Behkam Shargh prides himself on paying every bill on time and to the penny.
But what happens when a company suddenly wants you to pay more — a lot more — because it realizes some of the invoices it sent you (and you dutifully paid) were wrong? And then, waited six months to tell you?
When the laid-off factory worker opened his latest Enbridge gas bill, his eyes bulged at the amount in the “What do I owe?” graphic.
According to the invoice, dated May 31, 2026, Shargh owed $541.12 (“taxes included”) and he had just 22 days to pay up.
Shargh’s statement indicated the billing period spanned six months, from Nov. 25, 2025 to May 25, 2026.
When Shargh called Enbridge to find out what happened, he says instead of an explanation, the company offered him a payment plan.
“If utility companies are unable to obtain actual meter readings on time,” asked Shargh, “why should consumers face unexpected bills months later? Who is responsible for the consequences of these delays?”
The problem: ‘They didn’t read the meter’
With every case I take on, my goal is rarely to help just one consumer with a single bill.
I look for cases that expose a broken system that affects a mass of people, many too tired or busy to fight back.
Shargh’s experience with Enbridge was just that.
When he called the company to find out what happened, he was told, “they didn’t read the meter and said my usage is above the amount they thought it was and I’d have to pay the rest. They said I could repay it over a couple of months. A manager told me to take it or leave it.”
Enbridge Gas is the largest natural gas distribution, transmission and storage company in Ontario, serving about four million consumers.
In 2021, the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), which regulates electricity and natural gas companies, launched an investigation into Enbridge after fielding numerous complaints about its billing practices and call-centre wait times.
Provincial regulation prohibits gas companies from leaving more than 0.5 per cent of active meters unread for four or more consecutive months “as it is cost prohibitive to get actual meter reads each month,” the OEB rule states. Despite this generous regulation leeway, OEB records show Enbridge Gas drifted further and further away from meeting this target.
In 2022, the utility’s missed-reading metrics hit five per cent — 10 times the allowed limit — meaning roughly 190,000 households it serves had no sense of the true cost of their gas bills, which were based on Enbridge’s best guesses instead of real data.
Enbridge took its public lumps at the time, signing a ”voluntary compliance agreement” with the Ontario Energy Board, agreeing to pay a $250,000 fine — and to do better.
“The OEB has established service quality requirements for gas distributors to ensure all consumers are provided with a consistent minimum level of service,” Brian Hewson, the OEB’s vice-president of consumer protection and industry performance, said at the time. “Enbridge is expected to meet these service levels and is held accountable when it does not.”
Missing meter reads forced families into massive, unexpected “catch-up” bills that ranged from several hundred or thousands of dollars more than they expected, Enbridge’s OEB agreement acknowledges. In some cases, the company drained consumers’ pre-authorized bank accounts without warning.
So, if Enbridge promised the regulator it would do better, why was Shargh suddenly facing a surprise bill dating back to November of last year?
The Star steps in: Real readings ‘triggered validation’
Enbridge told me Shargh’s meter was read bimonthly over the period in question except for January because of bad weather.
“Following estimated bills in January and February,” Enbridge spokesperson Chloe Mills wrote in an email to the Star, “an actual meter reading was obtained in March 2026. That reading showed significantly higher usage than expected, which triggered a standard validation step. As a result, an estimated bill was issued at that time while we arranged a follow‑up reading to confirm accuracy.”
Enbridge’s followup reading didn’t occur until May.
“At that point, the account was fully reconciled, and a catch-up bill was issued reflecting actual usage from November through May.”
In other words, the meter was read, but Enbridge didn’t share that information with Shargh, leaving him in the dark as to his actual costs.
“To keep bills consistent, we encourage our customers to submit their meter readings through our online portal,” Mills’ email added. This is easier said than done for Shargh, who has been renting the home.
Between November and March, Shargh owed an extra $301.89 on top of what he had already paid. The bill showed Enbridge’s usage estimates for those months were way off.
The April-May bill totalled $112. While Mills said the meter was read for this period, the invoice itself doesn’t indicate whether the charge is based on actual usage or an estimate.
Consumers can thank the Ontario Energy Board for a glaring oversight in its regulations for natural gas companies.
In contrast, if an electric utility in Ontario leaves your meter unread for six months and hits you with a massive “catch-up” bill, the OEB’s Retail Settlement Code protects consumers. Section 7.7 of the OEB code holds electric companies strictly to account, with the utility barred from demanding immediate payment or charging late fees.
They must also offer consumers an interest-free instalment plan that spans a time frame equal to the duration of their mistake.
But natural gas companies are exempt from these rules, and are instead required to create and publish online a “Customer Service Policy.”
This regulatory loophole allows Enbridge to establish vague accountability steps for when they mess up, stating only that they will “work with you” on a solution.
Vulnerable gas consumers are forced to pick up the phone and actively haggle for repayment windows that electricity customers receive by default as a legal right.
The OEB did not provide responses to the Star’s numerous requests for comment.
The resolution: Filing an official complaint
Enbridge reiterated to me its offer to Shargh.
“This is not a situation where our customer is disputing their gas charges or suggesting that they did not consume the volumes for which they were billed,” Mills wrote. “Instead, it appears they were caught off guard with a higher-than-expected invoice, and we are fully prepared to discuss payment arrangements to alleviate any concerns.”
Enbridge provided no explanation for why the actual usage charges Shargh accrued in November, December, January and February were not communicated to him until May 31. Or why it took two months to “validate” the high March reading.
Shargh hates the idea of having a looming debt to Enbridge so he’s nixed the payment plan offer.
Family members will loan him the money to square the entire $541.12 on his catch-up bill before the June 22 due date.
But he refuses to let the monopoly off the hook. He plans to file an official complaint against Enbridge Gas with the Ontario Energy Board.
“People need to know what’s going on with Enbridge,” Shargh said. “Otherwise, they’ll keep doing this.”
Shargh’s decision highlights a painful reality for Ontario energy consumers: fighting a utility monopoly requires time, financial liquidity and an understanding of regulatory codes.
If you find yourself facing an unexpected catch-up bill driven by consecutive usage estimates, do not wait for the utility to offer charity.
Immediately demand a formal Arrears Payment Agreement under Section 9.5 of the Gas Distribution Access Rule, freeze any pre-authorized debit plans to protect your bank account, and log a dispute through the OEB’s Consumer Protection Portal.
Shifting the burden back onto the regulator is the only way to force these monopolies to stop crowdsourcing their administrative failures to the public.
