For our Commercial and Residential customers
Water and power are essential to life and our economy. LADWP is committed to providing our customers with the highest quality water and power, with prompt, consistent, and easily accessible customer service. We will approach our business practices in a collaborative way with the interest and needs of our customers in mind. We will proactively seek the best outcomes for our customers. We will provide our services in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner that is sustainable and environmentally responsible.
OUR SERVICE COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS
1. Quick, Clear, and Consistent Customer Service
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should be treated with courtesy, honesty, empathy, and respect.
- Customers should find it easy to access services and information, including billing and usage data.
- Every question deserves an answer, and inquiries should be responded to promptly and followed up to completion.
- Customers should be informed of progress and receive updates about the status of requests.
- Service hours and locations should be convenient to customers.
- Customers should receive clear, accurate, and consistent information.
- Customer interactions should be simple and streamlined, and continuously improved.
- Automated service options should be continuously expanded for customer convenience.
Our Service Level Commitments
- Call wait times shall not exceed three minutes on average.
- LADWP will respond to account-related questions received via email within 24 hours or the next business day of receipt.
- LADWP will send 95% of bills within three business days of meter read.
- Bills that exceed three times the average historic use for the same billing period will automatically be reviewed. If a customer receives a bill that is three times their average historic billing period use due to an inaccurate meter reading, they will receive a $25 bill credit and the bill will be corrected.
- Customers who do not provide access to their meter for an actual meter read will be informed at least twice and at least ten days before service is disconnected.
- LADWP will replace defective meters within 90 days of it first being reported or discovered by LADWP.
- Requests to start a new residential account will be processed within one business day (or on the business day requested by the account holder) or the connection fee will be waived.
- Customers who sign up for paperless billing for the first time will receive a one-time $10 credit, and will receive an additional one-time $15 credit if they also sign up for auto pay at that time.
- 80% of water service installations up to 3” will be completed within 100 days.
- 80% of water service installations larger than 3” will be completed within 140 days.
- LADWP will review and assign completed electrical engineering submittals within two weeks of receipt. Complete submittals will be assigned a design engineer for the duration of the project. A minimum of eight automated emails will be sent updating customer as to the status of design throughout the process. Customer generated telephone and email communications will be returned by LADWP representative within 24 hrs.
- Customer will be connected to LADWP power system within six weeks of customer completed work and LADWP authorization to construct.
- New business service connections of 200 amps or less shall be completed within ten business days after approved final inspection is received by LADWP or customer will receive a one-time $25 credit.
- Solar interconnections for residential projects 10 KW or less shall be completed within ten business days after approved final inspection is received by LADWP or the customer will receive a one-time $25 credit.
2. Reliable, Safe, and Sustainable Power
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should receive reliable power, meeting or exceeding the reliability of comparable utilities.
- Ratepayer money will support substantial investments to operate and maintain, upgrade, or replace power infrastructure to ensure continued reliability, cost effectiveness and environmental performance.
Our Service Level Commitments
- Customers will experience no more than one unplanned outage annually, lasting less than two hours, as reported through standardized industry metrics for frequency and duration.
- LADWP will provide notification of power outages and expected service restoration on our website, social media, and directly where contact information has been provided for such emergency purposes within 60 minutes of LADWP becoming aware of the outage and diagnosing the cause.
3. Reliable and High Quality Water
Our Service Philosophy
- Customers should receive safe and reliable water that meets or exceeds mandated water quality levels.
- Ratepayer money will support substantial investments to operate and maintain, upgrade or replace aging water infrastructure to ensure continued reliability, cost effectiveness, and environmental performance.
Our Service Level Commitments
- 98% of water customers will experience no service interruptions annually.
- LADWP will provide notice of water outages with an explanation and information on expected service restoration on our website, social media, and directly where contact information has been provided for such emergency purposes, within 60 minutes of LADWP becoming aware of the outage and diagnosing the cause.
- Water system leaks will be investigated and assessed within four hours of LADWP becoming aware of a potential pipe break, and will be prioritized for repair based on severity.
- LADWP will respond to water quality customer complaints before the end of the next business day.
- Water quality information will be publicly available.
4. Collaborative Operations and Programs
Our Service Philosophy
- Rebate and incentive programs should be tailored for all our customers including tenants, property owners, and small and large businesses irrespective of economic, social or cultural differences.
- Rebate and incentive programs should be developed to primarily assist in lowering customer power and water bills, and reducing environmental impacts.
- LADWP will collaborate with its customers to ensure services are designed and managed to meet customer needs.
- LADWP will make every effort to provide the maximum amount of cost-effective investment in energy efficiency and water conservation programs available to benefit customers.
Our Service Level Commitments
- Rebates and incentive programs will be easy to access and completed applications reviewed within 30 days.
- LADWP is committed to budgeting and issuing rebates that encourage customers to help us meet long term 15% energy efficiency and 25% water conservation goals.
These service levels are subject to customer compliance with all of the appropriate rules for service permits, regulations, ordinances or other applicable terms and conditions for the particular service. This Customer Bill of Rights is not intended to, does not, and should not be implied to create any legal rights or remedies beyond those set forth in the Rules Governing Water and Electric Service, which are the legally binding rules between LADWP and its customers. Service levels may vary under emergency, unusual, or disaster conditions.
Adopted by LADWP Board: February 26, 2019