Puget Sound Energy: billing error
Dispute the bill with PSE, ask for a supervisor, then go to the UTC; pay the undisputed part and service stays on while you pursue the dispute.
What does this mean?
Grade A (high: almost everything comes from official pages read directly). 100% of 43 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites.
Collect
- the disputed bill
- earlier bills
- meter photos with dates
- call notes with names and reference numbers
Steps
Call PSE Customer Care and dispute the bill. Ask whether the read was actual or estimated, and ask PSE to re-check the meter if usage looks wrong.
If you are not satisfied, ask for a supervisor. Write down the name and the outcome.
Keep paying every amount that is not in dispute.
If PSE does not resolve it, file a complaint with the Washington UTC (1-888-333-9882 or consumer@utc.wa.gov).
More contacts for this issue
Facts you can cite
- Process
If a PSE supervisor does not resolve a bill or service dispute, the supervisor must inform the customer of the right to contact the UTC Consumer Protection Section at 1-888-333-9882 or consumer@utc.wa.gov.
Source: pse.com, verified 2026-10-13
- Policy
PSE will not discontinue service while the customer is pursuing any remedy with a PSE representative or with the UTC. Amounts not in dispute must be paid when due.
Source: pse.com, verified 2026-10-13
- Fee
The UTC says companies will re-check a customer's meter on request once a year for no charge.
Source: utc.wa.gov, verified 2026-10-13
- Policy
The UTC says a company must let a customer repay a back bill over the same length of time the charges built up (for example, 12 months of errors allows a 12-month plan), and the customer may see how the back bill was calculated.
Source: utc.wa.gov, verified 2026-10-13
- Process
Once UTC staff start an investigation, the company must respond within two full working days, according to the UTC.
Source: utc.wa.gov, 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
Supervisor
PSE's brochure says to ask for a supervisor if you are not satisfied; the supervisor must tell you of your right to contact the UTC.
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).Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), Consumer Protection Section: 1-888-333-9882, consumer@utc.wa.gov, complaint form at https://www.utc.wa.gov/FileComplaint. The UTC says to contact the company first and ask for a supervisor.
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).Washington Attorney General's Office (PSE's scam page links https://www.atg.wa.gov/file-complaint).
Watch out
- Payment arrangements, secure messaging and account-specific outage status need a PSE account sign-in.
- PSE's rights and responsibilities PDF and claims form PDF use embedded fonts that automated text extraction reads poorly; the brochure carries the print code "6275 01/18" although the file name says 2025.
- The medical emergency certificate must come from the medical professional who provides the person's health care.
Let your AI agent handle this
Escalate Anything is a free, open-source MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Codex and other AI apps. Your agent gets this playbook, keeps a case log with reference numbers and follow-up dates, and drafts each message for you to approve.
1. Set it up (needs uv):
uvx escalate-anything setup2. Ask your agent:
Puget Sound Energy 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