Louisville Gas & Electric LG&E Assigning debts to people who aren't responsible for them. Kentucky
My wife and I entered into a rental lease in April with my step-daughter and her partner. The partner utilized the rental lease, which contained all 4 of our names, to start services with Louisville Gas & Electric. The partner was the sole account holder with LG&E, and nobody else was listed as an authorized user on the service account.
At the end of August, my step-daughter and her partner abandoned the lease, leaving outstanding bills that my wife and I had given our portion of to them, but which were never paid.
Upon contacting LG&E and explaining the situation, I asked LG&E to grant me a service account in my name, as my wife and I continue to reside at the property. I requested that my account, along with any necessary deposits, be active from September 1st onward, and that LG&E pursue the account holder accordingly through their collections department.
LG&E has steadfastly refused to do this, claiming that because my name is on the lease, I am wholly responsible for the outstanding amount, and they will not put a service account in my name until the outstanding has been paid. If I open any mail addressed to the other individual, I am guilty of a Federal crime, but as I am not an authorized user, I cannot access any information on the account, such as outstanding balances or service due dates. LG&E insists that I would not have to open this person's mail, that I could simply make payments directly at their office ... but because I'm not listed as an authorized user on the account, and this other individual is the sole account holder, if I ask LG&E anything regarding balances or due dates, they cite that they cannot tell me anything, as I am not authorized for them to tell me anything.
LG&E would love it if I just blindly throw money at them so they can avoid the costs of utilizing their collections department ... it is neither legal or ethical for them to assign a debt to someone who is not authorized on the service account, despite their insistance that an agreement between landlord and tenant (to which LG&E is not a party) binds anyone other than the sole account holder of the service account into an agreement of LG&E. As a result of this illegality and unethical practice, I am completely handcuffed, while all I want is to be able to take responsibility for my own usage.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Irvine,United States
Misdirected
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, October 02, 2020
Seems like the real people you need to be upset with is your Step-Daughter and her partner. They are the ones that left you "holding the bag" with the debt. If your Step-Daughter really cared she would make sure the bill was paid, or at the very least get you added as an authorized user or get permission from them to allow you to open the bills if you want to be 100% legal.
The fact is that you were on the lease and you did benefit from the services that have not been paid. Not saying that you owe this money, but also not saying you don't. In many areas the utility bill even though it is with one person is part of the property. So anyone living at that property becomes responsible for a delinquent bill. You may have a valid case to keep it off of your credit, but the utility could still refuse to continue service at that address until all delinquent bills are paid. Because the true reality is that they have no proof that the person that skipped out is not still living on the property and you are just doing this to avoid having to pay a bill. To make matters worse, it may be possible for the landlord to evict you because of this unpaid bill.
Now, every utility is regulated. If you truly think that they are doing something illegal, you may find assistance with your local Public Utility Comission(or what ever agency regulates the local company) by filing a complaint or dispute. It may not remove the debt, but it may pave the way for you to get access to the account.
Good Luck