Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

  PO Box 2710 Manassas, VA 20108-0875

• 

  Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

  10323 Lomond Dr Manassas, VA 20109-3113

• 

  Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

  349 E Market St Ste 200 Leesburg, VA 20176-4102

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  Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

  14500 Minnieville Rd Woodbridge, VA 22193-3216

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  Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative

  10432 Balls Ford Rd Ste 220 Manassas, VA 20109-2516

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:02/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  This Company ***** Power Electric is Heartless, turned off Electric in the middle of Weather at 14 degrees outside, Heartless for Humanity.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Dear *****************,
  
  
  Thank you for providing feedback and expressing your concerns.
  
  On January 31, 2023, NOVEC disconnected service at ***************************************************** due to nonpayment. 
  
  The temperature on January 31, 2023, was reported to be 43in ********, **. The days following had similar temperatures.
  
  Prior to disconnection, members were eligible for COVID payment arrangements as put forth by the state. Once disconnected, payment arrangements are no longer offered by NOVEC.
  
  Assistance Agencies can be found on our website www.novec.com or by calling NOVEC ************** Monday through Friday, from 7:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at ************ or toll-free at **************.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  NOVEC ************* Department

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 recently received a call from Novec stating I had a past due bill that was over $1000 dollars. At first, I thought it was a scam, but the number was valid. I learned that they transitioned to new Smart Portal, and I was no longer able to log into my account. Worse, my account was setup for Autopay through my bank account, and all of this information was gone. I did not receive a call or letter stating that they were changing their payment system and that all previous information would be deleted, and I would need to create a new account. Due, to all of they have been charging me late fees / past due fees for the past 6 months or so. I want them to remove all the late fees, they should have notified me of the change in payment system, but more importantly they should have taken all existing customer information and set it up in the new payment system. You shouldn't suddenly delete / unenroll someone from Autopay. These fees are not my fault, and I am requesting a credit back on all fees. Also, they should look into this transition, as it was not done properly to a new "Smart Hub". For someone who has never missed a payment and have been auto paying for years, this is unacceptable. Please refund / credit all late fees due to the fact you had my payment information, but then removed it due to switching to a new payment system. You should have migrated the customer information. It appears they were charging a 1.5% late fee each month, which adds up to a lot of money.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2023

  Dear ******************,
  
  This letter is in response to your request to remove all late fees after August 2022 due to implementation of our new online bill payment system, ********.
  
  June 2022 NOVEC included a bill insert introducing our new online bill pay system, ********. Its a bright new day for NOVEC customers,who will soon see new online and payment services through ********.
  
  July 14, 2022, we sent your electric bill by email for service from June 13, 2022, to July 12, 2022, due August 18, 2022. Along with your July bill an insert was included going over ******** in detail. We did not receive your payment for this bill by the due date, the scheduled recurring payment made through the old bill pay was cancelled during our new system conversion.
  
  August 12 & August 13, 2022, we sent an email notification to customers stating, customers previously enrolled in an online auto payment option through NOVEC's eBilling system prior to July 29, 2022: If you wish to continue using an automatic payment method after Aug.1, 2022, you must re-enroll in autopay using the new ******** system.
  
  August 23, 2022, we mailed the electric bill to your service address due September 21, 2022. The bill included service from July 12, 2022, to August 11, 2022, plus service from your previous bill. A 1.5% late fee was also included.
  
  September 22, 2022, we mailed the electric bill to your service address due October 21, 2022. The bill included service from August 11, 2022, to September 12, 2022, plus service from your previous bills. The 1.5% late fee listed on your previous bill was removed. The September bill insert included another article about ******** which included a link to the ******** website which offers frequently asked questions and registration guides.  
  
  October 21, 2022, we mailed the electric bill to your service address due November 21, 2022. The bill included service from September 12,2022, to October 11, 2022, plus service from your previous bills. A 1.5% late fee was also included.
  
  November 21, 2022, we mailed the electric bill to your service address due December 20, 2022. The bill included service from October 11, 2022,to November 18, 2022, plus service from your previous bills. A 1.5% late fee was also included.
  
  December 5, 2022, at 6:04pm according to our call records we made contact calling the phone number listed on your NOVEC account. The phone call advised that you had a past due balance and are subject to disconnection.
  
  December 20, 2022, we mailed the electric bill to your service address due January 20, 2022. The bill included service from November 18, 2022,to December 13, 2022, plus service from your previous bills. A 1.5% late fee was also included.
  
  January 3, 2023, at 6:05pm according to our call records we made contact calling the phone number listed on your NOVEC account. The phone call advised that you had a past due balance and are subject to disconnection.
  
  January 3, 2023, we received payment for the full balance on your account.
  
  January 4, 2023, we removed the late fee from your December bill.
  
  We apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced, as a member owned business, we do take feedback seriously and want to ensure we are being fair to all members. Please be mindful that it is extremely important to review the bill inserts along with your statement as they provide the latest informant pertaining to changes being made by NOVEC. NOVECs process is to waive one late fee per year. We ended up waving two late fees, on the September statement, we credited back your late fee for your August bill, we removed the late fee from your December bill, plus we did not charge a late fee on your September bill.  The late fees on your October and November bills will not be refunded.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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 am outraged that I received a call from a debt collector today about a debt that makes no sense. I got confirmation that my last bill in April was paid. My service was stopped at that point as I moved out of this residence well before then as I purchased a home out of state. I then randomly received a bill in August for an estranged amount. I called to figure out what it was for because I could no longer sign into my account, but I could never get through to someone. Now I have a debt collector calling and no explanation of how I have a bill for a place I couldn't physically even have incurred a balance. The home is a rental property. We moved out well before our shut-off date. If the new occupants didn't set up their account, you can't just charge me the bill for whatever happened in between. I'm currently calling again, and the wait time started at 20 mins, and now it's at 40mins. This is the same problem I've had every time I called. I need this amount removed and confirmation this won't affect my credit score. I can be contacted ************ or ******************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2022

  Dear **************,
  
  Thank you for providing feedback and expressing your concern about receiving a call from our debt collector.
  
  March 15, 2022 NOVEC received a call to connect service at ****** ** for April 1, 2022. The result of this request forced your account to disconnect.
  
  March 29, 2022 we received an online request from you to disconnect service at ****** ** for April 1, 2022.
  
  April 4, 2022 we received payment from you in the amount of $108.42 which paid for service that you used up until February 25, 2022. Also, on April 4, we mailed a final bill to Alvarado Square in the amount of $73.40 for service from February 25, 2022 to April 1, 2022.
  
  After the final bill was mailed, NOVEC sent four additional correspondences regarding the outstanding balance on your account to Alvarado Square. We never received payment. As normal practice, our internal collections department, reached out to a collection agency in August to try to collect the outstanding balance.
  
  October 31, 2022 we received payment in the amount of $77.58 which paid off your final bill plus late fees. We notified our debt collector of your payment so all collection action will cease.
  
  We apologize for the longer-than-normal hold times when calling into our customer care center. We are in the process of updating our customer information and billing systems to better serve our customers. During this process, we are experiencing unusually high call volumes as people have additional registration and billing inquiries.    

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  We have accounts with NOVEC and they have allowed someone to change the billing address on some or our accounts without our authorization. The account bills are now going to one of our competitors. After spending hours on hold to try to rectify the situation, they would not do anything to help me. Our name is on the bills but not our address.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/05/2022

  Dear Customer,
  
  Thank you for providing feedback and your unpleasant experience regarding us (NOVEC) updating the mailing addresses for your organization without authorization.
  
  On July 2021 we received a bill remit slip from your organization to change the mailing address from Herndon, VA ***** to an address located in Fairfax VA *******.
  
  As policy we do not update the primary name on the account, so we only updated the mailing addresses to the one provided in Fairfax VA ******. Since the update, we continued to receive check payments on time for all accounts and your organization was never in danger of disconnection.
  
  It was not until we received a call from you on September 15, 2022 that we were aware the bills were being sent to the wrong mailing address. You also requested a check to be mailed in your organizations name for a credit that was on one of your accounts. We advised that in order to discuss the account we need to verify that you are associated with the account holder and requested that you send us form 147c (EIN letter).
  
  September 16, 2022 we receive a W9 form for your organization by email. We sent an email reply requesting form 147c or IRS documentation appointing their FEIN. Later that day, the NOVEC representative who took the call on September 15, 2022 updated all of the mailing addresses back to the original address we had on file in Herndon, VA  *****, but did not notify your organization of the change.
  
  September 20, 2022 you called to discuss the mailing address changes for **************************. We advised that we need form 147c for verification before we can discuss the account.
  
  September 26, 2022 we submitted a refund request for the credit on your account.
  
  October 3, 2022 a Customer Account Specialist called and spoke with you. You advised that two of the five accounts listed under your organization belonged to another company. We established the three accounts that belong to your organization and we will remove the other two accounts. Also, we verified that the mailing address for your organization was currently correct and let you know that the credit for your account was being processed.
  
  Sincerely,
  Stephen W**************
  Customer Account Specialist, Customer Service
  NOVEC

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/02/2022

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  The electric service co-op utility provider has drastically increased their PCA charged per month ($.59 - June 2022; $26.37 - August 2022), have added a $15 Monthly Service Charge, have increased the cost per kWH and there customer service is unavailable with phone hold times exceeding 120 minutes. Because this is a necessary utility, unlike cable or internet, gauging the customers during a horrible time of inflation is not only unprofessional but almost criminal. I am attaching a copy of this month's bill with the new, high monthly service fee, increased PCA and am also attaching a screen capture of my monthly electric bill totals from last September 2021 through August 2022. As you will see, there is a significant jump from the month prior and year to date. We have one less individual living at home than we did a year ago, beginning a month ago; therefore, usage is less. The temperatures this summer have been mild causing our air conditioning to run less than years prior, and we have a new HVAC system installed in the upper portion of our home which has historically resulted in enormous cost savings.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/20/2022

  NOVEC’s base electric rates have not increased since 1991. In 2010, NOVEC actually reduced base electric rates, with approval from the State Corporation Commission (SCC.) NO change in base rates has occurred since then. Additionally, the $15 monthly service charge is not a new charge, but has been in effect and unchanged for years.
  
  Unfortunately, NOVEC is not immune from the substantial increases occurring in the wholesale power markets. As a not-for-profit cooperative, state law prevents NOVEC from earning a margin (profit) on electricity it purchases for delivery to customers. Instead, the actual cost of purchased power is passed through to our customers without any mark-up.
  
  Because NOVEC’s actual energy costs are outpacing its original 2022 projections, the co-op modified its power cost adjustment (PCA) effective July 1, 2022 and for the remainder of 2022. The PCA applicable to residential and commercial accounts is $0.0095 per kilowatt hour (kWh). The PCA can be a credit or a charge. From 2012 until 2021, customers enjoyed a PCA credit on their monthly bill. Electric and gas utilities across Virginia have increased and continue to increase their fuel or PCA riders to address increasing wholesale power market charges.
  
  Because the PCA is a per kilowatt hour (kWh) charge, as more usage occurs in a given month the total PCA charge increases. The Customer’s usage between June and August (period referenced by the Customer) increased respectively from 2,126 kWh to 2,776 kWh. This added usage equates to ~$6.18 of the increase and is the result of the Customer consuming additional energy.
  
  While NOVEC’s annual forecasts for the cost of energy and the amount of energy are thoroughly researched, it’s not surprising given the unusual 2022 geo-political issues that they differ from the actual purchased power costs. NOVEC is required to reconcile the difference, and the reconciliation occurs through the PCA line item on the monthly bill. Periodic changes to NOVEC’s PCA ensure that the co-op only recovers, over a reasonable time period, the actual cost of power it purchases without any margin (profit.) NOVEC typically adjusts (resets) its PCA annually in January, but rapidly rising energy prices during calendar year 2022 required an interim adjustment.
  
  NOVEC is regulated by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC). The SCC originally authorized the co-op’s 2022 PCA rate rider. NOVEC also submits all periodic PCA changes to the SCC for review prior to taking effect.