Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 515 - RULES OF GEORGIA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION › Chapter 515-7 - GAS UTILITIES › Subject 515-7-6 - NATURAL GAS MARKETER BILLING PRACTICES › Rule 515-7-6-.02 - Service Quality Standards for Billing

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(a) Marketers shall comply with the following
				service quality standards for billing firm retail customers, unless a signed
				contract predating the effective date of this rule specifically states other
				arrangements:
(1) A bill shall be mailed (or
				posted electronically) by a marketer (or its designated billing agent) to a
				retail customer within thirty (30) days of the date following the actual
				monthly meter reading or date of the estimated reading, if applicable. The
				consumer shall have at least twenty (20) days from the date the bill is mailed
				(or posted electronically) to pay the bill before it is past due.
(2) A bill shall be substantially correct as
				it applies to the EDC information available to the marketer at the time of bill
				preparation for the period in question as well as for the fixed or variable
				rate and all other charges that the retail customer has consented to
				pay.
(3) Marketers shall utilize
				the results of actual meter reads and are prohibited from sending estimated
				bills to natural gas consumers; provided, however, that when information from
				actual meter readings is not made available by the EDC or any other party
				authorized to perform meter reading, marketers may send an estimated bill for
				not more than two consecutive months. In the event the marketer sends a
				customer a bill based on estimates of the amounts owed pending receipt by the
				marketer of additional EDC information, the bill shall be clearly and
				conspicuously marked as an "estimate."
(4) A bill shall include clear and
				unambiguous statements that readily identify:
a. The consumer's name, billing address,
				service address and EDC account number;
b. The dates of service reflecting the period
				of time for which the bill is being assessed (the meter reading
				period);
c. The number of therms
				consumed during the meter reading period and the price per therm;
d. An itemization of each type of competitive
				natural gas service included in the bill, any related billing components and
				charges for each type of natural gas service as well as any other information
				the consumer would need to recalculate the bill for accuracy, which shall
				include, but not be limited to:
1. The deposit
				amount, if applicable;
2. Any
				switching, connection, or reconnection charges;
3. Any additional charge assessed by the
				marketer regarding a particular payment method;
4. Any true-up amount now due to the marketer
				as a result of a budget plan being terminated;
5. Any cancellation or early termination
				charges;
6. The exact amount of the
				base charge that is being charged by the EDC for that particular retail
				customer, which shall be identified as the EDC charge; and
7. All applicable state and local
				taxes.
e. The applicable
				billing determinants, including the beginning meter reading; the ending meter
				reading; the standard multiplier (British Thermal Unit factors and the
				consumer's dedicated design day capacity factor), as well as any other
				different multipliers used; and any other consumption adjustments;
f. The amount billed for the current period,
				any unpaid amounts due from previous periods, any payments or credits applied
				to the consumer's account during the current period, any late payment charges
				or gross and net charges, if applicable, and the total amount due and
				payable.
g. The type of rate plan,
				fixed or variable, applicable to the consumer's account.
h. The due date for payment to keep the
				account current;
i. The current
				balance of the account, if the natural gas consumer is billed according to a
				budget plan;
j. The amount due
				resulting from any pay arrangement;
k. Options and instructions on how the
				natural gas consumer can make a payment;
l. A toll-free or local telephone number and
				address, and email address for consumer billing questions or complaints for any
				retail natural gas company whose charges appear on the bill;
m. The applicable EDC's 24 hour local or
				toll-free telephone number for reporting service emergencies;
n. An explanation of any codes and
				abbreviations used; and
o. A
				description of the charges or credits contained in the bill.
(5) The competitive
				retail natural gas service charges billed to a consumer shall not exceed the
				marketer's published price in effect at the beginning of the consumer's billing
				cycle, except that for fixed rate plan customers, the published price in effect
				at the beginning of each billing cycle shall be the published price in effect
				at the time the customer signed up for the plan.
(6) No marketer shall engage in the practice
				of cramming when billing its natural gas customers.
(7) In the event the bill is for more than
				one meter read period, the base charge, the customer service charge, and, if
				the marketer has the meter reading information necessary to do so, the
				consumption charge and interstate capacity charge shall be disaggregated by
				meter read period.
(8) No marketer
				shall increase a firm retail customer's competitive retail natural gas service
				charge or assess new or additional charges to a customer during the term of a
				fixed-rate plan.
(9) No marketer
				shall assess new or additional customer service charges or other charges or
				fees to a customer under a variable-rate plan, without providing the customer
				advance written notice by mail or by the consumer preferred method of
				communication, of those changes or additions at least 25 days prior to
				implementation of the charge or fee. For consumption and interstate capacity
				charges assessed under a variable-rate plan, the marketer shall inform the
				customer of any modification in the methodology for computing such charges at
				least 25 days prior to implementation of the methodology. No marketer shall
				charge a customer a higher rate as a result of such new methodology unless such
				notice has been given. Notice of such new or additional charges or methodology
				modifications shall be written in clear and conspicuous language and shall
				inform the consumer of the right to cancel service without penalty by calling,
				writing or electronically contacting the marketer within three days from
				receipt of the notice.
(10) In a
				situation in which it is appropriate for a late fee or other penalty to be
				applied to a customer's account, the fee or penalty imposed by the marketer
				shall be reasonable and shall not exceed $10.00 or 1.5% of the past due
				balance, whichever is greater. A marketer shall not apply a late fee to a
				customer's account if the past due balance is less than $30.00.
(11) In a situation in which it is
				appropriate to apply a credit to the customer's account or issue the customer a
				refund, the credit or refund shall be applied or issued within 60 days after
				the overpayment has been acknowledged or admitted to by the marketer.
(12) Notwithstanding any other provision set
				forth in this rule, a bill shall not be deemed to be in non-compliance of
				Commission Rule
				515-7-6-.02(a)(1)to(4)
				if said non-compliance is a product of a force majeure or of an act of an
				independent third-party.