More than four thousand Lubbock citizens have signed a petition titled: “See that LP&L Stops Taking Advantage of Customers.”
It was created by customer, Joseph Lee who said he is unhappy with his overall utility bill amount but mainly the water portion. Lee said the bill reflects he used 36,000 gallons of water for the month of July compared to last year of 9,000.
“This is our best way to get our voices heard, we need people to give their testimonials of it and hopefully make a change,” Lee said.
LP&L Spokesperson Matt Rose said it’s important to analyze each aspect of your bill, and realize that the city sends the bill for water and other utilities, while LP&L is responsible for electric alone.
He said people get confused because the first floor of the LP&L building is where people can go to discuss their water and electric bills, and their service number is the same for both services as well.
“We also send out meter readers for both water and electric,” Rose.
Rose said if it’s just the electric a customer is frustrated with, they need to pay close attention to their monthly consumption. Compared to the state average monthly rate, LP&L is right on track at $107.60 but during the summer months that amount can increase by two or even three times.
“For a vast amount of our customers right now they are going to receive a monthly bill that is much higher than their April bill, because 22 out of the 20 days of the month the temperature has been close to 100 degrees which is going to drive your AC unit,”
He recommends turning your AC up by 8-10 degrees everyday, and closing your blinds. If something doesn’t seem right in the bill, go to their building and contact them. They also offer payment plans.
Lubbock resident Robert Beall said his overall utility bill was $400, and given that he lives on social security and a fixed income, a bill like this is simply undoable. He is currently working with LP&L on a payment plan.
“Families should not be afraid to open their utility bill each month, there’s a lot of people that dread going to the mailbox,”