A Manitoba woman is refusing to pay a nearly $5,000 hydro bill after being told she was under-billed for the last four years.
Joyce McGregor told CTV Winnipeg she was nearly in tears when she opened her most recent bill from Manitoba Hydro, which totalled $4,701.97.
"I was in shock, almost in tears,” she said. “I called my son and said, ‘I can't believe this.’”
McGregor lives in an 880-square-foot bungalow with her son in Winnipeg. She said the home has LED lightbulbs and most of the appliances are energy efficient.
She noted that the house does have a hot tub in the backyard and McGregor and her son own two reptiles that need heat lamps for half the day.
The electricity service provider said Manitoba Hydro representatives aim to read customers meters every two months, but in this case, it appears that didn’t happen.
"We are reviewing our processes to ensure that doesn't happen again," Manitoba Hydro's manager of public affairs Scott Powell said.
The utility provider said customers are always responsible for their usage, but a billing discrepancy of this scale is rare.
McGregor said she finds it hard to believe she was not charged for 48,000 kilowatts of energy.
Manitoba Hydro provided McGregor with her billing history back to 2004.
Her son, David Owen, looked over the statements and said it appears that they were under-billed, but not enough to add up to $4,701.97.
Owen said, regardless of being under-billed, he doesn't feel the family should be held responsible for Manitoba Hydro's mistake.
McGregor's bill was due May 2, but she said she is refusing to pay until she meets with a Manitoba Hydro official.
She said she has a meeting with the utility provider's customer services manager on Wednesday.
With a report from CTV Winnipeg
