A family from California is claiming they were forced into a mobile home for nearly a week after PG&E disconnected their power on Independence Day, accusing them of energy fraud.
Jessica Sicaros, a Fresno resident, described being without power for six days during a severe heat wave, which was quite challenging as she tried to secure temporary accommodations.
Initially, she was informed that her service was suspended due to unpaid bills. Later, however, the utility company alleged she was tampering with the electricity meters.
The family eventually figured out that they were actually paying for electricity that was consumed by a neighbor, believing there had been a mistake with the meter installation.
“I knew I wasn’t responsible for the accusations of meter tampering,” Jessica remarked, feeling quite frustrated with the situation.
While shopping on July 4th, she noticed something was off when she received the call about her utilities being disconnected.
“I was on my way home from the grocery store and couldn’t get a clear answer about why my power was cut,” she added, recalling her confusion and frustration.
“It’s definitely been tough, especially with the heat,” she continued.
After the media reached out to PG&E regarding this issue, a representative indicated that they would restore power while the matter was still being investigated.
Eventually, the power was restored, but Jessica expressed feeling unsettled by the repeated accusations she faced from company employees.
“I’ve been wrongly accused by multiple PG&E representatives of energy theft and meter tampering,” she stated, feeling that the focus was on her payment issues instead of the actual meter problem.
PG&E extended an apology, acknowledging the situation but noted their inability to change what had already happened, although they indicated they could rectify the issue. Once power was back on, the family finally found some relief from the oppressive heat.
The family believes there were opportunities missed by the utility company that could have identified the meter mix-up before their service got disconnected.
They hope that sharing their experience might encourage others to regularly review their utility bills and electric meters while also questioning any unexpected charges.
