Ohio Natural Gas

The following was a copy/paste by Revdex.com staff (**) from an email sent by JJohnson:The ohio natural gas company called me and took care of the complaint, thank u for helping me out in this situationThank u jay

Good Morning Mr [redacted] , Thank you for your recent correspondence to the Revdex.com Ohio Natural Gas strives to maintain excellent customer service and satisfactionA vital part of that goal focuses on open lines of communication with our customer baseWe are in receipt of your complaint and because there was a delay in a response with the Supervisor due to having the incorrect area code to call you back, we have decided to cancel your Early Termination Charge of $ We apologize for the inconvenience and this charge will be removed from your account and credit filesIf you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact our office and we will be more than happy to assist youThank you again for being a valued natural gas customerSincerely, [redacted] Ohio Natural Gas Customer Care Team [redacted]

Please be advised that we have reviewed the concerns expressed in [redacted] ’s complaint and she should receive her $Visa Gift Card in approximately to business daysPlease note that when the request was submitted it was rejected as our records show Ms [redacted] received a Visa Gift Card previouslyBased on that information, an exception form was completed and submittedWe will follow up with Ms [redacted] on 8/11/to confirm receipt of her $Visa Gift CardThank you, [redacted] ***Consumer Relations AnalystOhio Natural Gas

This business response was received by BBB staff member ** via email ... and is a copy/paste.A review of our records shows that Ms. [redacted] called Ohio Natural Gas on 10/25/2017 to complete a price plan change. Ms. [redacted] completed a 10-month fixed rate at 3.07/MCF to start when her... then current 6-month fixed plan contract expired on 2/2/2017. Ohio Natural Gas discovered that Ms. [redacted] 10-month fixed rate plan was completed on an account that was no longer active; therefore Ms. [redacted] 10-month fixed plan did not start when her 6-month fixed plan expired. Ms. [redacted] started a Variable Rate Plan on 2/3/2017. We spoke to Ms. [redacted] on 1/5/2018 in regards to her concerns. Ms. [redacted] stated that she thought that she was set to start on a 10-month rate plan on 2/3/2017. We advised Ms. [redacted] that the enrollment was not completed on her active account as it was inadvertently completed on her old inactive account and did process on 10/25/2017 as expected. We advised Ms. [redacted] that Ohio Natural Gas will refund the difference of the Variable Rate Plan versus the 10-month fixed rate plan that she signed up for at 3.07/MCF for the bills dated 3/29/2017 – 12/29/2017. We also offered to go over our currently available fixed rate pricing options so that she could confirm which price plan she wanted. Ms. [redacted] stated that she would like to know the refund amount before she enrolled on another price plan. We spoke to Ms. [redacted] again on 1/9/2018 and advised her that Ohio Natural Gas has processed a refund in the amount of $117.01 for the price difference. We also offered Ms. Rodrigues a 6-month rate plan at 2.67/MCF. Ms. [redacted] accepted that offer and the enrollment was completed. Ms. [redacted] was satisfied with this outcome. At this time, Ohio Natural Gas is moving to close this complaint. Nancy ***Manager, Consumer Relationsdivideremail [redacted] phone [redacted] *** [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Explanation bt ONG is not acceptable and advertising by the company I am sure they figure many people will forget about Visa Reward card promotion & the company will have them as a customer! This is 2nd time that I have had to file a complaint for same thing...Soecial Promotions that they failed to fulfill! This is not good customer service!
Regards,
*** ***

Ohio Natural Gas (ONG) has reviewed the concerns expressed in Mrs***’s complaint filed with the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) and determined the following.On November 13, 2014, an online enrollment was submitted at 5:pm to Ohio Natural Gas’ {ONG}The selected price plan was our month
fixed of $per CCF, which includes neither applicable state and local taxes nor the utility’s service and delivery charges In addition, Mrs*** presented an online promotion code to receive a $Amazon gift card During an online enrollment, the customer must agree and mark they have read the terms and conditions of service before the online enrollment is continued Please note that the terms and conditions outline the associated early termination charge (ETC) of $if cancelled within the first months and $during the last monthsPlease be advised that ONG has no record of a representative assisting Mrs*** with her online enrollment.On November 15, 2015, ONG received an acceptance response from Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio {VEDO} with an original effective date of December 31, Please be advised that on January 3, VEDO sent ONG a response changing Mrs***’s effective date of service to January 1, On November 17, 2015, a letter was mailed to Mrs*** confirming the selected price plan with the terms and conditions of service.On August 5, 2015, VEDO (the utility) sent a drop request to ONG with an effective date of August 28, Based on this information, Mrs*** did not fulfil her month contract and was rightfully assessed an Early Termination Charge (ETC) of $ As stated in our terms and conditions, “With a fixed price plan, ONG charges a fixed price per unit during the term of the plan When you select a fixed price plan, you commit to remain with ONG at the same price for the term of your contract” ONG has confirmed that we have record of Mrs*** contacting our customer care center twice by phone on August 4, and September 10, since activationOn August 4, 2015, Mrs*** inquired why her leveled billing increasedAt that time, the customer service representative (CSR) explained to her that ONG’s only portion on the bill was her price per CCF and she was directed to contact VEDO regarding her billing concernsMrs*** ended her call confirming that she was aware of her price per CCF with ONG and would contact VEDO directly.On September 10, 2015, Mrs*** called in regarding the ETC of $she receivedIt was explained to her that her service was cancelled prior to the expiration date of her contractDuring this call, Mrs*** mentioned that she was never advised of an ETC when signing up for service over the phoneThe CSR confirmed that the enrollment was completed online which advises of the ETC’sIn addition, a confirmation letter was mailed on November 17, regarding her price plan and associated ETC’sMrs*** adamantly advised that she did not enroll online and she did not receive a letter regarding her fixed price plan with the terms and conditions of serviceTo further assist Mrs*** she was transferred to a manager for assistanceThe manager confirmed that the enrollment was completed online and because of the termination of service prior to the expiration date she was rightfully assessed the ETC of $75.On September 14, 2015, ONG received Mrs***’s complaint filed with the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) ONG has been unsuccessful in speaking with Mrs*** to verbally address her concernsOur records indicate that we have made Mrs*** aware of the associated ETC’s regarding her selected price plan therefore she is responsible for the $charge and no adjustments are warranted In order to address her concerns in a timely manner a copy of our response has be emailed ***) to her along with her contract and terms and conditions of servicePlease note that she has our contact information in case she has any questions or concerns

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** *** I decided to just end this. However after reading the documentation written by ONG, I just want to clarify that the second customer service rep did tell methat I could close my account but to make sure to instruct *** to notify them I did as instructed by 2nd service rep that is not notedI am closing this complaint however I will not use their services again I also emailed them and told them I did not want the $shut up fee I am not leaving on good terms but closing my complaint *** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear ONG called me once and that was yesterday afternoon 10- I called the back a few hours later and waited on hold for a long time and eventually left a message They have not returned my message So no they have not resolved my complaint If they want to send me the $gift card I will consider the complaint resolved I do not need to speak with them
Regards,
*** ***

July 20,
Customer Name: *** ***
Account Number: ***
Revdex.com Case Number: ***
This communication is in response to the message received from *** ***
Please be advised that our customers price plan and per unit price is specified in their welcome letterWith a fixed price plan, Ohio Natural Gas (ONG) charges a fixed price per unit during the term of the contractWhen a customer selects a fixed price plan, they commit to remain with ONG at the same price for the term of the contractIf a customer terminates the plan during the contract, ONG will assess an Early Termination Charge (ETC)Such charge is intended to compensate ONG for the losses and expenses it estimates it will incur as the result of the early termination of a customer’s fixed price plan
Based on the information above, the ETC will not be waived at this time
Thank you,
*** ***
Consumer Relations Analyst
Ohio Natural Gas

Company responded via phone as follows: A gift card was mailed to the consumer on November 7, and will expire on November 30,

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, 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 ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

Please be advised that we have reviewed the concerns expressed in [redacted]’s complaint and she should receive her $25.00 Visa Gift Card in approximately 7 to 10 business days. Please note that when the request was submitted it was rejected as our records show Ms. [redacted] received a Visa...

Gift Card previously. Based on that information, an exception form was completed and submitted. We will follow up with Ms. [redacted] on 8/11/2015 to confirm receipt of her $25.00 Visa Gift Card. On 8/29/2015 I contacted Ms. [redacted] and I received her voicemail, I left a voice message explaining the information above and I requested a return call at her earliest convenience.
 
Thank you,
 
[redacted]
Consumer Relations Analyst
Ohio Natural Gas

Please be advised that we have reviewed the concerns expressed in [redacted]’s complaint and she should receive her $25.00 Visa Gift Card in approximately 7 to 10 business days. Please note that when the request was submitted it was rejected as our records show Ms. [redacted] received a Visa...

Gift Card previously. Based on that information, an exception form was completed and submitted. We will follow up with Ms. [redacted] on 8/11/2015 to confirm receipt of her $25.00 Visa Gift Card. Thank you, [redacted]Consumer Relations AnalystOhio Natural Gas

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.
Thank you for your work.  We disagree...

with Ohio Natural Gas's response.  We still think Ohio Natural Gas is not right to charge this termination fee after the initial contract terms had expired.Having used multiple gas companies for our home in the past 30 years, Ohio Natural Gas was the only company that imposed a termination fee on us after our initial contract terms had expired.  All other companies would resume their regular price at the time of expiration until we signed up a new contract with any company.  We were surprised by the automatic renewal and a new termination date with penalty of a gas contract without our knowledge, consent or signature.  Ohio Natural Gas assumed we would see the two letters sent to us by mail in April and in May, which we did not.  Then they automatically renewed the expired contract with a new termination date and a penalty by themselves was not a good business practice.  These letters may have been lost in the mail.  Besides, on these days when we are flooded with junk mail each day, there were good chances that these letters might have gone directly to recycling without even been opened. As a customer of Gas companies, we feel that this termination charge is really a forced fee unjustly placed on the customer by this business.  We don't think they are right to charge this fee.Sincerely,[redacted] & [redacted]

In order to ensure that we fully address the multiple concerns outlined in the Revdex.com (Ohio) Complaint Contact ID #[redacted] for Ohio Natural Gas Customer, Mrs. D[redacted], we have prepared the following point for point response to this contact. Please note; each of Mrs. D[redacted]s concerns is captured...

verbatim, followed by a bulleted response.   Synopsis: Company mistakenly increased our billing rate on Jan 24, .2017 bill. Cust. Ser. person I spoke to gave two 2 different reasons for the increase. One being that we were no longer on the Trumbull Co. Aggregate Program. I since found the correspondence verifying that we are on the program which does not expire till March 2018. That correspondence did not require us to reply unless we wanted to opt out of the program. The Cust. Service person (Carmen) insisted we were no longer on the aggregate program because we did not return a letter that was sent to us in Nov. 2016. I said we did not get a letter, and anyhow the original program letter clearly stated not to respond, only respond if we wanted to opt. out. This conversation took place approximate Jan 30th or 31st. 2017. Our rate went from 1.9 McF @ $2.57 to $5.99 per same measure. I felt at the time that I had to negotiate a lower rate with Ohio Natural Gas that day.   A review of our records shows the following: On 02/12/2016, Mrs. D[redacted] called our customer care center and enrolled in one of our fixed rate plans.On 01/30/2017, Mrs. D[redacted] called our customer care center to question why her rate had doubled.  She also questioned why she was not with the Trumbell County Aggregate any longer. Unfortunately, the agent that spoke with Mrs. D[redacted] did not provide a satisfactory explanation of how and why Mrs. D[redacted] was no longer with the Trumbell County Aggregate.  Despite not receiving a complete explanation, Mrs. D[redacted] agreed to enroll in a 6 month fixed rate plan with Ohio Natural Gas which is scheduled to expire on 07/31/2017.   Resolution: We spoke with Mrs. D[redacted] and fully explained the events that led to her no longer being with the Trumbell County Aggregate.  Mrs. D[redacted] questioned if we had proof of her enrollment and we allowed her to listen to her enrollment call.  Upon hearing the first few minutes of the call, Mrs. D[redacted] agreed it was her and accepted that she had given her approval to enroll with ONG.Because of the less than satisfactory experience Mrs. D[redacted] had with one of our representatives, we offered her the option of ending her agreement with ONG right away so that she can re-enroll with the Trumbell County Aggregate, as soon as possible.  In addition, we agreed to waive the early termination charge.  Mrs. D[redacted] turned down our offer and advised she would stay with Ohio Natural Gas until the end of her 6 month fixed rate contract and then transfer back to the Trumbell County Aggregate.  Mrs. D[redacted] further understands and agrees that she may be placed on the Variable rate after her 6 month contract expires on 07/31/2017 if her enrollment back in to the Trumbell County Aggregate is delayed past 07/31/2017.  Mrs. D[redacted] stated she clearly understands.Mrs. D[redacted] was pleased with the follow up and stated she is satisfied with the outcome.Ohio Natural Gas considers this matter resolved and is moving to close this Revdex.com complaint.

This business response was received by Revdex.com staff member ** via email ... and is a copy/paste.A review of our records shows that Ms. [redacted] called Ohio Natural Gas on 10/25/2017 to complete a price plan change. Ms. [redacted] completed a 10-month fixed rate at 3.07/MCF to start when her...

then current 6-month fixed plan contract expired on 2/2/2017. Ohio Natural Gas discovered that Ms. [redacted] 10-month fixed rate plan was completed on an account that was no longer active; therefore Ms. [redacted] 10-month fixed plan did not start when her 6-month fixed plan expired. Ms. [redacted] started a Variable Rate Plan on 2/3/2017. We spoke to Ms. [redacted] on 1/5/2018 in regards to her concerns. Ms. [redacted] stated that she thought that she was set to start on a 10-month rate plan on 2/3/2017. We advised Ms. [redacted] that the enrollment was not completed on her active account as it was inadvertently completed on her old inactive account and did process on 10/25/2017 as expected. We advised Ms. [redacted] that Ohio Natural Gas will refund the difference of the Variable Rate Plan versus the 10-month fixed rate plan that she signed up for at 3.07/MCF for the bills dated 3/29/2017 – 12/29/2017. We also offered to go over our currently available fixed rate pricing options so that she could confirm which price plan she wanted. Ms. [redacted] stated that she would like to know the refund amount before she enrolled on another price plan. We spoke to Ms. [redacted] again on 1/9/2018 and advised her that Ohio Natural Gas has processed a refund in the amount of $117.01 for the price difference. We also offered Ms. Rodrigues a 6-month rate plan at 2.67/MCF. Ms. [redacted] accepted that offer and the enrollment was completed. Ms. [redacted] was satisfied with this outcome. At this time, Ohio Natural Gas is moving to close this complaint.  Nancy [redacted]Manager, Consumer Relationsdivideremail [redacted]phone  [redacted]

The company called...apologized and resolved the issue to my satisfaction. Thank you.

Ohio
Natural Gas (ONG) has confirmed that Mr. [redacted] submitted an enrollment
online for service at [redacted] RD; and selected our Winter Fixed Plan of
$0.529 per CCF with an expiration date of March 31, 2015.  This price
includes neither applicable state and local taxes nor...

the utility’s service and
delivery charges.     On
October 14, 2014, ONG mailed a letter to Mr. [redacted] with the newly selected
pricing plan. On
February 9, 2015, ONG mailed a letter to Mr. [redacted] explaining his Winter Fixed
Plan will expire on March 31, 2015.  On
March 17, 2015, Columbia Gas of Ohio (the utility) sent a pending drop request
to ONG with an effective date of March 16, 2015. As
stated in our terms and conditions “Under a fixed price plan ONG customers are
charged a fixed price per MCF during the term of the plan.  When you
select a fixed price plan, you commit to remain with ONG at the same price for
the term of your contract”.   Based on this information, Mr. [redacted]
did not fulfill his contract and he was charged
a $75.00 ETC.   On
July 3, 2015, Mr. [redacted] contacted our customer care center regarding his ONG
account.  Mr. [redacted] explained that he moved out of the Columbia Gas of
Ohio territory.  Based on this information Mr. [redacted] was advised the
$75.00 ETC would be waived.  On
July 21, 2015 Mr. [redacted] placed a follow up call to ONG in regards to a letter
he received from a collection agency.  It was concluded Mr. [redacted]’s
account was sent to collections due to human error.    On
July 24 2015, ONG received Mr. [redacted]’s complaint filed with the RevDex.com of Cleveland Ohio (Revdex.com).  ONG has not been successful in speaking
with Mr. [redacted], therefore an email will be sent to him at [redacted]  to advise
that the collection agency has been contacted on his behalf and no further
collection activity will take place.  In addition, because he moved to a
premise not served by Columbia Gas of Ohio; the $75 ETC charge was waived on
his ONG account and his account is closed with a $0 balance.

In order to ensure that we fully address the multiple concerns outlined in the Revdex.com (Ohio) Complaint Contact ID # [redacted] for Ohio Natural Gas Customer, Ms. [redacted] we have prepared the following point for point response to this contact. Please note; each of Ms. [redacted]s’s concerns is captured...

verbatim, followed by a bulleted response.   Synopsis:   April 2017, (specific dates not noted) I spoke with two customer service reps from ONG. I was planning to turn my gas off at my residence. We plan to have our service disconnected until November. Under a 6 month contract, the 1st rep stated I could not close my account. I called back and spoke with another rep. and explained it was not logical because I would not be using any gas and would not be paying them for any service. The only one who would gain from this would be [redacted] because they charge $26.16 plus tax for an open account whether I use any gas or not. This rep. told me to make sure [redacted] notified them that the service was turned off which I did.     A review of our records shows that Ms. [redacted] called into our call center twice on 4/24/2017 to advise that she wanted to schedule a time to turn off gas services. Both agents advised the customer that she was on a 6-month fixed rate and would be assessed a $75.00 ETF if the 6-month fixed rate agreement was broken.A further review of our records shows Ms. [redacted] was advised that she would have to contact her utility company [redacted] to schedule a turn-off of service.     ONG has now sent me a $75 termination charge. Again calling them, another rep. told me she could not authorized to waive this fee. But even though the second ONG service rep said I could, I am now getting hit with a fee. I had my service disconnected. I did not go with another competitor. What would they rather have a satisfied customer who would want to use their service again or push the $75.00 fee? They would have received ZERO dollars for the next 2 months anyways because we wouldn't be using natural gas.   A review of our records shows that Ms. [redacted] was billed a $75.00 Early Termination Fee on 5/3/2017.A further review of our records shows that Ms. [redacted] called into our call center on 5/9/2017 to ask for the $75.00 early termination fee to be waived. The agent advised Ms. [redacted] that the $75.00 early termination fee was valid due to the 6-month fixed rate being cancelled before the contract ending date.     Resolution:   I spoke with Ms. [redacted] to discuss her concerns. Ms. [redacted] stated that she only use gas to heat her home in the winter months. I educated Ms. [redacted] on our variable pricing options so that she would be free to turn the gas on and off as she would like. I also offered Ms. [redacted] a $25.00 Visa Reward Card as a courtesy to keep a good customer relationship. Ms. [redacted] agreed and received a better understanding about our pricing options. At this time Ohio Natural Gas is moving to close this complaint.