ComplaintsforFortisBC Energy Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  23/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had not been able to use our gas furnace for 3 weeks (October 11 to Nov 3/ 2023) due to its malfunction. We have now received our bill from Fortis BC and it does not reflect a decrease in their charges for the stated time. We feel that their bill should be somewhat reduced, but they refuse to do so. Please find attached our consumption over three years to prove that we were charged as if there were no issues with our furnace from Oct. 11 to Nov 3.

  

  Business response

  28/11/2023

  A FortisBC **************** Team Manager has been in contact with this customer regarding gas consumption at their premise and the recent bill received. The team manager and customer have worked together and resolved their concerns.
  
  If this customer has any additional questions, she can contact FortisBC customer service at ************** Monday Friday from 7:00am 8:00pm.

• Initial Complaint

  21/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Dear BBB, I am writing to appeal Fortis BC's decision to charge me for a perceived receivable that they claim was not charged to me over the past decade due to an administration error at their end. My husband and I are currently facing extreme financial hardship, as we are both unemployed and have two young dependent children to raise. The constant financial stress that this dispute is placing on us since last July 2022 is almost tearing the fabric of our family apart. We have reached out to **** and Ombudsperson to resolve this issue, but we have not received a fair resolution ( the letter of **** decisions is attached). While we understand Fortis BC's need to ensure that all bills are paid and accounts are up-to-date, we strongly feel that this perceived receivable is an error on their part. Similar to our other utilities and services, for our natural gas consumption we had set up an automatic payment, we were under an impression that all charges were being processed accurately and we were relying on the monthly paper statements that we were receiving each month indicating that the withdrawal was successful and no payment is due. It came as a shock to us when we received notice of the outstanding balance, then the late payments and the subsequent disconnection notice) We find it hard to believe that we would suddenly have a large balance due after more than a decade. I have attached the statements showing the balance due and the notice of disconnection (due April 30). I can provide supporting documents per request. We have tried to work with Fortis BC to resolve this issue, but we have not received any satisfactory resolution. Given our current financial situation, we simply cannot afford to pay the full amount that Fortis BC is requesting. We believe that labeling this incident as an error and wiping the slate clean would be the fairest and most appropriate course of action. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, **** *******

  

  Business response

  01/05/2023

  A FortisBC Representative has reviewed this customers concerns and has made multiple attempts to get a hold of this customer to work together on a repayment plan for the billable gas consumption however, have not been successful.  FortisBC encourages this customer to contact FortisBC to discuss their account at 1-888-224-2760, Monday to Friday, 7:00AM-8:00PM to prevent any possible service disruptions.
  
  Regards

  Customer response

  10/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Dear FortisBC Representative,
  I appreciate your previous response and the efforts made to resolve the outstanding balance on my account. However, I would like to provide further clarification and reiterate my current financial situation to ensure we can reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
  I have already had discussions with ****** and ****** at FortisBC on multiple occasions over the past few weeks (May 01, on May 04) regarding the outstanding balance. ****** proposed an upfront payment of $2,970.55, including the late payment charges (about $1000). Additionally, she suggested a payment plan requiring a total payment of $9,483.32 to be made within 24 months. Unfortunately, due to our present financial circumstances, as I mentioned before* ** ******* *** * *** ********* **********, and we have the responsibility of caring for our two dependent children. It is simply not feasible for us to fulfill these payment requirements.
  During our discussions, I proposed removing the late payment charges, as they accumulated while our account was locked during ****'s review.   Regarding the remaining balance of $9,483.32, I expressed our ability to pay it off over a five-year period. Regrettably, these proposals were not accepted by FortisBC, although all of these problems initiated because of an administrative error at the theirs ends.
  Furthermore, I would like to address the offer made by Taskin at FortisBC in the beginging when we got notified about this issue; as we were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taskin offered a credit of $1,700 towards our consumption. I accepted this offer, with the understanding that I would await the resolution of our case. 
  
  In light of the above, I kindly request that the late payment charges be removed from the outstanding balance, enabling me to make the updated upfront payment in May ($2,970.55 minus the amount of late payment charges), as initially requested by FortisBC. Additionally, I reiterate my proposal for a five-year payment plan, which would allow me to meet my financial obligations while considering our present circumstances.
  I am committed to finding a fair and reasonable solution that is within our means. I greatly appreciate your attention to this matter and kindly request your consideration of my requests.
  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I look forward to your response.
  Sincerely, 
  **** *******

   

   

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

  

  Business response

  15/05/2023

  A FortisBC representative has been attempting to contact this customer to review and discuss the current outstanding balance and come to an agreement on payment arrangements. FortisBC encourages this customer to contact a representative to discuss at their earliest opportunity at 1-866-668-6624.

  Customer response

  25/05/2023

  
  Dear BBB,
  I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to bring to your attention an update for the issue I have encountered with FortisBC,
  
  During the week of May 15, I contacted FortisBC customer service and engaged in discussions with Ms. Taskin, the collection manager, on multiple occasions. As a result of our conversations, we reached the following agreements:
  On May 18, I transferred $2000 to the collection email provided by Ms. Taskin, demonstrating our commitment to fulfilling our obligations. Also, FortisBC assured me that they would waive the late payment charges of $1434.29 from the outstanding balance.
  To settle the remaining balance of approximately $9385.31, we agreed upon a four-year equal payment plan. The terms of this arrangement entail a payment of $300, slightly exceeding $96+$100 fixed, for the initial three months. Subsequently, for the remaining 45 months, the monthly payment will amount to $196 plus the actual consumption charges.
  
  I am awaiting for FortisBC to accept the $2000 transfer and to let me know the confirmation of the late payment charges being waived. 

  We will pay the next bill which will  $300 in June as we agreed when we receive the bill statement for the next month. 
  
  Thank you.

  
  Sincerely,
  ****

• Initial Complaint

  31/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Friday march 10th 2023 I received a call from fortisbc telling me that someone has to pay the bill at **********************************************************. I was surprised to hear from them that there is an outstanding bill for roughly $4500 from January 2021-present. They said gas will be cut off if no one takes responsibility of this bill. I asked them why is this the first time hearing about this. They told me there was no account setup for this property. It has been 2 years Fortisbc has not contacted either myself or the tenant regarding this issue. They were negligent in not sending a notice or trying to contact me any earlier. Why am I getting a huge bill 2 years later? The tenants have been using the gas and Fortisbc did not shut off the gas or give any notice. After 2 years plus, the tenants are not taking responsibility for this over due bill when they were the end users and there saying that the homeowner is responbsile for the bill. Fortisbc has dropped the ball on this situation and now is making us responsible for this issue. Fortisbc has not taking any responsibility for their wrong doing and being negligent and they are putting their mistakes on us as consumers after 2 years plus. We really need some help with this dispute. We have contacted Fortis several times with no resolution. We would see fit or fair that ****** should work with us in a fair manner so we don't get stuck with their mistake and this huge outstanding bill and take responsibility for this. Moving forward we will let our tenants know to register their names to get an account with ****** from April 2023. Please help us resolving this matter with FortisBc as this as been a really big stressful toll on us and this was not even our fault. We really appreciate any help with this situation.

  

  Business response

  06/04/2023

  FortisBC provides the following response to the BBB regarding the complaint received March 31, 2023.  A **************** Team Manager has been in contact with this customer regarding the responsibility for gas consumption. The team manager and customer have worked together to resolve this matter.  If this customer has any additional questions he can contact FortisBC customer service at ************** Monday Friday from 7:00am 8:00pm.

• Initial Complaint

  22/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Fortis BC has a Meter reader company that is not doing their job properly! Not properly read or “estimate” readings then when they finally put in a proper reading you get a $700 bill for 1 month! They are basically saying well it is catch up and you gotta pay your bill. So I had 2 bills of like $120-130 then a $700. I don’t believe I should have to pay because a job is not done properly! *** ******* **** **** *** **** ***** ***** All they have done is oh well we can extend the time frame for you to pay us. Still I am paying crazy bills because someone can’t do their job properly! I don’t believe it is fair they can just play catch up because I wasn’t properly billed in the prior months! Not my problem!

  

  Business response

  23/03/2023

  FortisBC provides the following response to the BBB regarding the complaint received March 22, 2023.  A Customer Service Team Manager has been in contact with this customer regarding the responsibility for gas consumption and the recent bill received. The team manager and customer have worked together to resolve this matter and working out a payment arrangement that works for the customer and FortisBC for the charges.  If this customer has any additional questions they can contact FortisBC customer service at 1-888-224-2710 Monday – Friday from 7:00am – 8:00pm. Tell us why here...

  Customer response

  24/03/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I don’t really have a choice do I, still upset 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  21/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I opened my online FortisBC account in 2022, earning 500 My Rewards points for doing so. While the minimum points needed to redeem (for a bill credit) is 1000, it was impossible for me to get there by December 31, 2022. To earn further points you need to have 12 months of consumption data. From FortisBC’s website: "If you’ve signed up for FortisBC’s Account Online you can earn reward points that can be used towards your bill as a credit. If you have been a FortisBC customer for at least one year, you can earn points when you complete the online home assessment and items in your action plan.” Those 500 points (equivalent to $5) from signing up were therefore automatically lost due to the design of the system. I contacted FortisBC customer service and spoke to two mangers. While they agreed with me on the flaw in the My Rewards system, nothing could be done. I’m looking for the 500 points to be readded to my account and for the issue with the My Rewards system to be fixed.

  

  Business response

  24/02/2023

  A FortisBC representative has reached out to this customer, thanked her for her feedback regarding the MEU program and answered any questions she had and resolved her concerns.

  

  Business response

  24/02/2023

  A FortisBC representative has reached out to this customer, thanked her for her feedback regarding the MEU program and answered any questions she had and resolved her concerns.

  Customer response

  27/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because Fortis BC did not reach out to me as they stated; I received no call or email from them. Their response also does not resolve my complaint. Rather, it simply thanks me for my feedback. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

  Customer response

  27/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because Fortis BC did not reach out to me as they stated; I received no call or email from them. Their response also does not resolve my complaint. Rather, it simply thanks me for my feedback. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

  Customer response

  28/02/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I appreciate that Fortis BC got in touch with me. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

  Customer response

  28/02/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I appreciate that Fortis BC got in touch with me. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***

• Initial Complaint

  17/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hi.This is ***************************** from ****************. We asked late on August for a gas meter to be installed on the commercial unit on ****************************************************, **.Your technician told us couple of weeks where needed.Two weeks after they told us the gas meter installation switched on November 28th.Again nothing happened.When I asked again during our busiest season on December 22 the answer was "sometimes in 2023".Then on January 24 the engineer came again to inspect the place and take some measurement, and still nothing happened.Since then, every week I'm keeping asking and the answer is always ''we are working on it" without give me a timeline. At this point I'm wondering if there is someone can give me an update since I paid for **** unit that is gas fired and I'm paying for gas pipe that are already installed, but without gas I can't use any of it.In the meantime already about 25000$ have been spend in equipment without been used.This of course is affecting our product because without using the makeup air unit we have too much humidity on our ****** **********, affecting the shelf life of our products.Since I'm not sure what else can I do I really need and hope you can give me an answer.Thanks *****************************

  

  Business response

  24/02/2023

  A FortisBC Team Manager and Operations Leader have been in contact with this customer upon receiving the complaint regarding service installation.  The Operations Leader is actively working with them on having their service installed and resolving their concerns.   FortisBC encourages this customer to continue to contact the ********************** representatives they have been working with should they have any further questions.  Alternatively, they can contact FortisBC customer service at ************** Monday Friday from 7:00am 8:00pm

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted Fortis BC via their online chat on November 29, 2022 to have my accounts for units 101 and 103 ************************************************************ closed on November 30, 2022, as I was vacating my leases and moving. The agent looked into my accounts and noted that I had a recent $500 payment plus a security deposit of approximately $547 on my accounts. The agent told me that remaining amount on my bills was around $500 and that the deposit would cover that (with a remaining positive balance) and they advised to return the recent payment that I made. The agent informed me that the deposit would be more than sufficient to cover the outstanding amount for both accounts and there would a remainder of around $47 that they would not be able to send to me. I accepted this and advised the agent to proceed with returning the $500 payment and put the deposit towards the outstanding amount on the accounts. I was advised by the agent that my accounts would be free and clear moving forward. On January 5, I received notice from Fortis of outstanding invoices of $463.70 and $504.58 as Final Notices demanding payment. As I was told that my accounts were closed and clear by the Fortis agent, I contacted ****** to inquire. They did an internal investigation and confirmed that the agent did not notify me of a "Final Bill" that I would be receiving after closing the accounts. Speaking with a Fortis manager I was told that they are still demanding the "Final Bill" payments and have sent it to their collections department, despite their agent not disclosing this information and telling me that I was free and clear. I do not feel that it is appropriate for Fortis to be demanding the payments on accounts that I was told are closed and clear. I seek the cancellation of the "Final Bill" for both accounts accordingly.

  

  Business response

  10/02/2023

  A **************** Team Manager has been in contact with this customer regarding the responsibility for gas consumption and billed charges. The team manager explained why the charges are billable and why the charges cannot be waived.

  Customer response

  14/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I contacted the Fortis representative to close and clear my accounts and was assured that I did so. I was not advised that there would be a "Final Bill". The representative advised me that the deposit that was still on the account would be more than enough to cover the outstanding amount owed. Prior to contacting the representative, I paid $500 towards the accounts. The representative assured me that the deposit on file would be sufficient to clear and close the accounts and advised me to have the $500 that I paid returned to me. All of this dialogue is on file with Fortis. I believe that I was misled by the Fortis representative despite my efforts to have my accounts cleared and closed. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  24/02/2023

  A FortisBC Representative (Team Manager), has reached out to this customer to discuss and review their bill with them and answered any questions they had regarding the return of their deposit and the final bill they received.  
  
  We encourage this customer to continue to work with the Team Manager should they have any further questions, in addition they can contact our customer service department at ************** Monday Friday 7:00am-8:00pm

  Customer response

  27/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: ****** is not willing to take responsibility in the actions taken by their representative in providing false information to me when I contacted them to close and clear my accounts. Speaking with their manager, they acknowledged how the Fortis agent misguided me but still insists that I pay the 'final bill' that I was not told would be issued regarding the accounts. I expect this bill to be cleared by ****** as that was my full intention when I contacted their representative on Nov 29, 2022. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  15/03/2023

  A FortisBC representative reached out to and spoke with the customer upon receiving the complaint in an effort to better explain the billable charges on their final bill.
  
  While the customer felt they should not be charged for anything due to an error made by a representative when he initially contacted FortisBC.  The FortisBC Team manager has apologized for the error, explained that the charges are billable and offered payment arrangements.
  
  While FortisBC understands this may not be the outcome the customer was looking for, we encourage him to continue to work with the Team Manager to resolve.

  Customer response

  15/03/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The FortisBC team manager did not offer any means of resolution other than full payment of the "final bill" amount. FortisBC is not willing to take any responsibility for the false information and misguidance provided by their representative. Again, I was told that I was fully paid and clear and was not notified of any additional "final bill" or I would have kept the $500 that I previously paid on the account rather than have it returned to me as the representative advised. This will have to go to the next level of resolution as FortisBC is not willing to work with me on rectifying this issue.  

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

  

  Business response

  21/03/2023

  Good Afternoon,
  
  A FortisBC representative has attempted to reach this customer again following their rejection to the last response in an effort to better explain the billable charges they received on their final bill.
  
  FortisBC understands that this customer feels they should not be charged for any further amounts due to an error made by a representative when they initially contacted FortisBC.   FortisBC is a utility regulated by the ****, and as such any gas that is consumed and benefited from by the customer are charges that are billable and cannot be waived.
  
  While FortisBC understands this may not be the outcome the customer was looking for, the ********************** Team manager has apologized for the error and has provided the appropriate coaching and feedback to the representative that made the error. 
  
  Additionally, FortisBC has payment options available to this customer and they are encouraged to continue to work with the Team Manager they have been in contact with to discuss and resolve.

  Customer response

  09/01/2024

  Hello,
  
  I was notified through Fortis issuing a collections agency that this file was closed without notification to me. I requested arbitration from the BBB agent and did not hear anything further. Please contact me about this.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************
  **************
  ************************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  FortisBC has a Heat pump system in our building Soverign (**** *************) in *******. This system has a loud noise which has caused residents a lot of trouble and health issues. We have been complaining about the problem for 2 years now. The system is obviously malfunctioning. It is not only causing loud constant humming noise but also during 2022 it has doubled our geothermal expenses. We have evidences that noise engineers have verified the issue. But the FortisBC team is not interested to provide a permanent solution. We have been cooperative and patient to have this fixed but still nothing happens. As the last step to fix this issue peacefully without making it a public relation issue for fortisBC and following the legal path, I am writing to you guys to have this problem solved. This has been going on for 2 years and the level of carelessness and unprofessionalism from FortisBC team is shocking. I urge you to follow up this issue to fix the problem ****. **** ** **** ** ********** ********* ***** **** **** ******** ***** ** *** ****** *** ***** *** ********* *** ***** ***** ** *** *** ********* ** *** *** *** **** ******* ********* **** ***** ***** *** ***** ********* **** ******** **** ******** *** **** ********* **** *** ****** 

  

  Business response

  10/01/2023

  A FortisBC Team Manager has been in contact with this customer and is actively working with them to resolve their concerns.  Should this customer have any additional questions, we encourage them to continue to contact the Team Manager to discuss.

• Initial Complaint

  17/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our residential block was informed the week before that there was going to be a power outage on the Tuesday Nov 15th, so all residents prepared for it. I run a businrss from home that requires zoom meetings. I reschdule all my meetings for Wednesday Nov 26th. Then on Monday Nov13 we receive last minute notice that the outage. will now take place on Wednesday. Huge hassle but at least we were informed. So Tuesday comes along and they cut our blocks power. People come out of their houses complaining the power isn't suppose to be cut The supervisor says ya we're doi g both days. I said you did t tell us that. So I'm in a big meeting and lose them from power outage. Costing me close to a $1000 revenue. Then next day being today we now know the power is being cut again with time stipulation of 9am power off and 1pm power on. It's now 130 pm and we still don't have power. I call to inquire , they take down info then hangup on me the supervisor comes to my door saying he doesn't care about our complaint and that he will get the power on soon. Still nothing. My biggest issue is that we don't get a choice where we get hydro, it a monopolized system. We are forced to listen and take whatever instruction without any responsibility or care by this company. Seems like a dictatorship. The supervisor Dave M***** I believe is his name didn't have a care in the world that we would put Ina complaint against him. He laughed . So that shows me the lack of accountability to the enslaved customer and accountability of their actions or complaints being taken seriously. I don't understand why we have a monopoly on electricity, this makes for zero competition and zero accountability . They really don't care about complaints , what are we going to do? Cut off our hydro and remove our account from them. We can't, then we don't have hydro .

  

  Business response

  24/11/2022

  A FortisBC Customer Service Manager has been in contact with this customer regarding their electricity outage concerns. The customer service manager apologized for the outage and answered any additional questions the customer had.  If this customer has any further questions they can contact FortisBC customer service at  1-866-436-7847 Monday – Friday from 7:00am – 7:00pm.

• Initial Complaint

  20/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Fortis incorrectly estimated my bill for months then levied a massive bill to make up for it. They were not willing to reduce the bill.

  

  Business response

  29/09/2022

  A FortisBC Representative (Team Manager), has reached out to this customer to discuss and review their bill with them and answered any questions they had.  
  
  We encourage this customer to continue to work with the Team Manager should they have any further questions, in addition they can contact our customer service department at 1-888-224-2710 Monday – Friday 7:00am-8:00pm

*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. ↩