Hydro-Québec told CBC News that Aubertin was told to hire an electrician himself because, most of the time, the problem is with the client's own electrical sockets – and not the meter.
"When an installer goes to a location to replace a meter, he must carry out several verifications to make sure he's at the right meter," Hydro spokesman Patrice Lavoie said. "In [this] case, the verification was not automated — it was done with a pen and paper.
"Unfortunately, there was a switch between the meters of the client and the meter of his neighbour."