This is a wild story, folks!
A woman shared a shocking discovery about her utility bills in a TikTok video. She revealed that since December 2021, she had unknowingly been paying for the entire building’s utilities, not just her own apartment.
The Shocking Discovery
The tenant, who had been diligently paying her utility bills, never suspected anything was amiss.
Despite thinking the bills were high, the power company assured her the rates were normal. It wasn’t until she had to deal with the company because of an issue with an ex-partner that she discovered the truth.
“I JUST THOUGHT THAT THE COST OF LIVING WAS THAT HIGH.”
The Importance of Vigilance
This incident highlights the critical importance of regularly reviewing and understanding your utility bills.
It’s easy to overlook discrepancies when you assume that high costs are normal.
Tenants should be aware of their average utility usage and compare their bills with neighbors or other similar-sized households. Simple vigilance can prevent long-term financial losses and ensure that you’re only paying for what you actually use.
Another Example: This Guy Paid Someone Else’s Electricity Bill for Five Years!!!
About a year and a half ago, he discovered he’d been paying someone else’s electricity bill since buying his home, and someone else had been paying his.
He bought a new construction house in 2017. It’s a 16-unit condo complex on shared land, but none of the houses share walls. He bought his house during the second phase of building, which was the last 8 units.
His neighbor, who bought their house at the same time, sold it about 3.5 years later. Let’s call their house House B and his House A.
His new neighbor in House B, who had been there a couple of months, came over and said he suspected their electricity bills were swapped. He explained that he didn’t use much AC and was very frugal, yet his bill was $300-350. He even turned off his power, but the Southern California Edison (SCE) website showed power usage continued. He noticed usage in the middle of the night once a week, which matched when the man charged his two electric cars overnight.
They investigated. The meter number on the neighbor’s SCE bill matched the meter attached to House A. But the meter number on his bill didn’t match the neighbor’s physical meter. So they weren’t swapped—his neighbor was paying his bill. Checking the other 14 units, they found his bill’s meter number matched another neighbor’s meter. So he was paying House C’s bill, and they believe House C pays House B’s bill.
He’s been calling SCE every month since learning about this. They keep saying different things and eventually told him it would take time to resolve. Now, 1.5 years later, they’re still giving him the runaround.
He has net metering and got a $2,000 bill because of SCE’s mistake.
He doesn’t know what to do to get them to fix the accounts and is worried about a massive bill correcting five years of this mix-up. He didn’t know the bill was swapped.
The previous owner of House B didn’t catch this because they used a lot of electricity for their AC and electric car. He’s never owned a home before and didn’t realize his bill was too low for what he was using.
Steps to Take if You Suspect an Error
If you suspect that there might be an error in your utility billing:
- Review Past Bills: Compare your current bills with previous ones to identify any unusual increases.
- Talk to Neighbors: Ask neighbors about their utility costs to see if there are significant differences.
- Contact the Utility Company: Reach out to your utility provider to discuss your concerns and request a detailed usage report.
- Seek Professional Help: If the issue persists, consider consulting with a utility billing expert or consumer advocate.
Conclusion
Both stories serve as stark reminders of the importance of being proactive and informed about your expenses. Sure, costs are rising but we need to be super vigilent!
By regularly reviewing bills, understanding your usage, and questioning irregularities, you can protect yourself from similar costly mistakes. This incident not only highlights a significant personal oversight but also calls for improved billing practices and accountability from utility companies.
