Tacoma Public Utilities error results in removal of some from budget-billing program
A billing error related to a $200 Tacoma Public Utilities credit program resulted in nearly 100 people being removed from budget billing, TPU spokesperson Jessica Wilson told The News Tribune on Thursday.
Wilson said a misapplication of a one-time $200 credit awarded to more than 40,000 customers through the Washington Families Clean Energy Grant Program resulted in “under 100 customers” who received the credit being removed from TPU’s budget billing program, which charges customers a consistent monthly utility rate based on the average cost of utilities over 12 months. The program ensures monthly utility rates remain about the same each month, as opposed to fluctuating higher or lower in the winter and summer months.
In an email to The News Tribune, Wilson said no customer who received the $200 Climate Commitment Act credit had the credit removed from their account. Wilson said customers with the error don’t need to do anything as “our customer services team will ensure they are all placed back on budget billing.”
Rebecca Padilla, a TPU customer and family advocate who works with low-income families in Tacoma, told The News Tribune she paid her utility bills online and on time the past few months. As someone enrolled in the Bill Credit Assistance Plan, Padilla said she qualified for the $200 credit and was enrolled in budget billing.
Padilla said she initially wasn’t aware the $200 credit applied only to electricity bills. When she went to pay her bill online, Padilla said, the $200 credit was applied to her whole utility bill. Later Padilla said she was surprised to see outstanding balances, and, after calling TPU several times, was told due to a system error and late payments she was kicked off the budget-billing program.
Padilla said she was told by TPU staff to look at a PDF of her billing statement online and pay the amount listed there rather than the outstanding balance that was reported due, which she considered “strange” and “very confusing.”
In her job as a family advocate, Padilla said she tells families about TPU’s budget billing and $200 credit program and knows of others who have been impacted or even had their utilities shut off due to a misunderstanding about what’s due. Padilla said she was especially concerned about families who don’t speak English and aren’t familiar with how the billing process works.
“I’m just thinking of all the low-income families that are now about to have, you know, this bigger than normal utility bill because they haven’t paid every month on time,” she said. “I got [enrolled in the $200 credit program] automatically because I was on a low-income program and literally it’s now hurting me. This is actually causing me budget issues.”
After reaching out to the TPU Board, her City Council representative and The News Tribune, Padilla said Friday she had been restored to the budget-billing program. Padilla said she has received mixed messages from TPU about why it happened and said TPU never informed customers about the issue.
“We understand that this error caused frustration and concern for some customers on payment assistance and budget billing programs,” Wilson told The News Tribune Thursday via email. “We are committed to continuously improving our internal processes to make things easier for customers. If any customer has a concern, our customer services team is there to help. They can call at 253-502-8600 or stop in to our lobby during business hours.”
This story was originally published October 25, 2024 at 1:28 PM.
