SCE confirms ‘some billing errors’ after Palm Spring woman contests $750 bill

UPDATE 9/2/2021:

SCE says McCall's meter was replaced after a routine inspection determined it was not communicating. She was advised her usage was estimated and later validated during that period, a spokesman said.

There are no widespread issues with meters that need to be replaced, he said, adding McCall's is an isolated case.

Regarding billing errors, the SCE spokesman said McCall's usage was validated and no billing errors were found. He said the agency has no concerns of widespread billing errors.

SCE adds the "errors" referenced in this story refer to delayed bills, not incorrect billing totals, and says those affected customers have been contacted.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A Palm Springs woman is calling on Southern California Edison for answers after she says her meter failed and her monthly bill skyrocketed.

After News Channel 3 began asking questions, SCE confirmed a billing issue affected a number of customers in the area.

Nichole McCall called her July electricity bill "outrageous." She said she was charged almost $750 for power, saying it's much too high for what she was using.

"This is just over 1,000 sq. feet; I have the AC set at 80 degrees, 78 at night; there's no pool, so just astronomical," McCall said. "I had an electricity person through, an HVAC person through. The numbers don't seem right with how much this place should be pulling."

She said just after the billing period ended, her meter as well as one of her neighbor's were found by an SCE technician to be failing and both had to be replaced.

"[The technician] said one of the issues is that the smart meters that were installed in 2009 are just reaching the end of their lifespan," McCall said. "So a lot of them are going out at once and they're struggling to keep up."

McCall said in addition, she discovered SCE implemented a new billing system that could be inadvertently multiplying some customers' usage totals. "So there seems to be both an equipment side to the issue and a billing side, and it's really unclear whats going on," she said.

SCE spokesman Ben Gallagher said the agency is looking into McCall's specific case and confirmed a new customer service platform was implemented recently.

"We do regret that there have been some billing errors," Gallagher said. "It does affect a small amount of customers and our goal has been to contacted affected customers by phone."

McCall said so far, SCE has been unresponsive to her concerns, and she's worried others could be affected.

"It's completely unsustainable for people to be paying double or triple when a lot of people in this area are on fixed incomes," she said. "It's also a service sector economy and people are living paycheck to paycheck. If somebody's bill doubles, that could mean someone can't pay rent."

McCall said she's filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission about her bill.

Gallagher said SCE's equipment and bills are inspected and analyzed regularly. News Channel 3 is expecting an update in the coming days from SCE on McCall's specific case.