The key to successful utility advocacy is simply gathering the relevant facts and making a few phone calls. A few pointers about how to do that follow.
First, always make sure to call the company before you call the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) (or the Department of Telecommunications and Cable (DTC)). If you do call the DPU (or DTC) first, the pre-recorded message makes it clear that you should call the company before asking the DPU (or DTC) to get involved.
Second, gather the relevant facts before calling the utility company, the DPU or any other agencies. At a minimum, if you are an advocate or social services worker helping the customer, make sure to have the customer’s name, address, and account number. Try to determine how large the monthly bills are, both for the bill that the customer is asking you to help with (e.g., a high gas bill) and any other utility bill that is not the customer’s immediate concern (e.g., the electric bill). Find out how large the arrearage is, and what the customer’s payment history has been (e.g., paid nothing for several months, or paid small amounts but slowly fallen behind, etc.).
Because the first step in protecting or restoring utility service is to assert any available protections, make sure to find out the ages of all household members and whether anyone has any physical, emotional, or mental illness. Check whether the household is already on the discount rates and receiving fuel assistance.
These are the basic facts you will need in almost every case. Of course, other facts will be relevant depending on the individual situation. But regardless of the exact situation, you are more likely to succeed when speaking to the utility or the DPU (or DTC) if you have a good grasp of the relevant facts.
Third, don’t give up just because the first call you make does not succeed in solving your client’s problem. For example, if you are speaking to a utility company CSR and that person says something you think is contrary to the law (for example, demands 75% of an overdue bill to prevent a termination of an existing account), you should ask for that person’s supervisor. If you still believe that the company is taking a position that is contrary to law or simply the wrong thing to do, call on the DPU’s (or DTC’s) Consumer Division for assistance. For some issues, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General may be able to help. You can file a consumer complaint by contacting the Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at (617) 727-8400, or filing a complaint online at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint.
If you have additional questions, you may contact [email protected].