Ming Palace shuts down, so they told us.
The ire of CUC bills have been plaguing establishments in the CNMI.
This renowned 24-hour diner griped about the utility bills that soared from $4,500 to over $9,000 just for one restaurant. The manager shared that the management has exhausted all cost-saving measures for the store. "I don't even know now which lights to turn off since most of them are," the manager said. The management said, it has been the worst the store has faced since its existence on Saipan. Then, the manager walked down the memory lane during the golden days of the CNMI. The management said it wouldn't want to raise the prices of the food in the restaurant because it knows that the people have lesser purchasing power nowadays.
Another establishment, a department store, will be downsizing and reducing its store area. The management has cleaned up the owner's backyard where the store will keep stocks et. al. The owner said the bill is just killing the business gradually. Thus, before it dies out, the management decided to reduce the store area and rent just one little space to make it work.
A little hotel used to pay $7,000 for CUC power. Then the management decided to use generator at night again to save from the grueling power bills. The AC's are on at night for the tenant's sleeping pleasure. Then in the morning they use CUC power. At first some pencil pushing saw the potential savings the hotel could reap from the measure, however, the little hotel's current power bill reached to a staggering $10,000 for last month's usage. The owner fainted in disbelief. The hotel had to pay the CUC bill plus the fuel for generators.
A small home or apartment tenant was happy to live in a building with generator. The owner of the building does not charge extra for generator. That should make the tenant happy. Last month usage reached 590 kwh for 31 days. The total bill due was around $160. Due to intermittent power outage, the tenant thought of saving a little because of the generator. New CUC bill came with less usage for the month which was 544 kwh. However, the tenant's bill was $210.
So much stories to tell out there...
So what's yours?
25 comments:
I know a couple that found a fully concrete home to rent for 250. per month. They were very excited with the find. Their first electric bill was 840. dollars. Then, the utilities doubled!!!!!
yikes.
Who pays the bill for CUC's office? Are they trying to cut costs too?
Only use as much power as you can afford. If you can't pay for your bill, then you have to start making some changes.
Suck it up and drive on. Bitching and moaning won't do any good. If you can't pay for gas, you can't drive your car.
If you can't pay for power, you can't run your aircon 24/7. It's a simple fact of life.
"I know a couple that found a fully concrete home to rent for 250. per month. They were very excited with the find. Their first electric bill was 840. dollars. Then, the utilities doubled!!!!!"
And that $840 power bill is ridiculous. Tell them to use the easiest item in the house once in a while. It's called a light switch.
Maybe they should off da TV. Why not lower their consumption? You can't blame CUC for giving you a high bill when you know the rates up front.
The customer must be part of the problem. Use what you can afford and you'll be happy.
If you can't afford to pay more then you should feel ashamed that you haven't planned ahead better for your life.
Get a better job if you can. If you can't, maybe you should suck it up and tell your kids why they're living the way they are.
Think about stressing the importance of education, planning and ambition.
My power bill is high and it sucks. Lucky for me I can afford it. Don't doubt that I'll be conserving these days.
Saipan is a nightmare unless you live at the ANAKS, where they have generator, drinking water on tap, and a nice pool.
They have no rolling blackouts.
Don't for get the security and 400 per month fees.
My neighbor went off island for a month to stay with her son, who was injurd in an auto accident. Prior to leaving she disconnected her small house from CUC's grid at the mains. I know it was disconnected because I did it for her, and an electrician from a local company confirmed it. When she returned her bill for the month was just over $600.
What's your trite solution to that Daily Crapper?
It must have been for her usage before departing.
I just paid today slightly over $400 for 997 KW-Hrs used last month in my apartment. More conservation will be needed.
THe rates have quadrupled since summer 06. Our household usage has dropped to a quarter of what it was then. We simply began to pay attention. At 11 cents we didn't give a crap. At 44 cents we now do, and make an effort to conserve.
So I agree with the yapper, "don't just yap - give a crap"
"What's your trite solution to that Daily Crapper?"
Request a reading and not an estimated bill. Easy enough, braniac.
And why would you disconnect your house at the mains for a one month trip? There's such a thing as a circuit breaker box.
Flip off all of the switches and you'll be fine. Also, when your house is off the grid from the mains, the bad CUC employees will know that your house is vacant and ripe for the copper wire taking.
I'm guessing she's going to have to pay to be reconnected to the grid...not too mention all of the $$ to restock the refrigerator.
maybe we can give Cisco another contract so they can have millions to fund their aircons with no one to account for our money
The Gov got a cut
Aren't you people tired of talking about CUC? It appears that your complaints have only yielded more controversy and higher rates. Don't get me wrong, I'm not happy with the rates nor the services but... complaining doesn't seem to work.
Therefore, I say, turn the lights off and we'll wait for the same to be turned back on! It's going to happen anyway; therefore, I might as well live with it. For now, at least.
Kimo M. Rosario
Here's a cure to the power crisis: "Customers get off the grid." Go wind! Go Solar! Let's see how far CUC would get if its customer base dramatically decreases.
Who are the owners of CISCO? Who are these future ex-felons? Names anyone?
jon jones is one with some lawyers and they are ben-tan anti-federalization supporters of course
I love how you anonymous wankers throw out aspersions and rumors ("the gov got a cut") without knowing anything about it.
Did any of you know that when CISCO finished the job, the engines were running? That in order to get paid, the engines had to run and be accepted by the power plant manager? That if CUC has been unable to keep them running in the meantime, it has nothing to do with CISCO?
Kind of ruins the conspiracy theories, doesn't it?
P.S. I'm staying anonymous because CISCO has not asked me to speak for them.
When CISCO finished the job, the engines were running?
Hmmmm, is that why the FBI is investigating them right now?
Calm down CISCO minority owner. You will get your day in court.
Ed, not an owner, although I understand why you would make that assumption.
You know me, and would be rather surprised if you knew who this was. Maybe I'll tell you over a beer some day.
The lesson that will be learned from this CISCO thing is don't believe everything you read in the newspapers.
Amen. Over the past several years, when I have read newspaper accounts concerning subjects of which I have direct, personal knowledge, the news has often been completely and utterly wrong.
Especially in the Variety over the past 24 months.
And of course, the FBI is completely WRONG for probing CISCO right?
Yup, those damn feds. They don't know anything. No wonder we gotta sue 'em! Heck, we know how to rule our islands! Yesiree Bob!
Doh doh doh doh....which way did he go George?!
Ed, you don't know what you're talking about in this particular case. As I understand it, they are more concerned with how CUC spent the money than any alleged impropriety by the contractor.
Again, be careful what you believe in the paper.
Who are the 20 called before the grand jury...names I mean?
Marianas Variety reporting over the past 24 months gave the NMI a perspective other than paid lobbyists, media reps, and TH's newspaper.
God Bless the MVariety!!
The Marianas Variety has gone really down market in the past two years, and is now little more than a blog, with crude, repetitive, unmoderated posts by the likes of “I am not Ed Propst”? “yu stin ki pu”?!?! [= You stinky poo = You odiferous feces!]
This is supposed to be the website for a family newspaper? That creates an image of the CNMI?!
The standards have plummeted downhill fast, ever since it became a mouthpiece for David B. Cohen and Allen P. Stayman, with editor Zaldy Dandan butchering stories, “encouraging” his reporters to slant pieces in a way that would maximize federalization and the likelihood of Green Cards, and editing stories to attack politicians he disliked.
P.I. slimeball journalism at its worst, with few discernable standards.
Remember 15 years ago when you could actually believe most of what you read in the Variety?
No wonder they're having business problems.
The most slanted paper I ever read is the Saipan Tribune, reportedly owned by well known gangster Willie Tan.
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