Customer ReviewsforBC Hydro

I recently called today to transfer my account from one location to another. As there was going go be an overlap in service, I felt the need to talk to someone in person. When I was explaining the overlap of service beginning on the 1st of April in my new location and expiring in the current location at the end of February, she asked if the secondary contact Dawn would remain the same. I explained that she had passed away ** ******* **** *** *** ********* ******** *** *** ***** *** *** **** ** *** ** **** ***. I thought I was doing ok, but I broke down and was having difficultiy in responding as I am now in typing this.. We were able to continue on and complete the information she required for the transfer but continually appreciated the pain I was feeling. I regret that I cannot remember the name of the person I was dealing with but only recal that she lived in Vernon but if somehow the admiration that I have for her in dealing what is an extremly difficult time for me could be passed on, I would be so extremley grateful. **** ******

We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s review regarding the customer’s interaction with our customer service representative. We are pleased to hear that our representative was empathetic and acknowledged our customer’s difficult situation. We have provided feedback to the representative’s manager and are grateful that the customer was able to provide this positive feedback during a time of emotional pain.

I am charged a security deposit for moving out of the country. **** ** * ******** ********* ** ** ***** ****** ** * **** ******* . My account with bc hydro has always been in good standing, and I am being penalized for not living in British Columbia. I have the right to live and work anywhere I want and it is an outright ************** decision that is warranting this “security deposit “ penalty.

We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s case regarding a security deposit that was assessed on a customer’s account. The customer called BC Hydro on June 9, 2022 to open a new account. The customer’s account was set up and during that call the agent advised a security deposit had been assessed as it has been more than five years since the customer has had an active account with BC Hydro. When new customers, or customers who have not had an account for more than two years, are assessed with a security deposit, they are given the option of undergoing a credit check, providing a credit reference letter or providing a Guarantor on their account. We advised the amount of the deposit and that it would be included on the first bill. The customer agreed to this after other options were explained and explored. BC Hydro has a responsibility to adhere to the Electric Tariff (section 2.6.1) which states that when an applicant applying for service who has not established satisfactory credit to BC Hydro, we will be required to provide a security deposit. We encourage the customer to contact our customer service contact centre at 1 800-224-9376 Monday to Friday between the hours of 7am and 8pm or Saturday between the hours of 9am and 5pm should they wish to set up a payment arrangement for their security deposit. We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.

BC hydro is a massive institution who fail to remember who keeps them in business. If there was a human among them they would realize that sending out "FINAL WARNING OR WE WILL DISCONNECT YOU" notice for a missed payment is terrifying. My account was running with a credit. Missed a payment (oops!) Caught it within the week and sorted it out... too late! the we will disconnect you and charge you another thirty bucks threat was already sent. The cost of living, not to mention the struggle of being employed during covid, is difficult enough. I don't appreciate being ********** on top of this. Sending out a hey we noticed you missed a payment pay us please or we will escalate... bla bla Stop with the ******* we already have no choice but to give you our hard earned money.

We acknowledge and respond to the customer’s BBB’s review regarding BC Hydro’s credit action process. A notice of disconnection is sent when payments are overdue. If the account is less than one year old, notices are provided sooner than they would for customers that have established a satisfactory payment record. Also, when an account has a history of returned payments, it will result in disconnection letters being sent to the customer shortly after the due date. We appreciate the customer’s feedback regarding the tone and timing of our notifications and will consider this as we continue to make improvements to our customer service and processes. We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.

The service from business account at BC Hydro is terrible. I deal with a staff called Shaz. She was not helpful and her tone was not friendly. How come BC Hydro had BBB rate? The rate might need to be updated.

We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s case regarding the customer experience with our Business Account Support Representative. We contacted the customer by email on July 7, 2022 to request that the customer call our Customer Advocacy Team to discuss their interaction. They declined. We then requested via email that they provide their account number so we could investigate the call, which they did. A formal complaint has been raised and forwarded to the representative’s manager regarding the courtesy and treatment experienced by the customer. As a result of our investigation into this matter, the call will be reviewed and coaching will be provided to the individual. We trust that the information provided addressed the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.

We just moved from Kelowna to our new condo in West Kelowna. We received our first BC Hydro bill for $70 for two months of usage and $237(!!) for a security deposit. We have contacted the BC Hydro. They explained that they will hold our deposit for 2 (two!) years. We expressed our outrage for this unlawful money grab, but were told that if the deposit is not paid than the electricity will be disconnected. In order to wave the deposit, the operator wanted to get our credit checked. For the opportunity to buy their service for as little as $35/month we were very much against allowing them to ***** into our ******* file. We suggested forwarding to them our own recent credit check print off from ******* (first page) showing our score of ***; we suggested sending to them the most resent 9 quarterly statements of our account with the ********. Nothing helped. In order to wave the security deposit they wanted nothing else but checking our credit rating themselves. We felt that we have no choice as they were twisting our hands. We had succumbed to their request. They checked the credit rating and waved the security deposit. But this incident left us feeling bitter and humiliated. No other utility company or other reputable business would dare to treat customers like that. We are new to BC Hydro and that is why they think that its OK to treat us like we were *******. BC Hydro demonstrated the utter disrespect to us, its their customers. BC HYDRO AND YOUR MANAGEMENT, REMEMBER THAT FROM NOW ON WE HAVE NO RESPECT TO YOU. *** ***** ****** ***** *** ***** ******** *********** ***** ********* ******** ***** ** *** **** ** ********** *** ** *******

We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s case regarding a security deposit that was assessed on a customer’s account. The customer called BC Hydro on February 17, 2022 to open a new account. During this call, we informed the customer of the security deposit requirement. The customer agreed and advised they would be able to pay it. As a result, the customer service representative did not provide options for waiving the security deposit. We apologize for the misunderstanding this caused. The customer called back on April 8, 2022, after they received their first invoice which included the security deposit. The customer indicated they did not want to pay this and offered to send in a page of their credit report or copies of invoices from another utility. Unfortunately, this option isn’t sufficient to waive a security deposit with BC Hydro. We advised the customer of our responsibility to adhere to the Electric Tariff (section 2.6.1) which states: When an applicant applying for service who has not established satisfactory credit to BC Hydro, will be required to provide a security deposit. When new customers are assessed with a security deposit, they are given the option of undergoing a credit check, providing a credit reference letter or providing a Guarantor. The customer service representative advised the customer that the options for potentially waiving a security deposit can be completed by either performing a credit check or providing a credit reference letter. The customer agreed to the credit check, which resulted in successfully waiving the security deposit. We trust that the information provided addresses the concerns raised to the Better Business Bureau.

To BC Hydro you guys should be a ***** of your self you on this hard times due to COVID you block my buyisnes and my neighbers too we are having hard times as is with COVID due to BC Hydro 8 employs when home with out pay today you should be a ****** for doing this No Noice that you will blocking the road nathing i spoke to **** ** ********* they are no help but they do admit that BC Hydro is in wrong here and they cant do what they are doing

From time to time, it’s necessary for us to perform system upgrades to ensure the integrity of the infrastructure and improve or maintain system reliability. We regret the affects that our maintenance work has on our customers. On February 23, 2022 a BC Hydro crew were present in the vicinity of the customer's business to do some underground work on a distribution line. We had crew set up along the *** ***** ** *** *** *, in the laneway that runs parallel to and south of *** *** **** ** ****** **, as well as in the laneway that runs parallel to and west of Main St. The crews were not set up directly in front of the customer's business along *** *** *. Crews were on site that day to replace some cable between underground transformers which crews then attached to a pole. Because the transformers were underground, excavation at the site was necessary. **** ******** *********** ***** was hired to work with the BC Hydro line crew to control traffic in the area to maintain safety for the crew and public. *** controlled traffic with flaggers and had on site steel road plates that could be placed over the excavation area to allow access for vehicles with only a minor amount of delay if access was clearly requested. Excavation did not happen on *** *** * in front of the customer's business, but traffic was partially blocked in the laneway west of Main St as well as the laneways east of Quebec St. These laneways were open to traffic for most of the day, though they were closed to large delivery trucks. It is the responsibility of the contractor that is hired to do traffic management to notify area businesses of the disruption. Approximately 2 weeks prior to the work date, *** completed a door knock to businesses in the area to notify them of the work and the affects on traffic taking place on February 23, 2022. Our goal at BC Hydro is to ensure that the electric grid is planned, operated and maintained in a safe, reliable and cost-effective manner. While we recognize that this work impacted the customer's business, we trust this response provides a better understanding of the safety requirements involved to maintain our electric grid and infrastructure.

So sick and tired of response time to power outages in our same area this has got to be 7 or 8 outages in two weeks. I have tried to report trees that are about to fall on power lines and nothing is done about until the next day when the tree has fallen on lines and caused several hours of outage you service is **** my electrical devices like security cameras have already been replaced twice and we are fed up this poor service in response is not acceptable especially when you have been prewarned of a situation that that happens the next day. *** *** **** ** **** * ********* ******** ** ** ** ******* *** **** ** **** ***** **** *** ** ****** *** *** ***** **

We acknowledge and respond to the BBB’s case for the customer regarding outages impacting the community of Yahk. While we’re committed to providing our customers with safe and reliable power, we cannot guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity. There may be times when power outages, surges or unexpected equipment failures occur that impact our customers. Every effort is made to minimize the impact of outages through prompt field response and vegetation maintenance as required. We recognize that trees and other vegetation is an ongoing issue that could potentially cause unplanned power outages, especially during storms. However, living in remote locations can pose its own unique set of challenges. BC Hydro doesn’t have crews stationed within the community of Yahk and crews can be hours or days away, so immediate response isn’t always possible. Our vegetation crews primarily perform routine maintenance and aren’t on immediate standby. We can confirm our vegetation teams performed preventative maintenance in the customer’s area in the winter of 2021 and will continue to perform work in future to ensure the safe, effective delivery of electricity. We trust that this addresses the points raised by the customer to the Better Business Bureau.