Representatives from RG&E and NYSEG say they’re working hard to make sure customer bills are accurate from here on out. FingerLakes1.com reached out to parent company, Avangrid, and received a response from a Rochester-based media relations person.
Avangrid issued a lengthy statement after our request for comment.
“While NYSEG and RG&E have not been immune from the effects of COVID on our utility, such as a severe staffing shortage, we understand the impacts some of our customers have faced with their bills. In fact, we have already made significant progress in reducing customer issues by hiring new billing specialists and streamlining our billing processes,” the rep said. “But make no mistake, along with providing safe, reliable service to more than 1,290,000 customers and responding to and restoring service following historic storms, addressing billing issues continues to be a top priority. We are working hard and are committed to ensuring customer bills are sent out timely and accurately and urge our customers to contact us immediately with billing issues. We will fully cooperate with the Department’s investigation.”
This, after the state Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee released a report after a nine-month investigation into utility pricing. That report found several issues, including a lack of competition and accountability, flawed customer notices and systemic billing issues.
The state plans to hold a series of public hearings on billing-related issues over the last two years.
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].