Solano County PG&E Customer Charged for Someone Else’s Utility Bill for up to 18 years

Source: CBS 13 Sacramento |  By Ashley Sharp

A Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) customer who lives at an apartment complex in Vacaville recently noticed something was not quite right with his utility bill. After further investigation that included PG&E coming out to check his meter, they discovered he had been paying someone else's bill for what could be nearly two decades. Customer Ken Wilson's bill was linked to the meter for apartment unit 90. He lives in unit number 91. Wilson has lived alone in the same apartment since 2006: 18 years.

CBS13 reached out to The Utility Reform Network (TURN), which serves as a consumer watchdog advocacy group concerning all utility companies in the state of California, for perspective. TURN Director Mark Toney said he's shocked by this mistake, calling it rare and inexcusable. "These meters are supposed to be geocoded so that the exact location is precisely matched with longitude, latitude, that's geocoding. So its precise location is supposed to match each address," Toney said. Toney said that PG&E should work through Wilson's old bills and refund him for any amount he has paid over the actual price of his bill for every year impacted. CBS13 asked Toney: What lessons should customers of any utility group take away from this story? "Keep an eye on your bill," he said. "If you notice a spike in usage, and maybe you're out of town or at work all day and these spikes are happening in the middle of the day or at an odd time, that is the time to call PG&E and ask them to look into it.” Toney suggested that if the issue is not made right, the problem needs to be reported to the California Public Utilities Commission.