ComplaintsforCity Water, Light, and Power

• Initial Complaint

  11/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  CWLP is the provider of electricity and water services for my residential address in Springfield, IL since April 2022. Our monthly water usage has averaged 5-10 units (1 unit = 748 gallons of water) since we moved in. We have a small family of 2 adults and a 4-month-old infant. I have my account on autopay. On the bill dated 9/21/23, I noticed a sudden increase in my water usage to 79 units, almost a 10 folds increase, and monthly bill charged was increased from an average of $300 (for electricity, water and sewage) to $ 530. I checked my house for any potential leakages and didn't find any. I turned off all water sources and the meter was still confirming there wasn't any major leakages. I called the CWLP customer service center and was told that they had averaged my bills for several months due to non-availability of staff for a manual read. On the next bill on 10/24/23, they further reported an increase in the usage to an extraordinarily high reading of 90 units (67,320 gallons) for our family of 3 and sent us a bill of $534.70. On calling the CWLP customer service, they again told that this reading was an estimated reading from the last month's reading, and they had no control over it due to short staffing and lack of manual readings. The customer service agent was very non apologetic and behaved as if it was a common practice to commit such major errors on their part. She stated that they will send out someone for a manual reading to my home address. The reason for my complaint is that their billing method based on estimation is significantly incorrect and potentially affects a lot of customers. Many customers may get overbilled if they are not paying attention to their monthly bills and trusting CWLP to do their job and charge them accurately. I am seeking a formal apology from CWLP and an assurance that my future readings will be based on actual reading and not on blatantly wrong estimates.

  Business response

  12/04/2023

  I am writing in response to a complaint filed by ****** ***** at **** ******* *** *********** ** *****. CWLP may estimate monthly bills due to inclement weather, no access to the meter, short staffing, etc. Any time a reading is estimated, it is indicated on the customer’s bill that the reading is an estimate. The customer can contact our office, if they receive an estimated reading and we will send a technician out to get an actual reading. If the estimated reading has been over estimated, we will cancel and rebill the customer using the actual read. Mr. ***** contacted our office on September 28, 2023 to inquire why his water usage was reading at 79 units. The customer service representative advised Mr. ***** that the 79 units was an actual reading but was higher than normal due to previous readings that were under estimated. A service order was sent to verify that the reading was correct. The service order did verify that the 79 units used was accurate. Mr. ***** contacted our office again on November 7, 2023 to inquire about his water usage. The customer service representative advised that the reading was an estimate and a service order would be sent to obtain an actual read. The bill received for $534.70 was cancelled and the customer was rebilled for $206.37, using the actual water read. CWLP cannot guarantee that each month will be an actual reading. We can update Mr. ******* water and sewer revenue meter to a radio frequency meter. This would greatly reduce the amount of estimates received. 

  Customer response

  12/06/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  04/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with the electric bill I received from the City Water, Light & Power (CWLP) company in Springfield, Illinois, for the month of March 2023. I believe that the bill is incorrect and does not accurately reflect my actual electricity usage during that month. In my February 2023 bill, CWLP claimed to have had a system glitch and so issued another combined bill for February and March 2023 in March 2023. However, I have been taking measures to reduce my energy consumption in the apartment where I live alone, and I believe that the bill I received for March 2023 is unfairly high. In particular, I have been reducing my usage of the apartment's heating system since February 2023, and in March 2023, I completely turned it off. Despite this, the bill I received from CWLP for March 2023 is higher than my average monthly bill, and I do not believe that it accurately reflects my actual usage for that month. I believe that CWLP may have overestimated my usage for the month of March 2023, and I am concerned that this may be due to the system glitch that occurred in February 2023. I have contacted CWLP to request an explanation of the charges, but have not received a satisfactory response. I am therefore requesting that you investigate this matter and take appropriate action to rectify the situation. I am also requesting that you ensure that CWLP provides me with an accurate bill that reflects my actual usage for the month of March 2023. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

  Business response

  05/09/2023

  I am writing in response to a complaint filed by **** ******* at **** * ****** *** ************ ** *****. The March 2023 bill had an estimated electric and water reading and the total bill was $39.15. The April 2023 bill had an actual electric and water reading and the total bill was $134.05. The customer was not issued a combined bill for March and April. They were only billed for usage that went through their meter. The account has been billed accurately. Had the customer’s March bill reflected their actual reading, the electric reading for February 6, 2023- March 6, 2023 was 77032 and total consumption was 566 KWH. The electric reading for March 6, 2023- April 9, 2023 was 77327 and total consumption was 295 KWH. The customer’s electric usage did go down from previous months. The total for the customer’s March and April bills was $173.20, and the customer has since paid the total amount due. Please see attachments. 

  Customer response

  05/16/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I am strongly contesting this issue due to my dissatisfaction. I can affirm that I did not utilize any significant amount of energy during the month of March. However, if CWLP claims that they do not possess an actual reading for March, it raises the question of why they issued a bill which I have already paid. Furthermore, the customer care representatives at CWLP stated that the bill of $173.20 represented the actual reading from March to April. In that case, why did CWLP require customers to pay twice? I live alone and seldom use the heater, even during cold weather, and I was rarely present at home. There is no conceivable way that my energy or water consumption could amount to $173.20. This specific amount is the crux of my concern. I requested a meter assessment, but no action has been taken regarding it. The only reason I paid the $173.20 was to avoid disconnection and in the hope that I would be reimbursed once this matter is resolved.

   

  
  

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