As a ratepayer you have the right to “safe and reliable service in accordance with industry standards,” guaranteed to you by the utility Ratepayer Bill of Rights. The Alliance for Affordable Energy and Citizens for Change worked with the New Orleans City Council and ENO to develop this Ratepayer Bill of Rights, and in 2007 the Council codified it into law. The law states: “If you feel that the Utility has violated your rights or is in violation of its Customer Service Regulations, you have the right to participate in the Customer Complaint and Dispute Resolution Process.”
The Alliance encourages you to exercise your rights as a ratepayer and take advantage of this dispute resolution process if needed; and as your consumer advocate we’re here to help.
According to the Council’s website “the process is intended to be easy, inexpensive and result in an independent, neutral, nonbinding assessment of whether there has been a violation by the utility of the customer service regulations.” While the process may seem daunting at first, the good news is The Alliance is here to help you navigate it.
Let’s start from the beginning. The Council Utility Regulatory Office, commonly known as CURO, is charged with ensuring that the form for filing a complaint is made available. You can access the complaint form:
Before using the formal complaint process you must first submit your complaint informally to ENO in writing or on the phone. Make sure to get a reference number for your complaint.
If you are unhappy with ENO’s decision regarding your informal complaint you are entitled to have a Customer Service Manager review the decision. If you are still unhappy with the outcome and you and ENO cannot satisfactorily resolve the dispute within 10 business days of ENO’s receipt of your informal complaint, ENO must send you in the mail notification of the status of your informal complaint and your right to file a formal complaint through the Council Utilities Regulatory Office.
Make sure to hold onto ENO’s response. You have 10 calendar days from the date you receive Entergy’s written response to your informal complaint in the mail to file a formal complaint with the New Orleans City Council.
When completing the formal utility complaint form you must:
You can submit the form to CURO by hand delivering it to their office at City Hall, faxing the form to 504-658-1117, or by mailing it to the address below:
City Council Utilities Regulatory Office
Attn: Director
Room 6E07, City Hall
1300 Perdido Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
After you submit your formal complaint form to CURO, they will notify ENO and a designated Complaint Officer of your formal complaint within 3 business days of the day that you file your formal complaint. After allowing the utility 3 days to respond, the Complaint Officer will determine if your formal complaint is eligible for an Administrative Hearing.
Learn more about your right to have an administrative hearing in the Council’s guide to the Complaint and Dispute Resolution Process. Have questions about the process? Contact CURO at 504-658-1110.
As we said before, The Alliance is your consumer advocate and we’re here to help. If you feel your rights as a ratepayer have been violated give us a call at 504-208-9761, or contact us on our website: all4energy.org/contact.
