Reliant Energy: billing error
Dispute with Reliant, ask for a supervisory review, then file with the PUCT; pay the undisputed part.
What does this mean?
Grade C (use with care: check the source of each value before relying on it). 67% of 27 sources are the organization's own pages or government sites.
Collect
- the bill
- EFL for the plan
- meter readings
- notes of each contact
Steps
Contact Reliant with the disputed charge and ask for an investigation and a reference number.
If you doubt the meter, ask Reliant to request a meter test from the TDSP.
If not satisfied after 21 days, ask for a supervisory review, then file a complaint with the PUCT.
More contacts for this issue
Facts you can cite
- Deadline
Under PUCT rules, a REP must investigate a complaint and tell the customer the results within 21 days; a supervisory review decision must be given within ten business days of the request.
Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12
- Policy
While an informal complaint is pending at the PUCT, the REP must not start collection, including disconnection, on the disputed portion of the bill. The customer must still pay the undisputed portion.
Source: law.cornell.edu, 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
Ask for a supervisory review; PUCT rules require an answer within 10 business days.
Written complaint
MailReliant mailing address Reliant, P.O. Box 3765, Houston, TX 77253-3765State 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).Public Utility Commission of Texas, after Reliant has had the complaint.
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).Texas Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division.
Watch out
- Payment extensions, deferred plans and online cancellation need sign-in to the Reliant account.
- Reliant's Terms of Service and Your Rights as a Customer documents could not be retrieved; plan-specific fees are in the customer's own EFL.
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:
Reliant 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