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According to The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, your customer rights are as follows:
1. You have the right to utility service if you are a qualified applicant.
2. You shall not be asked to pay unreasonably high deposits as a condition of service, or make unreasonable payments on past due bills.
3. You have the right to budget billing or payment plans if you are an electric or gas customer.
4. You are entitled to at least one deferred payment plan in one year.
5. You have the right to have any complaint against your utility handled promptly by that utility.
6. You have the right to call upon the Board of Public Utilities to investigate your utility complaints and inquiries. Your service may not be terminated for nonpayment of disputed charges during a BPU investigation.
7. If you suspect your meter is not working properly, you have the right to get it tested free of charge once a year by your utility. For a $5 fee the meter test will be conducted under BPU supervision.
8. You have the right to a written notice of termination seven days prior to discontinuance of service.
9. Residential service may be shut off, after proper notice, from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. A utility may not shut off residential service on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a holiday, the day before a holiday, or if a valid medical emergency exists in your household.
10. Winter Termination Program — If you are an elderly or low-income customer having financial problems paying your bill, you should request that the company enroll you in a budget plan in accordance with your ability to pay. You are required to make good-faith payments of all reasonable bills for service and in return are assured of the right to have gas and electric utility service from November 15 to March 15 without fear of termination of such service.
11. If you live in a multi-family dwelling, you have the right to receive posted notice of any impending shut off. This notice must be posted in a common area and/or sent individually to occupants.
12. You have the right to have a diversion of service investigation if you suspect that the level of consumption reflected in your utility bill is unexplainably high.
13. Service shall not be shut off for nonpayment of repair charges, merchandise charges or yellow page charges nor shall notice threatening such discontinuance be given.
14. You have the option of having a deposit refund applied to your account as a credit or having the deposit refunded by separate check.
If you have a question about your rights, call South Jersey Gas at 1-888-766-9900 or the NJ BPU at 1-800-624-0241.
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