Sometimes policies are applied more strictly than they need to be, leading to unfairness.

Jeremy called our office concerned about his high electricity bills. He felt that BC Hydro was treating him unfairly and wasn’t sure who to turn to for help. He had disputed his high electricity bills with BC Hydro for months and had been refusing to pay the amount owing until the issue was resolved. BC Hydro disconnected his service as a result of his account being in arrears. Jeremy requested a test of his meter because he was concerned it wasn’t accurate but BC Hydro would not agree to test it because his account was in arrears.

The focus of our investigation was whether BC Hydro followed a reasonable procedure regarding Jeremy’s dispute.

We reached out to BC Hydro and were informed that Jeremy had paid a small portion of a large electricity bill he had accrued over a period of six months. BC Hydro explained how it had worked with Jeremy in an attempt to identity the reason for his high bills, but his electricity usage remained consistent. BC Hydro also attempted to set up a payment plan, but it was cancelled because Jeremy failed to meet the terms of the plan.

As the Electric Tariff requires BC Hydro to bill for the amount of electricity used by a customer’s meter, it did not appear unreasonable for BC Hydro to disconnect Jeremy’s electricity when he failed to pay the amount owing. However, we were concerned about BC Hydro’s refusal to test Jeremy’s meter because his account was in arrears. This policy appeared to be stricter than the relevant section of the Electric Tariff.

In response, BC Hydro agreed to modify its policy and allow meter testing for customers disconnected for non-payment.

BC Hydro also agreed to communicate this policy change to its call centre, customer advocacy and customer relations staff. Lastly, BC Hydro agreed to apologize in writing to Jeremy for providing him with inaccurate information regarding his eligibility for meter testing, and advised they would contact Jeremy and offer the option to have his meter tested.