Imagine getting a home energy bill in the thousands of dollars only to find out the utility company is making you pay for a mistake it made years ago!
It’s called backbilling and now there’s a movement in the legislature to stop it.
Margaret Williams has paid her electricity bill faithfully for years. So why was she hit with a $1,200 bill?
“I hope they can’t get away with this. It’s their responsibility, their error, not mine,” exclaimed Williams.
Margaret’s meter had been broken for two years. Even though it wasn’t her fault, she still must pay. It’s called backbilling. Utilities can go back six years to bill customers for their mistake. While consumers can only seek a refund for three.
A new bill in Olympia is trying to change that.
House Bill 2261 will shorten the time all utilities can backbill to six months. In a bill hearing, public utility representatives said that means all consumers will pay more.
“If you relieve one customer you put the burden on the other customers who may be equally low income,” said Dave Warren with the Washington PUD Association.
But lawmakers aren’t buying the defense.
“I find the defense of this disingenuous because it doesn’t seem to me like you are trying to bring a solution you are up here saying you just don’t like this idea. So it’s a little bit frustrating,” said Representative Richard Debolt.
State Rep. Matt Shea from Spokane sponsored the bill and said both public and private utilities will be covered under the proposed law.
“So I think there’s going to be an adjustment we need to make on this from six to three or hopefully down to one because with all of the technology, this shouldn’t happen,” said Shea.
In some cases we’ve heard where a public utility has asked for immediate payment of a back bill. PSE is a private utility. It is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. The commission is investigating a rule change to curb back billing to six months for private companies.
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