A $1.3 million utility bill would instantly cause instant panic in yours truly. Since I run the air conditioning in my house during the summer like I’m trying to flash freeze processed meat, I live in constant fear of my high electric bill. Naturally, when Abilene, Texas resident Kristin Harriger discovered that her bill was in excess of one million dollars (insert Dr. Evil gesture here), she was understandably concerned.
“I work on a budget. I’m a single mom with an autistic child who tries to make ends meet,” Harriger explained to Business Insider. “I get my bills and I pay them.”
Potentia Energy has readily admitted that some sort of human error must have taken place during the billing process. Instead of charging her $0.09 per kilowatt hour, she was blasted with $1,000 per kilowatt hour. The company, which takes full responsibility for the problem, assured Harriger that everything would be fixed as soon as possible. However, two weeks have gone by and the single mother still hasn’t received a corrected statement.
Business Insider, curious as to why this situation hasn’t been properly addressed, contacted Potentia Energy about the debacle. Sehr Charania, an external affairs officer for the company, assured the website that the problem has been rectified, and that a new bill has been issued as of this week. Potentia Energy also stated that Harriger wouldn’t have to deal with any late penalties, which, on a $1.3 million dollar bill, would have been $66,000.
“I’m glad I didn’t have autopayments (set up), I’ll tell you that,” she said.
