Consumer Watch: Woman Shocked by Electricity Use in Tiny Apartment

By Amanda Taylor, News 9 Consumer Watch Team

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's one thing to have a high electricity bill, it's another to be charged for electricity you didn't use. One metro woman said that's exactly what she's dealing with and why she called the Consumer Watch Team.

"I didn't want to get on the news, I didn't want to do this," Christina said.

But Christina said she didn't have anywhere else to turn. For the last year she's been getting high electricity bills.

"I'm in shock. $235 dollars. There's no way that's mine! I don't use that kind of electricity," said Christina.

She lives in a one bedroom, 900 square foot place at Sycamore Farms Apartments. And she said she's been complaining to management about the bills from day one.

"They make you feel like crap – ‘You just have a high bill? It must be your fault.' That became frustrating," said Christina.

But what makes her frustrated now is what she found out just a few weeks ago. She noticed one of the switches in her breaker box is for a garage, but she doesn't have a garage.

Her neighbors do and it looks like she's been paying for it. If she switches everything off, except for that garage switch, her meter still runs.

She said sometimes it moves much quicker, which makes her wonder just how many garages she's hooked up to. One of the garages she said has machinery running out of it to fix cars on the weekend.

"For sure I'm paying for this one. I'm still trying to get a hold of these two to see if I'm paying for all three," Christina said.

And to add to it, she said a day after she let management know of her discovery, she got a notice that they were not going to renew her lease and she'd have to get out by the end of the month.

Which is why she called the Consumer Watch Team, and we went straight to the complex to get answers.

The manager of Sycamore Farms said when they first became aware of Christina's high bills, they did check out the apartment but never found the problem. They even replaced her A/C unit.

But the manager said now that the garage mix-up has come to their attention, they want to take care of it, but they blame Christina for not letting them in to take a look.

The manager also said once they verify what's happened, they'll "be more than happy to compensate her" for the extra usage.

As for making her get out at the end of the month, the apartment manager said they're within their legal rights to do so. And while that may be true, Christina needs them to compensate her quick so she can pay off past OG&E bills in order to get electricity set up somewhere else.

"What I'd always like to happen to be fair, be paid what I'm owed on my electric," said Christina.

To find out what's fair the complex said they're going to get averages on the electricity use from similar apartments in her building and deduct that from what she's been supposedly using.

Christina's also got an attorney. The Consumer Watch Team will keep checking back on what the complex ultimately does.

And if you have a problem with an apartment, a high bill, or just about any consumer issue, we're here to keep an eye out for you. Call the Consumer Watch Team at 841-9921.

Read Amanda's blog and watch other Consumer Watch stories.