Not sure whether I should post this or not but my friend, Paul, said to so here it is (the ongoing saga battle with huge electric utility SRP)... over 2 cents error in my bill they made in their favor ... intially they were just dismissing it as yes that sometimes happenes and then I requested they not excuse it but refund my 2 cents and they credited me a pity payment of $5 .... it isn't just an error in computing my bill but they are making the same or greater error in computing all of their customers bills.

(Letter responding  to Srp Ombudsman, Arty, 07-16-2012)
I understand better than you, Arty, since I worked in computing in accounting in international corporations for 30 years. I am also well acquainted with auditors in all industries and the responsibilities they perform for their employer and to their profession with integrity.

If the 4 decimal place says the price per KW is .0788 and all charges are reflected in that price there is no internal programming that can create an error of cents in favor of SRP at the expense of the customer because “close” only is applicable to horse shoes and never applies to business bills/accounting. The whole world is an accounting sheet and the whole sum is either greater or less than the sum of its parts depending on the quality in the equation. If the whole is less than the sum of the parts then that is a negative system. You simply can not have a policy that says to the customer that when you computer calculates a bill that it has a fudge factor of a few cents or more here and there! That is why I asked you to alert your auditing department. Any bill your computer presents to me the customer must agree with conventional means of calculating and be able of being verified by the customer. We are only talking about multiplying the 7.88 kw cost times the off peak number of kw used for a pay period. That is very simple arithmetic!

I appreciate the $5.00 for the .02 cents billing error in SRP’s favor at the expense of the customer. Thank you, I accept it in good faith as a token gratuity for my input and time spent communicating not only this problems but the others we have documented in writing for future reference if need be.

I hope that you and SRP have made every effort possible to improve your service to your customers. SRP is unlike a normal business. SRP customers are also owners/shareholders via the definition of property being owned in SRP service area. I believe I do even have a vote for the Board of Directors, and SRP must serve with higher calling than other businesses via the nature of its enterprise unique in the world relationship to its customers. If necessary I can speak with other persons more influential than myself, but only if necessary since I should be able to handle this matter being a homeowner in SRP since 1979, customer, senior citizen, and competent in discussing the problems that command my attention warranting explanation and perhaps corrective action.

Please reference my work background as listed in LinkedIn .... http://www.linkedin.com/pub/yolanda-martin/42/88/51 My life experience is in global USA International corporations software installation and design down to the minute detail since as this 2 cents issue. I am speaking as a professional and a volunteer to alert SRP of problems that need attention. There are other avenues if SRP fails to recognize the real cost of my time and attention plus mental distress SRP as caused me in the history I have lived at 3221 West Alice Ave, Phoenix, Arizona 85051.

It IS my 2 cents worth we are discussing, literally and figuratively. As to accuracy of the meters, I don’t dispute that your technicians test your equipment and have a quality control program ..... but what mechanism if any do you give your customer’s to verify that accuracy. With the old meters, the customer could verify the accuracy manually to the specific watt and not the greater kw of measurement? I would like to see a .pdf document detailing the installation and operations of the smart meter and how it differs from the old meters that required manual reading. It was a cost savings to SRP to do away with those human meter reading laborers, and the promise to the customer was improved accuracy and the daily reporting of actual (NOT ESTIMATED) daily kw usages. That has NOT been a reality and the smart reader customer reports are still not working!

It is my hope that the Board of Directors will not approve the excessive rate increase especially at a time when citizens of Arizona are already underwater IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!

Yolanda Martin

3221 West Alice Ave, Phoenix Arizona 85051

KB4MES FCC Novice Class License (official USA citizens duty correspondence)

602-841-5740