National Grid customers have until May 12 to file claim for automated calls

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- Time is running out for National Grid customers to file a claim for a class-action lawsuit against the company for automated calls. The settlement covers U.S. customers who received an automated call on their cell phone between Mar. 9, 2011, to Oct. 29, 2021.

The lawsuit (Jenkins v. National Grid USA Service Company, Inc.) contends National Grid failed to get permission from customers to make automated calls to their cell phones. A provision of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). National Grid agreed to pay $38.5 million to people who may have received an automated call saying the following:

• The payment or status of a current or past National Grid Utility Account or bill
• An “important matter” concerning a current or past National Grid Utility Account or bill
• A disconnect notice concerning a current or past National Grid Utility Account
• An invitation from National Grid to attend a Customer Assistance Expo or to meet with or speak to the National Grid Consumer Advocacy Group, National Grid Consumer Advocate, or National Grid Credit Department
• The availability of a government assistance program, such as the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

Claims against the settlement must be filed by May 12. The Brooklyn Union gas Company and KeySpan Gas East Corporation were also included in the lawsuit.

National Grid said that it did not violate the TCPA Act. However, Upstate New York Communication Specialist, Patrick Stella, told NEWS10 in January the company decided it was in the best interest of National Grid and its customers to settle the lawsuit.

The settlement claim form is available online. Some people may not have received notification by mail that they were possibly eligible to receive part of the settlement. However, they can still fill out a claim form. Information about the settlement can be found on National Grid’s website, classaction.org, or govinfo.gov.

NEWS10 sent a message to the settlement's information email address to find out approximately how many customers may be eligible to receive a portion of the settlement but did not hear back by the time of publication. National Grid serves about 1.6 million electric customers in New York according to its website.