Just caught Ameren Missouri sneaking in a $3.50 monthly "service availability charge" on several of my commercial clients here in St. Louis. This isn't on their published tariff that I can find. The charge code shows as SAC-1 on the bill. Has anyone else encountered this? I'm wondering if this is some kind of franchise fee they're trying to disguise as a utility charge. My clients have been paying this for 8 months before I noticed it buried in the delivery charges section.
Ameren Missouri adding weird "service availability charge" - anyone else see this?
Pam, I haven't seen that specific charge from Ameren Missouri, but it sounds suspicious. In Pennsylvania, we've had similar issues with Duquesne Light adding unlisted charges. First thing I'd do is pull their filed tariff from the PSC website and do a line-by-line comparison. If it's not there, you've got them cold. Document everything and prepare for a fight - these utilities hate admitting mistakes but $3.50 x 8 months x multiple clients adds up fast.
We see similar games from Xcel Energy down here in Texas. They love to add charges that sound official but aren't in the tariff. The "service availability charge" name is classic utility doublespeak. I'd bet dollars to donuts this is either an unauthorized franchise fee pass-through or they're pre-billing for some future tariff filing. Either way, if it's not approved, they owe refunds. How many clients are affected?
Dean, I've got 12 clients affected so far, ranging from small offices to a 50,000 sq ft warehouse. The total exposure is around $4,200 if we go back to when it first appeared. Walt's right about pulling the tariff - I checked the Missouri PSC site and there's no SAC-1 charge listed anywhere in their electric delivery schedules. I'm drafting a formal complaint letter to Ameren tomorrow. This feels like they're testing the waters to see who notices.
Pam, definitely file that complaint. In Ohio, FirstEnergy tried something similar in 2011 with a "grid modernization surcharge" that wasn't properly approved. We got full refunds plus interest after pushing back. The key is documentation - screenshot every bill showing the charge and keep copies of the tariff pages showing it's not there. These utilities count on customers not paying attention to the fine print.
This is exactly why we need to stay vigilant. Rocky Mountain Power here in Utah pulled similar stunts with "reliability charges" that were really just rate increases in disguise. The franchise fee angle is interesting though - municipalities sometimes pressure utilities to collect fees that aren't properly disclosed. Pam, you might want to check with St. Louis city offices to see if they're getting a cut of that SAC-1 charge.
Update on this - I've been tracking similar issues here in Missouri and found three other auditors dealing with the same SAC-1 charge. Ameren's customer service claims it's for "system reliability improvements" but can't point to any tariff authorization. We're coordinating a joint complaint to the PSC. Pam, if you want to join forces, send me a private message. Strength in numbers on these cases.
Elmer, absolutely interested in coordinating. I'll send you a PM with my contact info. For everyone else following this thread - we'll update here once we get a response from the PSC. This could be a bigger issue than just Missouri if other utilities are watching how this plays out. Thanks everyone for the advice and support!