Sterling Avenue 66

The water meter at [redacted] had to be replaced two years ago on 10/25/because the equipment was not operating correctlyThis water meter was replaced with a brand new, fully functional unitSince then, the water bill has much higherShe set up another appointment with PEM on 1/28/because she felt the bills were too highAt this time, the technicians went on-site and completed the field tests in order to verify the water meter’s accuracyThe results of the field test were that the water meter was performing accuratelyThis water meter has continued to perform consistently since the time of the field tests as performed by the techniciansThis can only mean one of three things –1) the water meter is not measuring accurately - which was proven during the field testing; 2) the customer is using a large amount of water and does not realize it; OR 3) there is water going through the meter that the home owner is not aware of (i.ea leak)I have attached a chart of water usage from the past months for this homeThe usage is fairly consistent monthly, but high as compared to the national average of 2,gallons of water used per person per monthIn looking at the most recent months usages, the amount recorded per month has started to creep higherThe reads that are being provided by this meter are actual, not estimatedThe data is showing what I believe to indicate a leak somewhere in this homeThe term “leak” has a variety of meaningsThere could be a drip in a sink, a toilet that is running too often, a toilet that has a flapper stuck open intermittently, a break in an interior pipe that is releasing water, or various other reasonsNone of these issues can be identified by PEM as we only read the water meter and create a bill for the usagePEM is a billing entity for this Home Owner’s Association and NOT a plumbing companyIn an effort to assist the customer, PEM has scheduled an appointment to field test the meter once more on Thursday (11/2/17)If the flow indicator on the water meter indicates there is water flowing through the meter when the homeowner doesn’t believe anything is running, that proves there is a leak in the home and will require a plumber to make any necessary repairsShould the water meter fail the field tests, the meter will be replaced

The customer has stated in his rejection response that the balance outstanding has been transferred from one collection agency to anotherThat is not accurateThe balance has been removed from his account at PEM and the Home Owner's Association has been made aware of the customer's refusal to pay the outstanding balanceThis debt is and has always been between the customer and the HOA to which the customer belongsPEM's job is to make the customer aware and request payment for any previously owed balancesPEM does not have the right to lien a property in this HOA, but the HOA does; therefore the HOA has been notified of the balance outstanding for this propertyIt is a legal matter that does not involve PEMIf the HOA determines that future action needs to be taken, PEM has no leverage or responsibility in that decision - only the HOA can make that decisionThe only action that PEM can take, and HAS TAKEN, is to remove the disputed balance from our recordsThat is ALL that PEM is responsible for and all that PEM has the ability to effectSince this complaint as filed is directly associated with PEM while this customer's real issue lies with his Home Owner's Association (NOT PEM), I request yet again that this complaint be closed

I am rejecting this response because:The PEM's response did not addressed my complaint which was about their 4:00pm cut off time of not accepting paymentIn fact there is a contradiction with your response of business hours noting "8:00am - 4:30pm" vs the actual note you've posted on my door and phone conversations which stated and confirmed 4:00pm (See the attachment) both of which wouldn't have served me any better anyway on April 10th when I was so desperate to get the electricity restored with no availI understand your argument and clarifications that this property isn't bound by deregulation that there's no other utility provider, take it or leave itBut if in fact you're regulated as everyone else by PUCO as far as charges is concerned, why electricity bill is so high as I’m still convinced-based on experience-that your charges are higher than anyone else! As to the past due bills, you're not to blame for, and I never didI appreciate your previous courtesy phone callsThe fact remains though while I take full responsibility of not getting post office keys for months, failed to open and check the mail regularly on my part as this was relatively new residence, your policy of 4:00PM cut off during the business days left me in the cold and in the dark during a very cold dayYou were not available to accept payment and restore service and it did negatively affected my quality of lifeIf that in addition to been the only provider with the highest rate/charges in my experience makes you PEM a better business, then I'm quite disappointed
Regards,
*** ***

PEM was first notified of the power outage for the *** Apartments at 9:PM on 12/14/via notification from the afterhours call centerWhen multiple buildings containing many residents lose power, naturally the outage phone lines will be busyThe PEM technicians arrived on-site at
10:PMThe response time of one hour and minutes is very reasonable for this type of afterhours emergencyOnce on-site, the technicians followed proper protocol for an electricity outage including triaging the problem, getting additional equipment on-site for the remedy, and taking proper care to get all buildings up and running as quickly as possibleThis outage was caused by an equipment failure, not the fault of any particular entityPEM has been supporting *** Apartments through any electrical outage emergencies since February In the past months, there have only been incidents occurring on the property that have required high voltage reparationAny other outages as experienced by the residents of *** Apartments have been due to disruptions in the incoming source electric power, non-specific to the propertyI believe the resident’s main complaint is with the call centerTo this end, PEM has revisited the script with the call center and has given some clearer instruction to the operatorsIt will never be permissible to give out a PEM technician’s name or phone number, so that was the proper procedure from the call centerAdditional conversations have been had with the management of the apartment complex (who ultimately make the decisions as to what part PEM plays in an outage situation)A new protocol has been established between PEM and the *** Apartment management that will facilitate less frustration for all involved the next time an outage occurs

Day one: Pioneer energy management (PEM) technician came out on 11/2/at 8:AM, The technician Ran gallon of water to test the meter but the meter was showing that The technician ran gallons at 9:01AM on 11/2/The technician ran the test twice and each time ran gallon but the meter was still showing gallons ranSince the meter was not calculating the right amount of gallon/usage that was ran, the technician decided to step outside to make a phone call to another technician to discuss the issueOnce he got off the phone he came into the house and told me that he's going to run the test one more time and if it still comes back that way that he will have to change the meter because that was not the right amount and it should not be calculating gallon as gallons usageOnce he ran the third test and the usage was still not right he decided to replace it. I told the technician that was fine with me and I'm glad that he also found the issue that it was not calculating the right amount usage and I was pleased that he was going to change itOnce the technician installed the new meter he ran a test using the same gallon measurements and he told me that each time it did calculated that it was running gallonHe ran the test twice and he told me that he did get the right amount of usage/gallons that he ran each time. During that time I asked the technician if he would please take the time to walk around the house with me to make sure that there are no leaks in the house and since I had to prove pioneer energy management (PEM) that I had no leaks in the house, I walked him through the kitchen to show him under the sink, faucet, both bathroom faucets, cabinets, and shower downstair, The utility room on the second floor and the bathroom on the second floor so that he could see that there were no leaks in the houseThe technician agreed with me that once we got done walking through the house that he did not see or hear any running water or leaks in the houseI asked the technician if he would please put that in his report that he did walk through the house with me and checked all those rooms with me and made observations. Day two: On November 3, at 12:PM, I received a phone call from Pioneer energy management a representative from their office by the name of Sarah D*** called me to inform me that I was not going to be charge for the new meterHowever, that they had to wait three months to evaluate and go over the report before they can make a decision to reimburse me for the last monthsShe also stated that they mailed back the meter back to the manufactory and they were going to wait for a report back from them in regards to the meter. I let Sarah know that I didn't mind waiting and that was fine with meHowever, If the meter was working properly we would never have gone through this and we wouldn't have had this problem in the first place and since it wasn't functioning properly and I had to continue to complain for them to finally have their technician come out to address the issue and it was removed, I felt that I was still entitled to reimbursements. I don't feel that all my issue has been completely resolved since I have to wait three months for the rest of the outcome so to be continued.... Thanks, *** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your
complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint:
I am rejecting this response because:While Sarah D*** at Pioneer Energy Management (PEM) & I have spoken regarding the balance she simply stated it was basically being transferred from one collection entity (PEM) to another (Omni Community Association Managers, Inc.) The compliant has not been resolved by any stretch nor has the balance been deferred back to the original property owner at the time in which it was incurred (***)I have attached a PDF copy of the response I received from PEM validating that they have only transferred the balance to my Homeowners Association for further collection, They did not resolve the balance by any means at the time of this emailI wish for this filing and my filing with the Ohio Department of Commerce Real Estate Division & Attorney General to remain active until I have in writing that this balance is no longer my responsibilityThank you for your timeHappy New Year

Pioneer Energy Management has done everything that is available to remedy the complaints for the resident at [redacted] at this time. PEM expediently made an appointment per her request, changed the equipment free of charge, and is sending the old equipment back to the factory for verification also free of charge. There is no further action that can be done until the results return and some new history is recorded onto the new meter. Once there is more information available for analysis, then this account will be reviewed for any credits due to the resident.

The General Manager at PEM has contacted this customer and resolved the issue directly. With the customer's consent, PEM asks that this complaint be closed.

In response to the complaint as entered by Mr. [redacted] there are a number of facts that will be identified below. PEM charges the AEP regulated rates as approved by the PUCO for the electric in the complex in which he resides. The allegation that the charges are higher than the regulated rates as...

permitted and established by the PUCO is patently false. The electric in the complex in which Mr. [redacted] resides is privately owned by the owner of the property. This is proper and right due to the deregulation of utilities in the State of Ohio. If he does not agree with these practices, he has the freedom and choice to reside in a different location. Please find attached a copy of the PEM utility bill as issued to Mr. [redacted] in February 2018. It clearly states that his account is in danger of disconnection. Page 2 of this bill states the PEM policy if an account does become disconnected for non-payment. This notification was issued and mailed 2/15/18. This account has been issued 6 separate disconnection notices since his move in on 7/31/17. Each notification states clearly and plainly what actions need to be taken to avoid disconnection of utility for non-payment. For each month that Mr. [redacted] was past due on his utility bill, he was notified 3 times of this. He was notified once on the utility bill, once on the disconnection notice, and once via phone call from customer service. PEM makes courtesy phone calls in the week PRIOR to disconnections to give the residents EVERY opportunity to make a payment to avoid disconnection. In the months that Mr. [redacted] has lived in this apartment, he has received 8 bills - a total amount of $1,106.47. As of 4/10/18, the date of the disconnection, he had made 2 payments totaling $575.66. It is noted that Mr. [redacted] only made these 2 payments after receiving the courtesy disconnection phone calls as made by PEM. It is further noted that Mr. [redacted] was left a voicemail on 4/3/18 regarding his past due amount and payment due date to avoid disconnection of service. Customers of PEM can call during office hours and make their payment over the phone free of charge during the office hours of 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM AND can make payments on-line 24/7. There is also an afterhours outage line for emergency calls. Mr. [redacted] had ample opportunity and notification to avoid the disconnection of his utility. Once his payment was made, PEM reconnected his utility that same day. If there is negligence in regards to this process, it is not on the part of PEM.

The customer has stated in his rejection response that the balance outstanding has been transferred from one collection agency to another. That is not accurate. The balance has been removed from his account at PEM and the Home Owner's Association has been made aware of the customer's refusal to pay the outstanding balance. This debt is and has always been between the customer and the HOA to which the customer belongs. PEM's job is to make the customer aware and request payment for any previously owed balances. PEM does not have the right to lien a property in this HOA, but the HOA does; therefore the HOA has been notified of the balance outstanding for this property. It is a legal matter that does not involve PEM. If the HOA determines that future action needs to be taken, PEM has no leverage or responsibility in that decision - only the HOA can make that decision. The only action that PEM can take, and HAS TAKEN, is to remove the disputed balance from our records. That is ALL that PEM is responsible for and all that PEM has the ability to effect. Since this complaint as filed is directly associated with PEM while this customer's real issue lies with his Home Owner's Association (NOT PEM), I request yet again that this complaint be closed.

This is a follow-up to the above complaint number. On February 19, 2018 a representative from pioneer energy management Sarah Davis reached out to me to inform me that they were able to review my account after receiving three months bill from the new water meter that was installed in November 2017 and that they were able to evaluate and generate a report based on the outcome of the new meter water usage. Sarah informed me that they were able to determine that the account was overcharged based on the report that she received from the new meter reading/usage & the old meter and that they were going to reimburse my account for the past 24 months in the amount of $2,194.37. On February 20, 2018 pioneer energy management send me a check for $2,057.10 and credit my account the remaining balance of $137.27 on March 08, 2018. I told Sarah that I was pleased that they were going to reimburse my account and that I greatly appreciated her for taking the time to work with me on my account and evaluate the situation for me. I am very satisfied of the outcome! And now I hope and pray that my new water meter will function properly and not cause me or P.E.M. any more.

The water meter at [redacted] had to be replaced two years ago on 10/25/2015 because the equipment was not operating correctly. This water meter was replaced with a brand new, fully functional unit. Since then, the water bill has much higher. She set up another appointment with PEM on...

1/28/2016 because she felt the bills were too high. At this time, the technicians went on-site and completed the field tests in order to verify the water meter’s accuracy. The results of the field test were that the water meter was performing accurately. This water meter has continued to perform consistently since the time of the field tests as performed by the technicians. This can only mean one of three things –1) the water meter is not measuring accurately - which was proven false during the field testing; 2) the customer is using a large amount of water and does not realize it; OR 3) there is water going through the meter that the home owner is not aware of (i.e. a leak). I have attached a chart of water usage from the past 24 months for this home. The usage is fairly consistent monthly, but high as compared to the national average of 2,000 gallons of water used per person per month. In looking at the most recent months usages, the amount recorded per month has started to creep higher. The reads that are being provided by this meter are actual, not estimated. The data is showing what I believe to indicate a leak somewhere in this home. The term “leak” has a variety of meanings. There could be a drip in a sink, a toilet that is running too often, a toilet that has a flapper stuck open intermittently, a break in an interior pipe that is releasing water, or various other reasons. None of these issues can be identified by PEM as we only read the water meter and create a bill for the usage. PEM is a billing entity for this Home Owner’s Association and NOT a plumbing company. In an effort to assist the customer, PEM has scheduled an appointment to field test the meter once more on Thursday (11/2/17). If the flow indicator on the water meter indicates there is water flowing through the meter when the homeowner doesn’t believe anything is running, that proves there is a leak in the home and will require a plumber to make any necessary repairs. Should the water meter fail the field tests, the meter will be replaced.