Ombudsman probes Hydro One bills after complaints from customers spike
Posted Feb 4, 2014 01:07:27 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario’s government watchdog is launching an investigation into complaints about “serious problems” with bills and customer service at Hydro One.
Ombudsman Andre Marin says his probe will focus on the transparency of Hydro One’s billing practices and the way it responds to customer concerns.
Marin says complaints about the giant utility have risen steadily in recent years, and more than doubled since 2011-12.
He says most of the complaints come from customers who believe “bills are wrong, excessive, duplicated, unreasonably delayed or estimated based on unclear criteria.”
Marin says his office has experienced “stonewalling” from Hydro One, the government-owned transmission giant that also serves as a local electricity distributor for customers in smaller and rural communities.
The ombudsman says his staff experience the same problems as customers when they call Hydro One, a situation he calls “alarming.”
