N.J. Admin. Code § 14:3-7.6

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 11, June 3, 2024

Section 14:3-7.6 - Disputes as to bills

(a) A customer that disputes a charge shall so notify the utility, and shall pay all undisputed charges.

(b) If the utility and the customer do not resolve the dispute, the utility shall notify the customer that:

1. The customer may make a request to the Board for an investigation of the disputed charge;

2. The request for investigation shall be made within five business days after the customer contacts the utility to dispute the charges; and

3. If the customer does not make a request for investigation within five days, the customer's service will be discontinued for nonpayment in accordance with N.J.A.C. 14:3-3A.

(c) Once a formal or informal dispute is before the Board, all collection activity on the charge in dispute shall cease until Board staff notify the utility and the customer that the dispute has been resolved in accordance with (e) below.

(d) Each utility shall provide the Board's Division of Customer Assistance with responses to written complaints within five days of receipt of the complaint, and within three days of receipt of verbal complaints.

(e) When Board staff have determined that a formal or informal dispute has been resolved, Board staff shall notify the utility. If the resolution of the dispute results in discontinuance of the customer's service, the utility shall provide notice to the customer in accordance with 14:3-3A.3 before service may be discontinued.

(f) In appropriate cases the Board may require that the customer place all or a portion of disputed charges in escrow pending the resolution of the dispute.

(g) When the amount of an electric, gas, water or wastewater bill is significantly higher than the customer's established consumption history, and there is no apparent explanation for the increase (for example, severe weather conditions; changes in the make-up or the lifestyles of the members of the household), the customer's established consumption shall be given consideration, in addition to the results of any tests on the customer's meter, in the evaluation of whether the bill is correct and appropriate.

N.J. Admin. Code § 14:3-7.6

Recodified in part from N.J.A.C. 14:3-7.13 and amended by R.2008 d.119, effective 5/19/2008.
See: 39 N.J.R. 4077(b), 40 N.J.R. 2481(a).
Recodified former (a) as (a) through (e); rewrote (a); added introductory paragraph of (b); rewrote (b)1; added (b)2 and (b)3; rewrote(c); rewrote (e); recodified former (b) as (f); rewrote (f); added (g); and recodified former N.J.A.C. 14:3-7.13(c) through (g) as N.J.A.C. 14:3-7.7. Former N.J.A.C. 14:3-7.6, Unmetered service, was repealed.