Just another day in paradise. August can be a difficult month for my customers because it's considered "settle up" month. Our customers who have been paying a set amount for the past 11 months need to settle their bills so they have a $0.00 balance. For some, it's a greater amount than anticipated due to whatever reason (hotter summer, colder winter, inefficient/malfunctioning heating/cooling units, etc.). Then, based on the customer's usage pattern, the computer algorithm figures a new budget amount for the upcoming year. Here was a conversation from a few minutes ago:
Customer: How come my budget bill is increasing for next year?
Me: Let me look up your account. Oh, it looks like your average bill was a little higher than the previous year, so the figure is higher going into the next budget year. Your average bill over the past 12 months was $141.30.
Customer: No, it wasn't.
Me: Okay, well, I can give you a print out of your billing history over the past 12 months if you'd like to see. However, when I do the math, the average comes out to be $141.30.
Customer: I still don't understand why it's going up from last year.
Me: We can adjust your budget if you'd like. The figure stated on your bill is merely suggested on the past year's history. However, you can set it higher or lower if you'd like.
Customer: Well, I've got to talk to my wife first. We'll have to take a look at things.
I love it when I figure an average (which I can do with the push of a button on my computer) and people feel the need to argue with me. Yell at yourself. You're the one who used the energy. Yell at the computer. It's the thing that gave me your average bill. Yell at math. Math sucks.
Update: Customer returned with wife in tow. Repeated my words once again. They are still somewhat confused, but at this point, anything else I say is just going to confuse them further. I got them out the door, so hey, I'll take that small victory.
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