“It makes me sick…right now, I’m paying $650. I can’t imagine the summer time how much I’ll pay,” said nail salon owner, Jennifer Daffrin.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — High SDG&E bills continue to frustrate people across San Diego county, including small business owners.
“Is it stressful for you?” asked CBS 8 reporter, Shannon Handy.Â
“Oh my God yeah,” said Jennifer Daffrin, owner of Prestige Nails in Escondido.
Daffrin endured three separate closures, lost thousands of dollars in revenue, and is now past due on months’ worth of rent.
“Well, you get really nervous because you put all the money and investment into it and trying to pay out and still pay every penny you owe to the landlord. They don’t give any discount. They don’t help out, so I just try to hang on to it as much as I can,” said Daffrin.
CBS 8 has interviewed Daffrin before about the struggles she faced in 2020 and 2021.
Today, she’s facing a new challenge, after seeing her latest SDG&E bill, which is hundreds over what she’s used to spending.
“Normally, this time of year we don’t have air conditioner. Most of the time we pay like the first three months of the year around $200-$300 a month and I just got my bill and it was $700,” said Daffrin, $618.22 to be exact.
Daffrin says between that, the rising cost of supplies, and losses related to the pandemic, she isn’t making any money, and fears it may be a while until she does.
“You can only increase the price of the service about a dollar or two to make customers still come back to you. But, all the bills you have to pay basically just keep up with the bills, but not making any money right now. I’m hoping I make money soon but not for the next year I think,” said Daffrin.
Still, she’s trying to stay positive, saying if she made it through these past two years, she’ll press through this as well.
“It makes me sick, but I’m not giving up. I already went through the hardest time.”
An SDG&E spokesperson says anyone, including business owners, can get on a payment plan.
They can also look at opting in to different usage plans which may lower their monthly bills.
WATCH RELATED: How to dispute an SDG&E bill (February 2022)
