Fayson Lake Water Company
Customer Bill of Rights
RESIDENTIAL UTILITY CUSTOMER PROTECTIONS
(Effective retroactively from March 15, 2022)
Established by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU)
If you have questions about these consumer protections, you should
contact your utility company at the number on your bill. If you have a
complaint about your utility company or if your services are in
jeopardy of being shut off, you should call the BPU at 800-624-0241 for
assistance. Note: The BPU regulates only investor owned utility
companies.
Utility Customer Bill of Rights
1. You have the right to utility service if you are a
qualified applicant.
2. You have the right to budget billing if you are a
utility customer.
3. You have the right to apply for utility assistance
programs, which may include arrearage forgiveness. Learn more by
calling your utility company or by calling 2-1-1. Information is also
available online at
nj211.org/utility-assistance-programs.
4. If you are an electric or gas utility customer who
did not participate in the Winter Termination Program (“WTP”), current
law requires the utility company to offer you a deferred payment plan
payable over a minimum of 12 months with no down payment, deposit,
reconnection costs, interest, or penalties (“No Money Down Plan”) on
any unpaid balances accrued prior to December 31, 2021 or longer if you
meet the requirements of numbers 7 and 8 below. You have the right to
30 days to agree to the payment plan before the utility company may
begin the collections process.
5. If you are a water, sewer, or municipal electric
utility customer or a WTP participant, current law requires the utility
company to offer you a No Money Down Plan on any unpaid balances
accrued prior to March 15, 2022 or longer if you meet the requirements
of numbers 7 and 8 below. You have the right to 30 days to agree to the
payment plan before the utility company may begin the collections
process.
6. If for any reason you are not eligible for a No
Money Down Plan, you are entitled to a deferred payment agreement under
BPU’s regulations (“DPA”). You have a right to at least one DPA within
a 12-month period with a maximum down payment of 25 percent or less of
your unpaid balance, unless current law states The utility company
shall offer you the same budget plan year, which will last 10, 11, or
12 months, except that the budget plan year for customers protected
under the WTP shall be 12 months. Any deferred payment plan or
agreement offered by the utility company to you must follow the current
law and/or regulations of the BPU.
7. If you submit an application to a State agency for
utility bill aid, but still need to provide documents or take some
other action requested in the application, you have the right to 60
days from the date you submitted your application to provide the
documents and take the necessary steps to complete the application
process. During this 60-day period, the utility company may not
discontinue your service. These rights apply only if you submitted your
application to the State agency before June 15, 2022.
8. If you submit an application to a State agency for
utility bill aid with all the necessary documentation, either at the
time you submitted the application or within 60 days from the date you
submitted your application, and there is no other action required by
you to complete the application process, you are protected from
discontinuance of service from the date you submitted your application
until the date after a decision of eligibility has been made on your
completed application. This right applies only if you submit your
application to the State agency before June 15, 2022.
9. If you are an electric, gas, water, and sewer
utility customer whose service has been disconnected, but you can show
you have applied to the Universal Service Fund, Low Income Home Energy
Assistance, Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric, or Low Income
Household Water Assistance for available benefits, the utility company
must reconnect your service upon request and may not require a down
payment, deposit, reconnection costs, interest, or penalties to do so.
10. You have the right to have any complaint you make
against your utility company handled promptly by that utility company.
11. You have the right to have your utility
complaints and concerns Your service may not be terminated for
non-payment of disputed charges during a BPU investigation.
12. You have the right to have your meter tested free
of charge once a year by your utility company if you suspect it is not
working For a $5 fee, the meter test will be conducted under the
supervision of the staff of the BPU.
13. You have the right to a written notice of
termination from your utility company at least 10 days prior to the
discontinuance of service and only after the utility company has
offered you a deferred payment plan based on current law and
regulations of the BPU.
14. If you are a participant in an energy assistance
program or an electric, gas, water, and/or sewer utility customer
having financial difficulties paying your bill, you can request the
company enroll you in a budget plan based on your ability to pay.
Provided you make good faith payments toward all reasonable bills for
service, you have the right to electric, gas, water, and/or sewer
utilities service from
November 15 to
March 15 without fear of termination of such services if you are
a participant under the WTP.
15. You have the right to receive posted notice of
any impending shutoff if you live in a multi-family This notice must be
posted in a common area and/or sent individually to occupants of that
dwelling.
16. You have the right to have a "diversion of
service" investigation if you suspect the level of consumption
reflected in your utility bill is unexplainably high.
17. Service may not be shut-off for non-payment of
repair or merchandise charges. A utility company may not send you
notice threatening discontinuance of your utility service based on
these charges.
18. You have the option of having a deposit refund
applied to your account as a credit or having the deposit refunded by
separate check.
19. A utility may not add late fees, interest, or
liens on your account for late payments.
20. Your service may be shut-off only after proper
notice has been given to you by the utility company and only on Monday
through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A utility
may not shut-off your service on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a holiday
or the day before a holiday, or if a valid medical emergency exists in
your household.
21. You have the right to notification regarding any
moratorium on rate increases.