Important information
- Customer Complaint:The complaints shown in this report reflect all complaints processed with the HQ location.
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Consumers Energy's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 281 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 66 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/10/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I contacted consumers on May 20th to get started on changing how we receive their services to our home. They currently have poles run over and through our neighbors property, with one pole on ours, and then an overhead line from that pole to our home. I wanted to get the pole removed from our property, and the line placed underground, either from one of the other poles or all underground from the road. When I finally received a call from ***************************** on 05/22/24, he left a voicemail and was very rushed with it - just quickly saying itd be like $1000 to run it down your current pole to your house. Let me know if that works for you and Ill get it started. When I called him back, he was very rushed to get me off the phone and just told me to send him an email and hed take a look at what we wanted to do. No timeline, no walkthrough of the process, no details on the steps to take or what to expect from there. About a week later, I got a voicemail from him on 05/30/24 finally getting back to me, and from the sound of it he was still trying to talk me into just running it down our current pole and that it would be a lot of work to get it ran any other way and - without an actual price or detailed cost breakdown - that itd cost me tens of thousands of dollars and a lot of engineering and seeing if somehow they could make it work. But that the $1000 route was the best. I then filled out a survey online based on his poor communication and interactions, and received a voicemail the next day from his supervisor *********************. This was on June 3rd at 2 pm. He said a survey came across his desk and that he had to follow up on it, but when I called him back later that afternoon around 3:30, he did not answer so I left a message. I did not hear back from him that day, so I called him the next day again and left another message. I have now given it a week and have not received any return calls or messages from him or his department. It has been terrible service.
Business Response
Date: 06/14/2024
06/11/2024 08:57:50 EST (DJLOUCKS)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
***************************
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 0742
***********************************************************************************
Da*es of *******: June 4, 2016 - Presen*
Email Address: ***********************
**********
INITIAL CUSTOMER CONTACT:
6/11/24
I sen* *he following *ex* and email via Rivers*ar:
Accoun* Number: ending in 0742
******* Address: *******************************
Dear *************************,
Thank you for reaching ou* wi*h your concerns. We have received your
complain* filed wi*h *he Better Business Bureau, no*ifica*ion number
1070777646. I assure you Consumers Energy *akes all cus*omer complain*s
seriously.
We will be in *ouch wi*h you soon *o discuss your concerns and ga*her any
addi*ional informa*ion *ha* *** be needed.
We apprecia*e your pa*ience and unders*anding during *his process. Please
feel free *o reach ou* *o *************************** @ ******************************************** if
you have any fur*her ques*ions or concerns. Our *eam is dedica*ed *o
resolving your issues as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Consumers Energy
www.consumersenergy.com
Please do no* reply *o *his au*oma*ed message.
*****
ASSIGNED TO CEM 6/11/24
06/13/2024 07:32:17 EST (DJLOUCKS)
6/13/24 - sen* email reminder *o ********************* and CEM *ha* *his complain*
is due on 6/14/24.
06/14/2024 10:51:10 EST (DJLOUCKS)
**********
RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
The following informa*ion was provided by CEM Supervisor *********************:
I spoke *o *he cus*omer on 6/12/24 as *hey filed a formal complain* as
*hey were no* happy wi*h *he fac* we could no* provide an ac*ual cos*
wi*hou* comple*ing a design *o accoun* for all needed ma*erials or conduc*
easemen* research *o know wha* righ*s we have on *he proper*y *ha* feed
service *o *his curren* proper*y. A lo* of research and ques*ions need *o
occur *o be able *o give an accura*e cos*. In conversa*ion wi*h LVDD
Design lead a ballpark price of $20-$30K was given and *his was relayed *o
*he cus*omer. Cus*omer was no* happy wi*h *his ballpark price and wan*ed
*o be given a per foo* charge and was no* happy as I could no* do *ha*
wi*hou* knowing o*her *hings *ha* would need *o occur such as po*en*ial
guying of exis*ing poles, e*c. All *his would come from a design being
comple*ed. Cus*omer asked *ha* I find someone who could give him a per
foo* charge and have *ha* person call him back as he was no* sa*isfied
wi*h my answer. I informed him I would reach ou* *o my supervisor and have
her call him back.
On 6/13/24 a* 3:07 pm Manager ***************************** and myself called cus*omer
in an a**emp* *o sa*isfy his reques*s from prior day. In conversa*ion ***
explained a design was needed *o provide ac*ual cos*s of *he projec*. ***
offered *o waive any deposi* required for design in order *o sa*isfy *his
ques*ion. *** men*ioned *here is an exis*ing primary line *ha* feeds *he
home *ha* *he cus*omer plans *o *ear down and a simple *ransformer upgrade
and service could be ran from *his pole loca*ed on *he proper*y line
be*ween cus*omer and neighboring proper*y. Cus*omer declined *his bes*
cos* op*ion and wan*ed *o pursue higher cos* op*ion *ha* would elimina*e
*he pole. Cus*omer agreed *o have Engineering comple*e *his design and
de*ermine wha* ac*ual cos*s of *he projec* would be and make fur*her
decisions a* *ha* poin*.
On 6/14/24 I sen* an email *o *he cus*omer wi*h scoping documen*s needed
*o be comple*ed *o allow design *o occur. Informed cus*omer *ha* *he
design would be comple*ed and cos* available ***** business days af*er
receip* of needed scoping.
**********
SUMARY OF RESOLUTION:
6/14/24
ADDRESS CALL TO CE TO START CHANGING HOW CUSTOMER RECEIVED THEIR ELECTRIC
SERVICES TO THEIR HOME # ASKING TO HAVE POLE REMOVED FROM CUSTOMERS
PROPERTY AND LINE PLACED UNDERGROUND # EXPLAIN:
This was *he cus*omer's reques* and ini*ia*ion of *his projec*.
ADDRESS RUSHED MESSAGES FROM ***************************** AND QUICKLY LEFT QUOTE OF
$1000 BUT NO TIMELINE OR WALK-THRO**H PROCESS, NO DETAILS ON THE STEPS TO
TAKE OR WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THERE # EXPLAIN:
On 5/22/24 Projec* Coordina*or (PC) spoke *o cus*omer and af*er reviewing
exis*ing service *o *he proper*y gave cus*omer bes* cos* es*ima*e *o
receive power *o po*en*ial new home. Cus*omer did no* wan* *his op*ion and
asked for op*ion *ha* would remove pole on proper*y line. PC asked
cus*omer *o provide a ske*ch of wha* was desired so *ha* he could s*op by
proper*y *o *ake pho*os/measuremen*s of facili*ies involved wi*h *he
reques* and *hen send *o our Engineering *eam *o prepare a cos* es*ima*e
based on cus*omer#s preferred scenario. PC followed up wi*h email same
day s*a*ing *he same.
ADDRESS VOICEMAIL FROM HIM TRYING TO TALK CUSTOMER INTO RUNNING DOWN
CUSTOMERS CURRENT POLE AND IT WILL BE A LOT OF WORK TO GET IT RUN OTHER
WAY WITHOUT ACTUAL PRICE OR DETAILED COST BREAKDOWN # EXPLAIN:
On 5/30/24 af*er preliminary review from *he Engineering Manager, i* was
de*ermined *ha* *he cus*omers preferred rou*e of a simple service from *he
cus*omer#s desired poin* of a**achmen* would no* mee* s*andards for
vol*age drop and flicker. Due *o *his, primary lines would need *o be
brough* closer *o cus*omer#s proper*y and a pad moun*ed *ransformer would
need *o be ins*alled. This would come a* a significan* increase in cos*
as compared *o *he bes* cos* op*ion previously given and available.
O*her variables along wi*h cos* include *he fac* *ha* exis*ing primary
lines cross a *hird par*y and research will need *o be done by our ************************** *o de*ermine if we have curren* righ*s *o underground
facili*ies on *his proper*y or if a new easemen* will be required. Due *o
*he various po*en*ial barriers and cos*, PC reached ou* *o cus*omer *o
valida*e bes* cos* op*ions would no* mee* cus*omer#s needs. He asked
cus*omer if he was sure *hey did no* wan* *o go wi*h a service from *he
exis*ing pole. Cus*omer again refused *his op*ion.
ADDRESS AFTER HE FILLED OUT A SURVEY ONLINE BASED ON POOR COMMUNICATION
AND RECEIVED A VOICEMAIL THE NEXT DAY FROM SUPERVISOR ********************* #
CUSTOMER CALLED HIM BACK AND NO ANSWER FROM *********************:
Supervisor ********************* called cus*omer on 6/3/24 af*er receiving a survey
*ha* was comple*ed indica*ing PC was rushed af*er calling in a reques* for
a #simple# pole removal and line placemen* underground. Cus*omer did no*
answer call and a voicemail was lef*. Re*urn call was received from
cus*omer on 6/4/24 and voicemail lef*. Nex* call occurred on 6/12/24.
ADDRESS WHAT CUSTOMER NEEDS TO DO TO GET HELP ON THIS PROJECT:
Manager *************************** and Supervisor ********************* called cus*omer on
6/13/24 and presen*ed op*ions for service. Cus*omer chose *he op*ion *ha*
would require Design assis*ance in order *o provide cos* cus*omer was
reques*ing. A simple #per foo*# cos* could no* be provided as cus*omer
previously reques*ed due *o *he variables involved. *** agreed *o have
Engineering comple*e *heir design and review corresponding cos*s a* *ha*
poin* so cus*omer could make a decision on how *o move forward.
TIMELINE:
5/22/2024, 1:41:34 PM: Q: Preferred Con*ac*? Phone Q: Proper*y Owner? Yes
Q: U*ili*y *o ********* Elec Q: Objec* *o ********* ******* Line Q: ** /
**? OH reloca*e svc from oh *o ug svc; assigned *o ********************* per
dashboard;ljm
5/22/2024, 2:54:06 PM: GMJUNGMA: lef* VM *o se* up si*e visi* for 5/23.
5/22/2024, 4:32:40 PM: GMJUNGMA: Hello ******, per our conversa*ion *oday
when able provide me wi*h a ske*ch of op*ion *wo *o remove poles and
ex*end *he ** service. Once I have *hese I will s*op by *he proper*y *o
measure and *ake pho*os. I will *hen *urn *his over *o engineering for a
cos* es*ima*e. Please reach ou* wi*h any ques*ions.
5/23/2024, 3:44:14 PM: GMJUNGMA: Hello ****, Please find a**ached *he map
de*ailing *he curren* loca*ion of *he poles owned by Consumers. The one
marked wi*h green on *he map is *he curren* pole *ha* we would like a
quo*e *o remove, and *o have service run from *he pole deno*ed by *he
purple X. We would like *he service *o run down *he pole, underground *o
our home, and *o en*er a* *he curren* me*er loca*ion. Please le* me know
if you have any ques*ions. Thank you, Aus*in *********************************** I will s*ar* *he process for a cos* es*ima*e *o *ake a pole ou*
and run ** from *here.
5/30/2024, 11:47:28 AM: GMJUNGMA: Per Engineering Manager, looking a* *his
reques*, i* is no* feasible. The service leng*h reques*ed would be over
400f*, wi*h an addi*ional 130f* back *o *he *ransformer. This pu*s *he
vol*age drop above 4V and *he flicker wi*h a *ypical AC a* 11V which are
ou*side of our s*andard. Has *he cus*omer paid an engineering fee for
*his? The no*es say *hey are looking for an es*ima*e, bu* *he no*ifica*ion
priori*ies show *ha* *his is a line reloca*e. I would sugges* *ha* we le*
*he cus*omer know *ha* bringing *he service all *he way back *o *ha* pole
is no* accep*able and if *hey wan* *o move forward, we can find a solu*ion
*ha* works bu* would need an engineering deposi* *o cover *he ini*ial
design cos*s and work needed *o de*ermine our righ*s on *he *hird par*y
proper*y. I* will be really hard *o provide a ballpark cos* for *his one
as we don * know wha* *he final plan will be. I* will need *o include some
primary so whe*her *ha* s OH or **, I *hink we will need an engineered
es*ima*e *o proceed. Le* me know your *hough*s on *his. I#ll hold off on
assigning i* un*il I hear back from you. Called ** *o discuss above email
lef* VM
COST:
Cos* will be de*ermined upon comple*ion of design.
COMPLETION:
Comple*ion of design *o be ***** business days from *he da*e all needed
scoping is received from cus*omer.
CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 6/14/2024
FOLLOW UP/QUALITY CHECK: no* done as CE wai*ing on info from cus*omer.Initial Complaint
Date:06/07/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I have lived at my residence for nine years and in the past few years a transformer down the road consistently blows up. They manage to bandaid it and get it working again in a few hours but the surge has caused damage a couple of time. Today 6/7/24 because my surge protectors have been surged so many times they failed. My router was fried, my switch box for internet was fried, and we are still investigating my ****** home points. I now work from home and am losing out on massive amounts of pay not working. Not to mention the time lost on a very important global project I am on. I have had it destroy my router before and I replaced it with no issues but I wonder what other damage it has caused that I cant see. Not to mention the huge explosion we hear when it blows it has to pose a serious risk to anyone nearby. I would just like the energy infrastructure of my road fixed properly and securely so there are no more explosions.Business Response
Date: 06/14/2024
06/14/2024 13:00:36 EST (RGESCUTI)
06/10/2024 11:37:14 EST (RGESCUTI)
Customer Information:
*******************************
4653
********************************************************
Dates of Service: 06/09/15 to current
Email: ********************
06/10/24 -11:43 AM - I sent the following email ******************** and
sms text message (*************) via Riverstar:
Account Number: ending in 4653
Service Address: ***********************
Dear *****************************,
Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
complaint filed with Eastern Better Business Bureau, notification number
1070784223. 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 *** 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
This was sent to Electric Ops Complaints and ************************** **************
****************************
This was forwarded to *************************, Claims Advocate
06/11/2024 09:08:00 EST (RGESCUTI)
I received the following email from *************************** <********************>
Hello ******,
Although my husband#s name is on our account I was the one who issued a
complaint as I am the one working from home. If you need to, please get in
touch with me at ************. Again referencing notification 1070784223.
Thank you.
***************************
*********
I sent the following email to *************************** <********************>
Thank you, *******************, I will make sure the electric supervisor has your
contact information.
**********
The following resolution was provided by ********************************* Supervisor
Electric Operations and ************************* Damage Claims Advocate:
12-month outage history:
Date Duration Cause
06/08/23 2 hr 27 min Animal
06/18/23 1hr 16min Animal
10/31/23 17hr 20min Weather
11/01/23 1hr 34 min isolated incident
06/07/24 1hr 26 min isolated incident
*Note this customer does not qualify for an outage credit
Customer Contact Summary:
Based on the information received and ADMS(Electric Outage Management
System) notes for this location, claim is denied due to UEF
(non-deterioration of CE Facilities).
************************* Damage Claims Advocate spoke with *************************** on
6/13/2024 at 3:39 PM. She explained Consumers Energy findings. Mrs.
******* stated her concerned was the overall condition of the
transformer(replacement)and safety. The transformer is near a bike path &
walking trail. There is no claim of damages. $21,000.00 was the amount
she has paid Consumers Energy since moving into her home.
Summary of resolution:
*Address transformer blowing up - explain
6/10/22,6/8/23 and 6/18/23 looks like we replaced the fuse at the
transformer. 7/23/22,10/31/23 and 6/7/24 looks like they re-fused LCP 383
80amp. After talking with the ESW#s the area has a lot of trees, so when
it gets windy the trees will blow into the line causing an outage. They
recommended that the line needs to be trimmed out.
The concern was forwarded to Forestry for review. *************************, Forestry
Manager, stated North Muskegon/ ********** is not on this year#s work
plan. We will not know if the circuit will be on next year#s plan until
late 3rd quarter. At this time, we have no plans to do any work in the
area; attached is last 12-month outage report. The report shows no tree
caused outages. We will have the forester evaluate the area for any
emergent needs.
*Damage claim
Damage Claim denied due to UEF (non-deterioration of CE Facilities).
Customer Inquiry Closed 06/13/24
FOLLOW UP QUALITY CALL:
At the discretion of the customer advocate a follow up call was not done.Customer Answer
Date: 06/20/2024
[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:]There are not many trees near the transformer to suggest that is what is causing the issues with it blowing so frequently. Also I believe my power has been off at 1902 ********. more than just the dates provided for the transformers repairs. Are there more issues that have happened around the transformer or between it and my home that are not listed? Perhaps signaling a larger infrastructure issue than just the transformer? I would like to know the date that transformer was installed and the lifespan transformer stations are given by the manufacturer. I believe there is a root cause to these outages that isnt being addressed. Not to mention the property damage my neighbors and I must incur from the constant surges. Please do more digging.
Regards,
***************************Initial Complaint
Date:06/07/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
In May 2022 I contacted CE to turn off the gas due to having remodeling done to my home. Unfortunately, it never happened and for over a year I was in and out of physical rehab for my husband. I contacted in July 2022 CE was in the street six feet down fixing repairs to next door and the torn down ******************. When I called to have gas turned back on the tech said there was a gas leak to the outside meter and he went inside my house and said the reading there was gas leaking under my house. I have contacted CE several times been put on hold for over an hour, hung up on and no supervisor has ever called me back. It is now over a year I've run out of patience. The only way that a pipe could have broke is from construction. The only construction that has been going on is from CE. I need help because nobody will call me back. I have CEs appliance repair plan and they take my information and no supervisor ever calls me back either. I have had the appliance repair plan and a rider for pipe repair. I need assistance to get them to call me back and get this fixed. This has been way too long. Had this plan for about two years paying ***** a monthBusiness Response
Date: 06/18/2024
06/17/2024 16:27:14 EST (AJPORTER)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION
*******************************
Account Number # ****
***********************************************************************-2131
dates of service: 12/04/2013 - current
email: *********************************
**********
06/10/2024 9:04am
the following was sent via RiverStar to
email ********************************* & ************
Account Number: ending in ****
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 *** 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
**********
06/10/2024 9:07am
this concern has been sent to Gas Operations for follow up and resolution
-06/10/2024 9:41am
******************* has been assigned to this complaint per ********
*****************************
-06/17/2024 12:10pm ***********************
called customer ************
phone number is no longer in service
-06/17/2024 12:11pm ***********************
called customer ************
no answer, left message machine
-06/17/2024 1:01pm ***********************
called customer ************
no answer, left message machine
-06/17/2024 3:45pm *************************************
called customer **********
no answer, left message machine
-06/17/2024 4:13pm
email to customer for closing
Good Afternoon ********
Myself and the **************************** have tried to contact you, I
am so sorry we were unable to connect. However, I have information for
you. ****** in the **************************** is leaving a note on your
account so that you can call **************. Please request an internal
gas line repair order, they will schedule a date & time to come to your
home. The plan that covers the internal gas lines is $4.99 per month.
We will not be placing a damage claim. Nearby construction (neighbor)
would not damage the internal gas line on your side of the meter.
For your records, this is the ****************************************** LINE SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The service covers parts and labor costs for repairs of leaks to
completely exposed interior gas pipes or connectors resulting from defects
in workmanship and/or materials or damage due to normal wear and tear, up
to a limit of $2000 per service call. Additional conditions of service
include:
a. Consumers Energy will repair or replace completely exposed interior gas
piping. This contract applies to one premise and covers customers who are
receiving natural gas from a residential service provider.
b. Prior to servicing any gas piping, Consumers Energy reserves the right
to inspect the gas piping and to restrict certain types of piping from
eligibility due to unavailability of parts and/or inaccessible lines
c. All covered gas piping must be 1/2 to 1-1/4 inch pipe of a type
certified by the ************************* ***************** Code or the
National **************************** It must be installed to meet local,
state and federal codes and must satisfy both manufacturer and Consumers
Energy requirements for safe and proper installation and be in operating
condition. Examples of gas piping which are not eligible for service
include cast iron pipe, plastic pipe used in other than underground
installations, or no gas shutoff valve located within three feet from a
gas appliance.
d. All gas piping must be readily accessible. In an instance where gas
piping is not accessible it#s the customer#s responsibility to remove any
obstruction prior to Consumers Energy#s service arrival. Any damage
caused, or costs incurred, to gain access to inaccessible exposed interior
gas piping, including restoration costs, will be the responsibility of the
customer, including but not limited to restoring concrete, dry wall, paint
and wallpaper.
e. See also Service / Parts ******************* / Parts Not Covered:
Service to the natural gas meter including connections, gas piping
connecting to built-in stoves or fireplaces, exterior and underground
piping exiting outside of the location to gas lamps, grills, other
appliances, and structures not attached to the premises and receiving
non-residential service, updating or moving non-leaking gas pipes to meet
code, movement of the meter at the time of repair or replacement, unless
required by local gas code or deemed necessary by a Consumers Energy
representative, remodeling and cosmetic alterations, ordinance
requirements or changes, repair or replacement of any copper gas piping or
incorrectly-sized gas piping, repair or replacement of any devices or
equipment utilized to regulate gas pressure CONSUMERS ENERGY AND ITS
AFFILIATES ARE NOT THE MANUFACTURER OF THE *** PIPING OR CONNECTORS AND
THEREFORE THIS CONTRACT IS NOT A WARRANTY, GUARANTEE OR PROMISE RELATING
TO THE MATERIALS, WORKMANSHIP OR PERFORMANCE OF THE INTERIOR *** PIPING OR
CONNECTORS REPLACED BY CONSUMERS ENERGY AND NO SUCH WARRANTY SHOULD BE
IMPLIED FROM THIS CONTRACT.
I hope all of this information is helpful.
Warm regards
*** **
************* Advocate
**********
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION
*1* Gas leak - repair
******* leak was found on the customer side of the meter. ******* service
was turned off at the meter due to the leak. The origin of the leak could
not be located but is thought to be coming from below the home in the
crawl space.
*2* ASP
The customer does have the ***************** Plan for most of her
appliances, however the technician could not reach many of her appliances
due to the condition of home. As for underneath the home, the gas field
technician is not allowed to enter under the home in a crawl space nor
under a mobile home. This would be customer equipment. This customer
does have Interior Line Coverage, however I did not see an order placed
for that situation. That department/vendor will need an order placed by
the customer in order to inquire into the repair. I have provided the
contact phone number in the email to the customer for her to call to place
a work order.
*3* Damage Claim
A damage claim has not been placed by this customer. She can file a
damage claim, however I have inquired to the Gas ********************* and
they have stated that a "customer#s fuel line, in a crawl space, would not
be affected/damaged when we are installing a neighboring gas line".
COMPLAINT CLOSED
06/17/2024Initial Complaint
Date:05/29/2024
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
05/29/24 I had a scheduled appt from 12-4 pm for Consumers Energy appliance to come and inspect my washer, work order #W0182675. I made the appt on 05/25/24@1620. I took off time from work for the time. Today@0812, while at work, I rcvd a call from ************, an employee from consumer, I answered it and told him I was at work and my scheduled appt today was 12-4pm because I was at work. He stated he understood he just wanted me to that I "did not have to take that time" I said I was aware; I was a work. He said ok and would see me at my scheduled time. When I got off work I waited at my home from 12 to 4pm and called the number, no answer and no one came. When I contacted Consumers appliance the person said it was noted on my record that I had rescheduled this appointment- Which was a false and incorrect statement and the repair company could not get in touch with me- they should not have been contacting me Until after 12. I have lost leave time and I don't like false communication and now I have to wait more days for my appliance to be repaired just because some workers wanted to get out of work earlyBusiness Response
Date: 06/03/2024
05/30/2024 13:28:05 EST (RGESCUTI)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
***************************
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 8170
**********************************************************-1852
DATES OF SERVICE: 02/11/13 TO CURRENT
EMAIL: *******************
The following email ********************* and sms text message
(*************) were sent via Riverstar:
Account Number: ending in 8170
Service Address: ************************
Dear *************************,
The ***************** Plan is not regulated by the Michigan Public Service
Commission, and therefore we are unable to provide them your telephone
number or email address. In order to assist you further, they have a
special complaints voicemail box for this process. Please give them a call
and leave your name, best contact number and email address and they will
follow up shortly.
The number is ************.
Sincerely,
Consumers Energy
www.consumersenergy.com
This was sent to ASP Complaints:
05/30/2024 15:53:20 EST (RGESCUTI)
The following resolution was provided by ******, ***************** Plan:
05/30/24- ****** called ***************************** at 14:34. ****** inquired about
the situation and ****** explained the phone calls she received and the
missed appointment. ****** explained a time stamped picture, the tech was
onsite at 11:58. He then sat in the van and made notes that are time
stamped for 12:01 and 12:02. ****** spoke to ************************* and discussed
the picture of the porch. ****** explained what the porch looked like with
two white pots, beautiful flowers, and a brick type door mat. ******
confirmed this was her porch. ****** then asked if ****** could pull up
her ring footage and view what time the tech was at the home. ******
confirmed he showed up at 11:49. ****** stated that she did not leave work
until 12 and she can make it home within 15 minutes. The technician, ****,
was at the home at 12 when the appointment window started. ******
understood, ****** then asked ****** who calls the customers. ******
explained that we schedule the work order and get it over to the
contractor, from there the communication and appointment is with the
contractor. ****** thanked ****** for calling and said she really
appreciated her reaching out. ****** shared with ****** that if she has
any future issues she is always welcome to call into the call center and
have a case created, the case will be assigned to the Field Support team
to review and reach back out to her. ****** said, #thank you for letting
me know# and the call ended.
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
ASP - missed appointment
the tech was onsite at 11:58. He then sat in the van and made notes that
are time stamped for 12:01 and 12:02. ****** spoke to ************************* and
discussed the picture of the porch. ****** explained what the porch looked
like with two white pots, beautiful flowers, and a brick type door mat.
****** confirmed this was her porch. ****** then asked if ****** could
pull up her ring footage and view what time the tech was at the home.
****** confirmed he showed up at 11:49. ****** stated that she did not
leave work until 12 and she can make it home within 15 minutes. The
technician, ****, was at the home at 12 when the appointment window
started.
*Repair
****** is scheduled for an appointment on 5/31/24 from 8-12. I added the
meet me option on her work order and confirmed with the office that they
need to show up inside of that window. ****** stated that she will be
available but if she needs to go to work she can come home within 15
minutes.
*Address customer changing appointment-false communication
****** was contacted around 8 in the morning to confirm her appointment.
****** states she was contacted somewhere around 1145ish, she did not get
the call but received a voicemail that stated the tech would be there in
15 minutes.
Regarding the notes in the computer that say rescheduled, it was not the
customer doing the rescheduling. It is the way the system changes the work
order, it notes it as rescheduled. ****** explained this to ****** and she
understood, ****** just didn#t want it to count against her. ******
explained that we do not keep track or charge for that.
CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED 05/30/24Customer Answer
Date: 06/03/2024
[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.
Regards,
*************************
Initial Complaint
Date:05/27/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
Our electric meter seems to be running incorrectly, for the last 5 months our bill has been extremely higher than usual usage from previous years. No one has been out to check the functionality of the meter, or do a meter read in person in years.Business Response
Date: 06/10/2024
5/30/2024 **:28:45 EST (DJLOUCKS)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
*****************************
ACCOUNT NUMBER: ************
*******************************-1904
Dates of Service: September 29, 2015 - Present
Email Address: *****************
**********
RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
Current Balance: $241.90
*****
37 ************** Usage History:
04/27/2021 05/25/2021 541
05/26/2021 06/24/2021 650
06/25/2021 07/26/2021 801
07/27/2021 08/24/2021 827
08/25/2021 09/23/2021 747
09/24/2021 10/25/2021 698
10/26/2021 11/23/2021 650
11/24/2021 **/26/2021 904
**/27/2021 01/24/2022 693
01/25/2022 02/23/2022 740
02/24/2022 03/24/2022 618
03/25/2022 04/25/2022 638
04/26/2022 05/24/2022 590
05/25/2022 06/23/2022 761
06/24/2022 07/25/2022 898
07/26/2022 08/23/2022 752
08/24/2022 09/22/2022 719
09/23/2022 10/24/2022 660
10/25/2022 11/27/2022 698
11/28/2022 **/26/2022 664
**/27/2022 01/25/2023 707
01/26/2023 02/26/2023 793
02/27/2023 03/27/2023 682
03/28/2023 04/26/2023 633
04/27/2023 05/25/2023 691
05/26/2023 06/26/2023 834
06/27/2023 07/26/2023 915
07/27/2023 08/24/2023 795
08/25/2023 09/25/2023 711
09/26/2023 10/25/2023 625
10/26/2023 11/26/2023 614
11/27/2023 **/25/2023 574
**/26/2023 01/24/2024 951
01/25/2024 02/22/2024 1,019
02/23/2024 03/24/2024 1,059
03/25/2024 04/23/2024 992
04/24/2024 05/22/2024 930
Usage increased approximately 1/5/24 and has stayed in a higher range
since that date.
All meter reads have been actual.
*****
** Month Payment History:
Date Amount
06/08/23 $189.62
07/06/23 $218.57
08/03/23 $235.18
09/03/23 $210.89
10/13/23 $229.92
11/09/23 $146.02
**/09/23 $182.29
01/05/24 $182.52
02/03/24 $259.71
03/01/24 $259.90
04/14/24 $274.54
05/11/24 $262.19
05/30/2024 13:42:48 EST (DJLOUCKS)
**********
CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
5/30/******* pm
I called *************************** at ************ and left a voicemail telling her I
received the inquiry she placed with the **** regarding her electric
usage. I asked that she return my call to go over her concerns and left my
call back number.
05/30/2024 15:20:20 EST (DJLOUCKS)
Because I have not received a response I sent the following email to
*****************:
Hi ***************************,
I am writing in response to the concern you filed with the ************************************* regarding your electric usage. Regretfully, I was
unable to reach you by telephone.
I#ve had a chance to review your account and found your electric usage has
been running some higher since January. I would be happy to schedule a
meter test for that meter to confirm it is still recording usage
accurately. I would need to speak with you to schedule a meter test and
ask that you give me a call at your earliest convenience. You can reach
me at ************. I am in the office from 7:30 am # 4:00 pm this week.
Thank you,
****
06/03/2024 08:24:10 EST (DJLOUCKS)
On Saturday 6/1/24 ****************** sent me the following response:
No bill payments will be made, until the meter is verified working
correctly. You have an obligation under the Michigan Public Service
Commission to check meters suspected of being faulty. Consumers has a long
track record of ripping off customers via faulty meters. We have had
enough of your games, and stonewalling.
*****
I scheduled a meter test for Tuesday 6/4/24 from 9:00 - **:00 pm.
06/03/2024 **:34:33 EST (DJLOUCKS)
I responded to ****************** with the following:
Hi ***************************,
I have scheduled a meter test for your electric meter on Tuesday, 6/4/24
from 9:00 am # **:00 pm and I will follow up with you after the meter test
has been completed.
Your meter was installed on 4/18/16 and we tested it for you on 8/9/18. At
that time the meter tested at ******% accurate. If the meter tests fast
tomorrow we will exchange the meter and your billing would be adjusted. If
the meter tests accurate we would recommend you hire an electrician to
check things within the home to confirm they are still working as
efficiently as possible.
If you have any additional questions, please let me know otherwise I will
follow up with you after the meter test has been completed.
Thank you,
****
06/04/2024 10:47:46 EST (DJLOUCKS)
6/4/24
I sent the following email:
Hi ***************************,
We completed a test of your electric meter today and the meter tested at
100% accurate. I have attached a Certification of Meter Test so you will
have it for your records. Because the meter tested accurate it tells us
the amount of usage you were billed is correct. If you feel your usage is
higher than it should be we would recommend you hire an electrician to
check the appliances and wiring within your home to confirm everything is
working as efficiently as possible.
I hope you have a good day.
Thank you,
****
**********
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
6/4/24
HIGH BILL - CONSUMPTION COMPARISON HISTORY:
Usage history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information".
ACTUAL READS:
All meter reads have been actual.
PAYMENT HISTORY:
Payment history is listed above in "Relevant Account Information".
METER TEST:
Meter test was completed on 6/4/24. Meter tested at 100% accurate and a
certificate of the meter test has been emailed to the customer for their
records.
CUSTOMER INQUIRY CLOSED AS OF 6/4/2024Initial Complaint
Date:05/14/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I have been a customer of ********************** since 2021. I have had bills for home heating in excess of 350+ dollars over several years. The last few months, I have been extremely ill fighting a debilitating disease along with contracting Covid and flu all within 3 months that has caused health complications to where bills, emails and calls were unfortunately set aside and/or not answered due to being alone (single-only individual in the house) and bedridden. I explained my situation to the *** and asked for a 1 time fee reversal as they shut off my gas due to ONLY 180 dollar balance and she said the only one that could do that is a supervisor. I wait for a supervisor to contact me and I was at the doctors when they called-so couldn't answer the phone. When home, I called back and was transferred to a supervisor named ******* (said she was the only one with that name as a supervisor) who I explained the above circumstance to and she didn't care. I also explained to her I am on disability with a set income and can't afford extra fees. She still didn't care. Gas should have never been turned off in the first place if they had looked at my payment history and a waiver of the ***** should be given to me due to being a long standing customer.Business Response
Date: 05/21/2024
05/15/2024 09:48:30 EST (AJPORTER)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION
*********************
Account Number # ****
*********************************************************-7843
dates of service: 01/07/2022 - current
email: ******************
**********
ACCOUNT INFORMATION
-The current account balance is $118.83, of which $68.83 is the past due
portion. The customer was disconnected for a turn off amount of $224.01,
we have waived the security deposit of $180.00, but we are not waiving the
reconnect fee of $50.00. The customer paid $180.00 towards the reconnect
needed of $274.01, therefore still owes $94.01 to complete the process for
a reconnect order to be placed.
05/16/2024 08:26:04 EST (AJPORTER)
-12 Month Payment History
date amount
06/05/2023 $ 95.00
06/23/2023 $100.00
09/06/2023 $ 90.83
12/29/2023 $220.22
02/20/2024 $150.00
04/09/2024 $200.00
04/09/2024 $200.00 returned from bank 04/09/2024
05/14/2024 $274.01 returned from bank 05/14/2024
05/14/2024 $180.00
-Current *******
date action
04/10/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/11/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/12/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/16/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/17/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/17/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/18/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/22/2024 Proactive Call - not completed
04/26/2024 Mailed Turn Off notice $224.01
05/01/2024 phone call #1
05/03/2024 Mailed Intent to Disconnect
05/13/2024 1:49pm Disconnected
the phone number we have on file is ************
05/16/2024 13:52:49 EST (AJPORTER)
05/16/2024 1:55pm **********
***************************
called customer ***********
no answer, left message machine
05/16/2024 14:05:00 EST (AJPORTER)
-05/16/2024 2:06pm
the following was sent via RiverStar to
email ****************** & SMS ************
Account Number: ending in ****
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 *** 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
**********
05/17/2024 14:26:01 EST (AJPORTER)
05/17/2024 2:26pm *************************************
called customer ************
no answer, left message machine
05/20/2024 14:57:25 EST (AJPORTER)
05/20/2024 4:20pm *************************************
called customer ************
no answer, left message machine
confirmed for customer that no fees for security deposit or reconnect fee
will be charged to her account for this occurrence. If in the future she
is disconnected for non payment, neither fee will be waived. To add that
any bank fees when a payment is returned will not be waived either. I
stated I would send an email for closure of this concern with the BBB.
05/20/2024 4:40pm *************************************
email sent to customer
****************** & SMS ************
Account Number: ending in ****
Service Address: ***************************
Dear *********************,
I have tried to contact you by phone. This is the closure information for
your concern you filed with the BBB.
Both the reconnect fee of $50.00 and the Security Deposit of $180.00 have
been waived for this incident only. Should this situation arise in the
future neither fee will be waived. Bank charges for return payment fees
will not be waived in the future.
I hope this information is helpful. If you should need anything further,
please call **************. My direct line is ************. I am *** **,
your ************* Advocate..
Sincerely,
**********************
***********
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION
*1* ***** *******
The current ******* history is noted above in this report.
*2* Payment History
A 12-month payment history is noted above in this report. There have been
2 return payments with no fees charged.
*3* ********************** was reconnected 05/15/2024 at 6:23pm
*4* Fee waived/refunded
Both the reconnect fee of $50.00 and the Security Deposit of $180.00 have
been waived for this incident only. Should this situation arise in the
future neither fee will be waived. Future return fees for return payments
from the bank will not be waived in the future.
COMPLAINT CLOSED
05/20/2024Initial Complaint
Date:05/10/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
It was a system error when they decided to start charging a fee for using a debit card, their system continued to reject my banking and routing number. So they secretly tagged on $15 . My bank filled my dispute because of their system glitch but I ended up with their bill $ on top of my $15. I'm trying to pay them but they refuse to take away the $15 fee that I don't owe. I have reached out to them a the way to corporate and have been lied to , sent to people on the phone who couldn't help. No one who's supposed to reach out to me has called back, it's ridiculousBusiness Response
Date: 05/14/2024
05/13/2024 10:35:04 EST (RNSTAGG)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
***************************
Account number: 7104
********************************************************************************************
Dates of service: 07/27/16 to present
Email: *********************
05/13/2024 14:05:33 EST (RNSTAGG)
RELEVANT ACCOUNT INFORMATION:
Current balance: $154.96 ($84.10 past due and $70.86 due on 05/28/24)
12-MONTH PAYMENT HISTORY:
Date: Amount:
05/30/23 $45.40
06/29/23 $40.39
07/28/23 $52.87
09/28/23 $46.13
10/28/23 $56.07
11/28/23 $46.76 (payment returned)
12/04/23 $46.76
12/28/23 $84.10 (payment returned)
01/29/24 $69.09
02/28/24 $86.83
03/28/24 $68.72
04/29/24 $75.19
NOTE ON RETURNED PAYMENTS:
- 11/28/23 was returned due to no account/unable to locate
account on 12/01/23. A $15.00 return payment fee was assessed on 12/28/23.
- 12/28/23 was returned due to "customer advises not
authorized" on 04/04/24.
The customer was advised by customer service in February and May that
unless the return is due to a CE error, it will not be reversed.
CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
05/13/24 - 2:32 pm - I left a voicemail message for *************************** at
phone number ************ - letting them know that I have their inquiry
placed through the Eastern Better Business Bureau regarding the concerns
with their account. I provided my phone number for them to call back?
05/13/2024 16:20:32 EST (RNSTAGG)
05/13/24 - 4:20 PM - I spoke with *************************** at phone number
************ about his concerns.
- We reviewed the returned payments on his account, and I
explained that the first payment for $46.76 was returned due to "unable to
locate account" which generally means that the bank information was
incorrect when they typed it in. I understand that can happen, and in
light of customer's experience, I will be happy to add a good-faith credit
for $15.00 to cover the charge.
- He does have another recently returned payment for $84.10
that he will need to resubmit (minus the $15.00 pending credit) and he
explained that the payment is being amended and resubmitted by his bank.
SUBMITTED COMPLAINTS RESOLUTION CREDIT FOR $15.00
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
- (*Address *** Fee) The *** fee was valid, however in light of customer
service we have added a $15 credit to cover the charge.
CLOSING CUSTOMER INQUIRY AS OF 05/13/24Initial Complaint
Date:05/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
My neighborhood loses power all the time. I have never lived anywhere that the electrical grid is so incompetent. I've lost a lot of money due to the numerous power outages a year. There have even been news stories regarding how many times my neighborhood loses power, it's pathetic. Something has to be done about this incompetence because it affects my livelihood. I've submitted complaints to the state and the BBB.Business Response
Date: 05/14/2024
05/06/2024 10:44:52 EST (AJPORTER)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION
*************************
Account Number # ****
*************************************************************************************************
dates of service: 10/23/2015 - current
email: **********************
**********
-05/06/2024 10:45am
the following has been sent via RiverStar to
email: ********************** & SMS ************
Account Number: ending in ****
Service Address: **************************************************************************
Dear *************************,
Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
complaint filed with MPSC, notification number **********. I assure you
Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints seriously.
The ****************************** will be in touch with you soon to
discuss your concerns and gather any additional information that *** 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
**********
-05/06/2024 10:47am
This concern has been sent to Grid Infrastructure for follow up and
resolution.
**********
05/13/2024 11:59:30 EST (AJPORTER)
CONTACT INFORMATION - continued -
-05/09/2024 9:10am ***************************
called customer
no answer, left message machine
-05/09/2024 10:11am ***************************
called customer
no answer, did not leave a message
-05/09/2024 1:19pm ***************************
called customer
no answer, did not leave a message
-05/09/2024 2:20pm
email to customer
Hello ****,
I have investigated the outages to your home. In the last 12 months you
have experienced 5 power outages. 5/5/24 caused by trees, 4/29/24 caused
by trees, 1/15/24 caused by weather, 8/26/23 caused by trees and 6/5/23
caused by an animal. I know the area has experienced a lot more in the
past few years. The outages in the past few years led to system
improvement projects that directly improved the reliability of your
power. I see it appears we are starting to increase again.
Improvement projects that have been completed:
There have been two Automatic Transfer Recloser(***) Loop
Schemes. These *** Loops will prevent some outages impacting your home.
Your home is in the middle of one of the *** Loops. In the event of a
power outage happening in certain areas of the distribution circuit
feeding your home, you will actually be transferred to an adjacent
distribution circuit to keep your power on. In this event you ***
experience a few momentary blinks then the power would come back on.
We have buried a power line along the north side of ********
Dr ** from ******************* to **************. This line used to run behind
the houses along ********. When the rear lot line powerlines were brand
new there weren#t trees, sheds, pools or fences and there was some
initiative to put power lines behind the homes. Years down the road those
said powerlines became hard to access and trees became the source of many
of your power outages. Today we have a new initiative to bury the power
lines. We are starting to bury the power lines however the resources are
limited so we are picking these locations very strategically.
Complete circuit trim was performed in 2019. I have a feeling
the effectiveness of this trim is starting to ware off as the trees are
starting to grow back. However there haven#t been enough tree related
outages in one particular area for me to request an expedited local
repetitive outage tree trimming request to improve your reliability.
We do perform Security Inspections. These used to be on a 6
year cycle. We have increased these inspections to every 2 years. During
a Security inspection myself or a counterpart drive out the entire
distribution system from the substation to everyone#s home on the circuit
and look for failing poles and pole top equipment and have it replaced in
an effort to prevent outages.
Finally we have also just finished a complete distribution
system fusing initiative to install additional system protection so in the
event of a fault the impacted area will be reduced to a much smaller zone.
To summarize, I see your outages are on the increase again. At this time
I will not be able to request repetitive outage tree trimming. We are
getting close to another circuit wide tree trim, however we are a little
bit out yet. We have performed a lot of work in your area to attempt to
improve your reliability. I will continue to keep an eye on your power
outages and if I see one specific area on the circuit feeding your home
experiencing more outages, I will submit another project to improve your
reliability.
Sincerely
***************************
Senior Engineer
**********
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION
*1* Power Outages - 12 month history, duration & cause
Date Duration Cau
se
06/05/2023 2 hours 6 minutes
Animal
08/26/2023 1 day 4 hours 16 minutes Trees
01/15/2024 1 hour 55 minutes
Weather
04/29/2024 47 minutes
Trees
05/05/2024 57 minutes
Trees
*2* What work is planned to mitigate these outages?
There is no additional work to mitigate these outages at this time.
*3* Does this customer qualify for outage credit(s)?
No
How are we ensuring this does not happen again for other customers?
********************** is continuously performing security inspections and
replacing poles and equipment. Installing additional fusing for outage
causing issues to impact smaller areas of people experiencing power
outages. We continue to identify areas to install distribution automation
that will transfer portions of a circuit to an adjacent circuit to
maintain power. We are also shortening our tree trimming cycle, while
monitoring outage history to identify reliability projects that will
reduce the amount of power outages our customers experience.
Unable to contact this customer by phone.
COMPLAINT CLOSED
05/09/2024Initial Complaint
Date:05/02/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased Consumers Energy Appliance Repair plan in 2023. The terms and conditions of the plan state that they will cover 5 pounds of refrigerant per year to AC unit. I had 2 **** companies come to my home to recharge my AC unit and was told that Consumers no longer covers the refrigerant I require in my AC unit. They did cover it last year in 2023 and I had no problem. After speaking with 3 different employees at CE and a supervisor, I was told that they cannot cover my recharge due to the type of coolant it is. I explained that nothing in their terms and conditions state that there is an exception to any type of coolant and that they covered it last year and that I was never notified of any change to the terms and conditions to the contract I entered into. The supervisor went on to tell me they stopped covering that refrigerant "last year" I printed the most recent terms and conditions dated 4/11/2024 and nowhere does it say they limit the type of refrigerant used. They are refusing to comply with their written agreement that I purchased 1 year ago. Can someone please help assist me in this matter? The **** company they sent out stated they will fill my AC unit, but Consumer Energy will not cover the charge. This is something I paid for in my contract.Business Response
Date: 05/03/2024
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
***************************
Account # ************
****************************************************************************-4687
Dates of service: 05/02/23 - present.
Email address: ******************* (ebill)
05/03/2024 09:16:23 EST (JAGATES)
THIS HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO *** FOR RESOLUTION.
CUSTOMER CONTACT:
05/03/24: 9:20 AM - A text/email was 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
1070428154. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
seriously.
The ***************** Plan is not regulated by the ************************************** and therefore we are unable to provide them your
telephone number or email address. Please call their voicemail box at
************ and leave your name, address, phone number and email address
and they will return your call as soon as possible to discuss your
concerns.
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
05/03/2024 14:57:11 EST (JAGATES)
05/03/24: This has been assigned to *************************.
05/03/24: 12:53 pm - Received the following resolution:
05-03-2024 12:20pm: **** called customer and left a message for a return
call.
05-03-2024 12:23 pm customer called **** back: Spoke to customer about
the terms and conditions with the air conditioners and R-22 rules and
regulations. Contractors can fill unit up to 5lbs of R-22 as long as the
leak search and repairs are done by the customer at their expense. Due to
this not being covered under the *** plans. Customer understood and
appreciated that we took the time to explain. They thought it was just
not covered anymore. Customer is calling Great **** to have them come
back out and consider the repairs so it can be filled again.
Field Leaders are going to coach and council the contractors. Making sure
that the contractors understand the correct terms and conditions with the
R22 systems. We can fill if the unit is repaired, and leak sealed at the
customer's expense. This will ensure that the customers understand that
we are not going against our terms and conditions. *** is following the
guidelines set out by the *** to ensure that we do not go against their
regulations.
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
- ADDRESS IF *** COVERS REFRIGERANT FOR AC UNITS: Yes, *** covers the
refrigerant up to 5 pounds per year. If the unit has lost more than 10%
it has to have leak search and repairs done at the expense of the
customer. Not a covered item on ***.
- ADDRESS IF *** HAS STOPPED COVERING IT - EXPLAIN WHY IT WAS NOT
COMMUNICATED TO CUSTOMERS: It has not been stopped. The customer did not
understand that they need to have the leak repaired since the unit lost
more than 50% of the refrigerant.
- ADDRESS IF *** WILL COVER REFRIGERANT FOR THIS CUSTOMER: Yes, if they
get the leak search and repairs done to the unit. Otherwise, no, we
cannot fill due to *** regulations.
COMPLAINT CLOSED 05/02/24
FOLLOW UP:
05/03/24: 3:06 pm - A text/email has been sent via Riverstar:
Dear ***************************,
This message is to follow up on your inquiry filed with the ************************** I understand that you have been able to speak to ****
with the ***************** Plan and he has explained the requirements for
adding more refrigerant to your unit. 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 ***** via
email at ***************************************************.
Sincerely,
Consumers EnergyInitial Complaint
Date:04/14/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
On a nice calm day, the power went out for one city block. It has been 10 hours without power and the estimated restoration has been moved multiple times. This is ridiculous considering they keep raising rates and the prices on the bills. There isnt a truck in sight to fix the issue. Fix the power!Business Response
Date: 04/18/2024
04/15/2024 09:56:38 EST (RNSTAGG)
CUSTOMER INFORMATION:
*****************************
Account number: 1332
********************************************************-3480
Dates of service: 06/01/20 to present
Email: **********************
ASSIGNING TO GRID INFRASTRUCTURE COMPLAINTS
INITIAL CUSTOMER CONTACT:
04/15/24 - 10:06 AM - the following email ************************ and SMS
text message (**************) was sent to the customer:
"Thank you for reaching out with your concerns. We have received your
complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), notification number
1070244470. I assure you Consumers Energy takes all customer complaints
seriously.
Our Complaints Advocate ********************* has assigned your inquiry to our ***************************** and they will be in touch with you soon to discuss
your concerns and gather any additional information that *** be needed.
We understand that getting updates during a power outage has been
frustrating. Estimated restoration times aim to help our customers plan
for what to expect during an outage so you can make arrangements if
needed. Sometimes while working on restoring power at the site, our crews
will discover there is more damage than previously known, which can cause
estimates to change. We also take into account changing weather
conditions, risks to safety and environmental issues. We continue to work
to improve our modeling in how we determine restoration time estimates and
appreciate you sharing your experience.
Our records show that the outage was restored yesterday at 11:07 am.
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."
04/15/2024 11:55:39 EST (RNSTAGG)
THIS WAS ASSIGNED TO SENIOR ELECTRICAL ENGINEER ***************************
04/18/2024 11:56:46 EST (RNSTAGG)
RESOLUTION PROVIDED BY ***************************:
12-MONTH OUTAGE HISTORY:
Date: Duration: Cause:
06/28/23 16 minutes Equipment
Failure
08/09/23 41 minutes
Planned/Scheduled
04/13/24 20 hours, 50 minutes Trees
Unfortunately, the customer does not qualify for a credit. April ***** was
a MED (Major Event Day) and was coded as grey sky.
We have increased inspections to every other year and increased the number
of fuses added to the system to reduce the number of people out and the
length of the outage.
An ATR loop was installed fall 2023 to allow the customers to be
transferred to a different substation if there was an outage at theirs.
Additional Fusing was installed out there in the last couple months
CUSTOMER CONTACT SUMMARY:
I spoke with ***************************** at 3:51PM on 4/16/2024.
- I apologized for the outage. He thanked me for calling and said he
wanted to know what happened because usually we are really quick about
getting things fixed in the area.
- I let him know that someone must have called in a Tree on the line.
Our crew went out there to deenergize the line so the tree crew could
safely remove the tree.
- I let him know we were still working on cleaning up after the storm and
that a crew was assigned the next morning to make repairs.
- I apologized again and asked him if he would like my number. He asked
if it was the one that popped up on his phone and I confirmed.
- I requested that if he have any future issues to give me a call but if
he has an outage to call the ***** number first to report it.
SUMMARY OF RESOLUTION:
- (*Power Outage -12 month history, duration and cause of outages) There
have been three outages in the last 12 months with various causes - a
fully history is above.
- (*Current outage/restoration - cause) Current outage was caused by
Trees. It was restored on 4/14 at 11:07 am.
- (*What work is planned to mitigate these outages?) We are now inspecting
our system every 2 years to identify and fix issues quicker. We have also
been installing additional fusing to reduce the size and number of outages
a customer sees. No additional work is planned at this time.
- (*Does customer qualify for outage credit/s?) Unfortunately, the
customer does not qualify for a credit. April ***** was a MED (Major Event
Day) and was coded as grey sky.
CLOSING CUSTOMER INQUIRY AS OF 04/16/24.
FOLLOW UP QUALITY CHECK:
04/18/24 - 12:02 pm - The following email ************************ and SMS
text message (**************) was sent:
" This message is to follow up with you on your outage complaint. We
understand that you were able to speak with our Senior Electrical
Engineer, ***************************. If you have any additional questions in the
future, please feel free to reach out to ***** directly - or your customer
care advocate, *********************, at ************ or ***************************************************"
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