Virtual and In-Person Public Forums Set Regarding Billing Errors

ALBANY — The New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) and the DPS Consumer Advocate, will hold a virtual public forum on Tuesday, January 31, and in-person public forums on Wednesday, February 1, Tuesday, February 7, and Wednesday, February 8, 2023, to receive public comments regarding alleged delayed or erroneous billing, delayed or inaccurate meter reading, and customer service problems affecting customers of New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) and/or Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation (RG&E) (the companies). Comments submitted will become part of the official record for this matter.

To monitor utility performance, DPS staff tracks utility customer service metrics and compiles monthly complaint statistics. DPS staff has observed a significant increase in complaints against the companies and a deterioration in the companies’ customer service performance metrics in 2022 and especially since August 2022. Among other issues, customers have reported high, inaccurate, or delayed bills, which they assert are inordinately based on estimated meter readings. These problems have been compounded by the inability of customers to reach the companies’ customer service representatives by telephone without substantial delay. As a result of the clear indications of unusual amounts of complaint activity and delayed responses to customers and consumer complaints, DPS staff and the DPS Consumer Advocate will hold in-person and virtual forums in multiple locations in the companies’ service territories to gather information about these issues directly from customers.

In addition to these forums, DPS staff and the DPS Consumer Advocate are soliciting public comments via DPS’ toll-free opinion line at 1-800-335-2120, or by U.S. mail and through other channels. The purpose of the public forums is for NYSEG and RG&E customers to provide comments on billing, customer service, meter reading, and other service quality issues they have experienced, and to add to the record DPS is compiling regarding these issues.

DPS staff and the DPS Consumer Advocate seek public comments responsive to the following questions:

Have you received delayed bills or no bills for extended periods of time (e.g., more than one month)?
If you did not receive a bill for one month or more, how long did it take to receive a bill, and did you possibly receive more than one bill as a “catch-up”?
If you called your utility to inquire why you did not receive a bill, did you receive timely, accurate and adequate information from your utility about why you were not receiving your bill(s) and when normal billing would resume?
If you are a customer receiving renewable energy services from a community distributed generation (CDG), have you had any issues with receiving bills, credits, or with inaccurate, delayed, or non-existent credits and billing reconciliations?
If you are a customer with solar panels or another form of renewable energy, have you had any issues with receiving bills, credits, or with inaccurate, delayed, or nonexistent credits and billing reconciliations? Or have you had troubles with demand metering?
If you receive supply service through an Energy Service Company (ESCO), have you had any issues with receiving bills, credits, or with inaccurate, delayed, or nonexistent credits and billing reconciliations?

This list is not exhaustive, and comments may be made on other issues related to the companies’ performance. Please do not make personalized complaints publicly at a public forum so that you do not inadvertently reveal confidential personal information. Instead, make any and all complaints in the manner(s) set forth below.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that public forums before DPS staff will be held to receive comments regarding billing, meter reading, and customer service problems that have affected customers of the companies since 2022, as follows:

VIRTUAL: DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 TIME: 1:00 p.m. Electronic Access: www.webex.com Event Number: 2343 229 4895 Event Password: Jan31-1pm Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500 Access Code: 2343 229 4895	VIRTUAL: DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 TIME: 6:00 p.m. Electronic Access: www.webex.com Event Number: 2333 158 8627 Event Password: Jan31-6pm Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500 Access Code: 2333 158 8627
(In-Person) SOMERS: Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Location: Heritage Hills Society 8 Heritage Hills Drive Somers, NY 10589	(In-Person) ROCHESTER: Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2023 Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Location: Rochester City Hall Council Chambers 30 Church St. Rochester, NY 14614

(In-Person) BINGHAMTON:

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location: Binghamton State Office Building

First Floor Conference Room

44 Hawley St.

Binghamton, NY 13901

At the public forums, those wishing to comment on the companies and the questions presented above will have an opportunity to do so on the record. Commenters may be asked follow-up or clarifying questions by DPS staff. Members of the public may attend whichever forum is convenient and attendance is not limited to customers of the utilities.

Any person wishing to provide a public comment on the record at the virtual forums must pre-register by 12:00 p.m. on January 30, 2023.

To register electronically: Participants who would like to provide a comment and will log in to a virtual forum electronically may register at www.webex.com and then click “Join A Meeting” at the top right-hand corner of the screen and enter the appropriate event number listed above and provide all requested information.

To register by phone: Any participant who is unable to participate electronically, may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to provide a statement must register to do so in advance by calling 1-800-342-3330 and provide the requested information.

On the date and time of the virtual forums, electronic participants should visit www.webex.com and enter the appropriate event log in number. All call-in users should dial 518-549-0500 and enter the relevant access code listed above.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the DPS’ Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711.

Individuals that may need a language accommodation are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment:

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak at a public forum, there are several other ways to provide your comments. Comments should refer to Matter 23-00068, NYSEG/RG&E Billing Investigation.

Via Internet or mail: The Department of Public Service will launch a dedicated comment form on www.dps.ny.gov by January 31, 2023. Alternatively, comments may be mailed to Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, New York State Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350. All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission in this matter and may be accessed on the Department’s website in Matter 23-00068.

Toll-free Opinion Line: Comments may be submitted by calling the Department of Public Service’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is designed to take comments about pending matters from in-state callers 24 hours a day. These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

Filing a Consumer Complaint

If you wish to file a complaint about your utility service, you may contact DPS at www.dps.ny.gov/complaints, 1-800-342-3377 (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) or by writing to Office of Consumer Services, 3 Empire State Plaza, 4th Floor, Albany, New York 12223. Please include as much information as possible with your complaint.

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