Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/04/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Peninsula Light is neglecting their responsibility to members in an ongoing safety concern. A transformer is located in an area that is being consistently hit by vehicles and knocked off its base. They have sent multiple crews out to fix it, all crew members agreeing it is in a terrible location. It also floods when it rains. The entire base will be submerged in water causing our lights and our neighbors lights to flicker. Water and electricity...no good. The biggest concern is that EMS cannot access our home with the box in the way. I have talked at length with their "customer service" person, *******************, and she keeps telling me it's not their problem and I will have to pay $12k to move it even though it effects the neighborhood in a co-op member owned system. We are taking further steps to combat this, but I wanted the community and members to know that Peninsula Light is not easy or nice to deal with and even though they say they are about the people they care nothing but for the bottom line no matter how small.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2022

  Thank you for reaching out to us about ******************** concern. As a member owned co-op, we welcome the opportunity to engage with our membership and other community focused organizations like the BBB. Peninsula Light Company (PenLight) has been working with ****************** since August of 2020 with no resolution. As a community owned nonprofit utility, PenLight has a legal and moral responsibility to protect the safety of both our facilities and the general public (including ****************** and his family) as well as a fiduciary duty to assure that our members funds are invested appropriately. While we understand ******************** concerns about the location of his driveway relative to our transformer, this situation was created entirely by the actions of ******************** construction contractors. It would be inequitable for PenLight to pay for any solution out of our membership funds thereby landing the rest of our ratepayers with the bill. A full background, discussion of the challenges present, and a description of solutions presented to ****************** are outlined below.

   

  Background:

  PenLight installed the transformer mentioned by ****************** on June 6th, ****. It is located on the eastern edge of a 20 wide ingress, egress, and utility easement. At that time, the lot where it is located and the surrounding lots were vacant, however, there were plans for building additional homes. Given the potential for further development, the transformer was intentionally placed near a property corner at the edge of the easement area to provide the widest possible access while affecting the smallest portion of the easement. This is ************************** standard practice. As the two neighboring houses were built, services were extended from the transformer, and no concerns were expressed for the next 29 years. ****************** lot was the last to be developed, the transformer was clearly visible, and was utilized by the homes builder for temporary construction power. In typical situations, builders will assess any obstructions in their construction area and contact the appropriate utilities for cost estimates related to relocation. No records of any such communication can be found. Instead, sometime in late 2019 or early 2020, the builder poured the new concrete driveway next to the existing transformer, without consulting PenLight, creating this clearance issue.

   

  Challenges:

  ****************** has called in at least twice to report delivery drivers have hit the transformer. ***** responded on both occasions but were unable to find any damage or evidence of impact. PenLight cannot speak for EMS access, but ****** County building permits require a review of fire access before they are approved to ensure sufficient access for emergency vehicles. The transformer was in place and visible long before permits were issued. If EMS cannot access the home, then either the Countys standards are insufficient, or the driveway was not constructed in accordance with the approved permit.

   

  ******************** concerns about water collecting around the transformer are due to the lots development and grading and not caused by PenLight. Thankfully, all PenLight transformers and their high voltage connections are fully sealed against water intrusion and will continue to operate safely even when fully submerged. In the unlikely event that a cable comes loose under water, the steel case of the transformer is grounded, and any electric activity will be contained and rapidly dissipated into the earth until an upstream protective device can operate and shut off the power.

   

  Solutions:

  This situation was caused entirely by the actions of ******************** building contractors. As a nonprofit electric utility, PenLight enforces a clear policy that issues caused by a single member cannot be socialized across the entire membership. ****************** and his contractor are responsible for this situation, and they should be responsible for paying for the solution.

   

  We are unsure where ****************** came up with the $12,000 final cost mentioned. In January of this year, we did discuss the total projected cost of the required work ($13,383.78) but he was also informed that PenLight would be able to absorb a significant portion as part of a wider cable replacement project, since the cable supplying our transformer is aging and we are considering future cable replacement anyway. Two options were presented to ****************** for relocation of the transformer either of which would address his concerns. Depending on ******************** preference, the cost to him would either be $6,181.11 or $7,262.40. These quotes were delivered in late March of this year and PenLight did not receive a response until ****************** called ******************* on October 4th to express his displeasure at being financially responsible for the work. The following morning we received the BBB complaint notification.

   

  Thank You

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/17/2022

   
  Complaint: 18168704
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  To this comment:

  -PenLight has a legal and moral responsibility to protect the safety of both our facilities and the general public (including ****************** and his family) as well as a fiduciary duty to assure that our members funds are invested appropriately.

  As a member of any other organization a concern of this nature would be not only addressed but remedied to the member and surrounding neighbors.  ****** care of equipment in jeopardy would be a responsibility that Pen Light should be concerned about.

  To this comment:

  -While we understand ******************** concerns about the location of his driveway relative to our transformer, this situation was created entirely by the actions of ******************** construction contractors. It would be inequitable for Pen Light to pay for any solution out of our membership funds thereby landing the rest of our ratepayers with the bill. A full background, discussion of the challenges present, and a description of solutions presented to ****************** are outlined below.

  In clarification, it is not MY contractor, we bought the house while being built.  Driveway was in place already.  This issue, when brought to the attention of Pen Light, should have been taken to the contractor to represent their customer addressing the issue.  Pen **********************'s position is to blame their customer.

  To this comment:

  -****************** lot was the last to be developed, the transformer was clearly visible, and was utilized by the homes builder for temporary construction power. In typical situations, builders will assess any obstructions in their construction area and contact the appropriate utilities for cost estimates related to relocation. No records of any such communication can be found. Instead, sometime in late 2019 or early 2020, the builder poured the new concrete driveway next to the existing transformer, without consulting PenLight, creating this clearance issue.

  Again, Pen Light admitting the contractor was at fault but yet continues to deny the problem and refuse to fix the issue for the customer, shifting the issue to the contractor for resolution.  As they claim it is their equipment on our property for 29 years.  The time is irrelevant as the issue is now.  Pen Light's position is to hurt their customers rather than the persons at fault.

  To this comment:

  -****************** has called in at least twice to report delivery drivers have hit the transformer. ***** responded on both occasions but were unable to find any damage or evidence of impact. PenLight cannot speak for EMS access, but ****** County building permits require a review of fire access before they are approved to ensure sufficient access for emergency vehicles. The transformer was in place and visible long before permits were issued. If EMS cannot access the home, then either the Countys standards are insufficient, or the driveway was not constructed in accordance with the approved permit.

  This comment starts with a lie.  I have reported the transformer hit on multiple occasions.  ******************* is not truthful in this matter.  Twice it was hit hard requiring crews to respond days later.  The box is 3 decades old, so it looks damaged always.  The fact that it was pushed off its base is an example of Pen Light's acceptable standards for not damaged equipment.  Both crews responding agreed the transformer is in a terrible and "at risk" spot.  We are currently work with ****** County Fire and Zoning to file a formal complaint.   

   

  To this comment:

  -******************** concerns about water collecting around the transformer are due to the lots development and grading and not caused by PenLight. Thankfully, all PenLight transformers and their high voltage connections are fully sealed against water intrusion and will continue to operate safely even when fully submerged. In the unlikely event that a cable comes loose under water, the steel case of the transformer is grounded, and any electric activity will be contained and rapidly dissipated into the earth until an upstream protective device can operate and shut off the power.

  Yes, the water collecting around the transformer is not your fault.  Pen Light admits fault by recognizing it but not fixing it.  The "thankfully" comment is very out of touch and absurd.  They should be required to be all of those things and as we know unlikely events likely happen as to have a record to unlikely events.  This says to me and my neighbors, that Pen Light would rather wait for an outcome that would greatly affect its members rather than get ahead of the problem with an easy solution to prevent incident or injury.  This comment speaks to the fact that Pen Light has no interest in protecting its equipment or customers if money is a stake.  The fact that the transformer is 30 years old should be issue enough to be repaired, updated or relocated. 

  To this comment:

  -This situation was caused entirely by the actions of ******************** building contractors. As a nonprofit electric utility, PenLight enforces a clear policy that issues caused by a single member cannot be socialized across the entire membership. ****************** and his contractor are responsible for this situation, and they should be responsible for paying for the solution.

  Again, not my contractor.  We bought the home.  It is not a single member issue; it would affect of neighbors as well.  Again, Pen Light admits that that its member is not at fault but the contractor.  Also, they are admitting that it is a problem.

  To this comment:

  -We are unsure where ****************** came up with the $12,000 final cost mentioned. In January of this year, we did discuss the total projected cost of the required work ($13,383.78) but he was also informed that PenLight would be able to absorb a significant portion as part of a wider cable replacement project, since the cable supplying our transformer is aging and we are considering future cable replacement anyway.

  Unsure?  So, it was off by $1,183.78.  This comment again has Pen Light admitting that the 30 year old transformer needs to be upgraded anyway but it seems like if they can pass off the cost to a member that would be their preferred solution. 

  To this comment:

  -Two options were presented to ****************** for relocation of the transformer either of which would address his concerns. Depending on ******************** preference, the cost to him would either be $6,181.11 or $7,262.40. These quotes were delivered in late March of this year and PenLight did not receive a response until ****************** called ******************* on October 4th to express his displeasure at being financially responsible for the work. The following morning, we received the BBB complaint notification.

  The fact that Pen Light will absorb any of the cost admits fault.  If the issue was created by the contractor, then why would you put that cost on the member?  If the transformer needed to be upgraded, then why put that cost on to the member?  It is a large sum of money for a member but a very small number for a huge power company.  The quotes were received, and ******************* made promises that she would continue to work on a solution.  Calls were made inquiring progress with no solution.  The issue became "frog in the pot" to our family, as we became use to the transformer being pushed and having to move it back ourselves.  The biggest issue came when an EMT friend commented that EMS vehicles would have problems accessing and leaving our home.  I reached out to Pen Light and ******************* about this issue and their narrative didn't change proving to me that Pen Light cares more about money and blame than the safety, responsibility and service to its member.  I expressed my displeasure with ******************* as she was ineffective and dismissive of the problem and continued to be a broken record.  We asked that someone else be assigned to help us as she was nice yet not helpful, the true colors of Pen Light came out as legal interventions were discussed, and ******************* said that she was the end of the line for this issue.  I still requested that the matter be transferred to Risk Management.  She said she would look into it and give a response that we are still waiting for.  Like is said, she is a nice person but dismissive and looking out of the company first.   

  In closing and rejection of this response, I have been working with and now fighting Pen Light for two years to remedy this problem that happened to us by the contractor and Pen Light.  The solution is an easy one and inexpensive for them.  Pen Light admits it is a problem, needs to be upgraded and fixed and has a solution.  Pen Light even has a direction for blame but would rather vilify the member as "unreasonable" than fix it.  Pen Light should have taken care of the problem the minute the first crew came out.  

   

   

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