Central Florida woman discovers she's been paying neighbor's electric bill for years
For years, Dolores Noe did not think twice about her rising power bills. She figured it was just the cost of living going up.That changed when she opened her latest Duke Energy bill and saw a charge for more than $800.“I called them, and they’re saying, ‘You owe it. You owe what you owe,” Noe said. “And I said, ‘There’s no way I owe this bill.’”After several phone calls, Duke Energy finally sent a technician to her home. What they found left her stunned: Noe’s electric meter had been switched with her neighbor’s.When they turned off what was supposed to be my power, his house went dark. The mix-up meant Noe had unknowingly been paying for her neighbor’s electricity, and he had been paying for hers.“He said his bills were around $160 or $170,” she said. “And I’m thinking, there’s something wrong here because my house is smaller. Mine’s two bedrooms, his is three.”Noe’s bills had been averaging over $200. Little did she know, she needed to be paying much less. Duke Energy confirmed the issue in a statement to WESH 2 News, saying it has an appointment with both Noe and her neighbor on Monday, Nov. 10, to determine next steps to correct the issue. The company added, “Our customers only pay for the energy they use.”Noe said she has been told not to pay the $800 bill, but the charge remains on her account.“I don’t know why they just don’t get it off my bill when they know it’s not mine,” she said. “It sticks in the back of your mind. You worry about it.”We asked Duke Energy if it plans to credit Noe for what she overpaid. It said:”On Monday, we’ll work to determine when the error occurred. From there, we’ll assess the energy usage for both customers during that timeframe. The customer who overpaid for their actual energy usage will then receive a bill credit.”
For years, Dolores Noe did not think twice about her rising power bills. She figured it was just the cost of living going up.
That changed when she opened her latest Duke Energy bill and saw a charge for more than $800.
“I called them, and they’re saying, ‘You owe it. You owe what you owe,” Noe said. “And I said, ‘There’s no way I owe this bill.’”
After several phone calls, Duke Energy finally sent a technician to her home. What they found left her stunned: Noe’s electric meter had been switched with her neighbor’s.
When they turned off what was supposed to be my power, his house went dark. The mix-up meant Noe had unknowingly been paying for her neighbor’s electricity, and he had been paying for hers.
“He said his bills were around $160 or $170,” she said. “And I’m thinking, there’s something wrong here because my house is smaller. Mine’s two bedrooms, his is three.”
Noe’s bills had been averaging over $200. Little did she know, she needed to be paying much less.
Duke Energy confirmed the issue in a statement to WESH 2 News, saying it has an appointment with both Noe and her neighbor on Monday, Nov. 10, to determine next steps to correct the issue. The company added, “Our customers only pay for the energy they use.”
Noe said she has been told not to pay the $800 bill, but the charge remains on her account.
“I don’t know why they just don’t get it off my bill when they know it’s not mine,” she said. “It sticks in the back of your mind. You worry about it.”
We asked Duke Energy if it plans to credit Noe for what she overpaid. It said:
“On Monday, we’ll work to determine when the error occurred. From there, we’ll assess the energy usage for both customers during that timeframe. The customer who overpaid for their actual energy usage will then receive a bill credit.”