One home was paying for both their power and their neighbor’s after their meters got crossed. Over seven years they overpaid by $11,000 despite making costly upgrades to reduce power consumption.

When they complained about the $300-$500 bills they kept receiving despite trying to be as frugal as possible, the energy company just kept recommending more upgrades. The homeowners had a trouble shooter come and he finally figured out that the lines had been crossed, but even after being informed of this, the power company wouldn’t issue any refunds and demanded the neighbor pay back restitution.

Only after the local news got involved did the utility agree to refund back all their money, and the neighbor won’t have to pay anything extra either.

Homeowner overpays $11,000 on power bill in meter mix-up [NBC 12] (Thanks to Heather!))

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.