|
We were contacted by a woman who felt the BC Assessment
Authority had provided her with incorrect information by telling
her that her taxes would not necessarily increase despite her
home’s higher assessment.
Ms. D told us that she contacted BC Assessment after she
received a notice that her property had increased in value from
$46,000 to $105,000. According to Ms. D, BC Assessment staff
informed her that an increase in property value does not always
mean a tax increase.
She subsequently received a tax notice indicating that her taxes
had increased significantly. By this time the time frame for
filing an appeal of her property assessment had passed.
After discussing her options with our office she spoke with BC
Assessment and they agreed to review her property assessment and
give her the opportunity to provide evidence regarding what she
felt was a high assessment.
Following this review BC Assessment agreed to reduce the
assessment of her property, which in turn resulted in her having
to pay less property tax.
Woman appeals for housing transfer when ex-husband released from
jail
BC Housing
2006 Annual Report
We were contacted by a woman who said she was still waiting
to be moved from her home after making a request to BC Housing
for a transfer two years ago because her ex-husband knew where
she lived and she feared for her safety.
She believed that a two year wait for emergency housing was
unreasonable.
We contacted BC Housing to raise a concern and were advised
that as the ex-husband had been in jail until recently the
request for a transfer had not been treated as an emergency.
BC Housing agreed that the ex-husband’s recent release from
prison made the matter urgent and offered the woman a new
placement.
Hydro billing based on estimates rather than actual use
BC Hydro
2006 Annual Report
Mr. N contacted us to
complain that the estimated hydro reading at the time he moved
into his home was inaccurate and should not be used.
During our investigation we learned that BC Hydro’s standard
procedure is to produce an initial “move-in” bill based on an
estimate rather than an actual meter reading.
If a customer takes issue with this figure, a second estimate
is generated. The two estimates are then used to establish an
average daily consumption rate – which is then applied
retroactively back to the date the customer moves into their
home.
In this case though, after our discussion BC Hydro agreed
that using the first actual meter reading available as the
move-in reading would be a fair resolution to this complaint and
it did that.
Appeal to have
power restored
BC Hydro
2006 Annual Report
In situations where people are unable to communicate with us
directly, due to disabilities or other reasons, they have the
option of asking a friend, a family member or an advocate to act
as an agent on their behalf. In this case we were contacted by
an agent for Mr. J with a complaint that BC Hydro had wrongfully
disconnected Mr. J’s power supply due to unpaid bills.
The agent told us that due to
medical problems and lack of a telephone, Mr. J was unable to
contact BC Hydro. The agent contacted BC Hydro to discuss the
situation but was told that they were unable to discuss the
matter without Mr. J’s consent.
We learned that Mr. J was
receiving assistance from the Ministry of Employment and Income
Assistance (MEIA). After discussion about how to get Mr. J’s
hydro restored, MEIA spoke to BC Hydro and the two authorities
worked together to set up a debt repayment plan and a payment
plan for future hydro charges.
BC
Hydro asked to pay for electrical damage
BC Hydro
2006 Annual Report
A woman complained that the decision of the BC Hydro and Power
Authority (BC Hydro) to refuse to compensate her for damage to
her appliances was unjust. She came to our office because she
believed that BC Hydro should be responsible for the damage
incurred to her household appliances when the power line to her
house severed in November 2005. BC Hydro claimed that the damage
to her power line resulted from wet heavy snow on the line.
Since the November 2005 breakage in her line occurred at the
same point as an earlier incident of December 2004, she
maintained that BC Hydro was negligent in its splicing of her
line in December 2004. She also objected to BC Hydro’s decision
to splice her power line a second time and maintained that BC
Hydro should agree to pay for the removal of the spliced power
line and replace it with a new connection to her home.
Our investigation indicated that
BC Hydro had followed the relevant policies and procedures for
considering such claims and had made a fair decision based on a
proper understanding of the circumstances of her claim. We noted
that BC Hydro does not accept liability for damage resulting
from acts of nature such as heavy snow on power lines. BC Hydro
would accept responsibility for the cost of damage incurred and
replace a power line if it can be demonstrated that BC Hydro has
been negligent.
While our investigation did not
indicate that BC Hydro had been negligent in this matter, it did
appear to us that there remained some uncertainty regarding why
this woman’s power supply failed at the same point twice. For
that reason, we asked BC Hydro to review this woman’s claim
further and consider replacing the power line to her home as a
way of preventing future problems with that line. After
reviewing this matter, BC Hydro agreed to absorb the cost of
replacing the existing spliced line with a new power line. BC
Hydro also committed to trim a tree on her property that could
cause damage to the new line. As we were satisfied with the
measures adopted by BC Hydro to resolve this matter, we closed
our file under section 13(i) of the Ombudsman Act.
|
