Help Me Hank: Double Trouble

Switch on a light -- see it on your electric bill. Turn on the faucet -- shows up on your water bill. Heat up the stove -- that’s on your gas bill.

Todd Minot knows what you use is what you pay for. But when Todd opened his phone bill a few months ago he thought he was seeing double.

Todd Minot
"I looked at it, I looked at it twice and then I said to my wife, this isn't right."

Talk about double vision, he was getting not one, but two phone bills for local service.

Todd Minot
"I saw two dates on the phone bills and I looked closer and I matched them up."

And then Todd did a double take.

Todd Minot
"These are the exact same phone calls, exact same time, exact same everything."

Todd knew he had cancelled his service with ‘Company Number 1’ and signed up with ‘Company Number 2’, but the bills showed company number 1 was still charging him.

Todd Minot
"I was just dumbfounded, you know, I was shocked."

Todd called to end this numbers game.

Todd Minot
"What's going on? I thought I canceled with you?"

But the Company insisted he was still on their books as a customer.

Todd Minot
"They didn't believe the whole story that I was getting double billed."

So tried his new company, but no one would help.

Todd Minot
"I was really angry, I was really upset about it."

Todd saw only one option.

Todd Minot
"That's when I called Help Me Hank."

Check out Todd's bill. We put a call from Company 1 in yellow and the same call from Company 2 in blue! As we marked up both bills we found dozens of exactly duplicate charges.

So who went wrong and why?

Turns out that when you sign up for new phone service, the new company should electronically message the old company and that cancels your service.

But in Todd's case, the company admitted, the change order never went through.

The company promised to try again, and now, no more double trouble. It's just good news for Todd.

Todd Minot
"They're sorry about all this confusion, it's straightened out."

And on his new bill Todd doesn't have to think twice.

Todd Minot
"I'm glad. I can go on."

You shouldn't be seeing double on your bills, but if you're switching phone companies, give your transitional bills a second look just in case.

See something wrong with your phone bill? Contact the Department of Telecommunications and Energy.