More than $2K power bill? Duluth resident seeks relief answers amid skyrocketing bills

Spike in power bill concerns Duluth resident

One Gwinnett County man says he is in an uphill battle against Georgia Power and his apartment complex after receiving a nearly one-thousand-dollar bill. Several months in a row. He says he hasn't done anything different to cause this dramatic jump and he just wants to take care of his family.

DULUTH, Ga. -  A Gwinnett County man says he’s caught in the middle of a costly dispute between Georgia Power and his apartment complex, after receiving monthly electric bills nearing $1,000 — despite no changes in his household's power usage.

What they're saying:

Ricardo Dupervil, 23, lives in a two-bedroom apartment in Duluth with his girlfriend and two children. He says the steep bills have become overwhelming.

"The past three months the bills have been at least 900 dollars, which has been outrageous for us," Dupervil said.

Georgia Power told Dupervil the equipment on their end is functioning properly and suggested the issue may stem from inside the apartment.

"They told me everything is working on their end 100% accurately and they would get flagged or alerted... something in the unit is messed up and to go to the apartment complex to see how to fix it," Dupervil said.

But the apartment complex maintains that nothing is wrong on their end either.

The couple says they’ve been doing all they can to manage the expenses.

"Help me. Please just help me fix whatever is yours to fix," Dupervil pleaded.

His girlfriend, Amira Morales, said the situation has taken an emotional toll on their family.

"It made me feel heartbroken. We have two kids. He's working. I'm working. He's working two jobs and he's doing everything he can to keep the lights on — it's ridiculous," she said.

By the numbers:

Billing records reviewed by FOX 5 show two significant charges — $1,110.82 and $1,062.31 — between May and June 13. The total for that period topped $2,200.

They’ve since been placed on a daily payment plan by Georgia Power to keep service active, but Dupervil says he’s paying $25 a day — significantly more than others who are paying $7 to $8 daily.

"That's my main goal every day — to make sure they are taken care of and have the basic needs," he said.

Dupervil says other tenants in similar-sized apartments have bills closer to $150 to $200 per month, adding to his belief that something is wrong with his unit.

"I've talked to other neighbors and they say their bills haven't been over 150, 200 for the same size apartments. That tells me something in this unit is wrong."

"Take a little accountability. Have a heart and help us out," he added.

What's next:

The family has retained an attorney, Bataski Bailey, and is encouraging others with similarly high bills in the area to reach out to Full Court Law, LLC.

The other side:

Georgia Power released a statement regarding Dupervil's concerns:

"We are aware of this customer's issue and have previously confirmed that the meter is accurately recording usage. We remain in active discussions with the customer to try to address their concerns and we understand the customer is in touch with the apartment complex to consider potential causes."