By Ryan Randazzo | Arizona Republic
Arizona Public Service Co. has delayed a plan to begin “shadow billing,” showing customers on their monthly bills what they would have saved on a different rate plan, amid questions about the accuracy of the company’s data.
APS officials confirmed Friday that after being notified Thursday by The Arizona Republic that their online “rate comparison tool” was showing incorrect data to a customer, they delayed the rollout of shadow billing, also called pro forma billing.
The online tool APS provided on its website advised the customer to switch rate plans to one that would actually have been hundreds of dollars more expensive over a year.
It’s unclear how many customers received such advice from the utility’s website and how many might have taken it, switching to a costlier electricity plan.
APS was ordered by the Arizona Corporation Commission in June to begin shadow billing. More than 50% of customers are not on their cheapest plan.
