(a) On or after July 1, 2001, the commission shall establish procedures to permit the submission of informal complaints through electronic means in accordance with this section.
(b) On or before January 1, 2002, the commission shall provide on its Internet Web site the means by which consumers may submit informal complaints through electronic means.
(c) For the purpose of this section, “electronic means” includes, but shall not be limited to, email or the Internet, or both.
(d) Upon the receipt of an informal complaint submitted by electronic means, the commission shall immediately forward the complaint to the entity named in the complaint.
(e) The commission shall permit the submission of informal complaints through electronic means, if, as determined by the commission, both of the following conditions are met:
(1) The dollar amount in the complaint does not exceed the jurisdictional limit of a small claims court specified in subdivision (a) of Section 116.220 or Section 116.221 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(2) The commission has addressed any impediments in the electronic systems employed by the commission that would prevent or substantially adversely affect the ability of the commission to receive informal complaints by electronic means.
(f) The commission shall include a notice on its Internet Web site of the availability of the procedures described in subdivision (a).
(g) For the purposes of implementing this section, the commission shall make available to the public an industry specific online complaint form that allows a customer to specify information that the commission determines to be relevant for purposes of resolving a dispute, including the account number, the type of dispute, and the opportunity to make general comments.
(h) This act may not be implemented, and no information technology-related preparatory work may be undertaken in connection with this act prior to July 1, 2001, without the concurrence of the commission and the authorization of the Department of Information Technology pursuant to Executive Order D-3-99.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 612, Sec. 5. (SB 697) Effective January 1, 2016.)