CHARLESTON, W.V. – Senate Majority Leader John Unger (D-Berkeley) announced today that he is asking the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) to order Potomac Edison to immediately cease and desist estimating power usage due and read each customer’s meter each month.
Majority Leader Unger says he continues receiving calls from constituents that are getting outrageous electric bills from Potomac Edison based on old, inaccurate information.
“My constituents are questioning whether Potomac Edison is reporting late payment and partial payments to the various credit bureaus, thereby harming customer credit ratings,” says Unger. “In most, if not all, cases these payment plans and late payments are caused by Potomac Edison’s failure to read the electric meters properly, resulting in unexpected and inflated bills which customers are unable to pay at the time.”
Majority Leader Unger says this is not the first time the PSC has been contacted regarding this matter.
“The problems with Potomac Edison were first reported to the PSC in 2012 and a general investigation was undertaken by the Commission,” says Unger. “As a result, the company was asked to provide accurate meter reading and billing data. Rather than do the right thing, Potomac Edison, through its parent company First Energy, continues to make excuses and continues its bad business practices to the detriment of its customers.”
Majority Leader Unger is asking the PSC to order Potomac Edison: 1) to immediately cease and desist estimating power usage and read each customer’s meter each month; 2) report the actual reading to the PSC for a minimum of one year; 3) take all steps necessary to have all negative credit information that may have been reported to any and all credit bureaus expunged from customers’ credit reports; and 4) establish proper procedures and safeguards to assure these unconscionable billing practices are never perpetrated on Potomac Edison customers ever again.
Majority Leader Unger is calling on the PSC to rectify the situation once and for all.