When a California resident began to investigate the monthly expense of his electricity bill, he discovered that an up to 18-year-old mistake was costing him far more than his personal usage.
Ken Wilson, a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customer who has lived alone in an apartment complex in Vacaville since 2006, told ABC News San Francisco affiliate that he noticed his bill rising a few months ago.
Wilson told the source that in order to save money, he sought to reduce his usage and bought a device to assist him track how many watts his equipment used.
“Even after I turned off my breakers, I kept going outside to check my meter to see if it was still running and it was still running,” Wilson confided to ABC 7.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he explained.
Wilson claimed he called PG&E about the problem, and they dispatched a representative to his apartment to examine his meter, confirming his worries were not baseless.
The energy company told ABC News that Wilson has been paying the electricity bill for the flat next to him “since potentially 2009,” three years after moving in.
“Our preliminary investigation has found the meter number for the customer’s apartment was being billed to another apartment since potentially 2009,” a PG&E spokeswoman disclosed.
PG&E admitted to the error and said it is “committed to rectifying the situation with the customer,” according to the statement.
Wilson, who has had the same arrangement with PG&E since moving into the complex in 2006, told ABC7 and other media sites that he believes the costly mistake has been going on for a long time.
“We sincerely apologize for the oversight and regret any inconvenience caused by the duration of this issue,” a company spokeswoman said.
In an update to ABC News, a PG&E spokeswoman stated that Wilson’s meter was repaired so that he would only pay his portion of energy usage and that he had been credited with over $600 on his account with the business.
PG&E also asked customers who are concerned about their consumption and billing to double-check their meter by comparing the meter ID number on the power panel to the one on their monthly bill.
