LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — In a time where every penny counts, many residents are feeling the financial pressure of the rising cost of living.
WATCH BELOW
A Lake Worth Beach resident turned to WPTV on Monday, desperately seeking answers regarding her gas bill, which has been inflated for months, stretching her budget to the breaking point.
A desperate call for help
Elaine White, a Lake Worth Beach resident living on a fixed income with her son, has been grappling with inconsistencies in her gas bill for the past six months.
When the bill arrived this month, it reflected a modest charge of just over $20.
However, she recounted how previous months had seen shocking charges: “One month $109, one month $130. Where are these numbers coming from?” White asked incredulously.
WPTV's Joel Lopez inquired if she had changed her gas usage, White firmly replied, “Nothing.” This raised further questions about why such discrepancies were appearing on her bill.
The cause of the overcharges
An investigation revealed that Florida Public Utilities had been determining White's charges based on estimated readings rather than actual usage.
“I’m on a fixed income; this is horrible,” White expressed. “My bill comes out automatically, so when it hits, they just take it out. They said they would reimburse me $30, but I should be reimbursed more than that.”
White reported that the estimated bills had led to overcharges amounting to $300, forcing her to cut back on grocery shopping to make ends meet.
In a letter sent to White Florida Public Utilities indicated that an obstruction might be preventing their crews from reading the meter.
However, when WPTV inspected the meter outside White's home, they found only a trash can ready for pickup and an empty log sheet attached to the meter.
“So it shows me somebody is not reading my meter,” Elaine remarked.
Unraveling the Mystery
Lopez dug deeper into the issue and found information on the utility company's website indicating that estimated bills are based on prior usage for similar periods, adjusted for current conditions. The website also noted that the utility would adjust bills when actual meter readings were taken the following month.
Desperate for a resolution, Elaine pleaded, “Please, I know you’ll take care of it by reaching out to someone at that company.”
Resolution and moving forward
Lopez took action and contacted Alex Nye, the director of strategic communications for Florida Public Utilities.
Nye confirmed that there had indeed been an issue with the third-party meter reader assigned to White’s area.
He assured that the problematic meter reader had been removed, and the company would transition to remote reading of gas meters in the area, ensuring more accurate billing in the future.
Upon reviewing her usage remotely, Florida Public Utilities found that White had been undercharged during estimated readings in the last few months of the previous year.
The higher charges this year were a necessary adjustment to balance out her previous underpayments.
Moving forward, the utility company indicated that White's bills should be accurate.
They also confirmed that they issued a refund of approximately $30 from late payments and credits to compensate for the inconvenience.
In a statement, Florida Public Utilities expressed their apologies:
“We apologize for not having the actual meter readings in this case, and the inconvenience we caused the customer. We hope the bill credit we issued, and the fact we resolved the meter reading issue going forward helps make it right. We understand that large swings in utility bills can be a challenge, especially for those on fixed incomes. This past winter we saw record cold, resulting in a significant increase in energy usage by our customers, especially during December, January and February. To help customers stabilize their monthly energy costs, we offer budget billing, which allows customers to pay the same amount each month. It’s one of the many programs we offer to help customers be more efficient and save on energy costs. “
Take control of your billing
Nye encouraged customers to consider their Budget Billing program, available for residential customers who wish to pay a fixed amount each month, thus avoiding seasonal volatility in utility bills.
For more information on Budget Billing and other programs, visit Florida Public Utilities here.
