HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) issued for comment a proposed settlement petition stemming in an informal investigation of Metropolitan Edison Co. (Met-Ed) regarding three separate events concerning electricity utility services subject to the Commission’s authority.

The Commission voted 5-0 to seek comment on the proposed settlement.  Terms of the settlement include:

• That Met-Ed remit a contribution of $100,000 to the Dollar Energy Fund, a non-profit organization providing utility assistance, case management for payment troubled customers and utility education programs throughout Pennsylvania;
• That Met-Ed must implement staff training and internal management procedures on several items, including transferring account balances, medical certificates and updating and revising internal procedures and processing;  
• Several internal management improvements.

The settlement came as a result of three separate incidents involving alleged company action or inaction regarding customer service aspects of the provision of their utility service.  In one incident, a customer telephoned Met-Ed after receiving a termination notice followed by the termination of their electric service. Met-Ed took a financial statement from the customer over the telephone following the termination and entered into a payment agreement with the customer to reinstate service. The customer stated that she was going to follow up with the previous Customer Assistance Program (CAP) referral.  Allegedly the customer was not referred to CAP at that time, despite some conversation between the customer and Met-Ed about the CAP program.  In a separate call, Met-Ed allegedly failed to provide information on the Commission's regulations regarding service pursuant to a confirmed medical condition.  In a third instance, the company allegedly did not inquire whether  the sale and vacating of the premises by the caller meant that the premises would be vacant or if other occupants would reside there.

Had these matters been litigated, the Commission’s Law Bureau Prosecutory Staff would have alleged that Met-Ed violated sections of the state Public Utility Code and Commission regulations.