Header:
TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
TITLE 16. ECONOMIC REGULATION
PART 2. PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS
CHAPTER 25. SUBSTANTIVE RULES APPLICABLE TO ELECTRIC SERVICE PROVIDERS
SUBCHAPTER R. CUSTOMER PROTECTION RULES FOR RETAIL ELECTRIC SERVICE
Date:
03/17/2014
Document:
§ 25.480. Bill Payment and Adjustments
(a) Application. This section applies to a retail electric provider (REP) that is responsible for issuing electric service bills to retail customers, unless the REP is issuing a consolidated bill (both energy services and transmission and distri-bution services) on behalf of an electric cooperative or municipally owned utility. In addition, this section applies to a transmission and distribution utility (TDU) where specifically stated. This section does not apply to a municipally owned utility or electric cooperative issuing bills to its customers in its own service territory.
(b) Bill due date. A REP shall state a payment due date on the bill which shall not be less than 16 days after issu-ance. A bill is considered to be issued on the issuance date stated on the bill or the postmark date on the envelope, whichever is later. A payment for electric service is delinquent if not received by the REP or at the REP's authorized payment agency by the close of business on the due date. If the 16th day falls on a holiday or weekend, then the due date shall be the next business day after the 16th day.
(c) Penalty on delinquent bills for electric service. A REP may charge a one-time penalty not to exceed 5.0% on a delinquent bill for electric service. No such penalty shall apply to residential or small commercial customers served by the provider of last resort (POLR), or to customers receiving a low-income discount pursuant to the Public Utility Reg-ulatory Act (PURA) § 39.903(h). The one-time penalty, not to exceed 5.0%, may not be applied to any balance to which the penalty has already been applied.
(d) Overbilling. If charges are found to be higher than authorized in the REP's terms and conditions for service or other applicable commission rules, then the customer's bill shall be corrected.
(1) The correction shall be made for the entire period of the overbilling.
(2) If the REP corrects the overbilling within three billing cycles of the error, it need not pay interest on the amount of the correction.
(3) If the REP does not correct the overcharge within three billing cycles of the error, it shall pay interest on the amount of the overcharge at the rate set by the commission.
(A) Interest on overcharges that are not adjusted by the REP within three billing cycles of the bill in error shall ac-crue from the date of payment by the customer.
(B) All interest shall be compounded monthly at the approved annual rate set by the commission.
(C) Interest shall not apply to leveling plans or estimated billings.
(4) If the REP rebills for a prior billing cycle, the adjustments shall be identified by account and billing date or ser-vice period.
(e) Underbilling by a REP. If charges are found to be lower than authorized by the REP's terms and conditions of service, or if the REP fails to bill the customer for service, then the customer's bill may be corrected.
(1) The customer shall not be responsible for corrected charges billed by the REP unless such charges are billed by the REP within 180 days from the date of issuance of the bill in which the underbilling occurred The REP may backbill a customer for the amount that was underbilled beyond the timelines provided in this paragraph if:
(A) the underbilling is found to be the result of meter tampering by the customer; or
(B) the TDU bills the REP for an underbilling as a result of meter error as provided in § 25.126 of this title (relating to Adjustments Due to Non-Compliant Meters and Meter Tampering in Areas Where Customer Choice Has Been In-troduced).
(2) The REP may disconnect service pursuant to § 25.483 of this title (relating to Disconnection of Service) if the customer fails to pay the additional charges within a reasonable time.
(3) If the underbilling is $ 50 or more, the REP shall offer the customer a deferred payment plan option for the same length of time as that of the underbilling. A deferred payment plan need not be offered to a customer when the underpayment is due to theft of service.
(4) The REP shall not charge interest on underbilled amounts unless such amounts are found to be the result of theft of service (meter tampering, bypass, or diversion) by the customer. Interest on underbilled amounts shall be compounded monthly at the annual rate, as set by the commission. Interest shall accrue from the day the customer is found to have first stolen the service.
(5) If the REP adjusts the bills for a prior billing cycle, the adjustments shall be identified by account and billing date or service period.
(f) Disputed bills. If there is a dispute between a customer and a REP about the REP's bill for any service billed on the retail electric bill, the REP shall promptly investigate and report the results to the customer. The REP shall inform the customer of the complaint procedures of the commission pursuant to § 25.485 of this title (relating to Customer Access and Complaint Handling).
(g) Alternate payment programs or payment assistance.
(1) Notice required. When a customer contacts a REP and indicates inability to pay a bill or a need for assistance with the bill payment, the REP shall inform the customer of all applicable payment options and payment assistance programs that are offered by or available from the REP, such as bill payment assistance, deferred payment plans, dis-connection moratoriums for the ill, or low-income energy assistance programs, and of the eligibility requirements and procedure for applying for each.
(2) Bill payment assistance programs.
(A) All REPs shall implement a bill payment assistance program for residential electric customers. At a minimum, such a program shall solicit voluntary donations from customers through the retail electric bills.
(B) In its annual report filed pursuant to § 25.107 of this title (relating to Certification of Retail Electric Providers (REPs)), each REP shall summarize: (i) the total amount of customer donations; (ii) the amount of money set aside for bill payment assistance; (iii) the assistance agency or agencies selected to disburse funds to residential customers; (iv) the amount of money disbursed by the REP or provided to each assistance agency to disburse funds to residential customers; and (v) the number of customers who had a switch-hold applied during the year.
(C) A REP shall obtain a commitment from an assistance agency selected to disburse bill payment assistance funds that the agency will not discriminate in the distribution of such funds to customers based on the customer's race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, lawful source of income, disability, familial status, location of customer in an economically distressed geographic area, or qualification for the low-income discount program or en-ergy efficiency services.
(3) A REP shall provide, in a project established by the commission, information about its voluntary bill payment assistance program for burned veterans. This information shall include the REP's name, the REP's certification number, and a toll free telephone number and website address where customers can obtain additional information. The com-mission will publish such information on the commission website.
(h) Level and average payment plans. A REP shall make a level or average payment plan available to its customers consistent with this subsection. A customer receiving service from a provider of last resort (POLR) may be required to select a competitive product offered by the POLR REP to receive the level or average payment plan.
(1) A REP shall make a level or average payment plan available to a residential customer receiving a rate reduction pursuant to § 25.454 of this title (relating to Rate Reduction Program), even if the customer is delinquent in payment to the REP.
(2) A REP shall make a level or average payment plan available to a customer who is not currently delinquent in payment to the REP. A customer is delinquent in payment in the following circumstances:
(A) A customer whose normal billing arrangement provides for payment after the rendition of service is delinquent if the date specified for payment of a bill has passed and the customer has not paid the full amount due.
(B) A customer whose normal billing arrangement provides for payment before the rendition of service is delin-quent if the customer has a negative balance on the account for electric service.
(3) A REP shall reconcile any over- or under-payment consistent with the applicable terms of service, which shall provide for reconciliation at least every twelve months. For a customer with an average payment plan, a REP may re-calculate the average consumption or average bill and adjust the customer's required minimum payment as frequently as every billing period. A REP may collect under-payments associated with a level payment plan from a customer over a period no less than the reconciliation period or upon termination of service to the customer. A REP shall credit or refund any over-payments associated with a level payment plan to the customer at each reconciliation and upon ter-mination of service to the customer. A REP may initiate its normal collection activity if a customer fails to make a timely payment according to such a level or average payment plan. All details concerning a level or average payment program shall be disclosed in the customer's terms of service document.
(4) If the customer is delinquent in payment when the level or average payment plan is established, the REP may require the customer to pay no greater than 50% of the delinquent amount due. The REP may require the remaining delinquent amount to be paid by the customer in equal installments over at least five billing cycles unless the customer agrees to fewer installments or may include the remaining delinquent amount in the calculation of the level or average payment amount. If the REP requires installment payments, the REP shall provide the customer a copy of the deferred payment plan in writing as described in subsection (j)(5) of this section.
(5) If the amount of the deferred balance does not appear on each bill the customer receives, the REP shall inform the customer that the customer may call the REP at any time to determine the amount that must be paid to be removed from the level or average payment plan.
(6) If the customer is delinquent in payment when the level or average payment plan is established, the REP may apply a switch-hold at that time.
(7) Before the REP applies a switch-hold to a customer on a level or average payment plan, the REP shall provide orally or in writing a clear explanation of the switch-hold process to the customer, prior to the customer's agreement to the plan. The explanation shall inform the customer as follows: "If you enter into this plan concerning your past due amount, we will put a switch-hold on your account. A switch-hold means that you will not be able to buy electricity from other companies until you pay the total deferred balance. If we put a switch-hold on your account, it will be removed after your deferred balance is paid and processed. While a switch-hold applies, if you are disconnected for not paying, you will need to pay us or company name , to get your electricity turned back on."
(8) If the customer is not delinquent in payment when the level or average payment plan is established, a switch-hold shall not be applied unless the plan is established pursuant to subsection (j)(2)(B)(ii) of this section.
(9) The REP, through a standard market process, shall submit a request to remove the switch-hold, pursuant to subsection (m) of this section, when the customer satisfies either subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph, whichever occurs earlier. On the date the REP submits the request to remove the switch-hold, the REP shall notify or send notice to the customer that the customer has satisfied the obligation to pay any deferred balance owed and the removal of the switch-hold is being processed.
(A) The customer's deferred balance, including any deferred delinquent amount described in paragraph (4) of this subsection, is either zero or in an over-payment status.
(B) The customer satisfies the terms of any deferred delinquent amount described in paragraph (4) of this subsec-tion and has paid bills for 12 consecutive billings without having been disconnected and without having more than one late payment.
(i) Payment arrangements. A payment arrangement is any agreement between the REP and a customer that allows a customer to pay the outstanding bill after its due date, but before the due date of the next bill. If the REP issues a disconnection notice before a payment arrangement was made, that disconnection should be suspended until after the due date for the payment arrangement. If a customer does not fulfill the terms of the payment arrangement, service may be disconnected after the later of the due date for the payment arrangement or the disconnection date indicated in the notice, without issuing an additional disconnection notice.
(j) Deferred payment plans and other alternate payment arrangements.
(1) A deferred payment plan is an agreement between the REP and a customer that allows a customer to pay an outstanding balance in installments that extend beyond the due date of the current bill. A deferred payment plan may be established in person, by telephone, or online, but all deferred payment plans shall be confirmed in writing by the REP in accordance with paragraph (5) of this subsection. Before the REP applies a switch-hold to a customer on a de-ferred payment plan, the REP shall provide a clear explanation of the switch-hold process to the customer. The expla-nation shall inform the customer as follows: "If you enter into this plan concerning your past due amount, we will put a switch-hold on your account. A switch-hold means that you will not be able to buy electricity from other companies until you pay the total deferred balance. If we put a switch-hold on your account, it will be removed after your de-ferred balance is paid and processed. While a switch-hold applies, if you are disconnected for not paying, you will need to pay us or company name , to get your electricity turned back on."
(A) A REP shall offer a deferred payment plan to customers, upon request, for bills that become due during an ex-treme weather emergency, pursuant to § 25.483(j) of this title.
(B) As directed by the commission, during a state of disaster declared by the governor pursuant to Texas Govern-ment Code § 418.014, a REP shall offer a deferred payment plan to customers, upon request, in the area covered by the declaration.
(C) A REP shall offer a deferred payment plan to a customer who has been underbilled, pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
(2) A REP shall make a payment plan available, upon request, to a residential customer that meets the require-ments of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph for a bill that becomes due in July, August, or September. A REP shall make a payment plan available, upon request, to a residential customer that meets the requirements of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph for a bill that becomes due in January or February if in the prior month a TDU notified the commission pursuant to § 25.483(j) of this title of an extreme weather emergency for the residential customer's county in the TDU service area for at least five consecutive days during the month. A REP is not required to offer a payment plan to a customer pursuant to this paragraph if the customer is on an existing deferred, level, or average payment plan.
(A) The following residential customers are eligible for a payment plan under this paragraph: (i) customers receiv-ing the LITE-UP discount pursuant to § 25.454 of this title; (ii) customers designated as Critical Care Residential Cus-tomers or Chronic Condition Residential Customers under § 25.497 of this title (relating to Critical Load Industrial Cus-tomers, Critical Load Public Safety Customers, Critical Care Residential Customers, and Chronic Condition Residential Customers); or (iii) customers who have expressed an inability to pay unless the customer:
(I) has been disconnected during the preceding 12 months;
(II) has submitted more than two payments during the preceding 12 months that were found to have insufficient funds available; or
(III) has received service from the REP for less than three months, and the customer lacks:
(-a-) sufficient credit; or
(-b-) a satisfactory history of payment for electric service from a previous REP or utility.
(B) The REP shall make available, at the customer's option, the plans described in clauses (i) and (ii) of this sub-paragraph. (i) A deferred payment plan with the initial payment amount no greater than 50% of the amount due. The deferred amount shall be paid by the customer in equal installments over at least five billing cycles unless the customer agrees to fewer installments. (ii) A level or average payment plan instead of requiring the balance due to be paid. The level or average payment plan shall be offered subject to the requirements of subsection (h) of this section.
(C) The REP shall not seek an additional deposit as a result of a customer's entering into a deferred payment plan under this paragraph.
(3) A REP shall not refuse customer participation in a deferred payment plan on any basis set forth in § 25.471(c) of this title (relating to General Provisions of Customer Protection Rules).
(4) A REP may voluntarily offer a deferred payment plan to customers who have expressed an inability to pay.
(5) A copy of the deferred payment plan shall be provided to the customer and:
(A) shall include a statement, in a clear and conspicuous type, that states "If you are not satisfied with this agree-ment, or if the agreement was made by telephone and you feel this does not reflect your understanding of that agreement, contact (insert name and contact number of REP).";
(B) if a switch-hold will apply, shall include a statement, in a clear and conspicuous type, that states "By entering into this agreement, you understand that company name will put a switch-hold on your account. A switch-hold means that you will not be able to buy electricity from other companies until you pay this past due amount. The switch-hold will be removed after your final payment on this past due amount is processed. While a switch-hold applies, if you are disconnected for not paying, you will need to pay us or company name , to get your electricity turned back on.".
(C) where the customer and the REP's representative or agent meets in person, the representative shall read the statements in subparagraph (A) and, if applicable, subparagraph (B) of this paragraph to the customer;
(D) may include the one-time penalty in accordance with subsection (c) of this section but shall not include a fi-nance charge;
(E) shall state the length of time covered by the plan;
(F) shall state the total amount to be paid under the plan;
(G) shall state the specific amount of each installment;
(H) shall state whether the amount of the deferred balance will appear on each bill the customer receives and that the customer may call the REP at any time to determine the amount that must be paid to satisfy the terms of the deferred payment plan; and
(I) shall state whether there may be a disconnection of service if the customer does not fulfill the terms of the deferred payment plan, and shall state the terms for disconnection.
(6) A REP may pursue disconnection of service if a customer does not meet the terms of a deferred payment plan. However, service shall not be disconnected until appropriate notice has been issued, pursuant to § 25.483 of this title, notifying the customer that the customer has not met the terms of the plan. The requirements of paragraph (2) of this subsection shall not apply with respect to a customer who has defaulted on a deferred payment plan.
(7) A REP may apply a switch-hold while the customer is on a deferred payment plan.
(8) The REP, through a standard market process, shall submit a request to remove the switch-hold, pursuant to subsection (m) of this section, after the customer's payment of the deferred balance owed to the REP. On the day the REP submits the request to remove the switch-hold, the REP shall notify or send notice to the customer that the cus-tomer has satisfied the obligation to pay any deferred balance owed and the removal of the switch-hold is being pro-cessed.
(k) Allocation of partial payments. A REP shall allocate a partial payment by the customer first to the oldest balance due for electric service, followed by the current amount due for electric service. When there is no longer a balance for electric service, payment may be applied to non-electric services billed by the REP. Electric service shall not be disconnected for non-payment of non-electric services.
(l) Switch-hold.
(1) A REP may request that the TDU place a switch-hold on an ESI ID to the extent allowed by subsection (h) or (j) of this section, which shall prevent a switch transaction from being completed for the ESI ID and shall prevent a move-in transaction from being completed pending documentation that the applicant for electric service is a new occupant not associated with the customer for which the switch-hold was imposed. If the REP exercises its right to disconnect service for non-payment pursuant to § 25.483 of this title, the switch-hold shall continue to remain in place. The TDU shall create and maintain a secure list of ESI IDs with switch-holds that REPs may access. The list shall not include any customer information other than the ESI ID and date the switch-hold was placed. The list shall be updated daily, and made available through a secure means by the TDU. The TDU may provide this list in a secure format through the web portal developed as part of its AMS deployment.
(A) The REP via a standard market process may request a switch-hold.
(B) The REP shall submit a request to remove the switch-hold as required by subsections (h)(9) and (j)(8) of this section.
(C) When the REP of record issues a move-out request for the flagged ESI ID, the REP of record's relationship with the ESI ID is terminated and the switch-hold shall be removed.
(D) At the time of a mass transition, the TDU shall remove the switch-hold flag for any ESI ID that is transitioned to a provider of last resort (POLR) provider.
(E) When the applicant for electric service is shown to be a new occupant not associated with the customer for which the switch-hold was imposed using the switch-hold process described in § 25.126 of this title, the switch-hold flag shall be removed.
(F) For a move-in transaction indicating that the ESI ID is subject to a continuous service agreement, the TDU shall remove any switch-hold on that ESI ID and complete the move-in.
(2) In the first TX SET release after January 1, 2011, market transactions shall be developed that support the fol-lowing requirements.
(A) REPs may request a switch-hold as allowed by subsection (h) or (j) of this section.
(B) TDUs shall provide indication of which ESI IDs have switch-holds so that during a move-in enrollment a REP can identify whether a switch-hold applies and that specific documentation must be submitted to have the switch-hold removed.
(C) A move-in subject to a switch-hold can be submitted for processing when the customer initially requests the move-in and such transaction will be held in the system for final processing depending on the approval or rejection of the move-in documentation. The TDU shall notify the submitting REP that there is a switch-hold on the ESI ID.
(3) The requirements of § 25.475 of this title (relating to General Retail Electric Provider Requirements and Infor-mation Disclosures to Residential and Small Commercial Customers) shall continue to apply while a customer is subject to a switch-hold. The notice required by § 25.475(e) of this title shall include a statement reminding the customer that if a switch-hold is in effect, the balance deferred must be paid in full before the customer will be able to change to a new provider.
(4) A customer who is subject to a switch-hold shall not be charged any separate fees for a switch-hold or any customer service or administrative fees related to the switch-hold.
(5) A REP shall not discriminate against any customer that is on a switch-hold in the provision of services or pricing of products. A customer on a switch-hold shall be eligible for all services and products generally available to the REPs other customers.
(6) If a REP applies a switch-hold to a customer account and the customer's contract expires while under the switch-hold, the REP shall provide notice of the contract expiration as required by § 25.475 of this title. Unless a cus-tomer affirmatively chooses a different product with the REP, a customer whose term product expires while the cus-tomer is subject to a switch-hold shall be moved to the lowest priced month-to-month product currently offered by the REP to new applicants, or, if the REP does not offer month-to-month products to new applicants, shall be served on a month-to-month basis at the price equivalent to the lowest price of the shortest term fixed product currently offered by the REP to new applicants. Otherwise, the REP shall request the removal of the switch-hold in compliance with subsection (m) of this section. The offers shall include those made on www.powertochoose.com. If the customer does not affirmatively choose a product, the customer shall not be required by the REP to enter into another contract term so long as the switch-hold remains on the customer account and no early termination fees shall be applied to the customer's account.
(m) Placement and Removal of Switch-Holds.
(1) A REP may request a switch-hold only as allowed under this section.
(2) A REP shall be responsible for requesting that the TDU remove a switch-hold after the customer's obligation to the REP related to the switch-hold is satisfied. If a customer's obligation to the REP is satisfied by 10:00 p.m. on a business day, the REP shall send a request to the TDU to remove the switch-hold by Noon (12:00 p.m.) of the next business day. If the TDU receives the request by 1:00 p.m. on a business day, the TDU shall remove the switch-hold by 8:00 p.m. of the same business day in which it receives the request to remove the switch-hold from the REP.
(3) The REP shall submit a request to remove a switch-hold pursuant to subsection (l)(6) of this section to the TDU, such that the TDU will remove the switch-hold on or before the customer's contract expiration date.
(4) If a REP erroneously places a switch-hold flag on an ESI ID, thus preventing a legitimate switch, or does not remove the switch-hold within the timeline described in paragraph (2) of this subsection, the REP shall be considered to have committed a Class B Violation (as defined in § 25.8(b) of this title (relating to Classification System for Violations of Statutes, Rules, and Orders Applicable to Electric Service Providers)) for purposes of any administrative penalties imposed by the commission.
(n) Effective date. The effective date of this section is June 1, 2011.
|