ComplaintsforLubbock Power & Light

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  LP&L sent someone to remove my meter from my house. I was charged over $405 for the new electric meter and labor. They claimed the meter had "broken tamper seals" or something like that. The meter has never been touched since I started renting this house, and the previous residents are most likely the cause of their so called "broken seal." I am in no way responsible for them choosing to remove a perfectly good working meter and charging me an outrageous $405 for a meter available online for $69. The worker they sent to take my meter was spying on me using binoculars hiding behind my fence, and attempted trespassing without notifying me of his presence. Please remove these charges from my bill, account number **********, I didn't do anything to the meter, stop being so *****, my family is struggling enough without the lies LP&L tell .

  Business response

  03/13/2024

  On February 26, 2024, the service at 2910 Amherst address was disconnected due to non-payment. The following day, an alarm was triggered by the meter, so a field service technician was dispatched to investigate. Upon arrival, the technician was unable to communicate with the meter from the alley. After multiple attempts, he gained access to the backyard to check the meter. The technician noticed that the seal attached to the meter was missing and that an error message was displayed. The technician removed the meter and found that the back seal was also missing. The meter was replaced, and the original was sent to the meter shop for inspection. At that time, the service was cut at the electric pole to prevent any tampering.
  
  The meter shop inspected the meter and took pictures of it. It was concluded that the meter was tampered with and damaged. As a result, the customer was billed for the damage, labor, and equipment fees.

  Customer response

  03/14/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: the replacement of the meter was absolutely not my fault and in no way did I do anything to cause any of this.

  Business response

  03/19/2024

  As the account holder, it is your responsibility to ensure the safety and proper functioning of the meter installed at your location. Any damages or tampering with the meter are also your responsibility, as all services are listed in your name. In the event that you are aware of who has tampered with the meter, you may file a complaint with the local police station and possibly receive restitution for any charges related to the tampering. You will be held responsible for the tampering charges that have been billed. 

  Customer response

  03/19/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:   There was no tampering with the meter, the meter probably never had the "tamper seals" in the first place, or tampering must have occurred prior to me moving into the house and starting service. I never touched the meter, I never even knew it was there or what it did. I won't pay, please remove the charges. ????

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  The tampering fees and charges have been reviewed and will remain as a fee on Mr. ****** account. As previously communicated, if ************* believes that the fees are unjustified, he may file a complaint with local law enforcement to seek restitution for the charges related to the tampering. 

  Customer response

  05/15/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:   

  I shouldn't have to seek law enforcement meter tampering that occured prior to me ever residing in the home. LP&L is the one who should figure out about that. I never touched the meter, and if you insist that meter tampering took places then it must have been previous residents, and not me. I have been living without running water for a month because I can't afford the outrageous bill.

  Business response

  05/17/2024

  **************, according to our records, you have been residing at ****************************** December 9, 2020, and there have been no other residents at this address since then. We regret to inform you that due to non-payment,your meter was disconnected on February 26, 2024, and an alarm was triggered on February 27, 2024, prompting a technician to be dispatched to your home. Upon inspection, the technician found that the meter had been tampered with and subsequently removed it for testing. The meter shop technician confirmed that the meter had been damaged, and as a result, the associated fees have been billed to the account holder, which is you. Unfortunately, these fees cannot be waived, and it is necessary to settle the outstanding balance. The City of Lubbock is willing to discuss your balance, and you can contact our customer service department to explore any alternative payment options.

  Customer response

  05/18/2024

  I am rejecting this response because:   

  Its sad that you have to lie that no other residents lived here prior to me. The house was built in the 50's and I still receive mail from the previous residents, *************************** and a woman named ********. They lived in the house just months before December 2020, I even saw a eviction letter for them. They are the ones who ******** with the meter. There was high winds that could have triggered your faulty alarm, which the sent a technician to discover the tampering that took place prior to December 2020. Your a liar and a thief, please remove these fraudulent charges. I am currently filing a police report against LP&L.

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They charged me for someone elses electric bill to for an address I did not reside at. I called them and was supposed to have had everything fixed. The guy on the phone told me I was off the hook and did not have to do anything else after the call. Then months go by and they turned me into collections and theyre severely hurting my credit score for not paying an electric bill that wasnt mine in early 2023. Im just a college student trying to make a living full time in school and with a part time job. I am in Lubbock to invest in my future and an essential part of Lubbock is literally hurting my chances of making a better future.

  Business response

  02/16/2024

  ********************************* came into the customer service office on 3/3/2022 and requested service to begin at *********************** ****. When a customer visits the office they must provide a valid ID in order to complete that request in office. The customer also provided private information such as social security number, date of birth, drivers license, and contact phone numbers. The customer service representative verified all information with the customer and proceeded to complete the customers request for service. Service was started under ********************************* name on 2/21/2022 and continued until 2/6/2023. If ********************************* disputes the balance we would need documentation that proves the customer resided and had electric service at a different address. If ********************************* thinks they might be a victim of identity theft they can file criminal charges against the person they feels used their identity. If we receive a judgment on ********'s behalf we can remove the outstanding balance from their name. If ********************************* needs immediate assistance with any service they can contact our office and we can discuss options regarding the balance.

• Initial Complaint

  10/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On monday oct 9, my power mysteriously shut off at 10am. I contacted my apartment and they said the previous resident never took the power out of his name and contacted LP&L and they shut off the power without any notification to my apartment complex or me. I attempted to contact them but they always have a hold time of about an hour. I then spoke to a terrible employee who repeated the same phrase "it will take 48 hours" and was no help. I then filed an application online and was told it could take 3-5 days to even get an answer from them. I emailed them documentation they requested and they have lost the email and seem to have never seen it. Ive lost hundreds of dollars in meat and other perishable items due to their insulting speed if processing and my power is still not back on

  Business response

  10/18/2023

  I have called ************* and spoken with him, his issues have been resolved. The services were started on 10/12/23. He stated he is no longer needing assistance.

  Thank you, *********************

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have for the last few months paid each month over $400.00. Being disabled I have to stay confined to a hospital bed.. My service has been suspended a couple of times. I called spoke with representative *** who said I have a major water leak and that is the problem. Considering I just had an inspection done with no problems. Every month its a high bill. There is no way my daughter uses ****** in water a month. We have the same routine when washing clothes and still the bill is higher. Now I have a problem with my account I have to take cash into them and pay. Talked to ****** 9/20/23 and he was rude at times basically saying he didnt care if I was disabled I better get the money in there. Its bad enough that youre having a hard time and then for a worker to make you feel worse is unbearable.

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  I spoke with ***************** on September 26th who wanted information on why her water charges were so high and keeps going up each month. We discussed in detail times and days of when the water usage is increased and were able to discover that it may be a toilet she has been having problems with. She stated that she would get in contact with her landlord to see if they will be able to have the toilet checked. ****************** was appreciative for the callback and that we were able to discuss in detail her water usage and address her concerns. 

  Customer response

  10/10/2023

  I have reviewed the business response and accept this resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The website for shopping for new electricity provider (an lp&l site) has no option for my zip code, after lp&l CONVENIENTLY has gotten back into the electricity providing service. THEY are CLEARLY monopolizing the electric market in Lubbock.

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  At this time LP&L is not fully intergraded into the ***** deregulated market, therefore none of the Lubbock zip codes are active on the Public Utility Commissions PowertoChoose website.
  
  We do expect those zip codes to become active after the first of the year.  At that time, all LP&L customers will be able to go to PowertoChoose.org and select a competitive retailer that best suits their individual needs.  Once the date for customer choice is finalized,LP&L will communicate the it to the public. 

  *********************************
  Manager - Market Operations

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  6/9/2023 City of Lubbock Utilities sent a bill in the amount of $635.32 Statement showed we used 65k of water. We have no leaks at our new home and this was verified. City of Lubbock has not given us any information in regards to why our bill is so much and they stated they sent out an inspector to read our meter. We need help to resolve this issue because it is not possible that we used that much water. 65k is enough to fill up a 12 foot pool that we dont have. 4/9/23- we had a bill of $ 421.07 (40k of water) Account number **********

  Business response

  06/23/2023

  Hello, I have called and spoke with **************************** at ************* I advised the customer that the account has been corrected. The water portion of the bill has been adjusted, and a new bill has been sent out. I explained to her the adjustments and the differences on the account. There was a misread of  the water reads on the account. I advised her that the account currently has a credit of $-165.56. I also advised that the new bill went out on 6/22/23, and she should be receiving it within the next couple of days. Ms ***** was happy that I called her back, and explained everything to her, and the customer understood. She did not have any more questions or concerns. She is satisfied with the response.

   

• Initial Complaint

  06/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I havent had power in my place for a month now. Ive been trying to set up a payment arrangement to get my power back on. I havent had running service with lubbock power and light since the end of feb 2023. The bill was 284 to get it on to begin with. Then with a bill processing it went to 544..i tried to set up a payment arrangement but they said they wouldnt allow that to process. They then printed me out a copy of the bill. Which if not paid by may 15th went up to nearly 700. With that being said the last meter read was march 27th a couple weeks after my power had been off. So why is it so much and why are there so many late fees being assessed when its been months? Im not looking for a handout. I work a job and cant pay ***************************************************************************** my fridge and ac for my dogs. All my food has gone bad and my dogs are getting hotter as the days go by. I emailed them this morning in an attempt to get through to them and maybe have a different outcome to which they responded thank you for your patience and another run around. Im tired of living in a muggy house. Im tired of not having food in my fridge. As of right now the power is off. And they continue to move about their day giving people the run around. I just want a payment plan or some sort of resolution.

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  Hello, I have called and spoke to *************. I have advised him that we can set up a payment arrangement with him. I advised the customer to make a down payment of $275.00, and once he makes the payment, to call us back at customer service, and we can set the arrangement up. The remaining account balance will be split over the next 2 month's bills. ************* stated that he will not be able to make the down payment until tomorrow, 6/20. He is aware that once the payment is made, he needs to call us back, to set up the arrangement and then we can send the order to reconnect the services. The customer understood the information that was provided to him, and will call back, once the payment has been made.

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Dec 9 2022, I called LP&L as to why they have not sent someone out in regards to the power line from the house to the transformer did not look right to the electrician who came out with regards to the house electric bills have been extremely high since moving in the home in April of this year, the bills have been $400 to $500 and no one is home during the day, the AC and heater are kept at 71 degrees during the summer and 69 degrees in the winter. Long story short, they sent someone out and discovered the transformer had been shot and the neutral line had been burnt causing our bills to be extremely high. We have just moved in and have never ever had bills this high with EXCEL energy. Last month my bill is $421.39 and the month prior was $78.54, this is an extreme difference. I spoke with ****** at LP&L asking to speak with a manager and she directed me to energystar.gov to complete a survey, this is nothing more than an appliance survey. Please help in this matter.

  Business response

  01/18/2023

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/21) */ City of Lubbock Utilities apologizes for the issues related to electric service recently experienced by Ms. *******. Our records do reflect a problem with the electric service line, which was repaired by a Lubbock Power & Light serviceman on December 9, 2022. At the time of the repair, it was determined the neutral line was burnt. A burnt neutral can cause service issues, such as flickering lights, but will not have any effect on the customer's monetary charges. Upon receiving Ms. ******* BBB complaint and researching the concerns raised, we found that the electric meter at Ms. ******* premise, although was capturing and storing usage information, had not provided that usage information to our network headend since September 20, 2022. As a result, the bill on October 5, 2022, did not include the electric usage for the entire billing month, and the bill on November 3, 2022, did not reflect any electric usage for the month. On December 5, 2022, our serviceman captured the current read manually, which was used for billing. The electric usage charges shown on Ms. ******* December 5, 2022, bill included energy usage for September 20, 2022, to December 5, 2022. Our Account Support Representative, ******** contacted Ms. ******* to discuss her concerns and explain the reason for the higher bill that was received in December. The bill was corrected to reflect the usage for the October, November, and December billing statements. On December 20, Ms. ******* spoke with a Collections Specialist regarding a payment arrangement. Ms. ******* also had questions about our letter of credit process. Our Collection Specialist asked her to send the letter of credit via email for review. City of Lubbock Utilities hopes that the concerns raised by Ms. ******* have been answered and we apologize for any frustrations caused to Ms. *******. Sincerely, City of Lubbock Utilities

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I went out of town on Oct 27th. Bill came due on Nov 1st, I paid Nov 2nd. On the same day that I paid (Nov 2nd), my lights had been cut off but of course, I was out of town so I had no idea. So, when I returned home on Nov 26th, I called the emergency number thinking there was an outage due to weather. Woman on the phone verified that the lights had been turned off Nov 2nd but my account was also brought current that same day, for whatever reason the lights did not automatically turn back on. Now my complaint - since the lights were not automatically turned on once my account was current, food sat in my fridge rotting for practically an entire month. I now have to deal with the HORRID smells and clean up AND I lost at least $150 worth of food. The woman on the emergency line did get my lights turned back on that night. I spoke to another LPL agent today, ***** ext 8720, who was nice enough to waive the disconnect fee and also let me know that I was not charged a reconnect fee but there was nothing else she could do for me. While I do greatly appreciate the help I've received, that help is not going to clean and restock my fridge. Even the Brita filter I keep in there for water has a horrible stench now and will need to be soaked in vinegar, the overall stench coming from the fridge is so bad. That on top of having to pay to replace all the lost food? I am just severely upset about all of it. NOTE: I am well aware that LPL was within their rights to cut off my service since I was, at that time, 2 months behind. My main complaint is that my service should have been reinstated once my account was brought current. Not a good business practice to automatically cut service based on account standing if you're not also going to be automatically continuing service based on account standing. I received a letter around Oct 16 stating my service could potentially be disrupted if no payment was made within 7 days but no other notification that it had been disrupted.

  Business response

  12/09/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/12/06) */ After research, it looks like the customers payment was made in the middle of the disconnection process. The payment didn't generate a reconnection and Ms. *************** wasn't home and didn't know the service disconnection had been completed. Ms. *************** made contact with the after hours office on 11-26-2022 and a remote connection was completed. Ms. *************** made contact with the business office on 11-29-2022 and asked for a refund for the spoiled food. At that time the customer service representative advised Ms. *************** that a claim with the city would need to be filed in order to be reimbursed. The customer service representative also gave credit for the disconnection fee. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/12/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The business has essentially reiterated exactly what I said, this is not a resolution. My complaint is that I was never made aware of the disconnect nor any reconnect fees that I would have to pay and because of that my food sat spoiling in my fridge for a month even after my account was brought current. I was told of the POSSIBILITY of disconnection, I was never told that my power had indeed been disconnected. It is winter, I'm lucky none of my pipes busted due to the power being off. Waiving disconnect and reconnect fees are not enough, this does not make up for the $150+ worth of food I had to replace. Even after scrubbing the fridge down from top to bottom, the stench of rotten food is still lingering. Had the company made me aware of the disconnect when it occurred I would've happily paid the reconnect and disconnect fees and this would have never been an issue. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/12/08) */ We have left several phone messages in an attempt to make contact with Ms. *************** to discuss her concerns. Ms. *************** has not returned any of our calls. Based on our understanding, Ms. *************** is requesting reimbursement for the loss of food items due to her services being interrupted. The city of Lubbock Utilities is unable to authorize this type of reimbursement. These types of requests are handled through the City of Lubbock Risk Management Department. If Ms. *************** has access to a computer, she can access the city's website at www.ci.lubbock.tx.us. These types of claims can be filed online at this address. Ms. *************** feels she needs additional information, she can also call our office at XXX-XXX-XXXX and we can provide any additional information to assist her with her this request. Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2022/12/09) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I have zero text messages or voice-mails from your company. Now I see why so many locals complain about this company. I will file my request with the city of Lubbock.

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  LP&L enrolled my account into a budget program without my consent, refuse to produce any documentation that I have signed regarding this budget program and stating that I agreed it, and also refuse to correct the issue. They keep telling me this is something that I have opted into online, but there have been no changes made to my account since I moved to this address and set up the account in February of 2021. There are also zero documents in my email or my online account regarding this budget program. Now, to get off the budget program and just pay usage because the bill is almost $100 more than what it normally is, we have to pay over $700 dollars. How is this right? Why can no one produce documents for a budget program that is considered a contract? How was this account signed up for a budget program without my consent when I was out of town on vacation and spoke to no one from LP&L? I have spoken to multiple representatives and requested call backs from supervisors and no one cares to help.

  Business response

  11/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/11/17) */ I did reach out to ****** at XXXXXXXXXX and I did explain that there was not anything that we could provide to him in regard to how Budget Billing started on his account. But that on the October 2021 bill that is when Budget Billing started showing on his bills. I also explained that at this time his variance is at $455.09. And we could split that up into monthly installments on his account if he decided to take Budget Billing off his account. I explained with the budget being more than what he actually used it will end up making the variance go down since it will be paying towards that. He understood and said that he will have it taken off in January. But will call us back when he wants that completed.

*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. ↩