This coming from a man that gets his paycheck from the government and will continue to get a paycheck from the government long after he retires.

Huh?


Your point? I want a smaller government and larger military, so......

A large military is part of a large government. Where do you think most of the federal budget goes?

Here's a hero biscuit for stating the obvious that the military is part of the government, now go sit in the corner.

What's a hero biscuit? Before you bother to answer, the question was rhetorical.

You are the only one (that I know of) on this forum that gets a government paycheck. You are calling for a smaller government. Don't you see how ridiculous that is?

One more question Patton, have you ever even worked for private industry?

Ok, since you are apparently unaware, I am a Reservist, on an Active Duty Tour. (Waits for the Laughter to die down).

I am on a Military Leave of Absence from a Private Industry right now. This is an employer I have worked for for 17 years. Next question.

I thought Philips and Sony hashed this out in court.

I'm only going on what you yourself said. When I asked you why you pretend to be a famous Army general and go around telling people that they are "dismissed", you replied that it was your way of honoring Patton and that you were in the military. Something like that. I didn't realize that you were also a captain of industry.

OK Back on topic.

I`m going to deduct .96Cent from my elect. bill every month. And send Allegany Power junk mail I don`t want. in those no stamp needed envelopes.

I'm assuming you're joking McGee, but if you're not, don't think those bloodsuckers are above cutting your power and sending a couple buck shortage to collections.

for everyone who hasn't seen the most recent article about this, which was in today's H-M:

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=display...amp;format=html

among other things, the article states that the surcharge on all of our bills was approved by the Public Service Commission and payment "is not optional". sorry McGee!

If Allegheny Power could have competition, would they be doing this?

Yes, I was joking, you should know me by now.

Hell I don`t care what they do. I`m on the budget plan anyway.

I figured you were, but I wanted to put that out there for any impressionable youngsters that may be reading.

He should introduce a bill and it should be passed because apparently the PSC has entirely to much power.



Why would anyone send them back to the manufacturer, I would think if your pissed and want to send them back you would send them to Allegheny.



So they didn't tell their customers because they figured the customers would contact the PSC to find out if this was going to cost them anything.

Looks like we made it to one of my favorite websites, The Consumerist.

Rude: Maryland Electric Company Sends You Unsolicited Light Bulbs, Charges $12

Good site... I hadn't seen that one before.

I'm still waiting for it to hit FARK.com... then we'll know we've made the big time.

Apparently Annapolis is looking into this, also.

I still think AP should be charged with mail fraud. But then, if found guilty, they'll pay the fine and pass it along to the consumers as some bogus surcharge.

There was a comment left on The Consumerist that was very interesting:

"There are boxes upon boxes of these at Fry's Electronics, each with a sticker on them that says they're discounted courtesy of San Diego Gas & Electric. I've seen them as low as 96 cents each. Home Depot had a 4-pack for 2.99 right around Christmas."

I wish the H-M would do some looking into this info to see if it's true. Maybe they could call Fry Electronics and ask them if they are selling surplus florescent bulbs from an electric company.

Post #1


Over 200 Member!


Group: Members
Posts: 231
Joined: 6-July 03
From: Maryland
Member No.: 134



If you think that it was nervy of Allegheny Power to send you unsolicited light bulbs and then charge you for them you can request a complaint form by calling 1-800-492-0472 (Maryland Public Commission) www.psc.state.md.us/psc or you can also call Allegheny customer service center at 1-800-255-3443.

The persons who have post office boxes will not even be getting the bulbs but will be charged anyway. It seems that the post office cannot deliver mail that had a street address on them instead of the post office number, so they were sent back by the post office. How would you like that insult to injury!

It seems to me that we are losing more and more of our rights and freedoms and also we are being taxed and charged and pushed around by big brother without any concern for our wellbeing. People are losing their homes and the elderly are unable to afford health care.

Our Government needs to start looking out for us.

Another front-page story on the light bulb issue in today's H-M -

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=display...amp;format=html

When I watched the 6:00 news on NBC25 last night I was very surprised to see no reports whatsoever on this story. I thought maybe in a moment of distraction (I was cooking dinner) that I missed it, but when I went to www.your4state.com this morning and did a search I found nothing. Anyone else think this is a little odd? It certainly does seem like a big story to me. NBC25 has been running a new set of commercials about how they're "going green". Hmm.

If I'm understand this whole story correctly - and I'm not sure I am - we aren't paying for the light bulbs. We are paying for some kind of hokey conservation education program that includes giving florescent bulbs to everyone participating in the program. The idea is that we aren't really paying for the light bulbs.

If it sounds scummy, that's because it is. Scalpers pull the same trick. I remember how they were selling tickets to a Barbara Streisand concert that sold out in minutes. Scalpers were selling "packages" to fans with a 1000% markup. They were able to do this because they weren't actually selling the tickets, but the package. The package only included the ticket and a ball point pen.

I guess we will eventual use the bulbs. We switched to florescent bulbs over a year ago. Every bulb we have in the house is a florescent. Being that one of the benefits of these bulbs is that they last forever and we already have a case of these sitting on a shelf, I honestly don't know when I will get around to using these "free" bulbs.

It may be years from now.

What bothers me is that this sets a precedent. Other companies will now be able to do the very same thing. I can see a company that makes car baby seats contact the Maryland DMV and workout some deal where they send every registered driver in the state of Maryland a car seat and then charge them for it. Next time you go to renew your driver's licence, there will be a $100 child safety education fee tacked on. Never mind that many drivers don't need a baby car seat.

Many electric customers don't need florescent bulbs. Customers like me.

Can't their rates be frozen for a couple of years as a punitive measure? And can't surcharges be scrutinzed and prohibited for awhile as well? I would be asking my representatives these things if I still lived in Maryland. It's not the 12.00; it's the fact that yours truly would NEVER get away with breaking the law, even if she wanted to. Heck......for that matter, yours truly has to fight for the right to be LAW ABIDING at times! Why is Allegheny Power not subject to the law as well?

Rowdy has a E- Mail going around about the bulbs.

Send your over-priced light bulbs back to Agony Power at:

Agony Power
800 Cabin Hill Dr.
Greensburg, PA 15606

and watch http://www.agonypower.com beginning Sunday for details on Agony's new Trendy Appliance program.

I think that's pretty much it bentcorner, a disguised surcharge to help pay for a non-existent energy conversation education program. The bulbs are like those free address labels you get in the mail, except this for-profit corporation gets a nice fat profit from it.

If the bulbs are as inexpensive as everyone says they are, then AP (which probably bought the bulbs at a cheap discount) and even adding in postage, probably made a least a little money off it.

With the increases in the price of electricity and now this, AP's public relations image has to be in the toilet.

I thought I read somewhere, where some electric companies were finding that they had to raise their per kilowatt hour fees because they weren't selling as much electricity to consumers due to consumers conserving "too much".

AP never did have a good public relations image. Power companies in general tend to be monopolies, but AP always seemed to put a new dimension to the term "cut throat". When I lived in Md., I had Pepco, but my "across-the-street" neighbors had AP, and they were never happy with them, just for the basics..........like keeping the service going during storms, and restoring the sevice after power failures. According to a friend I have who works for DHHR, AP does not work with people who are sick and cannot work to get payment agreements in place. It's as if AP would rather turn off the power for these people...........just that alone makes me not want to even hear about Allegheny Power.

Allegheny Power cares what people are saying about them. At least they used to. I used to know someone who worked for them as a researcher. Part of her duties included searching the newspapers each and every day looking for any mention of the company. If someone wrote a letter to the editor about Allegheny Power, it got saved and cataloged. This was before there were blogs and newspaper published everything online.

I thought it was kind of weird for a company to have so much concern about what people were saying, especially a company that sell electricity. People are going to buy their product no matter what somebody says about them.

Then this light bulb fiasco was a really stupid move on their part.

My parents started with AP (Potomac Edison) in 1961 so we had them the whole time I was growing up, and since being back in town for 13 years I've had them.

Way back when, they were a very consumer oriented business. I remember my parents calling them about various problems and they would respond very quickly. The meter readers were friendly and would stop and talk with you (back then the meters were in the basement and not outside.) The readers knew you by name.

Even in the late 90's, if you called them, you got a live person answering the phone usually within 3 rings. Very polite and efficient people who would step all over themselves trying to resolve your issue.

Now, it seems, they have the "phone company" attitude. Being the only game in town, I think they think they can do whatever the hell they damn well please.

So yes, they did care. And maybe they still do. But crap like this... well...

Come to think of it, maybe the change happened when they ceased being Potomac Edison, moved out of their building on Downsville Pike and became Allegheny Power.

since i STILl havent gotten any random lightbulbs in the mail, i was wondering... did you guys get any notice?? like "next month on your statement there will be an added charge of $x.xx and you should be recieving a box of fancy shmancy lightbulbs."?

Nope. Nothing. Not even in their colorful little pamphlet included in the bill. Oh wait.. now that i think about it, maybe they said something about "free" lightbulbs being shipped out, but definitely no word about a surcharge.

Potomac Edison WAS good. My parents had them, too. I had AP when I lived in WV, and I remember having to call them for some prob (at this late date, I really cannot remember what it was!!!!) and they guy actually accused me of tampering with the meter box! Now.....yours truly is NOT an electrician, and does not even know how to tamper with meter boxes, and would probably electricute herself in such an attempt, anyway......................the box was also located outside, which means that if tampered with, it could have been anyone! I really didn't appreciate the accusation.

Thanks for the tip BlueBirder, but the number you posted goes to an add for the "most popular chat service in town". Try changing the last digit to a 4 at 1-800-492-0474.

I just got off the phone with a manager from the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC). It seems they've been swamped. She said Allegheny is being required to come before the PSC to defend whether the charges are "appropriate or whether it should be reduced or eliminated, and whether the Commission can and should take any other action in response to customers' complaints." Here's the PSC's letter to Allegheny:
http://webapp.psc.state.md.us/Intranet/Con...sted%5C2375.doc

If you want, you can file a formal complaint online:
http://webapp.psc.state.md.us/Intranet/cap...plaintNotes.cfm

Or if you just want to submit comments:
http://www.psc.state.md.us/psc/Info/feedback.htm

Oh, and I called Allegheny too. They're not planning on any kind of reduction, refund, or action on their own.

I just read the body of that letter in your link above. Wow, it sounds like Allegheny Power has some 'splainin to do, huh? It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out. I'm still perplexed that this is not a news story to NBC25...

WOW! Someone is going to get a serious reaming! I would not be shocked now if they didn't just eat the cost and try to save some face. Of course as someone else already mentioned they will just jack up the rates or find another way to get the money out of us.

One more thing I'd like to point out. remember last year when they started billing us "extra" to offset the rising costs (60-70%) beginning in 2009? They said this money would be put away until the new rates went into effect then it would help offset those higher rates. I'm not sure I trust these jagoffs "holding" my money until 2009.

I know the studio is downtown, but where is the transmission tower? Is it outside the city and does it get power from AP? If so, that might explain why they haven't been covering it.

I checked the FCC website. It shows that WHAG's tower is near Clear Spring. That would mean the tower relies on power from Allegheny Power, right?

Yup, all those blinking red lights on the hill up in Clear Spring.

I've been wondering if it had something to do with the new "NBC25 goes Green" campaign they're been talking about in their commercials and in their newscasts. Perhaps reporting on a negative story about CFL's would be seen as some sort of conflict of interest? I'm probably reading way too much into the reason why they haven't mentioned it, like there's some big conspiracy afoot or something. Still. It's been making a lot of waves in other places aside from just the H-M. I don't get it.

I just checked the NBC25 website and it looks like they only did one story about the program. It says nothing about the controversy. It reads like a press release from Allegheny Power.

Allegheny Power Sending Lightbulbs to Customers
Reported by: Diana Moon

Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007 @08:34am EST

NBC25 NEWS - Allegheny Power is hoping to make customers more energy efficient by sending them a longer lasting light bulb.

This is all a part of Allegheny Power's “Watt Watchers” program. Customers are paying for the bulbs through an energy conservation surcharge of 96 cents per month.

The company will be mailing out two Earth Brite compact fluorescent bulbs to about 400,000 Maryland customers by the end of November.

They use about 75 percent less energy than standard bulbs and lasts up to ten times longer. Customers will be saving about a dollar a month.

It may not be much, but even if you change one bulb in your home to an Earth Brite one makes a huge impact to the environment.

Todd Meyers, of Allegheny Energy, said, "It saves about the equivalent. Just the two bulbs we'll be sending out -- in about a year, 15,000 emissions from tailpipes a year, so that's a lot of greenhouse gases for these little bulbs."

Yep the tower is on Fairview mountian. Right beside AT&T`s tower. Or as the older locals call it the old Nikey missel silo.

You can contact the PSC Office of External Relations at:


LaWanda Edwards Manager (410) 767-8028

Commissioners:

Steven Larsen (410) 767-8073
Harold Williams (410) 767-8116
Allen M. Freifeld (410) 767-8072
Susanne Brogan (410) 767-8072
Lawrence Brenner (410) 767-8116

yes, i saw that this was the only article, and it was way back on 11/13. you're right, it sounds like a press release. sheesh.

did anyone read yesterday's Mail Call? about 90% of the rants were about the light bulbs. i don't think i've ever seen one topic take over Mail Call like that.

I think that they wanted to get people hooked on these bulbs because when they raise our rates sky high it won't look as bad on our bills because of what the bulbs will save us. Just my thoughts. I'm so sick and tired of being ripped off by everybody. Our Government is not looking out for us.

There's also a big rate increase for us unfortunate peon's. By the way, how much has the top executives incomes risen in the past year? I know that it was a few years ago around $600,000 yearly with $600,000 yearly in bonus. Ain't bad huh? They also probably get free electricity.

Can anyone find their incomes and pass it along to us so we can get even madder.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/107400144_c2f3269364_m.jpg (I'm mad too)!

Looks like you folks might have won.

Allegany to pay for bulbs.



Yes, I know in the long run you will still pay for them. LOL