Montana Code 69-3-221. Public utility errors in billing customers
69-3-221. Public utility errors in billing customers. (1) For the purposes of this section:
Terms Used In Montana Code 69-3-221
- commission: means the public service commission provided for in 2-15-2602. See Montana Code 69-1-101
(a)”public utility” does not include a municipal utility as defined in chapter 7 of this title;
(b)a “customer billing error”:
(i)includes any bill issued by the utility that is not designated as an estimated bill and that understates the amount owed by the customer;
(ii)includes a utility’s failure to bill a customer for service provided that would be billed to the customer under the utility’s normal billing practices;
(iii)excludes errors that result from the theft of service by the customer;
(iv)excludes errors involving a utility’s industrial class customers; and
(v)excludes errors incurred in the billing of long-distance services by a telecommunications utility.
(2)Whenever a public utility discovers a customer billing error, the utility may submit a bill to the customer for a period not to exceed the 6 months preceding the date the billing error is discovered.
(3)The commission may adopt rules to implement subsections (1) and (2).
