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What You Should Know
About Your Utility Bills
A Publication of the Arkansas Public Service Commission
Introduction
The best way to protect your
rights as a utility customer is to pay your bills on time each month. This
simple step is the surest way to keep your service and credit intact. The
failure of customers to pay their bills can affect the financial health of
a utility and could ultimately result in higher utility bills for
everyone.
About Your Bill
Your bill contains many items of
information. The Commission requires that most of the charges on your bill
be shown individually to help customers understand exactly what they are
paying for. This information includes:
- the period of time covered by
the bill;
- the net amount of all payments and other credits made to your account since your last billing;
- any previous balance due;
- the amount of any late payment charge and when it will be applied to your account;
- the date the bill was mailed;
- the date the bill is due;
- a list of the charges and credits which includes deposit installments and refunds, customer or
minimum charges, and taxes;
- whether the usage was estimated; and,
- a statement that the customer may contact the company about any billing or service problem, or for a
delayed payment agreement.
Billing Cycles and Due Dates
There are two types of billing cycles available to utility companies.
- One requires the due date of a bill to be no less than twenty-two
calendar days after the date the bill
is mailed. The 22-day cycle allows a company to impose a late payment
charge. The amount of this late charge cannot exceed 10% of the first
$30.00 and 2% of the remainder.
- The other requires the due date
to be no less than fourteen days after the date the bill is mailed and
does not allow the company to impose a late charge.
Estimated Billing
There may be times when your utility company is unable to obtain an actual meter reading from which to
calculate your bill. When that happens, an estimated usage will be entered
on your account. You will know when your bill has been estimated -- the
company is required to clearly identify it with an "E" or "EST," or the
word "ESTIMATED."
Some gas and electric utilities allow customers to read their meters and send the reading to the
utility each month. If no reading has been received by a utility
by the billing date, usage is estimated. No company, however, can estimate
your bill for more than two consecutive months.
Payment Plans
Customers have several options available to assist them in paying their bills.
Delayed Payment Agreements
If you are unable to pay your bill
by its due date, call your company to arrange a delayed payment agreement
or "DPA." A DPA is a written contract between you and the utility setting
out a payment plan through which you may pay one-fourth of the bill as a
down payment and the agreed-upon amounts along with your regular monthly
bills for the next three months. The company must send or give you a copy
of the DPA. You must contact the company and request a DPA before the
company's close of business on the last day to pay printed on the most
recent shut off notice. If you do not keep the terms of the DPA, the
company can suspend your service without advance notice to you and you
will not be eligible for another DPA for twelve months.
Extensions
If you do not want to enter a DPA, the company may allow you to
enter a payment extension. An extension agreement requires that the bill
be paid within thirty calendar days of the due date of the bill. If you do
not keep your payment extension, the company can suspend your service
without advance notice to you.
Levelized Billing Plans
Levelized billing plans are offered by electric, gas and water utilities. These plans allow you to
budget for utility costs much the same way as you budget for other
household expenses. To find out how your utility's plan works, contact the
business office for your area.
Extended Absence Payment
Plans
All utility companies have bill
payment options available to customers to avoid suspension when they are
away from their home for an extended period of time. Some of these options
are advance payments for the service or having the bill mailed to another
address during the customer's absence. To find out what options are
available from your utility company, contact the business office for your
area.
Extended Due Date
Policy
Utility customers who receive
AFDC, AABD, SSI, or whose primary source of income is Social Security or
VA disability or retirement benefits are eligible for an extended due
date. The extended due date is intended to enable utilities to change a
qualifying customer's bill payment due date to coincide with or follow the
customer's receipt of that income. The company may require verification of
the customer's source of income. The company may impose a late payment
charge on plan participants who do not pay by the extended due date and
can remove a participant from the plan if the customer does not pay his
bills by the extended due date two times in a row or any three times in
the last twelve months. To find out if you are eligible for an extended
due date, contact the business office for your area.
Billing Corrections
When a utility discovers that it
has made an error in your billing, it must take the necessary steps to
correct the error. These errors are usually caused by faulty meters or
meter reading mistakes.b
If the error is caused by a faulty
meter, the utility must attempt to determine when the meter first began to
register inaccurately. If that date cannot be determined, the correction
period will begin six months prior to the date the faulty meter was
removed. The utility may have to estimate your usage for that period, but
the estimate will be based on your previous usage at the same
location.
Billing errors usually result in
an overbilling or an underbilling. If a utility overbills you, it must
explain the error and refund the amount of the overbilling within 30 days
after discovering the error. The refund can be given as a credit to your
account unless you request otherwise. If the overbilling was the fault of
the utility, the utility must pay you interest on the overbilled
amount.
If the utility discovers that it
has charged you less than it should have, it must explain the error and
your options for paying the underbilled amount. If you are underbilled for
one or more billing periods, the utility must allow you at least that many
billing periods to pay the correct amount. If the error was your fault,
the utility may charge you interest on the underbilled amount. This
situation most often occurs when the customer is responsible for reading
his own meter.
In Closing
If you have questions about a regulated utility or a problem you are
unable to resolve, contact our Consumer Services Office. You can come to
see us in person, write to us, or call us on our local or toll-free
numbers.
Phone Numbers: 501-682-1718 1-800-482-1164,
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 400
Little Rock, AR 72203-0400
Street Address: 1000 Center Street
Little Rock, Arkansas
Published by
Arkansas Public Service Commission
Consumer Services Division
1000 Center Street
P.O. Box 400
Little Rock, AR 72203-0400
Telephone: (501)682-1718
1-800-482-1164
(toll free in Arkansas)
The Arkansas Public Service Commission does
not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
national origin, sex, religion, age or
disability in employment or in
the provision of services.
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Revised: June 16, 2008.
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