Customer service survey of energy producers ranks Nevada Power parent last

Friday, Aug. 9, 2002 | 11:07 a.m.

A customer satisfaction survey of the West's energy producers puts the parent of Nevada Power Co. at the bottom of the list.

J.D. Power and Associates, Westlake Village, Calif., a marketing information services firm that conducts customer surveys on a number of consumer products, said last week Sierra Pacific Resources Inc., which operates Las Vegas' dominant utility company, finished last in customer satisfaction among 12 utility companies operating in the western United States.

But officials with Nevada Power say the results may be tainted because the survey was conducted when the utility had just participated in a high-profile rate increase debate before the survey was taken.

In a statement issued by the company, Nevada Power President Pat Shalmy said customer service may not have been on the minds of people who were queried.

"During the time this survey was conducted, we were either involved in or had just concluded a highly publicized rate case which we believe significantly skewed the results," Shalmy said.

"In other words, our customers may not have been influenced by service and other factors, but by the publicity surrounding the entire case," he said. "Instead of focusing on a survey that took place months ago, we are continuing to work hard for customers by supplying safe and reliable service."

J.D. Power surveyed 23,000 utility customers nationwide in telephone interviews conducted in March, April and May. In late March, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a $485 million rate increase for the company, which had earlier requested a record $922 million rate increase.

When the panel made the decision, Commissioner Richard McIntire was critical of the company's senior management, calling them "the Keystone Kops of risk management."

In a similar survey conducted by J.D. Power in 2000, Sierra Pacific finished seventh out of 15 utilities in the West. The company was not included in a survey in 2001.