This is a new one for me. Tucson Electric Power somehow generated three separate bills for my client covering March 15-April 14. Each bill shows different usage amounts and they want payment on all three! Total exposure is $18,500. Their billing system apparently had a glitch during a system upgrade. Anyone dealt with TEP billing errors before? Their customer service is clueless.
TEP proration nightmare - 3 overlapping bills for same period
Linda, that's insane even by utility standards. CPS Energy had a similar system meltdown here in San Antonio back in 2013. The key is to get everything in writing and demand they freeze the account until it's resolved. Don't let them threaten disconnection while their own system is screwed up. Document which bill reflects the actual meter readings.
TEP has been a mess since their system upgrade. We've had multiple clients with billing anomalies. File a complaint with the Arizona Corporation Commission immediately. Reference ACC Decision No. 74291 - utilities are liable for billing system errors that create customer confusion or financial harm. This is their problem to fix, not yours.
Thanks Kim. Just spoke with a TEP supervisor who admitted the system generated "duplicate billing records" during the upgrade. But now they're saying only one bill is "valid" and refusing to specify which one. The amounts vary by over $3,000! This is ridiculous. Filing the ACC complaint today.
Linda, whatever you do, don't pay any of the disputed amounts until TEP provides written clarification. Entergy pulled something similar here in New Orleans and we made the mistake of paying the "middle" amount. Took 8 months to get the overpayment back. Make them prove which charges are legitimate first.
Good advice Juan. TEP finally sent a supervisor to read the actual meters yesterday. Turns out the correct bill should be $4,850, not the $6,200-$8,100 range they were demanding. Still waiting for them to void the erroneous bills and issue a corrected statement. This whole mess has taken 3 weeks to sort out.
Three weeks is actually pretty fast for a TEP billing correction! Glad they're finally getting it sorted. Make sure to get documentation that the other bills are officially voided. Some utilities have a bad habit of "forgetting" to clear erroneous charges from their system.
Final update: Got the corrected bill today along with a letter stating the other two bills are "null and void." Also received a $150 credit for the inconvenience after mentioning the ACC complaint. Sometimes persistence pays off. Thanks for all the advice everyone!
Great outcome Linda! TEP could learn from this. PSE&G here in Newark had similar system issues last year but they proactively contacted affected customers. Utilities need to take responsibility for their billing system failures instead of making customers fight for corrections.