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D.C. Municipal Regulations (Last Updated: September 13, 2017) |
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Title 15. PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CABLE TELEVISION |
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Chapter 15-37. NATURAL GAS QUALITY OF SERVICE STANDARDS |
Section 15-3704. CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS, CUSTOMER SURVEYS, SERVICE PROVISIONING
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3704.1The natural gas utility shall maintain a customer service (walk-in) office physically located in the District of Columbia.
3704.2The natural gas utility shall conduct annual customer surveys to assess customer satisfaction with the quality of customer service provided by the company to DC customers. The gas utility shall provide the results of the surveys to OE and OPC. The customer satisfaction surveys should be conducted from (1) a statistically representative sample of residential customers; and (2) customers randomly selected from those customers who have contacted the company’s customer service department within the year in which service is being measured. The representative sample shall be drawn from customers contacting the company’s customer service department in the previous year and shall be conducted with a sample of customers who contacted the natural gas utility by walk-in, telephone, or e-mail. The survey instrument and the method shall be pre-approved by OE. The natural gas utility shall include the results from all available previous years of the survey up to a maximum of ten years in the Quality of Service Standard Performance Report (“QSSPR”).
3704.3The natural gas utility shall gather data and report statistics regarding the number of service calls met on the same day requested or scheduled, excluding instances where a customer misses a mutually agreed upon time. The natural gas utility shall report the percentage of scheduled service appointments met by the utility on the same day requested. Service appointment data shall be compiled and aggregated monthly. A minimum performance standard of 95% on a quarterly basis will apply. The natural gas utility shall record the delay, in hours and/or days, in responding to requested or scheduled service calls. The natural gas utility shall provide the results on service calls met and delayed to OE and OPC on an annual basis in the QSSPR.
3704.4The natural gas utility shall gather data on the percentage of meters that are actually read by the company on a monthly basis. Eligible meters include both residential and commercial accounts. On-cycle meter reads performance standard of 95% on a quarterly basis will apply. The natural gas utility shall provide the results to OE and OPC on an annual basis in the QSSPR.
3704.5The natural gas utility shall perform the customer requested meter testing on a timely basis, but at a minimum shall test 97% of meters, on a quarterly basis, on pre-scheduled test time mutually agreed upon by the utility and the customer. The natural gas utility shall submit its results to OE and OPC on an annual basis in the QSSPR.
3704.6The natural gas utility shall answer at least seventy (70) percent of all customers’ phone calls within thirty (30) seconds, on a system-wide basis, and shall maintain records delineating customer phone calls answered by a utility representative or an automated operator system. The natural gas utility shall measure and report on an annual basis to OE and OPC the average customer wait time for being transferred from an automated operator system to a utility representative.
3704.7The natural gas utility’s statistics concerning customer calls answered shall exclude calls made during periods of major telecommunications failures, periods of labor disruptions, and periods of major service outage.
3704.8The natural gas utility shall maintain a call abandonment rate, on a system-wide basis, below ten (10) percent on a quarterly basis, and shall report the information to OE and OPC on an annual basis in the QSSPR.
3704.9 The natural gas utility’s call abandonment statistics shall exclude calls made during periods of major telecommunications failures, periods of labor disruption, and periods of major service outage.
3704.10If the natural gas utility fails to meet the standards set forth in Sections 3704.3, 3704.4, 3704.5, 3704.6 or 3704.8, for two consecutive quarters, it shall be required to develop a corrective action plan.
3704.11The corrective action plan shall describe the cause(s) of the utility’s non-compliance with Section 3704.3, 3704.4, 3704.5, 3704.6 or 3704.8, describe the corrective measure(s) to be taken to ensure that the standard is met or exceeded in the future, and set a target date for completion of the corrective measure(s).
3704.12Progress on current corrective action plans shall be included in the utility’s annual QSSPR, filed with OCMS, OE, and OPC by April 30 of each year starting with the year after the adoption of the NGQSS’s in Title 15 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR).
3704.13 On a quarterly basis, the natural gas utility shall complete installation of 80% of new residential service requests within ten (10) business days of the start date for the new installation.
3704.14The start date for a new installation shall be designated as the first business day after all of the following events have taken place:
(a) The customer’s valid billing information is received;
(b) The site is ready for service (cleared, graded, staked, etc.);
(c) The service connection fee is paid, if applicable;
(d) The gas safety inspection is received;
(e) The security deposit is paid, if applicable;
(f) All mains and regulating facilities are installed;
(g) Any required public space excavation is completed;
(h) Any delays due to weather emergencies do not intervene; and
(i) All rights-of-way and permits are obtained, and all One-Call requirements have been met.
3704.15The natural gas utility shall submit a written report on its performance pursuant to Section 3704.13 every six (6) months. The report shall be submitted to OE and OPC, forty-five (45) days after the six-month reporting period ends, starting with the six month period following the adoption of the NGQSS’s in Title 15 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (DCMR).
3704.16 After the submission of four (4) consecutive reports pursuant to Section 3704.15, the Commission may modify the frequency of the reporting.
3704.17The reports pursuant to Section 3704.15 shall clearly state the total number of new residential service installation requests received during the relevant reporting period, and for the new residential installation service requests received, the percentage of new residential service connections that were completed in accordance with Section 3704.13.
3704.18If the natural gas utility fails to meet the standard set in Section 3704.13 in any two consecutive quarters, it shall develop a corrective action plan.
3704.19The corrective action plan shall describe the cause(s) of the utility’s non-compliance with Section 3704.13, describe the corrective measure(s) to be taken to ensure that the standard is met or exceeded in the future, and set a target date for completion of the corrective measure(s).
3704.20Progress on any current corrective action plans shall be included in the utility’s annual QSSPR.
3704.21The natural gas utility shall report the actual performance obtained during the reporting period in the annual QSSPR of the following year.