A Denton, Texas, resident got an alarming surprise after opening their Atmos gas bill showing a balance of more than $20,000.
The resident shut off autopay before the utility could try to pull the enormous amount out of their bank account.
Here's what to know
The Texan took to Reddit's r/Denton community to get advice on how to deal with the situation.
In the Reddit thread, the original poster, who said they live in a residential building, wrote that their bill showed usage "over 60 times higher than it's ever been when the temp was at freezing" and a charge of "over 20,000 dollars."
"I can't contact Atmos until Monday, but has anyone else dealt with something this extremely nuts before?" they added.
Most of the responses treated it as a paperwork issue or bad meter reading rather than plausible household gas use.
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The top comment read: "Billing error. Even they'll get it. Call them when they open."
Another person pointed to their own experience and blamed the meter reading, writing: "Meter read error. I got charged $800 earlier this year."
One reply focused on safety instead of billing, warning that a real spike could mean a leak. That commenter told the resident to call the emergency line and make sure that their carbon monoxide detectors were working.
The original poster confirmed that the detectors were working and added that gas use that high likely would have been obvious if a leak were actually happening.
Where can I learn more?
Fast charges, billing fights, and energy costs can spiral quickly if appropriate measures aren't taken.
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