810 R.I. Code R. 810-RICR-10-00-1.8

Current through November 7, 2024

Section 810-RICR-10-00-1.8 - Public Utility Responsibilities

A. Customer Inquiries Regarding Disconnects

1. The public utility shall provide for an officer or employee to be available and prepared during business hours to handle customers' questions and complaints. Such officer or employee shall be capable of rapidly familiarizing himself with the details of the case and shall be authorized and required to answer thoroughly each of the customer's reasonable inquiries.

2. In handling customer's inquiries regarding disconnects, such officer or employee shall inquire as to the customer's eligibility for the elderly and handicapped protections contained in § 1.4(K) of this Part. In handling inquiries regarding disconnects, such employee shall also inquire as to the customer's eligibility for the protections contained in §§ 1.4(B) through (J) of this Part.

3. Employees responsible for the receiving of customer telephone calls and office visits shall be properly qualified and instructed in the screening and prompt handling of the complaints and service requests to assure prompt reference of the complaint or request to the person or department capable of effective handling of the matter, and to obviate the necessity of the customer's repetition of the entire complaint to employees lacking in ability and authority to take appropriate action.

B. Dispute as to Customer's Liability and/or Conditions of Payment

Where the customer informs the public utility that he or she disputes liability for any part of a bill as rendered, or disputes the terms or conditions of payment, the public utility shall not terminate service therefore, but rather shall investigate the dispute promptly and thoroughly, report the results of its investigation to the customer, and make a diligent attempt to reach a mutually satisfactory settlement as to the dispute. If a mutually satisfactory settlement is not reached, the public utility shall inform the customer of his or her right within the notice period provided in § 1.5 of this Part or within ten (10) days after receipt of the report, whichever is longer, to appeal to the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers for review of the dispute and hearing. If a mutually satisfactory settlement is not reached and the customer does not appeal to the Division within the time permitted, the public utility may disconnect the service subject to all other requirements of these termination rules and regulations.

C. Tender of Payment to Field Personnel

If the public utility sends an employee to the customer's premises for purposes of disconnecting service, and the customer then and there tenders payment of the bill in full or in part in accord with the provisions of the residential payment plan sections of these Rules and Regulations, the service shall not be disconnected. For purposes of this section, the public utility's field personnel and employees shall be deemed to be authorized and shall be required to accept such payment from the customer and to give the customer a receipt for any payment made but shall not be required to make change or to enter into agreements with the customer. Any public utility employee sent to disconnect service shall bring with him either a copy of the customer's bill showing the amount outstanding, or all the information contained therein.

D. Establishment of Residential Payment Plans

Each electric and gas public utility shall make residential payment plans, as described in § 1.9 of this Part, available to each residential customer who desires to enroll in such plan or who is liable to service termination for non-payment of bills. Water public utilities shall have the discretion, but shall not be required, to make such residential payment plans available to residential customers as long as they provide the Commission with evidence that they have a procedure in place to provide reasonable payment plans to customers carrying an unpaid balance.

E. Bill Insert

Gas and electric public utilities will include a bill insert one month prior to the commencement of, and two months prior to the conclusion of, the utility termination moratorium period. The bill insert will inform customers that gas and electric public utilities cannot terminate residential service during the utility termination moratorium period (November 1st to April 15th) for nonpayment of a delinquent account if the customer is a Protected Status Customer (unemployed, seriously ill, elderly, handicapped or a recipient of LIHEAP funds). The bill insert will contain a copy of § 1.10 of this Part, as amended.

810 R.I. Code R. 810-RICR-10-00-1.8