A couple of months ago I noticed that my bill from the local power company, Duke Energy was a bit lower than I expected. Not a lot but somewhat. However, we’d just installed a bunch of energy-saving light bulbs and I thought that might account for the lower bill. Also we’d been out of town for part of the month.

The next month I got a bill that was much lower than usual, like about one quarter of what I expected. I knew something was wrong.

Sometimes I think I’m too honest for my own good. Others have suggested that if Duke Energy was making a mistake I should just enjoy the ride and see how long it would go on. Did I? No. I called the company.

I told them I was probably the only person in the world to complain that their bill was too low, but I suspected that my meter had a problem. They promised to send someone out, and the service technician showed up a few days later and replaced the meter.

My reward for that honesty?  A few weeks later I got a bit that was about three times normal.

Thanks, Duke Energy. You know how to reward customers who try to be honest with you.