Press Release

PUC Report Indicates Payment Agreement Requests Increase, Overall Consumer Complaints Increase While Most Consumers Satisfied with PUC Dealings

Published on 12/5/2012

Filed under: Electric Gas Water and Wastewater Telecommunications Transportation and Safety

HARRISBURG -- Both requests for payment agreements (PARs) and overall consumer complaints about utilities increased and a majority of the customers contacting the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for assistance rated it as a positive experience, according to the 2011 Utility Consumer Activities Report and Evaluation (UCARE) released by the PUC today.

"The Commission strives to ensure that Pennsylvania's utility customers are satisfied with the service from their electric utility," said Chairman Robert F. Powelson.  "If a consumer has an issue with a utility, we ask that they contact their utility and encourage them to resolve the issues with the company first.  If they continue to have issues, the PUC is available for additional assistance at 1-800-692-7380."

The report is an annual evaluation of the customer service performance of the state’s major jurisdictional electric, natural gas, water, wastewater and telephone companies.  A copy of the report is available on the PUC’s website.

Residential electric, natural gas, water and wastewater customers filed 58,337 PARs in 2011 – up seven percent from 54,363 in 2010. Residential customers of the telephone utilities filed 460 PARs, a 26-percent decrease.

The report also shows that 85 percent of consumers reported that they would contact the PUC again if they had another problem with a utility that they could not resolve with the company.  Further, 82 percent rated the service they received from the PUC as “good” or “excellent”.  Most residential consumer complaints about the electric (31 percent) and natural gas (37 percent) industries involved billing disputes and personnel problems.  Unsatisfactory service and billing dispute issues were the main reasons (54 percent) for residential consumer complaints about the telephone industry.

Additional highlights from the 2011 report include:

• 73,850 utility customer contacts to the PUC required review – an eight-percent increase from 2010.  Of these contacts, 14,718 were consumer complaints, and 59,132 were PARs.  In addition, 66,747 consumer contacts in 2011 were classified as inquiries.
• Inquiries decreased by 14 percent from 2010.  Inquiries related to CAP issues and termination or suspension of utility service each represented 18 percent of all inquiries. Data shows that 7,573 inquiries recorded in 2011 were consumer contacts requesting new PARs that PUC representatives were not able to accommodate for various reasons.

• During 2011, the PUC received 9,718 consumer complaints from residential customers of the electric, natural gas, water and sewer companies.  Residential customers of telephone utilities lodged 3,412 consumer complaints in 2011.

From 2010 to 2011, the volume of consumer complaints increased by 26 percent in the electric utilities and by four percent in the telecommunications industry.  In contrast, the number of consumer complaints in the natural gas utilities decreased by five percent since 2010.

To help consumers make accurate comparisons between companies of various sizes, the PUC calculates the number of justified complaints per 1,000 residential customers.  A complaint is considered “justified” if the Commission finds that the company did not comply with PUC regulations and policies when handling the dispute.  A significant increase in a justified rate would prompt a review of a utility’s complaint handling procedures.  Consumer complaint rates and justified consumer complaint rates are located in each industry chapter and in Appendix F of the report.

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 news releases, audio of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.pa.gov.

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