Pa. Attorney General: File A Complaint If You Think You're Being Gouged For Electricity
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania's attorney general is inviting consumers to file complaints with her office if they believe they have experienced abnormal and extreme increases in costs for electricity.
The cold winter has resulted in spikes in the wholesale electricity market, and the Public Utility Commission has received complaints from hundreds of consumers on variable rate plans who have experienced, in some cases, two and threefold rate increases.
Joe Peters, spokesman for the attorney general, says consumers who think they've been ripped off are encouraged to file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
"To gather as much information as possible to determine if there are inappropriate charges, if there is price gouging, and then to determine the next course of action."
Peters says that course of action could include mediation with companies, to a formal investigation, to filing legal action. He says complaints should include documentation such as contracts, bills and marketing materials from suppliers.
To file a complaint, download a form:
E-mail form and documentation to: consumers@attorneygeneral.gov.
Or fax the form and documentation to: 717-705-3795 or 717-772-3560.
Or mail form and documentation to:
Office of Attorney General
Bureau of Consumer Protection
15th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
