Tony V from Newark, NJ. Submitted my standard LOA to PSE&G for a commercial client. They rejected it and said they only accept their own Third Party Authorization Form. The form is 3 pages long, requires the client to visit a PSE&G office in person to present ID, and takes 10-15 business days to process. My client is a busy restaurant owner who does not have time to visit a utility office during business hours. Is there a way around this?
PSE&G rejected my LOA and wants me to use their proprietary form
Tony, some utilities insist on their own forms and there is usually no way around it. PSE&G is one of the more bureaucratic ones. However, check whether they accept a notarized version of their form submitted by mail instead of the in-person visit. Many utilities that require in-person ID verification will accept a notarized alternative. Also check if they accept the form via their online portal — PSE&G launched a commercial account portal a couple years ago that might have a digital authorization process.
Tony, I deal with PSE&G constantly in the Eversource overlap territory. They DO accept their form by mail if it is notarized. The form says in-person preferred but there is a mailing address on page 3 for notarized submissions. Processing time is the same 10-15 days either way. I keep blank PSE&G forms in my client packets so the restaurant owner can sign it at our meeting, I get it notarized at the UPS store across the street, and drop it in the mail the same day.
Vince, you just saved me and my client a huge headache. I completely missed the mailing address on page 3. Getting the form notarized and mailed today.
This is why I maintain a folder of utility-specific LOA forms for every utility in my territory. Duke Energy has their own form. So does Dominion, AEP, and National Grid. The first time you encounter each utility, get their specific form and template it. After that it is just fill-in-the-blanks.
Mike, that is a good practice. I am going to build a utility form library for the NJ and NY utilities I work with. PSE&G, JCP&L, Con Edison, PSEG Long Island, National Grid NY — each one probably has their own form.
Here is a time-saving tip for everyone: call the utility commercial billing department BEFORE you send any LOA and ask what form they require, what submission method they prefer, and what the typical processing time is. A 5-minute call saves weeks of back-and-forth when they reject your standard form.