EXCLUSIVE: NYC tenant spent decade unknowingly paying neighbor's electricity bill
Exclusive: NYC tenant spent 10 years unknowingly paying neighbor's electric bill
A Queens woman says she knew there was a problem with her Con Edison bill for a decade, but it took years to prove she'd been paying for her neighbor's electricity all along. Nicole Nicoforo said she spent years washing dishes by hand and barely using her air conditioner, all while her electric bill kept rising. FOX 5 NY's Kelly Kennedy reports.
QUEENS - A tenant in Queens spent 10 years paying her neighbor's electricity bill without ever knowing.
Queens resident spent years trying to lower bill
Local perspective:
In an exclusive interview, FOX 5 NY's Kelly Kennedy spoke with Nicole Niceforo, a Queens resident who spent a decade paying for her neighbor's electricity bill.
"For ten years, I was afraid to use my air conditioning," Niceforo told Kennedy, referring to her consistently high bill.
In reality, her electricity bill had been switched with the bill belonging to the apartment directly above her.
Once she realized what had occurred, Niceforo was "outraged, but also relieved that this was brought to light."
The backstory:
Emails from 10 years ago, in September 2016, show that Niceforo asked Con Edison to send a technician to inspect her meter – instead, Con Ed directed her to building management.
"I just felt like I had no recourse."
But after pushing for another test over nine years later, building management finally uncovered the problem. "I spent a lot of time and energy repeatedly calling them… It's frustration beyond belief."
Con Edison admitted the billing error in writing, and has since issued Niceforo over six thousand dollars in refund checks – however, that only accounts for the past six years, leaving nearly four years of potential overcharges and interest unaccounted for.
Niceforo turned to the State Department of Public Service, but the agency declined to require additional reimbursement, citing Con Edison's claim of a six-year statute of limitations. The department also noted that it has no record of Niceforo filing a formal complaint with them in 2016.
What they're saying:
Con Edison provided this statement to FOX 5 NY:
"Con Edison values its customers and works with them if they believe their energy use is not correctly reflected on their bill."
The utility reaffirmed that billing adjustments are limited to six years.
The Source: This article includes reporting by FOX 5 NY's Kelly Kennedy and a statement provided by Con Edison.