So frustrated

Having a store front is crazy expensive - no one tells you about these things you just find out for yourself.

There isnt just rent or lease payments - there is electric, gas, telephone & internet. Sometimes you have get those bundle packages. We were able to get telephone, internet and television for a lower price because we got all three. The electric/gas company is insane!  They want deposits before they hook you up and after a year they ask for more based on your usage.  Imagine my surprise when the electric bill increased our deposit by $65 it may not sound like a lot but it is.  Their reasoning is that they require double your average monthly bill. Our deposit has increased to well over $200 now.  Why do they ask for it? Because business owners are more risky they residential customers.  How crazy is that?

In order to wave the increase they want EFT which I refuse to do, a surety bond from my insurance company or a Revocable letter of credit from my bank. Seriously?  WTF?

Having a store means many people coming thru your door. Not shoppers but sales people and everyone asking for you to donate something to this fundraiser or tricky tray. You name it!  Every week some magazine, newspaper, website representative comes here telling me why I should advertise with them. Dont forget sales people wanting you to purchase their products, and the phone calls to buy my product! Argh! Its so frustrating, I wish we had that many people coming in to shop!

Im starting to think this town was not the best town to try and start a store front. It amazes me how all 8 hair salons within the two traffic lights stay open.

Talk about frustrating.

Why I hate my utility company.

Ok thats a strange topic but I wanted to cover it.

I have the same utility company for my business and my home so I hate them twice as much. I wont name the company but you can figure it out by where we are located.

Do you cringe when the bill comes in? Who doesn't! Its not that we over use the electricity or that the rates are high. Its whole monopoly thing - where you are stuck with that company as long as you live in that house. Its the horrible fees in billing.

What do I mean?

Well we are in a location were our county does not produce its own power, or something like that. So we have to have it delivered from other locations. What does that mean? We wind up paying sometimes triple the usage amount! Think Im kidding?

Example from my business bill (actual numbers):

Basic Service charge (just to have the privilege of the connection - and it adjusts every month) Between $30 and $40 a month (for both electric and natural gas).

In November we didnt use gas but that part of the bill is $17.71. (Remember we didnt use the heat!)

For the electric portion we used 189 KWH in 31 days.

Now in NY I have read its the highest in the country with about .09 cents per KWH. So in a normal location that bill wouldn't be much right? Just about $17 for the electric portion? Wrong!

Where we are we have to pay that service charge $15.27 , metering charge $13.79, supply charge, $16.20 AND $10 for the actual usage of electricity! PLUS all the other little fees $.66 - The electric portion of the bill came to $55.92!

So the total utility bill is $17.71 + $55.92 + (tax) $5.98 = $80.63!

Did you read that right? My little $10 USAGE of Electricity turned into a $80.63 bill! Im so lost on how this is possible and there is nothing I can do about it.

When I first saw this bill I nearly died and I didnt even turn on the heat! Im so nervous as its been cold and well I had to turn on the heat cause I was freezing. Im afraid to see this months bill.

At my house we do not have natural gas, we only get an electric bill. The rates are actually the same. The usage is just as low as we have solar panels at our house. We still end up paying over $50 a month for minimum usage. I shouldn't complain since so many people are paying in the hundreds for their service.

Its just a shame.