Yeah, Columbia Gas checks the meter at my Reynoldsburg house every other month, and takes no previous months into consideration.
How do I know? This is the first year the house has sat empty, and I keep the heat very low when I'm not working on it = very low gas useage. But every time they estimate it, it is WAY high. They also put me on a budget plan (never asked to), but since I have overpaid enough to have a credit on my account, I will only pay the useage bill for the months with an actual reading. Even though I "owe" $150 for the month on the budget, they can't charge me a late fee since my actual amount owed is a credit.
I could call, and give them a meter reading, but calling them is a PITA, and if they aren't putting the effort into checking the meter every month during a high-useage time of year - screw them.