ComplaintsforAES Ohio

• Initial Complaint

  10/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES Ohio(when they were DP&L) installed a night guard light on my property. They came and put the telephone pole up with the light on it, in Nov. 2017. The charge was 7$ or 7.95$. It showed up on my bill that way. I do not keep utility bills past one month, after the previous bill has reconciled. I just pay what they ask. About Sept 12, 2024 the light went out. I had Covid, so I didn't notice it right away. When I did, in like a week, I called AES outage. They said I did not have one. I told them there is a whole telephone pole they put up in 2017 on my propery! They can find no record if it. I told them to cone out and i spect the light to get information from it. They will not do this. At some point, as I keep calling, she said since they cannot find record of me paying, they will charge me for 9 months. I told her that is fine, even though it is not my fault they stopped charging me. They have done nothing. I am 76 years old. I had a stalker and there was drug activity in 2017, which is why I got the light. It is very dark out back as it is an alley and no street lights. Each tine I call I have to go through all this over and over. I have been patient and kind, but it is getting me nowhere and frankly, I am getting tired of them not caring in the least.

  

  Business response

  11/14/2024

  On 09/21/24 at approximately 10:57 PM our customer called our Emergency Outage Department (after hours), also it was a weekend day when our offices were closed and spoke with a Customer Service Representative (CSR) to report that their Nightlight was out The CSR informed our customer that our company did not have any records of our customer having a nightlight account showing on their billing statement. And our customer had to call back on Monday 09/23/24 during our normal business hours to speak with a CSR.  On 09/23/24 approximately 8:29 AM, our customer called into our Customer Services Department and our customer was informed by a CSR that the nightlight account has been operated since 2017, and the customer does not understand why it is not showing up in our company records. Our customer was informed that an order was placed to request the nightlight to be repaired and that it was not a guarantee of when someone would be out to repair the nightlight.  On 09/27/24, approximately 4:34 PM, our customer called our customer service department to report an outage through the automated system and was informed that we were aware of the outage at the location and our company crews will be out as soon as possible with an estimated time of 6:00 PM to repair and get the customers nightlight restored. On 10/02/24, approximately 9:45 PM, our customer spoke with a CSR stating that during our system upgrade and the billing was switched, and the nightlight account was taken off the bill. Our customer was informed that they were going to look at her bill going back 2-3 years from 2021-2023, to see if there was a nightlight associated with our customer’s account. The CSR informed our customer that our customer did have a nightlight that was associated with our customers account, but our customer was never billed for the nightlight account, and that we will try to get the issue corrected. Our customer stated that she was paying for the nightlight account and ever since we upgraded our system, it has not reflected on the bill anymore.  Our customer was informed that a notification was received from our nightlight department stating that our customer was not billed for the nightlight account. Our customer was informed that they were going to be billed for the last 12 months for the nightlight account and that our customer would receive credit towards their account until the nightlight is repaired. Our customer was informed that the billing statements will be mailed over to the customer dating from March of 2023 through September of 2024 to see that our customer was not being billed, and a notification will be sent to our nightlight department to attach the nightlight to the customer’s account. On 10/07/24 at approximately 9:03 PM our customer spoke with a CSR to get the nightlight repaired. Our customer was informed that there was an email sent to our nightlight department to establish the nightlight on the customer’s account before someone could go out to the residence to get it repaired, and our customer was informed that another email would be sent over to our nightlight department. On 10/11/24 at approximately 2:43 PM and spoke with a CSR and was informed that there had not been any updates regarding getting the nightlight repaired.  On 10/28/24 at approximately 8:37 AM, our customer spoke with a CSR and was informed that an email would be sent over to our nightlight department regarding the nightlight being out and that we will try to resolve this. On 11/05/24 at approximately 12:38 PM, our customer was contacted by a CSR and was informed that our nightlight department received the request and established the nightlight account under the customer’s name and requested to expedite the nightlight to get repaired, and that the nightlight should show up on the customer’s bill once the repairs have been made. Our customer was informed that they will be back billed for the previous year per PUCO regulations, and that there is no timeline known to have the nightlight repaired. On 11/09/24 approximately at 6:13 AM, our customer’s nightlight was repaired changing the 100-watt light bulb to a 30-watt LED light bulb.

  Customer response

  11/16/2024

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

  As per the October 2, 2024 conversation: I was told they had NO record of me having a nightlight at all! The said maybe it belonged to the village, or I had someone else install it. I informed them that AES (then DP&L) did in fact install it for me in 2017. They asked me to look for information on the pole. I said to send someone out and they can surely tell if it is their pole or not (numbers and metal plates are visible on it). They said they could not do that. I said that maybe when they changed their billing system they dropped the fee on my bill. They just had no idea how this pole got there and therefore would not change the bulb. They sent two years of bill, which I do not dispute. I just paid my bills and didn't look at the fine print as the amount is based on KWHs and such. Greek to me! I told them as far as I knew, I had been paying the fee. That cannot, apparently, be proven by either party. At one point the CSR said I did not even have an account under my name! I have had one since August 2011! Bottom line is that it took me almost 2 months, and a filing with the BBB, to get light in my yard through no fault of mine. The blame is on AES for poor record keeping, i.e. they had no record of it being put in at all, and for incorrect billing. Also, the only CSR that did anything constructive was the last one that I spoke to. I am 76 years old and one would have thought that they could have changed the bulb and then gotten their paperwork in order. It's not like I could steal their pole! I was told over and over that I could not speak to a supervisor or anyone in the night guard department. I firmly believe I would still be without a light if I had not contacted BBB. I would also like to see the PUCO regulation that says I have to back pay for AES ineptness in this matter.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I called and spoke to AES about setting up services at my address several times between 9/9/24 and 9/11/24. They could not get me approved because their systems were down. I received a follow up call and the lady left a voicemail saying that she escalated it to an admin and that she didn’t want me to worry if they did not see a contract started. She noted to follow up on it until it was resolved. It was apparently never resolved over a three week period of time because our power was shut off on 10/10/24. They failed to do their duty and job, which in turn calls for an emergency on my end. This is unacceptable, I have a one year old baby and work from home. I called to have someone setup services and they said that it would be back on, but could not give me any details. I believe they told me this just to satisfy me, we still do not have power.

  

  Business response

  10/24/2024

   Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. On 09/09/24 Our customer spoke with a Customer Service Representative to request new services to begin.  As a move-in is created, the process of new services requires a credit check to be run through Experian to determine if a deposit is required but it does not impact on our customer’s credit score. An Experian check will also determine if any documentation is required to be sent to our company back office for review. During the process of the credit check, it was not processed for the determination of deposit requirements or documentation required for our customer because of Experian error. So, our customers’ request for new services was parked, meaning everything in the system was created for the new services requested, but the order was placed on hold until the issue with Experian was resolved.
  The CSR stated to our customer that a call would be returned to notify the customer that the issue with Experian has been resolved, and the process of new services requested will go in for processing. On 09/10/24 approximately at 7:41 PM, our customer was contacted by a CSR regarding starting new services. The CSR informed our customer that there was still an issue going on with Experian, where new services could not be processed. The CSR informed our customer that a call back will be returned tomorrow to continue with the process of starting new services. On 09/11/24 approximately at 10:14 AM a voice message was left for our customers informing them that Experian was still unavailable, and our company Admin Department was working on fixing the issue and that the contract of our customer request for new services will be available to continue the process. Once the issue with Experian has been resolved. On 10/10/24 approximately at 11:06 PM, our customer contacted our company’s after-hours department to try to get the services expedited to get turned on. But, due to our call center being closed, our customer was told to wait until our offices open during normal business hours, which are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00PM.  Our customer continued calling our after-hours department several times after it was mentioned by an after-hours CSR that our customer would have to wait until the normal business hours to get new services started. On 10/11/24 approximately at 9:32 AM, our customer spoke with a CSR regarding getting the new services started. The CSR informed our customer that the order that was requested for a move-in was finished and processed, and that the services would begin that day remotely no set time was provided because the order was scheduled for a full day appointment. The same day approximately at 2:17 PM, our customer spoke to a CSR wanting to know when the services will begin because they are working from home and have a small child. Our customer was informed that our call center was closed, but an order showed services were scheduled to start for our customer. The CSR informed our customer that our company technicians work to get services turned on for customers who are scheduled on the list for that day with no guarantee of an estimated time. Our customer was upset with not receiving an estimated time that the services will be turned on. That night on 10/11/24, our customer called our after-hours department several times but was not able to get through to speak to any representatives. On 10/11/24, our customer services were turned on. No further updates from our customer.

  Customer response

  10/25/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because it was stated that “On 09/11/24 approximately at 10:14 AM a voice message was left for our customers informing them that Experian was still unavailable, and our company Admin Department was working on fixing the issue and that the contract of our customer request for new services will be available to continue the process. Once the issue with Experian has been resolved. On 10/10/24 approximately at 11:06 PM, our customer contacted our company’s after-hours department to try to get the services expedited to get turned on. But, due to our call center being closed, our customer was told to wait until our offices open during normal business hours, which are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00PM.” - they failed to do their job and serve their customers. I was never followed back up with to inform me that experian was back up or that it was denied or approved. I waited a whole month & only found out when my services got shut off.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********

  

  Business response

  11/02/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. On 09/22/24, our customer was contacted by a CSR and a voice message was left informing our customer that Experian was still unavailable and that our Admin Department was working on fixing the issue and that our customer request for new services will be available to continue the process once the issue has been resolved. On 10/11/24, our customer spoke with a CSR and was informed that the order to that was requested for a move-in was finished and processed and that the service would begin that day remotely with no set time due to a full day appointment. There is no set time for services to remotely start, it could take up to 10:00 PM. When our customer called the same day to see when the services would be turned on our offices were closed, but an order did show services were scheduled to start, and our customer was upset. On 10/11/24 our customers’ services were turned on. Our company apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused during the time of our system upgrade. Our company understands that the delay in speaking with Representatives and requesting services caused prolonged waiting times. Some of our services were unavailable at the time of the system upgrade, and some of the services our customers requested were also delayed during the upgrade. If our customer has any questions or concerns, our Customer Service Department can be contacted t: *** ******** Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I’ve recently moved to a new apartment and chatted with 2 employees at AES energy trying to transfer my utility from one address to the other. On both occasions the agents left the conversation without concluding this is the end of our conversation, though I’d went to meter and given them all information asked for the continued saying that the provided information was not going to that address on the second chat versus the first which stated my new apartment wasn’t showing. The last bit of information I gleaned from my second chat agent was that the landlord would have to be the one to ask to have a AES person come out to resolve the matter so after I was again treated to silence and unable to leave more responses I contacted my new landlord. I was just contacted by him and he advised me that they said the do not know what the “ hold-up” is and I need to call them back. You’re handling is horrendous to a loyal customer but I suppose you can do that if you run a monopoly!

  

  Business response

  10/25/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding Mr. Clingman. When Our customer applied for services to begin, our company was going through a system upgrade. The system upgrades delayed customers in speaking with a Customer Service Representative (CSR) causing longer waiting times, and the system upgrade caused some online services to be unavailable. On the dates of 09/30/24, 10/02/24, and 10/03/24 our company records did show calls that were made by the customer but however, due to our system upgrading extended wait times caused our customer to disconnect from the call. And there weren’t any records showing what was discussed with the customer in the Chat Department. Our company would never deny customers’ services, and surely our CSRs would never purposely treat our customers in silence. Our company does understand the frustrations due to the prolonged waiting times. Our company apologizes for the delay in our customers speaking with a CSR and wants to thank our customers for their patience as we are going through a system upgrade. Our customer move-in contract started on 10/04/24. Our customers’ balance in the amount of $33.51 is due 10/08/24. If our customers have any questions or concerns, they can contact our customer service department at: ***** ******** Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
  

  Customer response

  10/28/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  It’s insincere nonsense from a company that won’t even clearly identify/record its operators handling of customer concerns there we were doing upgrades is reactionary clap trap and if there were options to not using there monopoly (I know they’ve got other subordinates under there umbrella) I would use them. 1 star. 
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 9, 2024 I made a payment via ACH in the amount of $2800 in error. Between my bank, PNC and AES I have spent hours on hold trying to get resolution. My last correspondence with AES was an email stating the word "dispute" was used in my PNC letter and I needed a letter from PNC not using the word dispute. As I explained, I had to file a dispute with PNC in order to even get them to mail a letter to AES, which they did. However, AES evidentially cannot find it. My case number from AES is **********. So as of today, almost two months later I still do not have a refund of the $2800.

  

  Business response

  10/30/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. Our customer has made a payment in the amount of $2,801.54 in error. On 09/26/24 approximately at 4:19 PM, Our customer was contacted by a Customer Service Representative (CSR) regarding the payment of $2,801.54 that was made in error and to get an update on how to receive the funds because it can be sent electronically. Our customer was informed that an email will be sent from our company Cash Receipts Department, and that if our customer were approved for the refund of $2,801.54 then it will be sent electronically, which can take up to 10 business days to ensure the overpayment or duplicate payment isn’t returned. Our customer was also informed that the next billing cycle that was due on 10/25/24, for the customer will take the amount out of credit balance of $2,801.54, and the remaining balance will be issued as a refund. To avoid that happening our customer was advised to submit proof of documentation before the due date. On 10/01/24 approximately at 1:06 PM, a CSR left a voice message for our customer to send something from their bank in writing stating that our customer will not be receiving or requesting a refund to send it to our company, at: aesohioemails@aes.com ATTN: Cash Receipts. On 10/02/24 approximately at 4:20 PM, it was notified on our customers’ account by our cash receipts department that the refund letter that our customer submitted was not acceptable due to incorrect verbiage. The letter must state exactly, “The payment has cleared and will not be returned”. Our cash receipts department cannot except a letter that states a dispute.  Our customers can also submit a copy of their bank statement showing that the payment has been deducted from their account with a positive balance. Once our cash receipts department receives the correct paperwork, a refund will be requested.  The total balance remaining on our customers’ account is a credit amount of $2,625.26.

• Initial Complaint

  10/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES, without my knowledge, came onto my property, under the premise of an emergency , and cut down foliage. I was at home at the time, but no one notified me. I am now left with disposing what was cut down.

  

  Business response

  11/02/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. Our customer claimed that our company came onto the property without our customer’s knowledge to do an emergency tree trimming and had left remaining debris that was cut down. Per our company’s Line Clearance Department: This work was done due to the hurricane. There was probably more work involved than what is reported. When unplanned tree trimming is necessary during a storm or emergency restoration, we do not clean up vegetation debris.
  Our crews must work quickly to restore power to all our customers. Brush & wood are left at the property so that we can proceed with our restoration work. We would suggest the customer contact their public works dept, or a private trash collector or professional tree removal service for assistance. On 10/01/approximately at 2:31 PM, neutral wire was broken and to clear the path a 3-man crew was needed to complete the repairs. The neutral wires provide a return path for the current, allowing the circuit to be completed. A proper connection of the neutral wire is necessary for the proper functioning of electrical devices and safety. On 10/03/24 approximately at 2:14 PM our company tree trimming Crew cleared the debris around the pole.

  Customer response

  11/05/2024

  It seems to me that even in an emergency, the resident of the property that the work needs to be done on should be notified. I only say this due to the fact that my front door was open but I was unaware of the work being done on my property until my neighbor informed me .

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our electric went out on 9/27/24. Today is 10/2/24 and still has not been restored. I understand lots of other people in the Dayton area are without electric also. However, AES (formerly DP&L) responded when additional residents on our street lost power on 10/1/24 and restored their power but then left without restoring our’s or even an explanation. I have called AES multiple times trying to get an update or any additional information to no avail.

  

  Business response

  10/15/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. Our customer stated that they tried to call into our company Emergency Services Department to report that a power outage has occurred, but our company does not have any records showing that our customer attempted to call to report an outage.  
  The windstorm that occurred on 09/27/24, caused 136,000 customers to be without power.
  On 09/27/24 approximately at 5:46 PM an outage was reported that caused our customer trees to come down. Due to the trees being down, our company crews were not able to assist with getting our customer power restored until our tree-trimming contractors completed the tree removal. On 09/28/24, approximately at 8:33 AM, majority of the customers in the area power were restored. Our customers do have the option to report an outage on our website at: www.aes-ohio.com/outages. Customers who called into our Emergency Services or reported the outage on our website were informed through an automated recording notifying our customers that we were aware of the outages in the location and that our crews will be dispatched as soon as possible. Our customer was also informed that our teams were working around the clock to get services restored to our remaining customers and to expect a multi-day of restoration efforts. On 10/02/24 at approximately 8:36 AM, our customers power was restored.

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Per the wind storm 9/27/2024, tens of thousand of AES customers have been without power for around 24 hours (and still counting for many of us). The company has failed to provide a single update. Upon driving around for hours, only one truck was seen in a several mile radius in every direction, with power out through much of that drive. The last posted claim was that they are fully stages and prepared to address the situation, but these claims seem very invalid after so little movement. In fact, numbers of consumers without power has been increasing throughout the day on 9/28/2024 according to ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Their website says to watch Facebook for updates, but none exist. When trying to call in, you sit on hold for an extended period of time with the phone radio silent, not even playing a recorded message, almost as though the line is disabled. This storm was predicted to hit for nearly a week. The lack of preparedness and communication is unacceptable, especially since AES owns a monopoly on power distribution in the Dayton area and we have no other options to pursue. Refrigerated food and medical supplies will spoil, those that work remotely are out of luck, and the company clearly does not care.

  

  Business response

  10/09/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. The storm that occurred on 09/27/24 brought powerful winds causing outages to136,000 customers. Our company understands how hard it could have been for our customers to experience a prolonging outage, and our company appreciates our customers’ patience as we have worked hard to restore power to our customers as quickly and safely as possible. Our teams were working around the clock to get services restored to our customers and expected a multi-day of restoration efforts. When an outage occurs, our customers can report their outage on our website at: ************************. Due to the severity of the storm that occurred on 09/27/24, our company Emergency Call Center was experiencing heavy call volume which caused very long waiting times. Our company apologizes for the inconvenience this has caused, as we continue to adapt to the changes in our updating customers with clearer communication of restoration times. We use our system data and information from our crews in the field to estimate when we will be able to get the power back on for customers. Crews continue to work around the clock to safely and quickly restore power to all our customers. Often conditions change due to significant storm damage and additional data is needed to post an estimated restoration time on the outage map or the restoration efforts may last longer than our original estimate. If our customer has lost food due to the outage that occurred on 09/27/24, they will need to contact their insurance company. On 09/30/24, our customer power was restored approximately at 9:55 PM.

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES HASNT PROVIDED MY HOME WITH ELECTRIC SERVICE THEY KEEP SAYING DOCUMENTS HAVEN'T BEEN REVIEWED BUT BEEN RECEIVED I NEED POWER AT THE RESIDENCE I HAVE GRAND BABIEZ LIVING THERE they states a previous tenants left high bill you can't withhold services from because of someone else...

  

  Business response

  10/09/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. Our customer originally applied for services in June of 2024, and provided an incorrect Social Security Number during the application process, so the customers services were in pending order status as we were holding our customer to submit a notarized copy of their Identification and their Social Security Card. Our customer did not submit the notarized documentation to our Checklist Department, so the pending order aged out. The customer then applied for services a second time and was held for a notarized Tenant Affidavit and a complete copy of the Lease Agreement, but the customer never submitted the documentation. On 10/09/24, a Customer Service Representative (CSR) contacted the customer and left a voice message to inform the customer that they can resubmit the documentation, and our Checklist Department will be happy to review the documents to move the customer forward with the next steps into getting the services on.

• Initial Complaint

  09/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AES is the only company who is unable to use my checking account for automatic payments. I have every other bill going through the same checking account. AES has informed me that it must be the banking institute. When speaking with my bank, they have no blocks or rejections with AES or any other company with my accounts. I have to continuously use Kobra each month and pay a fee. How is it that one company, is unable to retrieve money from an account, yet I can use that same checking account information, or credit card through Kobra for payments. Since the update on their website, I am unable to locate any information of my accounts online or utilize any way online. Their online chat is continuously down.

  

  Business response

  09/20/2024

  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer. On 05/31/24, our customer made a payment in the amount of $88.44 using his checking account number ending in 3038, and the payment of $88.44 was returned due to no account/account closed meaning that there was incorrect use of the checking account number being used. This returned payment was not the fault of our customer. On 06/07/24, our customer made a payment in the amount of $88.44 using a debit/credit card and the payment was successful. On the same day of 06/07/24, our customer made another payment of $88.44 using his checking account number ending in 3038, and the payment of $88.44 was returned due to no account/account closed meaning that there was incorrect use of a checking account number being used. This returned payment was the fault of our customer causing an ACH block for 12 months and our customer was charged a $15.00 return fee. On 07/03/24, our customer had a scheduled autopayment of $45.30 that was cancelled by our customer using checking account number ending in 3038. All payments that were made prior to the two payments our customer made using a checking account were credit and debit card payments, and all the credit and debit card payments were successful. The cause of our customer not being able to pay by checking is due to a return payment that was posted in our customer’s account on 06/13/24. Because of the return payment that was made on 06/13/24, our customer is unable to set up automatic payments at this time.
  
  The return payment charges are here as follows:
  06/13/24 - Return payment from Electric Supplier totaled $47.42.
  06/13/24 – Return payment from our company Delivery Charges $41.02
  06/13/24 – Return payment fee of $15.00
  Total amount due for the return payment = $103.44
  
  There are other options available for our customers to make payments.
  Our customers can use a debit or credit card to make payments and will be charged a $1.95 service fee each time a debit or credit card is used.
  Our customers can pay over the phone by contacting our Kubra card services EZ-Pay 24 hours a day by dialing **************, or Our customers can contact our Customer Service Department and request to be transferred over to our Kubra automated payment services Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, by dialing *************.
  Our customers can pay online by visiting our website at ****************.
  Our customers can pay using a money order and dropping it off in our payment drop box at: **** ****** **** ******* **** ******
  Our customers can visit one of our authorized pay agent locations. To find a location to where our authorized pay agent locations are located, our customers can visit our website at: ****************.
  Our customers can mail payments without stubs or billing inquiries to: ** *** **** ******* **** *****. Please allow up to 7 business days for payments to be received and processed. It takes 24-48 hours for payments to process.
  

  No other options are available for our customer to pay without paying a fee, until the ACH blockage is removed. Once the ACH blockage is removed Our customer can pay using their checking account to set up automatic payments. From 08/28/24 to 09/04/24, our company went through a system upgrade. During the time of the system upgrade, all payments and online services were unavailable, and the call center was closed. our company apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused. Our customer is now able to access our online services to make payments.

• Initial Complaint

  09/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a home and contacted AES to have the electric transferred into my name on 8/30/24. I was told by the representative that a technician would be out the following Tuesday 9/3/25 to turn the service on. I went to the residence on Tuesday and there was no service. I called AES that day and the call center was closed for training. So I had to call back the next day 9/4/24 and spoke to a representative who said my account transfer was put on hold due to a bill owed by the previous owner and services could not be switched into my name until the past due amount (not owed by me) was payed. However, it was 4:50 pm so they told me that they weren’t able to help me anymore that day because they close at 5. So, I called back again the next day 9/5/24 and was on hold with them from 8 am until 1 pm. I ended up having to pay the delinquent amount ($126) owed by the previous owner in order for AES to release the hold on my account. I told the representatives that I spoke to after I payed the bill that I had to have the power turned on asap because I was moving into the residence that weekend. I was assured by 2 representatives that the power would be on the following day 9/6/24. Well lo and behold I get to the residence with all of my things on Saturday 9/7/24 and there is no power. So now I have 3 kids in a house with all of our belongings and no power. After I spent all week trying to get through to someone, and after I payed a bill that I didn’t owe for an account that wasn’t mine. They still did not turn on my service. I will now have to spend even more money to get a hotel room for myself and children for the weekend. I have never felt more failed by a company in my life. I did everything I was supposed to do, even payed a bill that I didn’t owe just to be left without electricity still. AES I did my part, so do yours! This is nothing short of negligence.

  

  Business response

  09/20/2024

  
  Thank you for the inquiry regarding our customer.  On 08/30/24, our customer contacted our company and spoke with a Customer Service Representative (CSR) to apply for services. Our customer was provided with a new account number #********** and that services will start on 09/03/24. On 09/04/24, our customer spoke with CSR concerned about not having the services turned on after they were told the day before that it was scheduled to be turned on. When the CSR was trying to pull the account number that our customer provided, it was not correct, so the CSR asked for the customer to provide name date of birth, and full social security number to pull the new account up in the system. The CSR pulled up the new account and stated that the services are set up under the customer’s name, but according to the customer the services were still off at the residence. The CSR placed the customer on hold, and was reviewing the customers account with a supervisor and it was determined that the reason there was no service order for the customer to start service was due to the customer calling our company call center at the time our company was going through a system upgrade, and that there was a delinquent amount at the address of *** ***** *** * **** ** ***** with collection activity. Any customer applying for services at any address that has collection activity, the account will be placed on hold until the collection activity charges have been paid. The customer then stated that they will just pay the balance that is due at the address of *** ***** *** * **** ** ***** so that the services can get turned on. The CSR provided the customer with a past due balance totaling $59.69. The customer was informed that once the delinquent amount has been satisfied, the customer will have to call and report the payment so the order can be released, then services will be scheduled for the next business day. The customer then proceeds to ask the CSR what documentation was needed to get the services started. The CSR stated to the customer that they would have to submit documentation to verify and to clear the customer of not being responsible for the past due balance at the address of *** ***** *** * **** ** ***** if the customer did not want to be responsible for the past due balance. The documents that the customer would have to submit are Proof of Ownership that includes, General Warranty Deed, Settlement Statement, a Tax bill as well as an notarized Owner Affidavit to our Revenue and Protection Department at aesohiochecklist@aes.com. Once the documents have been reviewed and processed the customer will receive a call back from our company Revenue and Protection Department to release the order. The customer then stated that they will just pay the balance that is due at the address of *** ***** *** * **** ** ***** so that the services can get turned on. The CSR provided the customer with a past due amount totaling $59.69. The customer was informed that once the delinquent amount has been satisfied, the customer will have to call and report the payment so the order can be released, then services will be scheduled for the next business day. On 09/05/24, the customer spoke with CSR regarding paying the past due balance to get the services on. The CSR informed the customer that the amount that needs to be paid for the past due balance is $98.67, the customer was then transferred over to our company 3rd party payment center. The customer was then told to call back to report the payment and then the order will be released for the next business day. The same day the customer spoke with a CSR and stated that when the previous CSR transferred them over to make their payment, the automated payment system asked for a 10-digit account number, but the customer did not have that account number. The CSR provided the customer with the 10-digit account number: ********** to make a payment. The customer was informed that due to the system upgrade, the payment services online were unavailable to make a payment, so the CSR stated that they are just going to place the order to be released to start since the customer was unable to make a payment. The customer was told that the services were set to start the next business day. Due to the system upgrade, the order to get the customer services started delayed the process and caused a delay in showing proof of the past-due amount of $98.67. On 09/09/24, the customer services were turned on at the address of *** ***** *** * **** ** *****. The payment of $98.67 was paid on 09/13/24 to Contract Account Number: ************ No further updates were made by the customer.
  

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