‘Poked my inner Madea’: Business owner gets help from A9 after power bill increased by hundreds

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Crystal Hinson owns Mineral Springs Fertilizer in Union County.

She’s precise with her herbs and her bills.

She showed Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke how she usually pays Duke Energy about $400-$500 each month, but that changed last August.

“I got a power bill that was exorbitant,” she said. “This one was like $727 and some change.”

Hinson says she didn’t do anything differently that would explain the increase.

She tried to resolve it on her own, all the way into this year. “With each phone call, it just poked my inner Madea,” she said.

So much so, that she refused to pay until Duke Energy threatened to cut her power off, she says. So, she paid the bill.

“I kept seeing your commercials on TV about no problem’s too small,” she told Stoogenke. “Once I knew you all were going to step in, I felt like I had a better chance.”

Action 9 emailed Duke Energy. The company said it had swapped out Hinson’s meter around that time last year because it was “failing to communicate” with Duke’s system. It said the swap didn’t impact the bill and that the usage and price were still accurate. That said, Duke decided to give her a $300 credit plus a $50 gift card for her trouble.

Here’s what you should know no matter who handles your power bills:

The first question is who runs the utility?

- If it’s a company: you can complain to the North Carolina Utilities Commission.

- For co-ops: complain to the Rural Electrification Authority.

- For government: complain to the utility and then the elected officials who oversee it.

If all else fails, you can talk to a lawyer, but suing may not be worth the time or money.

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Homeowners say Duke Energy left mess after trimming trees near power lines

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