ComplaintsforSCANA Energy Marketing

• Initial Complaint

  12/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

   

  My gas was shut off on Thurdsday *****23. I paid the minute it was shut off. There should not be a wait time for reconnection especially when it’s cold and mandatory that I pay a reconnection fee. This doesn’t make any sense and I am seeking information to see if I can sue. When I pay for services then that’s what I expect. Hire more people if that’s the issue. I had to go the the make an appointment system for them to only tell me that my appointment time is from 8-4 when they gave me an option for them to come between either 8-12 or 12-4. This system is inconvenient and I think that something needs to be done about that company. Charging reconnection fees and then make u wait. It’s not right and it’s way too cold!

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  SCANA Energy cannot determine dates and times that *** technicians are able to reconnect gas. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Thursday ****/23, I realized in error I was about 2.5 weeks late on my Scana Energy bill. I’ve been a customer for well over 10 years. I’m not a chronic late payer, I’m just a full time working *** ** * ***** ****. I paid my bill in full for August and September on *****23, total amount was around $138 total. When I paid online it showed total amount due by *****23. As the website stated, I paid to find out my gas had been shut off. I immediately called and was told letters were mailed. I received no letters nor did the website indicate a shut off would be done. I was told my payment was required by the day before. I was told my service would be restored by *****23 between 8-12, noon comes and goes no one shows. I call Scana and was told I now have to wait until tomorrow. I have no hot water, can’t cook because I have s gas stove. Can’t bathe my kids, can’t do most laundry, can’t wash dishes, the list goes on. There was no notice of this happening. I have been a loyal paying customer now Scana has caused me additional expenses and if I want to bathe my kids I have to get s hotel room. I could see if I was chronically late, owed a large sum of money or flat out refused to pay but none of these are the case. It appears that Scana has no concern for the basic welfare of humans. The worst part is, I was not notified. The website didn’t state “hey you are about to lose gas service” it sated pay ~$138 by ******* so I did. This is completely unacceptable then to be told service would be restored today only to find out I was lied to. I would bet that the call recording will not be pulled and the website payment page will not be researched but the should. This is an unfair and deceptive business practice. I want the company to accept their responsibility as I have with mine. This should never be an issue, especially when I have paid and paid ahead. I am considering legal action on this matter as this has put my family in a bad situation. For the record whoever disconnected left a “flyer” on my door however it gave no indication on what happened. I had to determine this with phone calls.

  Business response

  09/25/2023

  The customer was billed $65.82 on *****2023 with a due date of *****2023. The customer did not pay the billing amount by the due date and was disconnected for. SCANA Energy mailed the customer two notices to the address on file, one on ****2023 and another *****2023. SCANA also confirmed with *** that the customer turn on date was September ****, not September ***** 

  Customer response

  09/26/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I admitted that I made a mistake and paid a couple of weeks late. One notice arrived in the mail on ****/23. Payment was made prior to shut off. It took 3 days to reconnect. I have young kids, is this really acceptable? I made multiple calls. I was previously told it would be in the next day. *** technician said they would have turned back on the next day if Scana would have asked that they do it often. If it weren’t for the fact I have young kids I couldn’t bathe or feed at home I wouldn’t be complaining. This is a total disregard for human care. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ****

  Business response

  09/26/2023

  SCANA Energy cannot determine which dates and times *** technicians are able to reconnect gas for customers.  

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

   

  I have been a customer with Scana energy for over two years. I have always done my best to pay bills prior to their due date, although I have on occasion been a couple days late due to regular life challenges (sick children, Work changes, etc.), however, I have never defaulted on a balance due. On **** *** 2023, my home’s hot water was disconnected. I assumed there was something wrong with my water heater and called the plumber to check it. On **** *** I also paid my bill with Scana energy, which had been due the day prior *****/2023). When the plumber arrived on **** *** 2023, they immediately checked the gas connection to my house and saw that it had been locked by the gas company. I, of course, had to pay the plumber, a dispatch fee, which could have been avoided had Scana taken the time to advise me that they had disconnected my service.. I called Scana to request a reconnection for my service on **** *** They informed me that there would be a fee for reconnecting, and that the earliest appointment they had would be Monday, **** **. I have two young children at home, and will be without access to hot water for the entirety of the weekend. The representative who I spoke with did not offer an apology for my service being disconnected, nor did I ever receive a warning from scana regarding my account being at risk of disconnection. I am beyond frustrated that I was not communicated to buy the gas company, as I have always paid my bill; I was not even given the dignity of a phone call from scana to see if I wanted to pay the balance due and avoid my service being disconnected. I feel completely taken advantage of by scana, but also that I have little say in the matter given the fact that we have a contract with them to provide gas to our home. I am seeking a refund of the reconnection fee ($75) as well as the penalty fee ($150).

  Business response

  08/01/2023

  A collections notice was mailed to the customer **** **** and **** ****, stating that "if the past due balance of $73.83 is not received by 8pm on ******2023, your natural gas service will be scheduled for disconnection." The customer did not pay balance until **** ***** which resulted to gas being disconnected. After gas is reconnected, customers are responsible for reconnection fee and deposit. SCANA Energy cannot credit or waive any of the added fees. 

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because it is unacceptable to be mailing such notices via mail. It is unreasonable to expect clients to be looking for such notifications in the mail. Scana’s ****** reviews page is overflowing with exactly this problem: customers should be informed of such issues with their account via phone call, text, email. It is clear to me that Scana does not care about good communication or resolving overdue accounts, as they rely on the one form of communication (mail) which is the one-sided and cannot therefore be confirmed as received by the recipients. if they cared at all about their customers, they would take more reasonable measures to communicate with them in a more modern way.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  If the customer has not received any SCANA billing invoices via mail, we advise they speak with their local post office. If the customer would like to enroll in paperless billing moving forward, they're are welcomed to call SCANA customer service to enroll. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I agreed to a fixed rate plan of 89.9 cents per therm. The most I have used in a billing cycle was 85 therms, usually lower. Yet, I have been charged $145 every cycle for months. At 85 therms, the charge should be $76.42. I have notified Scana multiple times about the issue and they refuse to correct the issue. I read about 2 previous class action lawsuits over this same kind of issue. I want the bill corrected and the overcharges refunded.

  Business response

  02/15/2023

  Our research shows the customer is being billed correctly for consumption @ the fixed rate of .899/therm.  The customer did not take into account the additional monthly charges such as the customer service charge, ******* *** ***** pass through charges, as well as state and local taxes, all of which increased their monthly amount due.

  Customer response

  02/16/2023

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

  I attached a copy of bill. Those fees do not account for the bill being double the usage. Same usage and comparable rate last year equated to a monthly bill of approximately $70. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  Business response

  02/22/2023

  Left customer a voicemail message on ********* to discuss account.  At the customer's Budget Billing reconciliation date, the total bill balance was $40 higher than what was expected according to their budget billing plan.  This $40 variance, does include late fees from when a payment was missed.  As a courtesy, we can wave any late fees assessed. Please see the attached bill, page 4, that shows the variance as it was detailed for the customer. This bill shows what the totals are for the budget bill balance versus the customer's actual bill balance.

• Initial Complaint

  02/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  They opened an account without my knowledge and charged me for an address I do not live at

  Business response

  02/13/2023

  The customer was advised that a fraud packet would be sent them.  They were advised an investigation would start once we've received the completed fraud packet.

  Business response

  02/20/2023

  Additional research was done by our credit dept. and the following was determined:
  
  The customer placed an order through one of our 3rd party affiliates, ******* *** *******.  ******* *** ******* reviewed the call and the order was indeed placed for service at the listed address beginning **********.  The customer called us ******* stating they changed their mind about moving in, however they never contacted us or ** *** ******* to cancel service prior to *******.  We cancelled service at that address once we were notified on ********

  Customer response

  02/21/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the service was stated on the call that it was for ** ***** *** company not Scana. Please review the call again and provide proof that the mentioned Scana. I had an open account for ** ***** at that location so why he would open an account without mentioning to me and with out my permission is confusing to me. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

  Business response

  02/23/2023

  Your call was reviewed in detail.  The call was transferred from ******* Power to the 3rd party agent through *******  You set up your internet services and you advised there is ******* *** in the apartment.  There was no reference that you had existing service (not at this location) with another provider and the agent would have no way of knowing that information.  The agent said SCANA Energy ***, and asked if the personal information you provided was the same and you confirmed it was.  The agent submitted the ******* *** request to SCANA Energy and we set up service for you at this apartment.   
  
  We apologize for any confusion, so as a courtesy, we have sent the request to billing to remove the charges from the SCANA Energy account.
  

  Customer response

  02/23/2023

  
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *****

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am not liable for this debt with SCANA ENERGY MARKETING and do not have a contract with convergent. They do not provide me with the original application like I asked.

  Business response

  12/02/2022

  We don't show SCANA Energy as being the Marketer that serviced the address listed on the complaint.

  Customer response

  12/05/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  If so then I demand this account removed from my credit report.

  Business response

  01/16/2023

  This account has been deleted from the credit agencies ******* and ********.  It may take 60 days to reflect on your credit file.  A copy of the deletion letter has also been emailed to you as confirmation that the account has been deleted from your credit file.

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Account: XXXXXXXXX**** please read my correspondence and respond accordingly as your acts have caused a negative impact on my life.

  Business response

  10/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/26) */ Unfortunately, we will not be able to make an exception on this account. The customer had a poor payment history in the less than 12 months of service with us. This resulted in 3 disconnects for non-payment. A letter was mailed in April 2016 encouraging the customer to pay the amount to prevent having the balance reported to the credit bureaus. The payment wasn't made until July, 2016. The customer's credit file has updated to show the account was a paid in full charge off. The customer can request a paid in full letter for their records.

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In April 2021 scana and I agreed to a fix rate. A few days ago I discovered that I was being charged a variable rate, four times higher than the right we agreed to. I called a multiple occasions throughout the last year tried to ascertain why my bill was so large. Of course, skin and now denies that we ever agreed to a fix your rate. I asked them to pull the recording. And of course they insisting that the it has been lost. Additionally the customer service rep, ******, was very kind. She set me up with a much higher fixed rate going forth, to make sure I was at least not paying as much as I have been currently paying. Once she establish the new fixed rate, she said that rate. And surely enough, That *** also did not post. For days Scana could not figure out why this new much higher rate would not post. Instead of them acknowledging that this is exactly what happened a year ago, they insist upon not taking responsibility for the issue. It appears based on the other complaints here on BBB, that this is not an uncommon complaint. Scana should actually be called scammer. I believe they are scamming people. I have paid four times the amount I should've paid over the last year and a half. Because the variable rate I was receiving is four times the amount of the fixed rate that I agreed to with them. I would like my money refunded. And I would like this new increased rate to be set at the rate we agreed to over a year ago. .529 per therm. Do what is right scana.

  Business response

  08/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/01) */ Our research shows no calls came through our system from customer's phone number during the period mentioned in the complaint. All calls are recorded and records are created as long as a connection is made. Advised customer if they can present some type of proof a call was made, we will be happy to research the issue again.

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am not liable for this debt with SCANA and do not have a contract with them. They do not provide me with the original application as I asked.

  Business response

  08/05/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/22) */ Thank you so much for reaching out to us to resolve the complaint made by the customer. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate an account associated with the premise address provided on the complaint in our system as well as ***'s system. If a different premise address is provided, we will be happy to check again. Thank you! Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/07/22) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) If you cannot find an account associated with the information provided. Please delete this account from my credit report as this violates my rights. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/07/27) */ Unfortunately, we are unable to remove anything from someone's credit report that's not in our system. Please ask the customer to provide proof that there is a negative credit remark on their credit file at the address provided on the complaint so we can investigate further.

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a customer with this company for over 5-6 years and could have been longer if not due to the circumstances with my account number ************* . my account was cutoff and closed for about 51.00 and some change on ************ the day the bill was due , saying for non payment . I never got any warning nor have i ever heard of a company cutting you off for such a low amount. I called on ************ and spoke with****** who was not informative at all nor did she give a real explanation of the reason or charges , we talked about how on **** the *** i had to pay 56 dollars to avoid cutoff which an email was sent to me and that was done **** the *** and then the *** i had to pay 51 . 00 and i called on the *** to pay that 51 and they had closed my account and services completely . i had paid the **** the *** bill so there was no reason to cut me off and she saw in the system as well as i have email proof which im attaching below that that was all that i had to do . She never explained anything and im like you going to ruin going another 5 ro maybe more years with a customer you were almost half a decade in with for a small error it seems as like you dont take the fact that ive been with you into account , it was 51.00 and some change due on **** the *** and i called to pay that and finding out my services are completely closed is outrageous. I would have liked to be have continued to go on with scana for another 5- 20 or more years if this situation could have been fixed properly . i explained to her i have been with this company for years and nothing like this ever happened with my bill before ever . i need someone to reach out so we can have a better solution . because this is not making sense for 51.06 im having this issue that i called to pay on the date it was due . and try to get help with . my account went from paying 51.00 and some change on the *** to it being fully closed with no previous warning for over 30 days that the *** my account closing

  Business response

  08/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/15) */ Customer's service is scheduled for reconnection *******. Early termination fee was waived.

*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. ↩