Complaints

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

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• 

  Consumers Energy

  530 W Willow St Lansing, MI 48906-4874

  
• 

  Consumers Energy

  4000 Clay Ave SW Grand Rapids, MI 49548-3017

  
• 

  Consumers Energy

  PO Box 369 Royal Oak, MI 48068-0369

  
• 

  Consumers Energy

  2400 Weiss St Saginaw, MI 48602-3858

  
• 

  Consumers Energy

  666 W. Willow St. Lansing, MI 42069

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:05/18/2025

  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.

  We are at the end of the line on this garbage of a company. I can literally look across the road a see Tricounty wires. Every single person I talk to that has Tricounty has never been without power for more than 24 hours. Yet on at least 3 different occasions we have gone without power for nearly 4 fricken days. Yet somehow they can manage to repair damage caused by a fricken tornado faster than taking care of a simple fallen tree. When they were already in the area twice while doing other repairs. Then they reset the reported outage dates so they dont have to pay the power outage automated fees. We all hate you here. Stop stealing our money and let us go!!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2025

  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  ***** R ***********
  ACCOUNT NUMBER: ********6912
  *****************************************************************************
  Dates of Service: April 20, 2016 - Present
  Email Address: **********************
  **********
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
  5/19/25
  I sent the following text and email via Riverstar:
  Account Number: ending in 6912
  Service Address: ***********************************
  Dear ********* ***********,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau, notification number
  **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
  seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ******* ****** @ ************** or
  ******************************************** if you have any further questions or
  concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as
  possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  05/20/2025 14:15:00 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  05/22/2025 06:54:57 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  **********
  RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
  12 Month Outage History:
  Incident# Date
  se
  J240820781 08/27/24
  J250304690 03/05/25
  J250313770 03/15/25
  found
  J250516367 05/16/25
  Type
  Catastrophic
  Gray Sky
  Gray Sky
  Duration
  4h 28m
  Trees
  5h 27m
  19h 56m
  Trees
  Cau
  No spec cause
  Catastrophic* 3d 14h 7m Trees/outside ROW
  *Based on preliminary data
  *****
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY (cont.):
  I sent the following email to **************************** Hi ********* ***********,
  Thank you for reaching out to the Better Business Bureau regarding the
  service at ********************************************************************* I understand how concerning the
  recent outages have been for you, and I appreciate your patience during
  this challenging time.
  The recent severe storms with high winds, hail and tornados, followed by
  additional thunderstorms the following day, have been incredibly tough on
  our community. Our crews have been working tirelessly to restore power to
  nearly ******* customers. We mobilized over 750 crews from our company, as
  well as from other parts of ******** and from eight states - as far away
  as **********
  Our top priority is always safety and public health. When deciding where
  to begin restoration work, we focus on:
  1 Hospitals
  2 Fire departments
  3 Police departments
  4 Water treatment plants
  5 *************** such as TV and radio stations for emergency
  communications
  6.Schools
  Once these critical services are restored, we then focus on returning
  power to larger groups of customers, aiming to bring back power to
  hundreds of people at a time whenever possible.
  Our Outage Restoration Team uses an Auto*** model to determine estimated
  times of restoration (***) to give our customers transparent information
  on the status of their outage. The Auto*** model is a form of artificial
  intelligence (Ai) that utilizes data from our electric grid and crews in
  the field to determine when a customer will be restored.
  We understand changing *** information can be frustrating for customers,
  their families or businesses. Our team continues to work to improve the
  information provided to the Auto*** model, allowing it to learn faster to
  provide fewer and more accurate ***s. By implementing a delay in the
  model, it learns potential weather systems are moving across the state and
  could result in more outages and damage. Before we had the delay,
  customers who lost service on the lakeshore who were first impacted during
  severe weather would get shorter ***s (4 hours) and then receive a much
  longer one once the model understood how many customers were out across
  our service territory. The delay allows the weather to move through the
  state so the machine can utilize accurate data when it is ready to alert
  customers. We#re committed to continuously improving the *** model by
  investing in grid modernization and optimizing our systems.
  Outage credits of $40 are automatically applied to customers who lost
  power for longer than 96 hours (4 days) under catastrophic conditions.
  I hope this email addresses your concerns. Our records show that your
  outage was restored 5/19/25. If you have any additional questions or need
  further assistance, please feel free to reach out at ************.
  Respectfully,
  ****
  **********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
  5/22/25
  12 MONTH OUTAGE HISTORY:
  Outage history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information". This
  customer has had 4 outages within the last 12 months. 2 were due to trees,
  1 to trees outside of our /Right-of-Way (ROW) and 1 no specific cause was
  found.
  ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES GETTIUNG PUSHED BACK:
  Our Outage Restoration Team uses an Auto*** model to determine estimated
  times of restoration (***) to give our customers transparent information
  on the status of their outage. The Auto*** model is a form of artificial
  intelligence (Ai) that utilizes data from our electric grid and crews in
  the field to determine when a customer will be restored. As more data is
  acquired estimated restoration times are updated.
  DELAYS IN RESTORATION FOR THIS OUTAGE:
  Our crews worked around the clock to get everyone restored for this outage
  as quickly as possible. When damage was heavier than expected it took
  longer to restore.
  RESTORATION DATE/TIME FOR CURRENT OUTAGE:
  ********* was restored on 5/19/25 at 2:07 pm.
  DOES THE CUSTOMER QUALIFY FOR ANY OUTAGE CREDITS:
  Not at this time.
  CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 5/22/2025

   

   

  ADDITIONAL CONCERNS TO BE ADDRESSED:
  "Is the customer able to be released from CE?"
  I received the following information from Engineer **** *******:
  5/29/25 at 9:15Am left voice mail
  5/29/25 at 5:15 left voice mail
  5/30/25 at 8:15 no answer
  Sent an email explaining the process for release.
  Following is the email that was sent to Mr. **************** *********
  To apply for service from another utility the process is as follows.
  A letter from the other utility on their letterhead stating they are able
  and willing to serve you be sent to Consumers Energy. The customer will
  have to pay for the switch.
  The Director of Engineering has to grant release. Regulators do not want
  duplicate facilities.
  Releases are rare. If a release is granted a Consumers Energy Waiver of
  Rights to Service will be sent on Consumers Energy letterhead.
  Regards
  ** *******
  Circuit planner

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. Please type details here:]
  
  Regards,
  
  ********* ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/17/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  As of expected restoration from the storm power outages on 5/15, we will be out of power for nearly 70 hours. Over $130 of food was spoiled that we had to throw out without refrigeration. The paltry $40 credit offered doesnt begin to reimburse my losses, and Im certain I wouldnt qualify for that, as that requires a 96 hour outage. I would like all the wasted food to be replaced. Also, your estimated restoration time is more of a disservice than anything to your customers. All your customers know the estimates are laughable. You put a fake restoration time out there that is obviously not attainable, then just keep bumping the time back 12 hours at a time. Its already been extended three times since Friday morning, and that was before any crew was even dispatched to investigate. (Account is in ********************************* name)

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/21/2025

  05/19/2025 11:40:15 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  ******* M ********
  ACCOUNT NUMBER: ********1819
  ****************************************************************
  Dates of Service: May 14, 2016 - Present
  Email Address: ******************** (from notification)
  **********
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
  5/19/25
  I sent the following text and email via Riverstar:
  Account Number: ending in 1819
  Service Address: ***************************
  Dear **** ********,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau, notification number
  **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
  seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ******* ****** @ ************** or
  ******************************************** if you have any further questions or
  concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as
  possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  05/21/2025 07:38:09 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  **********
  RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
  12 Month Outage History:
  Incident# Date
  se
  J241109371 11/19/24
  Failure
  J250512651 05/15/25
  *Based on preliminary data
  Type
  Blue Sky
  Catastrophic* 2d 22h 6m Trees
  Duration
  24m
  Cau
  Equipment
  *****
  CE doesn't cover the cost of food loss due to a power outage. Customers
  would need to contact their homeowners or renters insurance for this.
  **********
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY (cont.):
  I sent the following email to ********************:
  Hi **** ********,
  Thank you for reaching out to the Better Business Bureau regarding the
  service at *******************************************************. I understand how concerning the
  recent outages have been for you, and I appreciate your patience during
  this challenging time.
  The recent severe storms with high winds, hail and tornados, followed by
  additional thunderstorms the following day, have been incredibly tough on
  our community. Our crews have been working tirelessly to restore power to
  nearly ******* customers. We mobilized over 750 crews from our company, as
  well as from other parts of ******** and from eight states - as far away
  as **********
  Our top priority is always safety and public health. When deciding where
  to begin restoration work, we focus on:
  1.
  2.
  3.
  4.
  5.
  Hospitals
  Fire departments
  Police departments
  Water treatment plants
  *************** such as TV and radio stations for emergency
  communications
  6.
  Schools
  Once these critical services are restored, we then focus on returning
  power to larger groups of customers, aiming to bring back power to
  hundreds of people at a time whenever possible.
  Our Outage Restoration Team uses an Auto*** model to determine estimated
  times of restoration (***) to give our customers transparent information
  on the status of their outage. The Auto*** model is a form of artificial
  intelligence (Ai) that utilizes data from our electric grid and crews in
  the field to determine when a customer will be restored.
  We understand changing *** information can be frustrating for customers,
  their families or businesses. Our team continues to work to improve the
  information provided to the Auto*** model, allowing it to learn faster to
  provide fewer and more accurate ***s. By implementing a delay in the
  model, it learns potential weather systems are moving across the state and
  could result in more outages and damage. Before we had the delay,
  customers who lost service on the lakeshore who were first impacted during
  severe weather would get shorter ***s (4 hours) and then receive a much
  longer one once the model understood how many customers were out across
  our service territory. The delay allows the weather to move through the
  state so the machine can utilize accurate data when it is ready to alert
  customers. We#re committed to continuously improving the *** model by
  investing in grid modernization and optimizing our systems.
  Outage credits of $40 are automatically applied to customers who lost
  power for longer than 96 hours (4 days) under catastrophic conditions.
  Consumers Energy doesn#t cover the cost of any lost food. You can contact
  your homeowner#s or renters# insurance for any losses of that nature.
  I hope this email addresses your concerns. Our records show that your
  outage was restored 5/18/25. If you have any additional questions or need
  further assistance, please feel free to reach out at ************.
  Respectfully,
  ****
  **********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
  5/21/25
  12 MONTH OUTAGE HISTORY:
  Outage history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information". This
  customer has had 2 outages within the last 12 months. 1 was due to
  equipment failure and 1 was due to trees.
  ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES BEING PUSSHED BACK/CHANGING:
  Our Outage Restoration Team uses an Auto*** model to determine estimated
  times of restoration (***) to give our customers transparent information
  on the status of their outage. The Auto*** model is a form of artificial
  intelligence (Ai) that utilizes data from our electric grid and crews in
  the field to determine when a customer will be restored. As more data is
  acquired estimated restoration times are updated.
  RESTORATION DATE/TIME FOR CURRENT OUTAGE:
  Most recent outage was restored on 5/18/25 at 9:04 pm.
  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOOD LOSS DURING THE OUTAGE:
  CE doesn't cover the cost of food loss due to a power outage. Customer can
  contact their insurance ********************** to see if they cover that.
  IS THE CUSTOMER ELIGIBLE FOR ANY OUTAGE CREDITS:
  Not at this time.
  CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 5/21/2025

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/21/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  The company failed to offer any sort of compensation for my considerable monetary loss and disruption of my livelihood, which was a direct result of their negligence in managing their networks infrastructure and maintenance in our vicinity. In addition, the company is admittedly using an unreliable, unproven system for predicting restoration times. A reliable estimated restoration time could have helped to mitigate our losses, however by the time our restoration estimate was extended for the fourth time, it was too late to save our wasted food.

  
  Regards,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2025

  Consumers Energy is not responsible for food loss during a power outage. Homeowners insurance may pay for the loss of food during an outage.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/22/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  The policy outlined in the response of Consumers Energy is bad policy, and that should not come as a detriment to me. My relationship with Consumers is that I give them money and they supposedly give me reliable energy. They continually fail on their end with the reliable part. This is the third year in a row *** experienced monetary loss due to their failure to hold up their end of this relationship. Just because they say its their policy to not cover my spoiled food doesnt mean they CANT cover it - it just means they dont want to. For a company that makes nearly a billion dollars a year, youd think basic customer service would be a priority. 
  

  The response also fails to further address my concerns that their egregiously inaccurate estimated restoration time directly lead to my loss of $130 in property. Had they given me any expectation remotely accurate within the first 24 hours, I would have had time to mitigate my losses. But they missed the estimated restoration time by a whole three days. Because rather than rely on human experts to form an estimate, they used AI to generate a garbage response, days before actually inspecting the problems affecting my neighborhood. This is negligent on behalf of the company. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2025

  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 would like to file a formal complaint against consumers energy. It should be illegal to leave people without power for as long as they have, Im going on over 15 hours. Despite my best efforts, all the food in my Fridge has spoiled. I have a just around $200 worth of groceries that are now gone bad. When I called consumers about this, they said that its not their problem they are not liable for that. I think thats absolutely insane since they are pretty much the soul energy provider for my area. There should be some kind of recourse for this. Especially since they can continually increase their rates without any improvement to service, The increase rate should be funding extra crews or some kind of customer insurance for when events like this happens.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2025

  CUSTOMER INFORMATION
  ***** *******
  ACCOUNT NUMBER #********6672
  *******************************************************************************************************
  Dates of service: 07/21/2022 - current
  Email: **********************
  **********
  INITIAL CONTACT INFORMATION-05/19/2025 8:19am
  The following has been sent via RiverStar to
  Email ********************** & SMS ************
  Account Number: ending in 6672
  Service Address: ********************************************
  Dear ***** *******,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with Better Business Bureau, notification
  number **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer
  complaints seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to your ************* Advocate *** ** @ or
  ********************************************************************************************* if you have any further questions or
  concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as
  possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  **********-05/19/2025 8:20am
  This concern has been forwarded to Grid Infrastructure for follow up and
  resolution
  **********
  CONTACT INFORMATION - continued --05/27/2025 10:00am
  text to customer via RiverStar SMS ************
  ***** *******
  Account Number #********6672
  *******************************************************************************************************
  ************************** you for reaching out to the Better Business Bureau regarding the
  service at **************************************************************************. I understand how
  concerning the recent outage have been for you, and I appreciate your
  patience during that challenging time.
  The recent ice storms and high winds, followed by additional severe
  weather, have been incredibly tough on our state. Our crews worked
  tirelessly to restore power to nearly 270K customers. We mobilized over
  800 crews from our company, as well as from other parts of ********,
  *******, ****, and ********. ***** crews were evenly distributed between
  the northern and southern regions of our state to ensure a balanced and
  effective response.
  Our top priority is always safety and public health. When deciding where
  to begin restoration work, we focus on:
  1. Hospitals
  2. Fire departments
  3. Police departments
  4. Water treatment plants
  5. Broadcast ***** such as TV and radio stations for emergency
  communications
  6. Schools
  Once these critical services are restored, we then focus on returning
  power to larger groups of customers, aiming to bring back power to
  hundreds of people at a time whenever possible.
  You can view our *************************** (ETRs) on the outage map.
  ***** times are generated automatically based on data from previous storms
  and restoration efforts. We understand that changes in estimated
  restoration times can be frustrating, and we are continually working to
  improve this aspect of our storm response process. Sometimes, our crews
  discover additional damage while working on-site, which can cause the
  estimated restoration time to change.
  This has truly been an all-hands-on-deck effort. Every Consumers Energy
  lineworker who could be deployed was actively working on restoration
  efforts. We are committed to restoring power as quickly and safely as
  possible.
  Outage credits of $40 are automatically applied to customers who lost
  power for longer than 96 hours (4 days) under catastrophic conditions.
  Consumers Energy doesn't cover the cost of food loss due to an outage. You
  may want to check your homeowner's insurance. Michigan households
  receiving food stamps can work with their caseworker for replacement food
  Assistance Program benefits. You must notify your case worker within 10
  days after the outage. In this case, the state may not assist due to the
  short length of your specific outage.
  I hope this email addresses your concerns. Our records show that your
  outage was restored 05/16/2025 at 2:47pm. If you have any additional
  questions or need further assistance, please feel free to reach out at
  ************.
  Thank you for your understanding.
  Sincerely,
  *** **
  ************* Advocate
  **********
  RELEVANT INFORMATION-5 Years Outage History
  04/06/2020 1 hours 58 minutes Bird
  08/29/2020 2 hours 21 minutes Squirrel
  04/14/2022 52 minutes Forced/Emergency-fire near
  05/15/2025 16 hours 12 minutes Trees Catastrophic
  **********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION
  *1* 12 Month Outage History
  Above in this report is a full 5-year history with cause and duration for
  each outage. This customer has had 4 outages in the last 5 years.
  *2* Why are there long restoration times/restoration efforts.
  We prioritize police/fire calls first then medical facilities and other
  critical infrastructure. This was an all-hands-on-deck effort. Every
  Consumers Energy line worker who could be deployed was actively working to
  restore power, this catastrophic storm impacted more than ******* of our
  customers.
  *3* Who is responsible for lost food due to an outage.
  The customer is responsible for the loss of food due to a catastrophic
  class outage. Normally refrigerated items can last 24+ hours if
  refrigerator access is limited to conserve the interior cold temperature.
  Freezer items can last ***** hours with limited access.
  *4* Restoration date/time for current outage.
  The outage began 05/15/2025 at 10:45pm and was restored on 05/16/2025 at
  2:47pm.
  *5* Does the customer qualify for an outage credit?
  This customer does not qualify for an outage credit.
  COMPLAINT CLOSED
  05/27/2025

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/14/2025

  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.

  Ive been in contact with Consumers Energy regarding a technical issue that prevents me from verifying my identity on their website, which is required to access the instant rebates they offer on products like smart thermostats. While they have acknowledged the issue and stated they are working on it, it has been over a week with no resolution or meaningful update.Its unclear whether this issue affects all users or just my account, but as it stands, I am unable to make a purchase or use the advertised rebates. If Consumers Energy cannot provide access to these rebates due to technical problems, they should not continue promoting them as available benefits.This is a time-sensitive purchase for me, and given how common account verification systems are, its unreasonable for this issue to remain unresolved for so long. I am requesting that Consumers Energy fix the issue promptly, offer an alternative method for accessing the rebate, or honor it manually.Included is the ticket number they gave me **********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2025

   CUSTOMER INFORMATION:

  ******** R ******

  ACCOUNT NUMBER: ********5030

  *************************************************************************************************

  Dates of Service: August 27, 2020 - Present

  Email Address: ******************* (from account) ***************** (from notification)

   

   

  ********** INITIAL CUSTOMER CONTACT: 5/15/25 I sent the following text and email to ***** ****** via Riverstar: Account Number: ending in 5030 Service Address: *************************************** Dear ***** ******, Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau, notification number **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints seriously. We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any additional information that may be needed. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please feel free to reach out to ******* ****** @ ************** or ******************************************** if you have any further questions or concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as possible. Sincerely, Consumers Energy ***** ASSIGNED TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY 5/15/25 05/20/2025 08:35:30 EST (DJLOUCKS)

   

  ********** RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION: The following information was provided by Que ********* with Clear Result: Customer received an #eligibility error# when attempting to make a purchase on the ** Online Store. Upon review and resolving customer issue, it was found that the customer was able to place an order successfully. The following email was sent to the customer: From: #MB - ********************** Store Sent on: Monday, May 19, 2025 6:45:47 PM To: ******************* Subject: Having Trouble Placing Your Order? We're Here to Help Dear ********, We#re reaching out to let you know that we#re aware you have experienced an error message while attempting to place your order on the Consumers Energy Online Store. We have been trying to reach you by phone, but unfortunately, have not been able to connect. We do see that you have successfully placed an order and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that you have experienced in your purchase. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our customer service team at ************** or via email at ************************************ Thank you for your patience and for being a valued customer. ********************** Store # Support Team

   

  ********** SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION: 5/19/2025 TECHNICAL ISSUES PREVENTING REBATES FROM GOING THROUGH ONLINE: It would have been due to eligibility. DELAYS IN RESOLUTION/FOLLOW UP: ******* contacted the customer (5) times. 05/07/2025 05/08/2025 05/12/2025 05/15/2025 05/16/2025 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO PURCHASE ITEMS/GET THE REBATE: Customer successfully placed an order on 5/16/2025 at 5:25am. CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 5/19/2025

  FOLLOW UP/QUALITY CHECK: not done at discretion of customer care rep.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/25/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/01/2025

  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.

  I had a house fire in 2023, I had to move out and my house was rebuilt in 2024. I had consumers energy turn on the electric and I moved back home at the end of May. I checked my bill on line and it says no payment due. I contacted consumers energy in June and tried to pay my bill but the customer service person said that I needed to give them my account number so I gave them the one I have and they said that one is closed. I told them that I don't have another one and asked to speak to a manager. The manager told me the same thing and said for me to try and find the paperwork from when the electric was turned on and it will have the account number. I don't have any paperwork for it because I wasn't living there at the time it was turned on. I don't know what to do because I have been trying to pay for my electric bill and they keep telling me that I don't have electricity at my house. I need help because they don't seem to listen to me and I have no way of knowing what the account number is because only the old one is on my account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2025

  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  ****** ** ********
  Account # ********6079
  *******************************************************************************
  Dates of service: NA
  Email address: ***********************************
  

  
  I have sent an email to *** (Customer ********************** Management), asking for
  information regarding the new service set up after the fire.
  INITIAL CUSTOMER CONTACT:
  05/02/25: 4:18 am - A text/email has been sent via Riverstar:
  Dear ****** ********,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with the Eastern Better Business Bureau, notification
  number **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer
  complaints seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ***** ***** @ ************** or
  ***************************************** if you have any further questions or concerns.
  Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  05/07/2025 07:46:45 EST (JAGATES)
  05/05/25: From ***** ***** with ***:
  "After review it appears that *** did not have any involvement in this
  customers project other than reaching out numerous times and ultimately
  cancelling due to no contact. Below is what I see. I believe this needs
  to go to the call center. Please advise.
  There are no orders showing the service was reconnected/connected or a
  re-set meter at this premise.
  4/3/23 Remove meter order ******** notes read: LWIC removed meter on
  4/1/23 at time of building fire.
  9/13/23 *********** Notification created by customer service. PC
  contacted the customer multiple times and ways in the notes before
  cancelling for no contact on 10/22/23.
  4/25/25 Verify No Device at premise order ********.
  Notes read:
  4/25/25 (User ASALBERT) Meter pinging. 5/1/25 (User AMDECAMP) Meter is
  on site, forwarding pictures."- I reached out to my supervisor for assistance with where to go next for
  help in resolving this. She suggested ******* *******, who I did reach out
  to and received the following response from:
  "I am familiar with this one.
  EMO is currently working a list of #Lost# meters. Basically, the meters
  are still sending reads but they are not installed in SAP.
  This meter was #removed# by an ESW after the fire in 2023, however the
  meter was never physically taken, he left it onsite. It was plugged back
  in during the reconnect, but the meter was being billed to anyone.
  EMO just verified all of this on 5/01/25 & I#m guessing someone was home
  which prompted this KPLT.
  I#ve attached the email sent to ***** in BODM on 5/2/25 to have the meter
  re installed into SAP, once she is done#..it gets sent to billing for
  corrections. I#m not sure of a timeline since there is over a years# worth
  of use to re bill. I will let ***** know this is now a KPLT & ask her to
  pull it ahead."- I was copied on Stefnie's email to *****.
  05/07/25: I have sent the following email to the customer:
  Hello ******,
  I wanted to reach out and give you a quick update on the status of your
  inquiry:
  On the date of the fire, our technician removed the electric
  meter from the socket, but failed to take it with them when they left the
  property.
  While the process was started with Customer ********************** Management
  to get your service re-installed, the process failed to complete when the
  Project Coordinator was unable to connect with you.
  The electric meter was replaced in the meter socket without
  the knowledge or consent of Consumers Energy. Because we had no knowledge
  of this and the installation process was not completed, a new account was
  not set up for you, which resulted in no bills being sent. We are
  currently in the process of billing the account.
  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this
  process going forward.
  Best regards,
  ***** *****
  Customer Advocate
  **********************
  Office: ************
  *****************************************
  05/14/2025 11:00:40 EST (JAGATES)
  05/13/25: 7:20 pm - I received the following response from the customer:
  "That is not true I contacted consumers to put the electric back on and
  they changed me $400 and something and they did put the meter in while my
  builder was at my house but that's fine I just want to be able to pay for
  my electric and not have any issues.. thank you"
  05/13/25: Customer billing had notified me that they had completed billing
  the customer for one year, back from 05/01/24 to current.
  05/14/25: The current account balance is $925.53.- I am sending the following response to the customer:
  Good Morning ******,
  The billing process is complete and you were sent the billing
  notifications to your email. We back billed for the 1 year that we are
  allowed to per the ********************************** rules. You were not
  billed for almost 5000 kWh of usage prior to May 1, 2024. The current
  balance is $925.53. If payment arrangements are needed, please let us
  know. You can set up arrangements online, or you can respond to this
  email, or call our ************** *************).
  Best Regards,
  *****- RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:- We have an actual reading on May 1, 2024 then billing used estimated
  reads for May 6, 2024 - January 7, 2025 bills (9 months total), and actual
  reads since February 5, 2025.- The customer was not billed for 4887 kwh that were used since the meter
  was reinstalled.
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:- CUSTOMER NOT GETTING AN ELECTRIC BILL: After the fire, the customer had
  to go through the Customer ********************** Management (***)process to get the
  service restarted, with no further contacts with the customer after
  10/22/23. Because there were no further contacts, a new account was not
  set up so the customer was not getting billed.- WHAT AREN'T WE ABLE TO LOCATION THE ACCOUNT/ACCOUNT NUMBER: The customer
  did not finish out the *** process to get the service started.- WHEN WAS SERVICE RECONNECTED: Because we do not have an order, we are
  unsure of the exact date that the meter was replaced and service restored.- METER READING HISTORY - ACTUAL READS: For the billing, we do have a
  start read for May 1, but for the meter read dates for the first 9 months
  of the billing, the read was estimated. Reading since February 5 have all
  been actual reads.
  - WHAT IS OWED: $925.53 is the current balance.- PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS: Payment arrangements have been offered.
  COMLAINT CLOSED 05/14/25

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/14/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/29/2025

  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.

  We have property in ********, MI on *************** and every other day the power goes out in this area. We have families and food in fridge/freezer that goes bad every other day. This is absolutely ridiculous and i will start deducting my bill every time we lose power You keep raising our prices to turn the power off every other day you are absolutely ricidouls - i will be filing a complaint with every organization in ******** until you can get it together

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/06/2025

  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  **** ******
  Account number: ********4761
  *****************************************************************************************
  Dates of Service: 06/25/21 to current
  Email: *******************************
  04/29/25 - 4:27 pm - I sent the following email ( *******************************)
  and sms text messsage *************) via Riverstar:
  Account Number: ending in 4761
  Service Address: **************************************
  Dear **** ******,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with ****, notification number **********. I assure you
  Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ****** ******* @************ or
  ******************************************** if you have any further questions or
  concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as
  possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  04/29/2025 16:31:24 EST (RGESCUTI)
  04/29/25 - 4:31 pm - I sent this to Grid Infrastructure
  05/02/2025 15:29:03 EST (RGESCUTI)
  12 -MONTH OUTAGE HISTORY:
  DATE
  06/21/24
  06/25/24
  08/29/24
  DURATION
  43m
  1d 0m 43m Weather
  11h 29m
  CAUSE
  Trees
  Forced Outage/Emergency
  (Catastrophic)
  (catastrophic)
  04/18/25
  2h 6m
  Equipment Failure
  04/29/25
  3h 16m
  Trees
  *the customer does not qualify for an outage credit
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMAMRY:
  Was unable to contact customer. A letter was emailed to the customer
  05/02/25 and written letter mailed to the customer:
  05/02/25 - 3:36 pm the following letter was sent to
  *******************************:
  **** ******
  ******************************************************************************
  Dear ****,
  Delivering consistent, reliable energy is a job we take seriously. I have
  received your recent inquiry regarding power outages affecting your home.
  I apologize for not speaking to you directly; I attempted to reach you
  several times by phone but was unable to get through.
  Outages are frustrating and we understand how inconvenient they are for
  you. Our crews have gone out to inspect the circuit serving your home and
  have decided to request additional project work to address the reliability
  issues you#ve experienced. The most important change coming to the area is
  the relocation of the circuit feed to a different substation, which will
  eliminate many outages. Additionally, many smaller projects that target
  specific areas around ************ aim to ****** overhead lines making
  them more resistant to tree contacts. Concepts for this work have been
  created and submitted for approval. The timeline for this project is
  undetermined at this time, but we#re looking to complete the work by
  winter 2025.
  In the past 5 years we have done a complete inspection of the equipment
  and lines serving your home. Any defects or imminent failures found were
  corrected to prevent them from causing issues or outages in the future.
  Tree trimming was completed on this system in 2021. This minimizes one of
  the leading causes of an outage from happening. Each year we assess the
  outage zones and propose new projects to improve the reliability of each
  system. Without these projects, and this kind of attention, the electric
  service reliability would be less than it is today.
  If you are experiencing momentary interruptions, or blinks in your
  service, we understand that they can be a nuisance. However, these blinks
  can help prevent prolonged outages. If these interruptions become
  repetitive, it may be indicative of a larger issue with the system. Please
  notify us of these repetitive conditions to prevent a prolonged power
  outage in the future.
  I would like to apologize for any inconvenience these interruptions may
  have caused you and assure you we will continue to work to provide you
  with safe and reliable electric service. If you have any further questions
  or concerns regarding your electric service, please feel free to contact
  me during regular business hours at ************ other times, you may call
  our customer service department at **************.
  ****** ******
  ****** ******
  Electrical Engineer
  *********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
  12-month outage history (date, duration and cause)
  CUSTOMER HAS EXPIERIENCED 5 OUTAGES OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS. A FULL
  DESCRIPTION IS LISTED ABOVE
  *What is CE doing to mitigate future outages?
  NUMEROUS PROGRAMS INCLUDING RESILIENCY, RELIABILITY, AND ROUTE ARE ALL
  INTENDED TO ADDRESS OUTAGES.
  - *Will underground lines help improve reliability?
  UNDERGROUNDING CAN PREVENT OUTAGES DUE TO WEATHER AND STORMS.
  - Does the customer qualify for an outage credit/s?
  The customer is not eligible for an outage credit at this time
  CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED 05/02/25

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/23/2025

  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.

  Ive been going out without power since April 22 at 10:58 AM. Ive been calling consumer energy all day to get someone to come out here and to look at meter a guy lied to me and said that he had a technician out here, but I was. Ive been standing by the meter all nightnobodys here. I just want my power back on. Theyve been lying to me about sending someone out here all day it is now April 23 2:10 in the morning and I still dont have power or nobody has still came out here so please help me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/23/2025

  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  ********** *********
  Account #********9649
  **********************************************************
  Dates of service: 06/08/20 - present.
  Email address: ************************************
  04/23/2025 10:13:59 EST (JAGATES)
  THIS HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO ELECTRIC OPERATIONS FOR RESOLUTION. (I also
  emailed *** ****** to escalate)
  CUSTOMER CONTACT:
  04/23/25: 10:18 am - A text/email has been sent via Riverstar:
  Dear ********** *********,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau, notification number
  **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
  seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ***** ***** @ ************** or
  ***************************************** if you have any further questions or concerns.
  Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  04/23/2025 11:52:09 EST (JAGATES)
  04/23/25: 11:40 am - *** ******, Electric Operations Supervisor, was on
  site this morning and spoke to the customer.- *********** Service Worker was on site this morning after 2 am and
  exchanged the meter. The customer now has service.
  RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORAMTION:- 04/22/25: 7 Electric outage orders placed, starting at 11:18 am, meter
  was able to be "pingged" showing they should have service.- 04/23/25: 3 Electric outage orders placed, last one at 2:02 am- 04/23/25: Meter exchange order completed at 2:58 am.- CSR notes:
  04/23/25: 1:51 am - **************** Worker was on site, checked voltage.
  Everything is good on CE side. Called customer to inform them they need an
  electrician.
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:- CUSTOMER REPORTING NO POWER - CE NOT SENDING ANYONE TO CHECK: Was able
  to "ping" meter which showed it had power, so initial orders were
  cancelled. There was quite a bit of emergent work in the area, so there
  was a delay in getting a service ****** to the location. Initial service
  ****** found everything to be okay. Second ****** exchanged the meter and
  the customer's service was restored.- DELAY IN POWER RESTORATION: Initial orders were cancelled because we
  were able to "ping" the meter and it showed there was power at the
  location. There was also a delay due to the amount of work in the area.- WHAT IS NEEDED TO RESTORE SERVICE: Service was restored once the service
  ****** exchanged the meter.
  COMPLAINT CLOSED 04/23/25
  FOLLOW-UP:
  04/23/25: The following email was sent via Riverstar:
  This message is to follow up on your inquiry filed with the *********************************** I understand that you've been able to discuss your
  concerns with our Supervisor, *** ******. We appreciate your patience as
  we worked to look into your concerns and follow up.
  We will be sharing our findings with the Better Business Bureau. If you
  have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to ***** by
  phone at ************ or via email at *****************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2025

  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.

  2 maybe 3 years ago me and my girlfriend who is now my wife were eating dinner we got a knock at our door Ill outside and see 2 high visibility vest I open the door and it was a male and female early 20s they said they were with THE STATE OF ******** and said that they were INVESTIGATING DTE energy for price gouging and wanted to know how much my bill was, I was confused they didnt look very professional she had credentials I seen the company was Michigan natural gas she asked to see my bill and told me I was being over charged and they were going to get to the bottom of it and promised that my bill was going to be half of she wanted me to aight something g I told her that the bill was not in my name it was in my sisters because she lived in the house before I did I just continued to pay the bill and I have bad credit she said it didnt matter she made me sign with initials and went on her way she never disclosed she was a 3rd party vendor she lied about what was going on and what her intentions were also over ride a contract that didnt even belong to me its been 3 years last month I paid 600 for gas and power today 3 weeks later received a 500 dollar bill I need help they do this all the time there scammers dont know how and why they can get away with this its insane

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/14/2025

  Consumers Energy does not supply gas to this address, please send the complaint to *** for further assistance. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/14/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.

  Better Business Bureau:

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.

  Regards,

  ********* *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2025

  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.

  On 4-9-25 I come home to my front lawn torn up and a tag on my door. It states that work was done and my gas is off and I have to call to get someone to come out and turn my gas on. There was no warning ahead of time letting us know any work wouldve been done. No door tags no in person contact, phone, email or mail. This is not something that I asked to have done. I get home and call and they can only provide a 4 hour window for someone to come out and turn it back on as someone has to be here over the age of 18. This is in 40 degree weather and I have to sit in my cold house after getting a chemo treatment a long with my 12 y/o daughter for 4 to 8 hours waiting for someone to show up. If there was some kind of advanced notice I could have had someone here so they could turn the gas back on. But now I have to change my schedule around after the fact as this company is running amateur hour and does not have to common courtesy to let people know ahead of time.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2025

  04/11/2025 08:46:20 EST (AJPORTER)
  CUSTOMER INFORMATION
  **** ********
  ACCOUNT NUMBER #********3346
  **********************************
  Dates of service: 07/19/2011 - current
  Email: ***************************
  **********
  INITIAL CONTACT INFORMATION-04/11/2025 8:50am
  the following has been sent via RiverStar to email ***************************
  Account Number: ending in 3346
  Service Address: *********************
  Dear **** *********
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with BBB, notification number **********. I assure you
  Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to your ************* Advocate *** ** at
  ********************************************************************************************* or ************ if you have any further
  questions or concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as
  soon as possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  **********-04/11/2025 8:50am
  this concern has been forwarded to Gas Operations for follow up and
  resolution
  04/11/2025 18:44:31 EST (AJPORTER)-04/11/2025 9:40am
  **** ******* has been assigned
  04/16/2025 15:11:12 EST (AJPORTER)-04/16/2025 3:12pm
  reminder sent to **** *******
  04/17/2025 13:58:23 EST (AJPORTER)
  **********
  CONTACT INFORMATION - continued --04/14/2025
  called customer
  **** *******
  no answer, left message machine
  provided return contact phone number-04/16/2025
  called customer
  **** *******
  spoke with Mr ********* explained the need for the customer to be home
  when turning gas back on. Informed the need to upgrade the gas service to
  the customer's home. This customer completely understands but was still
  upset about not knowing when the property would be restored. Apologized
  about not receiving a door tag explaining the restoration process. I made
  the customer aware that I would contact that project coordinator and
  provide his contact information so they can give a possible timeline for
  restoration.
  **********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION
  *1* Turn off service & work with no notice to customer
  Post cards were sent to this customer prior to the work being performed
  but the customer did not remember seeing it.
  *2* No door tag left
  A green tag was left on the customers door notifying of the gas
  interruption. The customer confirmed they did receive that. They did not
  receive a door tag letting them know about the property restoration
  process.
  *3* Large time window for relight
  The customer called in to place their relight order at 3:33pm. The
  assigned Consumers Energy Service Worker was being sent however was pulled
  of for an emergency concern at 4:19pm, pushing this customers gas
  reconnected to ******, just short of 4 hours wait time for completion of
  this order.
  *4* Reconnection date/time
  ******* was turned back on 04/09/2025 7:14, the same day as the
  interruption disconnect for the project on their property.
  COMPLAINT CLOSED
  04/16/2025

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/27/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  When I first contacted Consumers Energy, upon moving into my apartment, I was encouraged by a representative to enroll in their budgeting plan. I would like help holding this company accountable. Even if I am not able to get my money back, taking an actual action against this company would be a relief. I have found no method of relief from this situation, and working with them is humiliating because of the attitude that appears throughout the company towards its customers. I was informed that the bill that is shown isn't the true bill, and I needed to open the *** to see the actual bill. I have made multiple attempts to work with Consumers to come to a resolution. All the customer service representatives I have worked with have been deeply condescending and discriminatory, suggesting welfare plans or suggesting things like going to the food pantry for a few months. Accusations of not being able to pay my bills correctly and similar remarks. The application itself does not even remotely readily display your bill. You can find it if you open a sub panel and download a full ***, but it is very obviously disgused. I cannot understand why a company would engage in such a dishonest billing method, and to make matters worse, they are unwilling to offer an arrangement unless your income falls below the poverty line, making even $ 2000 a month not enough for them to create any form of shutoff protection plan. I would like help holding this company accountable, even if I am not able to get my money back. Taking an actual action against this company would be a relief. I have found no method of relief from this situation, and working with them is humiliating because of the attitude that appears throughout the company towards its customers.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2025

  04/02/2025 09:13:50 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
  ***** D ****
  ACCOUNT NUMBER: ********9854
  ******************************************
  Dates of Service: May 30, 2024 - Present
  Email Address: ***********************************
  **********
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
  4/2/25
  I sent the following text and email via Riverstar:
  Account Number: ending in 9854
  Service Address: ************************************************
  Dear ***** ****,
  Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
  complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau, notification number
  **********. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
  seriously.
  We will be in touch with you soon to discuss your concerns and gather any
  additional information that may be needed.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this process. Please
  feel free to reach out to ******* ****** @ ************** or
  ******************************************** if you have any further questions or
  concerns. Our team is dedicated to resolving your issues as soon as
  possible.
  Sincerely,
  Consumers Energy
  04/02/2025 14:06:13 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  **********
  RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
  Current Balance: $1,675.88
  *****
  Electric Usage History:
  05/30/2024 06/27/2024 406
  06/28/2024 07/29/2024 592
  07/30/2024 08/27/2024 426
  08/28/2024 09/26/2024 436
  09/27/2024 10/27/2024 1,044
  10/28/2024 11/26/2024 1,800
  11/27/2024 12/29/2024 2,640
  12/30/2024 01/29/2025 2,496
  01/30/2025 02/27/2025 1,546
  02/28/2025 03/29/2025 1,021
  All meter reads have been actual.
  *****
  04/04/2025 06:52:59 EST (DJLOUCKS)
  Billing History:
  ********* BilledBalance Amt
  to be Paid
  05/30/24-06/27/24 $ ***** $ ***** $ 0.00
  06/28/24-07/29/24 $124.69 $ ****** $ 55.00
  07/30/24-08/27/24 $ ***** $ ****** $ 0.00
  08/28/24-09/26/24 $ ***** $ ****** $ 0.00
  09/27/24-10/27/24 $195.38 $ ****** $ 0.00
  10/28/24-11/26/24 $327.37 $ ****** $ 55.00
  11/27/24-12/29/24 $505.59 $1,095.29 $ 55.00
  12/30/24-01/29/25 $476.99 $1,517.28 $181.00
  01/30/25-02/27/25 $301.40 $1,637.54 $181.00
  02/28/25-03/29/25 $202.20 $1,675.88 $290.00
  The months where the bill showed zero due the customer had made their **
  payment prior to the bill generating.
  *****
  Payment History:
  Date Amount
  06/26/24 $ 55.00
  07/31/24 $ 55.00
  08/22/24 $ 55.00
  09/20/24 $ 55.00
  10/23/24 $ 55.00
  12/23/24 $ 55.00
  01/25/25 $ 55.00
  02/13/25 $181.00
  03/27/25 $164.00
  *****
  Budget ********* History:
  06/19/24 - enrolled $55.00 per month
  Customer enrolled in this plan through the ********* APP.
  Because customer enrolled in ** right after moving in the payment amount
  was based on previous 12 months of usage that wasn't his usage.
  The payment amount was adjusted to $181.00 starting with the bill due in
  February.
  Customer was de-enrolled 3/27/25 to enroll in Shut Off Protection Plan.
  *****
  Shut Off Protection Plan (SPP) History:
  03/31/25 - enrolled $290.00 per month
  **********
  04/04/2025 13:56:37 EST (DJLOUCKS)- I listened to recorded calls from 2/13/25 and 3/27/25. All customer
  service representatives (CSR's) attempted to be helpful and were not rude
  nor did they talk down to him. Offered him options for different payment
  plans and asked if he had tried seeking assistance.- During call on 3/27/25 CSR talked to him about SPP and went over the
  plan. She then went over qualifying questions and he quoted different
  amounts of his income when it was higher than allowed. He eventually told
  the *** he received social security. At his request he was removed from
  the Budget Plan and a request for SPP was entered to help him catch up his
  balance as an installment plan wasn't something he wanted to do.
  **********
  CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY (cont.):
  4/4/******* pm
  I called ***** **** at ************ and spoke with him about his concerns.
  He told me that he is very upset with CE as he feels our billing is very
  deceiving. He receives his bills via email and views them through the CE
  app. *** **** said that it only shows his payment amount and not the full
  bill. He told me he would have to click on other things to be able to see
  that so had no idea on his Budget ********* that he owed more each month
  than the $55 payment amount. No one told him he would have to do that to
  see the entire bill. *** **** said that we must be trying to deceive all
  of our customers with our billing practices and feels they are terrible
  and because of that we should be making it right with him.
  I went over with him that we are a regulated utility by the State of
  ******** and all of our billing practices are approved by them otherwise
  we couldn't bill the way we do. He told me that doesn't matter we still
  have bad ways of billing.
  *** **** went into lengthy detail several time on how he feels he was
  deceived and none of our representatives were willing to do anything about
  his $1,600 balance. He stated everyone he talked to was very condescending
  and rude and he felt disrespected. I apologized if he felt that way. I
  explained that he receives his bills via email and he can click on the
  email and see the full bill which shows what his balance is every month.
  He told me he shouldn't have to do that and was tired of everyone at CE
  telling him this is all his fault.
  I told him I wasn't blaming anyone just trying to explain how to see his
  bill which shows how much energy he uses and what the cost is. I offered
  to change him to paper bills, but he didn't agree to that.
  After much discussion he stated he feels because of the way he has been
  treated by our billing and representatives that we should make this right
  for him by wiping out the bill. I told him we wouldn't remove his bill as
  we haven't misbilled him or deceived him. In light of customer service, I
  offered to remove $100 of his balance and he did accept that.
  ******* times he told me that he was talked into going on the Budget Plan
  by a representative that didn't explain it well. I told that he enrolled
  in the Budget Plan via the app. I went over with him how the Budget Plan
  works. I also talked with him about his last call where at his request he
  was removed from Budget and enrolled in SPP. *** **** told yes that was
  done but he stills has a large balance and is very upset about it. He
  stated he needed to go into work and didn't want to talk about this any
  more but would be contacting the Better Business Bureau again.
  **********
  SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
  4/4/25
  HIGH BILL - CONSUMPTION HISTORY COMPARISON:
  Electric usage history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information".
  Usage increased with the winter heating season and has started to decrease
  with warmer weather.
  PAYMENT HISTORY:
  Payment history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information".
  Customer has a good payment history.
  ACTUAL READS:
  All meter reads have been actual.
  BUDGET PLAN AMOUNT DUE VS. ACTUAL BALANCE ON THE BILL:
  Customer has been made aware that the amount of the payment for his budget
  plan would not be the same as the amount of usage he was billed for. He
  has been made aware this information is on his monthly bills.
  CONDESCENDING CSR INTERACTIONS:
  Per recorded calls the ***'s the customer spoke with were not rude or
  condescending. They attempted to explain how to view his bills and
  different options for payment plans.
  PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS IF NEEDED:
  Payment plan options were discussed with the customer and he opted on
  3/27/25 to de-enroll from the Budget Plan and enrolled in SPP instead to
  catch up his balance.
  CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 4/4/2025