ALLENTOWN – PennLive is reporting… The president of PPL apologized to customers on Tuesday, saying the electricity provider has “fallen short of [our] standard in both our billing and responsiveness to customers.” The apology from Steph Raymond comes after PPL used historical usage data to generate estimated bills many customers say seemed far in excess of their past use.
They further said they endured long waits or found it impossible to reach someone at PPL to discuss their bill. “If you received an estimated bill or have had difficulty reaching our call center, I apologize. Simply put, you deserve better, and we are committed to regaining your trust,” Raymond said in a written statement Tuesday.
Raymond cited earlier statements from PPL saying the estimated bills resulted from a technical problem that prevented PPL from using actual usage data for some customers’ bills sent between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9. She said the problem involved a “significant number of bills.” Raymond said the problem has been fixed, enabling PPL to generate bills based on actual usage.
Moreover, a problem that prevented customers from going online to see their usage data also has been fixed, she said. She said the estimated bills may have been higher or lower than actual use. “If this impacted you, you have either already received a corrected bill with actual usage or an adjustment on your next monthly bill to ensure you only pay for the electricity you used,” she said.
Meantime…
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — WHTM is reporting… The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has initiated a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the high bills received by customers served by PPL Electric Utilities (PPL). PUC will also be investigating the accuracy and integrity of PPL’s billing practices. PUC’s independent Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement will be investigating the matter. The bureau enforces the state public utility code and PUC regulations.
If you believe that PPL hasn’t addressed their issues or responded to the situation appropriately, you are urged to contact the PUC’s Bureau of Consumer Services (BCS) at 1-800-692-7380. If you haven’t been able to reach PPL’s agents or haven’t received a response from PPL, you should contact BCS to report those problems.
