Peoples Natural Gas

Tell us why here...We called and spoke with [redacted] ***- explained final bill balance $was to be transferred to his father's account when the October 20, payment was made The transfer was never completed and the payment of $was used to pay a security deposit and an activation charge on the father's account and paid his budget in advance for months Advised would trsf balance to father and notify the collection company to stop collections and remove the information from his credit report [redacted] indicated he was satisfied

This is in response to the complaint received from [redacted] *** (ID # [redacted] ) Thank you for taking the time to contact Peoples Gas and providing us with the opportunity to review Ms***’s concerns.Ms [redacted] currently participates in the budget billing program The budget plan is designed for the customer to spread the cost of winter heating throughout the year by making balanced monthly payments When participating in the budget billing plan you are paying the monthly budget amount and not the current charges Therefore, at times the account may have an account balance or an account credit A monthly budget payment is due each month regardless of the actual account balanceIf the required budget payment is not received, a late payment charge is assessed based on the past due amount In turn, if the customer’s monthly budget amount is less than the account balance, a late payment charge is not assessed as long as the required budget payment is madeThe budget program is optional If Ms [redacted] wishes to no longer participate in budget billing, she may contact the Customer Service Center at ###-###-####As a one-time courtesy, Peoples Gas has reversed the late payment charge in the amount of $1.87.Peoples Natural Gas offers numerous options to remit payment While certain payment options do require a processing fee, alternative payment options are available free of charge All payment options may be viewed by visiting: [redacted] Peoples Natural Gas strives to provide quality customer service We hope Ms***’s concerns have been addressed If you need additional information, please feel free to call ###-###-####, Monday Through Friday, 8:A.Mto 5:P.M.Sincerely, [redacted] *Customer Relations Specialist

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address Mr [redacted] ’s concerns Mr [redacted] had an account with Peoples Natural Gas from December 2, through April 1, for natural gas service at [redacted] *During this time the company rendered monthly bills for the gas used and mailed them to the service addressThe average monthly bill for this account was $The highest bill issued was $issued on February 1, for usage of MCF of natural gas from December 31, to January 31, Beyond one occurrence on January 6, 2010, the account balance was never paid in full On March 25, 2013, Mr [redacted] contacted Peoples Natural Gas and asked to end service in his nameThe company obtained a final meter reading on April 1, and issued a final bill on April 2, bringing the Total Account Balance to $1,This balance includes unpaid charges for gas used between June 7, and April 1, 2013, a period of approximately monthsThis final balance has remained unchanged since the rendering of the final billThe company has no record of issuing a bill to Mr [redacted] for $1, On May 24, Peoples Natural Gas mailed a letter to Mr [redacted] asking Mr [redacted] to remit payment of the outstanding balance by June 23, The company mailed a second letter on June 24, 2013, asking Mr [redacted] to remit payment of $1,to avoid referral of the debt to a collection agencyNo payment was received and on July 5, the company referred the account to ***, a third party collection agency During Mr [redacted] ’s March 25th call to the company to request discontinuance of service, Mr [redacted] did provide a forwarding addressThe company mailed the final bill and the two collection warning letters to this addressOn July 17, the company received back the June 24th letter by the USPS as undeliverableThe company re-mailed the letter to the same address but it was returned a second time (received by the company on July 26, 2013)Mr [redacted] may contact the company and/or CPA to provide an alternate mailing address The company has spoken with Mr [redacted] about the delinquency on this account on several occasions while the account was activeThe company updated our records with the customer’s household income situation on March 23, 2011, April 13, 2012, and October 9, Mr [redacted] did not indicate unemployment during these updatesThe company did establish two payment arrangements to help Mr [redacted] pay down the balance owedBoth of these arrangements, however, were not kept As for LIHEAP, the company does not process these applicationsThe LIEHAP guidelines are established by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare At this time the outstanding balance of $1,is being managed by ***, a third party collection agencyAny payment arrangements for this balance must be discussed with *** The company will be sending Mr [redacted] a Customer Utility Report explaining the above and providing details of the billing transactions and account balanceAny further questions regarding this account may be directed to our Customer Service Center at ###-###-#### (8:AM – 5:PM EST, Monday through Friday) Thank you, [redacted] Customer Relations | Peoples Natural Gas ###-###-#### [redacted]

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Regards, [redacted]

Tell us why here...On 3-5-at 3:a representative from Peoples Gas again contacted [redacted] He said he is unhappy that we emailed him rather than call him & he wanted that passed on He wanted to get into his acct which he was able to do shortly after talking to the IT department When asked if we just passed what his complaint was to the correct department he confirmed this would satisfy him

[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.] Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me Regards, [redacted] ***

Thank you for taking the time to contact Peoples Natural Gas and providing us with the opportunity to review Mr***'s concerns regarding his account.Review of the account shows that the previous customer contacted Peoples Natural Gas on 1/2/2015, and scheduled gas service located at ***
*** *** *** ** *** to be turned-off on 1/7/2015, at which time she was advised to winterize the propertyPer the previous rate payer's request gas service at the address was turned off on 1/7/2015.On 1/8/2015, Mr*** contacted the company to schedule the gas to be turned-onGas service was scheduled to be turnthe next business day, January 9thMr*** advised he was satisfied at the conclusion of the call.Mr*** later contacted the company on January 8th to inquire if the gas service could be turned on the same-dayThe representative advised the company was not able to accommodate a same-day turequestThe customer requested to speak with a supervisor at that timeThe agent advised a supervisor was not available and that a call back would be completed within 24-hrsThe customer then declined a supervisor call back.Gas service located at the property was turned on January 9, 2015.Unfortunately due to the service order schedule the company was unable to accommodate Mr***'s same-day turequestThe company attempts to complete service orders within the time period requested by the customer; however tuorders are not same-day appointmentsThe company apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.I hope this information has been helpful; however if I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me directly at ###-###-####, Monday through Friday, 8:a.m- 4:p.m.Sincerely,*** ***PNG Customer Relations

This letter is in response to the complaint received from *** ***Thank you for taking the time to contact Peoples Natural Gas and providing us with the opportunity to review Mr*** concerns regarding his gas account at 2nd Street
Review of the account shows that Mr*** gas
meter is located inside of the premiseThe company attempts to read the meter on bi monthly basisThe company is required to obtain either an actual meter reading, or a customer meter reading every six monthsAn actual meter reading must be obtained at least once every twelve months
Beginning July 30, 2014, Peoples Gas began to send notification to Mr*** that a meter reading was requiredAs of August 27,a meter reading had not been obtained and the company began the termination process for non-accessOn September 12, Mr*** spoke with a representative at Peoples Natural Gas and advised that he would need to call back to schedule for a meter readingMr*** concerns regarding his conversation with the agent have been sent for further reviewOn September 15, Mr*** gas service was turned off for non-accessMr*** contacted Peoples Gas and a service order was scheduled and completed on September 16,to restore gas service and read the inside gas meterThe company has removed the $reconnection fee
The company has been unable to gain access to read the inside meter bi monthly and the customer has the option of providing customer meter readings, contacting a plumber to have the meter moved outside, or providing a key for meter reading purpose'sMr*** may contact Peoples Gas at ###-###-#### to discuss possible options
Peoples Gas strives to provide quality customer serviceWe hope the customer's concerns have been addressed, if you need any additional Information or have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at ###-###-####, Monday through Friday, 7:A.Mto 4:P.M
Sincerely,
*** ***

Tell us why here...We called and spoke with [redacted]- explained final bill balance $343.11 was to be transferred to his father's account when the October 20, 2014 payment was made.  The transfer was never completed and the payment of $504.76 was used to pay a security deposit and an...

activation charge on the father's account and paid his budget in advance for 3 months.  Advised would trsf balance to father and notify the collection company to stop collections and remove the information from his credit report.  [redacted] indicated he was satisfied.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I was able to sign in using the current password using an iPhone subsequent to the company reaching out to me so the password does not appear to be the issue. In addition it seems odd to me that a password that is considered acceptable under most standards currently recognized would cause login errors. I would think the company would accept passwords of any strength above the minimum requirements. The company and I agree that I should have the ability to review my bill prior to payment, however the company made no attempt to delay automatic payment even after I indicated I could not access my account.  Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

This is in response to the complaint received from [redacted] (ID #[redacted]).  Thank you for taking the time to contact Peoples Gas and providing us with the opportunity to review Ms. [redacted]’s concerns.Ms. [redacted] currently participates in the budget billing program.  The budget plan...

is designed for the customer to spread the cost of winter heating throughout the year by making balanced monthly payments.  When participating in the budget billing plan you are paying the monthly budget amount and not the current charges.  Therefore, at times the account may have an account balance or an account credit.  A monthly budget payment is due each month regardless of the actual account balance. If the required budget payment is not received, a late payment charge is assessed based on the past due amount.  In turn, if the customer’s monthly budget amount is less than the account balance, a late payment charge is not assessed as long as the required budget payment is made. The budget program is optional.  If Ms[redacted] wishes to no longer participate in budget billing, she may contact the Customer Service Center at ###-###-####. As a one-time courtesy, Peoples Gas has reversed the late payment charge in the amount of $1.87.Peoples Natural Gas offers numerous options to remit payment.  While certain payment options do require a processing fee, alternative payment options are available free of charge.  All payment options may be viewed by visiting: [redacted]Peoples Natural Gas strives to provide quality customer service.  We hope Ms. [redacted]’s concerns have been addressed.  If you need additional information, please feel free to call ###-###-####, Monday Through Friday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.Sincerely, [redacted]Customer Relations Specialist

[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.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Tell us why here...On 3-5-15 at 3:27 a representative from Peoples Gas again contacted [redacted].  He said he is unhappy that we emailed him rather than call him & he wanted that passed on.  He wanted to get into his acct which he was able to do shortly after talking to the IT department.  When asked if we just passed what his complaint was to the correct department he confirmed this would satisfy him.

Tell us why here...We had our Information Technology Department contact the customer.  He indicated:When he clicks  on the link in the email, it takes him to the login page and when he tries to login, it does not take him anywhere for some time and then gives the error page. He said he...

used the recent email. He confirmed that he had special characters in the password. We explained to him that some special characters are restricted to avoid hacking.We asked him to reset his password to some simple password just to make sure that he can login. He said he cannot try that now but will try it tonight. It is agreed he should be able to view his bill before he pays it and has 20 days to do that.  If changing the special characters does not correct his problem, he should call us back with the information.[redacted]

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address Mr. [redacted]’s concerns.
Mr. [redacted] had an account with Peoples Natural Gas from December 2, 2009 through April 1, 2013 for natural gas service at [redacted]. During this time the company rendered monthly bills for the gas...

used and mailed them to the service address. The average monthly bill for this account was $60.00. The highest bill issued was $139.18 issued on February 1, 2014 for usage of 14.9 MCF of natural gas from December 31, 2012 to January 31, 2013. Beyond one occurrence on January 6, 2010, the account balance was never paid in full.
On March 25, 2013, Mr. [redacted] contacted Peoples Natural Gas and asked to end service in his name. The company obtained a final meter reading on April 1, 2013 and issued a final bill on April 2, 2013 bringing the Total Account Balance to $1,136.11. This balance includes unpaid charges for gas used between June 7, 2011 and April 1, 2013, a period of approximately 22 months. This final balance has remained unchanged since the rendering of the final bill. The company has no record of issuing a bill to Mr. [redacted] for $1,500.00.
On May 24, 2013 Peoples Natural Gas mailed a letter to Mr. [redacted] asking Mr. [redacted] to remit payment of the outstanding balance by June 23, 2013. The company mailed a second letter on June 24, 2013, asking Mr. [redacted] to remit payment of $1,136.11 to avoid referral of the debt to a collection agency. No payment was received and on July 5, 2013 the company referred the account to [redacted], a third party collection agency.
During Mr. [redacted]’s March 25th call to the company to request discontinuance of service, Mr. [redacted] did provide a forwarding address. The company mailed the final bill and the two collection warning letters to this address. On July 17, 2013 the company received back the June 24th letter by the USPS as undeliverable. The company re-mailed the letter to the same address but it was returned a second time (received by the company on July 26, 2013). Mr. [redacted] may contact the company and/or CPA to provide an alternate mailing address.
The company has spoken with Mr. [redacted] about the delinquency on this account on several occasions while the account was active. The company updated our records with the customer’s household income situation on March 23, 2011, April 13, 2012, and October 9, 2012. Mr. [redacted] did not indicate unemployment during these updates. The company did establish two payment arrangements to help Mr. [redacted] pay down the balance owed. Both of these arrangements, however, were not kept.
As for LIHEAP, the company does not process these applications. The LIEHAP guidelines are established by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare.
At this time the outstanding balance of $1,136.11 is being managed by [redacted], a third party collection agency. Any payment arrangements for this balance must be discussed with [redacted].
The company will be sending Mr. [redacted] a Customer Utility Report explaining the above and providing details of the billing transactions and account balance. Any further questions regarding this account may be directed to our Customer Service Center at ###-###-#### (8:00 AM – 5:30 PM EST, Monday through Friday).
Thank you,
[redacted]
Customer Relations | Peoples Natural Gas
###-###-####
[redacted]

I have been trying to schedule an appointment for them to inspect our meter. They showed up at our home with no prior notification they would be in the area. I have tried 5 times to schedule an appointment.they claim they are only available M-F between. 12-4. People world during that time they will not come after five or on Saturday. They said they can't give me a time they don't have bit expects me to do just that. Our vacation time is used for the year why should we take a day without pay to convenience they we are the paying customers. They severely lack customer service skills

Review: I have been a customer in good standing for over 16 years. My DoD employment relocated me to [redacted] and my [redacted], ** house has been rented, then vacated, now sold. I received a collection notice from Peoples Natural Gas for 1 year of service that has not been paid for, for the [redacted], ** vacant house. I called them today to ask why I have never received a bill and they tell me they were sending to my Georgia residence that I have not lived in since 2011. In March of 2011 I called this gas company and told them my new address in [redacted] Today the gas company says they never had the ** address and bills being sent to ** have never been returned. This is a complete lie. I have a caretaker at both houses (**/**) and the mail is checked and sent to me weekly. I have never received a bill from Peoples gas for the entire year. Suddenly I get a collection notice from THEM (Peoples Gas) and it has my correct ** address!!! So, they had it all along. You would think that a good standing customer for over 16 years would at least get a phone call before I get a collection notice for upwards of $600.00. Very poor customer service!!!Desired Settlement: Reduce the amount of this bill.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted] Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and allowing us with the opportunity to review Ms. [redacted]’s concerns. We have reviewed our records and have determined the following:On April 22, 2015 Ms. [redacted] contacted Peoples Natural Gas regarding property at [redacted]. Ms. [redacted] requested the mailing address be updated to [redacted]. Gas service at [redacted] reverted into Ms. [redacted]’s name as of April 28, 2015. Monthly billing statements continued to be mailed to the prior mailing address of [redacted]. Gas service at [redacted] was transferred out of Ms. [redacted]’s name on April 4, 2016 when a new customer called to establish service.Upon receipt of this inquiry, Peoples Gas has confirmed through the Beaver County Assessment Office that Ms. [redacted] no longer owns [redacted]. The Com**ny has removed the landlord reversion on the account.Peoples Gas strives to provide quality customer service and apologizes for any inconvenience caused to the customer. Peoples Gas has provided a 20% goodwill adjustment to the account. A final bill **yment agreement may be established, for the remaining balance of $498.48, by calling ###-###-####, Monday- Friday, from 8:00 A.M. through 5:00 P.M.If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me directly at ###-###-####.Thank you, Kristen ECustomer RelationsPeoples Natural Gas

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

People's natural gas inconvenienced me greatly when I sought their services by forcing me to take an entire day off of work in order to accomodate their disorganization. They could not give me a more specific time range of their arrival than 7:30am to 4pm. Any time I called this company the person that answered my questions was extremely disrespectful and had no regard for the fact that I had a broken gas line. When provided with the option, I will never again seek this company's services in the future.

Review: I recently installed a PE gas line to my residence and detached garage, before completing this I had two advice calls from Peoples Natural Gas. These were completed so that we could be sure where to place the meter and that everything was being done according to the installers guide from on Peoples.com. After completing the install and pressure checking the system, I completed the SIR and submitted it on March 17, 2016. On April 4, 2016 a subcontractor of Peoples arrived at my residence to complete the tap. When the contractor arrived he advised me that the remote meter set was not ready for him (there was one riser set and mounted to a bracket, it was missing a riser). I provided him the installers guide, which was found on Peoples Natural Gas website. On page 52, it has a diagram of a remote meter set, depicting that the responsibility of the homeowner and plumber ends at one riser. I told the contractor I would provide the riser in order to keep the process moving. I purchased a riser and contacted Peoples Natural Gas Pittsburgh office and asked to speak to a supervisor. I was told a supervisor would call me, but never received a call from anyone. On April 5, 2016, the contactor returned to install the tap. They completed their project and left for the day around 11:15am, never making contact with me. I called Peoples Natural Gas Pittsburgh office and asked what I had to do to complete the meter set. I was advised a supervisor would call me; around 5pm on April 5, 2016 Mark (new construction supervisor) did return my phone call. Mark advised me that the riser was not brought to the correct height. I referred him to the installers guide found on Peoples Natural Gas, page 52 remote meter set diagram. The diagram shows Peoples Natural Gas is responsible for all pipe after the initial riser that is connected to the customers’ line. Mark advised me that the diagram was incorrect, and it has been brought to the attention of the correct people. While installing this line, I referred to the installers guide multiple times to make sure that I was following the correct guidelines set forth by Peoples Natural Gas. I have come to find out that Peoples Natural Gas doesn’t even know what is in their guidelines and when followed properly things still are not correct. On April 8, 2016 a Peoples Natural Gas representative came out to install the meter since I brought the riser up to the height that Mark informed me was required. When this representative arrived, I was told when the subcontractor installed the tap and meter set they did not leave enough room for the meter to be set. I asked him to please return in about two hours and let me just fix to allow the project to be done. I made the corrections, which we needed and did get the meter hung, but I must say this was the worst experience I have ever had with a company. Peoples Natural Gas sets forth standards to follow which are not even correct, then they employ subcontractors that do work that does not even meet their standards or allow for their meter to be set. I would like answers to this issue. Luckily, I was doing this install on my own residence and Peoples Natural Gas company’s’ incompetence did not reflect my professional imagine. Had this been a customer I was working for I would have lost most of my profit, not to mention had my image smeared.Desired Settlement: I would like to be reimbursed for the expenses in which were not my responsibility based on Peoples Natural Gas supplied information.

Business

Response:

Account Number: [redacted]On 4/7/16 Mr. [redacted]'s established new construction gas service to his home at [redacted] I called Mr. [redacted] on 5/4/16. He wants reimbursed for his inconvenience and the purchase price of one riser and the piping associated with extending and installing the riser. He agreed to send the company an email detailing his request for settlement of his claim which outlines the costs involved. His email will be forwarded to the company Claims Department who will review and get back to him regarding settlement of his claim.