Sec. 16-259a. Inaccurate billing. Financial liability of customer. Payment plan. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 16-259a. Inaccurate billing. Financial liability of customer. Payment plan. (a) No electric, electric distribution, gas or water company or electric supplier, which inaccurately bills a retail customer for service may bill or otherwise hold the customer financially liable for more than one year after the customer receives such service, unless the customer, either alone or with an individual other than an employee of the company, by an affirmative act, is responsible for the inaccurate billing or fails to provide for reasonable access to the premises where the company's meter is located by an employee of the company during business hours for the purpose of reading the meter.

      (b) Any such electric, electric distribution, gas or water company or electric supplier which inaccurately bills a retail customer for service may bill or otherwise hold the customer financially liable for not more than one year after the customer receives such service, unless a delayed bill for the service (1) would deprive the customer of the opportunity to apply for or receive energy assistance or (2) is the result of the customer's meter erroneously registering another customer's consumption, in which case the company may not bill or otherwise hold the customer liable for the service provided to another customer.

      (c) No telephone company or certified telecommunications provider that inaccurately bills a retail customer for service may bill or otherwise hold the customer financially liable for more than two years or the time provided in federal law, whichever is longer, after the customer receives such service, unless the customer, either alone or with a person other than an employee of the telephone company or certified telecommunications provider by an affirmative act, is responsible for the inaccurate billing.

      (d) Any company, electric supplier or certified telecommunications provider that holds a customer financially liable under subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this section shall establish a payment plan which prorates all arrearages for service the customer owes over a period of time that is no shorter than the period for which the customer is being held financially liable by such company, electric supplier or certified telecommunications provider. The payment plan shall provide that no payment charged to a customer under such plan shall exceed fifty per cent of the average amount that the company charged such customer for each billing period over the previous twelve-month period for services received during that period. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, a company, electric supplier or certified telecommunications provider may require immediate payment of the full amount due under subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this section if such customer fails to make timely payments in accordance with the payment plan established by such company, electric supplier or certified telecommunications provider.

      (P.A. 84-218; P.A. 94-74, S. 9, 11; P.A. 96-136; P.A. 98-28, S. 37, 117; P.A. 99-286, S. 14, 19.)

      History: P.A. 94-74 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by deleting telephone companies, and added new Subsec. (c) re telephone companies and persons, firms or corporations certified to provide intrastate telecommunication services, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 96-136 changed period in Subsecs. (a) and (b) for which an electric, gas or water company may hold a customer financially liable from six months or three billing periods to one year after the customer receives service and added Subsec. (d) re payment plans; P.A. 98-28 added electric suppliers and electric distribution companies, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-286 changed reference to person, firm or corporation certified to provide intrastate telecommunications services to "certified telecommunications provider" and made technical changes, effective July 19, 1999.