Complaints

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:02/10/2024

  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.

  For over a year now, I have not received an actual water meter reading, and all my utility bills have been based on estimates, resulting in me being overcharged by more than $100 each month.I have contacted Carma customer service multiple times and have been repeatedly told that someone would follow up or call me back, but I never received any follow-up. This is very unprofessional and inconvenient. I request to conduct an actual water meter reading, adjust my bills, and credit back my overcharged money.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2024

  Hello Veronica,

  Thank you for working with me to resolve your concern. We are mid investigation and have determined that your water meter requires replacing. I will keep connected with you until the meter is replaced and we can ensure you have meter read water consumption billing instead of computer estimates. 

  Sincerely,

  Lisa Pigeau
  

  Customer Service Manager

  CARMA Corp

  1-888-298-3336 Ex 660

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/08/2024

  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.

  First of all I have signed up for online billing in order to avoid extra charges for bill send by mail. Recently I missed 2 payments and I already tried to pay immediately when I found out, but already too late to get a notice from Carma Submetering. Although I paid in full, I found out there's a so called "disconnected notice" fee of $45.20 on my latest bill. Carma already charged me late penalty and why still I need to pay such a fee? $45.20 is not cheap for administration fee, it's almost like a month of my electricity bill. Even ********************** fee is not that expensive. I think it's really ridiculous.

  Business Response

  Date: 14/08/2024

  Attached is a copy of the email to our customer:

   

  From: *********************
  Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2024 11:12 AM
  To: *******************
  Subject: CARMA Account Inquiry
  
  Hi *****,
  
  Re: 000914766-10
  
  Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to resolve your inquiry.
  
  I have received your concern through the Better Business Portal and am happy to discuss your account. I have left you a voice message if you would like to call me back.
  
  Thats great that you have signed up for e-billing, as its a great portal and makes it easy to receive your monthly invoices and see all past payments. Regarding the fees that have been billed to your account, they are due to your account being greater than 50 days past due. We received a payment in April to bring your account to a current balance, and then after 3 monthly invoices, the next payment we received was in July.
  
  When an account past due greater than 30 days, we send a disconnect notice letter advising you of the arrears and letting you know there is a potential disconnect of your services if payment is not received. Along with that letter, we charge a fee of $40.00 plus tax.
  
  Thank you for bringing your account to a current state. As a one-time gesture of goodwill, I will reverse this disconnect notice fee for you. Your next invoice will be sent to you on August 25th and will be due on or around Sept 14th.
  
  Thank you and on behalf of Carma, we wish you a great day!
  
  ****
  
  **** | **************** Manager
  ********************** Corp.
  Office: ***********************
  Email: ************************************
  www.carmacorp.com | www.carmabillingservices.com 
  *************************************************************************************;
  
  Confidentiality Warning: This e-mail contains information that is confidential and is intended only for the use of the named recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, copying or distribution of this transmission is strictly prohibited. Please contact CARMA Corp. immediately if you have received this transmission in error and delete this message.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/02/2024

  Type:Product 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.

  Carma ******* Services is a scam. They are charging us late fees on a bill we never received. Supposedly they sent us an email on Dec 29, 2023 and as per the screenshot, we never received it. The bill was for ~$77. By the time we received the next bill, it was 6 days after the previous bill was due and they charged us $45.50 + $1.95 late fees. I tried contacting them and they explained that "there is nothing we can do". Please look at their ****** reviews, its all you need to see. 1 star rating

  Business Response

  Date: 11/03/2024

  Thank you for providing CARMA the opportunity to reply as every customer is a priority to us. 
  March 8th - Spoke to the Customer is aware of monthly billing and due date every month of 20 days following the bill date. E-bill resent on Dec 29, 2023. As a gesture of goodwill, I have adjusted the late payment fee of 1.95 and $45.20. Customer satisfied
  
  Thank you,
  
  ****
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:18/01/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  In July 2021 CARMA acquire ******** *********** and as a customer of a building utilizing ********, I had my ******* transferred to CARMA without any action on my part. Initially this was a good thing, until I realized I could not manage my ******* on CARMA's online portal as it was not visible there, but continued to deduct the bill from my checking account monthly. I sent a message to CARMA about this issue via their contact form, but received no response at all. Their contact form submission does not give me any sort of email receipt, so I wasn't able to retain a record of this contact since I did not get any sort of response from them.
  
  In November 2023 I needed to close my checking account associated with the ******* and since I wasn't able to manage it from the online portal, I simply added my new checking account ******* there for Novermber's bill due 4th December and set it to pay the full balance on due date. Come December 2023, I received a letter via postal mail that my ******* from the original account bounced back and therefore I was to be charged a $35 return payment fee. I contacted CARMA once more via both their contact form and directly via email, as well as attempted to call them. Only the direct email method received a response, because when I called them the automated system bounced me back to the main menu no matter what option I chose on my number pad.
  
  Upon checking my December bill, I was also charged a $3.25 late payment fee even though I setup ******* through their own portal to pay the full amount on the Dec 4th due date in November and it only deducted the amount a day later Dec 5th.
  
  Customer service gave me no recourse over the return payment fee because they have "no proof" that I contacted them about editing my ******* and I have just inquired about the late payment fee. Due to the largely unreachable customer service and bad treatment of inherited ******* system, I am seeking a refund of the return payment and late payment fees.

  Business Response

  Date: 15/02/2024

  KUBRA Auto-pay and pre-authorized payments with Carma are 2 different methods of payment.

  KUBRA Auto-pay on a customers online portal is entirely customer controlled and driven, ******************** has no access to adjust this. It is run through KUBRA, a third-party, which is clearly stated on the website. If a customer add, removes, or edits this ******************** is not updated.

  Pre-authorized payment is a customer providing their banking information to Carma and authorizing Carma to withdraw payments monthly based on the outstanding balance on account. This method of payment is Carma controlled and cannot be adjusted by the customer without contact and confirmation from the company. 

  The customer had pre-authorized payment set up with Priority prior to the transition to Carma.  This was set up with Priority, not by the customer online.  This payment method was transferred to Carma with the customers account as customers were informed it would be. Carma has no record of communication from the customer until December 29, after the returned payment and NSF charge December 7^th. At that time the customer was informed ******************** had no record of attempted contact and the charges would remain, however if the customer could provide some form of proof of attempts to contact Carma would be happy to reassess.  No such proof was provided. The late payment fee is based on the unpaid NSF charge.

  The Carma customer service call ********************** is available for 8am 5pm EST Monday to Friday to assist customers with their concerns. **************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 15/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21166283
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I contacted them via their web portal contact form when we were first transferred over, which doesn't give me any sort of receipt. When calling subsequently, I am unable to get past the automated menu to reach a human representative.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:15/01/2024

  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've been trying to get a response from Carma regarding my water bills for months and my problem has been pushed over and over. Between July and October 2023, my water bills have been showing an absurd consumption of more than 30 cubic meters per month, resulting in charges that exceeds CAD$200/month. I paid the bills for orientation of my building manager and to show good faith. At the same time, I called multiple times and send constant emails asking for a review and refund. Most of the contacts ended up with "yes, your water usage increased and there's nothing wrong from our end". After a technician visit, it was discovered that the water meter was constantly active, so though I wasn't opening any faucet or shower, the water was running. I have all my graphs showing that it was a constant flux of water due to a technical problem. I left the building on January 6th and ended my usage of Carma's services. I still haven't heard any solution or accountability from the company that charged and got unfairly paid. After the fix (there's a drop on the graphs showing it happened in late September), my water bill was 45$/month. I would like to request a refund of what exceeded that value through the months from July to October consumption + my security deposit due to the move-out.

  Business Response

  Date: 31/01/2024

  No Carma technician was at this site.  The customer had a plumber in.  ******************** has requested a written report of the plumber findings of this visit from the customer.  Once that has been received Carma will be happy to review the report and the customers invoices. 

  Our **************** ********************** is open from 8am - 5pm EST from Monday to Friday. **************.  Any agent can assist with how the report can be provided. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21149542
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I'm not ready to close the case and I would appreciate if Carma would make an effort to contact the building manager.

  His contact and authorization to be reached out is attached.

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/09/2023

  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.

  Hi,The billing amount is insanely high and we have never experienced such issues in any other condo that we have lived. Most of the times the bill amount is over 300$ for the past year and there's no proper justification provided for the same. Whenever we approach with such issues, the reason provided was because of usage like keep your a/c fan on low etc. and water usage is shared among others etc., my friends living in other condos get a much cheaper bills with more usage than us. please provide a proper resolution, thanks.Best regards,*******

  Business Response

  Date: 20/09/2023

  Each resident of this building is invoiced for Electric, Water and Heating and Cooling.  The customers approximate average of each utility per month is Electric $55.00, Water $99.00 and Heating & Cooling $210.00 for a total approximate average of $364.00. This usage has increased since July 2022 when the resident last inquired about their billing.
  All the customers invoices have been based Meter Read and not estimations, making the invoices based on the customers actual usage.
  Carma offers a consumption portal for their customers to monitor their utility usage CARMA ********************* (carmasmartmetering.com).  This can assist residents with seeing when their usage is increasing to help determine the cause. Our call center is available at ************** for residents should they require assistance.
  Carma is a billing and remittance company, any usage invoiced to the customer is recovery for funds paid to the local distributors.
  CARMA cannot speak to previous usage or billing at other locations. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 29/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20582135
  
  I am rejecting this response because: No proper details provided on how to monitor the usage using carmasmartmetering.com which is not working. I strongly have a reason to believe that the meter is at fault causing this distress.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:25/08/2023

  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.

  Carma electricity bill has increased in July and August from around ***** to 110- 124. I live in a one bedroom condo and my ac wasn't even working last month. I have ac fan repair bill to prove it. How can the consumption more than double?

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2023

  The customers invoice in July was for a 59-day billing period,the August invoice was for a 61-day billing period, rather than 31-31-day billing period.  Both these billing periods are clearly marked on the invoices.   This was done to bring the customer billing in line with the bulk invoices received from the local distributor.  This is now complete, and the billing will return to the regular 30-31-day billing period going forward.  Both invoices are meter read invoices based on actual usage.
  Carmas customer service call center *************) is available from 8-5 Monday to Friday to assist our customers with any billing inquiries. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2023

  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.

  The hydro bills have been ridiculously higher than with my previous company. My current bills are $120/month, and for 5 cycles already; meanwhile my bills with previous company were only around $50/month. I check with my neighbors and their bills with both ******** and Carma are still the same at $50/month. And my neighbors live in the same-size units as ours, in the same condo.
  
  I called them many times for investigation, they promised to call me back but they never. They were arguing instead of explaining, rudely and irresponsibly. And even today she hung up the phone abruptly. They pretended that the connection had been cut off because we tried with others and it worked properly. They insisted on the usage to be actually read by the computer. But when we show them the amount to be exactly the same of 847 kWh per cycle (27.32 kWh per day * 31), then they turned their face to say it's estimated.
  
  I live in 1-bedroom unit and 120 per month doesn't make any sense, not mentioning that I never turn the AC on, never use dishwasher and heater, and minimize the time for light usage. I can claim this amount of 847 kWh (exact number each cycle) is either manipulated or wrong read by computer. They said if we want a technician, they will charge $105/h no matter what may happen, and for at least 2 hours. I don't have to pay for what is included in their job duties. Or this company is trying to deceive, swindle, steal our money. And the customer service failed to explain why sometimes they said it's actual reading and sometimes estimate.
  
  I want the company to adjust the usage and lower it back to the regular state of $50/month and refund for the overbilling of previous 5 cycles. I demand the company to issue an official apology to us for their bad service and fraudulent actions.

  Business Response

  Date: 21/07/2023

  There has been a connection issue
  at this building which has caused the need for the billing to be based on computer
  estimations until the issue can be rectified. Computer estimates are based on
  previous usage/meter read bills.  Once
  the connection has been reestablished billing with then reflect actual usage.  If a customer has been under-estimated, a catch-up
  invoice will be issued, if the customer has been over-estimated, there would be
  no charges until actual usage met the billed usage.
  If a technician visit is
  scheduled with a customer, the charge of $105/hr for a minimum of 2 hours is
  only charge if the meter is found to functioning as it should.
  Due to the customer concern
  about the estimates, Carma went to the previous billing company and was able to
  get more historical usage data. Based on this data the customers invoices are
  being adjusted to reflect a more accurate usage  
  Carma has no desire to cause
  our customers any undue financial hardship and we do apologize for the frustration
  the customer has felt. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 29/07/2023

  
  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20307422, and find that the latest bill has been adjusted to reflect the actual usage, for the time being.

  Thank you for your assistance.

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 18/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20307422
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I filed a complaint 2 months ago and Carma worked out on the bills and they adjusted them to $60 for Jun and the previous months. A month later, they sent another adjusted bill of $175 which they said was about the underchages they hadn't calculated. I asked for the breakdown and I find out that the daily consumptions were ridiculously high, which I can claim these numbers are made up because it makes no sense for a daily usage of 45kWh per day for a 1-bedroom condo, which is ***** times higher than our regular daily consumptions. Plus that compared to the bills from former company, they were just $60 per month; also, the breakdown of daily consumptions from May to August (actual read by the meter of Carma) is around $60 as well (180kWh). Another thing is that they keep alternating meter read and estimated, but even with estimate, they somehow ridiculously have the daily consumption numbers. Even with the latest estimated bill of $120 in August, this makes no sense because based on the breakdowns it's just about $60, and they charged us double. I demand an explanation from Carma how their system works and why errors keep occurring. I demand them to give my money back for the overcharged bills. I demand Carma that with estimated bills, the numbers should reflect only $60. Customer representatives are very rude and irresponsible, who always responded 'I don't know' to every question we asked. They claimed that they would leave a note and their manager would call us back in 2-3 days and it's been 2 weeks without a call. Called 10 times but they never called us back and never solved the problem. One of the representatives were yelling and trying to distort what we said and never listened I demand my money back. I demand them to use meter read for the bills with actual breakdowns. I demand them, even with estimated bills, they must be only around $60 because the numbers of 900-1200kwh per month for 2 people are insanely ridiculous. These numbers are concocted.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ***************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/07/2023

  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.

  Carma Technicians replaced all unit’s water meters in January 2023 in our Condo and since then they didn't send me an invoice for water usage(the water meter as their representative said showed 0 during 140 days) now they just charge me 744.98 $ for Water consumption, I called them twice and talked to representatives, asked them how they count this amount when water meter showed 0, and they replied based on usage history, I encourage them to went through the history and check, because I live in this apartment for more than 3 years and during this time I just paid between 30 to 50$ for water every month, but they ignored me and answered that they can not check the History, they behave unprofessionally and just gave me run around, seems they just wanted to force me to pay this money, but this amount (744.98) is insane and no one can accept it. I am wondering if *** can help me in this matter, because they couldn't solve the issue and even answered my emails.
  I can provide more documents and proof if you need it.

  Business Response

  Date: 19/07/2023

  The customers water meter
  was replaced in December of 2022.  The reading
  started at 0 at that time.  When a meter
  is replaced, there is time involved in ensuring the meter is online and
  assigned to the correct customer. As soon as Carma was able, we began issuing
  invoices. The invoice in question is for usage for 143 days of water for a
  total of 63 cubic meters usage. Carma has a start read of 0 and a meter read of
  83 on June 8.  Given to data points
  either end we were able to interpolate data backward for this invoice. This is
  an average of 0.44 cubic meters a day. 
  This is well inline with the customers previous usage. The customer’s
  previous invoices have been between $36 and $96 for water. This was explained
  to the customer.
  Carma has no desire to cause their customer’s undue financial hardship and is
  happy to provide a payment arrangement that is comfortable for both parties. If
  the customer would like to reach out to our customer service centre any one of
  our agents would be happy to set this up. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 19/07/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20301959
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:as you can see in the last statement water meter for those 143 days did not work at all and in previous invoices Cama didn't check it, I also sent some of my old invoices, I usually paid between 30 to 67 for water consumption and just two times in 2021 I paid 90$ because I had guest, but if they look at my 2022 history they can clearly see that I didn't consume too much water. The question is why Watermetet didn't work at all, we asked their Tech to check everything before they leave our unit and they said everything is working fine.

   So Even if I consumed 90$ per month which I strongly deny it

  It will be equal 90$X5 month: 450$

  Not 774 $ 

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:20/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Hi there, I have an issue with the sudden increase in my bill. According to Carma, my consumption has increased although there has been no change in the lifestyle or number of people in the house. I have posted my usage history. For the month of Jan, they informed that they pro-rated the usage for Oct/Nov/Dec coz it was billed on assumption basis but for Feb, it was again high. I am completely confused, how can my usage triple out of nowhere? When I spoke to Carma, they said we don't know as we do not see the details. They mentioned the meter is working fine but I am confident that something is seriously wrong somewhere as it is impossible to consume so much electricity in 25 days when nothing has changed in our house? I want Carma to consider my previous 12 months usage and help me understand this 3 times increase. I paid the bill to avoid issues but I would appreciate if Carma could investigate and refund or adjust the amount in my next bill. I can provide the full address and my account number if someone from Carma reaches out.
  
  Thank you!
  *****

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2023

  The customer was invoiced with a computer estimate in the months of November and December 2022 as well as January 2023 due to a communication issue with her building.  Communication was reestablished and accurate reads were obtained in February of 2023.  The customer was then issued an invoice to reflect actual usage during the previous months.  Upon receiving this invoice the customer reached out to Carma to inquire about their invoice and was told by the customer service agent that the invoice issued on February 28th was an invoice to catch up their billing to actual usage after the previous 3 months of estimates. 
  When speaking with one of the customer service agents the customer mentioned they had been having issues with their heater at which point it was suggested the customer reach out maintenance to have those issues investigated.  If a heater is malfunctioning or the fan is left running this can severely increase the electricity usage.  Should a space heater be used to offset issues with the units heater, this can also significantly increase electricity usage.  
  The customers usage and billing has gone back down as of the invoice issued April 28th, which supports the accuracy of the meters reads, as if there was an issue with the meter it would not correct itself.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/05/2023

  
  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 19961259, and this is not acceptable to me however I do not have any evidence to prove that my usage was not that high so there’s no point in going back and forth with this. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** *******