Avista

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received, your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Revdex.com,
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
[redacted] This is a copy of the letter that I sent them (twice), with no responseThis is a copy of the letter that I sent with my last payment, I assume that your billing dept. forwarded this request to your dept, and I am copying it to you...Avista,           re: account # [redacted]                                   ...⇄ Oct. 2, 2015I informed your company of a gas leak at my house at [redacted]. in August, 2015. While talking to your rep., I was assured that if I was being charged for the leaking gas, due to a fault on your end, that I would be credited. Your service personnel responded and replaced the meter. My furnace has been turned COMPLETELY off all summer...NO PILOT LIGHT was lit. I have no other gas appliances. The bills I received before the meter replacement showed approximately a 12 dollar 'usage', which was obviously the leakage, since the FURNACE WAS INACTIVE. And the meter still shows all zeroes, as the furnace is still inactive. Your last billing shows a 4 therm usage which would be the leaking meter, and the time elapsed from the beginning of the  billing cycle until the final reading on the faulty meter. I was undeniably being charged for the leaking gas from your meter, and the proof is in the fact that now there is no gas 'usage' being reflected on the meter reading. My wife told me that she smelled gas way back when we had it turned on,  I could not smell it, and until I checked the meter with my soapy water, I did not realize that it was leaking.  My contention is that this meter has been leaking since we had it turned back on, and that the approximately 12 dollar per month leaked gas that I have been charged for needs to be reimbursed. We had the gas turned on in January, and the meter was replaced in August, which would be 6 and a half months of leaked gas that I was being charged for, for a total of approximately 78.00. This is giving your company the benefit of the doubt that there was not Massive leakage from the old faulty meter, while the gas was flowing full bore into my furnace. I expect to see a credit on my next bill .    Thank you for  your attention to this matter.    Plus...added today....We are supposed to believe that a pilot light   uses 12 dollars worth of gas!!!  My research indicates MAYBE 3 -5 dollars is common.  furthering my logic that this thing was obviously leaking on my dime![redacted]

My meter was inspected on July 6, 2017. I know this because I called the number left on a card on my door and spoke with an Avista employee who said he'd be by within 45 minutes to check my meter. I told him I would leave the dogs inside and the gate unlocked for him. About a week or two after that, a card was left on my door by Brittany saying my meter needed inspected, which I ignored as my meter had JUST been inspected. The next thing I know, someone is showing up at my house at nearly 8:30 at night. There were not three previous attempts, there were two, the first of which I responded to within 24 hours and allowed Avista access to my yard to check my meter. Again, please do not call my work number. I will not respond to personal calls on my work phone. I will also not answer my door unless I'm expecting someone. They may leave a card and I will call and schedule a time. You may also email me to schedule an appointment, but again, my meter was just inspected on July 6th, 2017. It should not need inspected again until July 2020. Despite this, I have had Avista show up at my house over 10 times since July (at all hours) and call me twice.  Complaint: [redacted]
 
I am rejecting this response because:

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:There is no way the heat pump racked up that much usage.

Just for the record, I am not asking for damages to the cable line as I do not own them as you have stated several times, and as for me voluntarily taking time off work, I can assure you there was nothing voluntary about it, had I taken the time off of work to watch your crew you would have your proof. Like I asked before, who else had an extension ladder that could reach that far up on the pole? The cable repair man clearly noted that it was cut up on the pole, but you refuse to even acknowledge this. No one else was on my property but your crew. You have yet to answer that question. But of course you are going to believe your crew. This is all just bureaucratic talk and a waste of everyone's time.

Hello Ms. [redacted],
 
Thank you for sharing your concerns. I
have reviewed the account and found that you requested the meter be checked on
05-23-2017. The representative requested a High Bill Investigation and advised
that if there is nothing wrong with the meter that a refund...

would not be issued.
 
The original request was placed on
05-23-2017 and additional notes were added on 05-24-2017 after receiving your
Revdex.com complaint. The meter was tested today and the Serviceman
provided education on the high cost of electric baseboard heating. The meter is
functioning accurately as follows:
 
Full
Load: 99.93%
Light
Load: 99.46%
Overall:
99.83%
 
The Company did not send your balance to
a collection agency however the balance was sent to a Prior Obligation account on 05-23-2017 when service was
disconnected for non-payment. The due date on the current bill at the time was
05-25-2017 however under Washington state law the Company is required to send
any billed utility balance to Prior
Obligation once a customer is disconnected for non-payment.
 
Because the balance was not sent to a
collection agency (and the Company does not report to credit bureaus) there are
no fees associated and no updates to your credit report needed.
 
Please let me know if I may assist
further, thank you.
 
Dalila

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The response from Avista is inaccurate.  To my knowledge, I was not issued a $20 courtesy credit for this account.  That may have been for a different account and service address, but I paid this account in full on 7/26/17 using the company's website.  I have approximately 35 different accounts that this can happen with.  I feel that it is unethical to charge a full monthly basic fee for 12 days of service then another full monthly basic fee for the next 18 days of service.  The account was opened between tenants for a period of 30 days of continuous service.  They have defended that it is not illegal, but it is wrong to take advantage of the customer just because it is not illegal and this practice is done repeatedly.  As Avista clearly showed in their response, they do not believe that they are prohibited from providing a $20 courtesy credit which does seem like the ethical and appropriate action to take in a situation like this.  I would accept a $20 courtesy check along with written understanding that this will be the standard action any time that I am billed more than one full monthly basic charge when my account is open for a 30 day or less period.  To be clear, I am not asking for any kind of prorated basic charge, I am only asking that I not be billed for more than one full monthly basic charge when my account is opened between tenants for 30 days or less.

Good afternoon,
 
I reached out to the Company’s Claims department to provide details of Mrs. [redacted]'s claim denial. Their response is provided below:
Mrs. [redacted]’s claim was denied for three reasons.
First, Mrs. [redacted] did not provide any evidence that Avista damaged,...

intentionally or otherwise, the cable line to her house.  Mrs. [redacted] alleged that Avista intentionally damaged the cable line to her home while they were doing repair work to overhead service facilities. The Avista crew stated that they did cut down and remove from the site a cable that was hanging loose (as is standard practice), but that they did not cut any connected or intact cable lines to or from Mrs. [redacted]’s home, much less leave one lying on the ground at her home.  Mrs. [redacted] did not provide any evidence that Avista damaged, intentionally or otherwise, the cable line to her house.  Thus, under applicable law, there is no evidence necessary to impose liability on Avista for damage to the cable. 
Second, the cable that was damaged does not belong to Mrs. [redacted], although it served her home.  Like Avista’s service facilities, the cable belongs to the communications company that installed and repaired that line.  Any claim for damage to that cable line and the cost to repair it must come from the company that owns the cable.  Mrs. [redacted] cannot assert a claim for damage to property belonging to a third party. 
 
Finally, Mrs. [redacted] did not incur any damages that Avista can compensate her for. Avista is not liable for her decision to take time off of work to watch either Avista or the cable company perform their work.  No actual damages were reported by Mrs. [redacted]; and no receipts, statements, invoices or other evidence of actual damages were provided by Mrs. [redacted] in support of her claim. 
 
For this last reason alone Ms. [redacted]’s claim was properly denied.
 
Regards,
 
[redacted]

Good afternoon,
The electric service at [redacted] was disconnected in early 2014. Due to a series of events on the property (damage to the meter base and a structure fire) the transformer was scheduled to be removed approximately one year from the disconnect date if the service remained...

inactive. The transformer was removed in April 2015. The customer did not contact the Company until May 2015 to request that service be connected at the property.
The Company was unaware that the customer would be requesting service at [redacted] until after the transformer was retired.
Thank you,
[redacted]

Good morning and thank you for the response;
Due to a number of safety issues that had previously occurred at the property, the transformer in question was scheduled to be removed in April 2015. The scheduled removal occurred prior to the customer contacting the Company to request service.
The transformer was removed in April 2015, the customer contacted the Company in May 2015 and the pedestal was not inspected until February 2016.
The Company’s view on the matter is that all necessary precautions were taken to assure the safety of its customers and of its service personnel.
Thank you,
[redacted]

Good afternoon,  The
customer usually makes regular payments however prior to the September 2016 disconnect
the most recent payment received was in June 2016. The customer then paid again
after service was disconnected – more than three months later....


                                        ...⇄
A Past
Due Notice (attached) was mailed to the customer on 09-01-2016. A Final Notice (attached)
was mailed to the customer on 09-09-2016. An automated call was placed to the
customer at 8:38am on 09-20-2016 and reached a live person.
 
Service
was disconnected on 09-28-2016 and the customer made a payment later that day
however did not contact the Company to advise of the payment and request
reconnect until the following day (09-29-2016). The payment would have covered
the utility balance in full however it applied toward the deposit and
reconnection fee (per Washington State law). The representative sent for
reconnect and advised the customer that a deposit had been requested due to the
service disconnection, that the account balance at the time of disconnect was
now a Prior Obligation (per Washington State law), that the balance had been transferred
to a separate account, that a letter explaining what happened on the account
would be sent to her and that if the balance went unpaid it would be sent to a
collection agency.
 
The Prior
Obligation Letter (attached) was mailed to the customer on 09-29-2016 however
payment was not made. A Final Demand for Payment Letter (attached) was mailed
to the customer on 11-11-2016 advising that the balance would be sent to a
collection agency if payment was not made by 12-06-2016. Payment was not
received and the balance was sent to the collection agency on 12-22-2016.
 
The
regular September 2016 bill was generated on 09-08-2016 – prior to the service
disconnection – so those charges were transferred to the Prior Obligation
account at the time of disconnect. The customer referenced September 2016 bill
that reflects 0.00 is due to the Company’s system generating an “off cycle”
bill in order to request the first half of the deposit. Furthermore, the line
item reflects an “amount due” of 0.00 because the customer made her payment
prior to the deposit being requested so there was technically a credit on the
active account at the time the first half of the deposit was requested.
 
The Company
does not have record of the customer speaking with a woman in September 2016 or
being told that there might not be a shut off fee because she paid within two
hours of the shutoff. In Washington State any billed balance at the time of a
disconnection (due to non-payment) becomes a Prior Obligation – this is true
regardless of the time frame of the service interruption.
 
Did the
customer ever call from a different phone number? I am happy to research
further.

Review: It seems that my Electric part of my bill jumped 240% this last month from never being above 1000KWH to over 2400 KWH and was charged nearly $200 more on my bill. Not very happy about that, but the gas usage looks ok. No way did we almost triple our electric bill in 1 month.Desired Settlement: I would like to be reimbursed for the over payment that they charged or at least have it dropped from the bill.

Business

Response:

[redacted],

Thank you for forwarding Ms. [redacted]’s concern. In reviewing her account, I determined that the December meter read was under read resulting in a very low electric bill. The December read was 3844 and should have been registered at 3944. Her January meter read is accurate at 4084. Ms. [redacted]’s billing statements for December and January have been corrected to ensure all charges are billed at the appropriate rate. A credit of $19.33 was applied to the balance owing.

Ms. [redacted] has not been in contact with us in regard to this matter, we would be happy to discuss this with Alyson at her earliest convenience.

Thank you,

Amanda

Review: On April 16, 2013, I found my significant other of 10 years dead at his computer. His sister had been named administrator of his estate a short time after that. She had talked to Avista and faxed all the info they told her they needed and told them to send the bills to her on May 16, 2013. She gave her address and phone number in case there were any questions or problems. May 29th, their mother passed away. Today, June 4, 2013, I came home from work just before 3 p.m. to find a note from Avista saying that the power had been shut off at 10:45 a.m. It was not shut off due to non-payment but because there had been no application for service at this address. It also stated that to avoid disconnection of this service in two calendar days, please call 1-877-427-3403 to provide billing information. I wasn't given the two days---it was disconnected when I got home and found the notice. I called them from my cell phone immediately and was very upset and angry. They basically forced me to put the power in my name in order to restore service without contacting my significant others sister as they were told to do if they had any questions or problems. They even requested my SS# which I was hesitant to do but I was between a rock and a hard spot and after reading other complaints against them, I realized I saved myself some headaches by doing so. They told me they had sent a letter to this address asking for billing info or something. I explained that the only thing I received was an envelope addressed to "Occupant" of this address and that the letter inside started with Welcome to the neighborhood. It reeked of an advertisement and I did not read the rest. I wasn't concerned about a bill since his sister had taken care of the billing arrangements on May 16. She has copies of the fax and info that she sent. Now I just realized that they'll probably be charging me a connect fee even if there should not be, considering the above info. I feel this was very poorly handled and unnecessary.Desired Settlement: I would like to see Avista honor the arrangement made by my significant others sister and not charge a reconnect fee. I would also like to see them become a bit more professional and human in the handling of these types of incidents. It seems apparent to me that they are lacking in the communication department and may have the problem of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. The complaints I read earlier seem to run along similar lines and I'm surprised nothing's been done.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon,

We are very sorry to hear about Ms. [redacted]'s lost and we understand that this is a hard and difficult time.

The Company was notified of Mr. [redacted]'s death on 05-16-2013 by [redacted] (sister and executor of estate). The account was put in the name of [redacted] L [redacted] Estate. She stated that [redacted] would be living at the premise. The Company provided a fax number for Ms. [redacted] to fax information to regarding the estate.

On 05-17-2013, the Company received a fax showing [redacted]e [redacted] is the adminstrator of the estate. Avista tried calling [redacted] to discuss putting the account in her name. The Company does not leave accounts opened to "estates." The Company called 530-671-5931 to reach Ms. [redacted], but there was no answer. There was also no voicemail. The Company mailed an application of service letter to the premise on 05-17-2013. On 06-04-2013, the company disconnected the power due to no application received. Ms. [redacted] contacted the Company on 06-04-2013 and the service was put in her name. She is not being charged a reconnection fee nor did the Company require a deposit on the account.

We are sorry that Ms. [redacted] is frustrated. The Company did try to contact her through telephone and then reach out to her through mail. The notice she received was not an advertisement. If [redacted]e [redacted] is going to be financial responsible for the account, then we are more than happy to amend the name however we cannot leave an account in an estate name. Accounts are opened to whomever is financially responsible.

Thank you,

Commission Specialist

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9569642, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear Ms. [redacted],

Thank you for the additional comments. I can assure you that customer service is top priority at Avista. If not noted in the previous response, I would like to apologize to you on behalf of the company. We never want a customer to feel as if they were treated improperly. I will be sending your comments to our Quality Assurance Department. I will have the calls reviewed and any needed feedback provided to the respresentative that you spoke with. I can understand your feelings towards the company, if you were told that you should have kept in closer contact with the family. Again, I apologize if that comment was made.

I have waived the deposit and reconnect fee on your account. Your first meter read is on 06-20-2013.

I will also speak to our process department regarding Estates and how they are handled. Your comments are valuable and very much appreciated. We consistently review process and how it relates to customer service.

Please let me know if I can further assist. You may contact me directly if needed.

Thank you,

[redacted] | Commission Specialist | Avista

###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9569642, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]

Regards,

Review: On or around April 25th I made a payment to my utilities acount and made arrangements to pay the rest of my past due bill on May tenth, inorder to prevent disconnection of my service. Avista, the power company agreed to this however, they still sent someone out to disconnect my electricity on may first. The representative informed me that I needed to pay him the total past due on that day or he was going to disconect my power. I informed him of the arrangement I had made the previous week whith their office and he told me that he had no such arangment and was there to colect or disconect. This forced me to give him a check contrary to the promise the company had made me and what I had balanced my acount for. After a few days my bank contacted me to inform me that there was not funds for the check I wroght Avista on the first, so in an attempt to prevent any further problems I called Avista and told them about problem. They apoligised for the inconvenience and took a payment over the phone telling me they would not process my original check a second time, but instead they would cancel it and send it back to me. This however, never happened, instead they ran the check and over the phone e-check the same day, cussing them both to be returned. Now becuse of their lack of customer care and lax record keeping, my bank has charged me $105 in returned items charges, plus my electric bill is still not paid.Desired Settlement: I want Avista to refund my $105 in returned items fees, as a credit to my bank or utilities acount. I also reqest they put everything in writing via fax or e-mail hence forth. I expect my power to remain on during the duration of this dispute.

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

Thank you for the conern/complaint filed by Ms. [redacted]. The Company made a payment arrangment with the customer on 04-18-2013. The customer was to pay $350.00 on 04-18-2013 through the Avista website, and the remaining balance of $395.75 by 04-26-13. The payment arrangment was broken by the customer when the company did not receive $395.75 by 04-26-13.

The Company went out for disconnect on 05-02-2013. The customer paid $186.25 to prevent the disconnection of service. The customer contacted the Company on 05-06-2013 to notify us that the payment was sent back from the bank. The customer then contacted us again on 05-08-2013 and again made a payment for $186.25 stating a deposit had been made in her back account. The second payment was also returned. It was noted that the customer would be following up with her bank.

The Company agreed to let the customer pay $100.00 cash on 05-10, $250.00 on 05-25 and $120.00 + current bill afterwards while the bank sorted out the overdraft fees.

The Company only processed the $186.25 when requested by the customer. Many times, a financial institution will run an online payment several times, however this depends on their banking procedures. Avista is not involved, nor or we aware of how each financial institution processes their online payments.

We have tried to assist the customer with further payment arrangements while she sorts out her financial affairs.

Thank you,

[redacted], Commission Specialist

Review: My family received PCS orders to relocate overseas 21 June 2010. We called Avista in May and made arrangements to close our account, with plenty of notice, on [redacted]. [redacted] (Father-in-law) opened an account at that address as he now lives there. My wife, [redacted], remained at the address until late August 2010 (due to dependent's medical clearances). We have called Avista several times between June 2010 and July 2014 transferring accounts with tenants at other addresses. Today, 15 July 2014, I called Avista to reactivate power at a rental house ([redacted]), and was notified that we have a Closing Bill balance from [redacted] that has be sitting in collections. We have received no notice of that we owed anything beyond our "Final Bill" for 4 yrs and 1 month a collection activity has been against my family with no notice or attempt to contact.Desired Settlement: Drop collection activity and reverse adverse credit reporting.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],

In researching the premise of [redacted], the Company does show it as an open and active account to [redacted] as you stated. It was opened on 08-01-2010, therefore it closed out of your name on 07-31-2010.

The Company applied your paid deposit of $140.00 to your balance on 08-03-2010, reducing the balance to 109.45. On 08-03-2010, the closing bill was generate for $61.51, making the total balance due $170.96. That bill was mail to [redacted]. You stated your wife remained at this address until late August 2010, therefore it should of been received by either her or your father-in-law.

Since the bill went unpaid, the Company mailed a reminder letter on 08-27-2010. We then place a phone call on 09-03-2010 regarding the unpaid balance. Since we did not hear from you or your wife, the balance was eventually written off in November 2010. It was assigned to [redacted]. If you would like to contact them, the phone number is ###-###-####.

I have provided a copy of your transaction register as well. Please let us know if you have further questions.

Thank you,

Commission Specialist

Avista Utilities

Review: On February 13, my kids came home from school to a notice on the door that said our power had been shut off due to "non payment". This was not true, I made a payment of $100 on February 10, which was received and accepted by Avista on Feburary 11. It was a devistating experience to all of us. In order for them to come back out to turn on the power, I was informed I would have to pay a deposit of $195 plus $48 for them to turn it back on by the end of this month in addition to the balance due.

I personally went to the Avista office on the Pullman/Moscow Highway the next day to try to resolve this issue and they told me that I had to talk to someone in Spokane on their phone at a table in their lobby area. I spoke to Avista on the phone and explained that I did not think it was right of them to shut off my power without warning me. I explained I had made a $100 payment, which they accepted, with intentions of paying the balance when I got paid on February 18 (which I did pay today) and I could not afford to pay the entire bill before the 18th. The woman said it didn't matter that I made a payment and the reason why it was shut off was because I did not call them to make arrangements. These last couple of months have been tough on the heating bill and we are a single income household. I have made payments in the past without calling Avista to let them know I was only making a partial payment and my service was not disconnected. I feel like I should have received a call from their customer service asking why I didn't make the full payment if they were going to turn off my power, or at the very least, I should have received the slip on the door with the first box checked saying, "Your service will be scheduled for disconnection if your past due amount of $_____ is not received by 5 p.m. on ___/___/___. The total up-to-date amount due is $_______" but I didn't get this service at all. Avista told me over the phone that they did try to call me, but I show no history of them calling and I have no messages from them in regards. When I told the lady on the phone this she said that they don't usually leave messages. I told her there is a reason I couldn't pay the full balance until the 18th and I asked her how I was going to pay an extra $250 by the end of the month. She talked to her supervisor and they said they were not going to waive the $195 deposit and $48 turn on service fee. This is not right.

My intentions were to pay the balance due on February 18 when I got paid next to be current. I did not have the full balance on February 10 but it was important to me to make a payment and I did. I have paid the balance todayDesired Settlement: I feel like Avista shut off my power in error. I made a payment to my account...the slip on the door reflected the new balance and said that the reason was "non-payment" which is not true. I feel like the $195 deposit and $48 fee to turn my power back on should be waived or removed from my account. I have paid the balance as of today and I am current. This experience has been very emotional to me and my kids.

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

The customer was disconnected on 02-13-2014 due to non-payment. The past due balance was $181.31 due on 01-31-2014. The Company mailed two past due notices, as well as placed a phone call to the customer. Please see collections history below.

02-13-2014 RECONNECTED $0.00 02-13-2014 C

02-13-2014 DISCONNECTED $0.00 02-13-2014 C

02-03-2014 ACTION CARD $181.31 02-24-2014 C

01-30-2014 IVR CALL OPEN ACCOUNT $181.31 01-31-2014 C

01-27-2014 FINAL NOTICE $181.31 01-31-2014 C

01-21-2014 PAST DUE $181.31 01-31-2014 C

The customer did pay $100.00 on 02-11-2014, however this payment did not cover the entire past due amount and therefore the disconnect proceeded. The customer made no contact with the Company regarding the remaining past due amount. It was past due on 01-31-2014. A deposit was requested on the account due to the disconnection. The deposit request is $195.00 and the customer may pay that in two installments. The customer was disconnected in June 2013 and the Company did not request a deposit at that time, however this is the second disconnect within 12 months. The customer may have the deposit amount returned to them, if good payment history is maintained for one year.

Please let me know if I can assist further.

Review: I recently bought the home at the address of this complaint. I don't even live there yet. Upon inspection we noticed that the power line from the pole to the house was hanging low across my deck and could be easily reached by one of my children. I called Avista to see if they would come out and tighten up the line. I knew that a tree would have to be trimmed in order to make a clear path to the pole. The first woman I spoke with was very kind and told me "no problem, we'll get someone out there today" nothing else was said. I arrived at the property the next day to find that indeed, they had been out, they cut a large amount from the tree and just left it in my yard. There was tree debris over 6 feet tall and covering the entire yard! At no time was I informed that I would be responsible for removing anything. I was very upset and called Avista. The woman that I spoke with at that time told me that it was absolutely my responsibility to remove the tree debris and that they normally wouldn't have come out and done that. She said I should've been referred to an Arborist and that it's the customer's responsibility to maintain the line from pole to house. REALLY? I am appalled that my property was left in that condition and I was not informed that it would be my job to clean it up. Had I known I would've waited until I could do that. I am a single parent and do not have the resources to just cut up huge parts of a tree or pay someone to do it. I should've had that choice. When I tried to resolve with them, they told me there was nothing they could do. They cut down trees all over town and haul away their mess. Why not this time? Now, I am left to move in and cannot even use my yard or come thru there to move furniture in or anything. It's unsafe for the kids and they cannot go back there at all.Desired Settlement: I would like them to remove the mess from my yard

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

Thank you for sending us the concerns from [redacted]. The Company has spoken several times with the customer via e-mail regarding the trimming of her tree. Customers are responsbile for trimming trees, bushes, etc. on their property in regards to keeping the power lines, meters, and other equipment safe. Avista went to the customer's premise because it had been reported that the power line was hanging low. The Company was onsite to address the power line, but because the tree created a safety hazards for the customer, the Company trimmed the tree. while onsite This is not a normal practice as stated above, customers are responsbile for keeping their property safe and clear.

I understand the customer is frustrated and we have asked that he/she contact the Company via phone to speak with a manager.

Below is the previous correspondance between the customer and the Company.

Thank you,

[redacted], Commission Specialist

Review: On June 16th we lost power at our house due to a squirrel took out the transformer/fuse. The claim department denied my claim stating that I did not provide enough proof. They stated that their linemen did not cut the line. My question after all is said and done is this....Who else would have done it if not the linemen? The pole is 16 - 20 feet in the air? You need an extension ladder to get to where the cable was cut at. I provided proof from the Xfinity service repair man that the cable had been cut at the top of the pole.

Do you really think your crew is going to admit that they cut the cable? Of course not, they do not wish to find themselves in any kind of trouble.

It seems really suspicious that the cable line was fine in the morning when the power went out and when the foreman came to inspect the property to ascertain what needed to be done and then when I came home 30 minutes after they completed the repair of the power I all of a sudden no longer have cable TV.

Did I see them cut the line? No I did not. But the timeline fits that it was your linemen. WHO ELSE would be that high on the pole on that very same day?

I provided this letter, pictures and a note from the Xfinity service man:

June 22, 2015

[redacted] and [redacted]

[redacted] Home

[redacted] Cell

Avista Utilities Claim Dept

Attn: [redacted]

Re: Cutting of our cable line

Dear Mr. [redacted]:

Please find enclosed is documentation to validate our claim. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning (June 16th, 2015). At approximately 6:15 am a squirrel took out the transformer/fuse. My husband found the squirrel dead at the bottom of the pole. I placed a call to the outage department and informed them what had happened. One of your crewmen came to my house to inspect the situation and verify what needed to be done. The cable line was not lying on the ground at that time. The crewmen let me out of my garage and told me that I did not need to be present in order for the crew to repair the line. I received an automated call at about 11:00 am informing me that my service had been restored.

I placed a call to Xfinity to have them send a signal to our boxes since we had lost power and this is a normal procedure. A signal could not be received. My husband went out to the pole and found the cable lying on the ground. It had been cut. Not pulled and torn. Not chewed. But cut. I have enclosed pictures of the cut cable and a statement from the Xfinity crewmen that completed the repairs.

The soonest that Xfinity could get someone to my house was Thursday morning. So from Tuesday morning at 6:15 until Thursday morning at 11:30 we were without cable. Not to mention that I had to stay home from work to wait for the cable repair man to arrive and repair the cut line. I feel there should be some compensation for the time we were without the cable service.

I have lost wages in the amount of 240.00 due to having to wait for someone to come inspect the pole for the outage, waiting for Xfinity to come and repair what your crew broke, not to mention the time on the phone with your company and Xfinity.

If there is further information you require please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I want to be compensated for my time loss from work due to the cable line being cut by your linemen.

Business

Response:

Good afternoon,

Review: We sold our rental property (duplex) in August 2013 and notified [redacted] that we no longer owned the property and wanted to cancel our accounts. However, I continued to receive bills in January 2014. I continue to contact the company, but they still have not fixed the problem. I receive multiple bills for the property with different account numbers. Their customer service was not available this Saturday morning at 9:30 even, so I'm posting this complaint after months of problems.Desired Settlement: Cancel ALL my accounts with the company. I do not own any property in any area serviced by the company. I should have NO accounts in my name.

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon Revdex.com and Mr. [redacted],

Thank you for contacting [redacted] with your [redacted].

I have reviewed the property located at [redacted]. Both accounts have been previously closed out of your name. I have also verified that no other accounts are open to you.

In regards to the property located at [redacted], when you owned the property, as the Landlord you had requested the accounts be opened back into your name anytime a tenant moved out of the property. Unless [redacted] receives proper notification that a customer no longer owns or manages a property, the agreement will remain active on the account. During my investigation of your complaint, I found that for the property located at [redacted], the account was closed per a request made over the automated phone system. The close date requested was for 12-19-2013. The account was then closed out of your name however, since [redacted] was not notified that you were no longer the owner of this property, the Landlord agreement was never removed from this account resulting in the account opening back into your name.

The account located at [redacted] was closed out of your name when a new renter contacted [redacted] to take responsibility of the bills at that address. Since [redacted] was not notified that you were no longer the owner of this property, the Landlord agreement was never removed from that account, showing you were still the owner. This property is currently in a tenants name and not being billed to you.

On 01/10/2014, [redacted] was notified by the new owner of these properties. [redacted] has updated the Landlord agreement with the new owners information, therefore removing you as owner. These properties will no longer open back to your name unless requested by you.

[redacted] Utilities Customer Service is available to assist you at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 7:00am - 7:00pm and on Saturday from 9:00am - 5:00pm

Please let me know if I can further assist.

Commission Specialist

###-###-####

Review: I have disputed charges for a security deposit which they are refusing to remove from my account even though I have been a customer since 2009 & this was the first disconnect I have ever had with them. I find it completely unreasonable to not only charge a reconnection fee but also another $200 (twice my regular monthly bill) on top of it. I feel this monopoly is taking advantage of the poor by asking such an outrageous amount above & beyond my bill. And the amount owed was paid within an hour of the disconnect, had he not come during lunch hour, it would not have been disconnected at all. I feel that this large corporation takes advantage of all of its customers anyway with their ridiculously high rates to begin with. And then to make matters worse, they are a monopoly so you are FORCED to do business with the vultures!!! I was never over-charged by my old company [redacted] & they would have NEVER done this to one of their long time customers! In fact, the were a co-op & even returned $ to customers at the end of the year. My question is, WHY is Avista unable or unwilling to do these things when they are such a huge conglomerate?? No, instead all Avista does is TAKE, TAKE, TAKE & oh btw, take some more from the poor. Very unhappy to be FORCED into a relationship with this company!!!Desired Settlement: I do not want to have to pay this security deposit. I find it completely unfair/unreasonable. And also, a complete explanation of charges.

Business

Response:

Hi [redacted],

Thank you for your concerns expressed to the Revdex.com. I show that you spoke with the Company on 06-16-2014 and reached a payment arrangement on your full balance of $459.73. The payment arrangement is as follows:

$167.04 due by 06-27-2014

$98.00 + Current Bill starting in July (first payment due by 07-15-2014)

I have attached your payment/billing history below for your review. I have also included your collections history. In August 2012, we applied your deposit to assist you in your balance. You have not had another deposit request until recently due to your disconnection of service for non-payment. I would like to again assit you in your balance. Your current usage balance is $365.23, you have paid $94.50 towards your deposit. Are you able to pay the remaining amount of your usage balance if the Company applied the $94.50 deposit payment towards it? The remaining portion due on your deposit would then be waived. $365.23 - $94.50 (paid deposit) = $270.73. Please advise if you are able to make this payment so we can then waive your deposit. If not, would you like to keep your current payment arrangements in place?

Date Description Amount Balance CLB Amt CLB Bal

05-29-2014 CUSTOMER BILL 70.54 365.23 0.00 0.00

05-14-2014 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -16.00 294.69 0.00 0.00

05-13-2014 RECONNECT CHARGE 16.00 310.69 0.00 0.00

05-13-2014 TRF A/R TO PRIOR OBLIGATI 294.69 294.69 0.00 0.00

04-29-2014 CUSTOMER BILL 77.62 294.69 0.00 0.00

03-28-2014 CUSTOMER BILL 99.68 217.07 0.00 0.00

03-21-2014 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -122.54 117.39 0.00 0.00

02-27-2014 CUSTOMER BILL 117.39 239.93 0.00 0.00

02-20-2014 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -241.53 122.54 0.00 0.00

01-29-2014 CUSTOMER BILL 122.54 364.07 0.00 0.00

12-30-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 149.81 241.53 0.00 0.00

12-20-2013 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -150.27 91.72 0.00 0.00

11-26-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 91.72 241.99 0.00 0.00

10-28-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 72.72 150.27 0.00 0.00

10-11-2013 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -170.00 77.55 0.00 0.00

09-27-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 80.98 247.55 0.00 0.00

08-30-2013 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -88.65 166.57 0.00 0.00

08-28-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 86.09 255.22 0.00 0.00

07-29-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 88.65 169.13 0.00 0.00

07-11-2013 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -147.32 80.48 0.00 0.00

06-27-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 80.48 227.80 0.00 0.00

05-30-2013 CUSTOMER PAYMENT -100.25 147.32 0.00 0.00

05-29-2013 CUSTOMER BILL 67.56 247.57 0.00 0.00

Date Description Amount Due

05-13-2014 RECONNECTED $0.00 05-13-2014 C

05-13-2014 DISCONNECTED $0.00 05-13-2014 C

05-12-2014 ACTION CARD $217.07 05-27-2014 C

05-09-2014 IVR CALL OPEN ACCOUNT $217.07 05-12-2014 C

05-01-2014 FINAL NOTICE $217.07 05-12-2014 C

04-23-2014 PAST DUE $217.07 05-12-2014 C

02-19-2014 FREE FIELD $0.00 02-19-2014 C

02-11-2014 ACTION CARD $241.53 02-25-2014 C

02-10-2014 IVR CALL OPEN ACCOUNT $241.53 02-11-2014 C

01-31-2014 FINAL NOTICE $241.53 02-11-2014 C

01-23-2014 PAST DUE $241.53 02-11-2014 C

12-10-2013 IVR CALL OPEN ACCOUNT $150.27 12-11-2013 C

12-02-2013 FINAL NOTICE $150.27 12-11-2013 C

11-20-2013 PAST DUE $150.27 12-11-2013 C

09-23-2013 PAST DUE $166.57 10-10-2013 C

08-22-2013 PAST DUE $169.13 09-11-2013 C

07-10-2013 IVR CALL OPEN ACCOUNT $147.32 07-11-2013 C

07-01-2013 FINAL NOTICE $147.32 07-11-2013 C

06-21-2013 PAST DUE $147.32 07-11-2013 C

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.

Commisson Specialist

Avista Utilities

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business' response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

Revdex.com,

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. By what date would I need to pay the $270.73 in order to have 1/2 the deposit waived?

Regards,

Review: My Avista Account Number is: [redacted]. My address is: [redacted]. The meter number is [redacted].

I have the evidence taken for the meter reading on Feb. 15 when my apartment lease starts. The meter reading was [redacted]. However, the meter reading from Avista's statement was 48021. The 196 energy usage difference was not from previous occupant of the apartment. I should not be responsible for those charges. I have repeatedly contacted them for this issue and they did not correct it even with all photo and other evidences.

Currently, I have received two statements. They claimed my energy usage from 02/15 to 02/27 was 280.

and

My energy usage from 02/27 to 03/27 was 215.

It is hard to believe 12 days energy usage is much more than 30 days energy usage even from common sense. I have all the evidence for the meter reading. Avista should honor the law and charge the customer for their energy usages not to charge previous occupant's energy usage to the new customer.Desired Settlement: The correct energy usage statement needs to be sent to the customer.

A apology should be made to the customer.

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted],

Thank you for your concerns at [redacted]. We have reviewed your account serveral times. The Company has a signed residential application with your signature dated 02-15-2014. Due to the signed application, the electric service was opened to you on that date. You state that the landlord used your services and that you did not move in on that date, however Avista Utilities does not get involved in disputes between tenants and landlords. I would advise that you and your landlord discuss what your original move in date was. If the landlord is willing to take responsibility for the usage from 02-15-2014 please have him contact us at ###-###-####. If you would like to send a picture of the meter from 02-15-2014, it will need to be stamped with the date and time of the picture.

Please let me know if we can further assist.

Thank you,