Alabama Power: billing error
Ask for a meter test; it is free if the meter was not tested in the last 12 months, and a meter off by more than 2% gets up to 36 months of adjustment.
What does this mean?
Grade A (high: almost everything comes from official pages read directly). 100% of 29 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites.
Collect
- the bill
- meter readings
- earlier bills
- date of the last meter test if known
Steps
Call customer service. Ask whether the reading was estimated and ask for a correction.
Ask for a meter test. Ask when the meter was last tested so you know whether the $40 charge can apply.
If the test shows more than 2% error, ask for the bill adjustment and choose a bill credit or a lump-sum refund.
If not resolved, ask for a supervisor, then complain to the Alabama Public Service Commission.
More contacts for this issue
Facts you can cite
- Fee
Alabama Power tests a meter on request at no charge if it has not tested that meter in the 12 months before the request. For a more frequent test, the charge is $40.00 if the meter tests within range.
Source: alabamapower.com, verified 2026-10-12
- Limit
A meter is accurate if within two percent (2%) fast or slow. Otherwise Alabama Power adjusts billing for the most recent thirty-six (36) month period at most.
Source: alabamapower.com, verified 2026-10-12
- Deadline
Refunds for a fast meter are made as a credit on the next bill or as a lump sum within forty-five (45) days of confirmation of inaccurate billing, by mutual agreement.
Source: alabamapower.com, verified 2026-10-12
- Policy
When a meter cannot be read on the scheduled date, Alabama Power estimates the month's use from the customer's usage in previous months.
Source: alabamapower.com, verified 2026-10-12
Rules in force
- Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) negative option requirements15 U.S.C. 8401-8405
A seller that charges consumers online through a negative option feature (for example an automatic renewal or a free trial that converts to paid) must clearly disclose all material terms before taking billing information, get the consumer's express informed consent before charging, and provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC enforces ROSCA.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
1 citable point
- Policy
The seller must obtain "a consumer's express informed consent before charging the consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account".
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Policy
If that fails, escalate
Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.
Customer service
Supervisor
Written complaint
State agency
Your state’s utility commission. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON:
states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).Alabama Public Service Commission.
State agency
Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON:
states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).
Watch out
- The online contact form and account tools run on a JavaScript site that agents may not be able to use.
Let your AI agent handle this
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