Complaints
This profile includes complaints for BC Hydro's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 37 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 13 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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:09/11/2023
Type: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.
Bc Hydro shut my power off after November 1st when it was -7 that morning. This was half a week after setting up a new account in my name. They said some nonsense about the account needing to be in the landlords name because previous tenants never actually paid anything towards their bills so they required a security deposit but that wasn't due until the middle of November when the bill comes out. So then when the landlord checked online it said the balance owing was 0 yet bc hydro refuses to reconnect the power. We have *** ***** ******** and it's ridiculousCustomer Answer
Date: 09/11/2023
I just want the power turned back on and an apology. I'm willing to pay whatever the bill is but to have it shut off with no warning after November 1st when it was below freezing is harsh.
Business Response
Date: 20/11/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs case for the customer regarding a disconnection of services at this customers premise.
Our records indicate the customer called ********************** on October 26, 2023 to open a new account. After a review of the history at the premise, we found we were unable to open the account and reversed the request. There were multiple losses that BC Hydro experienced at the property throughout the past and as a measure of last resort we invoked section 9.2 of the Electric Tariff.
This section states that BC Hydro may, at its sole option at any time, elect to deal directly with an owner as the customer, in respect to services to the premise. We believe that the losses experienced at this location justify the enactment of this section of the tariff. This is to reduce the risk of further financial losses given that standard practices were found to be ineffective.
A letter notifying the landlord regarding the services at the premise was sent on October 30, 2023. The services were disconnected on November 1, 2023 due to safety reasons and our ***************** team attempted to contact the registered owner regarding the disconnection of services but were unable to reach them.
On November 6, 2023 a new account was set up through BC Hydros online services for this customer. Again, due to the significant losses at this location the account was reversed on November 8,2023. A member of our Customer Advocacy team also called and spoke to the customer to advise them that ********************** will need to speak with the registered owner of the premise in order to apprise them of the next steps they will need to complete in order to have an account set up and the services restored.
I trust that the information provided addresses the points raised to the Better Business Bureau.Customer Answer
Date: 22/11/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:
I received a letter in the mail from bc hydro dated Nov.8th addressed to owner / occupant advising the current tenants to set up an account to avoid possible disconnection because there is currently no account associated with that address.Shutting off the power without any notice in the winter is harsh. Shutting off the power in the winter on small children with no vehicle and no notice as a punishment for someone else's choice to not pay a bill is a special kind of evil.
Sincerely,
*********************Business Response
Date: 06/12/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs case for the consumer regarding their further concerns about disconnection of services at their premise.
We have attempted to contact the consumer multiple times but unfortunately, we have not been successful in speaking with them.
The letter the consumer received was a system generated notice that is sent out automatically after an account has been closed in our system. We apologize for any confusion this caused.
As previously advised, we can only disclose information pertaining to the account to the account holder. If the consumer has any further questions about this process, they can contact our *************************** at **************.
I trust that the information provided addresses the points raised to the Better Business Bureau.
Customer Answer
Date: 12/12/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:The letter i received dated November 8th said there was no account associated with the address and to set up a account before the ********************** was disconnected. If there's no account associated with the address then it shouldn't be an issue to set up an account so that my children and I aren't sitting in the dark in the winter time right before Christmas.
Sincerely,
*********************Business Response
Date: 20/12/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs case for the customers further concerns regarding their disconnection.
Weve thoroughly reviewed this customers complaint and believe weve addressed them appropriately in our November 20, and December 6, 2023 responses.
To clarify, the service had been disconnected for safety reasons. Prior to reconnecting service, the premise will require an electrical inspection by a certified electrician. Additionally, BC Hydro will only accept a new account from the registered property owner before reconnecting power. We encourage the customer to reach out to their landlord regarding the property in question.
The customer is welcome to contact us at ************** should they have any additional questions or concerns.
We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:28/08/2023
Type: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.
I was contacted by BC Hydro in regards to a free portable aircondiyioner for which I have been selected thru a govt programm I was called by BC Hydro in that regard and was told an installation team would contact me for a date and time to installation A worker from BC hydro visited me and assest my apartment this happened around August 14 He told me some adjustments have to be made and he needed approval from BC Hydro before he could proceed He said BC Hydro would contact me for a new date of installation They never contacted me since I have phoned 3 times and left messages but no return phone calls I never heard backBusiness Response
Date: 01/09/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs Case regarding the customers installation of an air conditioner through BC Hydros Energy Conservation Assistance Program.
The customer submitted their application for the program on July 8, 2023 and it was assigned to the program contractor, ***************, on July 21, 2023.
The program contractor completed a visit to the customers apartment in August; however, the air conditioning unit was unable to be installed due to the discovery of an existing electrical issue. Subsequently, a technical review was undertaken to determine a solution.
We can confirm that a solution to the technical issue has been found and the installation can be completed. A representative will be contacting the customer next week to schedule this installation.
A review of the available records has been unable to confirm any recent calls from the customer. However, during our review we have identified a missed step in our communication and apologise for the delay in updating the customer on the status of the installation of the air conditioner.
We will continue to work with our contractor and internally to keep our customers informed in a timely manner.
We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.Customer Answer
Date: 05/09/2023
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
************Initial Complaint
Date:28/07/2023
Type: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.
For several months I have been receiving disconnection notices instead of bills, every 2 months. A few times I even had my power turned off. I have spoken to several representatives to try to clear up this problem, but it never changes.
It has been very stressful and difficult to sort it out every time
Taking hours from my work day, and I have tried multiple times to file a complaint over the phone, and never had the promised call returned
I have never owed this company more than a few hundred dollars, I've lived at the same address for 7 years and have no issue with paying my bill on time.
I simply need to have the bill sent to me on time, and if I happen to miss the email, (which does happen because I was having an issue with my email) and I don't receive mail on time either) l request a text, at the very least, before an email disconnection notice, which is what I used to get, previous to this past year or so.
Just reporting a payment has been a very difficult process. I'm very sorry we don't have other options as customers, because this company is mismanaged on every level, and not at all concerned about it's customers.
What has been going on feels like harrassment, pure and simple, and I will not let it go. What do I need to do to have my request taken seriously?
Best Regards
***** *****Business Response
Date: 04/08/2023
BC Hydro acknowledges and responds to
the BBB’s case for the customer’s concerns regarding not receiving any bill
ready notifications.
Customers must create an online
MyHydro account in order to receive ‘Your bill is ready’ email notifications
and other transactional email updates such as when a pre-authorized payment has
been established on an account or when a planned outage is being scheduled in
the customer’s area. The notifications may contain links to the BC Hydro
website so that a customer is prompted to log in to access their account
details or review their most current bill.
We have since reached out to the
appropriate department to further investigate the issue. there are two situations
that can impact BC Hydro’s ability to send out a Bill ready notification emails.
When a customer receives a confirmation email from BC Hydro, they need to click
on the activation link. For legal
reasons regarding spamming, customers must click a link in the email to confirm
their email address before they receive any notifications or eNewsletters. If
the activation link isn’t clicked on, the account doesn’t become active, then
they won’t receive an email notification.
If a customer already has an active
MyHydro profile, but they don’t login for 365 consecutive days, their account
will become dormant. Despite the dormancy of an account, the customer will
still receive Bill ready notifications. In this case the last login
activity on the customer’s MyHydro application was on May 5, 2021. We
send out all Bill ready email notifications to help customer to stay informed
about bills. According to our records, we successfully delivered these Bill
ready notifications on January 04, 2023, March 03, 2023, and May 03, 2023. Upon
further investigation, we noticed that a couple of notifications bounced back
in May due to an error. This error occurs because a customer’s email server was
temporarily unable to deliver the messages due to their mailbox being full at
that time. It appears that the customer has taken some action to address this
issue, and we see that customer has now received all the Bill ready notifications
for June and July. We understand that this customer would like to receive a text
going forward, however this is not a service BC Hydro can provide at this time.
We appreciate the suggestion and have forwarded this on to the correct
department to see if this is something we can incorporate in future.
A member of our Customer Advocacy team
called and left a voicemail for the customer through the number they listed in
their complaint. If they have any further questions or concerns regarding their
account or email notifications, we encourage them to contact our Customer Care
team at 1-800-224-9376.
We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns
raised to the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:04/07/2023
Type: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 have an account with bchydro and my power was disconnected 3 days ago *** ******* ** * ********* ******** I had applied for the crisis utility supplement which took 3 days to be approved. As of this morning I was told by Hydro that my services should be reconnected within the hour. This was at 11am. By 4pm I still had no power. I called Hydro back to ask what was going on. They said it had failed to remotely reconnect and they had dispatched a worker to come manually connect. As my food had already gone to waste. I rent and everything is electric (hot water, heat if it was winter etc. Because its the ****** long weekend he said all workers were off and no one would come to the house as he had tried to contact a worker to do so. He spoke to his supervisor and there was no more she said they could do. When I was told at 11 am that my power was being reconnected, I used the crisis food fund money I received to buy my two boys and I food for the week as ours spoiled thinking I have power again. Now they said I have to wait until Tuesday for anyone to help me reconnect. I asked what I do with the food I just repurchased through a emergency crisis fund as I am a single mother of two boys and been without power for over 48 hours at this point. And now used the emergency fund money that replaced our food that spoiled is now going to go bad again. And hydro says. Sorry nothing we can do. Unfortunate timing being a holiday weekend. So now my two kids and I have no power for another 72 hours and wasted the emergency fund money on food that is going to go bad on us again. But bchydro.. cant do anything. Because no one will come and help reconnect my power manually. How is this fair? ***** ***** **** ***** ** ***** *** ***** ** **** **** * *** **** ***** ** **** ******* ** ****** ***** *** ***** * ***** ****** *** ** *** ***** No compassion, empathy. Nothing. Disappointing and now I dont know what we are going to doBusiness Response
Date: 12/07/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the Better Business Bureaus (BBB)case regarding the customers disconnection concerns.
BC Hydros representative has attempted to contact this customer to discuss their concerns further, unfortunately, weve been unsuccessful in reaching them. We have followed up with an email to the address we have on file.
We encourage the customer to contact us at their convenience in order to address their concerns.Initial Complaint
Date:19/06/2023
Type: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 contacted BC Hydro in October regarding a new account. After months of not receiving a bill, I contacted them to request billing. After several attempts by me to contact them with no information, they told me that my account hadn't been initiated and they would start billing as of May. Now they have contact me to say we do need to pay the entire amount, but still haven't provided me with a bill. They are impossible to contact during my work hours, and there is no option to email. The challenges around communication and failure to provide basic service are negligent, and there doesn't seem to be any accountability - because it's a publicly owned company there is no recourse. Super frustrating. I am left with a giant bill (that I still can't pay because they haven't provided it).Business Response
Date: 22/06/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs Case regarding the customers move in and billing charges.
The customer contacted ********************** on October 19, 2022, to set up an account with a possession date of October 14, 2022. An invoice had already been issued to the previous account holder, so a Move-In Application was created,and the invoice was sent to our billing department. However, due to a system error there were difficulties in cancelling and correctly issuing the invoice, which in turn caused a delay in the move in being finalized and the customer invoiced.
On May 15, ******** customer contacted ********************** and spoke to a representative. Our representative attempted to override the system error by adjusting the move in date to May 15, 2023. Since this customer took responsibility from October ******* we are required to bill them for their usage. As a public utility regulated by the ***** BC Hydro must observe the ******************** Act (***) and cannot waive known consumption. Part 3, Section 63 of the *** states:A public utility must not, without the consent of the commission, directly or indirectly, in any way charge,demand, collect or receive from any person for a regulated service provided by it, or to be provided by it, compensation that is greater than,less than or other than that specified in the subsisting schedules of the utility applicable to that service and filed under this Act."
We apologise for the level of service this customer has received and coaching has been provided to the representative to ensure this doesnt happen in the future.
Our billing team were able to correct the error and manually created a new invoice, with the correct move in date of October 14, 2022 when the customer took over responsibility of the service. On June 12, 2023, BC Hydro contacted the customer to advise the account had been corrected and the customer would be billed for all usage charges from the original move in date until present, as the customer confirmed this was their possession date.
BC Hydro has attempted to contact the customer twice since June ******* to discuss the invoice and offer payment arrangements but have been unsuccessful. We have provided the customer with a direct line to contact ********************** to discuss this matter.
We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:16/05/2023
Type: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 had an account with BC Hydro for a few years with an equal payment plan using my credit card through Paymentus, a 3rd party for credit card transactions. In July of 2022, I canceled my service as I was moving. On the call, the customer service rep told me my account was closed, payments stopped, and took my new address in order to send a cheque to me, as I had over $300 as a credit with them. I had thought it was dealt with, even though another payment came off my card, as she had told me it could take a few days to close my account. After another payment came through, I went into my account and noticed that my equal payments were still going, so I messaged them, who let me know that I had to contact paymentus to stop the payments and they told me that they would not issue any refunds until the payments were stopped. I then tried emailing paymentus to stop the payments, where I did not hear back from them and was still getting payments taken out. BC Hydro told me that they needed me to send them all of my payment details from the last year and a half also. After still not having paymentus respond, I disputed the payment they had taken from my bank account and soon after, Paymentus responded to my emails. Within a couple days the issue was solved. After this was dealt with, I asked BC hydro for a place to send all the info they requested since thier portal had a small character limit and no way to send screenshots. After not hearing back for a few weeks, I checked in and they informed me that they never got my email. So I resent all the information they requested. A few more weeks go by and I had a missed call from them. I called them, only for a supervisor to tell me that since it had been over 6 months since my account was closed, they would no longer issue me a refund, and to go to my bank. My bank can't help and has advised I get you guys to help me. They owe me $770. 71 in total now.Business Response
Date: 18/05/2023
We acknowledge and
respond to the BBB’s case regarding the over-payment on the consumer’s
account. Our Customer Advocacy
Team has reached out to the consumer to resolve their concerns. A refund
cheque for the total amount has been issued.We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to
the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:03/04/2023
Type: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 am on an equal payment plan with BC hydro and have been paying around $100 or less for the last six months and then my bill for the last month is *****. How is thus an equal payment plan when our of the blue without any prior notification that I am using a higher amount of hydro and not reflected in previous bills, can this be equal payment m?Business Response
Date: 11/04/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBBs case for the customer regarding concerns about the Equal Payment Plan and its annual adjustment.
The Equal Payment Plan is an option we have available to all of our residential customers. Each year, we compare the amount you've been billed with your actual use. The difference may result in a credit (if you've used less electricity than you've paid for) or additional charges (if you've been using more electricity than you've paid for). You can see how you're comparing on each bill statement.
Unfortunately, we have not been successful in reaching this customer. If they would like to discuss their concerns further, we encourage them to contact our **************** at ****************.
We trust the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:12/01/2023
Type: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 applied BCHydro to provide temporary power in April, 2022 (Reference#: *******) for my rebuilding house. BCHydro sent contractor for the site survey and on May 18, 2022, I was told that the service box need to be upgraded before they can provide any power services. The next day I requested to escalate the service request. On May 21, I was contacted by the work lead, Angela C********. She explained to me that the upgrade need 4 months and there is not other ways to skip. She also sent me the name (***** ******) and contact information of the designer . However, no matter how I called or emailed, the designer never responded. I kept contacting with Angela but was told to wait 4 months. On Aug 31, another designer, **** ******* contacted me telling me that Abdur has left the designer position and his files has just transferred to her. She told me she will start my project about Sept 15. Eventually she started on Oct 3. On Nov 21, She told me that the design was done and file was on the desk of the internal approver. Now, 40+ days passed, the file is still on the approver desk as she recently told me. She has no way but asking and waiting for. I have no electrical power on the construction site for the ridiculous 9 months. I have to use a generator to let the contractors to come one by one that pulled the house building very slow. The whole house frame was built in the wet days and finally got the roof and wall covered. Now the generator doesn't meet the power requirement to dry the house frame. Everything has to stop and waiting for power. I still don't know when we can get the temporary/permanent power. Everything is uncertain and the designer said she did her best. I can't believe that the power service application could last 9 months without result. A designer can left without transferring files in 4 months. I really expect that BBB can assist me to contact BCHydro to escalate the case to a rush progress to compensate the lost 4 months. Thanks a lot.Business Response
Date: 27/01/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s case for the
customer regarding a new connection request.
The customer was looking for a new temporary connection to their property. The
service order was initiated by the customer on May 18, 2022. The project was
assigned to a designer on May 24, 2022, who gave an approximate time frame for
completion of up to four months. Due to a service box needing replacement and the
customer performing construction on public property, this project has become significantly
more complex.
Our records indicate that on June 27, 2022 the designer
assigned to the customer’s project left their position. The project was
immediately reassigned to a new designer on the same day, who performed a site
check at the property on July 26, 2022.
As the service box needed replacing, BC Hydro needed to gain
an understanding of the underground infrastructure in the area before the
replacement could be completed. For this specific location, very little
information exists for other underground utilities, so BC Hydro issued a
request for information from BC One and Telus. While we received the majority
of information on September 6 and 28, 2022 respectively, there were still some
outstanding items needed from Telus.
The scope was completed on October 4th, 2022;
however, BC Hydro was still waiting on some information from Telus to take the
next step, which we received on October 29, 2022. The project was reviewed by a
supervisor; however due to the civil inspectors’ findings, further adjustments
were required.
The adjustments were completed, and the project was sent for
another review on December 13, 2022. The drawing was submitted to the City of
Burnaby for their review on January 20, 2023, and subsequently approved on January
21, 2023.
Though BC Hydro has expedited the completion of the
drawings, we understand that there has been some public property excavation at
the site, undertaken by the customer, which has impacted our facilities. As a
result, this will likely impact the project’s cost and timeline and will
require further follow up with the City of Burnaby. We currently don’t have a
timeline for completion as the work is subject to receipt of Traffic Permits
and construction scheduling, but we want to assure the customer we are still
actively working on their project and remain committed to competing it as
quickly as possible.
We trust that the information provided addresses the
concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.Customer Answer
Date: 09/02/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:BC Hydro has lot of excuses to explain this marathon project and the fact is there is no result, and even there is no time line of project. I will say thanks to the designer. She put lots of efforts on the project to move it forward. However, it seems like BC Hydro is short of designer or relate professions for Burnaby area. She is the only designer here. When the project started, it was assigned to another designer. It seems like there are no hands added since the previous designer left the position. I have only one expectation to use the power after 11 months waiting. No excuse can cover the 11-month project with no timeline so far. Please make the electricity available. It is the essential part of our life.
Sincerely,
***** ********* *****Business Response
Date: 16/02/2023
We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s Case for the
customer regarding his concerns surrounding delays with design work and lack of
timeline for completion of work.
Although BC Hydro is actively working on the
customer’s project, the City of Burnaby needs further follow up regarding the
required work. It’s also subject to receipt of Traffic permits and construction
scheduling, which are all outside of BC Hydro’s control, and is the reason why
there is no current timeline for energization. We are monitoring the situation closely,
and once we’re able to provide a timeline, we will advise the customer.
On broader terms. we understand that project delays
can be frustrating. There have been significant increases in construction
activity in the province in the past year, which has caused workload and
resource constraints. BC Hydro has been challenged with resources
to handle the increased workload. We acknowledge the challenges this creates,
and BC Hydro is implementing several actions to address the delays, including,
adding resources and implementing efficiencies within processes.
We also have short, medium, and long-term
plans to address the unforeseen increase in workload. However, it takes time to
hire and train designers and implement initiatives. In the meantime, if the
customer feels their project has stalled and assistance is needed, we encourage
them to reach out to their designer.
We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns
raised to the Better Business Bureau.Customer Answer
Date: 19/02/2023
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:The response is far away for the truth. I was keeping contact with the designer since BC Hydro's previous response of waiting for permit about 20 days ago. Until yesterday, Feb 17 2023, the first part of the design(Service Box) that has completed was still on the supervisor's desk waiting for the internal approval. The designer is looking for time to work on the secondary part (duck design). There is no chance for the project to wait for the traffic permit and construction scheduling. I have also contacted the City of Burnaby to confirm that there is no further follow-up regarding to Hydro's design. City of Burnaby will only follow up when BC Hydro completes the whole project. Instead, The City of Burnaby sent me a Stop Work Order, requiring me to let the engineering dept. to review the house plan on the completion of BC Hydro upgrade. Now, all of my project is stopped, waiting for the duct's completion.
I really wish BC Hydro to stop lying to BBB and consumer. I urge BC Hydro on these two things immediately:
1) Raise the priority of the project so that supervisor can review the SB design and approve it asap. I do expect the project moving forward to the stage of waiting permit which was lying to me 20 days ago.
2) Assign enough time to the designer to work on the secondary part of the design(duct design) and complete the whole design so that I can go to the engineering department of the City of Burnaby to discuss the Stop Work Order.
Sincerely,
***** ********* *****Business Response
Date: 02/03/2023
We continue to work
with the customer and his municipality and hope to resolve all outstanding
issues in the near future. The customer has our contact information for any
questions or concerns they may have.Initial Complaint
Date:13/12/2022
Type: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 have been a BC hydro customer for many years. I recently moved and my service was cut off as of Dec 3. When i heard about the cost of living credit in November, i called BC hydro to see if i should extend my service date to Dec 4 to qualify for the credit. The person i spoke to said no, you had an active account as of Oct 1, so you qualify. **** ****** ** ********* ********* ** ** ** ** * ****** *** *** **** **** * ******** ******** **********
Now i come to find out that the person i spoke to was "wrong" and i won't get the credit. This is completely unacceptable and insulting. I took the time to call BC hydro to confirm i was eligible. I kept my service on from Nov 1 - Dec 3 so i would qualify, despite moving most of my things into my new place by mid november. My new place has hydro included, although my rent went from ***** ** ****** ** * ****** **** *** *** ********** *** ***** **** ** *** *** I paid my BC hydro bills on time for my entire account history. It is not my fault that i should not qualify for the credit because your staff made an officially induced error. Please be advised I am just seeking my $81 final bill to be paid off. I dont need an additional credit paid out to me.
This cost of living credit was designed for people in my economic situation. **** * ***** * ** * ****** ******* * **** **** ***** ***** ** ** *** *** **** * ****** ********** Please do the right thing and stand by what YOUR employee told me. This has stressed me out so much and it is not fair! Please do the right thing!Business Response
Date: 20/12/2022
We acknowledge and respond to
the BBB’s Case for the customer regarding the cost-of-living credit.
We’ve spoken with the
customer to discuss their account concerns further. Upon review and investigation, we have
resolved this customer’s complaint.
We trust that the information provided
addresses the concerns raised by the customer to the Better Business Bureau.Initial Complaint
Date:27/10/2022
Type: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.
We called BC hydro for removal of services and a temporary line. They send in a crew that looks at the box and turns around and says it's not clean we have to get a crew to clean it, a weak and a half later another crew comes in and say the neutral is lose we can clean. Now waiting on another crew to fix the neutral. Now BC hydro calls and says the wire might need to be changed we will charge more, still not a single minute of work done so far over a month has gone by.
BC Hydro is doing this on purpose, they need 3-4 crews to maintain a single box? no they don't, this is a way for them to calk up more appointments for a simple temp line and end up charging thousands of dollars more for a service that should be easy to complete.
These boxes are BC Hydro owned and maintained so to keep them clean is their job and on top of it, they know when they last cleaned them. So, why send in a crew to look at something you already know isn't clean just so you can give another appt for cleaning?
There is no record kept of when any job is done at BC hydro? they don't know 'hey we sent out 70 crews and 60 of them need cleaning' maybe we send out cleaning crew first? NO, they do not do this because these are "planned inefficiencies" in place to make the utility more money at cost of citizens time and money.
These guys have wasted over a month of good weather because they just do 'planned', 'ineffective' service calls to lengthen the time of a call and to increase the number of calls they make per household for a job.Business Response
Date: 04/11/2022
We acknowledge and respond to
the BBB’s Case for the customer in regards to an installation for temporary
service.
Homes that are built pre-1980
often have issues with infrastructure on public property (such as direct-buried
wires) so we send crews out prior to the upgrade to identify any complexities. In
this instance, a site check was required as the home was built in the 1970s.
We received the initial
request for a service change on September 22, 2022.
This work involved civil
crews, line crews and a designer to ensure safety standards were met. It took
multiple steps due to the complexities that were identified and needed to be
addressed as the job proceeded. This is not out of the ordinary for underground
upgrades and for age the of the property and infrastructure.
We acknowledge that the
timeline did get pushed out multiple times. There are standard turnaround times
for this type of work and, as the work was progressing, we communicated to the
customer at each phase of the process what the timeline was for the next step.
When the customer expressed frustration, a supervisor contacted the customer to
let them know that we would put a rush on the order.
Our electrical contractor let
the customer’s electrician know we were ready to complete work on October 27.
This was not convenient for the customer’s electrician, so it was scheduled for
completion on November 3, 2022 and we understand work was completed on that
date.
In total, had the work
occurred on the date identified by our electrical contractor, October 27, the job would
have taken 23 business days to complete from the date of the initial request to BC Hydro.
We trust that the information
provided addresses the concerns raised by the customer to the Better Business
Bureau.Customer Answer
Date: 04/11/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me as the work was completed. BUT again for a business that has monopoly on providing this service a turnaround time of 21 days is abhorrent. For them to say it got pushed back is easy when they aren’t the one’s separated from families or paying a mortgage. There is absolutely no reason for this type of work to take as long as it did. It’s done this way cuz it lines someone’s pockets. Shame on you BC HYDRO take BC out your name if you think you are a private for profit company.
Sincerely,
*** *****
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