Progress Energy Customer Service Complaints - page 2

Progress Energy is the face of heartless, greedy Corporate America that is sucking the life out of the middle class and working class in this country. We went to try and negotiate a payment plan on our past-due bill (which is staggeringly high thanks to a record heat wave in NC) only to discover Progress Energy no longer has Customer Service locations where you can talk to an employee of the company. They shut them all down! There are "payment centers" that are run by check cashing stores and groceries, but no one there has any ability to handle payment agreements. All they have is a 800 number, where you're given the option of postponing payment for 7 business days or sitting on you thumb and spinning. They've effectively walled themselves away from their customers. And if you *do* manage to reach someone over the phone in Customer Service, once they realize you're calling about trying to make a payment agreement, they put you on hold and leave you there.

There was alot going on this past week with me dealing with a short sale, cleaning out my house, and issue with my tires on my car. So I didn't check my mail until 10/10. I had a final notice from Progress saying I needed to pay by 10/9. I couldn't extend my payment date online or through automated phone service so decided to talk to a person. I remember I've done it in the past where the customer service person over rided the disconnect and gave me another week. I speak to Nino first (accent when talking fast). He reads his speech about he can't help because a disconnect notice is on my account and if I called yesterday he could have done something. I explain I've had assistance in the past. I ask him to look at my payment history. He repeats his speech. I ask for a manager. I was on hold long enough to know he's explaining his side. I get his "manager" Jose. He says the same speech. I repeat that I've had someone over ride this before when I owned my house. He says he can't. He then suggests I call a 211 number for financial assistance! I could then tell he is not looking at my account. He's not looking at my payments or my high payments when I had a 2800+ square foot house! I tell him I've had someone help me after a disconnect notice. He says he can't. After I hang up I realize I had help before maybe because I was in a half a million dollar house! I don't live in a huge house anymore but still I live in a good area. I also thought after I hung up that he may not have been a manager. The accents got thick when they started to talk fast. Just because I live in Florida doesn't mean I speak Spanish. My mother is from another country so I understand!

This company is terrible. I have been a customer of theirs for far too long, and as soon as our contract is up my husband and I will move out of their coverage area. It's way too hard to get in contact with a live person, and unless you want to add an extra five dollars to your bill every month, you can't pay them over the phone. You can pay online with a direct transfer only - NO credit card - or you can MAIL in your bill. If you want to use a credit card to pay, you'll have to go through the phone system and pay the extra $5. If you can't find your account number while you're on the phone with the machine to pay your bill, you cant select any option to get you to a customer service rep. Pressing zero does nothing but get you the annoying, mechanical, "I'm sorry, we don't recognize that option. Please try again." They are unhelpful in *all* respects, and if you have the option, pick ANYONE ELSE over Progress Energy.

I have constant outages, some short duration, some long. This weekend alone, I have had 5 outages... 3 short and 2 long (3 hours or more). I have reported 9 total outages this year alone. Progress Energy is the worst company ever.

James ID #4923.... title supervising manager He is very RUDE and NASTY! Customer Service SUCKS! Point blank PERIOD. He is an able man, he needs to go get a man job, and quit sitting at a desk being rude to customers.

Progress Energy is the worst electric company EVER!!!! They overcharge for services and when asked about them they add additional charges for what Might happen in the future. They know we need electricity to survive so they take advantage. Customer Service is the WORST!!!
I feel I have been anal rapped!!!!

I was receiving bills for a small place that were huge- 200-350 for a little mobile home, with just basics and central air.
In the summer of 2011, 4 years of this was just too much, getting jammed on bills, threats of shutoff an continual penalties while I tried to help a wife with cancer.
They even billed me $10 per month for the non-operating light on THEIR power pole and line running through my place.

After no help from their reps, phone tag and other tactics to try and put a ball in my court, denial, and 'you might try cutting your use of AC',(hey, they could suggest I don't drive on underfilled tires, that would be about as relevant).

I then decided to look at the data completely for myself. My engineering analysis showed their meter was overbilling at least 35-40% consistently, and more in summer, greatly exceeding the MAX wattages of anything I had running. I demanded an energy audit AND in-place test with me observing the meter the last week of August. They did a brief stop by after labor day, then suddenly changed the meter Sept 12. with no chance for me to witness a test. I called 2 days later to ask why they did not wait for me to be present at the meter test, and they said, it wouldn't have mattered since the old meter tested '100.7%' and the new meter '100.6%', not much difference, so there was no meter problem.
(the actual fact is, that the billed energy kwh can be grossly inaccurate even with a good meter, if it is improperly installed in any respect).

SO, how did my subsequent billed energy consistently decrease by about 40%?
I have since tracked the replacement meter, studied the energy calculations, ran a few simulation models, and also have statistical analysis of their own meter data from the month before changeout, and daily data since. All the models, estimates, and the new meter data agree at about 13,500kwh per year, the old meter billing average was almost 20,000kwh per year - for a 60x13 mobile home with two people, with old devices and little variation in actual
device usage relative to temperature.

Since then I have done the following to verify that the original meter was bad

I provide this info to PE and the PSC as well, asking for a refund of $2,500 in overmetering and $400 in bogus light pole charges that were stolen from me at threat of shutoff.

I was not surprised when PSC sided with PE and denied there was a problem. In fact, their response included a PHOTOCOPY of false and misleading alleged 'records of customer assistance' contacts. In addition to editing the calls they did admit to, they completely omitted my request for the in-place test,which would have exposed their probable installation error.

Can you imagine a group of well-paid PSC 'CONSUMER ASSISTANCE' staffers so blind or ruled by PE that PE could walk by them with a bag of your cash and they would see no problem. Well I don't have to imagine it any more, it really happens. I provided engineering data and new-old meter month by month comparisons, none of it mattered to them. All that mattered was what PE thought about it, If PE didn't see a problem, PSC didn't wasn't 'convinced of a problem' either. Now I understand, since the theft of $24B doesn't get their attention, why would $2500 or $3,000 matter? That's way smaller than their monthly cookie budget, I suppose.
But it's NOT chump change if they get away with it on a large number of customers. It's easy to get most of them for an extra 15kwh per day (which was the overcharge to me) because for larger places, 15kwh is not highly visible, hard to prove. If they do that to a million customers, there's another $3B a year in gravy they can share with whoever keeps the way clear for them.

So as far as customer 'sevice' they are very good at what they do, but even a barely functional retail business can process a refund. If they cannot even correct a bill in your favor, but will catch errors in their favor, that should be
a zero.

The PE-Duke merger is sure to improve customer sensitivity, huh?

Watch out for smart meters, they are calibratable and therefore will always be adjusted to provide higher readings than the meter they replace, so that they can cover their tracks for previous overmetering.
Taxpayers via DOE are providing almost a billion for the PE-Duke smart meters. It is clear this compsny' focus IS on the customer, what new ways they can be ripped off to fuel the gravy train for investors and marvelously compensated execs, well paid staff, and Spunkmeyer cookies for every meeting. Somebody needs to stop the gravy train, but I feel it will not be our Florida
'consumer watchdogs'.

What makes anyone think they are not stealing from customers when they don't blink an eye as they propose to the PSC to hijack customers for the $24B IN ADVANCE
to build a power plant that does not exist except in drawings.

The only thing legendary about Progress Energy is their ability to pawn off expenses that are capital investment, on captive customers (they are a public monopoly).
Considering that their annual reports and stock filings talk about hiring the 'best and brightest' (who customers pay for), what are we getting from all of it? Fancier devices to rip us off, but no geniuses able to figure out how to issue a refund, even when you do all the engineering calcs for them! What a SORRY and DISHONEST bunch.
They are a study in what has gone wrong in utility regulation!!!


Over and Out,
Joe Customer

I have been a customer of theirs (not by choice)since 1974......They are the worst Electric Company I have ever dealt with.Rude ignorant arrogant customer service , managers never available........poor quality on whatever work performed......it is never done properly the first time and they try to overcharge you whenever they can. I wish we could get a better company here to provide us with quality customer service,proper plant maintenance and a more reliable grid and proper upgrades . They are the WORST IN EVERY LEVEL!!!!

The absolute WORST costumer service ever. We had to call PE when I noticed on the last three bills my husband had paid there had a been a balance forward. Part of the problem was my husband paying the bill a few days late. I have no issue with the $5 late fee but when I tried to call to figure out where my $63.01 that was an over payment was I got a woman who not only was rude but actually got hostile with me. We were walking though the bill month by month with what was charged and what was paid. The first month we were eye to eye on then it got bad. First she skipped over a month and tried to say we under paid b/c 144 was do and we paid 131. When I corrected her and said she is looking at the wrong month with the wrong payment she was irrate and yelled at me to listen and that if I just shut up I would hear what she was saying. I said the payment you are talking about the 144 was for 2/7 and I am just trying to get us both on the same page so we can figure out where the money is. She snaps back about how we already went over jan and I again said no it was skipped and that is where the problem of overpayment started b/c that is where the 66.03 was paid a second time becuase it was added again to the bill that month but he had paid it. (which she had already admitted she saw the payment of 66.03) When she started yelling at me and I could see I was getting nowhere I asked to speak with her manager. She said fine whatever Left the phone on and just sat there. My husband a few feet away asked what was happening so I explained that I was trying to get the woman on the same page about which month we were talking about and she just wasn't getting it and started to get upset. Then I heard her say in the phone to me something along the lines don't be saying stuff about me mame and that what I was saying was absoluntly untrue. Only of course in much harsher and ruder language to which I just got angry and said get your manager on the phone. (It had already been 2 minutes on the open phone line waiting for the manager) She replied she is right here and listening to all you are saying. The way she said it was almost threating. Then the manager Tamika got on the phone. I was gonna chalk up the bad attitude from the other employee to a rough day and it was the end of the night so maybe she was tired. I said as much to the manager being nice. I then start to go though the last 3 months of my bills with the manager. At first she seemed to listen. Then she starts saying stuff like I am matching the wrong payment with the wrong month. I explained again the payments were a few days late and went though the billing date and the date the money was transfered out of my account. She even admitted we paid the $66.03 but says there was no other bill for 66.03 so she doesn;t see how I can say they doubled billed it. I thought ok I have her I get where I am confusing them so I go back to the 131 where it is actually the 66.03 PLUS that months bill which equal the 131. I thank yeah we will now be on the same page. NOPE I was wrong she says yeah it was charged b/c the 61 was never paid the month before. At this point I want to scream or throw something two seconds ago she had even said we paid the 66.03 now she is saying it is not showing we paid the dec bill. When I go over it again and say it was taken out of my account and on what date she says I can feel free to call back when I have proof but they are now closed. I asked quickly so what is my balance this month she says 0 (despite the online showing a bill of 81.18) I say ok so that basicly means they are crediting my account. To which she says NO the next bill is just now out yet. When I ask if I can have a direct line to a manager to call back tomorrow since she was now telling me over and over again they are closed and she will not help me. She said no you can only talk to the regular employees. I ask if I can speak to someone in person so they can explain this to me bc I am confused and she says no you can just call back. She then hangs up on me.

Can we say frusterated!!!!

Progress Energy is the worst!!
The company fails to bill the customer in a timely manner and in appropriate way. The bill date is always changed. The company cuts the electricity and charges $40.00 even when it was its error.

Advice: check you bill online every two weeks and pay it.

Worst company ever. Borderline extortion of their customers. Anyone who works for this company has sold their soul to the devil. Evil, putrid, the WORST COMPANY EVER!!!

Useless and robotic custumer help that can't think outside the box.....can't wait for the day a better company comes and leaves them out of the loop!

very unprofessional, rude customer service representatives..

I'm perplexed by this company and the monopoly they have created. I am to pay an outrageous deposit based on the previous owner's usage. It seems extremely unreasonable to me. When calling to confirm this was the case ( I just could not believe it; I had to call again),the guy was completely rude. Obviously, I have no choice as there aren't any other companies that service the same area. Amazing that this could take place in this country.

Progress Energy has no human factor. They are part of the cold, heartless and uncaring wealthy companies in the country that are destroying this nation. I have recently filed for disability and that takes awhile to get and I even use an oxygen machine but PG still will shut my power if I dont pay the rediculous amount that they demand.

The worse customer service ever. I was told I needed to pay a deposited to start service because my Experian credit rating demanded so. I call Experian as I was not aware of anything wrong with my credit and they conformed the same. so I called progress back and guess what, they still want you to pay a deposited. I asked the agent why do you think I need to pay a deposited when you are saying it’s based on my Experian scores and Experian is confirming its all good? The agent was rude and had no clear answer. So I spoke with a team leader and she gave me the same parroting , except hers was a little more articulate. This company should be barred or doing any business!

PE is the single worst company I have ever dealt with. I have two bills - one for an apartment and one for our home. I called to get an extension for the first time ever this week. It's not due to having a shortage of funds - it's because my entire purse was stolen in Key West and I have no credit cards, no debit card, and as a precaution my bank closed all of my accounts. I have no drivers license because I have had to send away for a certified copy of my birth certificate to take to the DMV to get a new license, and my bank will not reopen an account for me without valid ID - I simply have no access to money until a replacement credit card comes or I get my drivers license. I called PE and they gave me an extension for the apartment account, but refused to give me an extension for my home. I have no idea why and I got some excuse about how the apartment bill is less than $100. My house bill is $192 - and they have a deposit on this account of $405.
I am due for shut off today. I called again today to see if there was ANYTHING that ANYONE can do, and offered to fax a copy of the police report for my stolen items. I was told, no, sorry, but we simply can't do anything to help you and we will be happy to turn on your power once the payment is made. It looks like that will be in about another 5 days - in the middle of July in Florida.
I hate this company and their lack of customer service. It's like dealing with the mafia - pay us, or we make your life a living hell.