Class Action Lawsuit against Summit Utilities Dismissed

LITTLE ROCK, AR -- On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, the class action lawsuit against Summit Utilities was dismissed and the Judge denied Plaintiff’s Motion for Temporary Restraining Order. 

“At Summit, providing exceptional and safe service to our customers and communities is our top priority,” said Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Lizzy Reinholt. “We are working hard to address customer concerns so we can provide the service our customers expect of us and we expect of ourselves. As a result, call wait times are down, and our customer service team stands ready to help customers address their needs.”

Improvements in customer experience include:

• Summit has added 50 Customer Service Representatives to reduce call wait times since November 1 and more will be added in the coming months. There has been a significant reduction in our customers’ call wait times, which are now averaging below 2 minutes. 
• Summit has set up a new payment assistance resource page, SummitCares.com, to help support customers looking for resources and ways to manage their heating bills.

“As a regulated utility, Summit does not profit from the cost of natural gas, and the Arkansas Public Service Commission reviews our gas purchasing plans and cost of gas filings annually,” added Reinholt. “In addition, we know that customers are struggling with high energy costs this winter and expect a significant decrease in the cost of gas when we make our next required cost of gas filing at the end of this month.”

On November 1, 2022, the company suspended charging late fees and disconnecting customers. Summit will continue that suspension for the time being but encourages customers to pay their bills and call their Customer Service Department at 800-992-7552 to learn more about payment plans, average monthly billing, or payment assistance for those that qualify. Customers can also visit, SummitCares.com for more information.