Section 185.22. Information available to customers.

 

(1)  A utility shall have copies of its rates and rules applicable to the locality available in its office where payments are received and at area libraries. A utility shall give reasonable notice to customers as to where the information is available to them.

(2)  Each water utility, for every municipality in which it serves, shall provide in the respective telephone directories a telephone listing by which the utility shall be notified during a 24-hour day of any utility service deficiency or emergency which may exist.

(3)  Where a second language is common in a particular area served by the utility and so identified by the commission, all rules pertaining to billing and credit shall be available upon customer request for distribution in English and that second language in every business office of the utility in that area accessible to the public and where customer payments are received.

(4)  Each utility shall have available and provide upon request written notice to its existing residential customers, and a written notice to all new residential customers, at a minimum, of the rules on deposits, payment options including deferred payment agreements and budget billing, disconnection, and dispute procedures. Such notice shall contain a reply procedure to allow customers an opportunity to advise the utility of any special circumstances, such as the presence of infants or elderly persons or the use of human life-sustaining equipment, and to advise the utility to contact a specific third-party agency or individual prior to any disconnection action being taken.

(5)  

(a) A utility shall provide customer usage and billing history on request to current or prospective customers, tenants, or property owners. This information shall include either the average consumption for the prior 12-month period or figures reflecting the highest and lowest consumption amounts for the previous 12 months. Provision of this information is neither a breach of customer confidentiality nor a guarantee or contract by the utility as to future consumption levels for the premises in question.

(b) Upon a residential customer request, the public utility shall provide consumption information by billing periods for at least the last year and information and instructions needed by the customer to make consumption comparisons to similar residential customers in the same class and to evaluate water conservation efforts.

Cr. Register, January, 1997, No. 493 , eff. 2-1-97; CR 01-033 : am. (1), Register October 2001 No. 550 , eff. 11-1-01; CR 11-039 : renum. (5) to (5) (a), (5) (b) renum. from 185.33 (2) Register July 2012 No. 679 , eff. 8-1-12.

Note

The information in subs. (1) - (5) is contained in the commission's residential customer bill of rights. Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1