LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On April 21, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a motion with the Public Service Commission to stop Summit Utilities from enforcing normal collection and disconnect policies.
The motion comes after the company announced their plan this week to begin resuming their payment collections from customers, which includes disconnects from those who miss payments.
Griffin said that he filed the motion to allow the ongoing investigations to finish before the company can begin enacting their late fee and disconnect policies towards consumers.
“Today, I am filing a motion with the Public Service Commission opposing Summit’s plan to resume the charging of late fees and disconnecting gas service until the investigations are complete or until an alternative date set by the Public Service Commission based upon information gathered during the investigations," Griffin said.
Following Griffin's motion, Summit Utilities sent us the following statement:
“We are following all PSC General Service Rules as it relates to late fees and disconnects. We are giving our customers a more than 60-day advanced notice to ensure they have ample opportunity to contact us for payment plan options, payment assistance, or if they have any lingering billing issues or concerns. We voluntarily and temporarily suspended charging late fees and disconnections in the fall. While we do not directly comment on pending cases, we do trust that the PSC will make the best determination for all parties.”
As for the Attorney General, he believes that "based on what we know at the moment" he feels that it's "too soon" to reinstate normal policies and shutoffs from Summit.
“As the Public Service Commission investigation has just begun, Summit should not resume normal collections. We continue to investigate the complaints received from Arkansans regarding Summit,” Griffin said in a statement.
Back in March, the Attorney General took the findings of his Summit Utilities investigation to the Public Service Commission.
His investigation looked into the complaints that customers had with the company, with Griffin’s office having received over 2,800 calls regarding "sharp" increases in their bills.
Griffin asked the Public Service Commission to investigate the company’s purchasing and billing practices, along with potential violations of Commission rules.
It was an eventful day for Griffin, as the Attorney General also announced an additional motion the same day against Big Country Chateau in an attempt to hold the owners in contempt of court.