Frustrated customers say National Grid not complying with state order

Frustrated customers of National Grid — who were hit with multiple months of bills all at once — said the company isn’t doing enough to comply with a state order to waive old charges.Questions about thousands of customers, who went months without bills from National Grid this winter, got state regulators to crack down.On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities ordered the company not to collect on charges older than 60 days if it didn’t issue bills in a timely manner.However, several customers said getting National Grid to actually waive those charges — or refund them if they recently paid a lump sum — hasn’t proven easy.National Grid failed to bill as many as 35,000 customers this winter. Some 3,000 customers still haven’t received any bills going back to the fall. The company blamed a number of problems — from printing delays to meter readings — for the billing meltdown, which DPU called inexcusable.In its Monday order, DPU said it “cannot tolerate such a systemic and uncorrected failure” and pointed out that “substantial bill delays can wreak havoc with household budgeting, and it is simply unfair to expect customers to pay multiple months’ worth of bills that were not rendered timely.”In response, National Grid issued an apology and said it will cooperate with the state order.However, several customers said that cooperation has not translated to the utility’s customer service reps.”Last week, I received several bills covering August 2024 through February 2025,” one viewer wrote. “I am just trying to find out if I should be paying bills older than December 2024 or January 2025. National Grid customer service does not seem to know about the policy put in place by DPU. There is nobody at National Grid that seems to know anything about this.”“I just saw your news about National Grid. I was also affected and got hit with five bills within a one month period,” another viewer wrote. “I just called National Grid about what you had said if you already paid an invoice that was over 60 days old, they would refund you. He said that is not true and they can offer me a $50 one time credit for the inconvenience. I just wanted to confirm if this is actually true?”It is true. A spokesperson for the Department of Public Utilities confirmed that the company should be complying with the order.”Any National Grid customer — electric or gas — that has been affected by the company’s unacceptable billing issues and has not received their bill for 60 days or more is not to be charged by the company. The DPU is committed to protecting consumers’ rights, and we take this responsibility seriously,” a DPU spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.DPU advises customers who weren’t billed on time by National Grid to start by calling the company — the number is 1-800-233-5325 — and either asking for a refund of a recent lump sum payment or a waiver of charges older than 60 days before the earliest National Grid bill you received.If National Grid does not comply, customers should file a complaint with the Consumer Division of the Department of Public Utilities. That can be done online here: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-complaint-involving-a-gas-electric-or-water-companyCustomers can also file a complaint with DPU by calling 617-737-2836 or emailing DPUConsumer.Complaints@mass.govCustomers affected by the billing error who have not yet received a bill should only be charged for the most recent 60 days when that bill does finally arrive.After NewsCenter 5 reached out about the new complaints, National Grid reiterated its apology to customers, adding that refunds and credits will be automatic.