Press Release

PUC Report Indicates Decrease in Consumer Complaints

Published on 12/11/2006

Filed under: Electric Gas Water and Wastewater Telecommunications

HARRISBURG – Consumer complaints to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) decreased 14 percent from 2004 to 2005, according to the 2005 Utility Consumer Activities Report and Evaluation (UCARE) released today. The report is an annual evaluation of the customer service and performance of the state’s major jurisdictional electric, gas, water and telephone companies.

“The UCARE report is a good way for the Commission and consumers to find out how their utility companies are doing,” said PUC Chairman Wendell F. Holland. “This report gives consumers the opportunity to compare their company’s performance from year to year.”

Highlights from the report include:

• In 2005, the Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) investigated 22,590 consumer complaints, a decrease of 3,583 from the 26,173 complaints investigated in 2004;
• Out of the 22,590 complaints BCS handled in 2005, a total of 12,286 complaints were from residential customers of electric, gas, water, sewer and steam heat utilities, a decrease of 3 percent from the 12,623 complaints handled in 2004;
• Overall, the number of residential consumer complaints about gas utilities increased by 3 percent, while the telecommunications volume decreased by 22 percent from 2004 to 2005; and
• BCS handled 58,689 payment arrangement requests (PARS) from residential customers of the electric, gas, water, sewer and steam heat utilities in 2005, a decrease of 35 percent from 2004. In addition, BCS handled 2,672 PARS from residential customers of telephone utilities, a decrease of 34 percent from 2004.

To help consumers make accurate comparisons between companies of various sizes, BCS calculates the number of justified complaints per 1,000 residential customers. A complaint is considered “justified” if BCS finds that the company did not comply with PUC regulations and polices when handling the dispute. A significant increase in a justified rate would prompt BCS to review a utility’s complaint handling procedures. Consumer complaint rates can be found in Appendix D of the report.

Also, BCS handled 108,318 consumer contacts that required no follow-up investigation beyond the initial contact during 2005. Of these contacts, 2,614 were from consumers seeking information about electric and gas competition through the Commission’s toll-free Competition Hotline, with 48 percent related to competition in the electric industry and 25 percent related to competition in the gas industry.

In order to monitor its own service to customers, BCS surveys consumers who contacted BCS each year. The results of the Customer Feedback Survey show that over 78 percent of consumers rated the service they received from BCS as “excellent” or “good.”

In addition, 83 percent of consumers said they would contact the PUC again if they had a problem with a utility that they could not settle by talking with the utility. BCS management frequently reviews the findings of the consumer feedback survey and immediately investigates any negative trends to improve BCS’ performance. 

In addition to the evaluation of consumer contacts to BCS, the report includes a review of the customer assistance programs sponsored by Aqua Pennsylvania Inc., Pennsylvania-American Water Company, and United Water of Pennsylvania Inc.; as well as a review of the telephone universal service programs, Link-Up America, Lifeline Service; and the Universal Service Telephone Assistance Program.

Copies of the full report are available from the PUC’s Office of Communications in Room N310 of the Commonwealth Keystone Building and on the PUC’s Web site at www.puc.state.pa.us under Publications and Reports and Yearly Reports.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities to ensure safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protect the public interest; educate consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; further economic development; and foster new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

For recent new releases, audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our Web site at www.puc.state.pa.us.

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2005 UCARE Report

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