TXU to Pay $80,000 Under Settlement Related to Disconnections

TXU Energy Retail Company, LLC would pay $80,000 under a settlement with PUCT Staff to resolve a complaint-based investigation into TXU's compliance with disconnection and related provisions of the Substantive Rules (39317).

According to the stipulated proposed order, "[t]he investigation revealed that in certain instances the Company was not in compliance with PURA 17.004 and 39.101, as well as the following substantive rules:

"a. P.U.C. Subst. R. 25.480(i), relating to payment arrangements. The Company made payment arrangements without suspending the disconnection until after the due date of the payment arrangement

"b. P.U.C. Subst. R. 25.480(k), relating to allocation of partial payments. The Company failed to apply a partial payment to the oldest balance due for electrical service

"c. P.U.C. Subst. R. 25.483(c), relating to disconnection with notice. The Company ordered the disconnection of service for reasons other than those provided in the rule and failed to provide proper notice of disconnection

"d. P.U.C. Subst. R. 25.483(e)(5), relating to prohibited disconnections. The Company authorized the disconnection of a customer for nonpayment of electric service after advising the customer an investigation would be conducted into the disputed billing"

TXU provided reimbursements and credits to some of the affected customers and independently initiated measures taken in an attempt to correct the causes of the referenced violations. TXU promptly addressed and corrected the errors.