Allegheny County woman left confused over high Duquesne Light bills

Overwhelmed, frustrated and stressed out is how Alexandra Vena describes her situation with Duquesne Light after another month of high bills. And now, she’s asking for not only change, but an explanation from the company. “It’s very frustrating,” Vena said. “I mean, that’s higher than most people’s mortgages.”Vena has lived in her McKees Rocks townhome since 2019. But since 2023, she started getting unexplainably high bills from Duquesne Light. Her last bill was an average of $70, but this month, it was closer to $2,000.”All I have is a fridge and a fish tank. How can it make it skyrocket?” Vena said. The company sent the bills with charges labeled as miscellaneous, leaving Vena confused but forced to ultimately pay the bill before the 10-day shutoff notice.”I try to put up a fight, but I have to pay it or they’re going to shut it off,” Vena said.In a statement to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4, Duquesne Light said:”DLC has been actively engaged with this customer over the past several months to help resolve concerns with the account. The customer has carried a significant past-due balance for over a year and filed a dispute with the PA PUC, which was ultimately dismissed; during the dispute, her June bill only reflected usage for that period, but the full balance was reinstated once the case was dismissed. Additionally, she was enrolled with a third-party supplier that increased supply rates monthly, contributing to higher bills. DLC helped the customer change her supplier back to our default service and provided her with information on available assistance programs.”Vena said that’s not what she has been told.”I’m asking why my bill’s this high. They’re saying your usage is more than usual, which cannot be true because I’m not even home half the time, because I’m working,” Vena said.She asked the company for one possible fix to her situation.”Change the meter, see what’s going on, stop charging me thousands of dollars that I can’t afford,” Vena said.Vena said her next step is to file another complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. If that doesn’t work, she said she will contact the attorney general.