OAR 860-034-0130: Adjustment of Utility Bills

(1) When a small telecommunications utility has incorrectly billed a retail customer, the utility must take corrective action as follows: (a) If the date of the error can be determined, the small telecommunications utility must issue a bill credit or refund for the over-charge or a corrected bill for the under-charge back to such date. If the date of the error cannot be determined, the small telecommunications utility must issue a refund or bill credit for the over-charge or rebill the under-charge for no more than six months’ usage. (b) In no event may a small telecommunications utility issue a corrected bill or refund for more than three years of incorrectly billed charges. (2) When a small telecommunications utility issues a bill to collect under-billed amounts, a customer may enter into a time-payment agreement as provided in OAR 860-034-0276. If the utility customer is already on a time-payment plan, the utility must offer to renegotiate the payment plan to include the under-billing error. If the customer and utility cannot agree upon payment terms, the Commission will establish terms and conditions to govern the customers’ obligation. (3) When a small telecommunications utility requires payment for amounts previously under-billed, the utility must provide a written notice that explains: (a) The circumstance and time period of the under-billing; (b) The corrected bill amount and the amount of the necessary adjustment, (c) The Commission’s consumer complaint process; and (d) The right for a customer to enter into a time-payment agreement with the utility. (4) The small telecommunications utility may waive rebilling or issuing a refund check when costs make such action uneconomical.