Shocker! Utility says six-figure bill was a mistake

The utility says the bill sent to Dominant Systems was a mistake, and it's rescinding a shut-off notice accompanying a separate bill for $36,275.

Company president Terry Weadock tells The Ann Arbor News that the problem started when numerous power outages prompted him to move 40 computer systems out of Dominant Systems' Ann Arbor facility last year.

Weadock tells Detroit's WDIV-TV that electricity use dropped by two-thirds — and alerted DTE's fraud department, which said it believed the meter was faulty and it was back-billing him $7,193.

He was disputing that charge when the $136,524 bill arrived, followed by the demand for $36,275 and the shutoff notice. DTE spokesman John Austerberry says the utility will review Weadock's claims.