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:11/07/2023

  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 discovered three unauthorized charges on my debit account from service on the following dates and amounts: $10.59 on 10/27, and $12.78 on 11/06. I have not authorized these transactions, and there are no records of them on the app or in email notifications, I was also not provided an invoice from the business for these charges. Furthermore, the businesss charging application's history does not match these dates and amounts for which I have been charged. I have tried contacting the business via phone and email but I have been ignored and left without any response.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  11/28/2023

   

  Hello,

  We have reviewed the complaint that you forwarded to us.
  

  While the complaint initially says three charges, there are only two specified in the complaint. However, we feel it likely that the complainant is also disputing the $20.00 charge on 10/24/23 as well as the other two specified: $10.59 on 10/27/23 and $20.00 on 11/6/23.

  These charges are refill charges. The customer has chosen the ‘auto-refill’ option when setting up the account, meaning that the account automatically reloads when the account balance gets below a preset amount (usually $10.00). Because this is set up in the account itself, and because the complainant accepted our Terms and Conditions, we feel that there is no credit due to the complainant. 

  At the current time, the complainant’s account balance with our company is $1.70, meaning the next time he charges his car at a station that is not free to use, his account balance will be reloaded from the credit card on file.

  The complainant may, if he wishes, turn off the auto-reload feature using the ***** Mobile App.
  

  However, this means that if his balance falls low, that he will need to add funds before he can charge at a station that is not free to use.
  

  Additionally, we have no record of this customer reaching out by email or by phone. He can reach out to us via email at support@*************.com, and by phone at ************.

  Thank you. 

  Manager, Credit and Refund Department
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/26/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 March 23rd I plugged in my car to a sema connect charging station #2 in ******* **********. About an hour later I was notified that my car was unplugged then it started charging again. This happen several times and Ive seen this before on charging station where the connectivity goes in and out. I saw a pending charge on my bill for 30$ then it cleared a few days later. The pricing that is stated and still stated on the sema connection network is 0-4 hours 0$. **** hours 5$. The customer service was terrible and refused to give my money back. Said it was 5$ per hour after the first 4 which Ive used this connector for 3 months and never has it charged me more then 5$. I will never use this service again the agent was rude and defensive, had to ask for my information 3 times. This is very shady business practices and hope my 30$ you stole from me keeps you warm at night.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/19/2023

  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 staying one night in Seattle and the cheapest rental car that ***** had to offer me was a ***** model *. ***** has a policy that required cars to be returned with greater than 70% battery so when I reached my hotel in the evening, the ****** ****** inn in Seattle, I plugged it in overnight at the parking lot with Sema Connect. I was shocked in the morning when I took my car out to receive a charge for $62.50 for 21kwh of charge, which is 3000% greater than the average rate of $0.12/kWh in Seattle. On top of that, the hotel charged me $45 to park overnight in the garage, resulting in a total charge of $107.50 to park a car for 16 hours. There was no signage or information provided by sema saying that they would be double charging me for time spent to park in the lot, and I feel it is predatory to charge a customer twice for the same thing (parking). I’m happy to pay for the electricity used but they should not be allowed to charge for time spent if I have already paid for time spent with the hotel. Ar no point, including on the bill, was I informed of a time spent rate (e.g., $5/hour, etc.). Reading a few of the other complaints suggests I’m not the first person to identify the predatory practices of this company taking advantage of unknowing customers with predatory activity. Should be shut down.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/10/2023

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have reviewed Mr. Maimon’s complaint. 
  While SemaConnect builds and supplies the EV charging stations and associated  infrastructure, as well as facilitating payment, the stations themselves are owned by the host,  in this case International Parking Management, Inc. SemaConnect does not set pricing, nor do  we receive revenue (other than a very small administrative fee) from any charging session. 
  We reached out the International Parking Management for their input. This was their  response: 
  Thank you for the information regarding this customers concern. 
  We have confirmed that each charging station has clearly posted signage indicating rates  additionally these rates scroll on the LCD reader on each device. 
  0-3 Hrs. FREE 
  Each Add. Hour (beyond 3). $5.00 per hour. 
  The parking fee from the hotel is separate from any charging fees, so the customer might want  to contact the Hilton for a parking refund. 
  We will need to decline this request. 
  However, as a goodwill gesture SemaConnect has refunded *** ******’s credit card $62.50  which is the amount he was charged by ************* ******* **********. We are unable to  in any way do anything about the hotel fee. 
  We hope that *** ****** finds this a reasonable solution. 
  Thank you 
  Patricia R**** 
  Manager, Customer Support
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I maintain this business is being unethical by charging a customer twice for the same service. I am being charged $5/hour from SemaConnect and $45 for from ****** for the exact same service of parking in the parking lot.  It is unreasonable to expect a customer to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning to move their car when they have already paid for parking in the same lot with a different parking lot lessee. 

  
  

  I appreciate the refund, but I would like an acknowledgment from the business that they will try to work with the hotel to resolve the situation of double charging customers for the same service. The hotel needs to make clear that charges for parking in the electric charging spot is separate and not covered by the hotel parking fee, and that customers should expect to pay over $100 to park overnight in that spot regardless of electricity consumption. An acknowledgment by the vendor of their intent to resolve this situation with all parking lot lessees for future customers is requested.

  
  

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2022

  Type:Billing 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.

  I sometimes used the electric charger in my employer's parking garage, for free, for several years. They recently switched to the SemaConnect pay-to-use system. I already had an account with SemaConnect but avoided using them, as I've found their system unnecessarily convoluted with poor customer service. On July 25, 2022, however, I needed to charge, so I plugged in for 87 minutes, then moved my car to a stall on another level. My employer had sent out a company-wide email the week before which stated that the new charging rate would be $2.75/hour. Therefore, I expected my bill to be no more than $5.50. But when I checked my transaction summary on the SemaConnect app, it stated that I had been charged $26.61: $11 from the balance I had on my prepaid account and $15.61 charged to my credit card. When I requested clarification, SemaConnect informed me that they charge $2.75 per kilowatt. Since I had received 8.170 kW of power, I was charged $22.48. I also discovered that they charge their own parking fee of $2.75/hour, which came out to $4.13. This is in addition to the parking fee I already pay my employer. Nowhere - in my employer's email or on the walls of the parking garage near the chargers - were these rates clearly stated. At first I thought my employer was at fault and simply misunderstood SemaConnect's pricing but my employer's HR department informed me that SemaConnect was the one in error, and that they would be refunding customers who had been overcharged. I have not yet heard or received anything from SemaConnect regarding this matter. The typical rate at other pay-to-use chargers around town where I live is anywhere from $0.31 to $0.69 per kilowatt. I don't understand why SemaConnect's rate is so high. I also cannot comprehend why they are charging a separate parking fee to use their chargers. I hope someone will take a hard look at this company and their business practices, which strike me as terribly deceptive.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2022

  Type:Product 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 April 25th I went to DC to watch a ******** Hockey game. I parked in DC **** ****** which I paid $20 to park for about 5 hours (duration of game but a little extra). I decided to plug my (**** ****** Plug-in Hybrid into one of the 20 empty chargers in the charger. (Using the ********* App which for whatever reason didn't list a charging price, but I figured most normal chargers are .13 cents per kWh. Much to my surprise when I returned to my car at around 10:15 pm I was shocked when I saw I was charged $7.75 for a whopping 7.21 kWh. (4 hours and 36 minutes) First I emailed *********, but they told me to email SemaConnect. This was their response, "Please note that with duration-based fees the driver is responsible for monitoring the amount of time their vehicle is hooked up to the charger. Owners charge fees like this to motivate drivers to move out of the space and unplug once their batteries are full and typically will not offer courtesy refunds for overstaying. It is beneficial to monitor the normal amount of time it takes for your car to charge so you can return to your vehicle regardless of your notification status. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns." When I responded with "So I paid to park in a garage for 5 hours. It's sort of ridiculous to charge me by time to charge too. It's not like I'm leaving a sporting even to go randomly move my car. That is basically double dipping. There was 20 empty chargers and it was 5pm on a Sunday. nor did it state they charge by the hour anywhere" they didn't bother to respond. I almost wouldn't be as mad if I had a full electric car and at least got a decent amount of charge for my car, but for Plugin's my whole battery is literally only 18.1kWh I'm request a partial refund as I feel this charge was unacceptable and not clearly listed anywhere.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2022

  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: Pat R**** <**************@semaconnect.com>
  Date: Thu, Jun 23, 2022 at 12:49 PM
  Subject: Better Business Bureau Complaint ID ******** (********)
  To: ********@****.com <********@****.com>
  Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>, Andy C******* <*************@semaconnect.com>
  

  
  

  Good afternoon, *** ******,

   

  Thank you for reaching out about your experience while using the chargers at the DC **** ******. I apologize that you did not receive assistance from us in negotiating a refund on the fee you were charged.

   

  SemaConnect facilitates the collection of fees, but the pricing schedules are set by the properties who own the stations, and fees are at the sole discretion of the property owner.

   

  With that said, I’d be glad to investigate completely and negotiate a refund for you.

   

  I do need some information from you to make that happen. The date you cited in your complaint was not a night that the ******** played. Can you please confirm the date for me? Do you happen to have the ********** transaction ID, a copy of your ********** receipt, or the station serial number where you plugged in?

   

  I am looking forward to providing you with a resolution.

   

  Pat R**** | Manager, Customer Care [Americas] SemaConnect, Inc. P: (202) 985-0622 *********@semaconnect.com

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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, received refund.  
  

  Regards,
  
  ******