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Re: electric bill too high, and super refuses access to the meter/circuit breakers and threatens

Posted by richard on June 03, 2000 at 09:34:35:

In Reply to: electric bill too high, and super refuses access to the meter/circuit breakers and threatens posted by alex on June 02, 2000 at 22:45:36:

Are you rent stabilized is there 6 apartments in your building?

I would withhold this months rent until you get an answer.....

Also Check at the buildings dept for the certificate of occupancy, see
if the apartment is listed, and at DHCR to see what the legal rent is.

Also You probably have an old supers apartment on the first
floor.......and a lot of times they used to wire that apartment to the
main buildings circuit, the outside lights, etc...because the super had
his utilities included in his pay.

Also you will have to get used to high electric bills during the
summer, because the boiler in the basement is constantly running to
provide HOT water for the building, and the heat generated will seep
into your apartment, causing it to be hot..... in our old apartment if
we shut off our AC the apartment would go immediately to 82 degrees so
we had to leave one on 24/7...we had cats... and the electric was
$100+ for a 1 brdrm......but then again in the winter you probably will
never complain about too little heat.

------------------------------------------------

: Hi everyone,

: My situation: a 2 bedroom, 1st floor, 50-60 years old 5 stories apratment building in Brooklyn.

: We are receiving really large electric bills from Con Edison, like $80 a month... One month the bill was $280 and when we complained to Con Edison, they sent the person to inspect the meter, and dropped it to $50 saying it was a "wrongful initial reading"...

: Nobody is at home during the day, and electricity is used only early in the morning (to watch some tv during the coffee) and during 7pm-12pm, with 2 lights, tv and a computer turned on.

: Now, we bought an air conditioner resently, but are unable to use it, because each time we turn it on, the fuse blows off immediatly in the basement somewhere...

: The super told us that we can hire ANY electrician to get the 2nd line installed specifically for the air conditioner, and that he'll let them into the basement to do the job, but when I actually made an appoitment with an electrician for tomorrow, and came to the super to ask him to be available tomorrow to let electrician into the basement, he changed his mind, telling that he'll let in no one, and that only one "authorized" electrician (whose phone he'll provide to me) can be allowed in the basement.

: Now, I really got angry with that, since I already made an appoitment, and super specifically told me before that I can hire whoever I want, ("just look up electrician in yellow pages" was exact quote), so I said that I going to utility company about this behavour...

: Then it got really bizzarre:

: "You just did the biggest mistake in your *bleeping* life"...
: "Don't want to be no friends?"
: "Do you know who the *** I am?"
: "you donno who you are messing with" etc...

: I also must add that our super-indendent has the appearence of the pussy personage from the sopranos, tho he is Yugoslavian I think, not Italian...

: Well, I backed off, but what can I do in this situation? I suspect that super has our line shared with his own apartment, or with someone else, but since he refuses anyone access to the basement where circuit breakes/meters are located, what are my options? I called Con Edison, and asked for them to send an inspector or such, but they told me that they wont do it, and I have to hire electrician myself to do the checkup, which again is impossible since super wont allow electrician into the basement...

: Also complaining to landlord seems will do no good, since super obsiously has his support, and laffs when I say that I gonna complain to the landlord, saying that I can complain all I want, but wont get anything...

: If you have any advise, or had a simular expirience, please respond in the forum...


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