SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — SDG&E customers across Southern California continue to speak out about their bills and the customer service they’re receiving from the utility company. One customer in San Clemente says she was mistakenly billed for her neighbor’s usage.
This customer said she got a letter saying she still owed $844 after getting a credit from the company for their mistake. CBS 8 reached out to the SDG&E and got some answers.
Addelle Hutak said that last year an SDG&E technician discovered that she was being charged for her neighbor’s electricity usage so she received a credit of $1,389.
She said the company has been deducting her monthly bill which averages about $40, from that credit. But yesterday she received a letter saying she still owed $844.
"It was simply a letter and it stated that after further review, I owe SDG&E $844 and that they expected it to be paid and that if I didn’t pay it, I was in jeopardy of having my electricity shut off,” said Hutak.
Hutak says she also installed solar in February of last year that allowed her to monitor her electrical usage and control costs. She says she thought the billing issue had been resolved.
“In June, as I was looking at the numbers accumulate, the charge was $120. I called and explained to them I was out of town for over two weeks. They insisted that I wasn’t, that I had somebody living in my house, suggested that I left my air conditioning going and timers, of which I have neither,” Hutak said.
She says she’s contacted the company about being credited for using her solar system too. CBS 8 spoke to SDG&E about Hutak’s billing issues and this is what they said:
“After you brought the situation to our attention, we started looking into it. It appears we did not provide the level of service the customer deserves and we’re going to make it right. We’ve been in touch with the customer, and we really appreciate you letting us know and the customer reaching out to us,” said Helen Gao, SDG&E Sr. Communications Manager.
SDG&E says Hutak’s billing issue is rare but they will resolve it. If you think you have an unusual issue regarding your SDG&E bill, let us know.
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