Retail Supplier Complaints Decline 70% Since 2014, Stand At <1% Of Shopping Customers

Complaints filed against retail electric suppliers have declined 70% from 2014 to 2016, according to a draft annual Connecticut PURA report on the retail electric market.

In 2014, PURA's Consumer Affairs Unit recorded 2,161 complaints filed against retail electric suppliers. In 2015, that total declined to 802, and, in 2016, electric supplier complaints further declined to 568 statewide, which is a 73% decline versus 2014.

As of December 2016, there were 514,000 electric customers on competitive supply statewide.

For the Authority’s purposes, a registered complaint represents a customer who first contacted his utility company about an issue, but remained dissatisfied with the response. The complaint does not necessarily reflect the validity of the customer’s allegation, just that the customer was not satisfied with the company’s service, response or proposed resolution.

Electric supplier billing complaints had made up the majority of complaints in 2014, at 1,642. Billing complaints in 2016 were only 128, or a decline of 92%.

"However, the Authority is still registering a significant number of customer complaints regarding supplier solicitation practices, incidents of sales person misrepresentation, unfair trade and marketing practices, and numerous spoofing issues. The only increase in complaint types in 2016 was an 18% increase in the number of general complaints," the draft report notes.

"General complaints" against electric suppliers increased from 288 in 2014 to 346 in 2016.

Docket No. 16-01-09