Complaints

This profile includes complaints for EPCOR Utilities Inc.'s headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  EPCOR Utilities Inc.

  2000-10423 101 St NW Edmonton, AB T5H 0E8

• 

  EPCOR Utilities Inc.

  Customer Service 10065 Jasper Ave Edmonton, AB T5J 3B1

• 

  EPCOR Utilities Inc.

  Box 500 Edmonton, AB T5J 3Y3

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:20/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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.

  Epcor is charging too much money for out monthly utility bills and since they are a monopoly the cost keeps going higher and higher we are at our financial breaking point there is no way for us to keep up and these are essential services. This is causing marital stress, depression and anxiety and we can’t do anything to change our address right now. Please help us! Our new bill is over $1000 and every month our bills are over $500 for essential services so we can’t just choose another company. They insist it’s usage that’s the reason for the high bills this will literally force us out of the house we are renting.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:17/03/2023

  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.

  We moved from Calgary to Crowsnest Pass in March 2022. We contacted ***** to continue our services with them in CNP (except water, municipality deals with that in CNP), but for some reason ***** did not include the electricity, and we were not aware of this. Today (March 2023) we received a letter from Epcor, stating we owe $900 and it’s going to collections in 3 days. This was the first contact we received from Epcor. For the last year, we never received a single utility bill from them, and furthermore, we didn’t sign any contract or agree to an electricity rate. This is one of the worst business practices I have seen, and shows how disorganized, and poor their communication is with customers. I do not recommend using Epcor. I immediately contacted ***** to make sure my electricity is back with them. ***** is not perfect, but way better than the others.

  Business Response

  Date: 28/03/2023

  We have been unable to speak to this Customer and have not received response to our attempts at contact. We have left her two voice messages. We did not receive a response to the first message left on March 24, 2023 and followed up with a second message on March 28, 2023. We do not have the Customer's consent to release any account information or details. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 30/03/2023

  
  Complaint: 19616340
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I tried to call back in March 28,29 and 30 and left a message. The phone number provided doesn’t work anymore. I haven’t heard back from the person who contacted me from Epcor. Please call me again.
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 03/04/2023

  We have now received the Customer's consent to release account information.

  On January 6, 2023, EPCOR reviewed charges for **** *** ** ** ***** ***** ** which had no customer in billing since June 10, 2022. These charges and consumption information were received from the ***** ***** (*************).
  
  When a location continues to receive services but does not have a customer to bill, EPCORs regular process is to pull a land title and bill the owner within 12 months of receiving the charges. The land title pulled confirmed ******** **** was the Owner of this property.
  
  Gaps in service occur when charges for both consumption and Distribution & Transmission are incurred during a time period when there is no Customer actively billing at a site. EPCOR, as a default retailer, is responsible for charges during these time periods, resulting in unbilled revenue. I have included the pertinent Article from our Terms and Conditions for your reference.

  
  8.11 Owner’s Liability for Payment
  In circumstances where:
  (a) there is no Customer of Record registered on the accounting records of EPCOR;
  and
  (b) there are no other occupants of the Site who continue to receive Service,
  the Property Owner shall be deemed to be the Customer of Record and shall be liable for payment for Services provided in accordance with the Regulated Rate Tariff until the date a new Customer of Record is determined by EEA provided that a rural Property Owner will not be deemed to be the Customer of Record or made responsible for paying Regulated Rate Tariff charges related to Service for an energy company’s oil and natural gas facilities located on the rural Property Owner’s site or sites unless the rural Property Owner directly requested the Service or will receive a benefit from the continuation of the Service. The Property Owner when deemed to be the Customer of Record under this provision shall be liable for all charges relating to identifying, searching for and contacting the Property Owner as a result of there being no Customer of Record for the Site.

  
  EPCOR subsequently produced and mailed statements on January 25, 2023 and February 25, 2023.
  
  On March 17, 2023, ******** **** called EPCOR Customer Service and inquired about the billing. The gap in billing was explained to the Customer during this call. The invoices were also emailed to her at ********************. The billing ended on March 20, 2023; however, as we bill a month behind, she will still receive a final bill statement.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/04/2023

  
  Complaint: 19616340
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  EPCOR is not providing a solution or compensations for their disorganization.

  I never received a bill, I just got a letter on March 17 indicating that I had to pay the full amount ($800) by March 20 or I will be sent to collection. I had to call them to get copies of the bills as were never received.
  EPCOR took over 8 months since the tittle was updated to send the letter indicating the charges for over 6 months.

  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/04/2023

  From the CONSUMER:
  Sent 4/12/2023 10:48:21 AM
   
  Complaint: 19616340
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  EPCOR is not providing a solution or compensations for their disorganization.
  
  I never received a bill, I just got a letter on March 17 indicating that I had to pay the full amount ($800) by March 20 or I will be sent to collection. I had to call them to get copies of the bills as were never received.
  EPCOR took over 8 months since the tittle was updated to send the letter indicating the charges for over 6 months.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  Back in May 2022 I moved into a new home. I had my EPCOR transferred to my new address. I received and paid my EPCOR bills until October 2022 and then I stopped receiving bills. From May to October there were huge fluctuations in my EPCOR bill which was suspect. I called EPCOR approx. 4 times during this period ending December 31. Since the beginning of 2023 I have been calling EPCOR weekly. My online account shows a credit balance of $366.16, but still no bill. In both January and February I was told they are "working on it" and it was a cross metering issue. The last few times I called EPCOR I tried to have my complaint escalated and was told a supervisor would call me March 3 or 6. No phone call was received. My online account overview still shows this $366.16 credit. I have asked for my bill as well an accounting of my usage including meter readings and the amount owed each month since October 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 20/03/2023

  We reached out to Ms *********** resolved her outstanding concerns, explained the delay in billing and what are our next steps were.  She was happy to receive a statement, and she also provided her feedback for her Customer service experience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 21/03/2023

  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 19555720, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:18/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  last fall my separated wife insisted i put my power into my own name. doing so caused an close to thousand dollar deposit to be added to my bill making it unmanageable because of my financial situation. i explained to epcor that payment had faithfully come from my personal online banking account for 22 years of owning my farm. i was in constant contact with epcors ethics officer ****** ***********. the pole and meter were removed after service was discontinued causing much damage. this infrastructure removal was unnecessary and i was told illegal plus caused more damage when it infringed on my side of things.i now have no power and much freezing damage plus three fridges and three freezers and contents ruined. i have only paid epcor for 22 years but now they are telling me to blame their sub contractor ****** for the damage. their ethics officer did nothing in many months that could not have been done by an unconcerned lawyer in minutes

  Business Response

  Date: 22/02/2023

  EPCOR’s service was delivered in compliance with its Terms and Conditions of Service. EPCOR’s actions to request payment for services and the steps following to disconnect service after providing notice were fully within the terms of regulated service approved by the ******* Utilities Commission.
  
  *************’s Terms of Service point to the removal of facilities provided by *************. EPCOR did not send any staff to SW-24-48-4-5 / Brazeau County AB to facilitate the removal of facilities. That step was taken by *************, the electricity distribution provider for SW-24-48-4-5 / Brazeau County AB. EPCOR is unable to respond to Mr. ****’s assertion that EPCOR employees described the disconnect as illegal. EPCOR does not have any field personnel working in ************* service territory. Should Mr. ****s decide on re-instating the electrical infrastructure and having the site re-energized, he is to have this arranged with *************.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 22/02/2023

  
  Complaint: 19430473
  
  I am rejecting this response because:   i have only paid epcor and was only bound by contract with epcor. epcor retained the sole rigjt of access to my property and therefore retains sole responsibility for any damages incurred by access pertaining to that contract. thank you. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

  Business Response

  Date: 23/02/2023

  There is no new information to provide to the consumer. The following has been communicated from EPCOR Senior Legal Counsel to Mr. ****s:

  EPCOR did not send any staff to your site to facilitate the removal of facilities. That step was taken by *************, the electricity distribution provider in your area. EPCOR does not have any field personnel working in ************* service territory.

  EPCOR now considers this matter closed

  Customer Answer

  Date: 24/02/2023

  
  Complaint: 19430473
  
  I am rejecting this response because: i only paid epcor for this service and nobody else making epcor solely responsible for any entry. as soon as i tryed to reason with epcor through their ethics personal to use common sense as i had faithfully paid from my mobile banking for 22 years the unnecessary removal of the infrastructure happened causing the damage.  i feel that the unnecessary removal of infrastructure is not the ethical way to deal with a consumer who asks that common sense be used to prevent severe damage as winter approaches. this damage should never have happened when dealing with an ethical company like epcor. i think the company needs to investigate and perhaps reprimand a few employees 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:18/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 lived at an address with my ex, she used to abuse the hell out of me, anyway, I was the account holder, she told me she took me off the account, lied to me about it. And let it run up a 500 something dollar bill and let it go to collections, I called epcor last week to ask what I can do about that. Just to be told it's my fault because I didn't call them to say I moved out, that I should take it as a lesson learned and move on. If I was a woman I feel it would've been handled differently, but because I'm a man Noone cares.

  Business Response

  Date: 23/01/2023

  At EPCOR, we take all concerns about billing or customer service seriously, and we are always willing to discuss any aspect of a customer’s account or bill with them. 
  
  

  In this situation, EPCOR has been able to resolve this customer’s concern internally. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:17/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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 recently moved here in this apartment and after my third bill I realized Epcor is charging me so high and saying that it is all our fault, I called customer service and the lady was really mean to us and repeatedly saying the same thing 1000 times. I got charged for around $ 150.00 (oct2- oct 21) which I paid and also called them with a concern that why is it So high but they neglected. Also the second and third bill was $370.00 (oct 22-nov 22) and $266.31 (nov 23-dec 21) And this is not the first time we are paying an electricity bill so we know how much it should be approximately. They are charging us way too much. They also said that if a person comes to check the meter it will cost us $160-$1000. I cannot believe that. I just called to understand the issue here but she was just cutting us over and over and not listening us. And later on claim that I am trying to cut her in the middle. I also explained that we recently moved here and we do not have to many appliances she didn’t wanted to listen to us. No information has been given expect for the thing that “we are charging you on your usage”. I called to apply for the billing dispute but they choose not to give a damn about it. I think it is our electrical meter which has issues.

  Business Response

  Date: 23/01/2023

  At EPCOR, we take all concerns about billing or customer service seriously, and we are always willing to discuss any aspect of a customer’s account or bill with them. In this situation, the customer contacted EPCOR multiple times in regards to their high electrical consumption.
  
  On each occasion, the customer compared their consumption for their site, to their friends and family members’ consumption. They also stated their belief there was an issue with the meter on site. Each Customer Service Representative clarified that each site is billed based off of the inhabitant’s actual usage, which is in turn dependent on individual habits, and therefore could not be compared to their own actual consumption. They also provided information regarding a meter test and clarified they could send through a request, but if the meter on site was working as intended, the customer would be charged for the actual cost incurred for testing the meter, which varies from $300 to over $1000 due to many different elements of testing. The Customer Service Representatives then continued to provide alternative options which the customer could utilize on their end, to investigate the high electrical consumption on site.
  
  These alternatives included:
  
  A breaker test.
  *This can assist with identifying where the electrical is being used at the site.
  *This will also confirm is the customer is billing for the correct meter.
  The customer taking their own meter read.
  *The customer would then compare the read to what is reflected on their statement, to ensure the reads are in line with the billing statement.
  
  These alternatives were presented to the customer, as an attempt to assist in identifying the cause of their consumption and to also prevent unnecessary, additional charges from being applied to the account.
  
  EPCOR is currently waiting for the customer to confirm if they would like to proceed with a meter test, as that option is available to them. They can reach out to Customer Care team at 310-4300 (a toll-free call in Alberta), or 1-800-667-2345 (Toll free in North America) Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/01/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore 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 the last two bills for electric energy I have been billed with excess and epcor has made no explanation or help to resolve the issue currentlythere is no residence on the property and no major use of energy there is a couple lights and small stock de icers but they are saying we have used over two thousand kilowatt hours which make now sense and in talking with neighbors is an outrageous charge I would like for them to correct the bill there is no thesable way it should be 700 a month for electricity on a property with no residence I would also like if possible to have someone come out to look and see what is going on trying to complete such a resolution over phone doesn't seem to we working no one with give any help

  Business Response

  Date: 09/01/2023

  We have obtained consent to release to provide the following response:

  The meter readings confirm high electricity consumption.

  High consumption could be due to one or more factors which can include but not limited to, additions to the amount of people living in the home, appliances, renovations, construction, improvements requiring power tools and or portable heaters or air conditioners in use at the premises

  The customer confirmed the use of electrical heaters during the high consumption period. The customer has stopped using portable heaters and as after doing so, they've seen a drop in consumption. 

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 18686836
  
  I am rejecting this response because: they have not made any effort to resolve the issue only to deflect the blame and say that anything they could do to help would cost me more there was 1 heater used but does not account for the change they have said I used I sent an email with an option to resolve the issue and am waiting for their further communication  
  
  Sincerely,
  **** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2023

  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.

  October 2022 I sold a property on Account *** ****** ***** on Sept 1st And informed Epcore on the sale that month and requested that they remove my name from the account. They agreed. The Last Payment I made was to: Epcore ****** ***** ********** Last payment: $273.24 - November 9, 2022 Epcore continued to bill me and has collectors harassing me after that date. This is a demand to have Epcore remove the false bills and reinstate my account in good order as well as return all ove rpayments past Sept 1st 2022. Epcore the same to another account at Property Country Club and I request this to be fixed as well. Epcor Edmonton Utilities **********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2023

  Gaps in service occur when charges for both consumption and Distribution & Transmission are incurred during a time period when there is no Customer actively billing at a site. EPCOR, as a default retailer, is responsible for charges during these times periods.
  
  EPCOR’s process is to pull the Land Title for the property and determine who is listed as the owner of the for the vacant time period.
  
  With Mr. ********’s assistance we were provided additional documentation supporting the sale of the property and have credited the charges for the time period in question.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2022

  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.

  Epcor electricity and water bill for Sept 27 to Oct 26 (statement date Nov 15) was $1424.28. Water usage had been estimated too high earlier this year and in June 2022 I received a credit to my account when an actual meter reading was submitted. Since June Epcor has been estimating my water usage at 0.6 m^3 per month. In October an actual reading was submitted. Epcor has charged me for 230 m^3 of water for the November statement. Actual usage is closer to 190 m^3 total since June. Most of this water is then billed at a higher rate (tiered rates for how much water per month is used) and estimated high for the month based on an actual reading part way through the billing cycle and extrapolating extremely high usage for the rest of the billing cycle. I contacted Epcor and they said they will not adjust the bill to reflect actual usage of 30 to 40 m^3 per month over the past six months. The only thing they could offer was to split the bill over multiple months but my bill had already been paid through an automated withdrawal. They also gave me contact info for submitting directions for the meter person to read my meter (I have a dog and sometimes a locked gate which prevents them from accessing my meter but my wife is almost always at home and never have they rang the door bell, they just leave a note to self submit the reading after a few months of not getting a reading). ***** ******* **********

  Business Response

  Date: 19/12/2022

  EPCOR has reached out to Mr. ***** to obtain consent to release account information and to discuss their concerns. EPCOR has not received a call back yet.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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 just got a $670 bill for water, called the company to ask why. There was a problem with my water meter a year ago, the meter readers could not get readings for it. Instead of getting it fixed properly they began to estimate my water readings for an entire year and then gave me a notice a whole year later to call to arrange someone to come to fix my meter. The guy showed up and it was a minute fix because a wire was unplugged. Then three months later I get a bill for $670, because they were under charging me. This is shady business practice by the monopoly we call Epcor. I called to make a dispute on the bill they won't give me any bill credit and only thing they can do is split up the payments into 12 months. Which means more hassle for me because I have to cancel my automatic payments, and then add an extra $57 on to each bill every month and make manual payments. Their negligence to get the meter fixed on time resulted in me getting over a year worth of water charges onto one single bill. This is something I have no control over or have any understanding of water bill charges or how meters read, and now I'm paying for the company's negligence. This is a shady business practice and they should be the ones paying for it, because it was all their fault to begin with.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2022

  We have spoken with the customer today and resolved the issue with him.