Monday, December 20, 2010

Citizen Pays for Corporate Incompetence


On December 1, Ontario Hydro One deducted $11,907 from the pre-authorized bank account of a customer. The normal deduction was $477 per month. Since 2008, Hydro One had failed to read the electricity meter on the client's second property. Without the courtesy of a notice, this bureaucratic giant scoops up all the money it feels owing.

But hold on. The public deserves protection against corporate incompetence. The government (provincial? federal?) must decree that all such services must be invoiced within three months, otherwise the claim for payment becomes void. Lawsuits have a statute of limitations. Why not service charges?