Appalled at gas rates

A Bay Area renter and homeowner since the 1960s. I’ve always paid utility bills without complaint, even when Gov. Gray Davis greatly increased our costs with an opaque closed-door deal so egregious that it got him recalled in 2003.

Now, though, recent gas charges can only be characterized as gouging consumers. Between November and February, Peak Six raised their Tier 1 cost per therm from $1.08 to $5.21, without warning, explanation, evidence or gradual implementation. This drove my gas procurement portion from $32 on the Dec. 1 PG&E statement, to $640 on that of March 1, an increase of 20 times or 2,000%!

I called Peak Six in January, when their bill was only up 12 times, or 1,200%, for an explanation. A woman manager called back to assert that the bill was correct and final, that it was based upon “supply and demand,” that there was no appeal beyond her, or discounts for a senior like me on a fixed income, already gutted by inflation of 200% for food and 300% for gasoline. And she called me a liar for quoting a PG&E supervisor that my gas usage had dropped throughout 2022.

I’ve appealed to the CPUC, and promptly switched to PG&E’s “bundled service.” I urge other Peak Six clients to cancel also, and send that company a message they won’t soon forget.

J.M. Ryan

Belmont