Texas electricity complaints: how to file one and who gets the most

From April 1 to September 30, 2026, the Public Utility Commission of Texas received 2,253 complaints about retail electricity companies. Reliant had the most, with 364. TXU Energy had 286, and US Retailers, the company behind Cirro and Discount Power, had 172. The table adds the PUCT’s 1–5 rating, which adjusts for size.

Complaints by company, April 1 to September 30, 2026

Complaint counts: PUCT Customer Complaint Statistics, April 1 to September 30, 2026. Ratings: the PUCT’s complaint scorecard, September 2026, covering March 1 to August 31, 2026. A 5 means the fewest complaints for a company’s size. “Not rated” means the company isn’t on the scorecard, which lists only companies active on Power to Choose. Three companies tie at 18 complaints for 25th place, so all three are listed.

Each row is one company license, and one license can cover several brands. US Retailers LLC, for example, sells as both Cirro Energy and Discount Power, so their complaints share a row.

Don’t see your company? Check the other names in each row first. Every other retail electricity company had 14 or fewer complaints in those six months. The PUCT’s full list shows them all. City-owned utilities and co-ops aren’t on it. To check a smaller company, see our lists of Houston electric companies and the ones in Dallas, Fort Worth and McAllen. Each one shows the state’s complaint rating for the companies that list plans there.

Keep two things in mind. Big companies get more complaints just because they serve more homes, so read the rating column, too. And a complaint means a customer asked the state for help. It doesn’t mean the company broke a rule; a PUCT investigator decides that.

Thinking about leaving your company? Check its cancel fee first. Then compare this week’s cheapest plans and follow our steps for switching providers.

Next: what these numbers really tell you →

PUCT complaint counts show how often customers asked the state for help with a company, not who was right. The PUCT’s September 2026 scorecard rates 36 companies from 1 to 5. It uses complaints per 1,000 customers, so big companies aren’t punished for having more customers.

That’s why the PUCT’s scorecard ranks every company active on Power to Choose by complaints per 1,000 customers over six months. It then splits them into five groups of about the same size. A 5 means the company is in the group with the fewest complaints for its size. A 1 means the most.

Real numbers show the same thing. TXU Energy had 286 complaints from April to September 2026, yet the scorecard rates it 5 of 5. Young Energy, the company behind Payless Power, had 45 and is rated 1 of 5.

What do Texans complain about?

The PUCT sorts each complaint into a type. For complaints from April 1 to September 30, 2026, the biggest type was billing, at 49% of all complaints. Trouble getting power started came next, at 19%, then shutoffs, at 18%.

Give your electricity company a chance to fix the problem first; Texas rules give it 21 days to answer you. If it doesn’t fix it, file with the PUCT online, by phone, email, fax or mail. Keep paying the part of your bill you don’t dispute.

1. 1
   Ask the company to fix it

   Call or write. Write down the date, the person’s name and the reference number. The company has 21 days to look into it and tell you the results. The PUCT’s online form makes you confirm you did this step. Some companies offer a supervisor’s review. If you ask for one, the decision must come within 10 business days. You can ask for the answer in writing.

2. 2
   Gather your proof

   Save the bills that show the problem, your plan’s fact label and terms of service, and your call notes. Texas rules say a complaint should include papers that back it up, like copies of bills.

3. 3
   Write it down

   Say what happened, when, how much money is involved and what you want. Write it before you open the online form, then paste it in. That way, a form glitch can’t erase your work. Our complaint builder writes it for you and counts the characters.

4. 4
   File with the PUCT

   Use whichever way is easiest for you:

   • Online: start at the PUCT’s complaint page. If the form won’t load or save, try another browser, or file by phone or email.
   • Phone: 1-888-782-8477 (toll-free) or 512-936-7120
   • Email: consumer@puc.texas.gov
   • Fax: 512-936-7003 · Relay Texas: 711
   • Mail: Public Utility Commission of Texas, P.O. Box 13326, Austin, TX 78711-3326
5. 5
   Keep paying the part you don’t dispute

   While your complaint is open, the company can’t start collections over the amount you dispute. It also can’t cut your power or report you to a credit bureau over that amount. You still owe the rest of the bill on time.

What happens after you file?

1. FirstThe PUCT reviews your complaint and sends it to the company.
2. Within 15 daysThe company must look into it and answer the PUCT in writing.
3. ThenA PUCT investigator checks whether the company followed the law.
4. LastYou and the company each get a closing letter that sums up what the investigator found.

From October 21, 2026, that letter closes your PUCT complaint; after it, you can go to court, and possible rule breaks go to the PUCT’s Division of Compliance and Enforcement.

On average, it takes about three weeks. The PUCT’s Office of Consumer Assistance handles complaints. On October 14, 2026, its web page showed 23.26 days as the average time to resolve one. It also showed $381,334 in refunds and bill credits, year to date.

The Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division also takes complaints online. The PUCT’s rule names it as another place to go. But the office says it can’t give legal advice, and it reviews complaints for informational purposes. For a bill fix, start with the PUCT.

Next: let the builder write your complaint →

Texas rules list six things a PUCT complaint should include. They are: you, the company, your account or ESI ID number, what happened, what you want and your proof. Pick your problem below, and the builder writes it with the rule that fits.

Complaint to the Public Utility Commission of Texas
Company: [company name]
Account holder: [your name], [phone]
Service and billing address: [address]
Account number or ESI ID: [number]

What happened: My bill from [company name] is wrong. It started on [date]. I contacted the company on [date], and the problem is not fixed.
Amount in dispute: $50.00 on each bill.
The rule: 16 TAC Section 25.480(f) says the company must promptly look into a disputed bill and report the results to me, and Section 25.480(d) says an overbilling must be corrected for the whole period.
What I want: Correct my bill for the whole period of the error and refund or credit the overcharge, with interest if it is not fixed within three billing cycles of the error.
While this complaint is open, I will pay the part of my bill I don't dispute. Under 16 TAC Section 25.485(e), the company may not start collections, disconnect my service or report the disputed amount to a credit bureau.
Attached: copies of the bills that show the problem; the plan's fact label and terms of service; call notes: dates, names and reference numbers.

Texas rules give your electricity company 21 days to answer your complaint and 15 days to answer the PUCT. It also can’t cut your power over an amount you dispute while the PUCT looks into it.

Some problems come with their own refund deadlines, listed below.

All rules are in Title 16, Chapter 25 of the Texas Administrative Code (16 TAC), as posted on October 13, 2026. Each one is linked in the sources below. The PUCT’s amendments that take effect October 21, 2026, keep the §25.485 deadlines and protections shown here.

Deposits, contract endings and price changes each have their own guide. See deposits and prepaid plans, when your contract ends and fixed or variable rates.

Next: how complaints move a company’s score →

Complaints are worth 25 of the 100 points in every electricity company score we give, more than any other category. We use the PUCT’s 1–5 rating, so a company isn’t marked down just for being big.

So a company rated 3 of 5 gets 15 of the 25 points. The other 75 points come from state fines, contract terms, price, years in business and its BBB grade. See every rule in how we score companies.

To see the math, compare two reviews. In our TXU Energy review, a 5 of 5 rating earns all 25 points. In our Payless Power review, a 1 of 5 earns just 5. The table at the top links every review we’ve written but one. BKV Energy isn’t in the table, so see our BKV Energy review for its score.

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