BGE Customer Service & Safety Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A customer calls BGE reporting a strong gas odor inside their home. What is the FIRST instruction you should give them?
- Tell them to check the stove burners immediately
- Instruct them to leave the home and call 911 and BGE from outside (Correct answer)
- Ask them to open windows and wait for a technician
- Schedule a next-day service appointment
Correct answer: Instruct them to leave the home and call 911 and BGE from outside
When a customer smells gas inside their home, they must evacuate immediately and call emergency services from a safe location outside.
Question 2: Under BGE's low-income assistance programs, which program provides bill credits to eligible Maryland customers?
- LIHEAP Energy Assistance
- BGE SMART Energy Savers Program
- Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP) (Correct answer)
- Peak Rewards Rebate Program
Correct answer: Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP)
The Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP) provides ongoing bill credits to income-qualified Maryland electric customers.
Question 3: A field technician encounters a downed power line after a storm. What is the correct action?
- Attempt to move the line with a dry wooden pole
- Assume it is de-energized and proceed with caution
- Secure a perimeter and immediately notify BGE dispatch (Correct answer)
- Touch the line to test if it is live
Correct answer: Secure a perimeter and immediately notify BGE dispatch
All downed power lines must be treated as energized; the technician should secure the area and notify dispatch immediately.
Question 4: BGE's Budget Billing plan is designed to help customers by:
- Eliminating all late payment fees permanently
- Spreading estimated annual energy costs into equal monthly payments (Correct answer)
- Providing a fixed rate per kWh regardless of market prices
- Capping the maximum bill amount each month
Correct answer: Spreading estimated annual energy costs into equal monthly payments
Budget Billing averages a customer's estimated annual costs into equal monthly installments to avoid seasonal bill spikes.
Question 5: Which federal regulation requires BGE to provide advance notice before disconnecting service to a customer with a documented medical condition?
- Clean Air Act Section 112
- Maryland Public Service Commission Order 88-853 (Correct answer)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147
- DOT Pipeline Safety Regulations Part 192
Correct answer: Maryland Public Service Commission Order 88-853
Maryland PSC Order 88-853 mandates extended notice and protections for customers with life-threatening medical conditions before disconnection.
Question 6: When a BGE customer service representative resolves a billing dispute, which documentation step is required?
- Verbal confirmation only is acceptable if the call is recorded
- Send a written summary of the resolution via mail or email within 30 days (Correct answer)
- Close the ticket immediately after the call ends
- Escalate every dispute to a supervisor for sign-off
Correct answer: Send a written summary of the resolution via mail or email within 30 days
BGE policy requires providing customers a written summary of dispute resolutions to ensure transparency and regulatory compliance.
Question 7: A customer's electric service is scheduled for disconnection due to non-payment. Which of the following would temporarily prevent the disconnection?
- The customer promises to pay within the week
- The customer submits a formal medical certificate to BGE (Correct answer)
- The account has been overdue for less than 60 days
- The customer files a complaint with the Better Business Bureau
Correct answer: The customer submits a formal medical certificate to BGE
A valid medical certificate submitted to BGE can halt disconnection of essential service for a customer with a serious medical condition.
BGE Customer Service & Safety Compliance 2
A customer calls BGE reporting a strong gas odor inside their home.
What is the FIRST instruction you should give them?