Columbia Gas of Virginia, Inc.

Dear ***,Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia withregard to the concerns of Mr***It is always our goal to ensure the best possibleservice to our customers, and we takeseriously any complaints we receive.We have investigated the
matterOur investigation revealedthat when Mrs*** ***, Mr.***'s wife, called Columbia Gas to determine jf the newtenant had called to transfer serviceinto their name, she was given misinformationShe was toldthe final calculated bill is correctbecause the company read it at the local distributionofficeHowever, this was not accurate.Instead, when the new tenant called Columbia Gas to transferservice into their name, theyopted to have Columbia Gas use an estimated read, since theinitial service charge is $3,versus $if the Company physically goes out to the serviceaddress to read the meter.Columbia Gas has taken steps to resolve the inaccurateinformation with the representativeMrs*** spoke to, and will ensure they are properlytrained on this procedure in the future.An analyst in the *** *** section of ColumbiaGas was able to talk with Mrs.*** after this Revdex.com Case was receivedThe transfer ofservice process was explained to Mrs.*** and she was informed that if she would like a physicalreading of the meter, instead of anestimated read, she can call the Company and request thatfor the additional chargeAdditional,Columbia Gas provided Mrs*** with a $credit to heraccount, as a goodwill gesture forthe misinformation she was given.Should you have questions or require additional informationplease do not hesitate to contactme.Sincerely,*** ***

Dear ***,Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regard to the concerns of *** *** ***.It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take seriously any complaints we receive. This complaint was also submitted to the Virginia State
Corporation Commission (SCC) and that complaint has been closed*** *** gas service was shut off for non-payment on 7/13/She paid the past due amount and the reconnect fee on /15/and was scheduled for reconnection on 7/18/During the reconnection safety check, a potential safety issue was found and the customer was notified that the issue needed to be resolved before her service could be restored. Once the company was notified that the safety issue had been resolved, several attempts were made to contact the customer on 7//and 7/22/Additionally, a representative from the SCC also attempted to contact the customer several timesAfter the customer returned the calls to the company on 7/22/16, service was restored that same day. The company takes any potential safety concern seriously and could not restore service until it was safe to do soThe repairs were to the customer's equipment and not to the company's equipmentDue to this, the company will not refund the cost of those repairs. Should you have questions or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact me

Revdex.com spoke with *** from the company and she stated that the consumer's gas was turned back on, on July 10th

Columbia Gas cut off my gas as of yesterday. Columbia Gas has a $300.00 credit in my name, meaning my bill is paid for the next 4 months. I am a terminally ill senior citizen and they have cut off my heat, my water, my generator. I have a hospice in my home. We cannot survive for 7 days without heat. This company is a heartless company that takes huge profits, takes my pre-paid payments and then cuts off our heat in 20 degree weather in Dec. 2018, until sometime in Jan. 2019.

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Ms. [redacted]’ experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Beginning with her January...

2017 bill, Ms. [redacted] kept a balance that ran a month behind. Below is an accounting of her balances. Ms. [redacted]’ balance is currently a credit of $**, since Columbia Gas credited her account for $** for the fee collected to light the pilot lights, as a courtesy to Ms. [redacted]. Typically, as outlined in the tariff approved by the [redacted], when a customer is disconnected due to non-payment of utility bills, the charges for re-connection are as follows:Re-connection of service - $** Deposit – not to exceed equivalent of the customer’s estimated liability for two highest months’ usage Pilot Relight – $** (If requested) Overdue balance Priority Service - $** (If customer wants reconnect with priority timing)   Ms. [redacted]’ natural gas service was restored on May 19.   Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications & Community Relations

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regard to the concerns of [redacted].  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously.After a review of the timeline of events, here is a brief summary of...

what occurred when.On 11/7, the following occurred:A Columbia Gas representative attempted to call Mr. [redacted] to notify him of an inspection that would occur on 11/11 to verify if an excess flow valve (EFV) was installed. An EFV is an additional safety measure to protect the property from unsafe conditions if excess pressure exists.Since we were unable to get in touch with Mr. [redacted], an email was sent to the email address on record, asking the customer to contact Columbia Gas.Mrs. [redacted] called the Columbia Gas customer contact center in reference to the email and a contact center agent advised Mrs. [redacted] that an inspection would take place on 11/11 to determine in an EFV was installed, which would require a temporary disconnection of natural gas service.On 11/11, the following occurred:A Columbia Gas field representative performed the inspection and determined that no EFV was currently installed.When attempting to restore gas service to the appliances, the field representative was not able to relight the furnace due to improper operation of the fan in the operations cycle. Natural gas service was restored to the service address and the water heater was relit.On 11/17, the following occurred:Columbia Gas field representatives installed the EFV.When performing a safety check before restoring gas service, the field representatives determined that the furnace was unsafe, due to improper venting. The representatives explained to Mrs. [redacted] that only one appliance (water heater or the furnace) could be turned on, due to the improper venting. Mrs. [redacted] agreed that the water heater would be the appliance to be turned on, and the furnace was red tagged, meaning repairs need to be made before gas service can be restored to that appliance. The National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA) 54 Section [redacted] states the following: “Where two or more vent connectors enter a common vent, chimney flue, or single-wall metal pipe, the smaller connector shall enter at the highest level consistent with the available headroom or clearance to combustible material.” Once repairs are made in accordance with this code, and the furnace fan is made operational, Mr. [redacted] contractor can relight the furnace in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. If Mr. [redacted] would prefer that Columbia Gas relight his appliance, we will gladly do so, at no cost to him.Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Mr. [redacted]’ experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Below is a timeline of what...

has transpired. On 6/6/17, Mr. [redacted] contacted Columbia Gas of Virginia to request a payment plan. Columbia Gas advised Mr. [redacted] the gas service had been terminated and requested $[redacted] to restore service. Columbia Gas advised the restoration amount consisted of $[redacted] account arrears, in addition to an $** reconnect fee. Columbia Gas advised the customer that if he wished for Columbia Gas to light the appliances, there would be an additional fee of $**. Mr. [redacted] questioned when the service would be restored, and the Columbia Gas advised that if he made the payment and called back on the same day, the service would be restored on June 9 if no sooner date was available.  Mr. [redacted] stated he had children and an elderly person living in the home. Columbia Gas informed him of the $** priority fee to override order scheduling. Mr. [redacted] indicated his satisfaction.   On 6/6/17, at approximately 6:47 PM, Mr. [redacted] contacted Columbia Gas to state he had paid $[redacted] to get the gas service restored at [redacted]. Columbia Gas recorded the receipt number ([redacted]) for the payment made at a Walmart location on the account given by Mr. [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] emphasized that there was an elderly person living at the location, and would have liked the gas service to be restored sooner. Columbia Gas informed him that the order could be placed for the next day (June 7) with a priority fee billed to him in the amount of $**.  Mr. [redacted] agreed to the priority fee, and the restoration order was placed for June 7 with a thirty-minute call ahead to Mr. [redacted] at [redacted].   On 6/7/2017, Columbia Gas arrived at [redacted] at 1:50 PM, completed a pressure test on the house lines, and restored service up to the meter valve. Appliances were left off to be lit by a qualified plumber or heating contractor. Restoration up to the meter was completed at 2:18 pm.    I apologize for the inconvenience and misunderstanding resulting in this situation, however our records show that Mr. [redacted]’ service was indeed restored as agreed upon, and we are unfortunately unable to credit Mr. [redacted]’ account the priority fee of $**. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications and Community Relations

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:I would also like the company to consider changing the color of the paper they issue termination notices. Since I like many others have bills paid automatically by the bank I was unaware of the termination order until the day I contacted customer service. If the envelope or the paper was a different color it would have alerted me there was an issue. This small change which would not cost any money would probably save the company time and customers the frustration of having the gas shut off. The customer service agent was pleasant handled my issue very well. On a positive note the tech that came out was awesome. He was extremely professional and very pleasant to deal with.
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]
Regards,
[redacted]The customer contacted Revdex.com about this because she had not been contacting by the business to address this with their builder.

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Mr. [redacted] experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously.On September 9, 2016 Columbia Gas...

issued a termination notice to Mr. [redacted] for an unpaid balance of $**.**, with a termination date of September 30, 2016. This termination notice amount represented unpaid bills for the past four months and no payments made to the account since May 2016. Additionally, no payments were made to the account prior to the September 30th due date, consequently, the Company shut off gas service to the customer’s residence on October 4, 2016.On October 4th, Mr. [redacted] contacted the Company to inquire why the gas service was shut off, and acknowledged that he was aware that he did not make payment. Columbia personnel reviewed his payment history on the account and the reason for the termination. At the conclusion of this discussion Mr. [redacted] paid the unpaid balance and all necessary reconnection charges to have the gas service restored.While scheduling the reconnection order, the Company initially scheduled the order for Friday, October 7, 2016. When Mr. [redacted] was not pleased with having to wait the additional days to have the order worked, the Company offered to work the order sooner, if Mr. [redacted] was willing to pay a priority fee of $**.00---which he agreed to pay. The order was re-scheduled for Thursday, October 6th, 2016.After carefully reviewing Mr. [redacted] circumstances, the Company will apply, as a one time courtesy, the $**.00 priority service fee paid, to his utility service account.It is important to note that all charges and fees requested by Columbia were made in accordance with the Company’s tariff and approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC).Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted].
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Mr. [redacted]’ experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Mrs [redacted] contacted the Company on...

03/16/18 @10:51 AM to inquire about gas service being transferred in to her name.  The Company representative explained there would be a security deposit requirement in the amount of $[redacted] in which $**.** was due up front before the connection could be completed and then $**.** would be billed on the first two billings.  The Company representative offered to process a payment for Mrs. [redacted] and she also provided a few different payment locations if Mrs. [redacted] chose to go that route.  Mrs. [redacted] requested the account number and confirmed the amount owed and stated she would call back to process the payment as she did not have the required information with her in order to process the payment.  On 04/02/18 @11:53, the gas service was disconnected at [redacted] at the previous tenant's request.  On 04/03/18 @ 7:10 AM, Mrs.  [redacted] contacted the Company to inquire why no gas service as she didn't have any heat.  The Company representative explained the gas was shut off and went on to explain the security deposit requirement had to be met prior to obtaining gas service.  Mrs. [redacted] agreed to process the required payment of $**.** for the security deposit and the connection order was scheduled for 04/04/18 which was the first available date following scheduling guidelines.  The Company representative explained to Mrs. [redacted] that there is an initiation fee of $**.** in which will be billed to them on their first bill.  Mrs. [redacted] stated she refused to pay the fee.  What the Company did not do is offer to light the pilot lights and explain that fee, therefore the order was scheduled to light the pilot lights and that particular fee will be waived, but the initiation fee will be required to be paid, as will the deposit. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications and Community Relations

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Ms. [redacted] experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Ms. [redacted] has had service with...

Columbia Gas since 11/22/16. At the time she requested service, she was notified of a required $[redacted] security deposit. Ms. [redacted] has made two payments, one on 1/6/17 for $[redacted], of which $[redacted].00 was credited to her account for the security deposit and $[redacted] was credited to her account for the current budget payment. The second payment was on 1/19/17 for $[redacted].00, of which $[redacted].00 was credited to her account for the security deposit and $[redacted].00 was credited to her account for the current budget payment. With the second payment, her security deposit was paid in full, and her account had a past due amount of $[redacted] and a current amount due of $[redacted], totaling $[redacted]. A Columbia Gas representative was able to speak to Ms. [redacted], and explain the situation to her. Due to her good payment history so far, and the confusion surrounding the security deposit, Columbia Gas has credited Ms. [redacted] back her security deposit of [redacted] and her current balance is now a credit of [redacted] Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications & Community Relations

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I would like to receive a reimbursement of $** for the service call I had to pay because I thought there was a problem with the gas heating system.  I told the gas representative I would be happy to provide the receipt of payment for the service call if need by.  The representative told me she see what she could do.  I then received a call from Lisa who did say she was able to change the name on the account, but did not mention the $** reimbursement.  Again, I would be glad to provide them with a receipt for my payment.  If they had sent a termination letter as their website states, I would have been able to prevent this possibly.
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of [redacted] experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. Below is a timeline of what...

has transpired. 03/27/17:  Company mailed the customer the monthly bill, which also indicated a termination notice.  The billing message stated "Termination Notice.  Your account is past-due in the amount of $[redacted].  Payment in this amount must be posted to your account by April 7, 2017.  Your gas service is scheduled for shut-off on or after April 10, 2017."  (see attachment)  A courtesy call was attempted, however the company did not have a valid phone number on file for the customer, so the calls were unsuccessful.    04/10/17:  Company received payment of $[redacted] (the minimum amount to stop termination on the scheduled day of shut off.)   04/26/17:  Company mailed the customer the monthly bill, which also indicated a termination notice.  The billing message stated "Termination Notice.  Your account is past-due in the amount of $[redacted].  Payment in this amount must be posted to your account by May 9, 2017.  Your gas service is scheduled for shut-off on or after May 10, 2017."  (see attachment)  A courtesy call was attempted, however the company did not have a valid phone number on file for the customer, so the calls were unsuccessful.    05/15/17:  Company credited [redacted] to the customer's account as a result of the final order in Columbia's 2016 base rate case.  As a result, the customer's arrears balance is now $[redacted].   05/22/17:  No payment was received, and gas service was terminated at 1:15 PM for non-payment.  A post termination notice was left at the premise.  At 4:18 PM, customer called to pay to have service restored.  Customer paid a total of $260.42 for restoration ($[redacted] arrears balance + $[redacted] initial security deposit installment + $**.00 pilot light fee.)  Company agreed to bill the $**.00 reconnect fee.  Company advised customer that first available appointment to restore service would be on 05/26/17, however to adhere to the three day rule the Company could override the schedule and offer 05/25/17 instead.  The customer stated that 05/26/17 would actually work better.  The order to restore service was scheduled for 05/26/17 for a time slot between 2:00 to 4:00.  Customer was satisfied.  Later the same day, at 4:56 PM, the customer called back in requesting an earlier date for service to be restored.  The customer was again advised that 05/25/17 was the first available, however service could be restored on 05/23/17 if the customer paid a $**.00 priority fee.  The customer agreed and paid the $**.00 fee immediately.  The order was rescheduled for 05/23/17 for an all-day appointment.   05/23/17:   Customer called Company at 4:08 PM inquiring into why tech has not yet arrived to restore gas service.  Company call center rep researched the account and found that the representative who took the call at 4:56 PM on 05/22/17 never updated the pending order from 05/26/17 to 05/23/17.  Company apologized for the error and advised the customer that the soonest available would be the next day, 05/24/17.  The call was escalated to a supervisor.  The supervisor reiterated the same.  The customer was very upset, but accepted the 05/24/17 date and requested a morning appointment. The customer was then advised that the order was notated, but there was no guarantee that it would be worked in the morning, it could be anytime throughout the day.   05/24/17:  Customer called Company at 7:20 AM wanting to know when tech would arrive to restore gas service.  Call center representative advised the customer that the Company could not guarantee it would be done in the morning, and the customer was very upset.  Customer called back at 10:27 AM wanting to know when tech would arrive to restore gas service.  Call center representative advised the customer that their order is to be worked ASAP, however there is an emergency in the area, the Company was not able to give a specific time. Customer requested the $**.00 priority fee to be refunded.  Company advised customer that $**.00 fee would be credited back to the account. Company supervisor attempted to call customer at 12:11 PM, no answer, left voicemail to return call.  Customer called Company at 12:33 PM stating he wants his services on immediately.  Company advised customer that the Company had numerous emergency calls today and are attempting to get to him ASAP.  Call was escalated to a supervisor.  Supervisor again apologized and advised that order is still scheduled to be worked today.  Company tech arrived on site to restore service at 2:59 PM, service was restored and appliances were relit. I sincerely apologize for Mr. [redacted]’ experience with Columbia Gas. The priority fee of $** has already been refunded, and the Company has also credited Mr. [redacted] $[redacted] atonement for the delay in getting his service restored. The situation is under review and retraining of employees will occur in the near future. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications & Community Relations

Dear [redacted],
Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regard to the concerns of [redacted] [redacted] It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take seriously any complaints we receive.
We have...

investigated the matter and concluded the following:
•                     Service established for [redacted] [redacted] on 11-30-2007.
•                     Customer bills were mailed to the Park Ridge Road address until 3-5-2013.
•                     On 4-3-13 customer updated the mailing address to [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] and customer bills were mailed to this address until 6-4-2013,
•                     On 6-26-2014 customer updated the mailing address to [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] and the Columbia Gas of Virginia bills have
been mailed to the [redacted] address as noted by the enclosed three past monthly statements.
•                     On 9-3-2014 a bill termination notice of $163.00 was mailed to the Crist account at [redacted].
 
A Columbia Gas of Virginia contract collector arrived at [redacted] [redacted] at 10:48 am on 9-25-2014 to perform their work. The employee of [redacted] was wearing a snort sleeve shirt and blue jeans Her photo identification is on ill pull clip worn at her waist and visible at all times. She drives a [redacted] vehicle with decals indicating they are an authorized contractor for Columbia Gas of Virginia. The vehicle has [redacted] license plates.
We have enclosed the past three monthly bills and a timeline of events as we know them for the customer served at [redacted] [redacted]. We have investigated the alleged matter and concluded that the company procedures were followed and the contract collector did not damage any property or represent Columbia Gas of Virginia in an inappropriate manner. Should you have questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the concerns of Ms. [redacted]’s experience with Columbia Gas of Virginia.  It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take any complaints we receive seriously. The timeline that Ms....

[redacted] provided is correct. She was reconnected on September 5, which is within the time frames set in the State Corporation Commission approved tariff, and our internal processes schedule.   We are in the process of reviewing the timeframes for reconnecting a customer that was disconnected due to a leak or other safety related reason, to see if we can adjust the timing and get customers reconnected sooner.   Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.   Sincerely, Kristine J[redacted] Manager – Communications and Community Relations

Thnak you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia regarding the above-listed matter.  It is always our goal to provide the best service to our customers, and we take seriously any complaints we receive.  
We have invesitigated Mr. [redacted] concern over a service termination....

 [redacted] account history is such were there were atleast two late payments in 2014.  A notice of gas service termination was mailed to [redacted] on November 17th.  We attempted to reach [redacted] several times however our calls were not returned.  [redacted] gas service was shut off for non-payment on December 3rd.  When a termination occurs, a security deposit and reconnect fee is requested from the customer.  In addition to the security deposit and reconnection fee, there are other fees associated with reconnection such as an optional $85 priority fee to restore services the next business day.  These, along with other fees are outlines in our tariff which is approved by the [redacted] and can be found at [redacted].As a one-time courtesy, we are waiving the remaining security deposit balance of $598. 
It is our sincerest hope to have satisfied the concerns of [redacted]. Should you have questions or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact me. 
Sincerely, 
[redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's offer.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:I would also like the company to consider changing the color of the paper they issue termination notices. Since I like many others have bills paid automatically by the bank I was unaware of the terminatation order until the day I contacted customer service. If the envelope or the paper was a different color it would have alerted me there was an issue. This small change which would not cost any money would probably save the company time and customers the frustration of having the gas shut off. The customer service agent was pleasant handled my issue very well. On a positive note the tech that came out was awesome. He was extreamly professional and very pleasant to deal with.
I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved. If the company does not perform as promised I can get back to you at: [redacted]
Regards,
[redacted]