Consumer electricity complaints up in Texas

L.M. Sixel | Oct. 30, 2019

Electricity complaints filed by Texas consumers increased for the second consecutive year and now stand at a four-year high, according to a new study.

Texans filed 5,508 electricity-related complaints or inquiries with the Public Utility Commission during this past year, a 2.6 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, a group of cities that buy  electricity in the deregulated market for governmental use.

In percentage terms, the biggest single spike in complaints came from consumers faced with what’s known as a “switch-hold,” which retail electric providers can place on customer accounts if customers fall behind on payments or are accused of meter tampering. A customer living at a location with a switch-hold can’t buy electricity from another retail electric provider until the switch-hold is lifted.  Switch-hold complaints jumped 54 percent last year compared to the previous year.

Read the full article on the Houston Chronicle