Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4901:1 - Utilities › Chapter 4901:1-13 - Gas Companies › Section 4901:1-13-10 - Complaints and complaint-handling procedures

Current through all
			 regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) As used in this rule, customer/consumer
			 complaint means a customer/consumer contact when such contact necessitates
			 follow-up by or with the gas or natural gas company to resolve a point of
			 contention.
(B) Each gas or natural
			 gas company shall make good faith efforts to settle unresolved disputes, which
			 may include meeting with the customer/consumer at a reasonable time and
			 place.
(C) Except as ordered by the
			 commission or directed by the commission staff in disconnection or emergency
			 cases, each gas or natural gas company shall investigate customer/consumer
			 complaints and, unless otherwise agreed to, provide a status report within
			 three business days of the date of receipt of the complaint
			 
								to commission
			 staff, when investigating a complaint referred to the gas or natural gas
			 company by the commission or commission staff.
(D) If an investigation is not completed
			 within ten business days, the gas or natural gas company shall provide status
			 reports to update  commission staff when investigating a
			 complaint referred to the gas or natural gas company by the commission or
			 commission staff, either orally or in writing, at five-business-day intervals,
			 unless otherwise agreed to, until the investigation is complete.
(E) Each gas or natural gas company shall
			 inform 
			 commission staff when involved, of the results of the investigation, orally or
			 in writing, no later than five business days after completion of the
			 investigation. The customer/consumer or commission staff may request the final
			 report to be in writing.
(F) If the
			 customer/consumer disputes the gas or natural gas company's report(s), each gas
			 or natural gas company shall inform the customer/consumer that the commission
			 staff is available to mediate complaints. The company shall provide the
			 customer/consumer with the commission's website and toll-free telephone number
			 of the commission's call center. Hearing or speech impaired customers may
			 contact the commission via 7-1-1 (Ohio relay service).
(G) Each gas or natural gas company will also
			 provide a dedicated telephone number staffed from eight a.m. to five p.m.,
			 Monday through Friday, except on state holidays, to commission staff to use and
			 provide to consumers when escalating consumer complaints. The gas or natural
			 gas company staff assigned to answer these calls will have the authority to
			 address the escalated consumer complaint. The requirements in this paragraph do
			 not apply to small gas and small natural gas companies.
(H) If a customer contacts the gas or natural
			 gas company concerning competitive retail natural gas service issues, the gas
			 or natural gas company shall:
(1) Review the
			 issue with the customer to determine whether it also involves the gas or
			 natural gas company.
(2) Cooperate
			 with the resolution of any joint issues with the retail natural gas supplier or
			 governmental aggregator.
(3) Refer
			 the customer to the appropriate retail natural gas supplier or governmental
			 aggregator in those instances where the issue lacks gas or natural gas company
			 involvement.