WESH 2 Investigates Florida power company billing program - WESH 2 Orlando

What is fixed billing and how does it work?

WESH 2 INVESTIGATES IS DIGGING INTO COMPLAINTS FROM A POWER COMPANY CUSTOMER. HE IS ONE OF 2 MILLION DUKE ENERGY CUSTOMERS IN FLORIDA. SO YOU MAY WANT TO LISTEN TO THIS ONE. WELL, ACTUALLY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG FOX EXPLAINS WHY THE MAN THINKS DUKE OWES HIM MONEY. BUT IN THE WAY THAT I FEEL ABOUT IT, AS I SHOULD HAVE ALL OF MY MONEY BACK. DAVE LIVES IN DUNELLEN. HE AND HIS WIFE SHIRLEY LOVE THEIR HOME, BUT NOT THEIR POWER BILLS. THEY THINK DUKE ENERGY OWES THEM MONEY, HE SAYS. FOUR YEARS AGO, THEY SIGNED UP FOR THE FIXED BUILD PROGRAM, PAY ONE PRICE, USE ALL THE ELECTRIC CITY YOU WANT PAYMENTS AUTOMATICALLY GO TO DUKE FROM THEIR BANK A YEAR AGO THINKING THEY WERE OVERPAID. THEY CALLED TO CANCEL, BUT SAY DUKE WANTED A CANCELLATION FEE. THEY’RE MORE UPSET NOW FOR LAST MONTH’S POWER. THEY WERE BILLED. $291.06, INCLUDING TAXES AND FEES. BUT WHEN YOU SEE WHAT THEY ACTUALLY USED, THEY SAY THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN BILLED $197.54 HERE. IT HURT. IT HURT US. YOU KNOW, WE’RE SENIOR CITIZENS AND WE HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF INCOME. AND AND LIKE I SAID, WE’RE GOOD, HONEST PEOPLE. AND WE WERE JUST SIMPLY TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. THEY SAY CUSTOMER SERVICE AT DUKE EXPLAINED THAT THE BILLING WAS THE RESULT OF UNDER USAGE AND THAT THE EXTRA MONEY THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR AT LEAST THE LAST 20 MONTHS WAS DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY AND TOTALS NEARLY 1700 DOLLARS, ACCORDING TO THE E-MAIL PROVIDED BY CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THE POTS. I DON’T GET MAD. I DON’T GET REALLY EMOTIONAL, BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE JOB. I FEEL THAT’S FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, WHICH REGULATES UTILITIES, AND DUKE TOLD POTS THERE INVESTIGATING A DUKE ENERGY SPOKESPERSON TELLS WESH 2 INVESTIGATES. WE UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS CONTINUE TO FACE INCREASED FINANCIAL PRESSURES DUE TO INFLATION AND OTHER ECONOMIC STRESS. THE SOLUTION IS NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL. DUKE ENERGY TAKES EACH CUSTOMER’S CONCERN VERY SERIOUSLY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH THIS PARTICULAR CUSTOMER TO HELP RESOLVE ANY CONCERNS. WHILE DAVE AND SHIRLEY POTTS WORK WITH DUKE ENERGY TO FIND OUT IF THEY MAY HAVE SOME MONEY OR CREDITS COMING BACK TO THEM, THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO POINT OUT KEY DIFFERENCES IN BILLING METHODS. STANDARD BILLING MEANS JUST THAT YOU PAY EACH MONTH FOR ELECTRICITY YOU USE. BUDGET BILLING HAS LOWER MONTHLY BILLS, BUT YOU MUST SETTLE UP ANNUALLY OWING MORE WHEN USING MORE AND LESS. IF USING LESS AND FIXED BILLING, YOU’LL GET IDENTICAL MONTHLY BILLS, BUT YOU’RE POSSIBLY. DAVE POTTS IS WAITING TO HEAR HOW HIS CA

WESH 2 Investigates Florida power company billing program

Couple claims Duke Energy owes them money.

Updated: 8:49 PM EDT May 19, 2023

Dave Potts and his wife Shirley are mostly retired and enjoying life in Dunnellon, not far from the Villages.They’re on a fixed income. So they thought “fixed billing,” a payment program offered by Duke Energy to its two million customers in Florida, sounded like a good idea. Now, they say they regret that decision. “The way that I feel about it, is, I should have all of my money back,” Potts said. He says four years ago, they signed up for the fixed billing program. Customers pay one price and can use all the electricity they want. One spokesperson for Duke described it as an all-you-can-eat buffet. The Potts arranged to have payments automatically be deducted from their bank to pay Duke monthly. A year ago, thinking they were overpaying, they called to cancel. But they say Duke wanted a cancellation fee. They're more upset now. For last month's power, they were billed $291.06, including taxes and fees. But when they examined how many kilowatt hours (kWh) they used, they said they should have been billed $197.54. “It hurt. It hurt us, you know. We're senior citizens. We have a limited amount of income and like I said, we're good honest people, and we were just simply taken advantage of,” Potts said. They say customer service at Duke Energy explained that the billing was the result of "underusage" and that the extra money they have been paying for at least the last 20 months was "dispersed throughout the company" and totals nearly $1,697.17, according to the email provided by customer service to the Potts. “I don't get mad. I don't get real emotional, but I really feel like I have been taken advantage of,” Potts said. Potts filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, and Duke Energy told Potts they're investigating. A company spokesperson, Ana Gibbs, tells WESH 2 Investigates, "We understand customers continue to face increased financial pressures due to inflation and other economic stress. The solution is not a one-size-fits-all. Duke Energy takes each customer's concern very seriously. We will continue to work directly with this particular customer to help resolve any concerns." While Duke Energy works to find out if Dave and Shirley Potts are owed money, this is a good time to point out key differences in power company billing. Standard billing means just that: You pay each month for the electricity you use. Budget billing has lower monthly bills, but you must "settle-up," annually, owing more when using more, less if using less. And fixed billing? You'll get identical monthly bills, but you'll possibly overpay. It's important to read the terms and conditions of every utility agreement. Many will automatically renew your billing program unless you cancel. Duke Energy said it notifies customers annually to see if they want to renew a program. With so many people on auto-pay for billing, sometimes it makes good sense to stop, review what you're paying for, and drop it or change it if you're paying too much.Top stories:Florida couple says their intimate moments were watched by tech company employees3 hurt in Daytona Beach shootingSheriff: Brevard County mom punched her child in the face

Dave Potts and his wife Shirley are mostly retired and enjoying life in Dunnellon, not far from the Villages.

They’re on a fixed income. So they thought “fixed billing,” a payment program offered by Duke Energy to its two million customers in Florida, sounded like a good idea. Now, they say they regret that decision.

“The way that I feel about it, is, I should have all of my money back,” Potts said.

He says four years ago, they signed up for the fixed billing program. Customers pay one price and can use all the electricity they want. One spokesperson for Duke described it as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The Potts arranged to have payments automatically be deducted from their bank to pay Duke monthly. A year ago, thinking they were overpaying, they called to cancel. But they say Duke wanted a cancellation fee.

They're more upset now. For last month's power, they were billed $291.06, including taxes and fees. But when they examined how many kilowatt hours (kWh) they used, they said they should have been billed $197.54.

“It hurt. It hurt us, you know. We're senior citizens. We have a limited amount of income and like I said, we're good honest people, and we were just simply taken advantage of,” Potts said.

They say customer service at Duke Energy explained that the billing was the result of "underusage" and that the extra money they have been paying for at least the last 20 months was "dispersed throughout the company" and totals nearly $1,697.17, according to the email provided by customer service to the Potts.

“I don't get mad. I don't get real emotional, but I really feel like I have been taken advantage of,” Potts said.

Potts filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, and Duke Energy told Potts they're investigating.

A company spokesperson, Ana Gibbs, tells WESH 2 Investigates, "We understand customers continue to face increased financial pressures due to inflation and other economic stress. The solution is not a one-size-fits-all. Duke Energy takes each customer's concern very seriously. We will continue to work directly with this particular customer to help resolve any concerns."

While Duke Energy works to find out if Dave and Shirley Potts are owed money, this is a good time to point out key differences in power company billing.

Standard billing means just that: You pay each month for the electricity you use. Budget billing has lower monthly bills, but you must "settle-up," annually, owing more when using more, less if using less. And fixed billing? You'll get identical monthly bills, but you'll possibly overpay.

It's important to read the terms and conditions of every utility agreement. Many will automatically renew your billing program unless you cancel.

Duke Energy said it notifies customers annually to see if they want to renew a program.

With so many people on auto-pay for billing, sometimes it makes good sense to stop, review what you're paying for, and drop it or change it if you're paying too much.

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