ComplaintsforCincinnati Bell Energy

• Initial Complaint

  10/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  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 response

  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

  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 response

  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

  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 response

  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

  07/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  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

  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

  05/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  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

  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

• Initial Complaint

  01/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My **** Energy Electric bill tripled last month (Dec. 2021). I called **** Energy for resolution and was told that I was charged $244 by Cincinnati Bell Energy because they are listed as our electric supplier. **** gave me the contact info for CB Energy and said I needed to contact them. I called Cincinnati Bell Energy on 01/10/2022 at 11:31am and spoke to an agent, Jessica. I explained the situation and stated to her that I have no idea how they ended up as out Energy supplier. She stated that I signed up with them back in 2019 when they made a Telemarketing call to me. I asked why I never noticed a charge and she stated that because the contract (I had no idea about any contract) had expired, we rolled over Month-to-Month and our rate increased. I asked Jessica to please provide me documentation showing that we signed up for this and she was unable to. I asked het to then provide documentation that we were notified of a rate increase and she was unable to. She apologized and stated she would cancel my service and even gave me a confirmation #. I explained that I wanted a bill credit for the $243.96 I was charged on my **** Bill for a Cincinnati Bell Energy Supplier fee. She said she would send my request to the proper department and I would receive a call back within 48-72 hours. Here I am, 4 days or 96 hours later with no resolution. AND, I received a new **** bill and there is ANOTHER CB Energy supplier charge. I called them back this morning and asked for a supervisor. I was transferred to Lex. He was extremely combative and refused to hear what I had to say, was rude and kept trying to talk over me. He stated that the info I was given from Jessica was incorrect. I explained that I should not be punished for being given incorrect info. I asked him if my conversation with Jessica was recorded, he said yes. I asked him to listen to it, he said no. They now owe me a refund of $243.96 for the bill dates of 11/05/21-12/08/21and $309.50 for 12/08/21-01/11/22.

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/01/25) */ January 25, 2022 Re: ******* ***** - Case ID XXXXXXXX This letter is in response to the complaint filed by ******* ***** on January 19, 2022, regarding Cincinnati Bell Energy ("CBE"). Mrs. ***** contacted the BBB to dispute her enrollment with Cincinnati Bell Energy. To provide background, CBE records confirms that ******* ***** elected CBE's variable rate plan on June 17, 2019, for their electric account via online enrollment. Following the completion of this enrollment, CBE sent the terms and conditions of her election. On January 10, 2022, Mrs. ***** contacted CBE customer care. As a result of the call cancellation was submitted without penalty. The Utility accepted the drop providing February 8, 2022, as the effective date. On January 20, 2022, a CBE representative spoke with Mrs. ***** providing the above information. CBE regrets if there was any misunderstanding when speaking with CBE customer care and expressed as such to Mr. *****. As a customer service gesture, a rerate will be issued for the November - February bills once the final bill processes. We trust this information will assist you in closing this inquiry. Sincerely, LaDonya ***** Customer Advocacy Services

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date noticing the issue was Wednesday December 29th, 2021. The business added a balance of $69.46 to my Duke Energy Bill bringing my bill of $77.11 to a total of $146.57.I never enrolled in the CincinnatiBell Energy program. I reached out multiple times today to both Duke Energy as well as CincinnatiBell Energy to resolve the issue and got nowhere. I requested to know exactly how I apparently enrolled and was informed that my account with CincinnatiBell Energy was enrolled without an email address, and a XXX-XXX-XXXX phone number which I have never associated with before. I have had the same phone number for years. The only account that I have with Cincinnati Bell is for the Fioptics internet. I never knew they even offered an energy / electric service. I requested to immediately have the account canceled, requested to speak with a supervisor, and requested for the charges to be taken away from my Duke Energy bill. Instead of the charge being taken away, I was informed that an investigation would be open to look into the incident which will see if I did or didn't enroll as well as have a yes or no to dropping the charges no later than 10 business days. My Duke Energy bill is due on January 6th, 2021. On top of canceling the account with CincinnatiBell Energy, I was informed that I will probably be charged for the following 1-2 billing cycles. The business had absolutely failed to help with a successful resolution and will be causing a financial burden. Listed below are the accounts that were posted to my bill as well as the account of my ONLY Cincinnati Bell service which is Fioptic Internet. I will also be making a complaint with Duke Energy.Duke account : XXXX-XXXX-XX-XCincinnatiBell Energy account : CB25CXXXXXXXXXREAL ACCOUNTCincinnati Bell : XXXXXXXXXXXXX

  Business response

  03/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/02/09) */ 6555 Sierra Dr, Irving, TX XXXXX January 20, 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 January 6, 2022 regarding Cincinnati Bell Energy ("CBE"). In the complaint, Mr. ****** states that he did not authorize CBE to enroll his account. CBE records reflect that on October 22, 2021, ****** ****** authorized the enrollment of his gas and electric account with CBE via the Cincinnati Bell enrollment website https://www.cincinnatibell.com/. He selected a month-to-month variable rate plan for both accounts that provided a rate that was 5% below the CBE Utility Price Index for the first 12 months of service. Please see Attachment A for the online enrollment verification. Following the enrollment, CBE sent Mr. ****** a welcome package detailing the terms of the agreement, as well as providing contact information for CBE should he have any questions or wish to rescind his enrollment. Please see Attachment B for a copy of Mr. ****** welcome packet. On December 29, 2021 CBE submitted a cancellation per Mr. ******'s request. The utility has since confirmed a service end date of January 13, 2022 for the electric account. MIG&E can also confirm that Mr. ******'s gas account was not successfully enrolled and therefore was not serviced by CBE. Though this was a 12-month agreement, there will be no penalty for canceling. Based on our investigation, the enrollment of this account has been deemed valid. On January 20, 2022 a CBE representative attempted to contact Mr. ****** to update him on the outcome of his complaint. He could not be reached, and a message was left. Mr. ****** may contact Andre Thompson directly at (XXX) XXX - XXXX, should she wish to discuss the outcome of his complaint. I sincerely hope this meaningfully responds to the above inquiry. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at ***********@vistracorp.com. Sincerely, Andre Thompson Customer Care Specialist Customer Advocacy Services Consumer Response /* (3000, 13, 2022/02/10) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) On January 7th 2022, at approximately 10:00 am EST I received a phone call from John from the offices of the President with CincinnatiBell Energy and we discussed in detail the mishap that was going on. I was informed that John would be sending a gift card in the mail that would take approximately 30 days to receive for the balance of the CincinnatiBell Energy portion of electric bill that I received. ($69.46 for January) (I still have yet to receive that card and have left John a voicemail today at 8:35 am EST) I was also told to inform John when I paid the bill for February of 2022 to call and let him know what the balance was for CincinnatiBell Energy ($79.79 included in todays voicemail) so he could send a second gift card for that balance. I informed John that once I receive the reimbursements as well as no longer have CincinnatiBell Energy affiliated with my Duke Energy account and no further contact happens I will gladly remove my complaints. In regards to this business reply through the BBB I do not accept the response due to the phone number being invalid (It is a non existent phone number and John himself as well as a customer service supervisor verified that) and I do not own the property that is listed, I rent it. However, I am the only person who is responsible for services that are affiliated with the address which include electric, utilities, water, sewer, etc. I did NOT authorize anything through CincinnatiBell Energy. The only affiliation I have with Cincinnati Bell is for internet services. The phone number was incorrect and there was no email associated with the registration. My Cincinnati Bell account had no reflection of me signing up for the energy program through my account. Again, it seems like John has it handled and I am still waiting for the first card as well as the second one as of today 02/10/2022. Attached is proof of MY phone number that I have had since 2016. Thanks, ****** ******

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