NBC 5 Responds to a North Texas electric customer who learned he was paying for a neighbor’s usage. Read on to learn how the customer received a refund for thousands of dollars.
UNCOVERING A SERVICE MIX-UP
After coming home one day and finding his power out, Chris Babb said he reported the outage. It seemed to only affect his apartment.
“A few hours later, I did get a text and they said the problem was fixed. Do you still have power: yes or no? I replied, no, I don't have power. I don't know what's going on,” Babb told NBC 5 Responds.
Babb said a maintenance worker with the apartment complex called in an electrician.
“He confirms that there is voltage leaving the meter, going through the main breaker, but none arriving in my apartment,” Babb said. “He says we've got a switched meter.”
A switched meter, or an electric service mix-up, caused Babb to be billed for a neighbor’s usage and vice-versa.
“Every time they did laundry, every time they cooked something, every time they did anything involving electricity,” said Babb.
Oncor tells NBC 5 Responds it confirmed the meter was crossed and said the issue would have happened when the apartment complex provided Oncor with incorrect meter information for the apartment. Oncor said it doesn’t have a breakdown on how often it occurs. It says it works with apartments and consumers in the investigative process with the retail electric provider.
Babb’s retail electric provider, TXU, said it doesn’t manage the meters. The transmission and distribution utility, like Oncor, captures usage from meters while the retail electric provider, like TXU, bills customers based on that data.
We reached out to Babb’s apartment complex by phone and email to ask if it could pinpoint the cause of the switched meter. We haven’t heard back.
A REFUND FOR OVERPAYMENT
Babb said after sorting out the meter mix-up, TXU took another look at his bills going back to 2019. It turned out he’d overpaid for usage and received a refund check for just over $2,100.
Babb said he moved into his apartment in 2016. Oncor said the usage data for Babb’s meter went back four years and that he was reimbursed for as much as it was able to verify.
What if it had gone the other way and a consumer learns they underpaid because of a meter mix-up? Could the customer be on the hook for “make-up bills”?
The Public Utility Commission of Texas tells NBC 5 Responds the consumer could be billed for up to 180 days.
TXU said back billing a customer that owes money because of a switched meter is just one possible scenario and that a provider would likely consider the impact on the customer relationship.
HOW DOES A CONSUMER FIND OUT IF THEY HAVE A SWITCHED METER?
Tommy Parker is the operations manager at Fox Electric and a master electrician. Generally, he said when a meter mix-up happens, it’s often discovered when there’s an interruption in service.
“Somebody moves out and all of a sudden, they either have no power or they've lost the air conditioner,” said Parker.
Parker said if a consumer is concerned, they can spot-check by going to the breaker box in the apartment.
“Turn off your air conditioner breaker within your unit. If your air conditioning is still running and you turn it off, then you know you're fed from somebody else's apartment,” Parker explained.
You look for a meter number on your electric bill and ask your apartment complex to help verify labeling outside at the meter.
“Have the maintenance guy come out with you and verify where your disconnect is at for your service. Make sure it's labeled with your apartment number,” Parker said.
If something doesn’t match up, customers can ask the utility for a switched meter investigation.
Texas PUC also said customers who suspect a switched meter or any other billing issue are encouraged to contact their provider first. If they can’t come to an agreement, customers can file an informal complaint with the agency’s customer protection division online here or call 1-888-782-8477.
The Texas PUC said it will work with the customer and provider to ensure the customer’s charges are accurate.
NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.
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