XPost: uk.people.consumers, alt.consumers.experiences, alt.consumers 
 XPost: misc.consumers 
 From: bluecalx@yahoo.com 
  
 On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 13:06:10 -0230, Terry  
 wrote: 
 >You must be kidding about reading electricity meters at intervals 
 >of one or two years! Figuratively that would, I think, get 
 >'laughed out of court' in the public mind here. And the chances 
 >of the power company getting paid after letting a bill go unpaid 
 >for so long wouldn't get much sympathy! 
 >Legally the company might, eventually, get its money but there 
 >would be one heck of a public outcry; e.g. "Light and Power 
 >Company Forgets to bill customer for year and a half ..... etc."; 
 >especially if it was a pensioner who perhaps does not understand 
 >how to read a meter themselves and hasn't got much source of 
 >income. 
  
 That's what I thought as well.  As it happens, I have enough money to 
 cover the ~$300 surprise electricity bill, but for families or elderly 
 people living on a very strict budget.. well, I don't know what they'd 
 do.  And I think my bill wasn't nearly as big as it could have been. 
 Mine was only over the course of 6-9 months.  If they'd waited the 
 full two years, it could have been absolutely enormous.  A major 
 annoyance for me, I'm sure, but asbolutely crippling for the single 
 mother just barely getting by from paycheck to paycheck. 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)