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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2022 |
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Washington Gas Fined $1.1 Million for Customer Service Issues Following OPC Complaint
BALTIMORE – Washington Gas Light must pay a civil penalty of $1,147,600 for widespread problems with its customer service, the Maryland Public Service Commission said today in a final ruling on the Office of People Counsel’s complaint filed in September 2021. Washington Gas’s continued failure to improve its customer service record following its 2018 acquisition by AltaGas has resulted in customers suffering “significant harm,” the Commission’s order said.
“The Commission appropriately imposed a significant penalty for Washington Gas’s repeated violations,” said People’s Counsel David S. Lapp. “Most important, we hope that Washington Gas gets the message and improves its customer service.”
The Commission found in an earlier order that OPC’s complaint demonstrated the utility’s “extensive failure to provide adequate customer service” within its Maryland service territory. Among other violations, the Commission agreed that Washington Gas has consistently failed to meet industry standards for responding to customers who call its service center for issues such as connecting or terminating service, bill inquiries, and other matters.
The utility’s many years of customer service problems, along with its regulatory violations and its previous reporting failures, weighed into its penalty calculations, the Commission said. The Commission also ordered the utility to suspend collections, disconnections, and late fees until it meets nine customer metrics for three consecutive months.
“The penalties vindicate the complaints of many Maryland consumers who have struggled with their gas service,” Lapp said. “Washington Gas’s customers are captive and have nowhere else to turn for essential gas service, making it critical that Washington Gas improves its service. We will be monitoring Washington Gas’s progress in raising its performance to industry standards.”
The Maryland Office of People’s Counsel is an independent state agency that represents Maryland’s residential consumers of electric, natural gas, telecommunications, private water and certain transportation matters before the Public Service Commission, federal regulatory agencies and the courts.
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