Tenant Accruing Electrical Debt in Name of Massachusetts Consumer Protection Laws

Here's something you won't believe. Or you will but you'll shake your head. It's an example of how fear of noncompliance with the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Laws is hurting a real consumer.

The Scenario

The old tenant moved out in a financial disaster situation. She had just gone through a break-up and she nearly got evicted before she settled with her small time landlord. It slipped her mind to cancel her utilities. She moved in with her parents and was never heard from again.

The landlord owns just a few units. They set up their electric meters as landlord rentals. This means if the old tenant had stopped service, the meter would have flipped over to the landlord. The landlord would have then paid the electric bill until the vacancy was filled.

The landlord noticed while closing their books for November that they never got a bill for the vacancy. The vacancy started September 14 and lasted for one month. On October 14 a new tenant took possession. By December 2, a bill should have arrived for the unit.

The National Grid Call

The landlord was being scrupulous and wanted to pay what they rightly owed.  They called National Grid to pay for the vacancy. After ten minutes with a "start or stop your service" representative, the representative determined that the landlord must call customer service.

"But aren't you customer service?" they asked.

The representative coldly repeated that they must transfer the landlord to customer service.

They spoke for a few more minutes. The landlord wanted to know whether the new tenant had called to start service.  But the National Grid representative steadfastly refused to answer. A landlord has no right to know whether the utilities are being paid for in their building, or whether the heat is on. The consumer must be protected. Landlords are not consumers too.

The landlord was transferred and put on hold with an expected wait time of five minutes.  Another call came in and they took it.  One minute into the call they heard National Grid drop them from the other line.

They called back a few minutes later, marched through the automated phone menus, and got back to "customer service." This time they carefully avoided pressing any number that might lead to the unhelpful "start or stop your service" representative.

After explaining the situation, this new National Grid customer service representative shared the previously top secret information that the new tenant had not yet called to start service.

The Bureaucratic Impossibility

National Grid determined that the landlord cannot pay for the vacancy. Their rules require one of the following:

• The old tenant must call to cancel,
• The new tenant must call to start, OR
• The landlord must take responsibility for all electricity from now until today, including what was used by the new tenant.

There are no other alternatives available over the phone. The landlord cannot stop the old tenant's service for her. The landlord cannot pay for just the one month of vacancy. Until someone agrees to do one of these things, the old tenant will continue to rack up a debt consisting of both the landlord's vacancy and the new tenant's electricity bills.

Fairness has no place at National Grid.

National Grid is assisting the landlord with a "letter of responsibility."  This may compel the new tenant to call and start service "or else." We will see.

In the meantime, National Grid is continuing to rack up charges against the old tenant.

You can shake your head now.