A photo of the incorrect bill.
A La Ronge resident is encouraging SaskPower customers to check their bills before they pay.
Candace Caisse recently received a bill with a $1,400 charge that she was not expecting. Caisse felt the bill was incorrect, so she called SaskPower to inquire. She was initially informed it was due to a meter reading, but when she went outside to check, the number on her meter was far different than the number on the bill.
SaskPower did admit their error and apologize. However, Caisse is concerned many people would have paid the bill without realizing the mistake.
“I feel sorry for elders and others that may have had this happen to them,” she wrote on her post.
She is encouraging people to “Question their bill.”
Caisse says she was also concerned that if she did pay the incorrect bill SaskPower would have only given her a credit as a refund.
“I wouldn’t have got a cheque or any money back,” Caisse told MBC. “What if I needed that money for other bills or for my kids. People can’t just throw $1,400 on a power bill and just leave it.”
Caisse’s Facebook post on the matter has been shared over 800 times.
“Obviously I am not the only person who this has happened to,” she said.
A spokesperson for SaskPower informed MBC that the utility is willing to send customers a cheque on any amount owing if the amount is significant and if the customer requests a refund.
SaskPower also says most meters are checked every three months with farms, resorts and communities under 500 being checked annually.
No official numbers yet from SaskPower as to how often an error is made while reading a meter.
SaskPower also says they encourage anyone who has questions about their bill to call their customer service line.