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Ohio Administrative Code (Last Updated: January 12, 2021) |
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4901:1 Utilities |
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Chapter4901:1-13. Gas Companies |
4901:1-13-06. Provision of customer rights and obligations
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(A) Each gas or natural gas company shall maintain and make available a handbook of customer rights and obligations.
(B) Each gas or natural gas company shall prominently post on its website and shall provide new customers, upon application for service, and existing customers upon request, a written summary of their rights and obligations under this chapter. This summary information shall be in clear and understandable language and delivered to customers. Each gas or natural gas company shall submit the initial version of the summary information and notice of each subsequent amendment thereafter to the director of the commission's service monitoring and enforcement department or the director's designee in writing for review prior to the first mailing of that version of the summary information to its customers. For purposes of this rule, "new customer" means a customer who opens a new account and has not received the current version of the summary information .
(C) At a minimum, the summary information shall include the following items:
(1) Complaint procedures available at the gas or natural gas company and the commission.
(2) Customer rights and responsibilities including installation of service, payment of bills, disconnection and reconnection of service, meter testing, security deposits, usage history, deferred payment plans, low-income assistance, information relating to the area's "one-call" or "call-before-you-dig" protection services, and service line responsibilities.
(3) Requirements applicable to company personnel on customer premises.
(4) Availability of rate information and alternatives upon request.
(5) A statement that customers may review a copy of the minimum gas service standards on the commission's website or obtain a copy from the commission upon request.
(6) Privacy rights.
(7) Actual meter readings.
(8) Gas choice programs available to its customers, including information on slamming.
(9) Instructions on how to get further information orally or in writing.
(D) The summary information shall also include the following statement:
"If your complaint is not resolved after you have called (name of utility), or for general utility information, residential and business customers may contact the public utilities commission of Ohio (PUCO) for assistance at 1-800-686-7826 (toll free) from eight a.m. to five p.m. weekdays, or at http://www.puco.ohio.gov. Hearing or speech impaired customers may contact the PUCO via 7-1-1 (Ohio relay service).
The Ohio consumers' counsel (OCC) represents residential utility customers in matters before the PUCO. The OCC can be contacted at 1-877-742-5622 (toll free) from eight a.m. to five p.m. weekdays, or at http://www.pickocc.org."