Columbia Gas of Virginia

COLUMBIA GAS OF VIRGINIA SUCKS!
I hate them with a passion. If I could have another option for gas in Warrenton I would in a heart beat.

This is absolutely amazing the treatment I received from Columbia Gas. I have waited 3 times, THREE, for technicians to turn on this gas at DVC. The first time I waited from 11 to 4 and when I called I was told a technician called my phone and no one answered. Not true, I sat with my phone next to me all day and this phone did not ring. Fine, I rescheduled, I sat from 11 to 4 again. Not wanting to sit again I called and was told, "you are a high usage occupant and another team has to be assigned." I was never told this and, the response makes no sense because I had it turned on before when I took over this location with no problems. While I was irate, I realized I had no choice but to schedule once again an appointment for that Friday. Friday, today, I sat here once again all day waiting for their technician. No one comes. When I called, I am told, the technician called you twice. NO ONE CALLED MY PHONE. There is no block on my phone, I have received calls from them before, there is no incoming call on my phone log from ANYONE. My phone log shows I only sent calls. I even got on my ATT account online and looked - it shows no incoming calls to my phone today. Not one! It is Friday, this technician says he called me twice. I call bull on that and it sounds like someone wanted to go home early. Again, because of the experience I've had with this company, this phone never left my side and that technician either called the wrong number or is flat out lying. Because he didn't call me and this excuse was used before. My guess is lying so they can go home.

Never have I been treated so crappy by a utility company in my life and I will see if there are remedies for consumers, Meanwhile, my location is without gas because their scheduling can't get its act together and even tried to blame on me not answering my phone. Shameful!

After over a year, with both on-line chats and at least three telephone calls with customer service, I cannot get Columbia Gas to send my billing notifications to my current email address. My account on-line has all the correct information, even my log-on to my Columbia Gas account is the correct email address. Where are you digging up this old email address?

I have had to discontinued paperless billing.

Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regarding the concerns of Mrs [redacted] experience with the [redacted] rebate program size="3">It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take seriously any complaints we receive It is disappointing to hear about Mrs [redacted] experience and her frustration regarding the manner in which her rebate application was handled is understandable First of all, we will be honoring the high-efficiency gas furnace rebate Mrs [redacted] applied for in the amount of $She can expect to receive this in the mail no later than September Second, an explanation of why the rebate was denied might be helpful, in hopes of providing some clarity regarding her experience The Columbia Gas rebate program is approved by the State Corporation Commission in three-year cyclesThe authorized program includes limits on the number of rebates we can provide during each program cycle Columbia Gas ran out of high-efficiency gas furnace rebates in October 2015, close to the end of the approved program’s cycle (2013-2015) In January of 2016, the next cycle of the rebate program began (2016-2018) High-efficiency gas furnace funds were once again available; however, they apply only to furnaces purchased and installed during the new program cycle of 2016- The rebate processing team uses the contractor invoice as proof of the installation date in order to approve rebates Since the invoice was not provided with the rebate application that was mailed in, the rebate processing team contacted Mrs [redacted] for the required invoice, as well as for information to complete other fields left blank on the rebate application With the complete application and invoice, they were able to conclude that the installation was made in Please share our apology for this lapse in customer service with Mrs [redacted] With her feedback, we are able to continue to improve upon the service we provide our customers

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 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 $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 $ It is our sincerest hope to have satisfied the concerns of ***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 noticesSince I like many others have bills paid automatically by the bank I was unaware of the terminatation order until the day I contacted customer serviceIf the envelope or the paper was a different color it would have alerted me there was an issueThis small change which would not cost any money would probably save the company time and customers the frustration of having the gas shut offThe customer service agent was pleasant handled my issue very wellOn a positive note the tech that came out was awesomeHe 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 meI will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolvedIf 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 with regarding the concerns of Mrs [redacted] experience with the [redacted] rebate program It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we take seriously any complaints we receiveIt is disappointing to hear about Mrs [redacted] experience and her frustration regarding the manner in which her rebate application was handled is understandable First of all, we will be honoring the high-efficiency gas furnace rebate Mrs [redacted] applied for in the amount of $She can expect to receive this in the mail no later than September Second, an explanation of why the rebate was denied might be helpful, in hopes of providing some clarity regarding her experience The Columbia Gas rebate program is approved by the State Corporation Commission in three-year cyclesThe authorized program includes limits on the number of rebates we can provide during each program cycle Columbia Gas ran out of high-efficiency gas furnace rebates in October 2015, close to the end of the approved program’s cycle (2013-2015) In January of 2016, the next cycle of the rebate program began (2016-2018) High-efficiency gas furnace funds were once again available; however, they apply only to furnaces purchased and installed during the new program cycle of 2016- The rebate processing team uses the contractor invoice as proof of the installation date in order to approve rebates Since the invoice was not provided with the rebate application that was mailed in, the rebate processing team contacted Mrs [redacted] for the required invoice, as well as for information to complete other fields left blank on the rebate application With the complete application and invoice, they were able to conclude that the installation was made in Please share our apology for this lapse in customer service with Mrs [redacted] With her feedback, we are able to continue to improve upon the service we provide our customers

Dear [redacted] , 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 seriously any complaints we receiveOur investigation revealed the call center representative did in fact advise the customer of a $security deposit being required, with $paid up frontThe call center representative advised Ms [redacted] th.at the remaining $would be billed in two installments of $ each, on the customer's first two utility service billsThe call center representative did not, however, advise the customer of the tariff approved $feeWhile the Uiitiation fee is a tariff approved rate, we value our customers and want to be as transparent as possible wich the fees and charges we bill our customersWe are taking steps to ensure that all new customers are advised ofthis fee in the futureTo date, Ms [redacted] has paid an additional $ towards the $balance of the required depositAs a gesture of good faith, we will waive the remaining $balance of the depositWe encourage Ms [redacted] to enroll in the Budget Payment Plan by calling us at [redacted] The Budget Payment Plan is a free service designed to help reduce the fluctuations in gas bills by spreading the costs more evenly over a longer period of timeAdditionally, we offer various payment options available to our customers such as Checkfree, on line payment, and Bill MatrixPlease visit our website at [redacted] for more informationShould you have questions or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact meSincerely, [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 seriouslyThe timeline that Ms [redacted] provided is correctShe 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

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the offer 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 Revdex.com spoke with the consumer and he stated that his account has not be credited the credit amount Regards, [redacted]

Dear [redacted] , Thank you for contracting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regard to the concerns of [redacted] ***Our goal os to provide our customers with quality service As requested by [redacted] ***, we have updated her address to [redacted] [redacted] We have scheduled a technician to come out to the property and verify the meter number It is our sincerest hope to have satisfied the concerns of [redacted] ***We will continue to work to regain her confidence by continuing to deliver safe, reliable natural gas servicePlease do not hesitate to contact me should you have questions or additional information Sincerely, [redacted]

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 seriouslyBeginning with her January bill, Ms [redacted] kept a balance that ran a month behindBelow is an accounting of her balancesMs [redacted] ’ balance is currently a credit of $**, since Columbia Gas credited her account for $ [redacted] 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 - $ [redacted] Deposit – not to exceed equivalent of the customer’s estimated liability for two highest months’ usage Pilot Relight – $ [redacted] (If requested) Overdue balance Priority Service - $ [redacted] (If customer wants reconnect with priority timing) Ms [redacted] ’ natural gas service was restored on May Please let me know if you have any questions or concernsSincerely, Kristine J [redacted] Manager – Communications & Community Relations

Dear [redacted] Thank you for contacting Columbia Gas of Virginia with regard to the concerns of Mr [redacted] It is always our goal to ensure the best possible service to our customers, and we takeseriously any complaints we receive.A recent investigation revealed that Mr [redacted] contacted Columbia Gas of Virginia (CGV) onOctober and October to confirm receipt of an online payment in the amount of $Weconfirmed that the payment had posted to his account on October Mr [redacted] called again onOctober to confirm receipt of the payment and this time indicated that his bank showed norecord of the payment and his account had been overdrawnWe explained to Mr [redacted] thatwhen a payment is made, it posts to the account immediately however it may be returned by thebank up to two weeksOn October 13, we were notified by the customer's bank that his paymentwas returned for insufficient funds .We hope we have satisfied the concerns of Mr [redacted] Should you have questions or requireadditional information please do not hesitate to contact me

The exorbitant fees that this company charges if a customer is late are absolutely ridiculous This is a utility that people depend on for the care of their families I had been a customer of theirs for more than a year I was one day late on my bill and they shut off my gas I expected to pay a reconnection fee of $or so, but they charge $ A snow storm was expected to hit my area that night, and I thought my service would be restored that day after paying the past due amount and reconnection fee They would not restore my service for three days unless I agreed to pay an additional $ In addition, they wanted a security deposit of $dollars, but adjusted down to $140, which is still ridiculous They also wanted $to start the pilot light on my water heater A $gas bill ended up costing almost $ The customer service representatives showed no care or concern that my family would be without heat during freezing temperatures I would do anything possible not to do business with this company

VERY MONEY HUNGRY COMPANY!!! BE AWARE!!! THEY CHARGE YOU TO NOT HAVE A SERVICE DONEThe company charges a deposit up front- that you can receive back if you pay your bills on time for a yearMine was $They also charge a fee of $to have a tech light the pilots and inspect the premisesBoth of these things are understandable- however, if you choose to NOT have a technician light the pilots and inspect the home they charge you $I asked the customer service representative, "So you charge to have a tech light the pilots and inspect the home but you also charge to have a tech not light the pilots and inspect the home?" The representative simply replied with "Yes." So this company charges you just because they canI am being charge $to have them do NOTHING!

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 seriouslyBelow is a timeline of what has transpiredOn 6/6/17, Mr [redacted] contacted Columbia Gas of Virginia to request a payment planColumbia Gas advised Mr [redacted] the gas service had been terminated and requested $ [redacted] to restore serviceColumbia Gas advised the restoration amount consisted of $ [redacted] account arrears, in addition to an $ [redacted] reconnect feeColumbia 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 if no sooner date was available Mr [redacted] stated he had children and an elderly person living in the homeColumbia Gas informed him of the $ [redacted] priority fee to override order schedulingMr [redacted] indicated his satisfaction On 6/6/17, at approximately 6: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 soonerColumbia 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 with a thirty-minute call ahead to Mr [redacted] at ***-***-*** On 6/7/2017, Columbia Gas arrived at [redacted] at 1:PM, completed a pressure test on the house lines, and restored service up to the meter valveAppliances were left off to be lit by a qualified plumber or heating contractorRestoration up to the meter was completed at 2: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 concernsSincerely, Kristine J [redacted] Manager – Communications and Community Relations

The business confirmed with Revdex.com that the power washing was completed on Wednesday, November

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/to verify if an excess flow valve (EFV) was installedAn 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/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 cycleNatural 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 ventingThe representatives explained to Mrs [redacted] that only one appliance (water heater or the furnace) could be turned on, due to the improper ventingMrs [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 applianceThe National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA) Section 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 instructionsIf 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

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.Sadly, it's clear Columbia Gas is a company with policy as crooked as they comeThey currently have OVER complaints against them for customers I'd say that speaks for itselfClearly dates arent something they keep eitherthe gas was shut off on 7/and was paid on 7/yet Columbia Gas would not schedule a reconnection until 7/18/we were told the tech would arrive between 8-THE TECH NEVER SHOWED!!!! The plumber sat and waited for Columbia Gas until AFTER 6:00PMColumbia Gas also has NEVER ONCE contacted methey didn't contact me even when the guy was TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATE!!!! I got charged by the plumber that was here to light the pilot light who wasn't able to because Columbia GAS showed up over two hours lateTHIS IS NOT MY FAULT BUT THEIR FAULT!!!! The guy came out finally refused to hook upthe issues were fixed immediatelywe called again and scheduled reconnect and we're TOLD BY COLUMBIA GAS REPRESENTATIVE IN A RECORDED CONVERSATION THE TECH WOULD CALL FROM A NUMBER PRIOR TO ARRIVALNO TECH EVER CALLED FROM A HE CALLED FROM A CELL PHONEI contacted columbia gas minutes after getting his message and was told you missed his call it will have to be rescheduledby columbia gas standards the customer can wait on them for HOURS WITH NO COMMUNICATION BUT SOMEHOW THEIR TIME IS PRIZED!! BULL!! Best part I was told later that it's AGAINST COLUMBIA GAS POLICY TO CONTACT A CUSTOMER FROM THE PERSONAL CELL PHONE (ALSO RECORDED).I did file a complaint with the SCC whom was told by Columbia Gas that their tech showed up and no one answered which was as this home is also a businessthe ONLY REASON the gas FINALLY got turned back on after EIGHT DAYS was because the REPRESENTATIVE WAS APPALLED THAT WITH CHILDREN IN THE HOME ONE OF WHICH IS DISABLED THAT COLUMBIA GAS WOULD BE SO CRAPPY!!!! SHE CALLED THE LOCAL SUPERVISOR HERSELF TO ARRANGE RECONNECT FOR THAT DAYWHICH HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYONE ELSE AT COLUMBIA GAS BUT HER!!!!! After columbia gas and all their lies I think I know have a strong case to build on and a phone record to boot!! With alot of recorded conversationsI'm finally going to an attorney Regards, [redacted] ***

Re: Revdex.com Case [redacted] Dear [redacted] , 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 seriously any complaints we receiveWe have investigated the matter and concluded that gas service at Wills Rdwas shut off due to a gas leak in the fuel lineA site inspection was performed after the customer reported that repairs had been made and the gas service was restored on January We apologize for any inconvenience Mr [redacted] experienced as a result of this incidentWe will continue to work to regain her confidence by continuing to deliver safe, reliable natural gas serviceShould you have questions or require additional information please do not hesitate to contact meSincerely, Columbia Gas of Virginia

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 $ [redacted] 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 $ [redacted] 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] ***