PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – Two Dominion Energy customers said they hadn’t received their bill for more than five months. Their accounts showed that they owed $0. Meanwhile, their electricity worked just fine, and their meter still calculated their energy usage.
“A couple of months ago, my daughter and son-in-law moved out. I thought, ‘oh, my electricity is going to be so much less now that they’re gone.’ So I was just eagerly waiting for my Dominion bill to see what it was going to be. And suddenly I realized it hadn’t come,” said Katherine Mountjoy.
She’s a Smithfield resident and said the last time she received a bill was in February 2024 for her January usage. She’s lived in her home for 20 years using Dominion Energy.
“This is ridiculous to be a company as large as they are, and to have this happen to me. It’s scary,” Mountjoy said.
She said she recorded every conversation with customer service.
“I took everybody’s name down,” Mountjoy said. “It was just a disaster,”
Another customer, Daniel Wenger also had the same issue. He lives in Franklin. He said he would email and call customer service, and was told they were working on the issue. However, he got his bill after reaching out to 10 On Your Side for help.
“I feel relief first. Seven months without a bill, an electric bill that you never know how much electricity you’ve been using,” he said.
In December 2023, Wenger moved into a brand new home in a newly constructed neighborhood. His account information showed a $0 balance and the meter read date was for December 2023.
“Not having an electric bill is pretty upsetting,” Wenger said.
10 On Your Side reached out to Dominion Energy about Mountjoy’s and Wenger’s bill issues.
We were told Dominion is aware of the two customer situations and was working to fix the issue. The company also said the issue is common in areas of new residential construction.
“If a customer notices a $0 balance, it is likely that their electric meter is collecting details about their energy usage but is not properly relaying the data to Dominion Energy for billing purposes,” said a Dominion Energy Spokesperson.
Wenger said when he finally got his bill he was charged less than what he knows he used for more than half the year.
“They only charge me $427 for the seven months. I’m not sure why,” he said.
However, before the issue was fixed, he said Dominion informed him they would not charge him for the past 150 days, that’s over 4 months.
Wenger and Mountjoy feared that once their bill was up to date, they would have to pay hundreds of dollars one time.
So to avoid that issue, they both continuously paid each month on their account. They estimated how much they think they would owe.
“I have like right now $1500 credit,” Wenger said.
Mountjoy said she has a $700 credit.
“I do want something to be done to pay for the discomfort and fear that I have felt over these months,” she said. “I certainly need them to be prepared to pay whatever interest I might accrue if I have to start charging this to my credit card.”
Meanwhile, Wenger couldn’t be happier to finally have the issue resolved.
“I really appreciate WAVY news because you guys did it,” he said.
Dominion Energy said when the meter is properly paired with a customer’s account, it will generate up-to-date bills. The company also said customers who accrue a significant credit, can choose to have the credit refunded to them or applied to future usage.
There can also set up payment arrangements.