LADWP Customer Bill of Rights - Proposed 1/3/17
Pending approval by Board of Water and Power Commissioners
Water and power are essential to life and our economy. LADWP is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality water and power, with prompt, consistent and easily accessible customer service. We will approach our business practices in a collaborative way with the interest and needs of our customers in mind. We will proactively seek the best outcomes for our customers. We will provide our services in a safe, reliable and cost-effective manner that is sustainable and environmentally responsible.
Our Service Commitment to Our Customers
1. Quick, Clear and Consistent Customer Service
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should be treated with courtesy, honesty, empathy and respect.
- Customers should find it easy to access services and information, including billing and usage data.
- Every question deserves an answer, and inquiries should be responded to promptly and followed up to completion.
- Customers should be informed of progress and receive updates about the status of requests.
- Service hours and locations should be convenient to customers.
- Customers should receive clear, accurate and consistent information.
- Customer interactions should be simple and streamlined, and continuously improved.
- Automated service options should be continuously expanded for customer convenience.
Our Service Level Commitments
- Call wait times shall not exceed three minutes on average.
- LADWP will respond to account related questions received via email within 24 hours or next business day of receipt.
- LADWP will send 95% of bills, on average, within three business days of meter read.
- Bills that exceed three times the average historic use for the same billing period will automatically be reviewed. If a customer receives a bill that is three times their average historic billing period use due to an inaccurate meter reading, they will receive a $25 bill credit and the bill will be corrected.
- Customers who do not provide access to their meter for an actual meter read will be informed at least twice and at least 10 days before service is disconnected.
- LADWP will replace defective meters within 90 days of it first being reported or discovered by LADWP.
- Requests to start a new residential account will be processed within one business day (or on the day requested by the account holder) or the connection fee will be waived.
- Customers who sign up for paperless billing for the first time will receive a one-time $10 credit and an additional one-time $15 credit if they also sign up for auto pay at that time, through December 31, 2018.
- New business service connections of 200 amps or less shall be completed within 10 business days after approved final inspection is received by LADWP or customer will receive a one-time $25 credit.
- Solar interconnections for residential projects 10 KW or less shall be within 10 business days after approved final inspection is received by LADWP or the customer will receive a one-time $25 credit.
2. Reliable, Safe and Sustainable Power
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should receive reliable power, meeting or exceeding the reliability of comparable utilities.
- Ratepayer money will support substantial investments to operate and maintain, upgrade or replace power infrastructure to ensure continued reliability, cost effectiveness and environmental performance.
Our Service Level Commitments
- On average, customers will experience no more than one unplanned outage annually, lasting less than two hours, as reported through standardized industry metrics for frequency and duration.
- LADWP will provide notification of power outages and expected service restoration on our mobile enabled website, on average, within 60 minutes of LADWP becoming aware of the outage and diagnosing the cause.
3. Reliable and High Quality Water
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should receive safe and reliable water that meets or exceeds mandated water quality levels.
- Ratepayer money will support substantial investments to operate and maintain, upgrade or replace aging water infrastructure to ensure continued reliability, cost effectiveness, and environmental performance.
Our Service Level Commitments
- On average, 98% of water customers will experience no service interruptions annually.
- LADWP will provide notice of water outages with an explanation and information on expected service restoration in person or on our mobile enabled website, on average, within 60 minutes of LADWP becoming aware of the outage and diagnosing the cause.
- Water system leaks will be investigated and assessed within four hours of LADWP becoming aware of a potential pipe break, and will be prioritized for repair based on severity.
- Respond to water quality customer complaints before the end of the next business day.
- Water quality information will be publicly available online.
4. Collaborative Operations and Programs
Our Service Philosophy
- Rebate and incentive programs should be tailored for all of our customers, including renters, property owners and small and large businesses irrespective of economic, social or cultural differences.
- Rebate and incentive programs should be developed to primarily assist in lowering customer power and water bills and reducing environmental impacts.
- LADWP will collaborate with its customers to ensure services are designed and managed to meet customer needs.
- LADWP will make every effort to provide the maximum amount of cost-effective investment in energy efficiency and water conservation programs available to benefit customers.
Our Service Level Commitments
- Rebates and incentive programs will be easy to access and completed applications reviewed within 30 days.
- LADWP is committed to budgeting and issuing rebates that encourage customers to help us meet long term 15% energy efficiency and 25% water conservation goals.
The service levels established herein are subject to the express reauthorization by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners every twenty-four months. All service level commitments are effective starting February 1, 2017. Customers must request to receive waivers and credits. Service levels apply to services during non-emergency operations and normal operating conditions. These service levels supersede any previously established service levels on the subjects addressed in the Customer Bill of Rights. All services are subject to customer compliance with all of the appropriate rules for service, permits, regulations, ordinances or other applicable terms and conditions for the particular service. This Customer Bill of Rights is not intended to, does not, and should not be implied to create any legal rights or remedies beyond those set forth in the Rules Governing Water and Electric Service, which are the legally binding rules between LADWP and its customers.
To learn more, see the Customer Bill of Rights Draft Presentation to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.