Have a Question or Complaint?

If you have a question or concern about an electricity or natural gas utility, an electricity retailer or a natural gas marketer, please let us know. We regulate Ontario’s energy sector and part of our role is ensuring that companies follow all applicable laws, regulations and regulatory requirements that we have authority to enforce.

As part of our role, we:

provide information to consumers on the energy sector and consumer issues
work with utilities, retailers and marketers to ensure they understand and comply with their legal and regulatory obligations
facilitate interaction between utilities, retailers and marketers and consumers who have complaints, by bringing the complaint to the attention of the company and helping to resolve complex or difficult matters
track trends in the marketplace to identify consumer issues and determine how to best address them
investigate allegations that a utility, retailer or marketer is not meeting its legal or regulatory obligations

While the OEB has been given authority to deal with specific consumer issues, it is sometimes asked by consumers to deal with other issues where it is unable to provide assistance. The OEB does not, for example:

regulate prices offered by electricity retailers / natural gas marketers
force a company to resolve a consumer complaint where there has been no violation of any legal or regulatory requirement
regulate water heater rentals or heating protection plans

Even if we are unable to provide assistance, we still want to hear about a concern you may have because it helps us to analyze trends and potential issues in the sector.

If you have a concern with a utility, retailer or marketer:

The first step is to try to resolve your issue directly with the company involved.
- Contact your utility, natural gas marketer or electricity retailer.
- Give your supplier an opportunity to deal with the problem first and give them a reasonable amount of time to investigate and resolve the matter.
  
  Write down:
- Dates
- Names of people you've spoken to
- Details about the situation or particular event (such as salesperson's name and ID number, what they said, what documents you were given, etc.)
- Keep track of meter readings and the dates they were taken
- Gather together any relevant documents, such as contracts and letters from the company and your utility bills (you may be asked to provide a copy of your contract or to provide account numbers listed on these documents).
If you are unable to resolve the issue, or wish to log a concern, you can contact the OEB.
- Complaints are logged and forwarded to the electricity retailer / natural gas marketer.
- We expect the company to respond to you and to inform the OEB of the response.
- If you are dissatisfied with the response, you can raise your further concerns with the OEB.
- However, if all legal and regulatory obligations have been met by the company, the OEB may decide that no further steps are required.
- If it appears that the company may not have met a legal or regulatory obligation, the OEB’s compliance process may apply. Where it has been determined that the company has not complied with a legal or regulatory obligation, the company is expected to take corrective measures.
What we need from you:
- Your name, service address and telephone number
- Your consent to your information being shared with the utility, marketer or retailer (privacy consent)
- The name of company that your complaint is about
  — Note: if your complaint involves a sales representative, you will be asked to indicate, if possible, the name and identification number of the sales representative, or provide a description of the sales representative.
- Your specific complaint
  — Try to be “to the point” when describing your complaint. Include any specific dates, times or places that are important to your concern.
  — Specify whether the complaint relates to natural gas or electricity, or both. If your complaint relates to a salesperson or utility worker, try to document their identification badge number, their behavior, the information provided to you, and any documents you were presented.

Note: The OEB does not licence natural gas marketers who market or sell only to large volume consumers (over 50,000 m 3 per year usage). Large volume users are encouraged to resolve any complaints directly with their supplier, or seek a legal remedy.

Click on “The Energy Choice is Yours” on the OEB’s home page to learn more about your rights and responsibilities as an energy consumer.

Consumer Online Enquiry and Complaint form