Customers

Baltimore officials are threatening to cancel the city's contract with Berman's Towing over allegations that the company is adding "excessive charges" to its bills. "Please be advised that these unauthorized actions must immediately cease," Timothy Krus, the city's purchasing agent, wrote in a letter received Friday by Berman's Towing. The company is one of the city's "medallion" towing firms that respond to police calls for service. Krus wrote that the company and its two subsidiaries, Berman's Towing 2 and Berman's Towing 4, have been "found to be in default of the terms" of its contract with the city that allows it to tow vehicles when called by the police.

This letter is in response to the article on page 8 of the Laurel Leader dated March 7 , "Rosapepe disappointed by PSC assessment. "  Mr. Rosapepe and Mr. Frosh may be disappointed about the Public Service Commission's decision to not impose a $100 million fine on Pepco and BGE for their slow response last year in restoring power. However I'm not. Here's why:  If Mr. Frosh and Mr. Rosapepe would have been successful in their bid to compel the Public Service Commissioner to impose these huge fines, who would have ultimately paid for these fines?

"Disappointing" is how District 21 state Sen. James Rosapepe, who represents Laurel, described the Public Service Commission's assessment of regional utility companies' response to the derecho storm that hit the area at the end of June. In an order released Feb. 27, the PSC found some fault with the area utility companies' response to the June 29 storm - which left more than a million residents without power, many for several days - but it did not issue the stiff fines that Rosapepe wanted.

Aberdeen Aberdeen police report: People were being disorderly and arguing Tuesday in the 100 block of Hamilton Place. A customer ran a curb and struck the Golden Corral restaurant, in the 700 block of South Philadelphia Boulevard, on Tuesday. A customer reported minor cuts to the wrist. Someone pulled a woman's hair, broke her phone and banged her head on the ground at Economy Inn, in the 600 block of South Philadelphia Boulevard, on Tuesday. Three men were harassing customers about buying perfume Tuesday at Panera Bread, in the 1000 block of Beards Hill Road.

Jamie Smith Hopkins ' recent article on BGE's rate hikes prompts three responses ("Public Service Commission approves BGE rate increases," Feb. 23): First, BGE continues to rip off its customers, as has been its practice for the last 20 years. Second, the Public Service Commission should be abolished because it's been nothing but a puppet for the current governor as well as his predecessors. And third, the General Assembly continues to pander to BGE. All this is a pretty sad commentary on our current state of affairs.

Among the stainless-steel wine kegs in a chilled back room at Aida Bistro Wine Bar in Columbia, owner Joe Barbera shows off a prototype for a possible new venture: a slender dark bottle with a stopper that he likes to call the "growlier. " The term "growler" is taken by beer drinkers, of course, and that doesn't fit Barbera's niche. He hopes the growlier (it sort of rhymes with "sommelier"), which is designed for wine, will be the next big thing in the refillable container market.

Customers at Towson Hot Bagels usually pay with credit, not cash, when buying a bagel or a bottle of water, triggering fees the merchant must pay to process each transaction. Now, the shop's owner and retailers across the country may recoup "swipe" fees as a result of a preliminary settlement with Visa, MasterCard and major banks. When a consumer pays with a credit card, retailers can tack on a surcharge or "checkout fee" of up to 4 percent of the purchase to cover processing. But there's no rush among merchants to start charging this fee. Independent shop owners, national chains and retail trade groups insist they have no desire to pass credit card fees along to consumers so directly.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers will be paying higher rates this year, with the average bills rising by several dollars a month, to cover the cost of upgrading the utility's infrastructure. Maryland's Public Service Commission, which regulates the company, said Friday it approved an increase to distribution rates that will cost the average residential electricity customer an additional $3.33 a month and the average residential gas customer an extra $2.70 a month. The utility had sought larger rate increases.

For Maryland Honda and Acura owners, it just got a little easier to go solar - at home, if not yet on the road. American Honda Motor Co ., in a partnership with SolarCity , a California-based residential and commercial installer, is offering customers discounts to put photovoltaic panels on their homes at little or no upfront cost. The two companies have set up a $65 million fund to finance solar installations on residences and on Honda and Acura dealerships in Maryland and 13 other states where SolarCity now operates.

Should I consider changing the frames on my artwork/wall art to keep them looking up to date? It depends on how the frames were chosen initially. If the original design was a trend of the moment, and the look no longer fits the tastes or decor of the owner, definitely change the frame — and most likely the mat, too. If the proper conservation materials are used, the frame will likely never need to be replaced. We like to tell our customers that as much as we enjoy seeing the art and working on it, once the customer takes it home, we hope to never see it again.