Local company chosen to audit a hometown favorite

Buffalo, New York- The popular Buffalo-styled Mexican chain restaurant Mighty Taco has selected Troy & Banks, Inc. to conduct a comprehensive audit of its utility and telecommunications bills.  This review will uncover and correct any possible billing errors that may exist.

Mighty Taco was first established at 1247 Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, New York on August 31, 1973.  Almost 40 years later, Mighty Taco Inc. currently operates 18 restaurants in the area.  Since its initial opening, Mighty Taco has quickly evolved into a fast-food favorite in the Buffalo community.

Troy & Banks will analyze Mighty Taco’s utility and phone invoices dating back up to six years in order to determine any potential billing errors that may have occurred.  These overcharges will then be refunded by the proper utility or telecommunications provider.  Auditors at Troy & Banks will work diligently to make sure that Mighty Taco receives any and all refunds to which the company is entitled.  The firm’s ultimate goal is to assist companies in saving money, and Troy & Banks will continue this tradition right in its own backyard.

“With the current state of our economy and every dollar becoming increasingly important, it is no surprise that companies are looking for ways to save money,” stated Troy & Banks President, Thomas Ranallo.  “We are very excited to be working with Mighty Taco and are optimistic about helping them to cut costs.”

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1991, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: Anderson’s Frozen Custard, SUNY at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo Public Schools, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), M & T Bank, New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Postal Service. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

Evolving Coffee Franchise will have energy and phone bills reviewed

Buffalo, NY – Troy & Banks has recently added Spot Coffee to its already long list of local clients. The company will audit all of the company’s utility and phone bills in order to find any overcharges and discover any possible savings opportunities for the franchise.

Troy & Banks has already performed auditing work for several local food businesses, including Salvatore’s Italian Garden, The Como Restaurant, and Oliver’s Restaurant. Spot Coffee, one of the firm’s newest clients, has several locations in Western New York, as well as Rochester, Canada, and, now, Florida. Each Spot Coffee shop serves as a welcoming and friendly place where customers can enjoy specialty coffee and beverages, along with freshly made baked goods and lunch items.

The expansion of Spot Coffee from its original shop in Buffalo to various other locations has resulted in significant financial growth for the franchise, creating a need for closer review of billings to correct any errors and ensure the recovery of refunds. “Just as we have done for all of our clients, we will look for any billing discrepancies and overcharges to return as much money as possible to the company,” notes Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks.

Troy & Banks will professionally audit all of Spot Coffee’s utility and telecom bills, which could potentially save the company significant amounts of money, as well as prevent any discovered billing problems from re-occurring in the future. “Troy & Banks is excited to begin a thorough audit for the Spot Coffee franchise and is optimistic that money will be recovered in some capacity,” states Ranallo.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1991, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), SUNY at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo Public Schools, M & T Bank, Amtrak, New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Postal Service. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

Pair should have noticed gas bill flaw

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.com

Sal and Ruth Mazzaro should have been reading their bills and rate brochures.

That, in a nutshell, is the state Public Service Commission’s response to a Lynbrook couple who argued they were overcharged more than $10,000 — after being wrongly classified as commercial gas customers for 41 years — and wanted a full refund from National Grid. Instead, they will get about $420. They already have filed an appeal and plan to hire an attorney to represent them.

The Mazzaros say bills are so complicated and cryptic that they never knew until recently they were being billed for decades at the higher rate that commercial customers pay.

“This is crazy,” said Sal Mazzaro, 76, who was notified of the PSC’s decision by letter last week. “Aren’t they [National Grid] responsible for some part of this?”

The dispute is one of several that have come to light in recent months following revelations that customers may have been overcharged because they were wrongly classified.

The Long Island Power Authority, in a separate case last month, refunded a Patchogue couple almost $8,000 for a 10-year misclassification of their electric rate as commercial instead of residential. The PSC oversees its gas business, but LIPA isn’t subject to PSC oversight.

LIPA admitted the Rizzo family’s home never should have been classified as commercial.

But others pressing complaints to Long Island utilities of overcharges that went undetected for years are finding redress harder to come by.

The Mazzaros say they’ve been misclassified for the 41 years they’ve lived in their home, for both gas and electric service. Pointing to the $420 refund they received for a year’s worth of gas overcharges, they estimate the excess payments plus interest and utility taxes over the four-decade span easily tops $10,000. Their son discovered the error when he happened to examine their utility bills in March.

In limiting the Mazzaros’ refund, the PSC cited the annual rate brochures and monthly bills mailed to the couple.

The commission found the notices “reasonable and adequate in providing rate information should a customer have a question about the rate at which they are being billed,” the PSC letter to the couple states.

The couple’s electric-bill dispute with LIPA is still pending. LIPA declined to comment.

Meanwhile, a utility-bill auditing firm that filed a dispute on behalf of the College at Old Westbury said it was recently notified that a challenge for years of overbilling at an incorrect rate class would result in a refund for only several months.

That decision, according to Tom Ranallo, president of Buffalo-based Troy & Banks, means the college won’t get $200,000 in overpayments he calculates it is owed, a decision he plans to dispute. Other utilities, and even LIPA and National Grid until last fall, he said, gave refunds for up to six years of billing overcharge errors.

“I’m shocked and I’m concerned for other consumers that are going to find themselves in the same position” as Old Westbury, Ranallo said. He filed a similar case on behalf of the New York State Parks service against LIPA, whose billing disputes are handled by National Grid, and received a similarly limited refund.

PSC spokesman James Denn said the six-year rule doesn’t apply to a “rebilling/refund for an incorrect rate.”

LIPA, whose board of trustees intervened on behalf of the Rizzos after their case became publicized last month, ordered National Grid to improve its customer service response.

In a statement, National Grid said: “National Grid will continue to follow practices outlined by PSC rules and regulations. We review issues on a case-by-case basis and work to resolve them with our customers.”

The PSC’s decision to back the limited refunds drew the ire of two county legislators, who say they will ask their state counterparts to pass a bill demanding that rate notifications and bills are easy to understand.

“The Mazzaro case raises serious questions regarding the practices of National Grid,” said Suffolk Legis. Edward P. Romaine (R-Center Moriches), adding he was “troubled the PSC appears to have abandoned the six-year review and correction standard established by both past practice and New York State law, and instead has put the burden on the customer.”

Nassau Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) said he plans to write to state legislators and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that utilities should be forced to make clear to customers their rate classification. He said the Mazzaros should receive a refund for the full 41 years of suspected overcharges.

Check your billing rate

Experts say it’s best to check your bills to make sure you’re being properly classified.

CHECK YOUR RATE CLASS. For LIPA and National Grid bills, it appears near the top of the second page. Most LIPA customers are rate 180, residential general use. If it says commercial and you’re not a business, call LIPA at 800-490-0025 and ask that it be investigated and changed.

National Grid gas also puts the rate class near the top of the second page of bills. If it says commercial, general use, and you’re a residential customer, call National Grid at 800-930-5003 and ask for a change.

READ THE BILLS CAREFULLY. Look for wide fluctuations in usage and charges, and question the utilities if anything appears out of order.

LIPA billing error-prone, counties say

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.com

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos pointed the finger this week at weak oversight by county government and an “error-prone” LIPA billing system in an inquiry into why Nassau overpaid $4.5 million for electricity between 2009 and 2010.

Separately, Suffolk County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki said he hired an outside firm, Troy & Banks of Buffalo, in January to audit the county’s LIPA and National Grid bills after finding some $2 million in overbilling by Verizon in a similar audit.

Sawicki said the audit of the gas and electric bills, amounting to $4.8 million and $25.7 million respectively in 2009, hasn’t been completed yet.  But Sawicki said that if he finds overbillings he will go back years, “as the statute of limitations allows,” Suffolk to recoup as much as possible.  “There’s big money in dissecting these utility bills,” he said.

In Nassau, Maragos said in a report Monday that “lack of oversight and accountability” at numerous county departments that dealt with LIPA, as well as a “lack of cooperation and responsiveness” from LIPA on billing discrepancies led to the overbillings.

According to the report, an error by the county in processing a $1.5-million overpayment in 2008-2009 compounded itself the following year to the point where Nassau had an accumulated LIPA credit of $4.5 million on its balanced-billing account.

To settle the billing dispute, LIPA cut Nassau a check for $2 million last year and allowed the county to skip a monthly payment.  Nassau paid $18.8 million in electric bills in 2009.

In a statement, Maragos said the LIPA system for the county’s 1,857 separate electrical accounts was “found to be error-prone and lacks customer protection features against unauthorized service installations and unauthorized changes to customer account settings.”  Nassau also incurred erroneous sales tax charges in certain instances, Maragos said.

In a statement Friday, LIPA said, “We fundamentally disagree with the comptroller and his findings.”  National Grid, on LIPA’s behalf, had been meeting quarterly with the county since a new billing system was put in place in 2005, and increased the meetings recently to monthly, LIPA said.  National Grid declined to comment.

Tom Ranallo, president of Troy & Banks, said his firm, under contract with the state Office of Taxpayer Accountability, already is conducting audits of LIPA and National Grid billing of the Long Island Rail Road and of state parks.  He said the company has identified incorrect rates for entities such as Bethpage State Park dating back at least six years; LIPA has refunded seven months of overpayment, to the date when the firm identified the problem, he said.

Bethpage State Park received a refund of $1,000 for six months of overcharges, compared with the more than $10,000 Ranallo says are owed under state law. “It’s like the Wild West with LIPA,” he said, adding, “It seems to me they are not accountable to anyone.”

LIPA spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter said LIPA disagreed with Ranallo’s assessment, but was unable immediately to provide detailed reasons.

Local Dining Business in Buffalo to have utility and phone bills reviewed

Buffalo, NY – Buffalo’s Anderson’s Frozen Custard, has recently selected to undergo a utility and phone audit by Troy & Banks, a utility and telecommunications auditing and consulting firm based in Buffalo, NY. Troy & Banks has been chosen to audit Anderson’s utility bills and locate any potential errors in billing.

Founded in 1947 by Carl and Greta Anderson, Anderson’s Frozen Custard has built a reputation in the Buffalo community for their variety of food and dessert. With several locations throughout the Buffalo region, Anderson’s continues to serve as a place to dine for many residents.

“Troy & Banks is excited to be working with Anderson’s Frozen Custard,” declares Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks. “With the summer upon us, it will be a busy season for Anderson’s. During this time, their energy costs will be increasing due to the high volume of customers. We are optimistic in our comprehensive reviews of Anderson’s utility and phone statements that we will be able to recover positive results and assist in lowering their energy costs for the summer” states Ranallo.

Troy & Banks will analyze Anderson’s utility and phone accounts, dating back to as far as six years, to recover any money from potential billing errors. Troy & Banks proudly employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find inaccuracies in utility bills, most of which have worked for utility and telecommunications companies prior to joining the firm. Troy & Banks performs audits on a contingency basis, which means the only obtain compensation if errors are successfully found. If overcharges are located, refunds are returned to the client.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1992, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: SUNY at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo Public Schools, M & T Bank, and Salvatore’s Italian Gardens. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

Largest Public Transportation System in U.S. to have utility bills reviewed

Buffalo, NY – The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York City is the latest state agency to undergo a utility audit by Troy & Banks. The State of New York had selected Troy & Banks, Inc., a utility and telecommunications auditing and consulting firm, to audit the utility bills of all state agencies.

Troy & Banks will review the MTA’s utility accounts, dating back to six years, to reclaim money from possible billing errors. Troy & Banks will also review the accounts for potential savings opportunities. Troy & Banks employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find mistakes in bills that most people would fail to notice. Troy & Banks’ team consists of expert analysts, many of whom have worked for utility and telecommunication companies prior to joining the company. If the audit shows that the MTA was overcharged, it will receive refunds from its utility providers.

“Troy & Banks is looking forward to working with the MTA,” notes Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks. “We are no stranger to working with large transportation authorities, having worked with AMTRAK, Kansas City Airport, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), and many others. We will be performing a comprehensive review of the MTA’s utility accounts and will be looking for any instance of overcharges, as well as possible future cost reductions, in an effort to return money to MTA’s budget” states Ranallo.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1991, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, SUNY at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo Public Schools, M & T Bank, Amtrak, New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Postal Service. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

About the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA): The Metropolitan Transit Authority, in New York City, is the largest public transportation system in the U.S., providing service to over 8.5 million passengers daily.  For more information, please visit www.mta.info.

Chosen to perform recovery audit of the city’s street light billing payments

Buffalo, NY – The City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, recently engaged Troy & Banks, Inc. to perform a street light audit in the hopes of recovering overcharges due to errors in the original billing.  Troy & Banks is honored to have been selected and is looking forward to working with their newest client.

Winnipeg, the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, had received a lighting bill in 2009 totaling approximately $10.4 million.  The highly experienced team of auditors at Troy & Banks will review the city’s bills from the past six years to pinpoint and recover any errors and overcharges from the billing company.  Troy & Banks works solely on a contingency basis, which means they only obtain compensation if they are successful in returning funds to the client.

“We are eager to begin the audit process with the City of Winnipeg and are optimistic about the potential for recovery,” states Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks.

Troy & Banks employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find mistakes in bills that most people would fail to notice. Troy & Banks’ expert analysts, many of whom have worked for utility and telecommunication companies prior to joining Troy & Banks, carefully review up to six years of billings for mistakes and potential overcharges. If overcharges are found, refunds are returned to the client.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1992, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include the City of Portsmouth, VA, Shaw Industries Group, Inc., New York State Department of Transportation, New York Stock Exchange, M & T Bank, Amtrak, and the United States Postal Service.  Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

Firm chosen to audit utility and telecommunication accounts

Buffalo, NY – The Town of Aurora, NY and the Village of East Aurora, NY have named Troy and Banks, Inc., a Buffalo-based utility and telecommunications auditing and consulting firm, to audit their utility and telecommunication services.

Located southeast of Buffalo, NY, the Town of Aurora, which includes the Village of East Aurora, is a historic community with approximately 14,000 residents. The Village has been home to former U.S President Millard Fillmore, as well as the birthplace of Fisher-Price Toys.

“Troy & Banks is looking forward to working with the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora,” notes Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks. “With the economy in the state that it is in, we know that every town and village is looking to cut costs. We are excited to help the Town and Village recover any overcharges and reduce their future utility and phone costs,” states Ranallo.

Troy & Banks will review the Town of Aurora and Village of East Aurora’s utility and telecommunication accounts, dating back to six years, to reclaim money from possible billing errors. Troy & Banks employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find mistakes in bills that most people would fail to notice. Troy & Banks’ team consists of expert analysts, many of whom have worked for utility and telecommunication companies prior to joining the company. If the audits show that the Town and/or Village were overcharged, they will receive refunds from their utility and/or telecommunications providers.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1992, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, General Mills, Buffalo Public Schools, M & T Bank, Amtrak, New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Postal Service. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

Educational Institutions two of latest state agencies to have bills reviewed

Buffalo, NY – The State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY at Buffalo) and Buffalo State College (Buffalo State) are the latest state agencies to undergo a utility audit by Troy & Banks. The State of New York had selected Troy & Banks, Inc., a utility and telecommunications auditing and consulting firm, to audit the utility bills of all state agencies.

“Troy & Banks is looking forward to working with SUNY at Buffalo and Buffalo State,” notes Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks. “The current fiscal crisis has had a significant impact across New York State and has presented a variety of challenges for the SUNY schools. As with all of our audits, we will be turning over every rock, looking for any instances of overcharges in an effort to return as much money as possible to their budgets,” states Ranallo.

Troy & Banks will review SUNY at Buffalo’s and Buffalo State’s utility accounts, dating back to six years, to reclaim money from possible billing errors. Troy & Banks employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find mistakes in bills that most people would fail to notice. Troy & Banks’ team consists of expert analysts, many of whom have worked for utility and telecommunication companies prior to joining the company. If the audits show that SUNY at Buffalo and Buffalo State were overcharged, they will receive refunds from their utility providers.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1992, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, General Mills, Buffalo Public Schools, M & T Bank, Amtrak, New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Postal Service. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.

About the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY at Buffalo): Located in Buffalo, New York, SUNY at Buffalo is the flagship institution in the State University at New York system and is the system’s largest and most comprehensive campus. SUNY at Buffalo provides education to approximately 29,000 students throughout its 3 campuses with a total operating budget of $809 million. For more information, please visit www.buffalo.edu.

About Buffalo State College (Buffalo State): Located in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo State provides education to approximately 12,000 students throughout its 125-acre campus with a total operating budget of $80 million. For more information, please visit www.buffalostate.edu.

Firm chosen to audit utility and telecommunications bills

Buffalo, NY – Spotsylvania County Schools has selected Troy & Banks, Inc., a utility and telecommunications auditing and consulting firm, to audit their utility and telecommunications bills.

Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Spotsylvania County Schools provides education to approximately 23,000 students throughout 33 individual schools.  The district has a total operating budget of approximately $208 million.

“Troy & Banks is excited to work with Spotsylvania County Schools,” notes Thomas Ranallo, President of Troy & Banks. “We all know that school districts across the country have been hit hard by the current economic crisis. We are looking forward to helping Spotsylvania County Schools reduce their utility costs and recover any overcharges, providing them with additional funds to educate future generations,” states Ranallo.

Troy & Banks will review Spotsylvania County Schools’ utility and telecommunication accounts, dating back to six years, to reclaim money from possible billing errors. Troy & Banks employs auditors who have the experience and expertise to find mistakes in bills that most people would fail to notice. Troy & Banks’ team consists of expert analysts, many of whom have worked for utility and telecommunication companies prior to joining the company. If the audit shows the school district was overcharged, the district will receive refunds from its utility and/or telecommunications providers.

About Troy & Banks, Inc.: Since 1992, Troy & Banks, Inc. has saved its clients over $200 million in utility and telecommunications costs. Other recent clients include: City of Portsmouth, VA, Buffalo Public Schools, The Metropolitan Opera, Shaw Industries Group, Amtrak, New York Stock Exchange, U.S. Postal Service, and M & T Bank. Headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y., Troy & Banks, Inc. serves clients nationwide with representatives in ten states. For more information, please call Thomas Ranallo at 1-800-499-8599 or visit www.troybanks.com.