Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Cincinnati Bell Energy's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Cincinnati Bell Energy

  6555 Sierra Dr Irving, TX 75039-2479

• 

  Cincinnati Bell Energy

  1 E 4th St Ste 600 Cincinnati, OH 45202-3718

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:10/25/2023

  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.

  Received a letter on 10/23/2023 Cincinnati Bell Energy sent me a letter thanking me for switching to their company for my energy service. I did not switch and on the same date their sister company Viridian Energy LLC was finally cancelled by me. I had already stated to Duke Energy I wanted NO new energy company! ******** said I signed up by phone and it appears Cincinnati Bell Energy says you sign up on the internet. This is a blatant lie and a scam. Duke Energy said today their is nothing in my file that says I have signed up for any other supplier. Cincinnati Bell Energy states the change in account will be reflected on my account within the next 2 billing cycles.I am reporting this to the Attorney General as a scam against Senior Citizens as I am 80 years old. My bill with ******** had raised my even billing with Duke Energy from $284.00 per month to $1384.00 per month!! If need be I will be retaining a lawyer unless these people stop and desist their fraud against unwary citizens! A 6 room ranch home does not use over $1000.00 a month electricity! Someone is up to no good and I am no longer going to take this without legal representation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/26/2023

  I received a message from Cincinnati Bell Energy the day filling my complaint. Their message stated I signed up for their service in November of 2015 and they were sending me a welcome letter...in 2023?! Give me a break. In 2015 they did try and force their services on me and my brother in law had it revoked. They can informed me their latest letter did NOT say Oct. 3 2023 but Y v. 2015. Have you ever have are such blatant nonsense? Anyway the woman left a phone number if we had any questions to call back. I immediately called back 3 times and got this message all 3 times " the number you called is not a worn by number."  So I called the number she called from and got this " Welcoming me to Cincinnati Bell Energy every 30 seconds. No one answered ever! Just the same message over and over.

    Hopefully after days of calls to Duke Energy somebody does something before it all goes to court!  Thank goodness we have saved all e- mails, all paper mail and all messages pertaining to this matter if they do not cease and desist of trying to scam me. 2015! What a joke! 

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2023

  *************************************************
  November 06, 2023
  Via E-mail to **********************************************
  Dispute Resolution Department
  BBB Serving North Central *****
  *************************************************************
  Re: ******************* - Case ID ********
  Dear BBB representative:
  This letter is in response to the complaint filed by ******************* on October 10, 2023, regarding Viridian
  Energy **** LLC, which was formerly known as Cincinnati Bell Energy, LLC (CBE). In the complaint, Mr.
  Golden asserts concerns regarding the enrollment of his account with Viridian **********************. He is also disputing
  supplier charges.
  CBE previously had a marketing relationship with Cincinnati Bell Telephone (***) that ended last year. To
  provide a bit of background on CBE and ***s previous relationship, CBEs electricity and natural gas products
  had been completely separate from *** offerings and each enrollment was entered into separately with each
  separate company. Most CBE customers had been introduced to CBEs product offerings following a contact
  with *** regarding their *** service. For example, a customer may have been introduced to CBEs products
  following an inbound call regarding their *** service or may have visited a *** retail location or viewed a
  CBE advertisement when visiting the *** website.
  To provide a bit of background, records indicate that **************** initially enrolled his account with CBE on
  October 31, 2015, via the Cincinnati Bell enrollment website www.cincinnatibell.com. **************** selected a
  variable rate product that provided a 10% savings for the initial 12 months of service (Promotional Period).
  Immediately following enrollment, **************** received a copy of his contract by email, in addition, an
  identical copy of the contract was provided with a welcome package as included.
  On November 17, 2017, **************** contacted CBE selecting a 12-month fixed rate plan. Following the
  renewal, **************** received a copy of his new contract by mail.
  On September 28, 2018, CBE sent **************** a renewal notice advising that his fixed rate term was coming
  to an end on or around November 20, 2018. The notice provided CBEs contact information should Mr.
  Golden have any interest in learning about other available products or did not wish for his account to be
  automatically renewed. CBE can confirm there are no records of **************** reaching out to discuss renewal
  options and per the notice, his electric account transitioned to CBEs month-to-month variable plan with no
  further action required.
  On September 09, 2022, CBE sent a letter informing its customers that altafiber, formerly Cincinnati Bell, has
  decided to exit the energy business and will no longer be referring customers through to CBE. As a result, the
  name of their retail electricity supplier will be changed to Viridian Energy.
  On August 03, 2023, Viridian Energy sent a letter informing the customer that due to the transition away
  from Viridian Energy, the energy supplier would be changing and as a result, the name of their new supplier
  would be ***********************.
  On October 02, 2023, **************** contacted OHG&E customer care regarding his recent bill. ****************
  informed customer care that he is in budget billing and his bills have been high due to the Viridian charges.
  A review of Mr. ******* billing confirmed the increase in usage and variable rate resulted in higher billing.
  Variable rates can fluctuate according to the factors outlined in Mr. ******* contract. **************** was
  advised to contact his utility directly regarding any budget billing inquiries. The cancellation request was
  immediately submitted for processing. A service end date of October 23, 2023, was provided. As it was on a
  month-to-month term, **************** always had the option to cancel at any time without penalty.
  On October 10, 2023, **************** requested a copy to be mailed of the welcome package that was originally
  sent to him. Viridian Energy believes this is the letter **************** is referring to.
  Viridian Energy has made a several attempts to speak with **************** to provide the above information,
  however he could not be reached, several messages were left. Based on our investigation, ******** concludes
  that the enrollment is valid, and the account billed in accordance with the terms and conditions agreed to.
  We trust this information will assist you in closing the above inquiry. If you have any questions, please do not
  hesitate to contact me by email at **************************************
  Sincerely,
  *********************
  Customer Care ******************************* Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/07/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   I have not ordered any energy services from altafiber in 2022 as I have not had altafiber services until this summer 2023. I have used a cell phone with no home phone since 2014.  I have little computer knowledge by the way.

  As for agreeing to any energy supplier other than Duke Energy which I have used for my energy supplier since ****. I was completely satisfied with then and never would have changed suppliers. Especially since " green energy" has raised my current monthly bill from $284.00 a month, often receiving an overage credit at the end of the year, to $1384.00 a month!

   As for the " contract copy" you sent me where did I sign! Where is my agreement signature on the "contract? Do you have a record of my phone agreement with my voice on it? Do you have a copy of my email agreement? I think not.

  I am 80 years old. I will be contacting Council on Aging. I have contacted the Attorney General who will investigate your claims. It is a shame when companies like yours take advantage of the elderly. By the way, only an uneducated illiterate would " ignore " a message and knowing they would be going to a variable rate of over 15c per kw.

  Hopefully my account with you is permanently cancelled along with all your affiliate d companies. I'd rather give a lawyer the $9000.00 you charged me for electric over a 7 month period for my 6 room ranch home, which by the way have triple blown insulation and is occupied by only my 77 yr. old wife and I, than pad your scamming pockets. Enough said! 

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

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2023

  *************************************************
  November 16, 2023
  Via E-mail to **********************************************
  Dispute Resolution Department
  BBB Serving North Central *****
  *************************************************************
  Re: ******************* - Case ID ********
  Dear BBB representative:
  This letter is in response to the rebuttal filed by ******************* on November 07, 2023, regarding Viridian
  Energy **** LLC, which was formerly known as Cincinnati Bell Energy, LLC (CBE). In the complaint, Mr.
  ****** rejects the previous response. **************** would also like a reimbursement on charges.
  As previously mentioned, records indicate **************** contacted CBE on November 17, 2017, selecting a 12-
  month fixed rate plan by completing a third-party verification. Prior to the end of the term, a renewal letter
  was sent.
  Viridian Energy has made a several attempts to speak with **************** to address his concerns, however,
  there has been no reply to our voice messages.
  Based on our investigation, Viridian concludes that enrolment is valid, and the account billed in accordance
  with the terms and conditions agreed to, no re-rate is warranted.
  Sincerely,
  *********************
  Customer Care Specialist
  Customer Advocacy Services
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/17/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   I did Not sign up for these services. Show me a signed contract! Who was the (3rd.) party? This is a new response obviously since it has never been mentioned before in any of the documentation I have saved and filed for the Attorney General. 

   Why is my " sign up" now 2017 when all other documents read 2015? Why in a response to another complaint did Viridian Energy LLC make a statement to another customer you scammed that ********************** stopped supplying services in 2015? Huh? I'm sure this will require you to have a staff meeting to come up with a logical reply.

  I am moving. You charged me $9000.00 for one years electric for a 6 roim brick ranch home with two elderly people (over75)  living in it alone. I am publicly announcing your underhanded tactics to Council on Aging who will let other seniors know they may be "signed up" for a company they never knew existed without signed documentation. I hope you can live with what you've done to hundreds of people. So glad the Attorney General of New York caught you and fined you a nice fa large amount for fraud!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2022

  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.

  It came to a shock to receive my Duke bill. I called and was told Cincinnati Bell Energy was our provider. I never signed up with them, didn't even know they provided energy. I called them immediately and canceled. They informed me that it would take 1-2 billing cycles. I thought it was odd, when I called they didn't have my phone number correct in the their system. I asked them how they got onto my Duke bill and they said Dec 29th 2016, I enrolled. I told them, I did not and would never since they don't do this, they do internet! I asked them if it was an opt in situation, and I was informed that someone enrolled on their website. I opened up an investigation. I wanted a full refund since my enrollment date. I was told that it would take 7-10 days to get to a resolution. It's been 1 month. First call was 6.3.22 and today is 7.4.22. I call a few times a week to check in on my investigation and still no resolution. I found it interesting that when I called Cincinnati Bell Internet, they also had a wrong number for me, hmmm. I'm beginning to believe that someone on my internet side enrolled me into the energy side. I am questioning if there will even be a resolution. Many reviews I've read are exactly my story! This is very frustrating and does not seem to be fair.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/20) */ 6555 Sierra Dr, Irving, TX XXXXX July 13, 2022 Via E-mail to **************@nctx.bbb.org Dispute Resolution Department BBB Serving North Central Texas 1601 Elm Street, Ste 1600, Dallas, TX XXXXX Re: ***** ********** - Case ID XXXXXXXX Dear BBB representative: This letter is in response to the complaint filed by ***** ********** on July 1, 2022, regarding Cincinnati Bell Energy ("CBE"). In the complaint, Ms. ********** asserts that she did not authorize CBE to enroll her account. CBE records reflect that on December 29, 2016, ***** ********** authorized the enrollment of her electric account with CBE via the Cincinnati Bell enrollment website https://www.cincinnatibell.com/. She selected a month-to-month variable rate plan. Following the enrollment, CBE sent Ms. ********** a welcome package detailing the terms of the agreement, as well as providing contact information for CBE should she have any questions or wish to rescind her enrollment. On June 3, 2022, Ms. ********** contacted CBE to dispute the enrollment and request cancelation; Her request was immediately submitted. The utility has since confirmed a service end date of July 13, 2022. On July 20, 2022, a CBE representative attempted to contact Ms. ********** to update her on the outcome of her complaint. She was not satisfied with the findings nor the outcome. Ms. ********** may contact Andre T******* directly at (972) 868 - 4545, should she wish to further discuss the outcome of her complaint. We trust this information will assist you in closing the above inquiry. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at [email protected] Sincerely, Andre T******* Customer Care Specialist Customer Advocacy Services

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2022

  Type:Product 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 received the over-charge refund for first 3 months (Nov 2021, Dec 2021, Jan 2022) as total $173.10. Thanks! Please complete the full over-charged refunding and process the last two months of Feb, 2022 and Mar, 2022, with the calculated total: (2384 + 2109) * (0.0929 - 0.0518) = $184.66. Thanks! I attached 5 over-charged bills from Duke Energy with this email. Please re-calculate my payments with the rate $0.0518, which was fixed rate used in your 12-month term. And refund me the over-charged part to me. Thanks!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 14, 2022/07/13) */ 6555 Sierra Dr, Irving, TX 75039 July 13, 2022 Re: ** ***** - Case ID # XXXXXXXX Dear ****** ***** This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Qi ***** on May 16, 2022, regarding Cincinnati Bell Energy ("CBE"). Mr. ***** alleges he was over charged and is seeking reimbursement. Our investigation found that Mr. ***** authorized the enrollment of his account via the CBE enrollment website https://www.cincinnatibell.com/ on September 09, 2020, and selected a 12-month fixed rate plan. This plan provided a rate that of 5.18 per kwh. Following the enrollment, CBE sent Mr. ***** a welcome package confirming her online enrollment and product selection. Upon completion of Mr. ***** existing terms of service CBE sent renewnal notice on August 13, 2021, informing Mr. ***** that the fixed rate term will expire on or around October 06, 2021. The renewal notice advised that the energy account will automatically renew into CBE variable rate with no early termination fee. Our records show that no interaction was received from Mr. ***** therefore the account transitioned into the variable rate plan outlined within the renewnal notice. A CBE representative spoke with Mr. ***** on March 09, 2022, to discuss his concerns. In an effort to maintain customer satisfaction CBE provided a courtesy re-rate for the the service periods of October 07, 2021 - January 10, 2022, a refund in the amount of $173.10. Mr. ***** was advised that this was a one time courtesy for the months he outlined within his complaint, Mr. ***** was satisfied with the resolution provided. No additional refund is warranted. Should Mr. ***** wish to discuss the details of his complaint, he may contact Callissia B***** at (972 )868-4578. We trust this information will assist you in closing the above inquiry. Sincerely, Callissia B***** Customer Care Specialist Customer Advocacy Services