DEADLINE: File by tomorrow if you got a notice about Seattle City Light billing lawsuit

| Utilities | West Seattle news

If you got a notice saying you might be eligible for part of a class-action settlement in a lawsuit over Seattle City Light billing, but put it aside and forgot about it, here’s your reminder that tomorrow is the deadline for taking action. Your West Seattle neighbor Lynda emailed us suggesting you might need a nudge. Here’s the original city announcement of the settlement; the suit was over “estimated” bills between 2015 and 2020. You can file a claim via this website. That’s also where the lawsuit’s background is explained (follow the “What is this lawsuit about?” link on the FAQs page. The FAQs also explain that if you’re eligible, and still an SCL customer, your compensation will come as a bill credit.)

Jenben February 27, 2022 (1:53 pm)

So irritating! If they know that they made a mistake they should just credit people losers

Sue H February 27, 2022 (2:49 pm)

There was period of time around 2018 where I lived in an apartment building and got 5 estimated bills (10 months) in a row – and there’s no way that staff wasn’t on hand 5 separate times to give them access to the meters – City Light first told me that their key didn’t work and no one was around, and then at one point they actually admitted they were short staffed, so they just didn’t get to everyone every month. But 5 straight bills? They were also all underestimated so when I screamed loud enough for them to do an actual bill, it was huge. My normal bill was around $45 and this one was $250. Glad someone went after them.

bill February 27, 2022 (3:51 pm)

Let me see… City Light, funded by ratepayers, is compensating … wait for it … ratepayers. This could have been accomplished much faster and without lawyers: You and your neighbor each take two $5 bills out of your wallets. Burn one each. Swap the remaining $5 bills and put them away in your wallets.

Mj February 27, 2022 (5:56 pm)

Bill- nice analogy!

nestor dofredo February 28, 2022 (12:33 am)

SCL simplifying minimizing extra expense to their agenda by automation of estimated cost usage of customers. It will come in the near future that according to their statistics and individual spend so much per cycle whether he uses it or not.

Trileigh February 28, 2022 (7:29 am)

Thanks so much for this article – just filed my claim, and I would have forgotten without your nudge.

West Seattle Mad Sci Guy February 28, 2022 (9:58 am)

I don’t remember if I got estimated bills that were large. Seems vaguely familiar. Either way because I don’t clearly remember I didn’t want to register.

HS February 28, 2022 (10:25 am)

Thanks for the reminder :)

Question February 28, 2022 (12:04 pm)

Is there a downside of getting involved in this? Never having joined a class action I am a little uncertain.

Reeve February 28, 2022 (12:44 pm)

The moment you join a class action lawsuit, you can’t file an individual claim against the company for the issue ever, which is the case whether or not the class action lawsuit is successful. So if the class action lawsuit fails, you’re forever out of luck. So if you think there’s a chance the case could fail but you need compensation, an individual claim might be for you.

Question February 28, 2022 (4:00 pm)

Thank you

WSCurmudgeon March 1, 2022 (3:54 pm)

If the City Light billing system is generally accurate, and in the case of our single family residential bills it has been for the 46 years I’ve been paying them. It seems to me that there is no reason that SCL itself could not have calculated a pretty good estimate of the over-payments of every ratepayer, and then offered those folks a credit against future bills. As others have noted, there would have been no necessity for the legal system to be involved, which always involves extra expense. There is also, it seems to me, a large element of inequity in the settlement process. The people least likely to register as members of the “class” entitled to reimbursement are those who likely were damaged most in the first place, and also need help with the power bill most: low income, elderly, those less fluent in English.

Sorry, comment time is over.