Man Receives Gas Bill For $8,095

[matcom]

<snip>

ZANESVILLE, Ohio --Lewis Miller joked with his son as he opened his gas bill that the amount likely would give him a heart attack. Then, he saw that The Energy Cooperative of Newark had billed him $8,095 for the first nine days of service on his new account for his apartment.

"I thought I was just going to lay down and die," Miller said. He then had an anxious weekend because he received the bill Friday and couldn't get a hold of the gas company until Monday.

When Miller reached the Energy Cooperative, the error was corrected.

Brian Byrd, a spokesman for the utility, said the company apologized to Miller for its mistake.

"These things are very rare, but they can happen," Byrd said.

The company suspects that a contractor mixed up or misread the numbers while taking a reading of Miller's meter. The information is downloaded into a computer that checks for billing errors by looking at what a customer was charged in the past. Since Miller's account was new, there was nothing to compare it to, Byrd said.

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2006/01/24/ohio_man_floored_by_gas_bill_for_8095?mode=PF

[Clintmax]

1. He should have known it was an error.

Over eight thousand dollars for nine days of service...come on.

[mikeytherat]

2. In '92, we got a $1,000+ gas bill for our apartment in JULY

We only used gas for heat (hot water was electric) and, as it was July, it was unlikely we were running the furnace. Also, when we DID run the furnace, our gas bills averaged about $75 per month.

It took three months for the City to straighten it out (THREE people had to come out and read the meter).

mikey_the_rat

[Deja Q]

3. Miller's meter? Or too much Miller Lite?

:shrug: