California family claims PG&E forced them to move into a trailer after baffling accusations

A California family has claimed they were forced to live in a trailer for nearly a week after PG&E shut off their electricity over Fourth of July and accused them of energy fraud.

Jessica Sicairos, from Fresno, said she went six days without power during a triple-digit temperatures after their service was disconnected, leaving them scrambling to find a place to stay, FOX 26 reported.

She was first told her service had been shut off because of unpaid bills. The utility later accused them of tampering with their electric meter and committing energy fraud.

But the family said they eventually discovered they had been paying for electricity used by the neighboring home and believe the problem was caused by the wrong meter being installed.

“I was falsely accused of meter tampering and meter fraud and I knew that I was not responsible for it,” homeowner Jessica said.

She said she had discovered something was wrong while she was out shopping on July 4.

“I was at the grocery store and I got to call that utilities were disconnected. On my way back home, I called them and they told me they were unable to tell me why my utilities were disconnected,” she said.

“We’ve been suffering trying to make the best of the situation. It’s very hot,” she added.

After the media outlet contacted PG&E about the family’s situation, a representative told them crews would restore power while the investigation continued.

“They are coming today,” the representative said during a phone call with the Sicairos. “I do not want you to be without power while I continue the Investigation.”

Although electricity was eventually restored, Jessica said she remains upset over what she described as repeated accusations from company employees.

“Me being falsely accused by multiple people at PG&E for energy theft and Meter tampering and meter crossing meter fraud all the terms used by your representatives in your department,” she said.

“You guys flip the story and try to make it about me and me getting behind on my bill.”

PG&E apologized, telling her: “I can only apologize for that. I can’t change what’s happened, but I can fix it.” Once the power returned, the family said they finally got relief from the extreme heat.

They also said they believe multiple opportunities were missed to catch the apparent meter mix-up before their service was disconnected.

The family said they hope their experience encourages other customers to regularly check their utility bills and electric meters and to question unexpected charges or accusations.

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