Utility Billing Mistake in Palo Alto

Mercury News reports that 830 customers were double-charged for their utilities in May:

The mistake came as the utilities department switched to a new billing system that is part of Palo Alto’s broader SAP network, said Tom Auzenne, assistant director of utility costumer support services.

The double-billing was not a computer glitch but a human error, he said. It affected some “bank draft” customers who give the city their bank account numbers so their payments can be withdrawn automatically each month.

Yes, there is definitely human error here. It is worth noting though that similiarly to the recent utility billing case in Texas, customers with automatic bill pay transfers were affected by this.