After WWL-TV's stories aired about an Entergy Louisiana's billing issue, the company realized they had a more widespread problem than they originally thought.
An employee was falsifying meter readers, resulting in customers paying incorrect bills for months. Speaking exclusively with WWL-TV, Vice President of Distribution Melonie Stewart explained how our reporting made Entergy Louisiana realize around 4,000 customers were impacted, receiving bills all summer that were far less than they owed.
"The employee is a contractor for Entergy and he was terminated," Stewart said.
The billing issue was brought to our attention Monday by neighbors in Kenner who suddenly got bills far higher than they believed they owed. Unfortunately, the bills customers recently received for $800 or $1,000 are correct, because they have been underpaying for so long.
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"The bills that have been issued are accurate bills, however they are catch up bills because of the meter readers being falsified, the actual usage was not billed until this last bill, so it is a catch up bill and that's why it appears high to so many customers," Stewart explained.
The bills have been devastating to customers.
"I can't afford $1,500 hundred to $2,000 a month in electricity," Thomas Gray told WWL-TV Tuesday.
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Entergy says customers will be allowed to pay off what is owed for months to come.
"What's really important to note is that they will not be disconnected, they will not face any late fees and we're gonna work with them on a payment plan that's right for them," Stewart said.
After days of confusion and stress, Entergy Louisiana customers finally have an answer to their questions.
Lauren Bale can be reached at lbale@wwltv.com.