EDISON SNAFU AFTER EDISON SNAFU, A LANDERS OUTAGE UPDATE

Exactly two months ago a Z107.7 News investigation brought to light that as many as a thousand Landers residents were eligible for a $30 bill credit from Southern California Edison. The utility operates under a “service guarantee” which promises 3-day advance notice of any planned outage and pledges a $30 credit should it fail to provide that notice. Edison never disputed that last December 29, when the mercury dropped to the year’s recorded low of 28F, only a handful of the thousand or more affected knew the outage was coming or that it would last all day. Initially SCE directed those affected to submit a complex online claim form; later, ratepayers were told claim forms were unnecessary because SCE knows which customers are due a credit. Still, weeks and months have passed and, according to SCE, not a single credit has been issued. SCE now says the credit will appear bills in April or May. They attribute the delay to the time needed to verify which customers are due a credit. Business as usual for Southern California Edison.