Took me 6 months to realize my electric bill was hiding a $40 mistake

So I kept wondering why my power bill was $40 higher every month compared to last year. I checked all my appliances, even did that whole unplugging thing, nothing changed. Finally called the utility company and turns out they had switched me to a time of use plan without telling me. I had to dig through my online account and find a PDF from 8 months ago to confirm it. Has anyone else had a utility company pull a silent rate change on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

miasanchez17d ago

Oh man, I've been through this exact thing. My bill jumped $30 a month and I spent two months swapping out light bulbs and checking my fridge seals before I found the fine print in a rate change letter they mailed to the wrong email. Your mileage may vary but I learned to check my utility account every three months for any plan changes they sneak in. Calling them directly and asking to be put on the standard plan sorted it out quick, but they tried to upsell me on their "smart saver" thing first. Also worth logging into your online account and screenshotting your current plan details so you have proof if they pull it again. Take this with a grain of salt but I'd bet money they count on people not noticing these hidden adjustments.

corah7516d ago

Okay but are we sure that "budget billing" thing is the same as getting switched to a different rate plan? In my experience, budget billing just averages your yearly costs into a flat monthly payment, it doesn't actually change your rate. I fell for that once thinking it would save me money, but then at the end of the year they hit me with a true-up bill because I used more than they estimated. Your mileage may vary but check if you got moved to a fixed rate or a variable rate, not just a different billing method. The screenshot trick is gold though, I keep a folder on my phone now just for utility screenshots.

felixlane17d ago

Dude @miasanchez nailed it with that screenshot advice. My power company did the same shady rate swap and I only caught it because I was checking my bill after a $45 spike in July. The rep tried to sell me some "budget billing" thing for five minutes before finally switching me back to the regular plan. I saved a pdf of my old rate sheet and it took three calls to get them to honor it. Its wild how they bury those changes in pages of fine print hoping you'll just pay it.