Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was informed today that **** will be doing away with the ** Read program, and will begin charging customers almost $20 PER MONTH for them to NOT install a smart meter. My current "dumb" meter works just fine, and I have no desire/need to have someone come out to install a new meter. It takes 2 minutes for me to call in my meter read each month... charging almost $20 for that is criminal.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2025

  Good morning,
  
  With the implementation of the *** rate case and changes in our tariffs approved by the ****, the ** Read program is being retired effective 8/1/2025. Customers on this program are being offered the following two alternative options:
  
  Option 1: Continue as an Advanced Meter Opt-Out customer.
  They may choose to remain an Advanced Meter Opt-Out customer. If they select this option, they will need to continue calling in their monthly meter readings through July 2025. Then, beginning August 1, 2025, a Duke Energy meter reader will read their meter each month, and a $17.50 fee will be applied to their bill monthly for this service.
  
  Option 2: Have an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meter installed.
  With this option, Duke Energy will install an AMI meter at their premise, which will be read remotely each month. There are no monthly fees associated with this option.
  
  Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the customer regarding their concerns; however, a voicemail was left letting them know their complaint was received and they could contact me back if they had any further questions.The customer has also been mailed a letter regarding the program retirement.
  
  Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
  Thank you,
  Amber
  Midwest Consumer Affairs 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  I was already aware of the provided options, as indicated in my original complaint. The complaint is that I'm being forced to have a new meter installed or pay a monthly fee.  In the absence of additional options, my complaint remains.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ********
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/12/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  2/7/25- I contacted customer service to move from quarterly budget plan to annual budget plan. After quarterly was discontinued I was told I needed to call back after 2/18/25 to enroll in the annual plan. I called and was told to call back after 3/2. I called 3/3 and was told I needed to pay ****** before I could enroll in annual plan. I asked to be put back on quarterly plan instead. I was but was also told I still needed to pay the ******. I was set up on an installment plan to pay the amount. I tried to explain I have never had to pay an end of the year settlement on the quarterly plan and if I had known that was part of changing from quarterly to annual I would not have started the process. I requested to reverse all that had been made to the account setup prior to the 2/7 phone call. I called 3/12/25 and spoke with ***** and he transferred me to **** in escalation who transferred me to **** ***** in residential complex- all 3 told me there was nothing they can do and I would have to pay the 791.changes08. I again requested to reverse all changes to reflect the account set up as it was prior to the 2/7 phone call. **** ***** gave me the reference #********** and I was told she was making a back office request to review my account I have emailed Duke Energy x1 and called x4 and talked to 8 people about this with no resolution.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2025

  In February, the customer called in to cancel the quarterly budget billing and switch to annual budget billing. To do that, we must remove the customer from budget billing, they would then need to settle up their account and then re-enroll them in budget billing. At the time when the customer requested the switch, they owed $441.63 in their budget billing balance, and with the current charges of $349.45, they owed a total amount of $791.08.
  
  We advised the customer that we could set the balance up on a payment agreement and then set them back up on budget billing. Unfortunately,once budget billing is removed, we cannot just add it back and roll the balance back into the budget billing balance. The customer agreed to a payment agreement,so we set them up on a 12-month agreement for $65.92a month plus the quarterly budget billing for the amount of $176.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/20/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  I have requested multiple times for the business to review the original phone call, i was told i could move directly from the quarterly to annual budget. There was no mention of a balance to be paid. Only after the plan was canceled was i told they could not process the change and to call back.

  When i called back i was told of a balance (different from the amount in the businesses response),  at that time i requested the changes reversed since i had not made an informed decision (i previously was not informed of an outstanding balance caused by the plan change).  I was told to call back because they could not make any changes at that time

  The next time i called back the balance due had doubled.  Again i asked for the original call to be reviewed.  Details were omitted, i was told incorrect information,  and i have called back as requested each time with no resolution. I tried numerouse times to resolve the issue but was transferred a total of 9 times and still unable to resolve issue

  (I accepted the payment plan before i researched how to address issues with a utility company,  aka addressing thru the BBB). It was not my agreeing to owing a balance,  it was a means to keep my electricity on. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ********* *********

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2025

  The customer has also filed an **** Complaint, and the **** has closed the case as an unjustified complaint. We apologize for any confusion with the budget billing program, but we are not able to roll the amount back into budget billing. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/18/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
  
  I appreciate the businesses apology but that does not resolve the $790 charge incurred due to the businesses employee not disclosing information before changes were made to my account.  

  
  Regards,
  
  ********* *********

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/19/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On the 27th September, a hurricane hit the midwest. It caused many power outages throughout the state of ****, including in our street. At that time, a transformer or some piece of equipment on a power pole outside my house malfunctioned and started beeping every two seconds non-stop. Upon noticing this, I called Duke Energy and asked them to come and investigate. I did not hear anything back, so I called three weeks later to follow up. They declined responsibility and deferred me to the Internet or Phone companies. Both of those companies also declined responsibility. I called Duke again, who said they would send another technician and I even filed a complaint with my village council. The issue remains unresolved to date. It has been 5 months of incessant beeping that can be heard in my house and on the street day and night non-stop. **** MUST be responsible for fixing this issue as it is coming from the power line. I want this fixed and I want it fixed NOW. The residents on my street are all going mad because of it and I am afraid that if it does not stop soon, someone will try and take matters into their own hands and I do not want to see any of my neighbours injured. PLEASE HAVE DUKE STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR POWER LINES

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/20/2025

  Good afternoon.  I show that back in October 2024, we had determined that the cause of the beeping was from what appeared to be equipment from a communication company.  Since the beeping is still ongoing and the customer has not been able to get the issue resolved by contacting the communication companies.  I reached out to our Electric ********************* to see if there was anything that we could do on our end.  Our Electric ********************* went back out to the location today and it does appear that it is equipment from a communication company; however, we were able to remove the beeping equipment on our end today.  I was advised that there is no longer any beeping coming from the pole. I tried contacting the customer this afternoon, but I was unable to reach them.  I left them a message with this information and my office number in case they have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/21/2025

  Better Business Bureau:

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

  It is a shame I had to lodge this complaint at all when they could have resolved it all along.  
  
  No further action is needed
  
  

  Regards,

  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My grandmother ******* ******* is the account holder and I am listed on her account as the Power Of Attorney. Service address is ********************************************************************. Account number: ************. My grandmother had an emergency last October and was hospitalized. During this time her services were disconnected for non payment because she was unable to sign the needed documents for ***. She is currently still on her dying bed. In December, we called to discuss the options for reconnecting and was advised one we paid the $500 past due bill, then nothing else would be owed. I paid that bill for her in December. Fast forward to today, we were charged a $240 deposit which I was advised it would not be charged. Today I spoke with a few supervisors who listened to the calls and are also aware I was provided incorrect information. Now there is a large bill due and it doesn't make too much sense when you have family ready to pay and a 93 year old who has had services for years and on time. Another time in December while on the phone, we were advised that if we had to pay the deposit, it could be divided into 2 payments. However, the payment was applied to the deposit and now the balance is for charges instead of Jan charges + the deposit.Also I had a really difficult time to get the *** processed on the account. I had multiple different people give me different emails and fax numbers to send it. There is a major gap in this process. The main customerselfhelp email is clearly not handling correspondence to make sure it gets processed by the correct team. Finally it was added today after multiple weeks, and multiple email submissions. I even spoke to someone on 02/04/25 who blantly lied to me. Said they could see the documents but they were just trying to get me off the phone.Please keep in mind this is for a 93 year old who is currently in a hospital and will not likely make it back home.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2025

  Good morning,

  I apologize for the inconvenience; however, this customer is located in *******. Please transfer to the appropriate BBB.

  Thank you,

  Amber

  Midwest Consumer Affairs

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2025

  Good morning,
  
  I apologize for my oversight on this one.
  
  I did review the account information for the complainants mother. Her mother did contact us on 12/12/2024 to restart her services and was advised of the security deposit when the account was being established. She was advised that this was not a fee that was due immediately and that it would be billed in 2 installments with her current bill for the first two months. The agent that they had previously spoken with the day before about what was needed to restore services would not have known whether there was a security deposit to be billed to the account once they called to schedule the restoral, as they can only see the current balance due at that time that was needed to be eligible for new service. The customer did ask about a reconnection fee and was advised there would be no reconnection fee. There was no discussion regarding security deposits. There are several calls from the complainant from 2/6/2025, 2/7/2025, and 2/10/2025 regarding the power of attorney information and security deposit; however, all notations state that they were advised the security deposit would not be waived.
  
  Due to the hardships they are currently experiencing, the security deposit will be credited back to the account as a one-time courtesy.If in the future, the customer is assessed a new security deposit, it will not be waived. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the complainant regarding her concerns; however, I did leave her a detailed voicemail with all the information above.
  
  Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
  Thank you,
  
  Amber
  Midwest Consumer Affairs
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/14/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I filed a complaint with Duke Energy previously for lack of explanation on estimated bill in 2024. Since then I have had the highest bill in my complex with no explanation. I feel this is retaliation on Duke energys behalf. They refuse to check the meter.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/15/2025

  Good afternoon,
  
  Our records indicate this customer started service on June 7, 2024. The customer is being billed based off of actual meter readings and the usage is in line with what has been previously used at this location. The company sees no concerns with the billing at this time.
  
  The company was able to remotely connect to the meter; the connection and communication status both came back as normal on January *******. The meter read at that time was *****. The customer has used 529 kilowatts since the last read on January 10, 2025.
  
  Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the customer regarding their concerns; however, a detailed voicemail was left letting the customer know the above information along with my direct contact information if they have any other questions.
  
  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/04/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Duke energy no longer offers the option to pay bills online. All options available require additional fees: checks cost money to mail, they charge a service fee to pay by phone, and they charge a service fee to pay online. I am irate, in the past several months we have lost over two weeks of service with no offset and have now been forced to pay additional fees just to pay our bills.The only option which they report does not require an additional fee is to authorize direct deposit. Due to several incorrect bills, variance of over 100% between given months, and blatant overcharges, I do not trust them (nor should anyone) to withdraw the appropriate amount. It is unconscionable to me that a utility company with a blatant monopoly on the market be permitted to operate in this way. If there were literally *any* other options available, we would have discontinued our service months ago. Please address this violation of our trust and common decency

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/03/2024

  Please send to Duke Energy in Indiana.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/09/2024

  Duke Energy has reviewed the concerns; however, the name, phone number and email provided, was not associated to any active DE account found. Therefore, the information provided will be general information available to all customers, and not specifics related to an account. If this customer would like us to locate information related to their account, they would need to provide an address and name for the customer on record.

  The ********************** has 5 payment options available for customers.One is online (including Duke **********************'s mobile app), auto pay, by phone, mail or in person.

  Customer can make a payment online with a checking or savings account with no convenience fee. These payments are not immediate and may take a couple days to apply to the account. Customers have a 2nd option to make a payment online through Speedpay. Customers can use a credit card, debit card or electronic check, that is immediately applied to the account; however, depending on jurisdiction and account class (residential or non-residential),this payment does include a small fee due to Speedpay's policies. *** residential customers in the Mid-West jurisdiction, the fee is $1.25.

  Autopay is an automatically drafted payment from the customer's bank account each month, that is free to sign up for and does not require a convenience fee. Customers will continue to receive monthly bills advising what amount is due and can sign up for notifications as a reminder of what amount is going to be drafted, prior to the due date. Please note if a customer enrolls in Autopay, it will start with the next bill, therefore the current bill will still need to be paid.

  When making a payment by phone, customers can unfortunately no longer do this with a customer service rep. *** better financial security, these payments can be made through the *** and will be immediately applied to the account. Speedpay is the payment system used, and customers will be prompted through making a payment with either a debit card or credit card. Based on Speedpay's policies as stated above, there is a small fee. ($1.25 for residential mid-west customer; **, **, **.)

  Customers have the option to send payments via mail, with either a check or money order. These payments are mailed to Duke Energy *****************************************************************. Although postage is needed in order to mail a payment, there is no fee assessed by the company. Customers should allow 5-7 business days for the payment to post.

  The last option a customer has to make a payment is in person. Duke Energy, at this time, no longer has pay stations at DE locations;however, there are multiple preferred locations customers can look up to make a payment, that can be applied to the account immediately. Any and all fees associated with these payments may vary by location. Please note any unauthorized payment locations may still offer this option, however, it may also delay posting of the payment due to the company not having an agreement or contract with them. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have been out of power now for 5 days. We need our meter replaced, and were told it would happen today (8/21/24) after the county inspector came out and reviewed repairs made. We were told **** would be out in a few hours to repair the meter, and that has yet to happen. We are going on 6 days without power. All that needs to happen is the team to come out and put the new meter on and turn our power on.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2024

  This issue has been resolved. No future action is necessary.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2024

  Good afternoon,
  
  Our records indicate that service at this location is not in the name of the complainant; however, the service at this location was disconnected,and the meter removed on 8/19/2024 because the customers meter base was sparking and arcing. Due to County regulations, services could not be restored until an inspection was completed once the customers repairs were finished.This inspection was received on 8/21/2024 and service was restored on 8/22/2024 at 9:29 a.m.
  
  I was able to speak with the complainant and confirmed power was restored.
  
  Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
  Thank you,

  
  Amber
  Midwest Consumer Affairs 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:

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

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They shut off my electricity I paid $2000.00 of $5000.00 6/21/24 to turn back on in name had to assume billing responsibility it was in my dead mothers name it didnt get turned on when it was supposed to. They never took $2000.00 off of balance but added it along with $900.00 deposit and never created a new account just merged over waiting for new billing which doesnt still exist along with several calls asking for correction and now balance $7000.00 with $224 average a day for services and threatening to shut my services off again. I dont even have a corrected **** based off of verbal arrangements made to even know what to pay.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2024

  The customer resides in **********************.  Please reroute this BBB case to the local BBB in ***********, ***  Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2024

  Good afternoon,
  
  Our records indicate that the complainant first contacted the Company on 6/18/2024 regarding services at this location. On 6/20/2024, she spoke with **************** who advised her that a minimum payment of $2,000 was needed to restore services and transfer the account into her name and that the total balance at that time was $5,572.06. She was advised the remaining balance would be set up on a 12-month installment plan once her account was established. The customer then contacted the ******************** on 7/9/2024 regarding the balance owed on the account. She was advised that the balance due was $4,966.41 due 7/12/2024, which includes a prior balance of $4,547.06 that was due 6/14/2024. The customer was concerned that the $2,000 payment previously made was not reflected towards the account balance owed and a ticket was submitted to the billing department to review the charges before an installment plan was set up on the account. The complainant then contacted the Company on 7/31/2024 regarding the balance on the account again and was advised that the charges on the account were $5,417.37 due 8/15/2024, which includes a past due balance of $4,561.67 that was due 7/12/2024.
  
  
  At this time, the total balance due on the account is $5,417.37 due 8/15/2024,which does include the past due balance of $4,561.67 that was due 7/12/2024. The $2,000 paid toward the account has been applied to the balance owed. The customer paid in three separate transactions of $600, $650, and $750. There have been no other payments made toward the account. The total balance transferred from the previous account was $5,991.41. This balance was added to the customers current charges of $421.46 for services from 6/20/2024-7/22/2024, the $975 security deposit, and $29.50 in State Taxes. As services had not been disconnected prior to the account transferring into complainants name, the balance of $5,572.06 quoted was for services at the time of the account transfer. Once the other account was closed, the account balance increased by the next billing cycle charges bringing the total balance to $5,991.41. The customer is being held responsible for the charges of the previous account, as she has been associated with this address since December 1994 and has benefited from the services being in another persons name despite them passing away in August 2019. A new account was established and the balance transferred to her account.
  
  
  If there was a deposit paid on the prior account, that would have been applied towards the account balance after services were stopped in the previous account holders name; however, there is no record of a deposit on that account. Once the complainants security deposit has been paid and payments are made on time each month for nine consecutive months or 12 months of service with no more than 2 late fees, the security deposit plus interest will be credited back to the account for good payment history being established.
  
  
  
  Unfortunately, I was unable to reach the customer regarding her concerns;however, a detailed voicemail was left advising the customer that the account has been reviewed and charges verified. She was advised that the total balance that carried over from the prior account was $5,991.41 due to the additional charges that accrued for the next billing cycle after she had called to transfer services. She was advised that the $2,000 in payments has been applied toward the account balance, and the total balance now due of $5,417.37 is the true balance owed. She was advised that once the security deposit is paid in full and we receive 9 consecutive on time payments or 12 months of service with no more than 2 late fees, the security deposit plus interest will be credited back to the account. The customer was also advised that to set up the 12-month payment arrangement, she would need to give us a call back to determine if another payment would be made toward the account for the current billing cycle or to let us know if she wants the entire balance of $5,417.37 to be set up on the arrangement to start on her next billing cycle. She was advised that if no payment is made toward the account balance as it is, then her installments would be $451.44 in addition to the current charges each month.
  
  Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
  Thank you,
  *****
  Midwest Consumer Affairs

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined the response would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed 

  I have forwarded your response to the **** and created a case with them. None of the figures add up and still do not reflect my $2000.00 being applied to any of the different figures in your response. I am not even sure where a $7400 figure even came from. As there wasnt even $5000.00 owed on the previous account before the $2000.00 was paid. Services at that address were in fact disconnected on 6/18 during a system wide update and reinstated in my name on 6/21 when the $2000.00 payment was made. The verbal agreement made has not been followed through with. The billing cycle should be  from 6/21-7/21 per conversation.i have called several times trying to correct the issue of incorrect billing and the last phone call I was transferred to three different representatives spent 59 minutes on the phone for a supervisor to hang up. NO ONE has contacted me and left a message with any of this information as stated in your response. 
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/05/2024

  Good afternoon,
  
  This information has also been addressed with the **** regarding the complaint filed with them. As the **** was advised, the complainant is being held responsible for the charges in the previous account holders name,who passed away in August 2019, as they are related and the complainant has been associated with this address since December 1994; therefore, benefiting from the services in someone elses name.
  
  As can be seen on the screenshots provided by the complainant of the billing statement, it shows the breakdown of charges that were transferred, the payments totaling $2000, and the current charges since service were transferred into the complainants name. The prior tenants services had not fully billed to the service stop date when the complainant contacted us, which is why the transferred balance was more than originally quoted.
  
  A detailed voicemail was left at the number provided by the complainant on 8/1/2024 at approximately 10:50 a.m. regarding the complaints received. They were advised of the total balance that was transferred, the payments totaling $2000 are reflected on the billing statement sent to her since services were transferred into their name, the security deposit information, and the current balance now due on the account. The customer was advised that once the deposit is paid in full and we receive 9 consecutive on-time payments or there are 12 service with no more than 2 late payment charges, that the security deposit plus interest would be credited back to the account. The customer was also advised they would need to contact the Company back to establish the desired installment plan on the account.
  
  The complainant was contacted again regarding their concerns about the account billing. They were advised that when they contacted **************** to transfer services, the account balance had not finalized at that time, which resulted in additional charges accruing toward the total balance that was transferred to their account from the previous account holders. The customer was advised that in addition to those charges, the account was billed for the current billing cycle along with the security deposit and taxes. The customer was advised that the payment applied toward the account was applied toward the total balance, going toward the security deposit first. The customer was then advised that because the security deposit has already been paid, the installment plan would be established on the charges remaining at this time and then would be refunded to the account once a good payment history has been established either after 9 consecutive on-time payments or 12 months with no more than 2 late payment charges. The customer advised they did not wish to establish the payment arrangement at that time.
  
  Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
  Thank you,

  
  Amber
  Midwest Consumer Affairs

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My power has went out an astonishing amount of times since I have moved to this location in 2017. Every time the wind blows either a fuse or transformer blows. They keep putting bandaids on the problem and dont truly fix the issue. I understand storms cause power outages, but this is excessive and occurs far too frequently. Pleas fix the root cause of this issue. Please look at how many outages my account has had since 2017.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/14/2024

  Duke Energy has reviewed the concerns and have the summary of events that have taken place in response to it.

  According to the companys records this customer has reported an outage 4 times within the last month and a half. After this complaint was filed and the outage history was investigated by the companys Area Operations team, it was advised these outages were a result from storms and vegetation. Due to vegetation being a highly impacted cause of these outages, the Area Operations team reached out to a tree trimming contractor to begin working on this customers property and/or the surrounding arears. It was reported that the contractor, ********, began working on this customers area Thursday, Aug 8th, and their plan is to trim from the tap on pole ******* at this customers residence, to the dead-end pole ******* at **************

  The work order in progress, WO ********, was created directly in response to this customers complaint, therefore a follow up with this customer will be done once all work has been completed. This customer can also call the **************** line, **************, at any point in the future for additional concerns.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a power line down In my yard and because the account is not in my name I was told they will not do anything about it, even though I live here. Account owner ( my partner for 16 years not married and just hasn't added me to the account) is out of town for a week and can not reach him.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/18/2024

  Good afternoon,

  Our records indicate that the complainant contacted the company on 7/18/2024 with concerns about a downed line in their yard. The customer was advised that because she was not the customer of record, they could not assist her with the request. Feedback has been sent to the specialist's supervisor to address the proper procedure for possible emergency situations.

  I was able to speak with the complainant regarding her concerns and it was confirmed that an emergency ticket was submitted with another specialist at 3:45 p.m. and a technician will be dispatched to investigate the downed line. The customer was advised that in the event the line is not owned by the company, they may be referred to the communications company that possibly owns the line. The customer was advised that the ********************** cannot assist with repairs to equipment that is owned by another company. They were also advised of the feedback sent for the first specialist they spoke with.

  Please let me know if you have any further questions.

  Thank you,

  Amber

  Midwest Consumer Affairs