Frequently Asked Questions about Billing Audits

 

 

We’ve already engaged the services of a gas management company to monitor our invoices for accuracy.  Why should we consider duplicating this service?

The only reason we are willing to commit our resources in situations like this is that we regularly find errors on invoices that were previously approved for payment by a customer’s gas management company.  Many firms include billing monitoring as a value-added service to make their overall package of services appear comprehensive.  Many consumers don’t realize that the bill monitoring is often overseen by clerical staff with limited skills and understanding of a complex billing mechanism.  There have also been instances where we’ve found that even more senior personnel within a gas management company do not have a thorough understanding of the bills they monitor.

 
We are in the business of finding errors.  Our people are some of the best trained in the industry.  If they don’t recover money for your company, you owe us nothing.

 

Why do we need your services if we always review our bills before paying them?

Many of our clients have procedures in place to review their utility bills, yet most errors that we uncover are related to rates, tariffs and regulatory issues that most clients are not able to identify due to their complexity.

 

Our utility bills have been audited recently by an outside firm.  Is there really any benefit to going through this process again?

Not all auditing firms are equal.  Some companies simply enter the billing data into their software This will normally only identify mathematical errors.  Our analysis and review is very robust and much more technical in nature.  We recently recovered over $30,000 after being invited to audit a client’s hydro bills directly after another firm came up empty handed.

 

How far back am I able to claim a refund?

That depends upon the jurisdiction.  In Ontario, we can often go back six years, depending on the nature of the claim.

 

How long does it take for you to complete the audit and for us to receive any refund due to us?

Typically we complete the audit in 3 to 4 weeks, with a refund or credit from the utility taking another 3 or 4 weeks.  In more complex or unique situations it could take substantially longer.