Complaints

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:04/16/2025

  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.

  On 01/29/25 I received emergency assistance with my electric bill for $181.31. AEP received payment same day. However it was not posted to my account until 02/18/25 causing my electric service to be disconnected four days later. Had the payment been posted in a timely manner my electric service would still be on. When asked why the payment wasn't posted earlier they seemed to not have an answer. I'm still with no service as of now today

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2025

  We have made six unsuccessful attempts to reach Ms. *****. We attempted at both the phone number provided in this inquiry, and the phone number listed on the customer's account. On our final attempt to the phone number of ************* on April 22, 2025, at 9:19 am, a male, who refused his name advised that we had a wrong number. The male also advised he was not associated with, nor knew anyone associated with the address listed, then abruptly ended the call. 

  The account referenced above was made current with a **** payment in November of 2024. The customer agreed to a payment arrangement which was not fulfilled resulting in a 120 day past due balance. The account was de-energized on February 24, 2025, due to delinquency. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/14/2025

  Type:Billing 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.

  Aep is charging what they call a deposit to my monthly bill because of late payments. I only get paid twice a month and I’m the only one working in my household so I can’t always pay on time. This is not a late fee . Late fee is separate. The customer representative said it’s a deposit they will charge me on top of my monthly bill because I pay my bill late . I have never had my service disconnected and I’ve been a customer for 14 years and this is the first time I have had this to happen . So it went from me having a hard time paying my regular monthly bill to paying an extra $444 deposit on top of that and this was conveniently started right when they put in the new digital meter. The customer service rep is trying to argue with me that it doesn't have anything to do with it.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2025

  We spoke to Mrs. ******* ****** today (April 25, 2025) at 11:24 am. Mrs. ****** was advised of the guidelines for the deferred deposit. Since 2014, we have spoken to Mrs. ****** on five separate occasions, all on a recorded line, advising of the deferred deposit guidelines. We explained that while there are circumstances that warrant us removing a deferred deposit on an account, one time for the history of the account, we were not able to remove the deferred deposit as it has been removed on three other occasions. 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/17/2025

  Type:Billing 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 is for **** ***'s account Account #: *************** There are many residents complaining about Appalachian Power hiking up monthly electricity bills. Personally, I have had emails from this company and bills going up towards 1,000.00 a month, which is comparable to a monthly mortgage payment. I have reached out via phone and the BBB but this company refuses to lower their billing. Residents are leaving WV state because of this price gouging. I explained to a manager today at Appalachian Power that many are going to the Attorney General to complain about the company's business practices but so far there has not been anything done and there have not yet been any class action lawsuits filed. I also explained that I am a recipient of Medicaid and of the Federal Entitlement program and receive a fixed social security income due to my husband passing away (Survivor's Benefits) and I cannot shoulder the burden of these price hikes while taking care of severely disabled children under the age of 7 years at home. I just cannot. I am forced to apply for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) because I am unable to keep paying these bills even with the company's payment program. Due to being on Medicaid and receiving EBT (Food Stamp Program), I will not be liable to pay Appalachian Power during the month of March and they cannot shut off my power because I am in this program.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/27/2025

  The customer recently filed a commission complaint. Attached is the same response we provided to the commission.

  Customer is on AMP which is currently $266.00 and the account is current. The AMP deferred balance is 719.92. 

  Usage history indicates high bills during the colder months, indicating whatever type of heating customer is using. There were no rate changes and no “price gouging”, this is what the customer used. 
  Usage history, customer opened the account 9/13/23:
  

  03/04/25  29 015            3,271  Y                            O    527.77 
  02/03/25  31 015            5,250  Y                            O    706.15 
  01/03/25  32 015            3,625  Y                            O    506.58 
  12/02/24  33 015            1,563  Y                            O    255.44 
  10/30/24  29 015              553  Y                            O    106.22 
  10/01/24  32 015              644  Y                            O    120.07 
  08/30/24  29 015            1,012  Y                            O    171.71 
  08/01/24  30 015            1,367  Y                            O    224.70 
  07/02/24  29 015            1,114  Y                            O    186.94 
  06/03/24  32 015              752  Y                            O    132.76 
  05/02/24  29 015              726  Y                            O    128.88 
  04/03/24  30 015              981  Y                            O    166.85 
  03/04/24  31 015            2,042  Y                            O    324.94 
  02/02/24  29 015            3,090  Y                            O    423.75  
  01/04/24  34 015            2,679  Y                            O    375.02  
  12/01/23  31 015            2,023  Y                            O    298.28  
  10/31/23  29 015              639  Y                            O    115.18  
  10/02/23  19 015              276  Y                            O     53.31  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/27/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  Who pays electric bills that are nearly a mortgage payment each month? If I were not on a payment plan, that is what I would be paying with this utility company. Even for an electrically heated home, this is outrageous. I do not care what usage they claim I have. They are not out here taking photos of my meter. They can make anything up. 

  Regards,
  
  **** ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2025

  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.

  I've already paid the deposit I had the inspection done and passed like they wanted I can give you all the proof you need this electric company tells me they are going to come hook my power up and still haven't I've been out more money trying to get my power on then what it should

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2025

  I am pleased to inform you that the power was successfully connected today. If you have any questions or need further details, please feel free to contact our customer service center at **************

  Appalachian Power 

  Customer Service 

  C. M*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/07/2025

  Type:Billing 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 live in a small 800 sq/ft apartment. My electric bill was $750 last month with a $200 deposit. This is not acceptable. AEP is a joke and continues to steal from West Virginians. When will this stop? They are added on surcharges which shouldn't apply to their consumers. Also riders that include but are not limited to: ECS, Expanded Net Energy Cost, Vegetation Management Program Surcharge, Business Ready Site Program, Broadband Surcharge, Renewable Energy Tariff, Modified Rate Base Cost Surcharge and many more. The Expanded Net Energy cost IS MORE THAN MY Power BILL. How is this legal? How is this okay? The fact by Energy Usage is LOWER than a Surcharge is not acceptable. And AEP needs to be investigated.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2025

  Good Evening,  

  Effective your last meter reading of 01/31/2025, your charges due are $1285.75. The electric charges specifically for the most recent billing period was $615.75, which was for 3871 kWh's at $537.77, and a deposit installment of $74.00.  

  A detailed breakdown of your bill is available on our website. *******************************************************. In addition, you can find information and videos on how rates are calculated and what charges are applicable. 

  Your base rates only change when we file a base rate request. Riders and Surcharges can change more frequently. This allows us to align our costs with recovery. 

  We are a regulated utility. The WV Public Service Commission approves or disallows rate requests based on the costs we have to operate our utility in WV. 

  If you have any additional questions, contact us at ***************  

  Thank you 

  ********* 

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2025

  Type:Billing 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.

  Price gouging. Bills jumping from $200 to almost $400 for the same amount of usage. When I called I was told to just buy a new heating unit and when I said I couldn’t afford to do that, I was then told to move out of my home into an apartment.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2025

  Hello, 
  We spoke to *** ******** ****** (daughter) to *** ***** ****** today (01-23-25). Ms. ****** explained that she would like to speak on behalf of her father as he had difficulty hearing. We reviewed the billing history for the account listed. We explained that the usage had increased recently as was "normal" for this premise when viewing historical seasonal usage data. Ms. ****** explained that her father was on a fixed income, therefore we offered an average monthly plan. She declined at this time but will speak with her father and call back if she feels it is something that he finds beneficial. We answered a few questions that Ms. ****** asked. Finally, we took a moment to recognize the ****** family for having perfect payment history and let her know that we want to help in any way that we can. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 have been trying to get electric service to my home new construction site. I contacted Appalachian Power (AP) and set up my account in April, 2024. After taking several months for them to get easements signed I signed the application/agreement for underground service Aug 26 and completed payment in the amount of $15,980.41 Aug 30. Hearing nothing, I followed up via email with Drake W****** at AP on Sep 18. He replied that he forwarded my follow up email to the contractors. Hearing nothing I again followed up via email on Sep 22 with Drake. No response. I followed up again on Sep 25. After that he gave via email a “broad timeframe of October." On Oct 4 I followed up with Drake via email to get a more exact time frame. No response. After another email follow up Oct 9 he sent the contractor an email, cc’ing me. No response from them. I followed up Oct 15 and he responded Oct 16 saying they expected "the bore crew to start the week of the [Oct] 28th.” No work had been done by Nov 1 (end of the week of Oct 28), I followed up again and was told that someone would contact me the following Monday. No one did. I followed up Nov 5 and was told that the crew should be at the site that Thursday or Friday. The crew did not show up. I followed up again with Drake Nov 12. No response. I called the general customer service number. I talked with a woman named ******* and was told the crew should be there Friday Nov 22. I was at the site Nov 23. A crew was there but hadn’t done any work and said they needed a different piece of equipment. By Dec 5 no work had been done. I talked with ****** ******* in customer service. She said she had left a message for the expediter and would leave a message for ******* to find out more info. Drake emailed me Dec 12 stating the bore crew was set to arrive on site Dec 17. I visited the site Dec 21. It looked like some work had been done but was only about 20-25% complete. Since then no further work has been done and I have had no updates from AP.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2025

  Mr. *****, 

  Thank you for providing us information on your experience. We escalated your complaint to our scheduling department and records indicate that power was connected 02/06/2025.  

  Various factors, such as high demand, weather conditions, etc. can sometimes cause unexpected delays. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time.

  If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to us.

  Thanks  

  APCo Customer Service 

  **** 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2025

  [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 would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait until for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/07/2025

  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 problem is I'm being milked dry by AEP I am literally paying thousands a year just to have the services I pay for interrupted everytime the wind blows then they take their sweet time to restore my services! 3, 4, who knows how many days!!! I'm sick of it they are absolutely insubordinate and should be held to a higher standard ppl depend on their electricity!! It's winter below freezing temperatures for God's sake

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  We reached out to Ms. ******* today (01-07-25) at approximately 2:35 pm. Ms. ******* did not wish to discuss her concerns, explained that she is frustrated with the recent outage due to Storm Blair and abruptly ended the call. Our Customer Solutions Center can be reached 24 hours per day, 7 days per week at ************** should Ms. ******* need further assistance. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2024

  Type:Billing 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 have paid American Electric Power well over 500 dollars in the past 3-4 months. My electric bill was only 5.84 last month. I paid them 85.00 and they are charging me another 54.86 this month. I had a past due amount but I also made extra payments on it. The lady I spoke to said that the extra money I paid last month was applied to the money I still owed for the payment arrangement that should have already been paid off in the first place. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/24/2024

  Look it is well known that the Utility Companies are and have been overcharging people for a long time.

  I want it to stop 

  This is ridiculous.

  I have also made contact with the public service commission here in West Virginia and they are looking into it as well.

  I am tired of being over charged as well as countless others who are afraid to speak up for fear of losing our electricity.

  We need help here in West Virginia to stop this monopoly from going any further.

  Thank you.

   ***** ****** 

  Business Response

  Date: 01/07/2025

  We spoke to Ms. ****** today (01-07-25) regarding her concerns. Ms. ****** explained that she needed a little help with understanding the balance on the account. The recent payment paid off the payment arrangement and allows for a little credit that will apply to Ms. ******'s next billing cycle charges. Ms. ****** has been provided with a direct contact phone number should she have any issues in the future. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/11/2024

  Type:Billing 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 have been at this address since October of 2023 and am the new owner of this property. I noticed when I first moved in a representative at Appalachian Power warned me to stay ahead of paying the electricity bill which I thought was a very odd warning since I have always paid all my utility bills on time. When my bill came, I understood why she said this because my winter bill was over 400.00 USD and I still managed to pay for everything in full by the time the winter season ended. This winter of 2024, I made sure to always keep the heat on two floors at 60 degrees while using the third floor at around 68 degrees because I have small children who need to be warm in the cold months. We barely use lights at night in the house unless we are in the room occupying it. Other lights throughout the house are off. We never use over the 69 degree heat and just got a warning email from this company saying our bill is supposed to be estimated at over 800.00 this month! I don't know what is going on but this seems clearly to be some kind of fraudulent activity and it is forcing me to sell my house come this Spring because I have never paid this much for heat and electricity even when I lived in New York City growing up. This is ridiculous to expect a West Virginia resident to pay this much. I am a widowed mother of two autistic kids living on death benefits from social security. This company is ploughing me under and I will need to sell my house soon because they are overcharging me for heat when we do not even use much of it. Do they want us to not use heat at all and freeze our pipes???????? I just called this company and they can't even provide a detailed meter reading for the past week so how are people supposed to know if this company is price gouging? My electrician and HVAC personnel says nothing is wrong with my systems. I have a new HVAC system!

  Business Response

  Date: 12/17/2024

  An audit of the account determined that usage is in line with historical usage data and all readings provided for billing were actual reads. No estimated readings were used to calculate the usage and balance due. We would like to speak with the customer in an attempt to resolve customer questions and concerns. 

  We have made 4 unsuccessful attempts to reach the customer. The attempts were made on December 11, 2024, at 2:29 pm, December 13, 2024, at 11:45 am, December 13, 2024, at 1:33 pm, and December 17, 2024, at 2:15 pm. We left our name, date and time of call, along with our direct contact information at each attempt. Our customer operations center is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week if the customer would like to review usage and billing. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/17/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  There are no voicemails from this company and I have checked my phone repeatedly.

  The over 800.00 USD email from this company is NOT in accordance for previous usage which was around 400.00-500.00. I paid the prior bills from this company but should have filed a complaint about this company even back when it was 400.00-500.00 because it is an excessive charge to be billed to any resident regardless of usage. No usage would be that high to begin with as I have clearly explained that we keep our home under 68 degrees in the winter and under 61 degrees when we leave the houe in the winter and there are NO electrical or HVAC existing issues. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ***

  Business Response

  Date: 12/17/2024

  We have left a second voicemail again today (12-17-24) at 4:06 pm. We would like to speak to the customer 1:1 and will make every effort to accommodate a time that works for her. If the phone number provided of ************ is not correct, please provide a good contact phone number. 

  The information that the customer is providing in the complaint is inaccurate. We feel as though we could help the customer gain an understanding of usage and billing if we are able to speak over a phone call.