Merry Christmas, Mr. Scrooge!
Central Hudson Gas & Electric is once again in hot water. The New York State Public Service Commission has issued a heated report against Central Hudson, scolding the disgraced utility giant for numerous failures that resulted in bilking customers for services they did not use.
The State is now initiating legal proceedings against Central Hudson. Customers could potentially receive money back since Central Hudson may receive steep fines, New York State Senator James Skoufis explained.
As of today, countless complaints are still pouring in daily while Central Hudson remains in denial.
The issue at hand is repeated billing problems against customers since November of 2021. Many customers have reported that Central Hudson billed them thousands of dollars, and in some cases over $10,000, and took the money directly out of their bank accounts. Customers alleged that when they called to complain, Central Hudson often said the bills were correct and refused to refund the money.
Also, Central Hudson frequently decided to “estimate” what they felt the customers’ bills should have been without actually reading the meters. Central Hudson has paid meter readers, but instead decided it would be best to “estimate” their bills. These “estimates” often resulted in substantially higher bills. After Central Hudson found themselves in hot water for this, they began sending notices to their customers threatening to estimate their next bill if the customer did not submit their own meter reading. Central Hudson employees are paid to do this.
The State’s scathing report is the result of a lengthy investigation regarding these billing practices.
Since customers began lashing out over one year ago, Central Hudson has pointed fingers at anyone in sight. They have repeatedly blamed their customers as well as elected officials who spoke up.
Central Hudson representatives fired back at the report and blamed the Daily Freeman newspaper for quoting Central Hudson in a story published 13 months ago. Central Hudson even blamed anyone who clicked links to read a notice to customers about the billing problems – on their own webpage!
Now, legal proceedings will be held to determine if the State should pursue civil penalties against Central Hudson. The Commission voted today to order Central Hudson to respond to findings by the Office of of Investigations and Enforcement. In addition, the Commission will now investigate the costs incurred by Central Hudson to implement the flawed billing system.
“Now Central Hudson will finally have to answer for the outrageous billing errors that have left homeowners and renters confused, angry, and desperate,” Skoufis declared. “Consumer complaints to the Public Services Commission are clearly working. This decision is the result of consistent pressure from ratepayers and advocates.”
The State has ordered Central Hudson to submit a plan to eliminate bi-monthly estimates, among addressing many other practices.
Over 4,300 public comments have been logged against Central Hudson via the Public Services Commission – and the complaints continue pouring in.
Customer Belen Torchetti logged a complaint with the Public Services Commission on December 7, 2022: “I’m paying $1,000 for a two bedroom house! This is insane and we need help!” Torchetti complained about not even being able to contact customer support to fix it.
Michelle Seekircher filed a complaint on December 5, stating, “I currently have a $3,900 electric bill. It’s absolutely impossible.”
Cynthia Gray, a mother of two small children, filed a complaint on November 30 reporting that Central Hudson guessed her usage. “Their estimated number is 3x higher than my previous month’s usage,” she wrote. When she called Central Hudson, they argued they might not be able to fix it because she did not read her own meter, even though Central Hudson hires employees to do this.
Alex Puzza exclaimed that his latest Central Hudson bill is over $10,000. He called it a “giant cash grab” from a monopoly.
Christina Pineiro, an 87 year-old customer, complained to the PSC via an Ulster County Service agent. The complaint explained that Pineiro was billed $1,371.70 for the month of October. She paid it, but says Central Hudson reps place her on hold and never come back to the phone.
To file your own complaint against Central Hudson through the New York State Public Services Commission, click here:
https://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/Comments/PublicComments.aspx?MatterCaseNo=22-00666
This is not the only investigation underway against Central Hudson.
“Our Senate investigation into billing errors and price hikes from utilities and power producers statewide continues and will conclude in the coming weeks,” Skofuis added, “But today marks a big win for Hudson Valley energy consumers.”
Skoufis concluded, “We remain hopeful that the outcomes of this next phase are steep fines for Central Hudson and potentially money back in the pockets of overburdened ratepayers.”
