An NYC woman who'd been cutting corners for years due to her wildly high electric bill finally figured out the reason the pesky bill kept increasing...
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Queens resident Nicole Niceforo claims she practically bent over backward trying to keep her massive electric bill under control. She told local outlet Fox 5 NY that she rarely cranked up her AC and made it a habit to wash her dishes by hand.
"For 10 years, I was afraid to use my air conditioning," Niceforo insisted to Fox 5 NY.
However, it wasn't simply inflation or rising utility costs... reportedly, Con Edison switched Niceforo's electric bill with that of her upstairs neighbor, who no doubt loved their low electric rates.
That said, Con Edison admitted it had made a mistake, offering Niceforo a refund of just over $6,000. However, this reportedly covers only six years of the utility provider's gaffe. Nearly four years' worth of overpayments have allegedly been left to be addressed.
NYC Woman Claims She First Contacted Utility Provider Back in 2016 Over High Electric Bills
The NYC woman claims she noticed the issue all the way back in September of 2016. She contacted Con Edison, hoping they'd send a meter reader her way. However, the utility provider simply relied on the building's management for the readings.
Niceforo claims that after hitting that wall, the seemingly high electric bills continued for years.
Still, Niceforo didn't just sit passively as the bloated bills kept turning up. She told Fox 5 NY about a never-ending loop of red tape trying to get a tech to come out to her apartment.
"I spent a lot of time and energy repeatedly calling them... It's frustration beyond belief," she told the station.
However, after nine years, a tech finally showed up with the swap uncovered.
Meanwhile, after learning that Con Edison would only cover six years' worth of the overpayments, Niceforo turned to the State Department of Public Service. However, that department backed up Con Edison, citing that the utility provider has a six-year statute of limitations. The department also added that it has no record of Niceforo's 2016 complaint.
Con Edison doubled down on only covering six years' worth of overpayments while providing Fox 5 NY a seemingly boilerplate statement on the matter.
"Con Edison values its customers and works with them if they believe their energy use is not correctly reflected on their bill," the utility provider told the station.
