(a) Except for a gas corporation, or a local publicly owned gas utility offering gas service to core gas customers within its service territory, a core transport agent offering gas service to core gas customers shall, prior to the commencement of service, provide the potential customer with a written notice of the service describing the price, terms, and conditions of the service. The notices shall include all of the following:
(1) A clear description of the price, terms, and conditions of service, including all of the following:
(A) The price of gas expressed in a format that makes it possible for core gas customers to compare and select among similar products and services on a standard basis. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this subdivision. The commission shall require disclosure of the total price of gas on a cents-per-therm basis, including the costs of all gas services and charges regulated by the commission. The commission shall also require estimates of the total monthly bill for the gas service at varying consumption levels, including the costs of all gas services and charges regulated by the commission. In determining these rules, the commission may consider alternatives to the cents-per-therm disclosure if other information would provide the customer with sufficient information to compare among alternatives on a standard basis.
(B) Separate disclosure of all recurring and nonrecurring charges associated with the sale of gas.
(C) If services other than gas are offered, an itemization of the services and the charge or charges associated with each.
(2) A description of the potential customer’s right to rescind the contract without fee or penalty as described in Section 989.1.
(3) An explanation of the customer’s financial obligations, as well as the procedures regarding past due payments, discontinuance of service, billing disputes, and service complaints.
(4) The core transport agent’s registration number, if applicable.
(5) The right to change service providers upon written notice, including disclosure of any fees or penalties assessed by the supplier for early termination of a contract.
(6) A description of the availability of low-income assistance programs for qualified customers and how customers can apply for these programs.
(b) The commission may assist core transport agents in developing the notice. The commission may suggest inclusion of additional information it deems necessary for the consumer protection purposes of this section. On at least a semiannual basis, a core transport agent shall provide the commission with a copy of the form of notice included in its standard service plans made available to core gas customers as described in subdivision (a) of Section 984.5.
(c) Any core transport agent offering gas services who declines to provide those services to a consumer shall, upon request of the consumer, disclose to that consumer the reason for the denial in writing within 30 days. At the time service is denied, the core transport agent shall disclose to the consumer his or her right to make this request. Consumers shall have at least 30 days from the date service is denied to make the request.
(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 604, Sec. 4. (SB 656) Effective January 1, 2014.)