Wanda English Burnett, Editor

When an Osgood family had their electricity turned off last Thursday, December 11, they weren’t very happy. “I couldn’t believe it. I knew the bill wasn’t due until December 26,” Holly Meador told the Osgood Journal, when recalling the event.

Holly said someone representing Duke Energy, complete with a shirt and white truck with the Duke Energy logo, came to their Osgood home and told her husband he needed to pay $200 or their electricity would be disconnected. Her husband, James, didn’t think that was right and called her where she works at the Ripley County Auditor’s office in Versailles. “The man even gave us a pink slip, that looked like it was from the electric company,” Holly noted.

She immediately called Duke Energy to get to the bottom of the matter. Holly was told that their power still showed being on and confirmed their bill was not delinquent.

Holly not only called Duke Energy, but called the local Osgood police about the matter as well. “She did all the right things,” noted a spokesperson for the electric company.

However, a mystery still remains. The electric was shut off by this person, but when another representative of Duke Energy arrived at the Meador’s home at 2:45 p.m. the electric was back on. Lew Middleton, a spokesperson for Duke Energy said he believed the electricity had never been shut off. He doesn’t understand how it happened, but warns customers about scam artists.

“Our employees have a photo ID badge with a number on it,” he noted. If someone comes to your door, if you have any doubts at all, tell them to wait while you call the 800 number to verify they should be at your home.” That number is 1-800-521-2232. He went on to say it is very, very, rare, almost unheard of for an employee of Duke to collect money and more uncommon for them to ever enter your home. “Those things should raise a red flag,” he told the Osgood Journal last week.

Osgood Town Marshal John Hegge began investigating the matter immediately. He told the Osgood Journal that the Meador’s electric had been shut off, and he believed it was a Duke Energy employee that did it. He said there could have been a mix up with an address, but the electric was shut off about 20 minutes when the same employee came back to the Meador home and turned it back on.

While Hegge doesn’t believe this particular incident was a scam, but more of a mix-up, he says they do exist. He cautioned people about opening their doors to people posing as utility workers. He further said the Meadors did the right things by calling the electric company and the police.

Middleton noted that anyone having trouble paying an electric bill with Duke Energy, which was not the case here, should contact the 800 number before the bill is due. “We have all sorts of payment options...we want to work with folks,” he noted. He said once a disconnect issue is ordered, it’s a long process to get turned around. “It’s much easier if people will just call us ahead of time, we understand,” he concluded.

Holly was glad the power was back on before she returned home from work and said it really made her mad that someone would do something like this. She wanted to be sure that others knew what to do in case it happens again.