Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation

Complaints# [redacted]- Will have someone from CNG reach out to this customer to determine if he received the refund or what the Company will do to resolve.

I have sent this to the supervisor at CNG  to contact the customer to resolve his concerns.
 
Thanks,
Alison

My services were interrupted on 12/4/14. I received a bill with a payment due date 12/12/14. I called Cust Svc Rep 12/5/14 (Friday) @ 8:15am and was informed that another bill was mailed to me regarding the shut-off for 12/2/14 (which I never received). I explained that I was enrolled in the Energy Assistance Program but was told I had to reapply every year. Being a fairly new resident of CT 2yrs, I wasn't aware of that and immediately paid the minimum amount that was required in order to have service restored. At 1:16pm I received a voicemail (from a private number) stating the tech was in route to my address. I then removed restriction from my phone so that I could answer the next time he called, then opened and stood by my front door. Appox. 20 mins. later I saw the CNG van approaching but the driver didn't come into the parking lot/drive way. So I thought maybe he was going to go to the back. As quick as that thought entered my mind, I watched the driver make a U-turn and leave. He did not attempt to even come towards my door or he would have seen me standing there waiting. I understand that I am late paying my bill but not only am going through hardships, there was a miscommunication as I received 2 separate bills. I called CNG to check the service order and it said, "completed" (but it wasn't). I waited to speak with a cust svc rep again to let them know what happened and that I was home; was told that the tech is not required to knock on the door or ring the bell if he doesn't make a connection with someone at the service address over the phone. I explained that he left a message saying he was in route, but never called back, and didn't even come to my door because I watched him come and go. Why would he even come to my address if he was not planning to attempt to restore service. This is a very cold month in December and I have an infant in my care right now, my home is freezing. I apologize that I am late paying my bill, but why would the technician come all the way to my address, just to turn around and not even attempt to turn the gas back on (in spite?). It is 9:30pm and I have not moved from my house. I have not eaten because I can't cook anything, nor can I leave to by anything quick to throw in my stomach in fear that I will be without heat for the entire weekend. Am I being punished because of my hardships? With all due respect, the driver coming to the drive-way to make a U-turn seem very unprofessional and uncaring to me as a customer, regardless of my billing/financial status. I am a single mother and still have to pick my daughter up from school in Storrs, but can't because I am still waiting. I called CNG once more to inquire about the latest time my services would be restored and was told they have 24 hours to restore it. This is mind blowing to me as it seems to be a pleasure and such an easy task to discontinue/shut-off services, but restoring services for the customer is no big deal and requires the customer to be cold, hungry and a 24 hour lockdown (or suffer the consequences of waiting another 24 hours or the entire weekend). Plus, the employees have the choice of being inconvenient in the middle of the winter. I even have to stay up incase the tech comes early in the a.m. because they have a bracket of 24 hours. This should be "absolutely unacceptable" (especially in the cold month of December. Speaking with an employee of CNG (as a friend of a relative), their employees have the option to be as helpful as they'd like, without supervision. He said, if I'm waiting like that to have my service restored, it's the customer service rep that put the order in and the driver; that I shouldn't still be waiting if I called 8am this morning. There were no emergencies right now... If it were the state I just moved from, this would not have been able to happen. For one, techs have a shorter turn-around time from the time the order is put in, they aren't allowed to decide when to complete and order as long as it's within 24 hours. Its now 13 1/2 hours of freezing and counting... Please explain why this is company's policy is acceptable(no contact with one attempt/don't go to customer to restore service). Why would this be allowed to happen?

I verified that Ms. [redacted] spoke to a CNG rep on 10/21/2015 at about 4:30 pm and it was stated that no inspection was necessary and that the gas service was on.  Move in date of 10/23 with no deposit or inspection  necessary.
 
I hope this...

helped.Regards,
Alison

The customer closed the account in September 2014; however, the final bill did not generate until March 2015. The final bill was paid in May 2015. On June 7, 2016 a letter was mailed to the customer stating that the account had a zero balance. We apologize for the...

lengthy delay in sending the final bill. The Company is investigating the delay. Negative credit bureau reporting will be removed/updated.

#[redacted]. 5/26/2015- The manager of Collections had determined that the final invoice was mailed to an incorrect address therefore Ms. [redacted] would not have received it. In light of this, the negative credit reporting was removed. At the time, Ms. [redacted] was also...

advised that since it was a final invoice, she would not receive any new ones and would need to track her payments and balance. Her account is paid in full.

When paying on-line, our payment screen contains a notice that states: Scheduled payments require 24 hours to be processed and must be scheduled on a weekday.
Scheduling a payment, to be paid a month later (on the due date), means that the payment is to be received a month later.  If the payment is scheduled to be received at least one day prior to the due date, this will ensure at least 24 hours for processing and no late payment fee is assessed. 
Once the enhancement is in effect, the 24 hours processing will not be necessary.  In the meantime, we placed an interest hold on account for the next 5 months.
The Company values the feedback from customer and is committed to improving the customer experience.

I have reviewed the account and it appears that a supervisor was to contact [redacted] in regards to some concerns he had with gas interruption. I don't see where this was completed. I have sent the request to have the supervisor contact him to discuss and provide the information...

he is requesting. Thanks, Alison

While the Company understands the impact to its customers when the service is terminated, our findings indicate that the Company followed proper disconnection and reconnection procedures related to this matter.  A billing statement in the amount of $363.84 was sent to...

customer on/about 8/22/16 with a payment due date of 9/19/16.  Since the account was past due, a disconnect letter was sent to customer on/about 8/24/16 requesting a payment of the past due amount of $321.00 by 9/7/16.  The payment of $321.00 was not made by 9/7 nor contact made with the Company, which unfortunately resulted in the disconnection of service on 9/8/16.  The customer contacted the Company on 9/9.  The representative explained the above and informed customer of the payment needed for reconnection of service ($321.00).  The representative also explained that after the payment is made, the reconnection of service may take one or more days, depending on availabilty; this is standard operating procedure.  Customer was not pleased with the information provided.  On Monday, 9/12, customer made the required payment and contacted the Company to inquire when the service willl be reconnected.  The representative reviewed the standard fees related to the reconnection of service and explained that the service is scheduled for reconnection.  Customer contacted the Company again on 9/12 and was advised  that the reconnection is still active.  The representative was unable to provide any specificts as to the exact date and time of reconnect.  Customer called again on 9/13 and was advised by a representative that the service was sheduled for reconnection on 9/13, however, no specific time given (standard procedures).  The service was reconnected late evening of 9/13.   
Note: The Company Review Officer called and spoke with customer on 9/13 afternoon and assured customer that the service will be reconnnected the evening of 9/13.  The Reiview Officer also assured customer that if any service quality issue is determined, the matter will be addressed accordingly with representatives.  Customer was pleased.

Case #[redacted]. [redacted] -I have spoken with CNG management and someone will be reaching out to Ms. [redacted] to discuss her concerns and see if she wants to open a claim with CNG/UIL.

Good morning,
I apologize for the delay as I had to work...

with several departments to investigate this dispute.Here is what I have determined.  There were three floors that had service
contracts
In this case the 1st  floor account belongs to the landlord who has
an active gas account and service contract. He is not disputing this account.
Acct# [redacted]
The service contract for the second floor is inactive
effective 2/2/2016. A call was placed to discontinue it stating it was never
requested . On 2/3/2016 a refund was applied in the amount of $191.43. The
balance remains for $219.26 for the service contract from 2014. As a ourtesty I
had this fee waived.
Acct# [redacted]
There is an active service contract is active for  this third floor account. The balance owing
is $195.87 which includes the charges for the service contract plus late fees. As
a courtesy I had this fee waived.
I also confirmed that the customer is not being billed for
gas consumption for any of his tenants that reside on the 2nd and 3rd
floors. The only billing was for the service contracts on the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Also it is important to note that if a customer does not call to end of a service contract it will be automatically renewed. it is the
obligation of the customer to call and discontinue  the service contract if it is no longer
wanted.  It is in the terms of the contract which I have attached. CNG contracts auto renew on September 1 of each year.
Hope this has been helpful,
Sincerely,
Alison

The Company understands the concerns raised by the customer and in view of the circumstances, and my findings described below, the derogatory credit reporting will be deleted.  ...

Please allow 30 to 60 days for the credit bureau to update the record.  Here is a brief description of my findings:
 
    Our records indicate that customer’s account was closed on/about February 3, 2014; thereafter, a final bill in the amount of $19.26 was generated and mailed to customer shortly     after.  On/about February 12, 2014, customer made a payment of $49.10 to cover his January billing statement that was due on February 20, 2014.  It is possible that customer     thought he paid his final billing statement of $19.26 when he paid the $49.10 (as he commented to the Revdex.com) and/or he may not have received his final bill.        
 
    On December 8, 2016, customer contacted the Company to inquire about his account.
    A copy of his final bill in the amount of $19.26 was e-mailed, which he paid in full on December 12, 2016.
 
Given the circumstances described above and his excellent payment history, the derogatory credit reporting will be deleted, as mentioned above. 
 
If customer should have any further questions regarding this or any other matter, he may contact the Company Review Officer at ###-###-####. Thank you.

Paying on the due date may not allow enough time for the payment to be processed & post, as happened in this case.
The Company understands the concerns raised and has been working on a system enhancement to address this issue.  The enhancement has been completed and...

should take effect within the next month or so.   We apologize for any inconvenience.   The late payment fee has been credited to account.  Any future issues of concern regarding this matter, please contact the Company Review Officer directly at ###-###-####.   Thank you.

A zero balance letter was mailed to the customer on 10-23-15 at the customer's request. A review of our records confirmed the payment in full. Credit reporting has been updated to reflect this.
Patricia D[redacted]

Review: Cng has failed to help me with my billing issues they have been ignoring me and giving me the run around Nd laughing at my expense. I get no response

I have numerous of times to speak to someone at cng about my bill I have signed up for energy assistance they paid them gave me a payment plan and still deny me the matching payment plan I followed all guidelines and rules and they are stating that I did not pay my monthly bil in which I have proof that I did. Now they r giving me the run around to not help me resolve this issue. They are not taking my situation serious and instead is trying. To. Cut my services off which I find unfair seeing that I have been paying my bill and following the guidelines. I have asked to speak to managers supervisors And they refuse to help me. I find there service to be rude and disrespectful I don't like to be treated like a incompetent person or a child, they are not good at there job and they do not help people at all.Desired Settlement: I will like to have my bill resolved and get the fair payment plan that I deserve

Review: I received a disconnection notice in the mail and called to make an arrangement to pay. I called on the 13th of October and the CNG employee I spoke to told me I had to make a payment of $82 by 6pm on October 14th to keep my services on. I made a payment of $85 on the 14th at 10am and my services still got shut off. I called today, the 15th of October and complained to them that they broke our agreement and they said as a one time courtesy they would turn it on but they would charge me $76 dollar reconnection fee and $28 dollars per 15 minutes of time it takes their technician. I asked them how is that a courtesy if they are charging me. They told me that usually they make people pay 90% of the balance to turn service back on and charge all those fees when you don't make your payment. I said that I did make my payment and she confirmed that she could see the payment made on my account. She told me that because I didn't call in and give them the confirmation number from my payment that is the reason my service was shut off. I told her that the rep never informed me of this and if she had I would have called back to report it. The lady just kept telling me their company policy and telling me that's how it is. This strong arm mentality they have is unjust and unprofessional. Most of the United States is poor and we don't deserve to be treated unfairly because money is tight. I held my end of the bargain up and now I have to stay home and wait on them because I have a "full day appointment" which means they can show up whenever they feel like it, and on top of not being able to leave the house or work today I am going to be charged a bunch of money that I don't have for them to turn my service back on when it was there mistake in the first place. Since they run unchecked, and don't have to adhere by any professional standards they can freely victimize whoever they want just to make extra ill gotten gains. FOR SHAME!!!! You are a shining example of what's wrong with big companies who have a monopoly and abuse their power. I might have to take your abuse because I want to have hot water and heat this winter, but that doesn't change the fact that your company is just a big corrupt bully whose word is as good as excrement. I know that your company most likely won't respond to this Revdex.com complaint or even care because you won't loose any business no matter what you do but you should still be held accountable, and if I am charged money to reconnect my service I will do what I can to inform others. Even if you don't care I will post this letter on social media and send emails to the local news stations as well as complaining to the city and anyone else who will listen.Desired Settlement: I want the reconnection fee taken of my bill at the very minimum. In a just world you would credit me a little extra for your mistake, but I doubt you will even respond at all, so if by some chance you do, I want my reconnection fee taken off my bill, however much it is.

Business

Response:

We have restored the customer's service, and waived the reconnection fee per his request.

Thanks,

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

Review: Once again I am having the same frustrating experience trying to contact CNG. I have been trying to call for two weeks, have written emails to customer service and have not heard back. For the second time, my auto payment was cancelled (they set it up for me this time after it was inexplicably canceled before-- the card number is still good so there is no reason that this should have happened). I wasn't notified of this and now they are threatening to send my account to collections. I have never dealt with a company so poorly run.Desired Settlement: I want them to return my calls, fix the problem with automatic payment, and make sure this doesn't show up on my credit rating.

Consumer

Response:

From: [redacted]

Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 5:23 PM

To: [redacted]

Subject: Re: You have a New Message from Revdex.com Serving Connecticut Regarding Complaint #[redacted]

This issue has been resolved, but I would still like to register a complaint regarding how difficult it is to contact them. They also don't return calls or emails.

Review: I live in an apartment complex and when I transferred from one apartment to the other, CNG failed to change my account to my new apartment. Not only was my gas turned off but all notices were sent to my old apartment, which I obviously did not get. So without notice my gas is shut off. When the technician came to turn it back on, he broke the ignition white butt on the door to my water heater which resulted in no hot water until it was replaced. Did I mention that I have two young children, under the age of 5 and pregnant with another child.

When I called to complain and get a resolution to my issue and get it fixed, the guy who answered was nothing but rude and gave attitude back to me. Completely unprofessional. I was transferred to a supervisor, who was extremely pleasant to talk to, I was informed that I was lying and there was no way that the CNG technician broke it. I work in the office of the apartment complex so I know what my water heaters look like, along with the given facts that I had hot water last night along with I was in my utility closet and there was NO broken pieces.

I asked for some type of reimbursement for the troubles and the parts to the new water heater, which I was denied besides a $25 dollar credit.Desired Settlement: I'd like a bigger reimbursement on my account rather than $25.

Business

Response:

Case #[redacted]. [redacted] -I have spoken with CNG management and someone will be reaching out to Ms. [redacted] to discuss her concerns and see if she wants to open a claim with CNG/UIL.

Review: CNG is nearly impossible to get ahold of, two valid payments were submitted by roommate. We were not allowed to register both names, and CNG refuses to acknowledge roommates attempts to pay. She has given direct bank information, debit / credit information, etc. The fault is entirely on CNG's side.Desired Settlement: Better access to customer service, less restrictions, customer office to go to to work out complaints when phone, mail, AND email all fail.

Business

Response:

Complaint #[redacted]- [redacted]- 8/20/2015- The Company issued a credit for two return check charges totaling $39.00 as well as a waiver of the late payment charge for .30. The website was down for upgrades around the time of his complaint, however it is functioning normally at this time. Also on July 1, 2015 [redacted] was added to the account as an authorized caller to discuss account. As far as a walk-in office, unfortunately, there is no office for customers to walk into. I have forwarded this matter to CNG supervision with his important feedback about lack of response to emails, calls, etc. The director of UIL Customer Care has also been advised of the outstanding unanswered complaints for CNG.

Review: In August of 2014 my gas was turned off, I was having financial issues and couldnt pay my bill. I payed my balance in full and paid them to come out and turn my gas back on. at this time I changed my billing address to my parents house so I would recieve bills there if anything were to come up, I choose E-billing and pay all of my bills online. I never recieved a bill from them and countless times try to log in to the online website to make a payment. I tried calling multiple time only too be hung up on and 2 times and recieve longer then 20 minute wait times. When I finally got in touch with someone I explained my situation and she explained to me my gas was turned off again. with out one notice sent to the address I told them was my mailing address, with out one email sending my bill to me paperless. When I asked to speak with a supervisor I was put on hold for over 15 to be directed to a voicemailbox and then disconnected. I now need to re pay to have them come turn my gas back on and leave work to let them in my house again. This company knows that we have no choice but to use them here in the state of [redacted]. It should be illigal how they treat customers. I explained that I am not paying for their mistake and I have no problem paying my past due balance to them but I am not paying to get my service turned back on again. this also goes agianst my credit score. I am so furious with how I have been treated from this company, and I have no where else to turn to. I try to request a supervisor and I got hung up on. I now need to have a 250$ 'saftey deposit' attached to my account that I will be billed for on top of the re- connection chargeDesired Settlement: I do not want to pay to get my service turned back on becuase I was never informed that it was getting turned off, I am also not paying the 250$ safe deposit fee that they said I will be billed for on my next bill.

Business

Response:

Have discussed the matter with Ms. [redacted]. Have reconnected her service and waived reconnection and security deposit charges.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Supervisor, Customer Relations

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