Section 480-70-386. Complaints.

(1) Company responsibility.

(a) Complaints from customer. When a company receives a complaint from a customer or an applicant for service, it must:

(i) Acknowledge the complaint;

(ii) Investigate promptly;

(iii) Report the results of the investigation to the complainant;

(iv) Take corrective action, if warranted, as soon as appropriate under the circumstances;

(v) Inform the complainant that the decision may be appealed to a higher level representative of the company, if any;

(vi) Inform the complainant, if still dissatisfied after speaking with the higher level representative, of the commission's availability for review of the complaint; and

(vii) Provide the complainant with the commission's address and toll-free telephone number.

(b) Complaint referred by commission. When commission consumer affairs staff refer an informal complaint to the company, the company must:

(i) Investigate and report the results to the commission consumer affairs staff within two business days (the commission consumer affairs staff may grant an extension of time for responding to the complaint if requested and warranted);

(ii) Keep the commission consumer affairs staff informed of progress toward the solution; and

(iii) Inform the commission consumer affairs staff of the final result.

(c) Complaint record. A company must keep a record of all complaints concerning service or rates for at least one year. The record of complaints and rates must be made readily available for commission review. The record must contain:

(i) The complainant's name and address;

(ii) Date and nature of the complaint;

(iii) Action taken; and

(iv) Final result.

(2) Complaints to commission. Applicants, customers, or their representatives may file with the commission either:

(a) An informal complaint against the company under the provisions of WAC 480-07-910; or

(b) A formal complaint against the company under the provisions of WAC 480-07-370.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 80.01.040 and 80.04.160. WSR 03-24-028 (General Order R-510, Docket No. A-010648), § 480-70-386, filed 11/24/03, effective 1/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 81.04.160, 81.77.030 and 80.01.040. WSR 01-08-012 (Docket No. TG-990161, General Order No. R-479), § 480-70-386, filed 3/23/01, effective 4/23/01.]

RCW 80.01.040 and 80.04.160. WSR 03-24-028 (General Order R-510, Docket No. A-010648), § 480-70-386, filed 11/24/03, effective 1/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 81.04.160, 81.77.030 and 80.01.040. WSR 01-08-012 (Docket No. TG-990161, General Order No. R-479), § 480-70-386, filed 3/23/01, effective 4/23/01.

Rules

480-07-910,480-07-370,