Montague County residents see electric bills skyrocket
One resident had their bill increase by 403%.
MONTAGUE COUNTY, Texas (KAUZ) - These days, Montague resident Elde Contrares lives in darkness, not by chance but by choice.
Texas-New Mexico Power supplies Contrares’ electric meter. On average, he said his bill is around $170, sometimes peaking towards $250 during hotter months. This month, however, it was $846.03.
“I’ve been here for almost 20 years and never had anything so expensive as this bill. It was just overnight, and there was no explanation for it,” Contrares said.
Contrares said he was never given an explanation about the price hike from his billing company or Texas-New Mexico Power. It left his family scared to use any power source in his home. He and his wife now only watch TV at night while his daughter uses a small makeup mirror as her only light source.
And, Contrares said he’s not alone.
“Earlier this month, it was for $126, and I paid it; then, when I went to check my bill for the other house I’m working on, I noticed it was for $717,” Nocona resident Armando Vargas.
Texas-New Mexico Power also supplies Vargas’ meter, and the only explanation he received was that there had been some sort of problem with the meters and there wasn’t enough manpower to check all of them.
Without a solution in sight, the darkness at homes like the Contrares may soon become permanent.
“We’re making it check to check, and this threw a big old loop,” Contrares said.
Texas-New Mexico Power sent our newsroom the following statement:
It’s difficult to give any specific comment without having examples to review.
It’s been unseasonably hot. In some cases, it could be caused by the rates the reps are charging now are twice as high than they were last year due to natural gas prices and market redesign.
If a customer has a billing issue or question, we ask they contact their Retail Provider from whom they receive their bill. The Retail Provider can submit an inquiry to TNMP to review the reads and/or consumption in question.
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