Client in Tulsa bought a manufacturing plant two years ago. The utility account with PSO transferred to the new owner at closing but I need billing history from before the sale to establish whether the rate class error predates the ownership change. PSO says they can only release data to the current account holder for the period they've been the account holder. The previous two years belong to the prior owner. Am I stuck?
Getting historical data when the account changed ownership
Had the same issue with a property purchase here in Tulsa actually. PSO is technically right — they can't release the prior owner's billing records to the current owner without the prior owner's consent. Two options: ask the seller for their old utility records as part of a post-closing request (some purchase agreements have cooperation clauses), or check if the client's closing documents include utility proration statements that show historical billing amounts. Those proration docs sometimes have 12 months of billing detail.
Another option — if the rate class error is ongoing, you don't necessarily need the historical data from before the sale. Just document the current error and file for corrections going forward plus whatever lookback period the current owner qualifies for. In Oklahoma I think the overbilling refund period is 3 years. If the new owner has been there 2 years, that gives you at least 2 years of recovery without needing the old data at all.
Ken makes a practical point. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If you can document and recover 2 years of overcharges for the current owner, that's still a significant win. The historical data from the prior owner would be nice to have but it's not essential. Focus on what you can prove and recover with the data you can actually obtain.