulated interest applied to
his account in October 2018;
(2) Pay costs of $72.00 incurred in the drafting of his Complaint;
(3) Bar the Company from charging fees for voluntarily disconnecting service,
especially if the reason for requesting disconnection is due to hnancial hardship;
(4) Warn the Company that they must comply with the Commission's rules; and
(5) Warn the Company "about manipulation of fees to the detriment of Idaho
customers."
See Complaint at l0-1 l.
Mr. Mendez filed his Complaint after becoming unsatisfied with the outcome of informal
proceedings, His formal Complaint thus asks the Commission for "more accountability and
transparency of the IPUC complaint process and to warn staff of not giving the appearance of
bias."
IDECISION MEMORANDUM FEBRUARY 28,2019
TO:
BACKGROUND
Mr. Mendez contacted Commission Staff several times about the Company's rates and
charges and his bills. In this particular instance, Mr. Mendez objects that the Company charged
him an Account Initiation Charge after he tried to save money by having the Company
disconnect his service in the sunmer and then reconnect service at the same address before
winter. Mr. Mendez questions whether the Account Initiation Charge is "a valid charge on an
already existing account" and whether a customer o'can disconnect gas service without incurring
additional fees such as an initiation fee for restarting service." See Complaint at l. Staff notes
that the Commission has authorized the Company to assess an Account Initiation Charge
whenever an account is opened. See Intermountain Gas' Tariff, Section A, Sheet No. 6, Section
9.4, and Attachment B hereto. Mr. Mendez also questions the amounts billed by the Company in
the past during the summer, when he believes no gas was consumed. See Complaint at l.
Mr. Mendez also alleges that Commission Staff violated his right to due process during
informal proceedings. Specifically, he complains that Staff insufficiently explained the
Commission's rules and the Company's rates and charges. See Complaint at 7,9 and 10.
Finally, Mr. Mendez's Complaint refers to the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
However, it is unclear which specific collection practices of the Company he disputes and how
this federal law might apply under the circumstances. See Complaint at 9 and 10.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the Commission issue a surnmons to Intermountain Gas and direct
it to file a response to the Complaint.
Further, given that Mr. Mendez has identified several issues that are more appropriately
addressed by Staff, Staff requests that it also be allowed to respond to the Complaint.
Staff recommends the Commission allow the Company and Staff to file their responses
within 2l days after the Commission issues the summons.
Staff recommends that the Commission then allow Mr. Mendez 14 days after the
response deadline to file a reply.
Finally, Staff recommends that the Commission direct the Company, Staff and Mr.
Mendez to meet within 30 days after Mr. Mendez's reply deadline to explore whether they might
2DECISION MEMORANDUM FEBRUARY 28,2019
resolve some or all of the issues. Staff then would update the Commission within 14 days about
settlement efforts in order to allow the Commission to make a decision.
COMMISSION DECISIONS
Does the Commission wish to:
(l) Accept Mr. Mendez's formal Complaint?
(2) Issue a sunmons to Intermountain Gas, giving the Company 2l days to respond
after the summons issues?
(3) Allow Staff to respond to the Complaint within 21 days after the summons issues?
(4) Allow Mr. Mendezto reply within 14 days of the response deadline?
(5) Direct the Company, Staff and Mr. Mendezto meet and confer within 30 days of
the reply deadline, with Staff to report to the Commission within 14 days on the
outcome of the meeting or with further process recommendations?
Udmenros/Decision Memo Mendez scklibbrev
)DECISION MEMORANDUM FEBRUARY 28,2019
ATTACHMENTA
RaulMendez
2712N. Goldeneye Way
Meridian,ID 83646
PH (208)860-s037
Rau lmendez2002 @gmai l.com
r\1'.i.r / t'-
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
RAUL MENDEZ,
Complainant,
VS
INTERMOUNTAIN GAS COMPANY,
Respondent.
CASE No.
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 ldaho Public
Utilities Commission thru the Informal complaint procedure, Rule 402 0I; IDAPA 31.21.U. 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 ldaho Public Utilities Commission violated his Due Process rights and Intermountain
Gas violated his rights under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA).
ISSUES
l) ls an account initiation fee of$14 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
restafting service?
TACTUAL BACKGROUND
On 71612017, Mr. Mendez contacted responde nt questioning why he had been charged $7,4 I for July
2017 when on July 2016 and over the entire Summer of 20 I 6 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 identicalsince 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.
On7/712017, Respondent explained that the difference in the bill from 2016 summer ta2017 summer is
due to the customer charge going from $2.50 to $5.50 as of 51112017.
On712512017, Mr. Mendezcalled utility to ask how to disconnect service overthe 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 l4 dollar reconnect fee to restart service in the winter.
On 713012017, 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 8/3/201?,Mr, Mendez requested respondent send to him the information where it says that there is a
l4 dollar reconnect fee.
On 8/4/2017, Respondent explained to Mr. Mendez that the $ l4 fee is not a reconnect fee but initiation
fee for starting service. He was directed the FAQS on the company's website. see exhibit l.
On 814/2017, 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 disconnectg{d4_
to non-pa.vment. The company's website indicate that an initiation fee is charged on each account opened
with Intermountain gas. see exhibit 1.
On 8/9/201 7, Mr. Mendez contactcd 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 AuBust 2017 when there is no gas usage
see exhibit l.
On 812412017, 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 rvill be the same as the closed out
account, He stated that ifan account is closed for longer than l0 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 thc summer months Therm usage is being recorded.
More than likely the recorded usage is from a pilot lisht 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.
On9/1212017, 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 still 4 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 and 2017 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 41301201E, Mr. Mendez conlacted 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 5/2/2018, Respondent talked to Mr, Mendez on the phone and provided him with Order
No2738941026 and indicated there would be a $i4 initiation fee to restart service,
On 514/2018, Mr, Mendez told respondent that the $ I4 fee is for new accounts but his account has been
openforl5years.
On 51412018, Respondent told Mr, Mendez that once your account is closed for l0 days you're no longer a
customer. So, the $14 initiation fee for a new account rvould apply when you start service in the fall.
see exhibit l.
On 511212018, 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 l.
On 5/ I 8120 I 8, Mr. Mendez told respondent that his account has been opened for I 5 years and that they
are trying lo charge l4 dollars to restart the sen,ice on an existing account rvhich is current and not
stopped due to non-payment. see exhibit l.
On 6/712018, 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 bul not on existing accounts that have been temporarily disconnected.
On 6/8/2018, Mr. Thaden told Mr. Mendez that Section 9.4 of the approved tariff allows intermountain
gas to charge a fee of$14 or $40 whenever a customer requests service, even ifthe requeslor previously
had an active account. If a customer requests disconnection of service, 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 I.
On 6/1412018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that he had not being able to find anywhere where it
specifically states that an existing account becomes a ne\\, account after it has been closed for more than
I 0 days.
On 6/1912018, 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
utilit}l. see exhibit l.
On 712012018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. Thaden that under section 9.4 of the tariff and 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 cuslomer of the
utility. If he/she, at a later date decides to become a customer again, and requests service be established,
an account is opened."
On 812/2018, 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 pa.v and automatic
withdrawal from the individuals banking account. see exhibit l.
On 81212018, 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.
An 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." l'ermination by the utility refers to
any condition that brought about the termination of service rvhich includes customer requests. see
exhibit I.
On 8/ l5/201 8, 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 sen,ice which includes customer requests."
On 10/917A18, Mr. Mendez contacted respondent noting that he received the bill for lA/2018 for which l4
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, lG will respond to the Commission. see exhibit 1.
On 10/25/2018, Mr. Mendez attached a link from the ldaho Supreme Court for Mr. Thaden review. The
link is a guide regarding the IPUC and utilities in ldaho. lt asks the question: my utility charged me a
deposit before they turned on my service, Can they do_!_hat? Usually. no. However. a utility ma.v
charge a deposit when they turn on your sefvice 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 ll/612018, 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
t.
On ll/612018, Mr. fhaden 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 f'ee 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 Intermountain Gas and ldaho Power incur costs when having to reconnect
sen,ice and those costs are not recovered in rates. see exhibit l.
On I li8l2018, Mr. Mendez told Mr. l'haden 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 lG are not saying that it is a fee
connected with sending someone to turn il 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 horne
to avoid frozen pipes. They don't charge an initialion fee on existing accounts. aren't the IPUC rules the
same for the utilities?
On 12/412018, 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 $ l4 account initiation fee when a request for
service to be established is requested. For service to be established an account has to be opened. In
review of the company's tariff under sec!!-oq9.4. the wording states "on each accounl oDened" not new
account. Suez water does not charge an initiation fee. Each utility company has its own set of
guidelines. business practices. and rate design so policy will vary from utility to utiliqv. I do not believe
the commission will waive a fee that has previously been approved by the Commission. see exhibit l.
ARGUMENT
Mr, Mendez has only included email correspondence on exhibit I for organizationalpurposes 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.ll v. Idoho Deparlmenl of
Heakh and lVelfore, State of ldaho, Case No I:12-cv-00A22. A US District Court of ldaho case
involving violations of due process rights. He will refer to the FDCPA.
On 5/l 8/2018, Mr. Mendez attached a picture for respondent of his IG accounl showing as the service
being stopped. see exhibit 2. On l0l9l20l 8, 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 1019/2018, Mr. Mendez also attached a picture of respondent's website showing the
fees approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. see exhibit 4. Respondent and Mr. Thaden
freguently refer on the above emails to 9.4 under IG tariff. see exhibit 5. On 1012512018, Mr. Mendez
attached a Iink from the Idaho Supreme Court website to help people with questions about utilities. see
exhibit 6.
Rule 5 of IDAPA 31.2I.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 b.y the utilir.v.
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 l0l.0l states that no utility shall demand or hold a deposit from any current
residential customer or applicant tbr residential service without proof that the customer or applicant is
likely to be a credit risk or damage to property of the utility. A utiliry" 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.vears for one or more of the following reasons: i. nonpayment of any undisputed
delinquent bill; ii. misrepresentation of the customer's or applicant's identiry for the purpose of obtaining
utiliry service. d) the applicant did nol have service with the utiliry for a period of at least I2 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 explanation to the applicant or customer stating the precise
reasons why a deposit is required. The applicant or customer shall be eiven an opportunity to rebut those
reasons.
TDAPA 31.2I.01, Rule 107.02 states that the utility shall promplly 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 I06 for the entire period over
which the deposit was held.
IDAPA 31.0I.01, Rule 2l 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 conesponding with lvlr, l'haden in regards to
his complaint against lntermountain 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, orjust misrepresented information to Mr. Mendez.In the FederalCase K.W
v, Iduho Department of Heohh and ll/elfure, Stute of ldaho. Case No I:12-cv-00022; ludge Winmill
explained that the first 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 notifo
pafiicipants olthe reasons for IDHW's actions. Judge Winmillstated that one of those procedural
protections is the establishment of clear ascertainable standards that "insure fairness and ...avoid the risk
of arbitrary decision making." eitingCarey v. Quern,588 F.2d 230,232 (9th Cir. I97E).
The explanations provided by Mr. Thaden thru the informal complaint violate Due Process because they
make it difficult for people to determine why Respondent/utilities under IPUC Jurisdiction are charging
$14 to reslart service and the conflicting informalion 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 ifthe account had been closed for longer than l0 days and request is made to reconneot 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 davs 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 lC would be
ordered to remove the $ l4 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 Rule 5 defines utilily as any public utility providing gas, electric or water service
subject by law to the Commissioner's jurisdiction. The Utility questions under the the ldaho 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, lntermountain 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.{11 clearly state thal a utiliS- shall not demand or hold a deposit unless; I) 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
anS,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 l2 consecutive months during the last four years
and does not pass an objective credit screen. lt is clear that the l4-dollar initiation fee on Mr. Mendez
case becamc a deposit that respondent charged (to restart service) to an existing account that did not met
any ofthe above eriteria under the rule. Respondent rvould not have been able to assess the l4-dollar lee
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 l2 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 thal "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. Horvever, that is not what the rule states. IDAPA 31.21.01 Rule 5 defines
a customer as any person rvho has applied for, has been accepted by the utility and is: receiving service
from a utilify 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 Tariffactually state that Respondent is allowed
to charge the l4 dollar whenever a customer reguests service even if the reguestor previously had an
active aqcount. 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 lG would be ordered to remove the $ l4 fee and interest charges," then later
on he tells people that "l do not believe the commission rvill 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 debl collectors. Among other provisions, 1'he
FDCPA makes it illegal to: collect charges not permitled by law (15 U.S.C. 1692f(1)); falsely represent
the character, amount or legal status of the debt ( 1692e(2XA)); falsely represent the compensation
lawfully permitted for services ( I 692e(2XB)); 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 692t(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. [n 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. lt was 4 therms summer
2016 as well rvhen there was no gas usage. I-lowever, it was $2.06 and $7.08 in 2016 when the customer
charge was $2.50, lt is still 4 therms summer 2017 bul because the customer charge is now $5.50, it
appears that Intermountain Gas has lorvered 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 and 201 7 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 heal water and when the readings showed a consistent 4 therms during Summer for
many years, precisely because ofthe no usage.
IDAPA 31.21.01, Rule I04 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 opportunily to rebut those
reasons. The assessing ofthe 14-dollar initiation fee to an existing account to restart service is an
example of "collect charges not permitted by law (15 U.S.C, 1692f(l)" and since Due process protections
requires the establishment of clear ascertainable standards that "insure faimess and...avoid the risk of
arbitrary decision making." Carey v. Quern, 588 F.2d 230, 232 (gth Cit, l97E), Having discussed
extensively how the IPUC informal complaint violated Mr, Mendez Due proccss, then stands to reason
that the same explanations given by respondent are in violation of Law including the aforementioned
FDCPA.
CONCLUSION
I ) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission that the l4 dollar "initiation" fee assessed to his existing account in
order to restart service on l0/2018 be refunded along with lnterests accrued since 10/2018.
2) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to Order Respondent to pay costs incurred in the drafting of this
Utility complaint, Mr. Mendez has incurred costs of Gas/mileage in traveling to the Law library to do
research and for printing/copies, His Costs total T2 dollars.
3) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order baning Respondent from charging customer's
fees for voluntarily disconnecting service. Especially if the reasons for disconnect are due to financial
hardship.
4) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order rvaming Respondent that they must comply with
the IPUC Rules.
5) Mr. Mendez asks the Commission to issue an Order warning 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
Cv\^).
Raul Mendez
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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 save 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
[Quoted lext hiddenl
r>
Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
To: Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 3,2017 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 guestions:
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. Why 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 I won't use gas during warm weather
and you won't bill me for it?
4) do you need proof of income? I cannot continue to pay for no use during warm weather and when l'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 tamily 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
I'm not using gas during 5 months of the year.
thank you,
Raul
[Quoted texl hidden]
Gustomer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
To: Rau I 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:/Aruww.intgas.com/utility-navigationlfaqs. tf 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
httne.//tnail rrnnclp nnne/rmail/.'/{l'}ilr-a{lfiARaQAO9,,,iarrenr.0roo^o^L-^ll9'^^*+LiJ*L-^^I 1'rl?//tnl o
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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-7pm
From: Raul Mendez [mailto:[e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, August 03,2A77 5:55 PM
To: Customer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: acct # XXXXXXX0OO 2
.'WARNING: EXTERNAL SENDER. NEVER click links or open attachments without positive sender
verification of purpose. DO NOT provide your user lD or password on sites or brms linked from this email.
{Quoted text hiddenl
Raul Mendez <ra ulmend [e-mail]>
To: Cu stomer Service I GC <[e-mail]>
Fri, Aug 4,2017 at 6:35 PM
Hello,
\*/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 lnterrnountain 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
l..+f-.. //*6: I ^^^^l o ^^* /m^:I /.. /n9:1,-^ <"n A C^O So 0.-,2^.,-.-+ 9-^^^-^L-^rI g--^*aL:JJL-^ - J I ^ /t /^n 1 o
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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 1% 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).. Reconnectlon Fee: A reconnection fee is assessed when service ls restored fur a customer after a
non-pay service lnterruption. 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 lnitlation Fee $14 or $40: Each new account opened with lntermountain 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, willbe billed a $14 fee with the first regular bill. A $40 fee will be charged for
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 otf 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 service after 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
lQuoted text hiddenl
*i
C ustomer Service IGC <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
Mon, Aug 7,2017 at 8:38 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. tg 7 p.m. We will no correspond with you by email on
this matter.
Sincerely,
Mary, Customer Support Lead
httns.//mail snnole enm/mail/rrl0,lik=n\"l$46a*d9&vieul:nt*'cearch=all&nermthiddhrpnd- 1711 n0.19.
lmAll - II-D: aCCt fi l\a,-4,^,-ar-ar-tlUUU Z
lntermountain Gas Company
Phone: [phone], M-F, 7 am-7 pm
r4Btr / Ur rr
ffiffittw
From : Ra u I Me nd ez I ma i lto :ra u I m endez2002@g m a il. co m J
Sent: Friday, August A4,2At7 6:35 PM
louoted text hiddenl
[Ouoted text hidd6n]
Raul Me ndez <raulmend [e-mail]>
To : Customer Service IGC <Cu sto merService@intgas. com>
Wed, Aug 9,2017 at 5:50 PM
Mary,
you have email and social media available to customers, presumably so that customers can contact you. I
already call and talked to Sydney who told me that you would not waive the misleading 14 dollar reconnect
fee. she also told me that you do not have any kind of customer assistance program for low-income people
who would quality for it. lt seems like lntermountain Gas is the only utili$ 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 eustomer charge of 5.50 that is now fixed. I don't understand then how Xi
the charge for this month is 8.05 as opposed to7.41 from last month and7.41 this month plus .07 interest. '1'
The bill should be 14.89.
how is lt possible 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 lext hiddenl
Raul Mendez <raulmend [e-mail]>
To: Customer Service IGC <Cu stomerService@ intgas. com>
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 l'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
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Ra ul Mendez <raulmend [e-mail]>lY Gmail
FW: lntermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,
5 messages
C urtis Thaden <Curtis. Thaden@puc. idaho. gov>
To: "raulmen [e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 24,2017 at 4:03 PM
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 vyas approved (Case
No. INT-G-16.42) 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. 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 month.
lf a customer requests disconnecton of seMce the account ls officially closed. \A/hen the customer places
a request to reconnect a $14 "A,ccount lni$?tion Charoe" ls assessed to open a new aocount (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 mada to establish service again
an "Account lnitiation Charge" is assessed. Please note that if the account is closed for longer than 10-
days and a request is made to reconnect service the utility compsny will consider that person an applicant
and not a customer.
lf you are disconnected from service for non-payment and then reconnected a "Reconnection Fee" ol $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 callthem to get an answers.
*
t --'-1 t--t^n\---En.'Ar-OJng-.,:^,.--+9,-^^-^L-^ll.C'-aarl.irl:th'oarl I1/</1n19I
Gmail - FW: Intermorutain Gas, Raul Mendez,Page 2 of l0
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on disconnection of services due to financial hardships, assistanceprograms, and consistent utility statement fees.
Sincerely,
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
248434-0322
Original Message
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.
l'm low income and I don't use gas during warm weather. I contacted lntermountain gas via their email
address around 7l5nl17 wondering why the fue has gone up fmm 5.34 lo7.41every monlh during
sum,n€r when for many yearB it had been 5,34. I was told that I had to submit any questions/concerns via
their internal messaging system on tfie customers accounl. lG has socialmedia, email, and phone as
means for customer's to contact them.
So, I asked them via their internal messaging system on my customer's account why the fee had gone up
from 5.34 to 7.41 when 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 fonparded to the customers email address.
However, I noticed that after a few days the company responses disappeared from the copy that had been
fonvarded 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 for low-
income customeds.
I asked lG for a copy of the policy stating that there is a 14 dollar reconnect fee.
On 8t412017 a supervisor send me a link of the special fees stating that the 14 dollar is an "initiation" fee
for starting service. This is what the sites state:
Does lntermountain Gas charge any special handling fees?
Gmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,rage J or lu
Our goal is to keep costs for service to our customers as low as possible. ln order to do this we believeindividual customers should bear the cost of any special handling they require instead of having all
customers gay for these services. The ldaho Public Utilities Commission authorizes lntermounEin torecover 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 per month.
Participants in the Level Payment Program will be exempt from late payment interest charges.' Field Cotlectlon Fee $15: lf a company representative must visit your home to collect a pist due
payment, a $15 fee will be assessed. lf gas service is discontinued, this charge does not apply (see
Reconnection Fee).
' Roconnection Fae: 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 shallapply when a payment (check or electronic) is not
honored and returned by the bank.. Account lnltlatlon 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 flrst regular bill. A $40 fee will be charged for
all accounts opened after 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, weekends or holidays,
I pointed out to the supervisor that lG is misleacting cugtomers. An inftiation fee ls when an account is
being opened and there is a reconnect fee only after service has been shut down due to non-payment.
I received the latest statement Ehowing an increase in the per and there
is no use. lt should be the Eame every month when there Is
during thls time of the year show exacfly the sarne fee when past.
lntermountiain gas stated that they would no longer answers my questions via emailand 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.
I bolieve that customers should be able to disconnect seruices if they are not using themiin Frticular if the
reason for disconnectng it is due to financial hardship. I believe that utlitles should have sor.e sort of
assistance program br low-income customers, and l-believe that thd irtitity sta6mdnl fees should be the
same every monh if the service is not being used (assuming there is no late charges/interests) and in fact
prior years show that the statements have 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. Unfortunately, lG is
the only gas provider and so it's not like customers can just switch service provider's.
Sincerely,
Raul Mendez
Raul Mendez <raulmend e22002@gmail. com>
To: beverly. [e-mail]
Mr. thaden,
See my responses below.
See my responses below.
Forwarded message
From: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, Aug 24, 2017 al4:03 PM
Mon, Aug 28,2417 at 11 :03 PM
t---rro----+L!l+L-^^,l trl</rnlQ
*^il vw, r\sgr rrlvltugzJ,rage 4 ot l0
Subject: FW: lntermountain Gas, RaulMendez,
To: "raulmen [e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
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-16.42) 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. lntermountain Gas asked ficr $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. I understand that intermountain
Gas decided to make it a flat fee of 5.50 year round, However, lt do€F not axplaln why $g por thsrms and
y!distribution c-ost changed in fte months when here hqs;lqan.no u8eg6 of gae AtlD whEn br many years it{-has not reflectad a change ln the per trarms and distributbn.an$S.' lt should be the same when there is
no usage of servlce like it has been in prioryears
lf a customer requests disconnection of service the account is officially closed. When 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
$40. Any time a customer voluntarily stops service and then a request is made to establish service again
an "Account lnitiation Charge' is assessed. Please note that if the account is closed hr longer than 10-
days and a request is made to reconnect service the utility company will consider that person an applicant
and not a customer. I have read the entire policy of lntermountain gas and that is not what it states. I
highlighted in blue on my previous message what the policy defines as an "initiation fee" and "Re
connection fee" as approved by the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. Reconnection Fee: A
reconnection fee is assessed when service is restored for a customer after a_ng04gylg$gg-i3lggC-p!ls0
Account lnitlation 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 problams diaconnecting unused service and not charging fees tur
re-connecting service for the same accounUcustomer? arbn'l you the ones regulating the utlities? how is
that fair 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.
lf you are disconnected from service for 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]. There is a misconception that all these "assistance agencies" such as
EIADA, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Ada County lndigent Services, etc will pay for everyone that
't-i
httns.//mail ooooleenm/mail/rrtl'lili:^\"ln46nQrlO,&rrierrdar.lroaa,aL=^ll9;r^*+Li'l<L'^^l lnr<r^n! o
Gmail - FW: Intermormtain Gas, Raul Mendez,Page 5 of l0
walks thru their doors. Unfortunately, I called around and all of them have no funding even lf you doqualify. they have limited funding thru the year, rely on volunteers, or glve partlcular prehrenb to etOerty,
disabled or large famllies wifrr chlldren, lt is imperative then to quesfion why lntermountsin gas is being
allowed to mislead customers trylng to charge fees that are not applicable and not according to pollcy
,Y
K
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 internal messaging on the
customer's account that the company responses can be later deleted. they instructed me to contact them
on their internal messaging but he responses were erased, later I was told on the phone hat here was a
14 dollar for reconnecting the fee. Laatly, they told me they would not respond to me via email even
though it ls one of he means available for custome/s to contact them. A supervisor named Mary did not
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, l'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 nefarious 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://www.acluidaho.org/en/news/federal-court-rules-against-idaho-department-health-and-welfare-
med icaid-class-action
https://www.acluidaho.org/en/news/idaho-supreme-court-rules-favor-aclu-public-defense-case
The common theme of course being how much the State of 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 I'llsue them.
IQuoled text hiddenl
Raul Mendez < ra ulmend [e-mail]>
To: Curtis.Thaden@puc. idaho.gov
Mon, Aug 28,2017 at '1 1:04 PM
[Quoted te)d hidden]
Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
To: "raulmen [e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 31,2017 at 2:50 PM
Hi Raul,
Gmail - FW: Intermountain Gas, Raul Mendez,Page'/ ot lU
the Commission approved the recommendation. The low usage of terms on your billing indicates possibte
usage by a pilot light. This might by why you are seeing 3 to 4 therms of use over the last two billingperiods? ln June and July of 2016 term usage was 4 therms per month. I 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 beeh no usage of gas AND when br many years it
has not reflected a change in the per therms anct diskibution 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 billing (June, July August) to the same months in 2016
- see below. Though your furnace is not operating in the summer months Therm usage is belng recorded.
More than likely the recorded usage is from the pilot light of the furnace and hot water heater and gas ls
being used to heat the water. Last year your billing for June, 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 - total gas charges $/.41
August 2017 4 Terms - total 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 - totalgas charges $5.34
July 20'16 4 Therms - totalgas charges $5.34
August 2016 4 Therms - totalgas charges $5.34
Note: the total gas charge each month was the same because the recorded Therm usage (4
Therms) was the same.
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-to-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 otficially 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 oul account). lf service is connected after hours the fee is
$40. Any time a customer voluntarily stops servioe and then a request is made to establish service again
an "Account lnitiation Charge' is assessed. Please nqle,that if the account lq glqged for longer.han 10-
days and a request isrnade to reconnect service he util.ity company will consider that person an appllcant
and not a customer. I have read the entire policy of lntermountaln gas and that ls not what it states, I
l6ll/anlOt
^B6vvvr rv
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 interruotion.
Account Inltiatlon 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 fees for
re+onnecting service for the same accounUcustomer? aren't you the ones regulating the utlitles? how is
that fair 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 will charge 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 willagain 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 Account lnitiation Fee, Furthermore, onoe a
customer is disconnected fom service for more than lOdaysd helshe is no longer ctassified as a customer
but rather an applicant. You asked how I carne up with this infurmation? TheAccount lnitiation Fee is
contained in lntermountain Gaa Company's tartff on file with the Commission. ln the Company's Taritf 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.
k
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),
afier service was voluntarily requesled to be disconnected, a fee will be assessed to establish service. The
fee was approved by the ldaho Public Utilities CommissionJ.
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 lndigent 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 Intermountain 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 internal messaging on the
customer's aicount that the company responses can be later deleted. they instructed me to contact them
https://mail.soosle.con/maiUr.r/0?ik=a57046c8d9&view=ot&search=all&Dermthid:thread-... 1215/2018
^wf gvvl tt avvvvv vlvvv &faBE ru ul r
From: Raul Mendez [mailto: rau [e-mail]]
Sent: Saturday, September 09,2017 7;40 PM
lQuoted texl hiddenl
[Quoted text hidden)
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Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
To : C ustomer Service IGC <C ustome rService@ intgas. com>
Hi,
Tue, Sep 12,2017 at 5:16 PM
This is what works best for me and the Commission assured me there was no reason why I could
communicate via ernail 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 fees are being 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 l'll see what kind of help I
can get. the IPUC regulates nothing and they sleep with the utility companies. What 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.comlbusiness/10-states-with-the-most-minimum-wage-workers.html/?a=viewall
http:/iboisestatepublicradio.org/topic/bottom-rung-living-low-wages-idaho
http://www. idahopress.com/news/state/shame-idaho-ranks-poorly-in-many-key-areas/article_69e564a4-
3f3f-1 1e 1 -a84c-0019bb2963f4. html
Earnings can affect everything as shown on poorly ldaho ranks top or near top on many areas. Public
officials are responsible forthis but it should not be a surprise given the neftarious 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 tlris 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
[Quoted text hiddenJ
Rau I Mendez <raulmend [e-mail]>
To: Customer Service IGC <CustomerService@ intgas. com>
Mon, Sep 18,2017 at 11:31 PM
httOs://mail.gOogle.com lmail/n/0?ik=a57fi46c.RdQ,&vierr:nf&searnh=all2rnemthi.l:+l'mo,l t't t1 t1^1 o
JmAll - r{.tr: aCCt ri -rv\-A..A. -A,-A'UUV Z vagellolll
Mary,
you did not respond to the last email on 911212017. 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 will come to you through email.
I tried to see:
hlffi.d Cdhcl L.lM
lddl Affiata
comafu
.etud,irt Og.tt6l
in! d t( r.ry r4u{" r{ !, x.,.rr rd^' tr.01?i..a lkr r. Xx ailO
Your system does not allow me to contact you and I need to have a response to my issue as to why
lntermountain gas is manipulating the fees so that starting this summer I'm being charged 3 dollars more
for the sarne 4 therms that have billed on prior years. it might be difftcult to see how charges are
rnanipulated 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 rny account because i'm not paying it.
than you,
Raul
[Quoted text hidden]
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Gmail - Contact Inquiry Page 4 of l3
Good Mornlng,
I crll6d custom.r scNic. on 5/2 to dliconmcl the r.Nica ov6r he summar. I spoko wlth Michallc who gav6 me conffmtlloo nunbor273E841026. t
rsqus3bd to spoak to s mansgsr slnco ih. told ma lhel th6ra woulcl bo I 14 dollsr reconnod f€o durlng whlsrl dlrplE fia tti trd ltold her thel Pm lorp
trEoma rnd you hryc prcol t Lt ElAdr h.l mado r coupL ot blg psymrnb to rvold &a acNlo. bchg dLconn dd" tha whot pokrl ot r.vlng m. 25 dollaE
untll colrl wcathor h to havc tho monoy when I Bctually us€ oas end bllls sro much hlohar. ln 8ddltlon, lhls ls whet your pollcy b rugardlno raconnocl fira:
lB tiero s chrrgr lol roconneatlon?
A reconncctlon fao i9 osssgted whon lcillca i3 rgltored for a customsr atlor a non-pey larvice lnteruptlon. Thls tec ls l?2 durh0 lha houB ot 6:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and S44 durlng thr hours ot4:30 p.m. through 7:00 p.m., Mondey th[ough Frid.y. A ra@nncdlon fao ot$50 wlll bo cherged on
weokcnds or company holldays.
It 18 claar thal e rcconn.ct le6 appllo! only whon lh. s€rvlce ls rsstorod aft6r nonpgym.nt llrvlcc intaruption. Thara l, a 14 do[arl0ludt0 ha br n€w
accounts. howavrr. my aocomt h&t b€cn opon ,bl 16 yeal! and thlr lr ,utt a lompofsy rlop of arlbr to irE monq. I hav. bc.n dlsconncctng sorvlcr
tgmporerlly ior othor utlttlo! es woll lo rav. monoy lnd thay heye not charg.d r roconnoc{ f€r. I would llk6 to bo ablo to work thlng8 oul wlth lntarmounteln
gss !o thal thsrs 13 no Gconnecl taa contrsry lo your policy. I liguro thst maybo Mlcfialls was mistak€n.
Thank you,
Rsul
JQdot€d hrt ht6oanl
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*
Customit Sc!Ylca IGC <[e-mail]>
To: Rau, Mandoz <[e-mail]>
Frl, M.y 4, 2018 !t 11:3t AM
Good momhg Raul.
Thankyouloryouromall.Untodunal€ly,onoryourrccountlrclolsdlorl0dsyryourff.nolongcracudomot 60, lhcll4.00lnltruonbchrano,v
eccount would rpply wh6n you atarl your rcrllcc ln lhr lall
lf turlhor asEist8nco is necdad ploase teal lrcG to smail. or €all Customor SeMce at 1-E00-548-3679, Monday-Friday, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thsni( you,
Kat, Cu3tom6r Support
lntcrmountaln Gas Company
Phon.: t{00{48-3878, M-F, hm-7pm
S=m-
Frcm: Raul Mondoz lmrlfto:[e-mail])Srntr Frlday, May 04,2018 11:21 AM
7o: Cu3tom€r Servico IGC <Customerservicr@tntgas crm>
Sublcct Re: Contacl lnquiry
lQ@laoloxt h,do?nl
R6ul llondcz <[e-mail]>
To: Cugtomer Servlco IGC <[e-mail]>
Frl, May 4, 2018 et 1 I :42 AM
Hi,
Would you ploet€ s6nd m! thc lint to this psrtcular lnlormaion? | oould not lind n ln your pollclcs. My oonccm l! th8t nona ot tha othcr u0llugr ch8,gs s
rcconnacl La whcn a customer dlsoonncdr loasonally or duo lo hardshlp. Onca you Fconnscl wllh oth6r utilltos, you ttlll hsv! lhc ltmo cxlltlng Intormation
on thalr 8ystcm.
Thank you,
Raul
[O!d.6 t.n Nddlnl
I
(,lllall - \-uutaur rilqull.y raBs J ul rJ
Cuttomor gervlco ICC <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mend€z <[e-mail]>
("Hello Raul,
Mon, May 7, 2018 al 3:55 PM
w6 wGrG unablc to roach you by phonc to discuss your conc,oms tvlth ih€ account lnltlatlon leo. wo undcrctand thal lhat oticr ulllltic! may h8v6 dlltaront leoswhon lt come! to rtopplng 8oNlco, 6vcn tor s fow months. Wo Ero al8o aware how Important lt ls to kcop tio cost! low tror thosc that wl,l utlllzr tho r6rvlc6.
A bnot cxphnauon ol lh€ occounl lnltlsuon te€ E lound 8t our wcbclte h tho area lor Frequontly Asksd Question3. A moro dobllrd vcr3ton c8n br ,ound tn
oul tar'lfft at thr ld8ho Publlc Ufiliio! wsbElte htlp:/Arww.puc.idaho.govffileroom/tarlff/garapproycd.htrnl.
It you hEvo any furlhor quortlons regardlng the teo, w6 arc happy to splak wllh you to banar ssrlst you. Plrasr contact our ottic€ 8t 800-548-3679, Monday
throuoh F.idry, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thrnk you,
Alli3on, Cuelomer Support
lntormounlEin Gas Company
Phone: l{00.5aE-3079, m.F, 7rm-7pm
Eamy
@tm-
From : Raul M€ndez [mBilto:raulmendez2002@9mail com]
Scnt: Friday, May 04, 20'18 11:.12 AM
To: Customer SeNlce IGC <[e-mail]>
Sublect: R€: Contact lnguiry
IOuot!d t6rl hrdd.nl
Rlul Hrtrdor <[e-mail]> S* lLy ta 20fA at 3:Gl PM
To: Customor Sorvico IGC <[e-mail]>
I dld not get th6 llnk on your wlbslla ln regardg to tho 14 dollsr inltlation tc. on ulstlng Ec,count! aft6r dlsconncd. I dld gol a llnk to lhr bdft tor thc IPUC.
yvould you bo oo ldnd b polnt mo dlFrfly to whrt€ tl rpocfiicotry rbtos lfiat you can chstlo th! 1{ dolLr lnluallon tc! on m alllady dbtE rccotltt? Hel€ l.
whst Lound on your websllc regardlng lbor:
our goal 19 to koop cosb tot goMoe 1o our qrslom€rs aE low a3 poeglble. ln orosr to do lhis we belisvo lndivldusl cu3tomaF thould bsat hc @91 of any rpgclel
hEndllng they requlrc lnst€ad of haylng all customeB pey tor th8sc !€Nlces. Tho ldaho Publlc Utlll8eE Commlssion autho.lzss lntcmlount8ln to rEcovor tho
lollowlng costs:
lnt€rett on Past Duc Account!: Amounls duc for your pravlous month's gas blll, which rcmrin
uopaid El thc lim€ of lho noxt bllllng date, wlll b€ sssasscd lnterEst al tho rale ot 'l% psr monti.
PsrtlcipsnE h thc Levol Psymsnt Progrsm will bc oxompt trom lstc paymont lntorcat charga!.
Fle ld Collcctlon Fce $16: ll a oompany reprslentatve must vlslt your home to collscl a pa8l duo
paymont, a i15 loe will bo ass$,sed. lf ges s€rvico is dlscontinued, this cherge doeg noi apply (!€s
Roconnocllon Feo).
Roconncctlon Feo: A roconnection fBo ls assc3s€d wion s€rvlc€ ls restored tor a customer after a
norFpay roNlco lnbruptlon. Thls r€€ ls t22 during lho hours of E:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. End Ert4 durlng
th€hour8of4:30p.m throughT:00p.m.,MondaythroughFrlday.Aroconnscllonte€of$50wlllbe
chargcd on weekends or ComPEny holidays.
Retumod Plymrnt Foe 120: Thit charge sh.ll apply whcn a payment (ch6ck or.lGct onlc) 13 nol
honor€d and rBtumed by lhs bank.
Account lnltlgtlon F.o l'14 or $0: Each now account openod with lntormountaln I a m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Fdday, will be bllled e t14 tcc wilh the first rogular bill. A $40 loe wfll bo chergod tor
all accounts openod anel 5 p.m., Mondsy through Friday, woekends or holidays.
t-4.--.rt----t1 ----t^ ---l--:l t--ln-Otl.-^<nniZ^o Ang-.,:^.,--+9,^^^-^L-^IlP,-^*+L:J-+L-^^J 1111 l1n1 g
\JIllaI - \,uuulut rllr{uly rage o oI lJ."
My acoount Bhovvs as bslnO cufiently stoppod. I h!y! mt bchg abb lo nnd mytilng h r!0gdr b arl inua{on far apfty@ h en amur{ rrirr n nri bacn
ltopp.d tor to dryt. ll so6m8 !o mc that thlo ls lurl . caio ot gnrr., on xrc parl ot tG beliovlng thal you sn mbLad p.opl.. ll b my undrFtrndlno thst laoally
you cannol l6avo p€opla ,rllhoul ges durlng lvint'r ovcn H thay al6 bohlnd on paymsnts. wouu you dony ms 8bruno tha laMcs durln0 wlntor dua to tho 14
dollaE on an exlstho account? I will pay tho cunBnt balanco whlch lpparonlly you have now changod Il ftom 38.65 lo 37.02 due to 8 cuslomrr ctlarge tor no$
38M.a?
Rsul
lQ!d.6 r.rt htCC.ol
rn&
Cultomrr So.vlce lgC <[e-mail]>
To: Raul M6ndoz <[e-mail]>
Tho llnk la: https:/^.rri\rw.intgar.aonl/rrlci-r.wlc€s/rrtar-Grlfh Thls h undrr frequonlly ftkad quertlom.
. Aoaounl lnlthllon Fa! lta or f4O: E ch nax accouil op.ned wlth lnbrnounLln E a.m. b 6 p.m., Monday through Frlday, i{,lll ba blllrd a 314 166
wllh th€ firlt regular blll. A ${0 teo wlll bs chargod lor 8ll eccounB opened 8lt6r 5 p.m., Monday through Frktay, week€nds or holidsy!.
. l, turthcr a3sistanca B noedod, please csll Customer S6rvlc6 at l-800-548-3878, Mondey-F.1day, 7 AM to 7 PM.
Thank you.
Danlola, Curlomor Supporl
lnbrmountaln Gas company
Phona: 1.800-6i18"3879, il-F, 7.m-rpm
Mon, M.y 14, mll rt 12:57 PM
n6my
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F rom: Raul Mendez lmalllo:[e-mail]
Sont: Eitu.day, May 12, 2018 3:04 PM
Rrul f,leadar <rrulmand€[e-mail]>
To: Cu$tomo. S6Mca IGC <[e-mail]>
Frl rr.y tE,2O1E at llr4E AM
y€!,lc€nrcsdandl!60thalonth6fassapproyedbylhe|PUCyoucanchargsal4dollarlnlllstionfsofora NEWACCOUNT. Myaccolnthisbcon
F curEntly tbpp.d lo .avc ma monsy; look;
MAI(E A PAYT{EHT
.s arrr raao!{, v
7 tu.trtr.sS
flo".'-'-"
you,n lrylng to ciargo 14 dotta|s lo n'3|!r1 tha lsrvicc on an oxlsthg a0cotJnl whlah lr curTont and rBt rtoppod du! to no&paym6nl to ths oontrary, you havo
iecora tnattnOa hda madE a coupls ot plsdgos to mak6 paymants on my acrount thoralors lho roason to sava monay lor wlnt6r when tho servioo is usod
and bllting ia muon hlghor. so, whet It I lhc 8€rylca was sloppod end thon translor to aDother r€3ldenca? you don't charls 8n lntttatlon fos lor transia6 as tar
as what tie IPUC hai approvsd. you don't chargo a f.e for your tochnlclan golno to homB3 to chsn0o the mot€re, 8o why ars you trylno to qh.rglc I 1a dollsr
lao.,u!t brcsuro lm tachnldtn hrs lo go lo r cusiomsa3 lrome lo rcslan saillcs on sn 6xi3tlng and ounBnl accounn
Lr+-..//*-il a^^^lo^^-/-^ilA'tnnib-^<1AA6^AAog,.,in"-r+9'aa^-^L--llr!-^*^.L:,l+L-^^J ta/r/nnto
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Rrul lrlendoz <raulmendez2002Egm€ll.com>
lG Fees
25 messagss
Rlul mondor <[e-mail]> Thu, Jun 7,201E al 1:28 PM
To : Curtis.Th6d€[e-mail]
Hello Mr. Thaden,
I don'l know it you Ememb€r me from la5t yoar sboul my complaint again6l lntermountain G86 charging 't4 dgllarE lnlllatlon fE€. Hero ls a
reho6h?r and th€ lasl ol my conhcts wlth lhe company:
you're lrying to charye 14 dollars to rcsErt the 3ervicc on an cxisting account which is cunant lnd not stopped due lo non-paymgnl. to the contrEry, you
h8ve tocord that Elqda has made a couple ol pledgeE to make paym€nts on my account therofore lhe r€ason to Jave money tor winlor when the 6€Nic€
is used and billing is much higher. so, wial if I lhe Eervice was stopped and then transler to anothsr rssidence? you dont charg€ 8n lnillalion fee for
tEnefers as lar as whal the IPUC ha9 approved. you don't charge a fee tor your technician going to homes lo chrng8 lhe melsrs, ro why aro you fying
to chargc a 14 dollar teo jusl bccauso the technician has 10 go to a cusbme/s home to reslart Eervlce on En exiEling and cunenl account?you have not responded to my quBstion ln t€gards to whether you'll refuse to r€sta.t lh6 service during wlnter wtthoul pEytng the inltiation fee on an
exi8ling accounl? it is my bellot that you cannot leavo p€opls without heatlng during winter.
Basically, you lold me that the IPUC has apprcved such a fee but you did not provide ms the link to the specifice of Euch approvsl nor ls it slated
any'whsrB on lG polichs. Th€ policaes strate thal a l4 initiatlon fee applies br NEW ACCOUNTS. furtiormore , I dld contact tho FTC rogardlng the
msttot vrho advi8e m€ thst 1) lhs stats public utillty commieeions have a brmal complainl procoduro in place trc addreea auch matlers 2) the
heating companles cannol leaye customers wlthoul gas during c€rtain porllonB of winlor.
I could nol fnd such formal complaint proc€durBs on your site. I will have to bok up the Admlnigtrative rules slnco moEt agoncle8 do hays eome
kind of hearing wlth administratlve iudges whorBby lhey issue rulings, which then can b6 appealod to tho head of lho agency, whlch thBn cen be
appealed to tha ldaho Suprcmc Court. How does your pmcsss works?
CanlGrefusetorestarlmyEslvicodutingwlnterwithoutpayingthel4dollarinitistiontseonanexislinoaccounl? Myaccountlscunantandl
have recaived some assletranc€ wllh poying my bills.
It lB cungnty dlscoon.clsd to Eavs no rmto $an 25 dollar8 durlng 6umm€r. h addition lG doeE not charge customerE a f6o tor going to their
homes to do malnlenanca sudt rs dtanglng mslers/€qulpment, or charge a fue br transfuning service lo another place bBcau8o Eucfi bB8 8ra not -yappmved by the IPUC. Thc IPUC has approvod a 14 dollar inltaton ho on a new account hrl not ofl ordd[rg Bccounb thrt h€w bocn EssEonsIy ,T-
dlsconncs{od to rave psoplcl mon6y rr*, th6 nccd lo rcf on olhcc to pay ho hbh co& of gm dudrp whbr mo{dhr.
Sinco16ly,
Raul Mendez
Cu rllr Thaden <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Fri, Jun 8,20t8 st 2:53 PM
Hello Mr. Mender,
Thank you for the emall. Yes, I remembe. you.
BelowlsthellnktolntermounlainGarCompan/sapprovedtaritf onfilewiththeldahoPubllcUtllltiesCommlsslon. Contalnedlntheapprovedtariff issection
9 (Discontlnsance and Reconnection of Sewlce). Number 9.4 .llow5 lntermountaln Gar to cfiargs a fr! of S14 or J40, rt |rnry?r a Brstorner rlquBrts EervlEc,
evon I the rcgucstor prcvlously hrd .n actlve a(Tount. lf . c{stome, ruqucst dBaonnE(tloa ot scrulca, sa'vke B dbconnrclad €nd thr rccount lt cbsld. The
accouot b no lontcr activeand thc formcr Eustoilcr It no longer classllled irs a cusomBr. ln summary the tee is lllowed to be cha.ged regardless of having a
prcvious account or not.
#
lntermountaln Gas @! refuse to restan your servlce lf your closed account has been paid in full. The payment of the 'account lnitiation charte' is not
required to pald prlor to servlce belng ertabllshed, but rather the f€e is added fo your first bllling.
http/Arww.puc.ldaho.gov/fi leroomAsriff/gas/lntermountaingas.pdf
8.4 An 'Account lnitiation Chargo" in lhe arnount of $14.00 during regular businoss hours and $40.00 outside of regular buslness hour8 will be
aesossed on each account opened with the Company and will be billed v{ith the first rBgular blll. This charge will not spply to landlord tempoBry
servico whee 8 landlord has slgnsd 8 Contlnuous Service Agreement or lo code compliance inspeclions mandsted by the ldaho Public Utilities
Commi8sion.
la*-".//-^il ^^^-l-^^*/*^.:l/.'lnqil.-^<1ni<^O,IO9."i^.''*-+p.-^^-^L--lr9----.rL!lgL---l r-tnt^Atn
ullt4ll-aurvvi
Sincerely
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
trom: Raul Mendez Imailto:[e-mail]]
SGnt: Thursday, June 7, 201E 1:29 PM
To: Curtis Thaden <C urtis.Thaden@puc. idaho. go\r,
Sublcct: l6 Fees
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Raul Mandrr <[e-mail]> Thui Jun 1{,20rE at 8:26 PM
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail]>
Hi,
This lono docum€nl ls hard to r6ed. Would you be able to opecificslly 6can th€ portion wher. it uys that? all I know ls whst lntermountsln G8s has
under the fees approvod by the IPUC. the feos specifically stiate thal the 'iniliation' be is br NEWACCOUNTS. I luw notDche aDle to fnd
anyvvhore whcr! ll epeclfcauy slahs that sn 6rlstiog account bccomec a nor, rcoounl sfu [ has bacn doscd U rtolr lhan 10 daya. l'm confused
so you're saying lG ian ctraria en lnllHlon 6o on in exlsllng account? bui you don't approve lhem lo dlargo a lbc {br tsansGrs to a new
resHenca? Bo, does the IPUC have due procoss proceduro whoroby psople can have thelr case8 herrd by a hearlng olfcer Just as lhe other
sgencies do? I find It hsrd lo believo thst this ls lt? Jusl conlact you to b€ told the fse6 ara approvod by lhe IPUC? what if p€opta wanl to dlsputo
it?
Slncorety,
Raul
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Curtlr Thrden <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Tue, Jun 10, 2018 at 2:13 Pi/
Hi Raul,
Thank you lor the email reply. I have attached a scan of the section in the lntermountain Gas Company tariff that you requested concerning
"account lnitiation charge."
I believe that the use of the word "existinf ls causing some confuslon? ExistlnB impliel that somethln8 b cunent, When a customer clos€s out
theirsccount,theaccountisnolongeranexlstingsc@untandth8tpersonlsnolongeracrstomeroftheutlllty. lfhe/she,atalaterdate,
decides to become a customer a8ain, and requests service be established, an account is opened, and a service technician is dlspatched to the
residence. An "account initiation 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 lirst regular bill." Only actlve
ac@unts are qisting eccounts.
Lastly, a customer is deflned by the Utility Customer Relation Rules as someone who is receiving service from a utillty; or has received gervlce
wlthln the past ten (10) cahndar days prlor to termlnation by the uulitv; or has resumed responsibllity for pavment of service provided to
another or others.
Does my explanation help with understandinS why an account lnitiation charge wlll be assessed when you request service in the fall, and that a
closed account is not an existlng account? Let me know and we can proceed from there.
Sincerely,
t
httns://mail.soosle.com /mail/ulA?ik=a57046c8d9&view:pt&search:all&permthid:tlread-... l2l7l2A].8
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As previously stated, if a customer decides to voluntarily disconnect service and then decides to reconnect service again an "account lnitialion
charge"isassessed. lfanindividualisnolongerreceivinsservicefromlntermountalnGas(notu5ingthecompany'sservicer)he/sheisnolonger
acustomeroftheutilityandtheaccountisnolongeranadiveaccount. Whenserviceisrequestedagainanaccountisopenedandanorderls
placed to reconnect servlce. Often, lotermountaln 63s wil, lssue the sante accouot number at prevlougly litutd st a courtEy lo a customer fot
the purpose of bill pay and automstlc withdrawal from the indlvlduals banklng/cfiecklng account.
On a side note, ldaho Power will also charge an individual a fee for reconnecting servlce if he/she voluntary asked for service to be
di5connected. As an example, let's say a customer requests service be disconnected because they will be out-of-town for a tew months. When
the customet return! and requests service be reconnected ldaho Power will charge the customer a fee too.
The Commigsion 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 {ormal complaint, but
that can only be done after an informal complaint process ir utilized.
S incerely,
Curtis
Curtis Thaden
ldaho Public utillties commission
208-334-0322
F om: Raul Mender Imailto:[e-mail]]
S.nt: Friday, July 2Q 2018 4:34 PM
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Rrul Mendez <[e-mail]> Thu, Aug 2, 2018 at 7:38 PM
To: Cu rtis Thatlen <[e-mail]>
HI,
ldon't moan to Bound lika I problemallc customcr/person. l'm only disputing ths'iniliation'fee because my flnandal situation il's nol gr6at as tho
ELAda contributions prove; themfom the rea8on lo ssvo mon6y. I wouldn't mind psylng lt evon whon lt's clear hat th6 sttBchrd pollcy slates that
such 8 feo appll€s only af,6r th€ ulility comp8ny has disconnecled the sBruice to customsrs b€causo it was..lthgildggi!@ Se€ this; has received
servlce withln the past ten (10) calendar days prior to termlnation_bylhg u!!!!E UsuBlly bocause issuss wlth non-paym6nt.
l'm guesslng then that a formal complaint can b€ eslabllshed oncs the oompany chargos the 14 dollars?
ara these the applicable rules?
htlps.//adminrules.idaho,gov/rules/cu116nU3l/3 1 01 0 l.pdf
https:/ladminrules.idaho.gov/rules/currenU31i312 1 01.pdf
Thers is bunch ofstufi:
https://mail.soosle.corn/maiyu/0?ik=a57046c8d9&view=pt&search=all&oermthid:tluead-... 121712018
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Vvtat els6 applis8 to a formal comphinl? there l! actually two IOAPA 31.21.01. the one on the wsbsito is 25 psgs8 long and lhe ono you attach is
49 pages but it doo6n't say when or if ife updated.
Thank you,
Raul
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Rru I llondee <[e-mail]>
To: Curlis Thsden <[e-mail]>
Thu, Aug 2,2018 at 7.42 PM
lntermountain 6as wlll issue the same account number as previously issued as a courtesy to a customer for the purpose of bill pay and automatlc
withdrawal from the individuals banking/checkinB account.
4 So, any maronabh person uould infor hEt lt was an sxtsling c.rstomer with an exlsting ac@unt with an existing biillng lnformauon thal 16 havtng
ttre s€rvico rostgrted? ln othorwords lt ls not a n€w appllcanlbr gsrvlca.
twl
Raul
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CurUc fhaden <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
Frl, Aug 3,2018 at 3;52 PM
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 lhe Commission that
many people are struggling to pay their utility bills.
You are correct. the link below is lhe Rules of Procedure for the ldaho Public Utilities Commission. When you imitate setuice a8ain.
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 complaint by calling rhe lPUc front desk ar 208-334-0300 or online at http:/,tvww.puc.idaho.gov/forms/consumerassistance.aspx
lf the issue is still unresolved you can then elect to file a formal complalnt by followlng the requlrements (Rule 5{} contained ln the Rules of
Procedure for the ldaho Publlc Utilities Commisslon. The formal complaint must be in writing, state the facts and specity how you would like the
problem to be resolved. Unlike an informal complaint, which is handled by the commission's Staff, the €ommlssioners must conslder a formal
complaint. The Commissioners will decide whether it is appropriate to accept the formal complalnt. lf it is accepted, a formal legal proceeding
will be started. lf the Commlsslon does not accept the formal complaint, then nothing further will be done.
raBs J ur /J
Publlc Ut itities Comtrli5siorl
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ll you decide to file a Formal complaint, you are required to submit to the Commission, in writing, the lollowin8 information:
r The ulility or poGon ths complaint is agalnsl.
. Fully stat€ th€ fBct8 constiluting ths scls or omlssions of the utility or person againsl whom the complainl is fil6d snd th6 dsles when the dcls
or omisslonE occuned.
. Refer to the spaclfic provlslon of statut6, rulo, order, notica, ta.iff or olher controlling l8w lhat thg ulllity or person has vlolstod.
. Stats urhat aclion or oulcome Ghould bo tak€n to rosolve lhe complaint.
Ihe add.ess to send the formal complaint to the Commission is:
ldaho Public Utilitier Commirsion
PO 8ox 83720
Boise, l0 83720-0074
The .ustomer definition spccltk to "Has recelved sewlce wlthin the part (10) calerdar daw prlor to termioation by the utlllty.' Tetmlnatlon by
the stllity relers to sDy condhion that korrght sbout the termlnatlon of service which includes customer reguettt,
Lastly, one thing to consider. Even though the S14 servlce charge will be assessed, you will still have a net savings for the timeframe ofwhen
service was disconnected.
Sincerely,
Curtis
Curtls Thaden
ldaho Public utilities commlssion
208-334-0322
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/^^i,t- lG Fees PageT of73
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From: Raul Mender [mallto:[e-mail]
Sent Thursday. Augult 2, 2018 7:39 PM
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Rrul Mond.z <[e-mail]> Wbd, AO t!. 2018 at 3;,t l PMTo: Curtis Thsden <[e-mail]>
I work n ith many ot the CAP agencies and know flrsthand from my positlon at the Commlsslon that many people are struggling to pay their utility
bills.
Which agences have you worked with? whal kind of wort doe6 the IPUC do wlth such agencies? I can tell you right now lrom peoonal
experionce End llom accounts by others that ll ls extremely difficull to got'assistance' from theso ag€ndes becsuso hey ahrayo tell people thattheydonothavefundsnomsnerwhatUmeofthey€aryouask. lfyoucall 2llwith|DHWthentheyaeemlobelievelhalbyglvlngyouslislwith
numbors from thes€ sgancies lhat som€how they will provide peoplo wllh help.
I know lhat these are f€der8l funds glven to th€ IDHW who then apparently hands oul the mon6y to the 'agonclos' but somshow they nover hsve
money lo help out psople? h8s anybody ln the State of ldaho ever bolhsred to do an audit on such agencier? bocauSo ll ssems rather slrange
that lhey alw8y8 lell psopl8 lhsy dont havs funds bul somehow thBy keep expanding yrith dlfiarBnt locatlonE and psld statr. Th€y mlghl got
donalione and addilionalfundlng from elsewhere to rupport lhslr oEanizatlons, but thal only h8lps to furthor Bcrutlnize why lh6y n6vor seom to
havo holp to. utility assl8tiance. ElAda is lhs only agoncy that I know that at hasl lisy pay a utility bill onca I year. Ada County lndigonl Servicos
do psy your utilltles blll but they ask p€opl6 to repay tho county laler on.......see, th€y got money twlcs from tho IDHW and from lhe poople repsying
tho county for the utility aseistance; do you Eee 6om6thing wrong with that? il ls bderEl monoy glven to the county preclsely lo Esslst peoplel
So, the IPUC knows lhat many p8ople ar6 struggling to pay thelr utility billa but somehow are allowlng the ulility compsniEs to chsrgB
thry 8re not entilled snd not pGviougly appmved by the IPUC although it appoarG lhat you'r6 now twlstlng lhe meaning of the pollclc!
utility company.
feer for which
to lavor the
lf you still object to the fee you can file an informal complaint by calling the IPUC front desk at 208-334-0300 or online
athttp://wr rw.puc.idaho.gov/f orms/consumerassistance,aspx
I thought that this informal going beck and forth email conversation was an informal complaint vrhici has/it will obvloualy nol resolve anything.
lf the issue as still unresolved you can then elect to file a formal complaint by followlng the requirements (Rule 54) contained in the Rules of
Procedure for the ldaho Public Utllities Commlsslon........lf the Commission does not accept the formal complaint, then nothlng 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/currenU3l/310101 pdf. https://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/currenu3l/312101.pdf
Whlch make mention to a rule 54 but none exlrt. what are the reasons fof whlch the @mmBshn does not accept the brmal complalnt? and in
the procesg darry people adequate procedural due process protcctlons provlded by the US coNdtutlon? l'm assuming such denial will state that
it can be appealed to the ldaho Supreme court? see: https:/ftvww.isc.idaho,gov/iar14
terminatlon 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 charge will be assessed, you will still have a net savings for the timeframe of when
service was disconnected
I could ftnd nothing on the rules regardlng to "Egy condttlon that brought about the termlnatlon of servlce which lncluder customor reguestr{
the key bein8 termination by customer therefore a 14 dollar lnitiation fee is charged. There ls most certainly no such specific deflnition on lG
website. ln fact, they initially told me lt was a reconnection fee, then they changed their story to an initiation fee.
How mueh 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 tor gas? ifyou know firsthand how much people are stru88ling to pay their blll then you would know that people are struSgling
because of the high fees during cold season therefore the rearon to save money now when lees are low tor later on.
I guess that l'll be filing the lnformal complaint whlch would then become p formal complalnt since it appears the informal proceedings solve
nothinE.
Raul
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From: Raul Mcnder Imailto:[e-mail]
S.nt: Frlday, September 21, 2018 1:21 PM
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What el66 spplios to a formal complalnt? lhare is aclually two IDAPA 31.21.01. lh6 one on tho wobslto iB 25 pages long End the one you
attach is 49 pageB but il doesn'l say when or if it's updated,
Thank you,
Raul
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Raul ilcndcz <[e-mail]> Tuo, Od g, 2018 at 3:26 PM
To; Curtie Thaden <[e-mail]>
so, I trcoiwd tio slatsrEnt ,or thie tmnth whioi b dus on 10n2nw8, il is my undarstanding thst th€ 1{ dollar lnltlauon feo bring diEpulod doos
nolhavetobepaidpontllngtheoutcomeofth6hrmsl complslnttheE{orenoinleroslsshouldbechargadtoth6 14dollars. ltwill taksmosoms
tlme to prepare lhe formal complalnt slnco such complaint might end up tor review ln front of lhe lclaho Supreme Court. I hsvent had the chanca to
read lhe entire rul€s bul normally lG has to give lholr slde or not? do you or do I hav6 to notlfy them thal l'll bo filing a brmal comphint dlsputlng
the l4 dollars?
Raul Mendez
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Curtlr Thrden <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mendez <[e-mail]>
Thu. Oct 18,2016 al 3:56 PM
Hi Raul,
ll you only pay your monthly u5age amount ln full and not the S14.00, the payment will apply to any past due amount first, therefore you will
neverbeupforadisconnection. YouraccountwillalwaysshowSl4pastbalanceplusal%lalefeeaddedeachmonth(l4centsthefirst
month). tnsummary,aslongasyoupayforyourusa8eyouwill notreceiveadlsconnectionnotice;th€reforeyoucantakeaslongorasmuch
time as you want to file a formal complaint.
lf you lile a formal complalnt and the Commissloners accept the complaint, lntermountain 6as will respond to the fommkslon.
Sincerely,
I
httns.//mail onnol.", enm/mail/rrl[liV-a\]fi46nRdQ,&rricu-nt,Srsparnh=ollf'mmthirl-+[''oazl 'l"t11 11A1 o
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R.ul llondrt <rsulmendsroo2cDgmsll.com>
To: Cultomcr Sorvlce IGC <[e-mail]>
sat, Nov 3, 2018 at 2:08 PM
lh8voboonlntormedbyEUqda&ataplsdgoforl23dollaBwouldEppoaronmylGaccountsomoum€inth€mlddlootNovombcr. lFcalvedtholat€st
alet€m8il Enowng .14 conts lnt€BEl on h6 dlrputod 14 dollar lnlllatlon loo. PlcaBo do not uullzs tho 123 to pey lhe dlsputod charecr ar I'm Etlll workhg on
how to put togathor th€ tormal complainl ln tront ol lh6 IPUC commlssionors whlch il thoy refusB wlll bo appcalod to the ldsho Suproms Courl. I rylll roltoreto
agaln do not uae the 123 clollors trom EI de to pay the '14 plust lnlorest.
Thank you.
Raul Mendez
lOvolro lul nrddltl
Cuttom.t Bsrylcc IGC <[e-mail]>
To: Reul Mendez <[e-mail]>Tu!, ltov6, 2otE !t tl:47 PM
Good Ansmoon Raul,
Thank you for your conGspondence. Unfortunatoly, wh8n a paymcnt ls .ocolyod ln our oftic€, no mattor ths courco, I appllcr tilsrd lh. nort d6llnquenl
poruon o, thg blll tlr8L Our syllom doos not allow for us to meko oxcoptlons and disrsgaro portions ot ths Dalanca wh6n crsdlung an accounl.
It the LIHEAP ple.lgs ot 1123.00 18 rocolvod ln our otfica, lt wlll pay lho ontlre balanco. lt wlll mosl llkely rusun ln a clldft on lho rocounl thEt wlll b! spplled
toward MU'r chargor aB woll.
Thc ota.Co rc.ounl hflaflon b. a! well rr th6 lnt rost on tho past du. balanc. ls allqrcd, .nd ovrn rnand8bd, by our fadff th.t lr lpplowd by fic ld.ho
Publlc Utlltl€r Commbrlon.
Ploaso cllck lhe link8 b6low to rotsronc€ tho appllcsblo ruloE:
http.rpuc. daho.gov/lews/Utllity%20Customer%20Rolatlons%20R ules_2010.pdt
202. DUE DATE OF BILLS - DELINQUENT BILLS (Rule 202).
01. Ordlnary Duo Drte. The utility may requiro lhst bills for service be paid within a specmed time afior the billing date. The minimum
specified time efier the billing date is fifleen (15) days (or twelve (12) days aflor mailing or d€livery, if bills ars mailed or delivered more
than three (3) days aller the billing date.) Upon lhe expiration of this time wilhout paymenl, lhe bill may be considcred delinquent. (7-1-93)
hnp.//puc. idaho. gov/fi leroom/tarlff/gas/lntermountalngas. pdt
8.4 An ?ccount lnlth[on Chargi' In the amount ot S14,00 dunng re0ular bu8in€ss
hours snd $40.00 ouBldo ot rcgular buslnc$ hours witl b€ e3s6s3od on rach
acoount opcncd wlth tha Corpeny 8nd will b6 blllsd wlth tha first rsgular blll.
Thls charge wlll not spply to lendlord tomporary lcrvicc whoro a landlord has
slgncd s Conunuout Sorvlca AgrBem6nt or to code compllanc€ lntp€ctiong
mandated by th6 ldaho Publlc Utiltliee Commisslon
4.3 All blllings randcrcd shall b6 nol and each monthty bill sh8ll b€ duc and payablo
wlthh 15 days trom lho datc of rlndruon, gxo.pt Es provlded for ln tho ldaho
Publlc Utlllllos Commisslon's ('IPUC') Umry Customer Rslatlons Rulo3. When
lhG ougtomor acoount ls partlcipaung h lhe Blecttonlc tr8n8te, of funds, the
billlnos shall be due and psyable wlthin l l doy! trom tio date o, Isnditjon.
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?nail - IG Fees Page 13 of73
Curt is
Cunls Thaden
ldaho Publlc Utilitier Commission
208.334-0322
From: Raul Mender Imailto:[e-mail]
Senl: Tuesda% Oclober 9, 2018 3:28 PM
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Ra ul llcndcz <[e-mail]>
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail],gov>Thu, Od29, 2018 at 4:3'l PM
Ok. Mynextquesllonthonisitlprevall ontheappsal olthel4dollarinltiationteethenlhel4dolhrpluslntsrBslwill boerss€dfrommyaccount?
plus I will requost lG from charglng lmproper fees in the futurE lo customerE. Doas lho IPUC regulatss wabr, hoaling, and electricity? I se6 lhat
the ldaho Supreme cnurt wrbBilo hEE I place for coud h€lp in which thoy mention thal you do (Bee link). ln Bddruon, lt Bppoars lhst sccording lo
such llnk they have tho bllowlng inbrmatlon regardlng deposit/fee prior to starling sorvico:
My utllity cisrgcd me a doposlt boloro thoy tumsd on my sorvice. Can liey do lhan Usu0lly, no. However, 8 ulllity may charg€ a d€posll when
they tum on your Eervl66 lf you had your seNlce lemlnated lbr nonpaymeot at p€vlour addr€ss
So, lt 6soms lll(s lho lG wgb6lb lE acaJral€ ln that thoy can drarge I fe€ only aier non-paymenl. ln sddftlon, don't lhc rul€s sr€ fte sams fur all
tfiree ullfths?
Sincerely,
Raul
http6 /courEelfrlelp.ldEho. gov/brochures/H-7.pdf
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C urtb Thadon <[e-mail]>
To: Raul Mondez <[e-mail]>
Trrs, Nov 0. 201E 8t l:14 PM
Hi Raul,
lf the Commlssloners were to rule in your favor I am certaln that lntermountain 6as would b€ ordered to remove the 914 fee and interest
charges from your account.
The Commission regulates investor-owned or privately owned utilities thal provide gas, water, electrlcity or some telephone services for profit.
We do not regulate services provided by Co-Ops' or municipalities. The UCRR (Utility Cultomer Relation Rules) apply to electric, gas and water
utilities. The TCRR (Telephone Customer Relation Rules pertain to telephone companies.
Keep ln mind that anytime a customer cancels service and then requests service to be reconnected, lnlermountain Gas will charSe the Sl4 fee.
ldaho Power will do the same though the fee is $20. This is allowed per the each Company Tarlff on flle with the Commissbn and is not ln
vlolation of arry rule, Also, keep in mind that both lntermountEin Gas and tdaho Power incur costs whsn havlnt to reconn€ct reillce and those
costs are not recovered ln rates,
,{,
Curtis
I
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I do hop€ your situation improves,
As previously discussed, in review of the Utility Cultomer Relations Rules a "customer" is classified as someone who ls Igiybg service from a
utility, When a customer requests service to be disconnected, the individual is no lonper receiving service and therefore is no longer a customer
of the utility. The account is closed out and a final billin8 is generated, thereFore the indlvidual is no longer a customer of the utility, When you
called lntelmountain Gas to start servke agaln an acoount was opened; often the Company wlll Bsue the same accouot number as fleviously
used for a customer's convenlence for electronic payment purposer lotermountaln Gas asresses a Si4 'ascountfrttatUn lee' when a request
for servlce to be establbhed ls requested, For servlce.l to establlshed an account has to be opened. ln revleur ol the Company's tariff, under
Section 9.4 the wording states "on each account opened", not new arcount.
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Suez Water does not charge en aecount initlation or seMce establishment charge, Each utility hag hs own set ot gddellnes, buslness practkes,
and rate deslgn so policy will vary fiom utlllty to utility,
Though I understand your position. I do not belleve the Commlssion ryill walve a fee that has previously been epproved by tIE Commlssion, but
yos can certainly file a formal complaint if that i5 what you choose to do.
Cunls Thaden
ldaho Public Utilities Commission
208-334-0322
From: Raul Mendez Imallto:[e-mail]
Scnt: Thursday, November 8, 2018 3:07 PM 'r
To: Curtis Thaden <[e-mail].g\rr,
Subject: Re: lG Fee5
It mighl Bound redundant but what the policf ssys is lhal an "lriiliation foo"
company disconnects servlce usually for non-payment. There is. usually a
re8son6 such as non?aymanl and haud. thero
Baslcally, the '14 dollarE charge that is in dlspule
Eaylng thal lt is a feo connected with sending 8omeone to tum il
W?lat ebout Suez? I was
don't charge an initiaUon
the only reason people in my position temporarily shut ofr ssrvics
non€xistenl in ldaho. Basically, it sppeaB that the lPuc,position
Sincerely
Raul
for ngw accounls. A reconnecl feo applies when the utility
l6ch to reconnect service forwlth lhe utility sending s
sendlng somoone to tum on tho Bsrvics affer 8 soasonal shut off.
turn on tho seMco on an erioling sccounl. lt'T just that th€y ara not
they clalm it ls an lnruation foo on 8n n3w account.
offs durlng winter if they are away lrom home to avoid frozen pipe6. they
il m8k6s no sense to chsr0e lnitistion bes on erlsting accounlE and
ls to money since you already know lhat publio uulity s6s,stanco i6 almost
is that in ldsho cannol Ehut off lheir servic€s boc8uso il loo8ss mon€y to
ll'6 worth to dispute the charge elnce laksn ln ths contexl of how
they sro making a lot of monoy on the qrJoEtlonable practice of
lhe b€st chanc€ ln cas8 ita whilo bscause lwant to give myself
1a 11 larrl 0
tho utility companles?
charging
ends up belng appealed to the
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O Does lntermountaln Cae cherge eny specl.l handlhg te6s?
Or.lr g,:al is to keep costs fct serrice io our ar.rstomers ;s ;o1.i as Fossible. ln orciet tc do thl! r,e beleve rnrli'rrdual
cJstome,sshoulcl be'4! ihe cosl. ol an'/ scectal lrandt,ng:h*y requrre iDs:eaC ol having ail customers pay for
these serviees. The l.ialro Public trtiliries Con migsr.ro aurfiorizes lntermourltein to recover'the tolloaing costs:
. lntarcst on Pa$t Ouc Accosntc Arrigullts due fo|lour previr:us nlontn's ges bill,,r'r'hich remein unpard a!
lfre linre 'l: the nevr billing date. l..,ili hr. 0asesseci interes! a: the rate cf 'loi. per month. participants in the
Ley6l Paymer]t prcgraor rviil be exempl f rom iote payment interest charges,
. FlrldColl€ctlonFeciI5:ifaconrl.:arry.epresen:6r.renrus:l'lsi{yourhontetocoll€c:apastdLrepayment,a
$15 fen erill be atti65ad lf !ra5 tar vicr:. ii dr5,:cnl in !:e,1. llr is c5,n, n.. O,*, rro! aDply l.iee Reconnect ion Fee)
. RcconnGctlonFcc:Afa-onnecticnieersagses.*C,,Thenserviacisrestoredforactrtom+rsfteranon.pay
srrv,cc irrierr ur.:tion Tl;i9 fee is S22 rlur rrrg tl;e I ,cr.r,s li E:CO a.rlr. to 4;3O p rvr- and $44 ddring tile hours of
4.100,r1 rhrcualrT,i(')pn1.Mond.lvil'rilrghtr;(ray A/tcan,reclionfer:of $5Ov,,ill bech3rgedooe,,eeken(,s
sr C:rrrp;tr,/ holrr.i;iS
. RcturnGd paymGnl Fge 320: ntrs cf)a',9e sl-iell atipi) ,..,ne,r d pa){Ie|r: icheck d elecuonrcj is rtoi ltonored
and reluilrod by lha bonl..
. Account lnltlatlon F.r tl4 or $4O: t,ach n9!v er:c.urrr oc€ner, $i:h lnterniouniain I e r..'.Io 5 p.m., N,lonc,ay
lhrouqh Fridi,y,'i/ill b" bilied a 514 ice \..ii.h tl\e ,irsl requisr b,ll. A $40 {ee lrrit be charged for all accounrs
cpened after 5 p.rn. t'londay throuofr Fl,day. !'ieekendr or hcl'day.r,
O How doe6 the Levcl pey program work?
O How docs the AutoPay progr3m work?
O How can I swltch to prp.rl.ss billing st2temcnts?
O Do you havc a third-party notlficrtion program?
O Where c:n I gci mora lnlormation about energy assislanca?
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l.P.U.C. Gas Tarltr
Secdon A
Elohlh Revlaed Sheet No. 6
Name
of tlfllty lntennountaln Gas Company
tDAlto PuBuc ununEs cot filgstoNApprcvod Efrc{lYa
May 19, 20ltl JlayZA,2011
Jean D. Jcwall Secratrry
9. DISCONTINUANCE AND RECONNECTION OF SERVICE
9.1 When a customer deslres to dlecon0nu€ s€Mcs he ehall ghm nodcs to the
Company at lea6t two business days ln advance and ehall be reepondble for all
gas consumed for the two days afier date of euch notos.
9.2 The Company may dlscontnue seMce for any of he roasone set forth ln the
IPUC'e UUllty Customer Relatons Rules, SeMce oannot be dlgconneoted on
legal holldays recogntsed by the state of ldaho or any days where the Company
ls not open for buslness.
9.3 Whenever seMce has been dlsoontnuEd by the Company for any roason
speclfred ln the IPUC'c Uflltty Cuetomer Relatlons Rules, a charge to recover
tre reconnec'tion shall be mllested by the Company before eaMce ls reatorBd.
Servlce shall be reconnec'ted as soon as posalble, but no later than twefi-four
(24) hours afler the cuatomer has made satsfrctory payment anangementa
wfth the Gompany. The charge for reconnecton shall be:
$22.00, provlded satlsfac'tory arrangements for paynent of all proper cfiarges
have bean made durlng the hours of 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday
through Frlday, except Company holldays; or
S44.00 lf such arrangoments arE made during the houn of 4:30 p.m. through
7:00 p.m. Monday through Frlday, except Company holldays.
lf such anangoments are made durlng hours other than the aboro, the
reconnectlon shall be completed on the following day except for medlcal
emergenclos or where a customer has been disconnsqted ln enor. A
reconnectlon completed on a weekend or Company holtday wlll be charged
$50.00,
Reconnections requlred for medical emergenclas or where a customer has
been disconnacted ln enor will be completed the sama day, lncludlng Company
holldays and weekends.
9.4 fut 'Account lnltatlon Charge" ln the amount of $14,00 during regular buslnsss
hours and $40.00 ouElde of regular buslness houre rvlll be assessed on each
account opaned wfth tha Company and wlll be bllled with the llrst regular blll,
Thls charge wlll not appty to landlord temporary seMce whEra a landlord has
slgned a Contlnuous SEMce Agreement or to code compllance lnspectlons
mandated by the ldaho Publlc Utllities Commlaslon.
rarued by: lntermountaln Gas Company
By: MlchaelP. McGrath
Effective: May 26, 2014
Title: Director - Regulatory Affalre
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ATTACHMENT B
l.P.U.C. Gas Tariff
Section A
Eighth Revised Sheet No.6
Name
of Utility lntermountain Gas Company
IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSIONApproved Effective
May 19,2014 May 26,2014
Jean D. Jewell Secretary
9. DISCONTINUANCE AND RECONNECTION OF SERVICE
9.1 When a customer desires to discontinue service he shall give notice to the
Company at least two business days in advance and shall be responsible for all
gas consumed for the two days after date of such notice.
9.2 The Company may discontinue service for any of the reasons set forth in the
IPUC's Utility Customer Relations Rules. Service cannot be disconnected on
legal holidays recognized by the state of ldaho or any days where the Company
is not open for business.
9.3 Whenever service has been discontinued by the Company for any reason
specified in the IPUC's Utility Customer Relations Rules, a charge to recover
the reconnection shall be collected by the Company before service is restored.
Service shall be reconnected as soon as possible, but no later than twenty-four
(24) hours after the customer has made satisfactory payment arrangements
with the Company. The charge for reconnection shall be:
$22.00, provided satisfactory arrangements for payment of all proper charges
have been made during the hours of 8:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday
through Friday, except Company holidays; or
$44.00 if such arrangements are made during the hours of 4:30 p.m. through
7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except Company holidays.
lf such arrangements are made during hours other than the above, the
reconnection shall be completed on the following day except for medical
emergencies or where a customer has been disconnected in error. A
reconnection completed on a weekend or Company holiday will be charged
$50.00.
Reconnections required for medical emergencies or where a customer has
been disconnected in error will be completed the same day, including Company
holidays and weekends.
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.
rssued by: lntermountain Gas Company
By: MichaelP. McGrath
Effective; May 26,2014
Title: Director - Regulatory Atfairs