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Filing an Informal Complaint
July 2006
CA-505-5
Filing an Informal Complaint
If you are having a service or billing problem with your utility or transportation company, you should contact that company’s customer service office. If necessary, ask for a supervisor. If you are not satisfied with how the company handled your concern, contact the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC).
UTC staff investigates disputes between customers and their regulated utility or transportation companies. This investigation is considered an informal complaint.
Options to open an informal complaint:
· Complete the attached complaint form and mail it to Consumer Affairs, UTC,
- PO Box 47250, Olympia, Washington, 98504-7250.
· Use the electronic complaint form on our website at www.wutc.wa.gov.
Provide the following information:
· A daytime phone number.
· Your account number (if applicable).
· Specific information about your complaint.
· What you want the company to do for you.
· Copies of any relevant bills or paperwork you received from the company.
- (Highlight or circle the items that concern you.)
The process for investigating informal complaints
If we receive a written complaint against a company we do not regulate, we will send it to the appropriate federal or state agency. You will receive a copy of the referral letter.
If your complaint is about a regulated company, we will ask the company for a response. One of our consumer specialists will review the company’s response. During this process, the consumer specialist might contact you for more information. The consumer specialist may also work with the company regarding refunds, payment arrangements, etc. Your consumer specialist will contact you about the results of the investigation.
Your rights about your personal information
The UTC collects only the information needed to investigate your complaint. The complaint record, at a minimum, will include the customer's name, address, telephone numbers, company name and the complaint issues. The record might also include more detailed financial information. You may ask to keep your personal information, such as your name, address, telephone numbers, account numbers, from being included in public record requests.
For more information on informal complaints, please call 1-800-562-6150.
