ComplaintsforAES Ohio

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 23, 2024 I called in and spoke with Felicia to have my account placed on budget billing and she said it would begin next billing cycle. It did not reflect budget billing in May 2024. On May 21, 29, 30, 31. I sent emails asking for the budget billing issue to be corrected. Everyone responded with a different reason why it couldn’t be handled via email and to call in for any further concerns. On May 28, 2024 I called in and spoke with Cassidy who was unable to handle the account issues so I asked for a supervisor. She said one was not available at that time and she would leave a note for me to receive a call back. I received a call back from the supervisor ***** on May 30, 2024. I was unavailable and she left a voicemail to call back in. May 31, 2024 I called in and spoke to “unknown” customer service rep. I asked this representative several times for a supervisor. She refused and gave me several reasons why I wasn’t being transferred to a supervisor. Eventually, I was transferred to a supervisor, *****. ***** assured me the account was on budget billing and apologized for her “new” employee’s conduct. June 27, 2024. My account is not reflecting budget billing amount I agreed to in May. June 26 & 27, 2024. I sent another email, the emailed responses from **** and *****, Customer Service Representative Customer Correspondence, have said I need to call in for security purposes. This is time consuming, frustrating, and unacceptable from a company I have no choice in dealing with and receiving my electric energy from. I have no choice. AES Ohio is the only company in my area to offer customer service and electricity lines, etc. My account is paid in full and I have no outstanding money due.

  

  Business response

  06/28/2024

  We’re very sorry to hear that our customer feel like you're having a bad experience with AES Ohio's Customer Solutions Center. It’s our goal to deliver the highest quality of service to all of our customers. 
   
  It is correct that AES Ohio Customer Service is only willing to provide agent assistance over the phone for our customers with this extra security passcode feature.  This is simply apart of the additional security process.  We understand that this may not be the most convenient for all customers which is why passcodes are added only at the request of the individual customer.  Please understand, AES Ohio takes security and the safety of our customer’s information very seriously.  If this is a feature our customer no longer wishes to have & they'd like to disable the passcode on their account, they may do so through Customer Service at ************** or ************, Monday through Friday, 8AM until 5PM.
   
  Their passcode will still be needed before AES Ohio Customer Service Representatives are able to release, verify, or make changes to any of their account information.  Please note:  If our customer cannot recall their passcode, they will be required to supply a notarized copy of their state identification & social security card with a written request to remove/update the passcode (if applicable, email: [email protected] or fax # *************.  

  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

  The passcode was meant to replace the unsafe practice of giving my social security number to Customer Service Reps. It was never disclosed to me that it was an extra layer of security. It is my right to not use my social security number. People have their identities stolen because of this overuse of social security numbers and companies not doing the due diligence in protecting their customers personal idenitity. I have not asked for anyone to do anything I haven’t called in and asked for with my passcode. The issue can be fixed easily by a supervisor who reads my account notes, fixes the budget billing, and then responds to my email with “We have corrected the issue and you may login to your account to see the changes.” It’s like I’m dealing with robots who only know how to do what the written code tells them to do. I’d like to deal with someone who is a Homo sapien and can think logically to fix the issues! I can deal with my doctor without my social security number! This is ridiculous. 

  

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Thank you for the follow-up inquiry regarding our customer’s passcode concerns.  We understand & acknowledge that our customer is frustrated with AES Ohio’s online & email agents providing consistent information about her passcode, but that is because there’s standard business practice as we take the security and the safety of our customer’s information very seriously.  This has not been a complaint voiced by any other customers with the passcode feature.  Apologies for any confusion the passcode may have caused our customer, but they are now aware of the online restrictions a passcode does entail.  Again, we understand that this may not be the most convenient for all customers which is why passcodes are added only at the request of the individual customer.   It is up to our customer on whether they’d like to continue to have a passcode or not on their account.  If this is a feature our customer no longer wishes to have & they'd like to disable the passcode on their account, they may do so through Customer Service at ************** or ************, Monday through Friday, 8AM until 5PM. Their passcode will still be needed before AES Ohio Customer Service Representatives are able to release, verify, or make changes to any of their account information.
  
  **Please note, AES Ohio already has our customer’s social security # on file from when they previously applied for service.  The passcode may be asked for by the phone agents in lieu of the last 4 of a social security number (which is the norm for most customers), but AES Ohio may request for a customer to verify any &/or all customer application information at any time for identification / verification reasons.  
  
  Our customer's complaint has been investigated, answered in full, & they’ve been provided with their options regarding this concern. AES Ohio considers this case to be closed. Thank you.
  
  

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

  My issues have not been validated or fixed. Why can’t a supervisor call me? Why can’t you send me message via the online account? Why can’t you do what I called in about a month ago and a supervisor assured me was done?
  

  The first issue has not been addressed. Fix the budget billing on my account. 
  The second issue of this passcode, I don’t want AES Ohio using my social security number when I call in nor do I want it displayed to reps within the call center. So, what is the alternative to not give my social security number when calling about my account and also not having this extra layer security passcode?  Why is AES Ohio taking this to a complicated level that is not secure but frustrating and an excuse to not do your job!

  

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Please note, BBB Case Complaints are responded to by AES Ohio's Executive Offices who handle escalation beyond the Customer Service Supervisors.
  

  Although we appreciate our customer's recommendations on how we can better serve them, AES Ohio Customer Service Center's safety & security practices / procedures will not be changing regarding passcodes. 

  If this is a feature our customer no longer wishes to have & they'd like to disable the passcode on their account, they may do so through Customer Service at ************** or ************, Monday through Friday, 8AM until 5PM. 

  Our customer's complaint has been investigated, answered in full, & they’ve been advised of their options. This case is now closed. Thank you.

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I was advised by your rep that I may use the passcode in place of my ss number via email, chat, or phone per your policy. I do not have to give anyone my ss number, it is my right by law. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  06/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES put a $196 dollar charge on my current bill at *** ******* **** *********** **** from a property I owned and was forclosed on in 2010. The $196 is for charges incurred at the property of *** *** ******** *** ****** **** from Jan 2023 to Mar 2023. I clearly was not the owner and they continue to harass me over this charge and apply late fees when I do not pay it. If this isn't resolved by July I am filing in court for harrassment.

  

  Business response

  06/26/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding their Automatic Transfer Agreement.  Because of an Automatic Transfer Agreement our customer placed on their rental property on 11/26/07, service automatically revered to their name on 01/13/23 to avoid an account closed service disconnection when the previous party closed their account & there was no new person to take over.
  
  A Landlord Agreement Letter mailed to the mailing address provided for the agreement next business day (11/27/07) from the effective date (11/26/07).   
  
  AES Ohio has found no evidence showing where our contacted DP&L/AES Ohio to request their Agreement be removed. Our customer has not supplied any evidence of making this request either. Since the Agreement wasn’t removed, the service automatically transferred back into his name on 01/13/23 (until 04/18/23) just like they'd requested to happen in 2007. AES Ohio understands that our customer sold the property & may even have proof of sale, but unless they have proof of the request to end their Landlord Agreement, AES Ohio is not in favor of removing the $196.95 billed to under the Automatic Transfer Agreement.  Please understand, the automatic transfer agreement was doing exactly what was agreed upon. AES Ohio is not responsible for & is not expected to track property sales and made additional inquires to landlords. 
              This past due final account balance transferred to his active account on 07/10/23.

  Please note, AES Ohio is not disputing whether *** ***** owned the property at the time of the billing.  Proof of ownership is public record through the county auditor.  What is in dispute is whether our customer was billed for service in accordance with their Automatic Transfer Agreement.  Which they were since AES Ohio was not & is not responsible for monitoring the sale of properties for any customer.  The customer with the Agreement is the only one responsible for requesting the removal of their Automatic Transfer Agreement to prevent farther transfers into their name.  If they were unable to manage their own properties & agreements, it is solely up to them to organize a third-party property manager to do so as this has never been a feature of AES Ohio’s Automatic Transfer Agreement.  
  
  AES Ohio strives to provide all of our customers with equal opportunities & providing proof of ownership in these circumstances is not something AES Ohio offers to dispute an Automatic Transfer Agreement.  Thus far there has been no evidence found of any AES Ohio error nor has our customer supplied any supporting evidence of making the request to remove the Automatic Transfer Agreement therefore AES Ohio is not in favor of removing the balance from our customer's name.  Again, please understand that the Automatic Transfer Agreement did exactly what it was supposed to do & exactly what our customer had requested/agreed to happen.  

  If our customer would like to be reimbursed for the usage/billing from 01/13/23 – 04/18/23, he should pursue that civilly with the property owners during that time. 

  All bill statements for the rental property are attached.

  Please note, our customer filed a PUCO case complaint, & this same thing was advised to our customer through that channel as well. Thank you. 

  Customer response

  07/02/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because at the end of the day it is very clear it is NOT my bill.  Someone else incurred those costs and they need to pursue them for payment.  Their corporate contract can not supersede state and federal laws.  The home was not mine which is not disputed, so how can they dispute the charges that were incurred during a time period I was not the owner?  I am an escape goat to them as these were NOT my charges and they have admitted that in writing.  Any further emails, bills, etc from this date forward, I will seek my own legal council for harassment.  It is the principal, a large business is going after a small homeowner, threatening to turn off power if I don't pay on a bill that was not incurred by me.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Issue with changing KWH old meter to KWH new digital meter. My AES electric bill for April 2024 showed a daily average KWH usage of 90.3 KWH. Previous year the daily average was 21.2 KWH. I have a dispute with the meter reading taken on March 26 when the old meter was swapped out for the new digital meter. I believe the meter reading was misread when removed. There was no one in the residence from March 18 to April 4. Only two major electrical appliances remained in use, refrigerator and a small freezer. AES Customer Service Representation on May 21, 2024, claimed the high usage was because of the estimated KWH usage for MAR may have been low and the electric meter replaced had been in service since 1981, claiming it may have been slow. My complaint remains as both JAN and FEB KWH usages were not estimates. Looking at the 12-month averages of KWHs used at no time did I have a 90 KWH daily usage. The most recent month bill May 2024 has a 25.4 KWH average daily usage and the total KWH used as 812 KHW; my spouse and I being home the entire billing period with some AC usage. Even if MAR estimate of 221 KWH was low, how can I possibly be showing 2,799 KWH usage from March 18 to April 18. with 17 days having no one present in the residence, over half of the April billing cycle. My March electric bill was $285.94, and my April electric bill is $93.77. Clearly, I should be given credit for being over charged for April 2024. Reviewing historically the 12 months recorded KWH usage shows April 2024 well above the average KWH used. Attached are two bills for April and May 2024. May 21, 2024, follow up with AES Customer Support, I was recommended I file a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission. I'm hoping filing a complaint the BBB will result in a partial refund or credit for overpaying in April 2024.

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  Request correction in following statement from original statement:

  "My March electric bill was $285.94, and my April electric bill is $93.77. Clearly, I should be given credit for being over charged for April 2024."

  Please correct the statement above to read:

  My April electric bill was $285.94, and my most recent May electric bill is $93.77.  Clearly, I should be given credit for being over charges for April 2024. 

  Also attached is the correct May bill PDF that was mistakenly not posted correctly in my original file.  Clearly shows less KWH usage in following billing cycle with the new digital KWH meter. 

  Respectfully,

  William Stratton

  1505 Westwood Drive

  Sidney, Ohio 45365

   

   

   

   

  

  Business response

  05/30/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's billing concerns.  Our customer's bill due 4/10/2024 was an estimated bill for the 02/14/24 - 03/18/24 (33 days) service period, and the estimated reading index was 57275. The usage of 221 kWh was most likely underestimated because the actual reading index on 03/26/24 was 59466.  Our customer was billed for the difference of 2191 kWh from the date of the previous estimated reading on 03/18/2024 to the actual reading on 03/26/24. The total number of kWh from 02/14/24 - 03/26/24 (41 days)  was 2,412 (221 + 2191) = 59 kWh/day. Our customer's actual use for the old meter was determined at the time of your meter exchange on 03/26/24 and it was 2191 kWh for the 03/18/24 - 03/26/24 billing period .  The usage on the new meter from 3/26/24 - 04/18/24 was 608 kWh.  The total use on the bill due 05/13/24 was 2,799 kWh (2191 + 608 = 2799).

  Please also note, our customer's previous meter was set in 1981, so it may have been running slow in later years.  Thier new meter is an AMI “Smart” meter, which is read remotely and is generally very accurate.
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am building a house and my initial interaction with an AES engineer began in early February. ***** (who no longer works for AES apparently) came out to do a site survey. I was told I would have the plans and an invoice in about a week. Currently it is May 6th and I still haven’t actually received an invoice. I’ve been calling AES at least once every 2 weeks for the last 2 months and I receive a different answer every time. That is when I get an answer. Most of the time they don’t return emails and don’t answer calls. Then finally I get in the phone and they tell me they sent an invoice. I never got it. I call back a week later because I still don’t have it and they say “it was never sent.” Then I ask if they can at least tell me the amount. The total amount is 12,000 dollars. So I asked if they could tell me exactly what work is being done that adds up to that much and they can’t tell me. The invoice “doesn’t break it down” is what I was told. I still don’t have an answer for what the line by line breakdown is. I still haven’t received an official invoice. And I have no other option of any other company to use because they have a regional monopoly. I know someone else who built a house and had to pay over 20,000 dollars. And no one can explain why it’s so much. I’m an electrician and I know what work is involved to complete this job. And there’s no scenario where I can justify that kind of price for the very minimal amount of work being done.

  

  Business response

  05/21/2024

  **Please note, the following information is for *** **** **., construction project #*****.

   

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customers Construction & Engineering Pricing concerns.  Invoicing on Construction consists of several internal approvals needed before the project can be invoice and that usually take *at least* a week.  This does not guarantee within a week, exactly a week, or any specific date as the approval process varies depending on the work being done.  Our customer's project was priced on 04/30/24, invoiced on 05/06/24, & sent farther cost breakdown upon request on 05/10/24.  Invoice & cost breakdown attached.  No AES Ohio error has been found.  Thank you. 

  Customer response

  05/23/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Firstly, that’s just a lie. I had numerous phone calls that I’m assuming were recorded were I was told it’ll be done “by the end of the week” during the phone call. (This occurred in February.) It took me 6 calls to get the itemized invoice which is a sad itemization with a 10,000 charge for basically “misc.”

  second, I could be wrong but “*at least a week” seems like a very poor choice of words if it’s going to take over 5 months. And as seen in the attached emails, initial contact was made in January and everything was done on my end at that point. 
  

  Third, they chose to just not address the fact that they’re more than triple the national average for price which is very surprising considering I live in an area that is well below the national average for cost of living and materials.

  I have attached screenshots showing average prices regionally. I can’t add the 6th showing the national average. My run is 175 feet and they aren’t even doing the run. My home builder is. I understand I can’t do anything about the cost but I would really like to highlight that AES Ohio is being unethical and greedy in providing a service that is a legitimate necessity and you have no choice but to deal with it.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *********

  

  Business response

  05/29/2024

  Thank you for the follow-up inquiry regarding our customer's construction project.  Attached again is the cost summary breakdown with the itemized detail.  At the bottom of the invoice is the direct contact information for their construction invoicing & pricing questions.  No AES Ohio error has been found.  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  on April 17, my electricity was turned off by AES because they for some reason instead of putting the account into my name when called to put the account in my name. They put the account and somebody else's name, a past tenants name. I've sent an affidavit that wasn't good enough so we had to send landlord statement, all of these dates on them dated February because that's when we moved in. They shut our power off. My power has been off for about a month now and they just keep requesting more stuff we sent and everything that they want us to send in because they want the money for the past tenants balance we can't have Electric turn back on because of the past tenants balance and I feel as though it's not my responsibility to pay somebody else's $946 electric bill to get my electric turned on. The REFUSE to turn power on until i pay this past tenants balance . they asked my landlord for statements and proof and he sent proof in that none of this was us , and they STILL won't do their jobs correctly. i have been fighting with AES for almost a month now . i have 3 children, and i've had to couch surf and stay in hotels because of what AES is doing . it is not my responsibility to pay a past tenants balance when it shouldn't have been put into the past tenants name anyways seeing as we paid 185$ to have electric turned on in my name but they some how got the wires crossed or just didn't feel like doing their jobs and that's how we got to this point . they took my 185$ deposit and didn't even put electric into my name .

  

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's requirements to start service.  Our customer is being held for the past due usage / billing they've accumulated since moving into the property.  AES Ohio received a copy of their lease & additional confirmation from their landlord verifying that they've been at this property since 02/02/24.  The billing they were being held for was only the amount accumulated since 02/02/24 under another party's name, & please note, there was no change in household. The past due balance has now been sufficed & services released. Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I recently moved and set up service at my new address. I had just received my first bill and it was over $500 which included a miscellaneous charge of $317. I called AES customer service and they had informed me that the miscellaneous charge was for a deposit. They are charging deposits for utility services which has us paying for utility service before we actually utilize the service. The fact that it’s classified as a miscellaneous charge instead of being classified as a deposit is a major red flag. I was told that I have to pay the deposit and that it’s refundable after 12 months, but if I’m late at any point within that cycle I forfeit my deposit. I reach out to PUCO and they’re definitely advocating for the utility company. They even gave me a an number for escalations that doesn’t have operators available to answer the calls. I left two messages and I’ve yet to hear back from anyone. This is predatory. There’s no need for a deposit to ensure that you pay because they will cut off your power if you don’t pay them. This policy definitely needs to be addressed. We as consumers can barely keep up with the outrageous price hikes these companies charge. To all whom can make this decision I am requesting the deposit to be waived.

  

  Business response

  05/16/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer’s deposit concerns.On 03/01/24, our customer called and spoke with a customer service representative requesting to start utility services. Our customer was not advised that a deposit would be required. Our customer received their first month’s bill in the mail on 04/03/24, showing a total account balance of $613.67= $317.00 for the miscellaneous charge (Deposit Amount) + $70.12 for the delivery charge, + $126.55 for supplier charge. On 04/13/24, our company received an email from the customer regarding a miscellaneous charge that was shown on our customer’s bill statement for $317.00. Our customer was informed by the chat department that the miscellaneous charge is a deposit that the customer was required for when services for utilities were requested on 03/01/24 and our customer would be billed the deposit along with the first month’s bill that will be due on 05/01/24. If our customer makes their payment on time and in full for 12 months, the deposit will be creditedto the customer’s account. Our customer was informed by the customer service representative that if assistance was needed with the deposit, our customer would need to call AES Ohio, and someone will assist them. On 05/01/24, our customer called and requested for the deposit of $317.00 to be waived. Thecustomer service representative informed our customer on how to get the deposit waived by having a guarantor on the account, a guarantor as is service being secured by a customer with 12 months of good pay history and owns their own home, or our customer would have to have a PIPP account set up through community action for the deposit to be waived. On 05/01/24, an email with the request to set up an itemize pay agreement for the deposit of $317.00 was sent over by an AES Ohio customer service representative to be submitted to AES Ohio Admin Department, but for our customer to be approved for the itemized pay agreement, our customer’s total balance of the first month’s bill of $196.67 needed to have been satisfied before the due date of 05/01/24 to be able to set up the deposit amount of $317.00 on an itemized pay agreement. Our customer made a payment of $196.67 on 05/01/24, the same day the request was made to set up the itemized pay agreement forthe deposit charge of $317.00, but because our customer did not make the payment of $196.67 of the first month’s bill before it was due, the itemized pay agreement did not take place and the customer was charged the deposit of $317.00.

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was told by the customer service representative to pay by the due date and to call in and report the payment the customer service representative told me that I was approved and that the payment will be broken down in 1/3 increments. I did this process over the phone so them saying I failed to do anything is ridiculous. I feel that they did this to in retaliation for my complaint. This process is predatory. Taking advantage of customers. AES will cut your power of for being a dollar short so making a deposit is redundant. It’s a money grab because anything can happen where you might be late on a bill. We should not be required to let them hold money with the expectation of not reimbursing the customer. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  04/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They keep charging deposit fees on the bills but when we call and ask why they can’t give us an answer other than it’s a deposit. We have paid a deposit for the last two months and it’s getting ridiculous!

  

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  Thank you for inquiring about our customer’s deposit concerns. AES Ohio records show our customer was incorrectly charged the deposit of $95.00 on 12/28/23. The payment of $150.00 credited to our customer’s account on 01/30/24 satisfied the $95.00 deposit, the $95.00 deposit was fully credited to customer’s account on 03/19/24 due to the previous supplier, Just Energy, dropping our customer as of 02/14/24. On 03/19/24 the correct deposit amount of $289.00 was charged as AES Ohio became our customer’s supplier effective as of 02/14/24. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES was in our neighborhood on 18 - 19 April, installing some electrical equipment outside. The crew damaged our yard with heavy equipment and they dug a hole in our front yard. To date, the damage has not been repaired.

  

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding regarding our customer's yard restoration.  AES Ohio Maintenance has confirmed that work at this location is still in progress.  Yard restoration will not be arranged until after all work is completed & does not always happen the same day as completion. We appreciate our customer's understanding in this matter & can assure them that they have not been forgotten about. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My electricity bill AES went from $80 a month to $230-$300. I live in a one bedroom apartment. This is outrageous. I'll aes and was given no explanation other than its based on usage. I requested them to come inspect my meter, then asked to speak to a supervisor. I was told I would be called back by a supervisor within 3 days. It's been two weeks and I have not received any contact other than another bill with $89 delivery fee and $115 miscellaneous fee?

  

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry about our customer’s billing concerns. AES Ohio records show a supervisor contacted our customer on 04/18/24 by request but she did not answer. Please note that our customer’s account for the service address has been open since 05/24/16 and historically the usage is in line. The AMI meter located at the service address was installed on 12/14/23 and all AMI meters are tested by the manufacturer prior to being distributed to AES Ohio. Delivery is charged every month to send electricity to our customer’s home through the wires, transformers, substations, etc. and supply is charged monthly for the generation of electricity. Please also consider the previous supplier Energy Harbor who AES Ohio received an enrollment request by governmental aggregation had a supplier rate of 6.57 kWh and AES Ohio (current supplier) has a rate of 9.2 kWh. The $15.00 miscellaneous fee was charged on 03/22/24 due to the $100.00 payment submitted on 03/15/24 being returned to our customer’s account on 03/22/24 because the checking account number was entered incorrectly by our customer online. AES Ohio is not in favor of refunding the $15.00 return payment fee, as AES Ohio incurs our own fees anytime a payment is returned and that is what the $15.00 returned payment fee covers. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES wrongfully overcharged 2 months worth of utility services, charging 3-4 times usage for 2 consecutive months and is failing to correct. Threatening to turn off service??Early January, AES came to our door & said there was an issue with our electric meter. 30-40 minutes later told us that there was in fact something wrong with the meter & didn’t have the right tools to fix it. Stated they would come back. About 2 weeks later, we got a $980+ bill for electric usage. This was auto-drafted from our account. We called AES and they sent a technician out who said “The meter is within 1% normal range of error” but wouldn’t give us any additional information. So we had an electrician come out and inspect. He said that there was not voltage leaving the breaker, but the meter was running, exceeding the outflow amps being consumed. We had him install an Emporia Energy meter on the breaker so that we could track & compare the usage AFTER the meter, comparing it to the usage AES reported. Next bill comes out, another $980+ in usage by AES. We call them and they stated they couldn’t help us and that the bill will need to be paid. We asked to talk with a supervisor. Never got a call. We tried this process 1-2 times a week for the next month, finally got a supervisor who said that there was nothing AES could do except replace the meter (which they did a week ago) and we would be responsible for the past balance in full. They also recommended we change suppliers, which we did starting in April, & AES changed it back w/o our permission. After the Emporia system was installed & the meter was replaced, miraculously our bill normalized. AES is still saying that there wasn’t an issue with the meter & are threatening to disconnect services. Which is not reasonable given the situation. I haven’t reached out to an attorney yet, I would rather have the bill adjusted the $1300 for the overcharge due to faulty equipment that they are refusing to acknowledge.

  

  Business response

  05/03/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry about our customer’s billing concerns. The meter was exchanged to an AMI meter on 04/05/24 as part of AES Ohio’s mass meter exchange project for all our customers and not exchanged because the previous meter had issues. Prior to the meter exchange that occurred in April, AES Ohio records shows a meter calibration tested was conducted on 02/26/24 at approximately 2:05pm and the meter tested well within limits. Although our customer received higher bills during the colder season, please consider that the account opened on 05/08/23 and this was their first winter at the service address. AES Ohio records show the customer’s usage has decreased but the home does not heat with electricity and if any space heaters were used during the winter that can significantly increase the usage. Thank you.

*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. ↩