Potomac Electric Power Company: billing error
Call Pepco for a bill review and pay the undisputed part; ask for a free meter test; in Maryland appeal to the PSC within 7 days of Pepco's decision.
What does this mean?
Grade C (use with care: check the source of each value before relying on it). 0% of 32 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites.
Collect
- the disputed bill
- earlier bills
- meter readings or My Account interval data
- call notes with reference numbers
Steps
Call Pepco and ask for a review of the bill. Pay the undisputed portion so service continues.
PhoneCustomer service, billing disputes and payment plans (DC and Maryland; 200 languages) +1-202-833-7500Ask for a meter accuracy test. In DC it is free once every 12 months, and you may ask for a test refereed by the Commission.
PhoneCustomer service, billing disputes and payment plans (DC and Maryland; 200 languages) +1-202-833-7500If not resolved, write to Customer Correspondence with your account number and the correction you want.
MailCustomer Correspondence (written complaints) Pepco, Customer Correspondence, 7th Floor, 701 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20068-0001Maryland: within 7 days of Pepco's decision, appeal to the MD PSC Consumer Affairs Division. DC: file a complaint with the DC PSC.
More contacts for this issue
Facts you can cite
- Policy
DC and Maryland: during a bill dispute you must pay the undisputed portion of the bill for service to continue. If Pepco's review finds the bill accurate, the full balance is due.
Source: azure-na-assets.contentstack.com, verified 2026-10-13
- Fee
DC: customers may request a meter accuracy test at no charge every 12 months, as well as a meter test refereed by the Commission.
Source: azure-na-assets.contentstack.com, verified 2026-10-13
- Deadline
Maryland: within seven (7) days of receiving notice of Pepco's decision on a dispute, the customer may appeal to the Maryland PSC by letter, website or phone. The PSC may dismiss the complaint if the customer did not negotiate with Pepco in good faith.
Source: azure-na-assets.contentstack.com, verified 2026-10-13
Tips
- Company tip
Pepco employees must carry a photo-identification card. Ask to see it, and call 202-833-7500 if you doubt that someone represents Pepco.
Source: azure-na-assets.contentstack.com, verified 2026-10-13
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
PhoneCustomer service, billing disputes and payment plans (DC and Maryland; 200 languages) +1-202-833-7500Supervisor
PhoneCustomer service, billing disputes and payment plans (DC and Maryland; 200 languages) +1-202-833-7500Pepco does not publish a separate escalation line. Ask for a supervisor and a reference number.
Written complaint
MailCustomer Correspondence (written complaints) Pepco, Customer Correspondence, 7th Floor, 701 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20068-0001State 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).DC: Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia, 1325 G Street N.W., Suite 800, 202-626-5120; Pepco's DC handbook says to include a summary of your efforts to resolve the dispute with the utility. Maryland: Maryland Public Service Commission, Consumer Affairs Division, 410-767-8028 or 800-492-0474 option 2; appeal within 7 days of Pepco's dispute decision; the PSC may dismiss a complaint if the customer did not negotiate with Pepco in good faith. People's Counsel: DC 202-727-3071, Maryland 800-207-4055.
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).District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General, or Maryland Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division.
Watch out
- pepco.com HTML pages return no text to automated fetches; the handbook PDFs on azure-na-assets.contentstack.com are readable.
- The Maryland handbook used here is the 2023-2024 edition. Check the current edition or the Maryland PSC for rule changes.
- No Pepco scam-warning page or damage-claim channel could be read; ask customer service for the claim process.
Let your AI agent handle this
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1. Set it up (needs uv):
uvx escalate-anything setup2. Ask your agent:
Potomac Electric Power Company charged me [amount] on [date] for something I did not order. Use Escalate Anything to get it corrected.Source code, other install options and the Claude Code plugin