Columbia Gas of Virginia Reviews (%countItem)
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Columbia Gas of Virginia Rating
Address: 25 Blue Bird Lane, Buena Vista, Virginia, United States, 24416
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Columbia gas charges huge deposits and ridiculous fees for everything. As a new business we had the gas turned on and when we had it turned on they told us no one in this building had used the gas service in the past 7 years. This should have been a red flag. Then their rates were really high and we got another charge of $*** for a connect fee because that is a thing. So we decided after only a month to convert to electric heat. We had the gas disconnected on 12/5. They sent me a letter stating they were refunding our deposit within 30 days of disconnect. Now on 1/5 I call them and they tell me that it could be another 30 days because of their billing cycles. So the letter I received meant nothing.
If you are thinking about gas service think again with this company. So needless to say I am very un-pleased and feel lied to.
I thought it would be easy for me to pay my gas bill....I had never been a Colombia Gas of Virginia customer before.
Just like any other utility (or reasonable company for that matter), I figured I would be able to go online to Colombia Gas, enter in some card information and pay for the $*** or so of gas I use per month. I have encountered nothing but security issues, payment issues, unhelpfulness from the customer service.
Apparently the first time I set up my account payment the information wasn't correct. Hopefully that doesn't happen to you because Colombia gas charged me $*** (more than I pay for the actual gas) in a 'bounced check' fee (even though it was an online account and I never wrote a check). I received not warning, notification, call, email from anyone at Colombia that there was any issue with my payments...I just had to find out when I opened a surprisingly high gas bill and called their customer service.
Customer service told me that there was an issue with my payment and that I had to change it. I try to go online to change my payment and Colombia Gas's broken online system told me that there was an error and I wasn't able to edit my payment information because I was enrolled in automatic payments....I tried to un-enroll in automatic payments and the system said I couldn't un-enroll until my next payment date (which MAKES NO SENSE). Well when my next payment date came around and my information still wasn't updated so it was declined a second time (since I couldn't change it...)
Now I call customer service and find out I have to call to make payments for the next year and can't do anything online because my payment was rejected twice. Are you really making it HARDER for me to pay you money? Who is coming up with your business processes? This isn't 1998 any more.
Dear Mr.,
Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding your experience using our online payment system. It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive very seriously.
We have verified that the funds were returned because the account number originally entered into the system was for a closed account. Due to this, we are able to waive both $*** return payment fees you were charged. We have also contacted the correct individuals to have the block removed from your account, and that should be completed now. Going forward, you will simply need to re-enter your correct banking information into the system. If any new information entered is incorrect, Columbia Gas will need to place another block on the account for a one-year period.
I want to apologize for any difficulties and frustration you experienced in handling your request. Should you have questions or require additional information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Kristine J
Manager – Communications & Community Relations
Columbia Gas of Virginia
First they show up unannounced to service the meter. It worried my son who was home sick and is hearing impaired. They of course turn of the gas to the house. We had to call and have it turned on. They came and claimed there was a leak in the system and left it off and left us hanging late in the afternoon. I was not able to get a contractor out to check until the day after. The contractor found no leak. We wanted the gas back on so that we could get our heat and hot water back after two days and have the contractor ensure everything was OK. Columbia Gas told us they could only come out the following day to inspect it again. So one more day without heat or hot water and can only hope that Columbia doesn't claim to find a leak again.
An absolutely horrible company. I am sure this is due to their incestuous, state-sanctioned monopoly. They over charge, including requiring deposits that are 10 times the average monthly gas usage and insane connection fees. If you are considering buying or renting a home that includes gas appliances in a Columbia Gas area, consider buying or renting elsewhere. They are horrible. How they have an A+ rating with the Revdex.com when all of the submitted reviews are negative also raises questions.
We pay our bill on time, every month, never late. We've never had any problems. When we need this company to respond, they refuse.
We discovered a gas leak in our home on Wednesday evening August 30, 2017. On Thursday, we called Columbia Gas and they came right away, located the leak and shut off the main gas line. We had the leak repaired Friday, September 1, 2017 in the early afternoon. When we called Columbia Gas to have our gas turned back on, they refused, saying it's a holiday weekend and we'll have to wait until Tuesday. We have 2 small children and rely on gas to cook on our stove and in our oven, and for hot water. It is extremely unreasonable to wait 4 days to have our gas turned back on. I tried speaking to a supervisor but instead was transferred to a "senior customer service representative". I asked to speak to their boss and they hung up on me. I called back to find out how to file a complaint and they claim there is no way to do so.
Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Ms. ***’s experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia. It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously.
The timeline that Ms. provided is correct. She was reconnected on September 5, which is within the time frames set in the State Corporation Commission approved tariff, and our internal processes schedule.
We are in the process of reviewing the timeframes for reconnecting a customer that was disconnected due to a leak or other safety related reason, to see if we can adjust the timing and get customers reconnected sooner.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kristine J
Manager – Communications and Community Relations
my service was cut off in June I agreed to pay the *** expedite fee for them to come back the next day they did not come back the next day I have reached out to Columbia multiple times they are adamant they did come come I am adamant they didn't as I stayed home all day waiting for them
Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Mr. ***’ experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia. It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Below is a timeline of what has transpired.
On 6/6/17, Mr. contacted Columbia Gas of Virginia to request a payment plan. Columbia Gas advised Mr. the gas service had been terminated and requested $*** to restore service. Columbia Gas advised the restoration amount consisted of $*** account arrears, in addition to an $*** reconnect fee. Columbia Gas advised the customer that if he wished for Columbia Gas to light the appliances, there would be an additional fee of $. Mr. questioned when the service would be restored, and the Columbia Gas advised that if he made the payment and called back on the same day, the service would be restored on June 9 if no sooner date was available. Mr. stated he had children and an elderly person living in the home. Columbia Gas informed him of the $*** priority fee to override order scheduling. Mr. indicated his satisfaction.
On 6/6/17, at approximately 6:47 PM, Mr. contacted Columbia Gas to state he had paid $*** to get the gas service restored at ***. Columbia Gas recorded the receipt number (***) for the payment made at a Walmart location on the account given by Mr.. Mr. emphasized that there was an elderly person living at the location, and would have liked the gas service to be restored sooner. Columbia Gas informed him that the order could be placed for the next day (June 7) with a priority fee billed to him in the amount of $. Mr. agreed to the priority fee, and the restoration order was placed for June 7 with a thirty-minute call ahead to Mr. at ***-***-***.
On 6/7/2017, Columbia Gas arrived at *** at 1:50 PM, completed a pressure test on the house lines, and restored service up to the meter valve. Appliances were left off to be lit by a qualified plumber or heating contractor. Restoration up to the meter was completed at 2:18 pm.
I apologize for the inconvenience and misunderstanding resulting in this situation, however our records show that Mr.’ service was indeed restored as agreed upon, and we are unfortunately unable to credit Mr.’ account the priority fee of $.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kristine J
Manager – Communications and Community Relations
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
Regards
I had service started in a condo I moved into last week. When the technician arrived he refused to turn on the pilot lights to ensure that the system was working. This makes no sense to me. This is a gas company with plenty of training and experiencing handling gas I do not see why they cannot turn on the pilot lights especially when they charge so much to come out and turn on the gas in the first place. Absolutely ridiculous and unsafe because instead I am trying to turn on the pilot light without a clue as to what I am doing.
Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of *** experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia. It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Below is a timeline of what has transpired.
On ***, *** called Columbia Gas to request to have service established in his name at ***. We scheduled a connection order for *** between the hours of ***, which *** agreed to. The call center representative used this exact scripting: "***, I have placed your order for *** and we will be out on *** between the hours of ***. You will be required to pay an initiation fee of ***, which will show up on your first bill. Since the gas service is not on, someone will have to be at the premises to allow access to your appliance shut-off valves. You have to secure the service of a qualified heating contractor or plumber to light and inspect your gas equipment. Whomever you choose to provide this service, Columbia Gas recommends that all applicable national, state and local codes including ANSI Z223.1 are followed. In addition to this, I must advise you that if we are unable to gain access to the premises, there will be a *** return trip fee for each additional trip. If there are animals on the property they must be secured in an area away from where our technician will be working, otherwise, our technician will be advised not to enter the premise." The call center representative asked if this was ok, and *** agreed.
On ***, Columbia Gas technician arrived on site at *** and turned on gas service. The technician noted on his completed order that he advised the customer that pilots would need to be lit by a qualified heating contractor or plumber.
We have had no further contact from the customer since the tech turned the service on. The customer did not dispute the fact that he was responsible for having pilot lights lit by a contractor at the time of service request, nor did he ask for Columbia Gas to perform that service.
I apologize for the inconvenience and misunderstanding resulting in this situation. If *** chooses for Columbia Gas to light the pilots, there is an *** fee that we are unfortunately unable to waive, due to being a regulated company.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
The did not try to resolve the complaint just more empty platitudes. The company cries about being regulated but maybe it should be regulated more with how poorly they treat their customers.
Regards