ComplaintsforPuget Sound Energy, INC.

• Initial Complaint

  07/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am receiving almost daily calls from Puget sound energy for their promotions. There is no official method to stop receiving calls on their website. I called asking to be removed and they said they have to ask the promotion team directly to stop receiving calls. I dont need anything other than an option to stop receiving these calls.

  Business response

  07/10/2024

  Dear ************,

  Please see our attached response.

  Sincerely,

  PSE ************* Leadership

  Customer response

  07/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 21962906
  
  PSE ************* Leaderships response references an attached response but no attachment was provided.

  Customer response

  07/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 21962906
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Thank you for providing those instructions, I really appreciate it. I would have never found that on my own. My concern is that those settings arent displayed in my account  settings under promotion notification settings. (Attached) There seems to be settings for everything else, but for this promotion you require me to go digging outside of my notification preferences. That does not make sense. In the future it would be nice to have the setting there or a link to other areas of the site that contain those preferences.

  I'll close this after any further response I just wanted to communicate my confusion since this one setting seems to follow different rules than any other preferences on your site.

  Thank you for your time.

• Initial Complaint

  05/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On May 5, ******************************************************* the **************** area. We had to replace several surge protectors and there was a circuit blown in our Culligan water softener tank. The cost we are seeking is for the Culligan tank only, which we have already replaced. We would like PSE to adjust our monthly billing to ultimately make up for the loss at our home. We believe the problem was due to faulty equipment from PSE since there was no weather issues at the time of the incident. If their equipment was in good operating order, there should not have been a power surge that would cause that much damage. We had an electrician survey the house and that was his assessment.

  Business response

  05/20/2024

  Good afternoon,

  Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us with your concerns.  Our inquiry disclosed that a tree/tree limbs made contact with the electrical lines resulting in the
  problem which affected your home. We apologize for any inconvenience and damage you may have incurred. However, we cannot be held responsible for conditions caused by acts of nature. As a regulated private utility, Puget Sound Energy operates under the guidelines filed with and approved by the Washington Utilities and ************************** These rules and regulations establish the guidelines for claims from our customers since these costs affect the rates of all of our customers. According to these rules and regulations, losses incurred due to incidents such as this are beyond PSEs reasonable control and are, therefore, not compensable. Please see attached.  

  
  Although it is unfortunate that this incident occurred, there is not any evidence of any negligence
  attributable to Puget Sound Energy. As such, we must respectfully deny any responsibility for
  your claim. As another alternative, you may want to consider contacting your insurance carrier if
  you have not done so already.

  Thank you,

  Customer Care Leadership

  Customer response

  05/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21732945
  
  I am rejecting this response because it is unacceptable that a company could cause so much damage and not be held responsible for their equipment. This was not simply an act of nature. This was negligence on the part of Puget Sound Energy to not keep their equipment safe and reliable in an environment that was predicable. There were no high winds or other natural issues that would have caused this to occur on that day. Keeping the community safe should be their resonsibility. Although this surge only cause damage to electronic equipment in my house, it resulted in sparks and melting of surge protectors in my home. If no one had been home at the time, it could have caused a fire. My home is updated to electrical code standards, so this should not have occurred. It also happened in other neighborhood homes.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  Thank you for submitting my complaint to Puget Sound Energy. I would like it officially noted that I am NOT satisfied with their response. Can you please record that somewhere so other customers know the type of business they are dealing with if they are required to use PSE? I believe the BBB is in the business of helping customers know the unethical or otherwise negligent practices of various businesses, and I would appreciate this going into their business profile.

• Initial Complaint

  02/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased this home on 01/25/23, and that marks the date of our house closing. According to the attached Hydromax letter, a clean-out installation on the side sewer connection was necessary for sewer inspection on behalf of PSE, with whom Hydromax has a partnership/contract for such tasks. Unbeknownst to me, Hydromax subcontracted the work to ******.It's important to note that we have not yet moved into the home, and no one except ****** has been on the property, performing the required work.The attached pages from my home inspection highlight that prior to the initiation of the work, the lid to my sump pump was undamaged. However, photos provided by ****** after their completion of the work around 01/25 reveal that the lid was then damaged.Despite receiving no prior notice, ****** is refusing to address the damage, and Hydromax asserts that it's not their responsibility since the damage was caused by a subcontractor.Given these circumstances, my primary concern is promptly resolving the issue. I am open to having PSE, Hydromax, or ****** take responsibility for and rectify the damage.

  Business response

  02/13/2024

  Dear ****************,

  It's our understand that you have been contacted by ********************* from Hydromax and that an agreement has been reached.  If you have any additional questions, please contact ************ at **************.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Puget sound energy has started charging us more on our power that is already up to the point that it is going to be unaffordable to pay. I and others in our area want to know the true reason behind this nonsense. I believe that this is politically motivated. And that they are raising our rates to meet their agenda.

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  Dear **********************,

  Thank you for taking the time to file a complaint with the BBB regarding the concerns you have with rates charged by PSE.  PSE is a regulated utility governed by the **** (Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission).  All PSE rate changes must be approved by the ***.  If you have questions regarding the ***'s review and approval process you can contact the **************************** of the *** by phone at **************.  You can also visit their website at www.******.gov.  Additionally, you can visit our website at www.pse.com / Account & Billing / Rates where you can find information regarding any Regulatory Filings presented to the ***. 

  If you have specific questions regarding your PSE account, please contact our ******************** at **************.  

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Was Scammed by PSE that failed to install gas line per the Law by not compacting around Gas Line. PSE has not provided PSE verified visit or log or record Gas line was compacted around Gas Line on the Emergency Vehicle Access Road. PSE has received 9 Megawatts from residence on PSE NET METER and PSE IS FRAUDELENLTY CHARGING RESIDENCE FOR ELECTRICITY DESPITE A 9 MEGAWATTS CREDIT FROM RESIDENCE. PSE REFUSES TO GIVE THEY'RE ETHICS OR HUMAN RESOURCE PHONE NUMBER AND DOES NOT CALL BACK. A CLAIM WAS FILED AND PSE CLAIM DEPARTMENT HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY PROOF THE PSE GAS LINE IS NOT THE ONLY UTILITY WHERE THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS ROAD IS DAMAGED AND A LOCATOR MARKED THAT THE PSE GAS LINE IS THE ONLY UTILITY UNDER THE DAMAGED EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS ROAD. I HAVE A PERMENANT DISABILITY AND NEED THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE ACCESS ROAD IS PER CODE.

  Business response

  01/31/2024

  Please see our attached response.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

   
  Complaint: 21204656
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  PSE HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY PROOF THAT THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY UTILITY UNDER THE DAMAGED ROAD. A LOCATOR CONFIRMED PSE IS THE ONLY UTILITY AND THE DAMAGED AREA IS THE SAME SIZE AS THE  *** TRENCH THAT WAS NOT COMPACTED PER LAW AND THE DROP AND THE CRACKS MATCH THE FAILED NON COMPACTED AREA THAT WAS NOT COMPACTED PER CODE. I WAS STANDING NEXT TO THE *** TRENCH AND THEY DID NOT COMPACT THE FILL AS REQUIRED BY LAW. THEY NEED TO PROVIDE RECORDS PERMITS AND EQUIPMENT SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE FILL AND ALL THE ***** AND EQUIPMENT USED ON THE FILL OF THE *** LINE INCLUDING INSPECTION RECORDS AND PERMITS FROM BOTH CITIES THAT ARE IN THE *** LINE TRENCHED LOCATION THAT I VIEWED WERE NEVER COMPACTED. THE OTHER AREAS OF THE ******** THAT PSE DID NOT PUT A TRENCH IN HAVE NO DROP OR CRACKS THAT PSE *** LINE TRENCH LOCATION HAS.

   

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Puget Sound Energys service is subpar and unstable. Theyve left us without any electricity and exposed us to extremely cold temperatures. The promised power restoration time is a joke. Weve lived in different states and used many different power service providers. So were well aware of the industry standard. Puget Sound Energy is the worst by all means, without any hesitation.

  Business response

  01/23/2024

  Please see our attached response.

  Regards,

  PSE ************* Leadership

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They have not been recording usage since January 2023. This is mostly likely due to their own faulty equipment. I have made several attempts to contact them in order to reconcile the issue, but they refuse to return any of my phone calls or emails, and have neglected to send someone out to my residence to inspect the meter. I do not want to get hit with a gigantic usage bill because of a failure out of my hands.

  Business response

  01/10/2024

  Dear **************,

  We received the complaint you filed with our Regulators, the **** and have submitted our response to that complaint.  Please contact the *** investigator managing your complaint for the details.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

  Customer response

  01/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 21100167
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Again, they have not actually attempted to respond or address issues. They deflect and put it back on me to figure out what is going on with this issue. I also still do not have resolution regarding my meter or the tracking of usage through their system.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  01/10/2024

  Dear **************,

  We have provided our response to the **************** Utilities and Transportation for the complaint you filed with them.  The BBB does not regulate PSE which is why our response has been sent to the *** via the complaint you filed with them.  Hopefully our response to your *** complaint will provide you with the answers to your questions and concerns.  The *** investigator assigned to your complaint should be reaching out to you after they perform their compliance check on the information we have provided.  If you do not hear from the *** investigator soon, you will want to reach out to them directly while your *** complaint is open.  Their phone number is ************** and the investigator assigned to your complaint is *****************

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

• Initial Complaint

  01/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing this letter to express my extreme dissatisfaction and frustration regarding the recent power outage that occurred on December 24, ****. The consequences of this outage have left my family without heat for an entire week due to the need for a new *** and harness in our heating system which will not be able to be replaced for the next couple of weeks.I understand that power outages can happen, and I appreciate the efforts made by your team to restore power. However, the prolonged outage has had a severe impact on the well-being of my family, especially considering the harsh winter conditions we are currently experiencing.The lack of heat in our home has created an unbearable living situation, causing discomfort, stress, and health concerns for all members of my family. Living without heat during the winter season is not only inconvenient but also poses a significant risk to our health and safety.Upon further investigation, it has been determined that the power outage on 12-24-**** was responsible for the damage to our *** and harness. I find it unacceptable that such a situation could occur, and the resulting inconvenience and financial burden on my family are deeply distressing.I kindly request that you expedite the process of addressing the damage caused by the power outage and promptly provide a solution to restore heat to our home. Additionally, I ask for compensation for the expenses incurred in repairing or replacing the *** and harness, as well as reimbursement for any costs associated with alternative heating solutions we have had to resort to during this time.I hope you understand the urgency of this matter and take immediate action to rectify the situation. I trust that your company values the well-being of its customers and is committed to providing reliable and consistent services.

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Dear ***********************,

  We are sorry to hear about the outage you experienced and the problems with your heating system.  Based on the information you provided in your BBB Case; you will want to contact our *****************.  You can either email our ***************** at ********************************* or call the ***************** at ************.  We have included information on the Loss inquiry process which includes a Loss inquiry form shall you want to proceed with filing a claim.

  You can also access this information on our website at www.pse.com/en/Customer-Service/claims.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

   

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Our apologies for not attaching the Liability Claims for with our written information.  We have included it in this response.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

• Initial Complaint

  12/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have owned our mixed use property for over 20 years. We have gone to PSE on three occasions to add service to several buildings located on our property. There is a total of 7 meters associated with our property. On each occasion we added service we were treated professionally and never charged for the additional service engineering. None of the additions where difficult, until we tried to upgrade one of the existing services. We had subdivided our land and sold the ** corner as we are getting older and wished to down size. When we requested the upgrade we were informed that the new owner of that portion of land was not willing to ***** an easement to upgrade the existing power line. Thus what was going to be a simple upgrade turned in to a real problem. We were advised by the engineering department (**************) that we needed to add a power pole to attach to. I tried in vain to locate an approved power pole even contacting the manufacture who advised me that their entire inventory was for PSE and other power companys under contract and none where available for sale to the general public. Even thou it clearly says on the web site Your PSE project manager will work with you in completing the following items:Cost estimate Proposed project agreement Easement documentation Request for permits Submission of signed project agreements No cost estimate was ever offered. No warning of running up costs was offered until we decided the construction was just too expensive to move ahead with the project. We feel that this is a very dishonest way to conduct business. Absolutely no mention of costs was ever mentioned until we were surprised by an enormous bill. Now speaking of that bill. It was not broke down or explained just read as follows. Job Order # ********* Costs for engineering performed prior to the job being cancelled. $ ******** Total Charges Invoice ******** $ ********

  Business response

  12/28/2023

  Dear **********************,

  Following is our response and supporting documents have been included as attachments. This same information has been provided to the **** for the complaint you opened with them.

  The customer submitted the attached application for this project in January of 2023.PSE cannot speak to the customers past service requests without significant investigation.However, to address the customers statement that they were not charged for engineering for their previous requests, PSE can state those requests, like the customers current request, likely fell under our Schedule 85 tariff for line extensions and service lines. Schedule 85 tariff rates include the engineering and administrative charges associated with providing the least-cost service option to the customer.
  Once ******************** receives a signed application from a customer, we begin performing the administrative and engineering tasks required to complete the customers request. By signing and submitting an application, a customer gives ******************** approval to begin work on their project. The application includes verbiage that informs the customer they may incur additional engineering charges if there are revisions to the submitted application, and that they are responsible for any charges incurred if the project is canceled:
  
  PSEs ********************* Services (CCS) department received the application on 01/25/2023. The project required project manager review, so CCS routed it to the area hub to be assigned to a project manager. The project was assigned to a project manager that same day, 01/25/2023, and the PSE project management team contacted the customer to begin scoping the project per our normal process.
  This request required significant engineering and design time due to multiple preliminary design requests from the customer, all of which are attached. That initial preliminary design submitted to the customer on 05/19/2023 had his new overhead service crossing his neighbors lot, which required an easement from the neighbor. The customer informed the project manager he could not obtain the easement from the neighbor on 06/02/2023 and requested a new design for an underground service option on 07/09/2023. The project management team provided a second preliminary design for an underground service route on 07/24/2023. The customer found the trenching costs associated with that design were too expensive and requested another design for an overhead service option that did not cross the neighbors lot. That would require the customer to install a customer-owned round wood meter pole that meets PSEs standards. The project manager discussed that option with the customer before proceeding with a new preliminary design.The customer emailed the project manager on 08/07/2023 stating he had found a contractor to install the meter pole and asked the project manager to stake the pole location. The project manager responded requesting confirmation the customer wanted to move forward with an overhead installation. The project manager set a stake for the pole location on 08/22/2023, and sent the third preliminary design to the customer on 08/23/2023 asking for approval to proceed with finalizing the project design and project costs. The project manager did not receive a response from the customer to that 08/23/2023 email and followed up with additional emails on 09/20/2023 and 10/18/2023.
  It is standard practice to send a formal cost estimate to the customer once the final design has been completed and approved though PSEs internal design check process. Per Schedule 85 Sheet I ******* G.a.ix, the formal cost estimate for the customers project would be an initial up front cost estimate, which would include all costs associated with the projects design and engineering, as well as the costs associated with the materials and construction activities.
  Because the customer never approved moving forward with finalizing any of the preliminary designs, the project management team did not proceed with the additional engineering work required to finalize the design and formalize the project costs.
  Upon receiving no response from the customer, the project manager sent a job cancelation notice letter on 11/29/2023 to confirm if the project was still viable, as it was approaching one year since the application was submitted. This is in accordance with Schedule 85, ******** ******* H.b,
  
  The customer returned the notice letter stating that the job was no longer viable and needed to be canceled. Attached is a copy of that notice letter signed by the customer.
  Based on that acknowledgement that the job was not moving forward, PSE proceeded to cancel the project and bill the customer for the $6,491.23 in engineering costs. That amount is for 20 hours of project manager time and **** hours of engineer time plus associated overheads. The project manager and engineer time is for all three preliminary designs, which involved multiple site visits,phone calls, and emails as well as engineering calculations to size equipment and wire for each scenario, and time associated with creating the thee CAD preliminary designs. The time breaks down to 7-9 hours per design, which is reasonable for the work scopes of each preliminary design.
  The customer emailed the project manager on Friday, 12/15/2023 asking about the canceled engineering charges. Given the upcoming holiday and multiple people on the project management team taking time off, the project manager did not have a chance to reply to the customers email prior to their time off. The project manager did engage the area supervisor, who was in the process of reviewing this project when the customer submitted this complaint.
  ******************** is happy to work with the customer on a solution if he still would like to move forward with the project and have his engineering fees applied to construction activities. If so, PSE project manager will resend the job cancelation notice le.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

  Customer response

  12/29/2023

  We where never informed we where incurring fee's or cost involved with trying to get power to our building. I sincerely thought PSE was there to help and assist. 

   

  At no time was anything ever said to us about engineering fee's until we cancelled the project. 

  Customer response

  12/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 21047193
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  No effort was made to compromise on these charges. We feel we where taken advantage of and PSE did not provide adequate information to us about pricing and cost involved with the project.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Puget Sound Energy is gouging their customers with an outrageous rate increase. I own 3 properties in **************** area and all 3 of the bills have doubled in 1 month. My 82 year old mother lives in my property at ************************* ****** and her bill went from $124.00 to $272. She lives alone and has had no changes to her settings in the last month. My bill went from $70. to $155., this is more than half. When I called Puget Sound Energy they cannot give me a $ amount of the rate increase that went into effect in November. Every person I have talked to has their bills doubled this month. This rate increase is gouging and I believe that they should be investigated. Why can't they divulge the $ amount this increase is?? I used **** kilowatts in November 2022 and my bill was $124.13. I used **** kilowatts and my bill is 155. This seems like an outrageous increase and should not be tolerated by consumers.

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  Dear **************,

  Please see our attached response.

  Regards,
  PSE ************* Leadership

  Customer response

  12/19/2023

  As stated in the response letter I asked for a Supervisor or Manager to call me back, and no one has called me back. So the Washington ******************** approved a rate increase of *****% tier 1 first 600 whs used and *****% tier 2 over 600 whs used. I can understand a 10% increase, but almost 25%, this is ridiculous! Our gas prices, and food prices have gone up and senior citizens are still on a fixed income, how can they approve this right before Christmas and expect people to not respond or get upset. If you check ******** it is blowing up with complaints re the outrageous increase that everyone is facing with their Puget Sound Energy bills. The commission needs to reconvene and reconsider this increase at this time in our economy. You will see an increase in senior citizens applying for assistance to pay their bills, I know my Mom has to do this. She is 82 and cannot afford the outrageous increase, now she is cold, not comfortable in her own home because she can't afford the increase of almost 25%. I ask PSE to reconsider this for the sake of our society and customers and send out letters to all customers explaining exactly what they did! This is not acceptable!

  Customer response

  12/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 21003677
  
  I am rejecting this response because this is not acceptable to allow an almost 25% increase in todays economy and not advising their customers of this huge increase. The commission needs to reconvene and reconsider this during the high priced economy that we live in. It's almost as expensive as ********** and ******** to live here. Do they want to price people out of living in this state? What about the effects on senior citizens who are living on a fixed income and cannot afford a 25% increase to their utility bill. My Mom had to lower her thermostat and wear layers of sweaters to try and keep warm in her own home. There will be an increase of applications for assistance. Our homes should be comfortable, we have no control over the gas increase and food increase, but this increase is ridiculous!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*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. ↩