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Update re stolen CFE meter


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I posted back in November, wondering what would happen at billing time. Someone thought it likely that the thief would pull out his meter and insert mine a few days before it was time to read the meter. This is what must be happening as I am still getting a bill.

However, the bill that just arrived is for 109 pesos and the one previous was for 135. Admittedly, that meter was a good one to steal as I knew it wasn't accurately calculating costs.

I informed CFE in person a couple of days after the theft and told them that I had had someone connect me up illegally so this was not an emergency. Was told someone would be round within 48 hours. A month later I made a call, worried that I might be paying a huge bill for the thief. I had limited Spanish, the man had limited English, but I thought I understood him to say that there was no way I would be paying for someone else's usage. When the next bill came (all of that payment period the thief had my meter) I went in to CFE again. I had a few words written out in Spanish but a man in line behind me translated. Showed the work order number and again explained that I was illegally hooked up and so no kwh are being registered so how was the bill calculated. The woman said it was averaged. With what? Looking at the previous kwh there was no way it was averaged with any of the figures on my bill, even going back the year or whatever shows up. But hey, the price was too good to refuse so I paid and she gave me a new work order and again said 48 hours. That was back in early January.

CFE has driven by here (Riberas) numerous times, once even turning around in my next door neighbour's driveway as I was unlocking my gate. The gaping meter hole is perfectly obvious as is the fact that someone is living here.

Just an update for others who might exoperience this situation. Don't hold your breath waiting for a new meter.

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My electric meter was smashed right off my house by careless construction workers building a house immediately next to mine. It was a mangled piece of metal with no glass left on it but still functional as a passing CFE crew hooked up what was left of it. It took 28 days for them to come and replace it but now I have a nice new digital meter. Still waiting to see how much I will be charged for this improvement.

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We didn't have a meter on a new construction for a very long time and asked repetedly for one...i asked the CFE reader about it one time, he said,"Free electric!" Well, fine, but it was a pain and dangerous not to be hooked up properly. I can see them say an average is what you'll pay. As long as you don't have problems with surges, i wouldn't worry about it.

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My bill is very low, usually around 250 pesos for 2 months. I do, however, live right around the corner from their workyard so maybe that is why the replacement did not take forever.

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"Someone thought it likely that the thief would pull out his meter and insert mine a few days before it was time to read the meter."

You have it backwards. A thief would use your meter until it was close to meter reading time and then put their old meter back in. The meter reader might notice right away if it wasn't the correct meter for that location.

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CFE will send you a bill based ov the average use frrom previous months, alway different amounts every billing cycle... so the math they use is unknown.

However, when they put a new meter on (I know one guy where it took over a year) they stick you with the actual usage and make you pay the difference retroactively from the date you reported the meter gone or damaged... ending up giving you an electric bill in the thousands or even tens of thousands of pesos.

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