With about 20% of Marylanders signed up for third-party energy suppliers, complaints are bound to arise.
Here’s what customers can do when they have questions or concerns:
Consumers can compare their utility company’s supply charges to those of a third-party supplier, or vise versa, by comparing the price per kilowatt hour that each company charges for electricity and/or price per therm for gas. Customers should also check whether there are any additional charges listed on their energy bill.
If a customer believes there is an issue, the first step should be for them to try to contact the company whom the complaint is against, said Stephanie Bolton, director of the Consumer Affairs Division of the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC).
If they are unable to reach the company or are dissatisfied with the answer they receive, the customer can then file a complaint with the PSC either online, over the phone or via a paper form.
The PSC will then notify the utility or supplier of the complaint and expect a response within seven days. After receiving a response from the company, the commission will make an independent decision.
Complainants who are not satisfied with that initial decision can file a rebuttal and escalate the complaint to the PSC’s further review team.
And if they are still not satisfied with that team’s answer, the complainant can file a formal complaint with the PSC’s Office of the Executive Secretary, Bolton said.
Bolton said the PSC strives to resolve at least 80% of complaints within 60 days. In Fiscal Year 2021, the commission handled 96% of complaints within 60 days.
Billing issues have been the most common complaint in FY20 and FY21, said Bolton. But “slamming,” the practice of customers being switched to a supplier without the customer’s consent, was the second most common complaint in FY20. It dropped to fifth in FY21, after prohibitions on door-to-door solicitations related to the pandemic.
“We are always monitoring for patterns of violations,” Bolton said. “One issue, it just may be a one off. Two, it may be a coincidence. But if we see three of them, at that point it looks a little bit more like a pattern, so we start digging in a little bit.”
If the PSC suspects a pattern of issues with a supplier, the Compliance and Enforcement Unit reaches out to the supplier to educate them first. Afterwards, if issues persist, they may refer the case to the commission.
“It’s not necessarily a situation where they are intending to be in violation of our rule. They may not just know what we’re looking for.”
For example, only the account holder is authorized to enroll the household in an energy plan, meaning suppliers cannot get the account holder’s spouse, parent, child or other household members to sign up on behalf of the household.
Some suppliers may not be aware of all of Maryland’s rules and regulations, especially if they do business in states with different policies, Bolton said.
“Usually, suppliers are willing to work with us,” she said. “For the most part, they’re trying to act in good faith. If we can help them do better in Maryland, that is our goal. We want to make sure people have as much choice as possible, we want to make sure that suppliers know what the rules are and are committed to following them.”
Customers can view the number and types of existing complaints against suppliers or file their own complaint on the PSC’s website.
The PSC and public utility law judges also both have YouTube channels, where people can watch videos of proceedings.
And the Maryland Energy Choice website can help customers compare their current supplier’s rates, terms and other information to other suppliers.
Bolton added that community organizations and others can request for a PSC representative to come to their event and teach people about the commission’s processes and resources available to consumers.
“We really are pushing to get that information out there, but it takes time,” she said. “If anybody has an event that they would like the Public Service Commission’s Consumer Affairs Division to attend, I am there. Let’s make it work.”
AARP Maryland also provides information about comparing energy prices through their Maryland Energy Toolkit. Individuals can also send an email to energysupplierhelpddesk@gmail.com and text or call 443-595-7844 for assistance.
Read Baltimore Fishbowl’s article here about issues in the energy choice market and proposed solutions.
