Disputes between consumers and energy distributors: An uneven playing field?

Author

Olivier Bourgeois

Organization

Option consommateurs

Published

2016

Summary

Canadians are increasingly availing themselves of the recourse available to them to express their dissatisfaction and assert their rights when they have a complaint about their energy supplier. However, consumers do not have access to the same complaint handling mechanisms in every province. While most Canadian provinces can count on an administrative tribunal that has jurisdiction over energy distribution, only a few have access to an independent ombudsperson who is mandated to receive complaints about energy suppliers.

In conducting this research, Option consommateurs (OC) studied dispute prevention and settlement theory and the theory of participatory justice, OC pored over provincial regulations governing public utility tribunals, energy distributors and ombudspersons, and OC consulted the body of standards relating to complaint handling. Using transversal principles, OC highlighted the best practices in the domain of energy disputes.

Finally, OC conducted a series of interviews with consumers who have recently been involved in a complaint handling process provided by their energy supplier or utility tribunal in order to gather their experiences and impressions. This research allowed OC to see that consumers’ complaints are not all treated the same way, which poses a major problem, particularly from the standpoint of fairness. OC's view is that simplification and extra-judicial mechanisms should be key principles in any discussion aimed at improving the way complaints are handled.

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OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

Contact information

Source: Consumer Policy Research Database