WHO HANDLES CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS AND WHO SUES DEFAULTING SUPPLIERS?
The Ratepayer Advocate proposes that customers should have the same complaint procedures and legal rights against a competitive energy supplier irrespective of whether or not the contract with the supplier has been entered into under the aegis of municipal aggregation. The Board of Public Utilities would determine the appropriate complaint procedures, and restructuring legislation and contract law would determine respective legal rights. With this approach, the municipality’s role would be restricted to the solicitation and selection process and would, under normal circumstances, end when a supplier is selected. Only if there were some unexpected development, e.g., a supplier bankruptcy, would the municipality need to review the situation and select a new supplier. Requirements of financial and operational reliability built into the selection process would greatly minimize the likelihood of such situations. IMPLICATIONS OF THE THREE-WAY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATING SUPPLIERS, PUB
