MEMPHIS, Tenn. — MLGW customers are speaking out on their unreasonably high bills.
Sharin Tebo lives in Cooper Young and Melissa Walker in Frayser, yet they’re both dealing with the same utility concern.
“I have zero trust in a lot of things in this city but really with MLGW,” Tebo said.
Trust and patience with the city’s only utility company is running out. Tebo is once again dealing with MLGW underestimating bills for months, only to tack the owed amount onto a different month’s bill.
“I get a notification yesterday about my current bill being now $1,246 due March 6th,” Tebo said.
She’s hesitant to pay because she knows she hasn’t used over a thousand dollars’ worth of utilities in one month, and she hasn’t.
In a statement to ABC24, MLGW said the following:
“This customer’s service has been estimated many months. The usage appears to have been estimated too low based on the data history for the residence. The meters were not estimated this month and actual readings were updated. The customer’s current bill is a result of the difference being added for the months that were underestimated.”
When asked if MLGW is having issues with meter readings again, the utility said:
“We are not having issues with meters.
In this case, the customer’s bill was trued up after being estimated for several months.
In general, many customers’ bills are higher because of their increased energy consumption during the extreme weather last month.”
Still, the utility is underestimating for several months. This is leaving Tebo with only one savings account left to dip into.
“It’s hard to fathom,” Tebo said. “So I have to dip into my retirement savings.”
A cry for help with utility concerns is becoming all too common in the bluff city.
Melissa Walker was billed $500 on a recent bill while living in a double wide trailer. Her normal bill is around $200.
“It feels like they target specific areas — like low income areas,” Walker said. “We’re in Frayser. When we lived just outside of Bartlett, we never had these problems. We were still on MLGW — we never had these problems.”
Now she’s working through the MLGW Customer Dispute Resolution Hearing Process.
Still, both Walker and Tebo have run out of faith in the utility company turning things around.
“We’re not super hopeful that it’s gunna come to anything,” Walker said.
“It’s just one thing after another and I’m just really losing faith and hope,” Tebo said.
MLGW does have a Customer Dispute Resolution Hearing Process for those that believe their bill is incorrect. Such customers can also have someone come to their home and do an energy-audit, ensuring their use of utilities is efficient.