On April 18th, two events in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, made it to the top search list of the day. One of them involved Ms. Fan, whose elderly relative living in their Chengdu house since the winter of 2022 was shocked to find out that the gas bill for about four months amounted to a staggering 15,000 yuan. Refusing to pay this amount led to their gas supply being cut off by the gas company recently. The other incident was related to the well-known mainland Chinese writer Li Yaling, who was vacationing in Hainan with nobody at home in Chengdu. Surprisingly, the gas meter at her Chengdu residence showed usage of over 500 cubic meters, prompting public astonishment at the exorbitant gas bills.
Ms. Fan told The Paper on April 17th that after a year of feedback, the gas company agreed to charge her 8,000 yuan for the bill. However, she remained dissatisfied with this resolution. Due to her refusal to pay, their gas supply was cut off. In desperation, she paid the 8,000 yuan the morning of the 17th, feeling unjust and frustrated about accepting such a mistaken bill.
Ms. Fan explained that both she and her elderly relative work outside Chengdu and their house in the Dongshan International New City in the Longquanyi District is usually vacant. During winter, the elderly relative would come from Xinjiang to Chengdu for the season, requiring significant gas usage due to the heating needs. However, the gas bill for the winter of 2022 unexpectedly reached 15,000 yuan, nearly three to four times higher than in previous years.
Ms. Fan recounted that the elderly relative arrived at their Chengdu residence on November 28, 2022, and returned to Xinjiang on April 6, 2023. On March 29, before leaving, the elder went to the customer service center at Maqiao in Longquanyi, planning to settle the water and electricity bills. To their surprise, while settling the gas bill, they found out that the card balance of over 2,000 yuan was used up, leaving a debt of more than 12,000 yuan amounting to a total bill of 15,024.72 yuan.
Despite the similar gas usage pattern and time frame as in previous years, which cost three to four thousand yuan at most, they suspected an issue with the gas meter or billing. Upon reporting to the gas company, a third-party inspection of the gas meter was requested, confirming its normal operation.
On October 12, 2023, the Market Supervision and Administration Bureaus of the Economic Development Zone and Longquanyi District in Chengdu responded to the gas meter qualification issue, stating that after verification, the gas meter in question was tested at the Chengdu Institute of Metrology, with the results indicating compliance.
Moreover, Huayou Natural Gas Co. in Longquanyi District explained that the abnormal gas bill of 4,958 cubic meters was due to delayed gas usage from 2011 to February 2023. However, Ms. Fan’s family remained unconvinced by this explanation, questioning how a confirmed issue-free meter could have a transmission fault, leading them to withhold payment until the gas company settled on an 8,000 yuan bill.
Another incident that quickly gained widespread attention and discussion on the internet on the 18th involved the renowned mainland Chinese writer Li Yaling, who disclosed on April 17th that while vacationing in Hainan for two months, the gas meter at her Chengdu residence showed consumption of over 500 cubic meters, despite nobody being home. She requested Chengdu Xinhua Natural Gas to inspect the situation, which revealed no gas leakage.
Li Yaling pointed out that such occurrences were not isolated incidents in her community. Under public pressure, the Chengdu gas company made a response. However, their explanation did little to alleviate public doubts. Concerns lingered over the formation of such high gas bills, raising questions about potential illegitimate practices by the gas company in increasing residents’ gas expenses. The public’s primary focus remains on how these issues will be resolved properly.
责任编辑: 林琮文