Delmarva Power

Deposit refund check for $140.91 was mailed out 5/2/14 to final bill address of [redacted] and was returned to DPL for insufficient address.  On 5/13 we left a message for [redacted] advising him the refund check was returned and to please call us.  on...

6/3 he called and we corrected the mailing address ([redacted] [redacted]) and the check was remailed.  [redacted] hasn't contact DPL since that time.

I have completed a review of Ms. [redacted]' account.  An investigative order was competed on March 2, 2016 confirming that meter [redacted] was located at [redacted] and meter [redacted] was located at [redacted].  This confirmed that the customers at these two addresses...

were being billed for the incorrect consumption.  The meters were corrected and the proper usage was billed to each customer for the periods covering June 2014 through June 2016.  Per Delaware Tariff Section IX- Adjustment of Charges (E) Adjust for Incorrect Billings - Incorrect billings for Delivery Service and for combined Electric Supply & Delivery Service resulting from clerical error, incorrect meter installation or reading, incorrect application of the rate schedule, or other similar reasons shall be corrected immediately upon discovery, and corrected bills rendered to the Customer. However, in no case may additional charges due from the Customer under the application of this paragraph be collected for more than three (3) years prior to the month of discovery. If the Customer has been overcharged, the Company shall refund the amount due by credit to the Customer's account or the Customer may submit a request in writing for a refund by check, to the date the error was made, not to exceed three (3) years prior to discovery. In the absence of a written election by the Customer for a refund by check, the Company shall credit the Customer's account. In the event additional charges are due the Company, installment payments shall be offered for not less than the number of months the account was billed in error. An installment payment charge shall not be applied to such installment payments.Based on the tariff regulation stated above, Delmarva Power does have the right to bill Ms. [redacted] for her actual usage consumed once the meter mix up was discovered.  The usage from the correct meter servicing Ms. [redacted]' property was getting actual readings from June through April 2015.  The readings were estimated from May 2015 through June 2016 when the meter were corrected.  An actual reading was obtained when the meters were corrected, however Ms. [redacted] was billed on the original estimated readings as this was actually less than what the true usage should have been based on the actual reading obtained from the meter.  Delmarva Power is willing to provide an extended payment arrangement, equal to or greater than 25 months, for the outstanding balance of $1,637.05.  Ms. [redacted] was offered payment arrangements previously and declined.  A hold would remain on the account for 30 days to allow her to contact our Customer Service Department to set up payment arrangement.  After that time normal collection procedures would resume on the account.

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.

 
roblem:
Since May of 2016, I have been asking Delmarva to put my account on a payment plan, and each time the rep claimed that they had and it was taken care of. I have spoken to several reps about this, and each time my request was ignored. I have been cut off, hung up on, and ignored in this matter for 6 months now. Now Delmarva claims that my account is past due, due to their error. The second I received a notice that the power was going to be disconnected, I called Delmarva and they refused to speak to me about my account. They hung up on me. I continued to pay my bill for the month. Soon after, I received a notice on the door that the power was going to be shut off unless a payment was made, even though I had just made one. The notice said in order to prevent disconnection, to call the number listed. I called the number as instructed, made arrangements, and about an hour later my power was still disconnected. Now Delmarva claims they cannot reconnect my power with out another $300 payment that I cannot afford, even though their mistake put me in this situation. If Delmarva had listened to me when I requested a payment plan, this would have never happened. They have the most horrendous customer service I have ever had to deal with. I have never spoken to a company that had so little interest in helping or keeping their customers.
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Desired Resolution / Outcome
Desired Resolution:
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Desired Outcome:
I would like a refund of the $45 reconnection fee and an apology from Delmarva regarding the terrible customer service and lack of customer support.

I spoke to our Green Power Connection Team and confirmed that the solar contractor, Sungevity,  needs to provide an updated part I interconnection...

agreement. This particular solar contractor continues to fill out the application incorrectly and not the way DPL requires.  The contractor has been advised via email and phone to match the AC inverter rating with the system size they are installing and despite our numerous requests, they continue to ignore this step.  Once the completed application has been received DPL can move forward with the installation of the NEM meter and provide the permission to operate.

Contractor that did gas work for DPL has completed repairs.  Usually, repairs are done once the entire job is completed.

The customer stated he experienced a power surge on August 12, 2016. He contacted Delmarva Power to file a claim that same day. During that phone conversation, the...

customer requested a supervisor visit him at his home. The call center representative advised that would not be possible.
 
The claim which was filed is still under investigation by our Claims Department. Once the issue has been decided upon, the customer will be contacted.

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. Ive already acknowledged I'm having a hard time paying my bill. I have fallen on financial hardship resulting from my father dying unexpectedly and my mother being gravely ill. I have done my absolute best to pay the bills despite my hardship. I still don't see how adding more money to my bill is supposed to help me!? Unfortunately, they're the only power company serving my area so me and others are being locked in a chokehold to pay more monies we can't afford. I just received my bill today, instead of the $400 bill I worry about paying its  $567.67. Now you tell me how's that was supposed to help me? I paid $400 and was told to pay another $400 in 2 days or they would add an additional deposit and spread it out in a 12 month arrangement. Again, impossible due to my financial hardship I wasn't able to come up with the monies in 2 days. This is there resolution to helping people in need? 
Regards,
[redacted]

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. 
Regards,
[redacted]

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.The response from Delmarva Power we received today was inaccurate and incomplete. The report mischaracterizes the sequence of events and leaves out the most important piece: the fact that our second set of NINE months' bills (received by mail May 19, 2016) dating back to September 2015 say "actual" beside gas readings that had originally said "estimated", thus altering the total payment due for each month. This appears to attempt to justify the overcharges that began in March 2016. This new "actual" set of bills is IMPOSSIBLE since our home's malfunctioning meter had been replaced twice during that time period. HOW did Delmarva GO BACK in TIME and "read" a malfunctioning gas meter for NINE separate months that had already past and been paid in full? Furthermore, how did past bills (Sept 2015-March 2016) get recalculated and now somehow reflect later payments made this year in the balance. For example, the September 2015 bill now reflects an April 22, 2016 payment among other random dates. It does not, however, show our complete April 22, 2016 payment of $300; instead it shows less than $100 paid. We must look at October 2015 to find the rest of that payment. Delmarva owes us an explanation for these deceptive and fraudulent billing procedures.The report today skipped several key phone and email conversations we'd had. The report writer (name unknown) failed to even proofread this before submitting. This lack of attention to detail highlights the carelessness Delmarva uses to deal with customer service concerns.The dates mentioned in their response to Revdex.com are incomplete, as well. They did not mention repeated technician visits during the summer of 2015 when they replaced equipment. They also did not mention our call to them in early fall of 2015 asking about the drop in cost on our gas charges. We were told then that we'd been overcharged by estimated billing up to that point and we had a credit. They said our account was correct.The spreadsheet attached today was incorrect. It skipped the month of October 2014 entirely, for example. It included two entries for March 2016 and April 2016, as well. What message was this spreadsheet supposed to be conveying? It was not at all helpful; instead, it was another example of Delmarva's inept handling of this issue. How can they be trusted? None of their "readings" can be believed. At this point we are more confused than when we'd started this inquiry earlier this year. In closing, we do not have any documentation other than your Revdex.com email and attachment that shows Delmarva's position at this time. We do not know what they are planning to do to rectify this issue, and we do not have confidence in their business practices at this point. We have already been in touch with the Delaware Attorney General's office, the Philadelphia media and two private attorneys. We will not be satisfied until this is resolved completely and accurately. Hopefully, Delmarva will contact us and be transparent with their position so we can reach a reasonable compromise. If not, we see no other recourse and will pursue legal action.Regards,

This is a MD customer.  I have reviewed Ms. [redacted]’s case file.  In March 2015 Ms. [redacted] paid a $490.00 security deposit.  That deposit was reviewed for possible refund and was credited back to her electric account on March 24, 2016 in accordance with COMAR 20.30.05.05...

Refund of Deposits.  The $490.00 credit satisfied Ms. [redacted]’s March electric charges of $231.93 leaving her with a credit balance of $258.07-.

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.
We have not been contacted by the DPL Claims Department as the letter states.  In addition, The Security deposit has not been removed as requested.  Unfortunately, once the power is disconnected 10 hard working people will lose their jobs.  It shocks & saddens me that DPL/PECO chooses to conduct business in such a manor.  I have offered to bring the account current & keep it current minus the security deposit however, DPL/PECO would rather put 10 people out of work.  The bill was run up by a previous owner and we are made to suffer for it.I guess the message to small business is forget you, we'll take care of the big companies first.  And everyone wonders why more small business close each day than open.  Soon a handful of massive companies will run the entire country and small business will be erased from existence.  Thanks DPL for selling out to PECO, from everything I've read, they are one of the most hated companies in the US.  They certainly live up to it!
Regards,

Ms. [redacted] can contact our Energy Advisor Team at [redacted] to further discuss her usage and conservation tips.

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.
My account was never adjusted, nor was I contacted with a fixed statement. I just keep receiving statements with threats to turn off my electricity, with the same $1,200+ balance. 
Regards,

Per the DE Tariff, Delmarva Power can require a cash deposit for an existing customer until satisfactory credit is established. I have attached a copy of the tariff regulation as well as the two prior disconnection notices that Ms. [redacted] received prior to the deposit being assessed on...

the account.  Our records indicate that the account had only been paid in full by the due date once in the twelve months prior to the deposit being assessed on the account.  The service does not need to be physically disconnected in order for DPL to assess a security deposit on the account.  The disconnection notices states that there will be a reconnection fee charged if the service is physically disconnected.   It states that a deposit may be assessed or increased.  Based on the review of the payment history on the account, the deposit is warranted and will not be waived.  In the event Ms. [redacted] cannot pay the deposit in full she does have the option to request to pay it over three installments.

Customer received a letter advising him we need access to the meter. The letter may have been sent in error as the meter readings are actual and the imu appears to working as well

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.
The company continues to reference Maryland COMAR 20.30.02.03 as being a requirement under law to make the customer, me, pay a deposit. However, the language of the article is clear it gives the utility discretion in this matter and allows Delmarva Power to remove the deposit from my account. The key word in the article is "may", which is defined by Merriam-Webster as "having the ability to."  The response received from Delmarva Power is clearly a company policy to disconnect high usage customers from their system or it simply the policies of a for-profit company to keep profit margins high. Either way I have included a segment of the law for your review: .03 Reestablishment of Credit.A. A utility may require an applicant for residential service who is a present or former residential customer of that utility to reestablish credit under Regulation .02 of this chapter at the time of the application if one of the following exists:   
Regards,

I spoke to our Gas Engineering Coordinator today and confirmed that the location that is in question is in the hands of the Contractor- Guardian Construction.  A written request has been directed to the contractor to have this addressed as a priority.  I have been advised that once onto...

their priority list, we should be able to have this location fully restored by middle or end of next week.  Our Coordinator has reached out to Ms. [redacted] and advised that our estimated time frame for completion of the property restoration is targeted for completion by the middle or end of next week.

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. 
 
Regards,

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.
My complaint has not been addressed. I received a call where the supervisor gave me no resolution. She indicated that she had cancelled my budget billing. This goes directly against what I had asked to be done. I wanted budget billing for the convenience of it and to keep my bills at a consistent dollar amount yet she cancelled it. I told her I just wanted it corrected, not cancelled and she said it was too late, she had done it. I asked how they were able to correct the problem and she said they hadn't. I asked what had happened to cause the problem and she said she didn't know. I asked her to keep me in budget billing but correct the amount and she said she could not. Then she said if I wanted to, I could "try" again next month, she said it "might" work then.  I don't see how this is resolution in any way at all. She openly admitted that they don't know what happened and that the figures were indeed off by a factor that was almost double. This is a significant discrepancy and they seem to not even care about the fact that it happened. It seems to me if it happened when I enrolled myself online, why couldn't this be a systemic problem that is happening to other too? They should be much more concerned and they are not. When I asked how to be sure about re-enrolling she said to call and they would be able to provide all the information for me about how much it would be. This is false, I started this who journey by calling and instead the representative on the phone argued with me that the system is never wrong and that 460 was correct. I tried to explain to that rep how averages work and that the average cannot be higher than the highest value in the dataset but she couldn't figure it out. She put me on hold to calculate it. In the 5 minutes I was on hold I exported the info from online and crunched the numbers in excel so I could explain it. When she came back she said she said the math was too complicated and she would need a couple hours. She person who called me is wrong, the representatives cannot help. I explained the above to her and she said just ask to talk to a manager then. Last time I  called to do that they hung up on me...the next time they gave me an answering machine where I left a message but NEVER received a call back. They seen wholly uninterested in the fact that they nearly double charged me days before Christmas, they don't know why it happened and can't fix it. They offered no reimbursement for my troubles and openly did the exact opposite of what I asked. If there was another utility company to choose from I would but that's how they continue to get away with over charging and not fixing anything, because we have no other options. I find myself wholly dissatisfied with their service and find that their "resolution" doesn't fit the definition of that work in any way.
Regards,

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.
 
Ive already acknowledged I'm having a hard time paying my bill. I have fallen on financial hardship resulting from my father dying unexpectedly and my mother being gravely ill. I have done my absolute best to pay the bills despite my hardship. I still don't see how adding more money to my bill is supposed to help me!? Unfortunately, they're the only power company serving my area so me and others are being locked in a chokehold to pay more monies we can't afford. I just received my bill today, instead of the $400 bill I worry about paying its  $567.67. Now you tell me how's that was supposed to help me? I paid $400 and was told to pay another $400 in 2 days or they would add an additional deposit and spread it out in a 12 month arrangement. Again, impossible due to my financial hardship I wasn't able to come up with the monies in 2 days. This is there resolution to helping people in need? 
Regards,
[redacted]