Living in Polson, great view, but not so great city (Power: motel, home)

[havreman]

Originally Posted by Heart

I have an INCREDIBLE view here of the lake, the mountains and it's really gorgeous, but.... there's something really off about Polson and I can tell you now, I don't like it here. Before someone says "well, you moved to the rez, what did you expect". I assure you, most of these events took place with non natives.

WyoEagle said it best, (above). The criminal element runs through all if one lives near a reservation.

I grew up next to a reservation. When the Indian element is around, there is always more crime. It's the culture, it's the way things are. That doesn't mean Indians are bad people, it does mean that the culture has too often developed into something unfavorable.

I moved away from home, one reason being that I don't want to live near the culture of a reservation. While I may be sincere, I also know there isn't much I can do towards changing the culture that currently exists near reservations.

I'm sorry that you have had the troubles that you did. If I were you, I'd try to move away...somehow. That is especially true if you have kids.

[DontLookPhoto]

Originally Posted by havreman

I grew up next to a reservation. When the Indian element is around, there is always more crime. It's the culture, it's the way things are. That doesn't mean Indians are bad people, it does mean that the culture has too often developed into something unfavorable.

Well I have traveled through and stayed at motels at many Indians Reservations and every one is way different from the other. You just can't lump them together like that. The Rocky Boy or Blackfeet Reservations for instance is pretty hard for a white person to live on than say The C.S.K.T. Reservation (Flathead) that is a bit over 75 % white.
Much mixing of the two cultures has made the Flathead quite different from what most folks seem to envision an Indian reservation to be like. Many people we meet (we meet a lot of tourists in our town) seem to not even know that they are on a reservation. The crime rate may be a bit higher here than it is off reservation but not by much but that's just my perception.
I lived in my home here on the Flathead for about 14 years with a garage full of all types of machine shop equipment and thousands of $ worth of all kinds of tools. I have left the garage door open with the lights on for days inadvertently and never once had any thefts.
We rent out that house now but we still live here on the rez. We are looking for another hunk of real estate and we may stay on the reservation but who knows where we may buy.
Lot's of good deals everywhere in our area. We don't want to live in a town anymore. ~♥~
I know we won't move far though because we have made too many good friends here.

[Heart]

I had a horrible experience with Mission Valley Power this week.

We owed $200.00 on our bill. I went to Pablo in person on FEB 1st to pay $150.00 of that bill. No other arrangements that day were made on the $50.00 balance. I planned to pay it off this coming Friday.

I wake up today and my power is OFF. Everyone freezing. I call MVP and the nasty woman on the other end of the phone informs me that I "broke an arrangement". I said "WHAT arrangement?" and she said I arranged to come and pay the $50.00 on
the 11th. I explained to her that I had made NO such arrangement, and that if I had, I would have held to it because 1. I have a small child 2. I have multiple sclerosis and no way can I handle a freezing home and 3. I don't just let the bills go and get shut off like this. She fought with me and said "But it's in my computer", and I said, "I never made that arrangement".

I gave up, and asked what can be done to remedy this immediately and she said I had to pay the $50.00 plus another $30.00 to get my power on. Unbelievable. We raced to Pablo to get it paid and THEN she informs me that I won't get my heat back on until 4:30 pm. I was furious and I said "Before I leave, I just want to say that I never made any arrangements on my account for that $50.00 and that I never broke any arrangement". She said, "I'm not discussing this any further with you. Your account is now locked and you'll never be able to make payment arrangements with us again". She got up, and walked away.

Is that how they treat all their customers? I'm extremely upset by this. I have never had my power shut off. Never. I've been renting since 1987 and never ever had this happen. Unreal. I cannot believe I was treated that way. And it is my word against hers.

[ElkHunter]

I am really sorry that you had to go through that. you would think that during winter time, that they would at least take the high road and try and contact you and find out what your intentions are. Unfortunately, I have always been under the impression that it is your responsibility to pay the entire bill, or make arrangements. One or the other. A person can't just make their own plans on an unpaid balance and not coordinate that with the power company.

I recently had a problem with our local power company. A person moved in to a place and mistakenly gave my address. The power company went ahead and closed out my account and used my deposit to pay the bill. I found out at the end of the month when I got my bill and it was for $30. I called them up and we figured out what happened. There, in lies, the problem. I was on balanced billing which is an average so that my bill is close to the same all year long. I am disabled and on a fixed income so it is best for me. When then closed my account and then reopened it, the balanced billing started over. It's the middle of winter so it is at the highest rate and it will take several months of average to get the bill back down to where it should be. I was paying $80 per month. Now I am paying $145. per month until I get through the summer so the average will bring it down. I called them and no amount of arguing can convince them to use old bills to average. Unfortunately the power company's have us by the made and there is absolutely nothing we can do. What can you do? They have a captive customer base.

[montygarlic]

Heart:

This story REALLY needs to be printed out, signed and sent in to the Letters to the Editor of both the Valley Journal and the Lake County Leader. People here don't want to believe that things like this can even HAPPEN, let alone that it HAS happened.

Either way, you'll notice tensions growing between all kinds of groups at the local, regional and national level. Makes you wonder just WHO is behind all this growing divisiveness, doesn't it?

You do know that MVP is a "specially owned" arrangement, right?

Just sayin'

mg

[Heart]

Will it do any good to send this story in to the papers? I honestly don't think anyone cares. I'll just get someone who says "Pay your whole bill off at once and this won't happen". har har. We're just a hard working family trying to get by, but we do not let our bills go and as I said, I've never been shut off in my life.

My husband went to work yesterday to find that he is no longer working a full time job, but a part time job. The manager slashed everyone's schedules without notice. Even he hates his job and the way he is treated there.

Went to put four brand new tires on our truck at a local tire place right here in Polson and they were not that nice toward us. If you're going to drop $600 on a business, shouldn't they at least be kind? lol

Sorry for the pity trip, all. I'm just absolutely astonished by how badly things are going for us up here, and it has been non stop since we got here.

Even our neighbors are rude, and treat my daughter rudely. Are there ANY friendly people in Polson?? Did I step into the Twilight zone or what?

Anyway, we're already planning to move. We are looking into getting loan just so we can get the hell out by summer. I'm so done. This is not like living in Lolo, I tell you.

[Heart]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

I am really sorry that you had to go through that. you would think that during winter time, that they would at least take the high road and try and contact you and find out what your intentions are. Unfortunately, I have always been under the impression that it is your responsibility to pay the entire bill, or make arrangements. One or the other. A person can't just make their own plans on an unpaid balance and not coordinate that with the power company.

I recently had a problem with our local power company. A person moved in to a place and mistakenly gave my address. The power company went ahead and closed out my account and used my deposit to pay the bill. I found out at the end of the month when I got my bill and it was for $30. I called them up and we figured out what happened. There, in lies, the problem. I was on balanced billing which is an average so that my bill is close to the same all year long. I am disabled and on a fixed income so it is best for me. When then closed my account and then reopened it, the balanced billing started over. It's the middle of winter so it is at the highest rate and it will take several months of average to get the bill back down to where it should be. I was paying $80 per month. Now I am paying $145. per month until I get through the summer so the average will bring it down. I called them and no amount of arguing can convince them to use old bills to average. Unfortunately the power company's have us by the made and there is absolutely nothing we can do. What can you do? They have a captive customer base.

When I lived in Alaska and Missouri, they could not shut you off in winter unless it went to court and a judge had to decide. That's how hard it was for a company to shut off a customer. I used to work for Red Cross and was in the know back then. I guess up here, they can just do it nilly willy on $50.00.

I'm sorry about your experience, and you're right, they got our backs against the wall.

I have to wonder, what happens to other people who cannot pay at all. Do they just sit here with no heat in winter then? What about other people with children? My daughter is ten years old.

[DontLookPhoto]

Mission Valley Power illegally stole money from us through a sneaky method. We do our homework and could prove that we were not responsible for a previous tenants bill but it took the morons six weeks to put the money back into my bank account after they tricked the BIA into withdrawing money from my bank account without my knowledge or permission six months after two previous illegal attempts at billing us for someone else's bill.
The basturds !

[MaggieZ]

I thought they couldn't shut your power off till spring...and since you did pay 3/4ths of the bill, they should have called you up and asked when you were planning to pay the rest. They've gotten so bad over the years. All utilities..shame you're having such a bad experience there but by moving I hope you get to a better area....

[Heart]

Originally Posted by DontLookPhoto

Mission Valley Power illegally stole money from us through a sneaky method. We do our homework and could prove that we were not responsible for a previous tenants bill but it took the morons six weeks to put the money back into my bank account after they tricked the BIA into withdrawing money from my bank account without my knowledge or permission six months after two previous illegal attempts at billing us for someone else's bill.
The basturds !

Wow... unbelievable.

Speaking of BIA... I had someone message me that maybe the problem is that my family is white. I'm Oglala Lakota, my husband is white.