In short
Complain to the utility first and get a reference number, then go to the state utility commission, which is free and can make the utility act. While a bill is in dispute, keep paying the part you do not dispute: in most states that keeps the shutoff protections in place. If you cannot pay, ask for a payment plan and for every assistance program before the shutoff date, and tell the utility about any medical need. A caller who threatens a shutoff within the hour and wants a prepaid card, gift card, payment app or crypto is a scammer: hang up and call the number on your bill.
How complaints work in this industry
- State commissions expect you to go to the utility first. New York's Department of Public Service (DPS) says to first seek help from the utility, which "is required by law to assist", and then contact the DPS Office of Consumer Services. NY DPS: file a complaint
- New York: the DPS helpline is 800-342-3377 (8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday). After a final disconnection notice, do not use the online form; call the shutoff hotline at 800-342-3355 (7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Monday-Friday). NY DPS: file a complaint
- New York: if you disagree with the DPS decision, ask for an informal hearing or review within 15 days, then appeal within 15 days of that decision. The Public Service Commission decides most appeals; LIPA decides PSEG Long Island appeals. NY DPS: file a complaint
- California: the CPUC Consumer Affairs Branch takes informal complaints after the utility has had a chance to fix the problem; the online portal is the fastest route, and a formal complaint is available if the informal one fails. The CPUC does not handle municipal utility complaints. CPUC: utility complaint
- Texas (competitive electricity areas): complain to the retail electric provider first. Under TXU Energy's Your Rights as a Customer notice, the provider must investigate and report within 21 days, and a supervisory review must be answered within 10 business days; then you may complain to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. TXU Energy: Your Rights as a Customer
- In Texas the retail provider bills you, but the local wires company (for example Oncor or CenterPoint) owns the meters and restores outages, so outages go to the wires company. TXU Energy: power outage
- North Carolina: the Public Staff of the Utilities Commission takes electric, gas, water and telephone complaints after you have tried the utility. For service at risk of disconnection, call 1-866-380-9816 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Municipal utilities go to the local government, and electric membership cooperatives to the Rural Electrification Authority (919-814-4696). NC Public Staff
Your leverage
- A pending dispute can stop a shutoff for the disputed amount. In New York you must keep paying the undisputed part or the utility may still shut off service. NY DPS: file a complaint
- In Texas, while an informal billing complaint is pending at the PUCT, the provider may not start collection or disconnection for the disputed amount, or report it to a credit bureau. TXU Energy: Your Rights as a Customer
- In California, PG&E will not shut off residential service while a complaint or investigation started within five days of a disputed bill is open, until the customer has had a review by PG&E or the CPUC; the customer must keep paying undisputed bills. PG&E Electric Rule 11
- Payment plans are often a right, not a favor. PG&E must offer a 24-month payment arrangement to a residential customer who says they cannot pay, and will not disconnect a customer who keeps up with it and with monthly bills. PG&E Electric Rule 11
- Weather rules block shutoffs on some days. Con Edison does not disconnect residential customers when the Central Park high, with wind chill, is forecast at 32°F or lower, or on the day of or before a forecast heat index of 90°F or higher. Con Edison cold and heat protections
- Texas providers may not disconnect for nonpayment during an extreme weather emergency. TXU Energy: Your Rights as a Customer
- Medical protections exist but have conditions. A Texas Critical Care customer is protected from disconnection for nonpayment for 63 days from the bill's issue date if the physician contacts the provider, sends a written statement, and the customer enters a deferred payment plan. TXU Energy: Your Rights as a Customer
- PG&E must visit Medical Baseline, Life Support and self-certified seriously ill customers in person before a shutoff for nonpayment, and does not disconnect residential service when it forecasts temperatures above 100 degrees or below 32 degrees in a 72-hour look-ahead period. PG&E Electric Rule 11
- High-bill investigations: you can ask for a meter test. PG&E must test on not less than five working days' notice and refunds up to three years of overcharges if a residential meter runs more than 2 percent fast. PG&E Electric Rule 17
- Estimated bills: PG&E treats an estimated bill as a billing error unless the estimate came from access problems, the customer, or a disaster. PG&E Electric Rule 17
- Assistance stops shutoffs: PG&E does not disconnect a customer with a pending LIHEAP pledge, and Texas providers may not disconnect when an energy assistance provider will pay enough by the final due date and the customer has paid or arranged the rest. PG&E Electric Rule 11 TXU Energy: Your Rights as a Customer
Traps
- A missed payment-plan installment can cost you the plan. PG&E says a payment plan cannot be changed once set up, and a customer who misses payments may not be offered a plan again and could have service shut off. PG&E payment plans
- Fees add up near a shutoff: TXU Energy may charge a disconnect notice fee of up to $20 per notice and a disconnect recovery charge of up to $30. TXU Energy terms of service
- Variable electricity rates in Texas can change after the first billing cycle without advance notice; fixed-rate plans roll onto a month-to-month product if you do nothing at expiration. TXU Energy terms of service
- New York DPS will not take a shutoff case through its online form after a final notice; use the hotline, or the case may not move in time. NY DPS: file a complaint
- Municipal utilities and cooperatives are outside some commissions' reach: the CPUC's Consumer Affairs Branch does not handle municipal utility complaints, and North Carolina sends municipal utility complaints to the local government. CPUC: utility complaint NC Public Staff
Scams to watch for
- Utilities United Against Scams, a group of more than 150 U.S. and Canadian electric, water and gas utilities, lists the main signs: a threat to disconnect immediately, a demand for immediate payment, and a request to buy a prepaid debit card. Utilities United Against Scams
- Utilities say they do not take these payment methods: PG&E will never ask for gift cards, MoneyPak cards or payment apps such as Venmo or Zelle; Con Edison does not accept prepaid gift cards, crypto, wire transfers or cash apps. PG&E scams Con Edison: beware of scammers
- Caller ID is faked. PG&E says scammers can make a real PG&E number such as 1-800-743-5000 appear, and Duke Energy reports scammers copying its automated payment phone system so callback numbers seem real. PG&E scams Duke Energy news release, March 2017
- Fake payment sites appear in search ads. Con Edison names "Make A Bill Payment" ads, makeabillpayment.com and look-alike domains such as con3d.com and c0edison.com. Con Edison: beware of scammers
- In Texas, fake retail electricity websites and social media pages sign people up for impossible prices such as $75 every 30 days; check the provider's certification with the PUCT first. TXU Energy: protect yourself
- Door-to-door impostors: real utility workers carry photo ID. Con Edison employees can give a supervisor's name and the job ticket number; TXU Energy in-person agents never take payment or ask to come inside. Con Edison news release, November 2025 TXU Energy promise
- Real shutoffs follow written notice. Duke Energy says delinquent accounts get advance notice with the regular monthly bill, never a single notice one hour before disconnection. Duke Energy news release, March 2017