ComplaintsforAES Ohio

• Initial Complaint

  10/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am a general contractor building two multifamily homes in Wilmington, OH and I haven't been able to successfully meet anyone at the job site or communicate with the assigned design engineer or a supervisor. After several failed attempts emailing applications, my first set of applications was not accepted because included the duplex apt. A and apt. B on the same application which is what I was told to do by the construction department I was on the phone with as I was completing the application to make sure it was done correctly so I did not waste any time. We are on a strict schedule and a whole team of subcontractors are waiting on an AES engineer to simply tell us where to run our underground line to (we assume it will be to a pole already at the site but we need confirmation. The first applications to be accepted was for 403 Apt. A and B on October 5th and I received an email from them on the 6th saying we would hear from someone within 10 business days and a note saying it could be up to 15 business days (see uploaded document). It is now October 30th and I have not heard from anyone yet. I have called 6 times over the last couple of weeks and spent hours on hold trying to speaking with someone who could help me, but no one was able to. Every aspect of AES Ohio's customer service has been lacking. I have this issue every time I am forced to have to work with AES Ohio and there is no other electric service provider available so everyone is forced to accept whatever terms they provide. This kind of monopoly on an essential utility service should not be allowed to conduct business this way without worry of losing customers due to bad business practices. They have already cashed my $750 of security deposits that they said they required of me. I just need an engineer or someone with authority to meet with me so we can move forward. These delays are costing me a lot of money.

  

  Business response

  10/31/2023

  We’re very sorry to hear that our customer had a bad experience with AES Ohio's Construction Control Center. It’s our goal to deliver the highest quality of service to all of our customers. This concern was forwarded to our customer's Design Technician upon receipt.  The Design Technician has confirmed that contact with our customer has since been successful.  AES Ohio is experiencing a large volume of engineering requests at this time, and we  apologize for delay.  Our Construction & Engineering Depts. are working as quickly and efficiently as safety & accuracy will allow at this time.  We appreciate our customers' patience as we do our best to work through the backlog.  Our customer's other concerns about misinformation have been forwarded to the Construction Dept. Supervisor for farther review & coaching opportunities if / as needed.  Thank you for your time & bringing this to our attention.  

• Initial Complaint

  10/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid AES ohio $173.13 with a check in the mail. Get a letter saying I'm going to be disconnected. Call them they want money now. So I explain I will have to stop the check if you need payment now. So I stopped the check and called and made a payment over the phone for $173.13 to keep my electric on. Get a bill the following month for $233.38 pay that bill now this month I get a bill for $480.03 saying I never paid the last month of $233.38 which I have proof I did bc the check cleared thru my bank. I call AES about this outrageous bill they finally tell me that my past bill was paid after a long conversation back and forth over the phone. Then I ask what my current bill is I'm told $256.65 which I know is wrong plus my bill shows a miscellaneous amount of $183.31 I ask what is the charge you have on my bill for $183.31 now I'm told that charge is from my stopping my check back in Aug so I could pay them over the phone bc they said they needed payment now or would disconnect me. So you're charging me an extra $183.31 for a payment I made to you in the amount of $173.13 back in Aug. AES Ohio has been nothing but lying charges on my bill since Aug of '22 when they sent me a bill for over 1000.00 for 1 month for a apartment. Even if there was a charge for the returned check since you needed the payment ASAP no returned check fee is $183.31. I want others to be aware of this company and how they treat customers.

  

  Business response

  10/27/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry for our customer about billing and payments. AES Ohio’s records show two payments of $168.31 were applied on 09/08/23, paid via payment system ***** on 09/07/23 and applied on 09/11/23. Prior to the payments made in September, the last payment posted on 06/13/23 and payments are applied to the oldest debt owed. One payment of $168.31 returned on 09/18/23 plus a return fee of $15.00 totaling to $183.31. A payment of $223.38 was applied on 10/17/23 which has satisfied the returned payment, our customer service is no longer in threat of disconnection and the account is current.

  Customer response

  11/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The payment was made in full of the $168.31 by phone by check bc you stated you couldn't wait for the payment through the mail. So I shouldn't be charged twice for a payment I made. I have the check number and the check receipt from my bank. If you charge me the $15 for the returned check that's one thing. But saying I owe you a extra $168.31 when I paid my bill in full over the phone by check on Sept.8th. I sent the bill out on Friday Sept 1st but you don't try to cash it til Sept 18th. When you stated my electric would be shut off on Sept. 8th if not paid. That's why I paid over the phone and had that check stopped. The returned payment was not a nonpayment nor a late payment. This is not settled I will be calling the Ohio Attorney Generals office on this if it's not resolved and off my bill. 
  Sincerely 
  
  ****** **********

  

  Business response

  11/10/2023

  Thank you for following up with our customer’s payment and billing concerns. Our customer submitted two payments of $168.31 and both payments were applied to the account and deducted from the balance on 09/08/23 and 09/11/23. Although the payment of $223.38 was applied to account balance as well and prevented the service from being disconnected because the payment returned, one payment of $168.31 was still left unsatisfied. Please understand that two payments were submitted and applied but only one payment went through. 

  Customer response

  11/23/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The payment for $163.31 was paid on 9/6/23 in full over the phone with a balance of zero remaining. So the 2nd payment for $163.31 was not still owed bc I had cancelled that payment bc you said you couldn't wait for my payment in the mail so I stopped that payment and paid over the phone to avoid my service being disconnected. Stating the first payment was applied on 9/8/23 when I paid over the phone on 9/6/23. I only owed 1 payment of $163.31 not two payments for the exact amount so stop trying to charge me twice on a payment I already made and paid. I need a full audit of my bills and payments. Bc as of right now I sent you a check on 11/5/23 and it's 11/23/23 and you still have not added that payment to my account. This company is about to scam people and hold on to payments and say they are late and unpaid. I bet if I cancel the check I send on 11/5/23 since it hasn't been cashed you will sit and say that the return payment on that check was 200.00. AES I need a full audit because you are a dishonest company out to steal from your customers and because you control most the electric you think it's ok. Well I will be the one to make sure you won't be scamming me anymore. I have all my documents and what I have and you are stating isn't the same. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** **********

  

  Business response

  12/06/2023

  Thank you for following up with our customer’s payment and billing concerns. AES Ohio records show that after the first payment of $168.31 was credited to our customer’s account the remaining balance was $290.42. After the second payment of $168.31 was applied on 09/11/23 the remaining balance was $122.11. Although the second payment may not have been needed to avoid disconnection the both payments were still applied to our customer’s AES Ohio account until the payment later returned due to being stopped by customer request. AES Ohio mailed out a disconnection notice on 08/21/23 requesting the minimum payment of $168.31 to be paid on 09/05/23 by 5:00pm. Our customer failed to make the payment of $168.31 on 09/05/23 by 5:00pm and submitted the payment on 09/07/23 at approximately 10:44 am instead. We advise all our AES Ohio customers to allow 7 to 10 days to mail a payment in and to be applied. AES Ohio has does not have the ability to track any mailed in payments and cannot verify that a mailed payment has been made. Therefore, when the technician arrived on 09/06/23 to disconnect service our customer’s payment of $168.31 still had not been received or seen as submitted in our ***** pay agency system. AES Ohio records show the last payment of $223.38 was applied on 10/17/23 and no other payments have been received. Please visit our website to view all the payments options available to our customers:  **************************************** . 

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Electric got shut off due to nonpayment. Paid the amount owed and reconnection fee at 9:06 AM EST 9/29/23. Made sure to call before 3:00 PM EST same day to ensure same day service which I was told by phone when I called at 9:07 AM EST 9/29/23. The lady over the phone put the order in for same day and I don’t have any hindrance from getting to the meter. Was told until 10:00 PM EST is when they work until on same day. Did not show up. I have three children and am pregnant, waited the following day because I was told they come Saturday’s as well. No one showed….. two days without service and I have small children and did what was required prior to 12:00 PM EST! No emergency number to contact and it’s the weekend. And the business is closed Sunday for both parties. This has inflicted unnecessary stress since I did what I was supposed to do. I’d definitely like for the job to be fixed asap and to be compensated some form because it was no hesitation to come out and cut it off and now taking all day to re establish service. I definitely expect the reconnection fee reimbursed as well.

  Customer response

  10/03/2023

  Consumer’s Duplicate Complaint:
  On September 29, 2023, I promptly submitted a payment of $357.95 to AES Ohio to have my electricity service restored, following a disconnection due to nonpayment. Per AES Ohio's instructions, I contacted their customer service department at 9:57 AM EST, well within the specified timeframe of before 3:00 PM EST for same-day service restoration. The representative assured me that a work order had been submitted and that service would be restored by no later than 10:00 PM EST on the same day. I concurred with this arrangement. 10:30 PM EST came and went without any AES Ohio personnel arriving to restore my electricity. I remained without service, compounded by the fact that a red tag indicating disconnection was still affixed to my premises. This lack of service was particularly distressing given that I have children in my household, and I am currently pregnant. The absence of electricity over the weekend, from Friday to Sunday, placed immense stress on my family, especially considering the unseasonable heat we experienced. First thing Monday morning, I contacted AES Ohio to apprise them of the situation and to inquire about the status of the service restoration. The representative I spoke with not only failed to mention the necessity of switching off breakers on my part but also asserted that AES Ohio had attempted a service visit on Friday, which I can confirm did not transpire, as no notice or communication was received. Subsequently, I took time off work to check the status of my electricity on October 2, 2023, only to discover a note stating that the breakers were not turned off. I called AES Ohio to reschedule the service visit. To my dismay, I was informed that the call would be reviewed to ascertain whether I was indeed informed about the need to switch off the breakers—a process that I found to be both incongruous and disheartening. Once again, I was assured that a technician would be dispatched on the same day, contingent upon my cooperation in turning off the breakers. Regrettably, despite these reassurances, no AES Ohio personnel arrived to restore my electricity. Consequently, I have endured a disconnection of power from Friday through Monday, and it is clear that the responsibility for this prolonged inconvenience falls squarely upon AES Ohio's lapses in communication and service provision. I believe it is only reasonable to request the following remedial actions: A full refund of the reconnection fee . Appropriate compensation for the cost of food that perished during the outage. A credit applied to my account to account for the undue hardship and distress caused by AES Ohio's failure to fulfill its commitments. I sincerely hope that this formal complaint will prompt a thorough review of the situation and result in a resolution that is both just and satisfactory.

  Consumer’s Desired Resolution:
  Finish the job; Billing adjustment; Refund

  

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer disconnection and billing concerns. AES Ohio records show prior to the payment of $356.00 received on 10/02/23 the last payment received was $90.00 on 06/15/23. Our customer service was disconnected on 09/28/23 at approximately 10:27am due to non-payment. A payment of $355.10 was required for reconnection and a payment of $356.00 was submitted on 09/29/23 at approximately 9:06am. The first reconnection attempt scheduled on 09/29/23 was unsuccessful at approximately 2:50pm. Our customer was not advised that AES Ohio technicians reconnect service on Saturdays as that is not valid per the recorded call that was reviewed. A second attempt was scheduled on 10/02/23 and the reconnection was not successful due to all breakers not being off. Due to our customer not being advised of all the breakers needing to be off for the second attempt a third attempt was scheduled and the $22.00 same-day reconnection fee was waived however, AES Ohio is not in favor of the original $25.00 being waived to our customer due to our customer being notified via disconnection notice by mail and the automated call attempt on 09/25/23 to the phone number listed on the account, to help our customer prevent disconnection but a message could not be left due to the mailbox being full. Our customer service was successfully reconnected on 10/03/32 at approximately 3:17pm. 

  Customer response

  10/12/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: in the call I was told that Saturday they come in and perform work orders. That was from the call made that Friday to report the payment. That’s fine to not get the reconnection fee. However IF dispatch came that Friday I did not receive a door hanger of them coming nor indication the breakers weren’t off. I had to call Monday and say something again and they did not come out Monday at all. I turned the breakers back on thinking they came back and didn’t. Then Tuesday had to call again and the associate didn’t say to have breakers off like they “normally” do allegedly. So they came and they weren’t off and a door hanger was left so I called again to schedule same day and they were on.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

  

  Business response

  10/18/2023

  Thank you for following up with our customer’s service concerns. As stated in our previous response, the call received on 09/29/23 from our customer to report her payment and request to schedule a reconnection she was advised of the full day appointment time and told that AES Ohio technicians reconnect service as late as 10:00 pm and again not advised that service could be restored on Saturday. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES will not allow me to be on autopay. Last year I was the victim of elder abuse to amount of well over $100,000. This caused issues with my bank, which caused debits to be retuned unpaid. These issues have now been resolved, but AES refuses to reenroll me in their auto pay service. I’m trying to make this easier for the company and myself, but they refuse to listen to me and reenroll me in auto pay. Please help me. I am a senior citizen. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding the ACH block on our customer's account.  ACH blocks are added to accounts for the 12 bill cycles following a returned payment.  The last returned payment on this account was on 12/12/22 for a payment made on 12/08/23, so the 1st bill statement that could be signed up for automatic ACH payments would be in January 2024.  With consideration for our customer's otherwise good payment history, AES Ohio has submitted a request to our payment vendor Kubra to lift the ACH block early.  Please allow 1-3 business days for the ACH block to clear.  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  September 26 cut off power to house without any warning and no attempt to let me know that it was going to happen. only owed $130 which I paid no problem. called them to let him know I paid and they said they couldn't come out until the next day. The next day they didn't come out but then said that they did and they couldn't turn the power on because the breakers were on even though they were off. I scheduled another day for them to come. at this point all the food in my fridge have been wasted and all my freezers and frozen goods have melted into puddles of water. The next day they still did not come out. when I spoke to the customer service they said that they had until 10:00 p.m. to come and " if I can't afford new food then I should go on food stamps". at this point due to unexpected longer power outage than I planned because I assumed they would be right out to turn my power on and not take days on end. all my fish died of lack of oxygen aerating, & temperature control. the aquatic plants died from no UV light. literally around $1300 in unnecessary death and damages. because they said that my breakers were off. I ended up calling off of work which I own my own business meaning I had to pay someone $70 an hour to replace me while I waited for them in the dark to not show up, not turn my power back on. I spoke to two different agents that day Asia and Ed, both could care less if I needed help or wanted to help me, they both just wanted me off the phone no matter what it took. I'm going on day four of no power and my house is on a water pump so I also have no water. I'm going to have to get hotel stays now costing me more money just because they won't come out and turn my power on, and now we're going into a weekend so I'll have to wait until Monday for them to "fake" coming out to turn my power on. I used to think Dayton power and light was bad. that was until AES Ohio took over. At this point I don't even know what to do.

  

  Business response

  10/04/2023

  From the Business on Wednesday, October 04, 2023
  Thank you for our customer’s inquiry regarding his billing and disconnection concerns. AES Ohio records show that a disconnection notice was mailed to our customer’s service address on 08/09/23. The notice requested a minimum payment for the past due amount of $203.42 due on Wednesday,08/23/23 by 5:00pm. Due to no payment being received, the service was disconnected and a notice that service was disconnected was placed at the service address on Tuesday,09/26/23 at approximately 2:59pm. The reconnection amount was $203.42 plus a $25.00 reconnection fee. A total payment of $670.81 was reported on 09/27/23 and a reconnection was scheduled on the same day. The AES OHIO representative advised our customers to make sure that all breakers are off, including the main breaker for the AES OHIO technician to be able to safely restore the service. The AES OHIO representative advised our customer to make sure that AES OHIO has access to the meter. The AES OHIO technician arrived at our customer’s service address to restore service on 09/27/23 at 11:55am but all the breakers in the breakers box were not off. The AES OHIO technician left a notice at the service address advising that since all breakers were not off in the breaker box then the service was not reconnected. Our customer scheduled a second attempt for reconnection for the following business day (09/28/23). AES OHIO representative advised to our customer that AES OHIO scheduled a same day reconnect for our customer already on 09/27/23 but the breakers were not all off. The AES OHIO representative advised that since our customer already had a same day reconnection that to schedule another reconnection would be for the following business day on 09/28/23 and was advised by an AES OHIO representative to make sure all the breakers are off in the breaker box including the main breaker. The AES OHIO technician arrived at the service address on 09/28/23 and service was restored at approximately 8:33pm. AES acquired DP&L nearly 10 years ago, but DP&L retained its name. Over the last decade, AES has been creating innovative, renewable technologies to benefit both our residential and business customers. Our new name, AES Ohio, better reflects our shared global resources, expertise, and mission to deliver greener, smarter energy solutions for our customers. Our commitment to our customers remains the same. Please see our customers disconnect notice attached.
  Attached Files/Documents
  **** ******** DISC NOTICE

• Initial Complaint

  09/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  9/19/23 AES shows up without an appointment after not showing up as scheduled the day before. They claim that since someone put the electric meter inside of a sheet metal box, I am responsible for mounting the electric meter to the wall. If u don't mount the meter, they would disconnect my power. The linesman tried to put a screw in the wall and gave up when it fell out a few times. I supplied them with screws, anchors, and offered them drills to assist. They chose to disconnect my power and leave me to mount the electric meter. I finished the job around 1pm. After navigating their annoying phone system that constantly tries to convince you to hang up and use the internet, I reached a call center person. They decided that they would turn my power back on tomorrow. If I had another option for electric company, I would love to choose a different one. I'm stuck with the megacorporation that purchased our electric company. They obviously don't care that I'm a single father with a hyperactive child and a business to run that requires electricity. On top of all that. I have food in the slowly warming fridge and no way to cook it due to the appliances requiring electricity. They raise my rates and sacrifice customer service so a few board members and their investors can siphon more money out of the system.

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

  Consumer More Information

  I was informed that this box I was forced to re-install, was initially installed by dayton power and light over 10 years ago and has fallen down multiple times. I have had two call center reps and two online chat reps disconnect the communication before the conversation was done or any resolution could be discussed. The final time was after waiting on hold for over 20 minutes and their phone systems are offline now.

  

  Business response

  09/22/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's concerns on what is their responsibility vs. AES Ohio's.  All equipment on the load side of the point of delivery is owned, operated, and maintained by the customer, unless otherwise specified. The meter is always the property of AES Ohio. The customer owns and is responsible for the meter box, service entrance cable and masthead.  If our customer has any additional questions about their hazard, they will need to speak with a specialist in the AES Ohio Construction Control Center (ph# ************). 

  Customer response

  09/29/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The construction call center team was very rude and hung up on me multiple times, I cant afford an electrician and did not recieve any insight as to what results were required other then attatched to wall. I failed to meet the requirements and was punished by not getting power inspection for another 24hours. the entire box was poorly installed by dayton power and light resulting in it falling off constantly for years. I dont think AES should be able to buy the company and just say its not their problem to maintain a box they put a lock on and will fine me should I open it. your policy is wrong.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Aes ohio has a same day reconnect policy I paid my bill on a Friday an was not reconnected me an my 2 year old had to sit in the hot house over the weekend come Monday I call to get someone to come reconnect me they tell me it will be Tuesday I have no food or cold water to give my toddler on this time frame I call an they tell me it will be any time until 10pm it's sicking that customers get treated this way if I was to pay it it would have been on by now being I paid it 4 days ago I'm out of options for the well being of my child I keep calling and no one is coming out to reconnect my power

  

  Business response

  09/12/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's reconnection of service. Our customer's service was disconnected for delinquent payment on Tues.08/29/23.  On Fri. 09/08/23, our customer made payment to reconnect, and AES Ohio attempted to reconnect our customer's service that same day.  AES Ohio was not able to reconnect services successfully as all breakers were not off as AES Ohio had instructed our customer at the time of the reconnect order being issued.  When our customer called back to reschedule for a second attempt, they were advised that each home only gets 1 attempt per business day & that the next attempt will be on Mon. 09/11/23.  All orders are full day orders. Service was successfully reconnected for our customer on 09/11/23.

  Customer response

  09/13/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: when calling in an tryin my best to get my child out of the situation was asking will there be an acception on the circumstances it was a fairly hot day my air conditioner was out waiting to get fixed an cannot get fixed due to the power being out as I talked to the supervisor I noticed she had me on speaker exposing my vulnerability to whom I don't know who was present but wasn't comfortable in that at all I understand the policy but without out power I couldn't feed my child or give her cold water nor get the air fixed in the hosing the supervisor made a comment( that I wouldn't be in this situation if I paid my bills on time ) I wasn't asking for a Time frame I simply wanted it to be token more in consideration an possible be bumped up I don't have help just a single mother as all of have been trying to make a way it was rude unprofessional being I paid a lot of money an COULDN'T buy her food or drink the I even asked is there something they in the future can put in place for those who jus have to get a switched flipped an not wiring they put me in a line with everyone else
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *****

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I just arrived home from vacation and opened a piece of mail from AES Ohio dated 8/2/2023 stating that it is a letter confirming my request to change electric suppliers under Ohio’s Electric Choice Program. Listed an effective change date with next meter reading on 8/18/2023 and that I will now be purchasing my electric generation and transmission from ****** ****** ***. Also stated if I do not want to make the change I need to contact AES by 8/9/2023. I have not requested any change in ****** suppliers and called AES right away to straighten this out. The automated system stated that I may be charged a termination fee for rescinding my request. Again, I have not made any kind of request to change my ****** supplier and this was a “slamming” act against me. Further more I am concerned how this would’ve turned out if I hadn’t returned back home from vacation today and opened the letter that only gave 7 days to dispute and how many others have been caught up in this act of slamming aka scamming? All I know is that I better not be charged a termination fee or any other type of fee for clearing up a change that I never made in the first place.

  

  Business response

  08/15/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's electric choice concerns.  Please note, our customer's the electric supplied change notice advises in paragraph 3, "This change is part of a government aggregation in your community.  If you have any questions about government aggregation, you can contact your government aggregator: ****** ****** *** at *************."  Aggregations are when your local government decides for its constituents to opt-in for a third-party supplier on a utility.  Aggregations go though a public hearing, local vote, and additional mailed notices with opt-out options before an enrollment is ever sent to AES Ohio where there is a final opt-out option (letter mailed 08/02/23). 

  Our customer needed to contact AES Ohio by 08/09/23 to prevent any change to the supplier.  After 08/09/23, the account would be switched to the new supplier for at least 1 month. Our customer did not opt-out until 08/14/23 so the account will be switching to ****** ****** for their 08/18/23 - 09/19/23 service period before returning to Standard Offer.

  Typically aggregations offer a significantly lower price-to-compare on supply charges verses Standard Offer's current $0.108 cents / kWh so our customer may still want to research what is being offered through their aggregation, but of course that is completely at our customer's choice & prerogative. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had an issue with this company 3 months ago. I owed a little more than 200 and they told me that I could split it into payments. But when I went to set it up the automated phone service didn’t work. So I had to call again and explain what I wanted to do and the lady said that aes does not offer that and I have to pay the full amount. After while of hearing that I hung up and called again…I was taking to someone else then the same lady took the phone and continue to tell me the same thing she told me early but was extremely rude to me. I ended up calling 15 times to make my payment! It took well over an hour. The following month I was disconnected a day after the due date. There was no disconnection notice or anything. I came home from work after you guys were closed and I had to leave the house go somewhere else…I paid it completely that day but no one was going to turn it on till late the next day. I saw that there was a 350 disconnecting fee and I called it in and asked about it and I was told that there was no charge and that I am good to go. I received my bill 10 days before the due date with an additional 350 charge for disconnection. My bill went from 120 to 470. I called it in and asked I was told it’s a deposit since I was disconnected. I really don’t see how this is fair. My power should have not been disconnected the day after the 15th with no call, nothing in the mail, and no disconnection notice. I really don’t think it’s ok that I am charged 350 dollars for something like that. I feel like I am purposely being screwed over. I am also afraid to be a day late at all. I can’t afford for those guys to disconnect my power and charge me half of a grand when I am 24 hours late. No other company does that. I’d like for that fee to be waved. I don’t think it’s right for me to pay that much for them to pull such a petty stunt. Aes is a monopoly with mostly 1 star reviews and they should not be able to get away with stunts like this

  

  Business response

  08/11/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer's billing, payment, & collections concerns.  It is correct that a customer is not able to enter onto a payment agreement once service is eligible for disconnection (the disconnect notice has expired & the service now has an order for disconnect in the field or has been disconnected).  Our customer was making their payment on the day of disconnect. When they made their payment, they only paid the minimum amount to avoid disconnect, so it is true that they went back into collections the next month as they went farther past due. Our customer was mailed a bill statement on 06/26/23, due 07/17/23 (attached).  On this bill statement it did warn that there are past due charges may result in a deposit being charged and are subject to collection activity which could result in disconnection of service.  Out customer was also mailed a 14- Day Disconnect Notice on 07/03/23, due 07/17/23 (attached).  Additionally, an outbound, automated call warning of the upcoming went out to the ph# on file on 07/13/23 at 6:52PM; the call was answered by a voicemail & the message was left successfully. Service was disconnected for delinquent payment on 07/18/23 as forewarned. Our customer paid what was their total account balance, but did not include their $25.00 Reconnection Fee or $322.00 Deposit (as advised of on the pink notice left upon disconnection; blank copy attached).   This account had actually become eligible for a deposit to be billed several times since it'd started service, as an account is eligible for one after 2+ late payment charges within a rolling 12-month period (billing & payment history attached).  But the computer didn't bill it automatically previously & AES Ohio did not hold for the deposit to be paid before issuing the reconnection order as per usual, which was only in our customer's favor. The deposit is valid & AES Ohio is not in favor of continuing to waive it.  The deposit will be applied to the account once our customer has achieved 12-months of adequate pay history.  Alternatively, they are welcome to get a Guarantor (co-signer) on the account, or if applicable, apply for the PIPP program. Additional information on deposits can be found here: *****************************************
  
  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We just want our electric on in our new house. The meter was tampered with prior to us taking residence there. We are paying the consequences for someone else's actions. We have grandchildren, 2 years old and 4 years old. We have to carry water in to fill up the toilets. No way to shower or bath as we have a well and we need electric for the pump. We are running 2 generators just to keep a refrigerator, freezer and fans running. We have spent hundreds on gas for the generators, food & ice not to mention loss of work due to no computer. We even offered to pay for whatever the previous owner used in electric before we moved in. I have spoke to multiple representatives at AES and only one person on 08/02/2023 was genuinely trying to assist us. We have been treated as if we are criminals in my opinion. I had service in my name at the prior residence for almost 10 years, great history. Deposit of $390.00 was waived at the new address due to a great payment history. This is terrible and we are at their mercy with no end in sight it seems.

  

  Business response

  08/11/2023

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer’s new service and reconnection concerns. AES Ohio records show the service was successfully reconnected on 08/04/23 at approximately 11:55am. Although service being off can be inconvenient, AES Ohio must fully conduct the investigation to properly charge the responsible party for the unauthorized reconnection. Charges were properly applied to the previous party’s account due to a confession received on 08/03/23, which also helped with closing the investigation. AES Ohio sympathizes with any losses that occurred during that time and recommends our customers file a claim with AES Ohio if they feel it is appropriate. 

*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. ↩