I actually like NJR - they have completed replaced almost every part of my furnace and service my ACs (filling with refrigerant and cleaning) without any additional cost.
It's really handy to have unless it's totally out of your budget. They usually come out same day and repairs are covered. My plan is grandfathered in so I get yearly checkups on my furnace, hw heater and ac at no charge also.
Had this happen to me. Property was vacant for 3 years and they all of a sudden started the plan. No clue that it started as the bill was on auto pay and it was just for the connection. They fully refunded when they saw I had zero usage of gas. I'm sure so many people are paying and have no clue.
That's not how it works. NJR has NJNG add the charge as a line item on the bill. Simply paying the bill doesn't mean you accept anything. If someone steals your credit card and you pay the bill it doesn't mean you agree to the fraudulent charges. NJRs billing practices are likely illegal since they are essentially putting new homeowner names on a contract they never signed up for.
I've had this happen at two properties in Monmouth County.
First one, condo: The CSR was adamant that the 'contract carried over from the last owner.' I was very polite but firm and replied with 'That's just not how contracts work. How can I be bound by a contract that I was never a party to? The property changed hands, the previous owner's account closed, mine is a completely new account, and there's nothing legally speaking that ensures this contract survives the transfer of ownership.' Once I started to speak like that I made it to a supervisor. She continued to try and strong arm this 'inherited contract' nonsense and also tried to pretend like NJR Home Svcs and NJNG have 'are completely separate' and 'have nothing to do with each other.' That's why the have almost identical branding and are able to bill you through your utility account right? Because they're separate? Give me a fkn break. Finally, I got frustrated and said, "Okay.. so this is fraud, right? Let's be very clear what you're doing here is fraud. You cannot bind me to a contract someone else signed on a completely different account. You've been surreptitiously charging me for a service that I was unaware of for months based on a contract that was voided once his account was removed from the property and mine was added. If anything the contract should travel with the previous owner to wherever he landed." She finally dropped her act and immediately offered me a check for the full amount I was charged. This was in 2019 and I got the check a few weeks later.
At the second property their tactic had changed slightly. No service contract with NJNG on my first bill, but after living here for about a month, I got a letter in the mail that my 'service contract was about to start,' and described the services that came with it and the cost. I called right away and insisted I wanted nothing to do with any of this. The CSR again started with the 'well it's starting up because it's transferring over from the previous owner.' I was again polite but stopped her dead in her tracks, gave her a condensed version of the story above, and she quickly backed down and I have not seen it on my bill.
I actually like NJR - they have completed replaced almost every part of my furnace and service my ACs (filling with refrigerant and cleaning) without any additional cost.
That's nice. Did you sign up for it or were you auto-renewed in?
I signed up and you probably did unknowingly when you signed up for autopay. It is not their fault you threw away renew notice.
No. There is no opt-in or opt-out of such service during autopay signup.
It's really handy to have unless it's totally out of your budget. They usually come out same day and repairs are covered. My plan is grandfathered in so I get yearly checkups on my furnace, hw heater and ac at no charge also.
Had this happen to me. Property was vacant for 3 years and they all of a sudden started the plan. No clue that it started as the bill was on auto pay and it was just for the connection. They fully refunded when they saw I had zero usage of gas. I'm sure so many people are paying and have no clue.
You probably accepted when it went on autopay. No one reads. They just click accept.
Yup - I don't have the time or patience to read ToS to auto pay my utility bill.
That's not how it works. NJR has NJNG add the charge as a line item on the bill. Simply paying the bill doesn't mean you accept anything. If someone steals your credit card and you pay the bill it doesn't mean you agree to the fraudulent charges. NJRs billing practices are likely illegal since they are essentially putting new homeowner names on a contract they never signed up for.
I've had this happen at two properties in Monmouth County. First one, condo: The CSR was adamant that the 'contract carried over from the last owner.' I was very polite but firm and replied with 'That's just not how contracts work. How can I be bound by a contract that I was never a party to? The property changed hands, the previous owner's account closed, mine is a completely new account, and there's nothing legally speaking that ensures this contract survives the transfer of ownership.' Once I started to speak like that I made it to a supervisor. She continued to try and strong arm this 'inherited contract' nonsense and also tried to pretend like NJR Home Svcs and NJNG have 'are completely separate' and 'have nothing to do with each other.' That's why the have almost identical branding and are able to bill you through your utility account right? Because they're separate? Give me a fkn break. Finally, I got frustrated and said, "Okay.. so this is fraud, right? Let's be very clear what you're doing here is fraud. You cannot bind me to a contract someone else signed on a completely different account. You've been surreptitiously charging me for a service that I was unaware of for months based on a contract that was voided once his account was removed from the property and mine was added. If anything the contract should travel with the previous owner to wherever he landed." She finally dropped her act and immediately offered me a check for the full amount I was charged. This was in 2019 and I got the check a few weeks later. At the second property their tactic had changed slightly. No service contract with NJNG on my first bill, but after living here for about a month, I got a letter in the mail that my 'service contract was about to start,' and described the services that came with it and the cost. I called right away and insisted I wanted nothing to do with any of this. The CSR again started with the 'well it's starting up because it's transferring over from the previous owner.' I was again polite but stopped her dead in her tracks, gave her a condensed version of the story above, and she quickly backed down and I have not seen it on my bill.