Filed a refund claim for a client in March 2023. Utility acknowledged the error in May 2023. Then stalled for 36 months with "processing review." Finally landed this week — $94K refund plus statutory interest of $11,200. Persistence pays. Don't let them run out the clock on you.
Three years chasing a refund — finally paid last week
Three years is wild. What was the escalation path that finally moved it? PUC complaint, legal threat, something else?
Noting the statutory interest — a lot of auditors forget to demand it. In most jurisdictions the utility owes interest from the date of overpayment, not the date of the refund. Adds 10-15% to most recoveries and they never volunteer it.