Update: Draft Preliminary Order In Texas Customer Complaint Includes Examining Whether REP Had To Describe Delivery Service Rate Class Change

A draft preliminary order in a customer complaint case before the Public Utility Commission of Texas would include as an issue to be addressed in the case whether the customer's retail electric provider had a duty to inform the complainant of the change in a customer's TDU rate classification that had prompted the complaint

As previously reported, in docket 48387, a customer has filed a complaint against Oncor concerning the charges for a storage building, and assignment of a new delivery class based on a usage audit. While the customer's REP, Champion Energy Services, has been included as a respondent, the customer in their complaint stated, "the complaint is not specific to the charges levied by them [Champion]."

The customer was transitioned to the Secondary Service Greater Than 10 kW from the prior classification of Secondary Service Less Than or Equal to 10 kW. As a result, the pass-through of TDU costs from their REP significantly increased

See more background on the complaint case here, including what prompted the rate class change

A draft preliminary order in the proceeding would include as an issue to be addressed the following: "Did Oncor or Champion Energy have a duty to inform the complainant of the transition in tariff treatment from section 6.1.1.1.2 (secondary service less than or equal to 10 kW) to section 6.1.1.1.3 (secondary service greater than 10 kW)?"

As previously reported, PUCT Staff had essentially proposed that such issue be addressed, though Staff used different language (proposing that an issue to be addressed include whether Champion had a duty to describe to complainant the Secondary Service Greater than 10 KVA rates that would apply to Complainant's account) [emphasis added]

As noted in our prior story, a similar issue was raised in a customer complaint case previously but such case was dismissed prior to any final determination concerning a REP's obligation to inform customers of TDU rate class changes