This Toronto-area woman says she's not done fighting 'catch-up' gas bills for more than $7K

Ingrid Raudseppsays she couldn't believeher eyes when shereceived a series of newbills from EnbridgeGas Inc. in December that informed hershe owed a whopping $7,430.06 for the previous 12 months.

Raudsepp, who lives in Mississaugawest of Toronto, says she always pays her natural gas bills about $122 a month on time.

"I definitely thought that there had to be an error, that there was something wrong.There had to be miscalculations," Raudsepptold CBC Toronto.

"It was on Dec.20, five days before Christmas. I just about fainted."

Raudsepp, who is unemployed, saysshe's been told by Enbridge that the company had been relying on estimates to calculate her bill,rather than up-to-date meter readings,and the new bill was to correct previous underestimates.

'There should have been a warning'

Enbridge is supposed to read meters at least once every two monthsbut Ontario's energy regulator has identified meter reading performance as an issue.

Enbridge is regulated by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB). In 2021, the OEB launched a review in response to an increase incustomer complaints related toissues such asmeter reading and estimated billing with large "catch-up" bills cited as one of the problems. The OEB found Enbridgewas not complyingwith certain customer service requirements.

In September 2022, the OEB said it had accepted an assurance of voluntary compliance from Enbridge, in which the company made a plan and committed to addressingthe issues. Enbridge was also required to pay a $250,000 penalty.

Raudsepp says she never thought much about her bill, and didn't realize Enbridge had been relying on estimates.

"I didn't really understand, to be honest, the process. I just paid my bills monthly the way I was supposed to," shesaid.

They should have maybe tried harder, put up some red flags. Ingrid Raudsepp

After receiving the eye-poppingbill in December, Raudsepp spoke with a supervisor at Enbridge, who offered her a $300 credit. Raudsepp saysthat offer was "unacceptable."

In January, she contacted the OEB, and the board sent her complaint to an ombudsman at Enbridge. In emails to Raudsepp this month, a member of the ombudsman's office apologized for relying on estimatesand offered a repayment plan over two years, but did not offer to reduce the total amount owedbeyond the $300 credit.

The staff member said the reason the company relied on estimates was that itcouldn't gain access to the meter, due to a locked gate at Raudsepp's house.

Raudsepp saysher family added thegate in 2018when they puta pool in their backyard. She saysshe doesn't recall Enbridge ever notifying her about the problem.

"There should have been a warning," she said.

Bill 'unfair,' say advocates

Enbridge is allowed to rely on estimates in certain instances but it's unreasonable that the company would wait so long to correct the bills, says John Lawford, the executive director and general counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which advocates for consumers who pay for regulated services, including energy.

"Getting a bill shock at the end, I believe, is unfair, especially if you've led people along to believe that the estimate is accurate," Lawford said.

Other than complaining to the OEB and trying to reason with Enbridge, Lawford sayscustomers like Raudsepp could try going to small claims court.

The issue of large "catch-up" bills isalso on the radar of anadvocacy group called the Low Income Energy Network (LIEN), says AbhilashKantamneni, a member of LIEN's steering committee.

Kantamneni sayspeople have a tendency to trust their bills, but should pay close attention to make sure the figures are accurate and based on actual meter readings. He also encourages people to look out for vulnerable family and community members who might not notice discrepancies.

"But that alone is not going to fix this because clearly this is a systematic problem," he said.

Kantamneni, who's also a research associate witha group called Efficiency Canada, which advocates for an energy efficienteconomy, saysit's unclear just how widespread the issue truly is. But he says he'sparticularly concerned about how unexpected large bills canaffect low income people, and saysthe onus for ensuring bills are accurateeach monthshould be on the company.

Staffing challenges partly to blame, Enbridge says

Enbridgetold CBC Newsno one was available for an interview. But in an email, media relations manager Andrea Stasssaysthe company "strives to read a customer's meter every other month"butthat has been a challenge for the last several years for various reasons, including staffing challenges.

Stass saysthe Enbridgeis taking steps to reduce how often itrelies on meter estimates.She also saysin cases where the company can't get access toa meter, it will notify the customer by email and, if possible, by leaving a notice at their door somethingRaudseppsaysshe doesn't recall Enbridgeever doingin her family's case.

She says she's under extreme stress as she tries to figure out what to do about her bill butshe's notdone fighting.

"I'm home, my partner is retired. There really is no excuse that they were unable to read the meter," Raudseppsaid.

"They should have maybe tried harder, put up some red flags."