even before he had first turned on the lights at his new bethesda salon, his pepco meter was already racing out of control. >> i was shocked. >> reporter: just take a look at that pepco bill. >> the initial bill was 73 plus $4,200 totalling the $11,585. after i had protested about this number, i got another bill, as you can see, that then totaled $19,000. >> reporter: he says finally pepco agreed to launch an investigation. so he just went back to business. so how do you feel about the overall length of your hair. and waited. and waited for the result. >> the results of the investigation were an insult. i got a one sentence letter stating that upon a review of your account, it has been determined the meter reading is correct and your bill is now due. my third bill was $25,000. >> reporter: when he got nowhere with pepco, he contacted a consumer protection agency, an agency familiar with our ongoing review of the utility. they suggested he contact us. to unravel the mystery of his meter, pepco required him to sign a release. >> they wanted permission for you to investigate. i said, oh