I didn't account for any additional savings or expenses from utilities into our rent/buy decision. Unfortunately, so far there have been several unanticipated expenses, and hours of wasted time.
1) El Dorado Irrigation - We didn't receive our first bill, then when the second notice came, it had a late fee that they wouldn't waive (over 2 years of prompt payment at the other house meant nothing to them). Apparently it's my fault if I don't get the bill. To top it off, the bill was much more expensive. If a house has no record from which to base the sewer charge, they just charge the area average.....again, our over two years of below average use at the other house meant nothing. Incredibly frustrating.
2) Comcast (Internet, TV, Phone) - I don't even know where to begin....Comcast has been an absolute nightmare to deal with. At the rental, we had the AT&T U-verse set up which was considerably less expensive compared to Comcast.
- The original installer was so anxious to get to his next appointment he closed out the ticket before I had phone service....which then took me 2.5 days and multiple phone calls to get settled. This was a major issue for me as I work out of the house.
- They have yet to cap all the lines in the front of our house, even after several calls.
- They won't list their bundled services separately on their bill (so I can be reimbursed by my work), so we have to pay extra for that privilege (ridiculous).
- To top it all off, their service is very spotty, phone calls get dropped, Internet goes out for long periods of time during the workweek.
I have about had it with them, and plan to switch to AT&T & Dish service next month. Unfortunately their U-verse is not offered here, otherwise we would have started with that.
3) PG&E - For some reason, the lady on the phone changed the service into our name the day I called, as opposed to the day we closed escrow. Major inconvenience trying to get that straightened out, but at least it didn't cost us extra.A lesson in frustration to say the least.
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And wait until you have to call Comcast for service and they charge you $20 to come to your house to fix something that's not working because their service doesn't work.
Wow, that surprises me with El Dorado Irrigation but the Comcast situation is NOT surprising.
I called Comcast to fix my cable on Wednesday, as I needed someone to come out on the weekend. They set it up and said someone will call for confirmation. No one called back.
I called two days later and they said they will come out on Friday between 8am and 10am. What!! I said.
We finally got it straightened out but it was a pain and only because I called them.
EID does not surprise me.
Apparently, it is your responsibility to pay a bill, even though you don't receive the bill, yet from my experience, EID refuses to change the billing information to a new owner, until EID receives from the Recorder, a copy of the recorded transfer deed (even though a copy of the deed was given to EID).
And you were probably charged a hefty "meter reading fee" (at least that is what the CSR's told me it was) when you first signed up for EID, when, based on my personal experience, no one read the meter and EID "estimated" the meter reading. (A visual inspection of the meter after the claimed meter reading showed that the meter was covered in mud that remained from the prior winter and could not have been read.)
Good luck!
I am curious, what do water, garbage and sewer cost up your way?
I have been on the Sacramento flat fee for so long I don't know what to compare it to.
Thanks
They aren't cheap..it was a bit of a shock when we first moved here...since trash & front yard was included in my HOA back in D.C. area (which cost $72 a month).
Here in EDH, trash runs around $50, and water $80 (double what I paid in D.C. but that part was expected since I know water is a precious commodity in CA).
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