I've got a manufacturing client in Knoxville getting power through KUB from TVA and something weird happened with their January billing. They got charged for Jan 3-31 and then another bill for Jan 28-Feb 15. That's a 4-day overlap where they're paying for the same power twice. TVA rate schedule says billing periods shouldn't overlap but here we are. Anyone dealt with this before? The overlapping charges total about $3,800 in demand and energy costs.
TVA billed my client for overlapping periods - how do I even approach this?
Gary, that sounds like a meter reading screwup on TVA's end. Arizona Public Service did something similar to one of my Tucson clients last year - turned out they had estimated readings that overlapped with actual readings when they finally got out to read the meter. The key is to get copies of both bills and the actual meter reading logs. TVA should reverse the duplicate charges once you can prove the overlap.
I've seen this with Pacific Power here in Eugene. Usually happens when they switch from estimated to actual readings or there's a meter change. The trick is proving which readings are legitimate. Get the meter serial numbers and reading dates from both bills. If they're from the same meter on overlapping dates, you've got them dead to rights. File a formal complaint with the Tennessee Regulatory Authority if TVA gives you pushback.
Omar and Clyde, thanks for the advice. I pulled the bills and you're exactly right - same meter, overlapping actual readings. It looks like they had a missed reading in December that threw off their whole schedule. I've got the documentation ready and will start with TVA customer service before escalating. This should be a straightforward reversal.
Gary, document everything and save copies of your communications. EPB here in Chattanooga did this to a client a few years back and they tried to claim it was legitimate even with the obvious overlap. Took three months to get resolved. The good news is once you prove it, they usually have to pay interest on the overcharge too.
Update for everyone - TVA acknowledged the error and reversed $3,847 in duplicate charges plus 18% annual interest. Lorraine was right about the interest. Total refund was $4,124. Thanks for the guidance on documentation, it made all the difference when I called their commercial billing department.