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

Ingrid Raudsepp says she couldn't believe her eyes when she received a series of new bills from Enbridge Gas Inc. in December that informed her she owed a whopping $7,430.06 for the previous 12 months.

Raudsepp, who lives in Mississauga west 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," Raudsepp told CBC Toronto. 

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

Raudsepp, who is unemployed, says she'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. 

Enbridge is supposed to read meters at least once every two months but 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 in customer complaints related to issues such as meter reading and estimated billing — with large "catch-up" bills cited as one of the problems. The OEB found Enbridge was not complying with 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 addressing the 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," she said. 

After receiving the eye-popping bill in December, Raudsepp spoke with a supervisor at Enbridge, who offered her a $300 credit. Raudsepp says that 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 estimates and offered a repayment plan over two years, but did not offer to reduce the total amount owed beyond the $300 credit. 

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

Raudsepp says her family added the gate in 2018 when they put a pool in their backyard. She says she doesn't recall Enbridge ever notifying her about the problem.