This one still makes me shake my head. Small manufacturing shop in Nampa getting bills for $18K/month when their historical usage was around $3K. Idaho Power insisted the meter was correct and threatened disconnection. Took three site visits and finally discovered they had cross-wired two service drops during a pole replacement. My client was getting billed for the lumber yard next door! Eight months of overcharges totaling $127K. Idaho Power acted like this was no big deal and wanted to "work out a payment plan" for the neighbor's usage. I don't think so!
Idaho Power tried to charge my client for someone else's usage
Warren, that's crazy! NorthWestern Energy did something similar here in Montana - apartment complex was getting charged for the strip mall across the street. $45K in overcharges over six months. These cross-connection errors seem more common than utilities want to admit. Did Idaho Power at least apologize or just treat it like routine business?
Theresa - no apology whatsoever! Their response was basically "mistakes happen" and they wanted my client to sign a waiver releasing them from any consequential damages. The client had to get a business loan to cover the inflated bills while we fought this. Idaho Power only got serious about fixing it when I threatened to file a complaint with the PUC.
Unbelievable! Xcel Energy did the same thing to a restaurant owner here in Fargo. Cross-connected service to the medical clinic next door. $32K in overcharges over four months. What really got me was Xcel trying to make the customer prove the error instead of investigating properly. These cases show why we need mandatory utility liability insurance for billing errors.
Warren, did your client suffer any business impacts from the high bills? I had a similar case with Black Hills Energy where the inflated bills caused the client's bank to freeze their credit line. We ended up getting additional compensation for business disruption beyond just the billing correction.
These cross-connection cases are more common than people realize. I've seen it happen with MLGW twice in the past year - both times during infrastructure upgrades. The key is getting the utility to admit fault quickly before the customer suffers financial hardship. Warren, glad you got it resolved. These cases really highlight the importance of having a good auditor watching your back!