This chapter of the Legal Tactics e-book will focus primarily on your rights in dealing with the electric, gas, and water companies. Also included is some limited information about dealing with wireline telephone companies, which are regulated by the state Department of Telecommunications and Cable.  Note that wireless phone companies’ prices or practices are generally not regulated.

If you are having a problem with your utility company, you need to arm yourself with the right information. In many situations, you will be able to resolve the problem yourself.

In other situations, you may be able to get help from the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), the state agency responsible for regulating utility companies.

For further in-depth information about the rights of utility consumers in Massachusetts and practical advice on how to address problems, see National Consumer Law Center’s “Utilities Advocacy for Low-Income Households in Massachusetts” (4th Ed.).

Go to the table of contents, or download this chapter as a PDF below.

Chapter 6: Utilities (May 2017).