California Man Discovers He’s Been Paying His Neighbor’s Electric Bill for 15 Years

Viral News: In a shocking incident, a California resident discovered he had been paying for his neighbor’s electricity for 15 years.

Ken Wilson, who lives alone in an apartment in Vacaville, has been a loyal customer of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) since 2006. After noticing an unusually high electricity bill, Wilson took steps to reduce his usage, only to be informed by the company that he had been paying the wrong bill.

An inquiry revealed a startling mistake: Wilson had been shouldering his neighbor’s electricity costs for over a decade.

Wilson had taken proactive steps to reduce his exorbitant bills, cutting back on usage and purchasing a device to track his appliances' wattage. Despite these efforts, his bill continued to rise, even when his breaker was switched off.

“I’ve been trying to conserve electricity and lower my costs because it was getting really expensive," Wilson told a local TV station. "I kept going outside to check my meter… even after I turned off my breakers, it was still running.”

With growing suspicions, Wilson contacted PG&E through their website, prompting the company to investigate. PG&E’s inquiry eventually uncovered that Wilson had been paying his neighbor’s bill since 2009.

PG&E apologized for the blunder and reassured Wilson that they are committed to rectifying the issue.

"Our preliminary investigation found that the meter number for the customer’s apartment had been billed to another apartment since 2009," a PG&E spokesperson said. "We sincerely apologize for the oversight and regret any inconvenience caused."

Wilson hopes his story will raise awareness: “I just hope that this story helps others; I can’t be the only one.”