NEW YORK — In honor of thew current Nationwide Client Safety Week, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced the outcomes of final 12 months’s client safety issues.
Based on a press launch from the governor’s workplace, in 2023 the Workplace of Client Providers on the New York State Division of Public Service — the employees arm of the Public Service Fee (PSC) — and the New York Division of State’s Division of Client Safety assisted 276,000 New York households with a wide range of client safety issues, returning almost $9.7 million to customers.
The PSC carried out almost 25,000 investigations, ensuing within the Division returning almost $7 million to customers. The Division of Client Safety dealt with 26,137 client complaints and inquiries returning almost $2.7 million to customers.
“We’re placing a refund within the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers who’ve been victims of a rip-off or overcharged by their utilities,” Hochul mentioned within the launch. “My administration has made an incredible effort to answer hundreds of complaints and return thousands and thousands of {dollars} to New York households. We’ll proceed working to guard customers and maintain dishonest companies accountable.”
The Division of Public Service’s Workplace of Client Providers screens the quantity and kinds of complaints obtained in opposition to all utilities working in New York State to make sure that utilities fulfill their obligation to offer efficient customer support in compliance with the legal guidelines, guidelines, rules and insurance policies. Every month, the Workplace of Client Providers makes public an in depth overview of criticism exercise and utility responsiveness that’s informative to each customers and utility corporations.
The New York State Division of Client Safety’s mission is to help, shield, educate, and symbolize customers in an ever-changing economic system. The Division of Client Safety works arduous to help people aggrieved within the market by its criticism mediation efforts, together with educating the general public on market scams, and advocating customers’ curiosity earlier than legislative and regulatory our bodies.
The highest 5 classes of client complaints obtained by the Division of Client Safety in 2023 have been:
• Refunds/Retailer Coverage: Complaints associated to refunds and retailer insurance policies, together with return insurance policies, restocking charges, and refunds for broken items.
• Orders/Deliveries: Complaints associated to the order and supply of products bought, together with lacking gadgets, incorrect gadgets obtained, late or delayed supply or gadgets by no means shipped.
• Merchandise/Product: Complaints associated to merchandise or merchandise that didn’t meet customers’ expectations.
• Credit score Playing cards: Complaints associated to inaccurate fees, billing, card advantages and unlawful surcharges.
• House Enchancment: Complaints associated to dwelling enchancment, restore companies and contractors.
“The PSC and Division stay laser targeted on resolving utility complaints for the State’s customers and guaranteeing utilities adjust to client safety rules. This focus permits us to advertise our historic mission and actions on behalf of the general public curiosity and helps be sure that utilities present refunds to customers when the utilities make a mistake,” PSC Chair Rory M. Christian mentioned within the launch.
“Our prime precedence is to guard customers from fraudulent enterprise practices, faulty merchandise and harmful items and companies. The Division of State’s Division of Client Safety is proud to assist people by educating them on how you can shield themselves from scammers and by offering companies with steering on the legal guidelines to create a good market for all New Yorkers,” Secretary Robert J. Rodriguez mentioned within the launch.
The Division of Public Service’s Workplace of Client Providers additionally screens complaints in opposition to the aggressive vitality service corporations (ESCOs) working in New York, and in opposition to distributed vitality sources (DERs), a vital component of the State’s transition to wash vitality. By way of added client protections, the Division additionally started regulating vitality brokers in 2023, and is frequently tasked with guaranteeing regulated entities meet or exceed guidelines and rules relating to offering customer support.
Along with its ongoing Central Hudson Fuel & Electrical Corp. billing investigation, the Division expanded its investigation into New York State Electrical & Fuel Corp. (NYSEG) and Rochester Fuel and Electrical Corp. (RG&E) relating to potential mismanagement of their utilities’ billing methods and protocols. As a part of the investigation, the Division’s Client Advocate hosted a collection of public boards in affected areas in January and February 2023 to listen to client issues first-hand. The issues with the NYSEG and RG&E billing methods turned obvious when the Division started to see a big spike within the variety of complaints from clients.
As a direct results of the unprecedented numbers of client complaints, Division employees commenced a evaluation and an investigation associated to a change to the businesses’ buyer info and billing system. The complaints obtained by the Division vary from incorrect payments being despatched to customers, extraordinarily late payments being despatched, a number of conflicting payments being despatched, or difficulties billing renewable vitality clients.
In 2023, the variety of client complaints in opposition to Central Hudson, NYSEG and RG&E soared to greater than 1742, 4260 and 2293 complaints, respectively. This was 4 occasions greater than the variety of complaints obtained in 2021 and 14 % greater than 2022.
In February, the PSC adopted a $200 million New York State vitality invoice credit score to be administered by the electrical and gasoline utilities, which is funded within the 2023-2024 Finances to offset will increase in vitality commodity costs, requests by the utilities for supply price will increase, and pressures on affordability typically. The vitality invoice credit score is a one-time credit score that may present vitality invoice aid to greater than seven million electrical and gasoline utility clients.
As a part of its client help education schemes, the Division offers customers with complete, clear academic supplies and steering to help them in decreasing their vitality payments, making ready for winter and summer season’s excessive chilly and warmth, and studying and exercising their rights beneath New York’s nation-leading utility client safety legal guidelines, the House Power Truthful Practices Act (HEFPA). Division employees additionally informs, educates and empowers customers by reside outreach shows statewide, wealthy client schooling sources, and well timed social media client info campaigns.
To file client complaints in opposition to a utility or to obtain extra client companies info, go to http://www.dps.ny.gov/complaints or name the Division’s helpline at 800-342-3377, Monday by Friday, 8:30am – 4:00pm. You could contact the Division in writing on the NYS Dept. of Public Service Workplace of Client Providers, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350. Customers can file a criticism with the Division of Client Safety at https://dos.ny.gov/file-consumer-complaint.
