ComplaintsforWe Energies

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  To WE Energies: Attached you will find a letter I received from WE Energies stating that I owe additional money for electric service due to the negligence of the subcontractor in mis-assigning the meter to the wrong address in this new construction. I was the first person to live in the unit as was everyone in the building during my time there. As you know, a third party cannot be held responsible for the negligence of the builder or subcontractor. Additionally, the subcontractor is required to provide a certification before WE Energies accepted the service of this building stating that the work performed met the legal requirements of performance which includes *****************. If any mis-assignment of meters was found by WE Energies they would have been obligated to notify the building builder/owner/manager that is one and the same and who ultimately has responsibility for your claim. Apparently, that was not done.I have contacted the owner, builder and subcontractor for this project to make them accountable for this issue. Attached you find their response which, in summary, states WE Energies had made the mistake on their end.Clearly, We Energies or, the builder/subcontractor are wrong. Therefore, I require documentation of WE Energies claim that there was mis-billing with specifics as to how this was determined, how it was dealt with and why the owner/builder/manager was not notified of an issue with the mis-assignment of meters by their subcontractor. Undoubtedly there are more units mis-assigned.Additionally, I would like the number of any/all meter(s) assigned to unit 223, located at *********************************************************************, as well as a copy of all Meter Test Records to date for the meter(s) serving that unit.Additionally, I note on page two of We Energies October 27, 2023 letter to me that I was billed for a period of April 26 to May 31. I would like to know on what date the service for this unit was discontinued under my name.

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  We Energies strives to ensure every customer is being billed for their actual consumption. However, whenever we are notified that adjustments are necessary, the utility is required to rebill per code.  We apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you and encourage you to contact our ******************** for additional clarification if necessary, at ************.

  Customer response

  03/27/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I am within my legal rights to request the information on this matter as per my letter.  Based on the information they have supplied, they have only confirmed their collusion with the builder/owner, Horizon, to obstruct my claim against them.   Therefore, I am left with no alternative but to include WE Energies in my lawsuit in order to acquire the requested information.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called customer service today regarding my Current Bill, I advised to them that my electricity bill went up to *****, which has to be correct, I advised them that the reading was in error. My previous months averaged between 40 and 46 dollars monthly. The heat is paid by the Landlord, I work from 3:30-12:30 almost 7 days a week, when I come home at night the only thing on is the refrigerator. Im up about 3 hours watching my new energy saving TV. Then its to bed for a full 8-10 hours, breakfast, ready for work and repeat. Very easily proven that something is wrong, Ive attached my actual billing history, if need be I can send over my work schedule.

  

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  We have been in communication with this customer since he originally submitted his high-bill concern to the Better Business Bureau, and he has advised he will be back in communication with us at his earliest convenience. As the BBB is aware, We Energies is required to bill all consumption that registers on our gas and electric meters, and those meters have proven, as a whole and over many years, to be extremely accurate. We are happy to offer assistance in diagnosing possible culprits for higher-than-expected usage, but we do not own or service any private appliances or equipment.

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Stop emailing me anything other than legally required emails. I never signed up to receive them.

  

  Business response

  03/15/2024

  Our records indicate this customer has been enrolled in Paper-Free Billing since their account was established in 2014. A requirement of being enrolled in the Paper-Free Billing feature is to receive an email notification when a new bill is issued. According to our records, this is the only email notification the customer receives. Notification preferences,including Outage Alerts, can also be updated online or through our mobile app simply by signing into your My Account profile. If the customer has further questions or concerns, they are encouraged to contact our ************* Center,which is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week at **************, for further assistance. 

  Customer response

  03/16/2024

  I receive non-billing related emails such as the one on 3/14/24 with the subject "My Energy Gram". Paperless billing means a receipt for a payment posted, not being bombarded with unsolicited emails. Stop emailing me anything other than a payment posting.

• Initial Complaint

  02/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have an issue with my budget billing, over 12 months you guys charged me $2,960.61, i used $2,422.02 in natural gas/electric, that is an overcharge of $538.59!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This is beyond wrong.12/27/20231,047$192.0360.4$52.70$244.73$0.00$210.00 *11/27/2023898$169.7146.6$40.00$209.71$0.00$232.00 *10/23/2023669$135.1812.7$17.03$152.21$234.23$466.23 *09/25/2023773$155.292.1$12.02$167.31$0.00$232.00 *08/25/2023960$186.632.1$11.39$198.02$0.00$232.00 *07/27/2023972$189.783.2$12.71$202.49$0.00$232.00 *06/26/2023771$154.512.1$11.87$166.38$0.00$166.38 *05/26/2023695$140.6419$19.35$159.99$0.00$238.00 *04/26/2023804$153.0747.1$39.84$192.91$0.00$238.00 *03/24/2023778$146.7767.9$73.80$220.57$0.00$238.00 *02/23/2023806$150.9479.7$86.24$237.18$0.00$238.00 *01/26/20231,121$200.6959$69.83$270.52$0.00$238.00 *

  

  Business response

  03/01/2024

  This customer has been enrolled in our Budget Billing program since June 2020. We have completed a thorough review of her Budget Billing history and have determined she has been accurately and appropriately billed for the energy services consumed at her home. A document has been provided to the customer for their review with a detailed analysis of billing and payment history dating back to June 2020 when they were enrolled in Budget Billing. If this customer has further questions or concerns, she is encouraged to contact us at **************, as transactional matters cannot be discussed through third parties like the Better Business Bureau. Customer Consultants are available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to assist. 

  Customer response

  03/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  I overpaid more than $500+ this past year, 2023, i also did all the math.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I vacated the apartment I was living in (located at *************************************************************************) on January 31st, ****. I contacted WE Energies to cancel my service, but when I called their customer service department on February 10, **** to inquire about my bill which has conflicting information, I just got the run around. There was no supervisor to assist and I was told by the rude customer service agent to call back on Monday. According to my bill, I'm being charged for services until Feb 2nd and the customer service agent says that I'm actually being billed until Feb 3rd. Either way, I'm being overcharged. I'd like an adjustment to the bill right away. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2024

  The customer did not submit a request to close his account and therefore end his billing responsibility until 02/02/2024. As requested,the meter was read at the end of the day (midnight between 02/02/2024 and 02/03/2024)and a final bill statement was issued. The landlord has since taken over the billing responsibility of the unit. If the customer moved out prior to his account closure date, he is encouraged to contact the landlord to discuss possible compensation. We are unable to backdate any stop service requests. 

  Customer response

  02/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  WE Energies does not address the erroneous information regarding my account, not only online but also by their customer service ****** which says I'm being billed until Feb 3rd, 2024.  They say that they cannot back date the cancellation either.  This is unethical and illegal.  It's illegal because I did NOT live there since Feb 1st and did NOT use their electricity services since Jan 31st, yet they're charging me for those few days nevertheless.  I'm not accepting their response.  WE Energies wants me to put pressure and fight it out with my property management company, instead of just doing the right thing and giving me a refund (which is a nominal amount).  I will be filing futher complaints with consumer agencies affiliated with the State of Wisconsin and Federal authorities.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  01/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I mail payment(s) into WE Energies each month as soon as bills are received. When payments were processed in *********, I could even wait until a few days before the due date.Since WE Energies began to process payments in ************, ******** the company has become incredibly slow. Most recently, I mailed in payments on January 13. The last bill being received on January 12. As of today (January 27), those payments have yet to be presented to my banks. So I went online and made duplicate electronic payments. This makes budgeting extremely difficult and will eventually result in duplicate payments.Last week, I E-mailed the company about the problem. In reply, I received a rather summary reply that in now takes WE Energies 7 to 10 business days to process a payment. Their reply was (is) of no help.The decline in quality of customer service could unfairly (and untruthfully) affect my credit rating by mistakenly indicating that I am a late payer, which I am not. To avoid that, I have to begun to logon daily to monitor them.Is this something a customer should have to do, especially with a public monopoly with presumably more than sufficient resources? In my opinion, this is a situation that is onerous and unacceptable. It is certainly something WE Energies could correct.Is WE Energies using their monopoly power to create an excuse to force an automatic debit on my bank accounts each month? If so, I believe this to be an unfair (and perhaps even illegal) business practice.I prefer mailing payment as checks are easier to track and document and create a paper trail. It is also has greater safety by avoiding hackers.Is there anyway to get WE Energies to expedite my payments?

  

  Business response

  01/29/2024

  This customers most recent bill statement was issued on 12/29/2023. Payment via check was received in our ************************* on 01/24/2024 and was posted to the customers account by the morning of 01/26/2024. Once received, payments are typically posted within 1-2 business days. The delay the customer references is likely caused by delays in the post office, as a review of the customers account indicates that once checks are received, the payment is posted to their account within 1-2 business days. The customer has never been assessed a late payment charge. Rest assured, your credit score is not impacted, as we no longer report to the three major credit bureaus. While we understand the customers desire to continue to send paper checks, the best way to alleviate any delay is to make electronic payments through our safe and secure website or mobile app. 

  Customer response

  02/01/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is somewhat satisfactory to me.  For now.  This is not the first time I've had problems since WE Energies moved their receivables to ***************** doubt their explanation that **** is responsible.  I suspect the payment simply sat in sort sort of incoming container was simply not recorded as being received until much later.  Additionally, as I mentioned in my complaint, in the past I have received an E-Mail from WE Energies stating that the company usually takes ***** business days to process a payment.  Nonetheless, I will accept the company's explanation for now.  I reserve the right to open a new complaint should I continue to have the same problem.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Over the summer, I had a tree removal company out to prune and remove branches from my powerlines, they said they were not allowed to touch the trees and WE Energies owns the maintenance of them because normal companies do not have the right equipment for operating around powerlines. I called WE Energies to have the tree/powerline maintenance done near the lines to avoid potential issues. They declined coming out to do it and said branches could touch and if they weren't causing an issue with my power currently, they were not a problem. We moved in Fall, and with that understanding, I did not call again about branches interfering with powerlines at my new home. My new home (along with *******+ others) was without power from 6PM Friday the 12th through 10:30AM Sunday the 14th. During this time, temperatures were below freezing, that Saturday, temperatures plunged below zero and we did not have heat! There was a heavy snow storm Friday that caused this to be a wide spread event. That said, we get snow all the time. All of this could have been avoided with proactive tree trimming. As a consumer, we cannot choose another provider for energy nor can we even proactively trim the trees ourselves via a different tree company. We are at the helm of WE Energies, this event shows how careless they are with the safety of others, their complete lack of proper powerline maintenance caused a completely avoidable catastrophe. They should be held accountable at a higher standard for maintaining power to homes, its all they do. They need to continue clearing the powerlines beyond emergencies to ensure homes can have consistent power at all times. Power outages are very common with them, this should not be the norm.

  

  Business response

  01/29/2024

  We are very sorry to hear you were without power. We understand the inconvenience that can occur as a result of a power outage and the impact it may have on you and your family, especially in an extended outage such as this. The severe weather conditions and heavy snow made our restoration efforts very difficult, caused extensive forestry damage, and took down hundreds of power lines throughout our service territory which created a large number of hazards. In many cases, special crews and equipment were needed to make repairs, which in turn required more time to restore service. Dedicated workers from across Wisconsin and the Midwest were also brought in to assist our crews with restoration efforts.
  
  We work hard to provide safe, reliable energy services to our customers. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding with us while being without power and apologize for any inconvenience you experienced.

  Customer response

  01/31/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  The response from the business only makes excuses for their poor planning. Nothing in their response shows a commitment to change or anything on how they will avoid this in the future. Will they do proactive pruning of trees by lines in summer months? Will they proactively bury lines to avoid being forced to deal with this? They do not deserve an A+ rating on BBB if they cannot make commitments to customers that they can depend on.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  02/13/2024

  We have recently completed extensive tree trimming of a section of this feeder's mainline where many of the recent outages originated. Also, a significant portion of the lines radiating from this feeder are part of an undergrounding project expected to be completed by early ****. This project is expected to significantly improve service reliability for our customers.

  Customer response

  02/14/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  First off.. we dont have a choice on power companys. Thats the first problem. Second. This big storm, we have been out of power going on 12 hours now. 3rd- this whole state got hit by the snow storm. There are 14 power companys in this state. ******* total without power in the whole state. WE, ****** no power in SE Wisconsin. Update your power grid. My house power goes out if the grill smoke blows on it. This is getting out of hand. Like I said. I dont have a choice in power companys and its nothing but a rip off

  

  Business response

  01/29/2024

  We are very sorry to hear you were without power. We understand the inconvenience that can occur as a result of a power outage and the impact it may have on you and your family, especially in an extended outage such as this. The severe weather conditions and heavy snow made our restoration efforts very difficult, caused extensive forestry damage, and took down hundreds of power lines throughout our service territory which created a large number of hazards. In many cases, special crews and equipment were needed to make repairs, which in turn required more time to restore service. Dedicated workers from across Wisconsin and the Midwest were also brought in to assist our crews with restoration efforts.
  
  We work hard to provide safe, reliable energy services to our customers. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding with us while being without power and apologize for any inconvenience you experienced.

• Initial Complaint

  12/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This complaint to for gas line relocation work order WK ******* in the Town of Brookfield I have zoning / building permit for a house addition at my residence at ********************************************, I spoke with Energy ****************************** During our phone conversation I explained my home addition plans and timeline which would require my existing gas line to be relocated prior my foundation work.The purpose of this conversation was to determine whether or not I could complete my project this fall or I need to wait for spring **** due to the concrete work required.I also explained that I would like to bury my electrical line but that was not required to start construction.He stated that electrical relocation takes longer than gas line work. He said that the gas line relocation process from beginning to end was about 6-8 weeks and suggested I submit file separate request to not delay the process. I followed his recommendation 9/14 and put a 11/1 request date on the gas line application.After my application was received I was working with ******************* Consultant *****************************. ******* has been good in responding email, although I absolutely get no firm responses on when this project will be completed.WE Energies has had a permit for this work since 11/6, FOUR weeks now. I made sure it was processed by the Town the day they received it. The work has not been complete or even scheduled. I have contacted their contractor directly to try and get some firm answers as well. They acknowledge the work but will not commit or return phone calls.The bottom line and problem is that I was given inaccurate information or they have no interest in helping me complete the $1600 of work that was paid upfront (10/23) 6 weeks ago, on the day it was quoted. The original 6-8 weeks is now 12! I need this completed by 12/7/2023 or I'll have expiring GC contracts, winter material storage -this won't be finished in the Spring.A one day $1.6K job has halted a $150k job.

  

  Business response

  12/11/2023

  Residential Energy Service Consultant was in contact with the customer throughout the process.  The customer was anxious to have the relocation complete in order for construction to start on his home. ************* expressed his profound appreciation with how quickly We Energies crews completed the work. They began the gas service relocation on 12/4 and it was complete on 12/5.  His contractor has already begun **************** now that the service is relocated.

  Customer response

  12/11/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Last month I was roommates with someone. We both recently got our own places. For some reason, we energies put their address onto both of our accounts and are billing me for their place. I informed them I have no relation to said address so they did remove my name from the address, which is what they told me they did in the past week. So now I have been removed from that address twice yet now they've sent me a bill for that place

  

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  Based on the forms submitted we believe we completed the start and stop requests for these customers accurately, and we regret any confusion about their intent. We have, however, noted that the start dates for the account in question do not seem to line up with each other, which is why there are still charges for this customer. Based on this information we would encourage these customers to contact us directly at their earliest convenience to ensure we have executed their requests as desired.

*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. ↩