If you’ve ever been asked if you’re paying your own electricity bill or someone else’s, you’d likely say you check your bills regularly. Many people even go to the utility office if they notice a slight increase to verify the charges. However, Ken Wilson, a man from Vacaville, USA, had unknowingly been paying his neighbor’s electricity bill for an astonishing 18 years.
Ken, a customer of Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), noticed his bills were increasing and took steps to cut down on his energy use. When his efforts didn’t lower the costs, he decided to investigate.
He bought a device to monitor his electricity consumption and found that his meter was still running even when his breaker was off. Wilson then contacted PG&E, leading them to send a representative for an inspection.
PG&E confirmed that Wilson had been mistakenly paying for his neighbor’s apartment, “possibly since 2009,” which was three years after he moved in. A PG&E spokesperson explained, “Our initial investigation found that the customer’s apartment meter number was being billed to another apartment, possibly since 2009.”
While Wilson was understandably surprised, the company did acknowledge their mistake and apologized for the error.
“We are committed to rectifying the situation with the customer,” the company’s statement added.
PG&E also encouraged other customers to double-check their meter numbers to prevent similar issues.