4 days ago
PECO says "significant progress" made on delayed billing issue as frustrated customers still wait
For nearly a year, Todd Lorback said every time he turned on a light or plugged something in, he felt in the dark, wondering if he'd ever get another PECO bill.
"My billing just ceased last summer," Lorback said. "You kind of think, 'am I the only one this is happening to?'"
The West Chester, Chester County, man said he contacted PECO customer service several times but never heard back. Then out of nowhere, Lorback explained, the utility unleashed a backlog of bills this past July.
"They were sending me a flurry," he said.
At one point, he received four bills in two weeks. Then, Lorback said PECO marked his account "past due."
"Another thing to kind of make me more frustrated that I was late after they piled on the bills," he said.
When he still couldn't reach customer service, Lorback contacted In Your Corner.
Lorback is one of dozens of viewers to contact CBS News Philadelphia following our report in May on a billing glitch impacting PECO customers.
"When I saw what you had on TV, I thought, 'Well, look, I'm not the only one,'" Marva Moore-Ford said.
The Norristown, Montgomery County, resident says her PECO bills similarly stopped last summer.
"They said, 'we apologize for any inconvenience and we appreciate your patience,'" Moore-Ford read from a letter PECO sent in January, the only communication she said she ever received about the issue.
"I think my patience is running out."
CBS News Philadelphia contacted PECO on behalf of Lorback, Moore-Ford, and several other viewers.
"We did communicate to our customers the best way that we could; we do understand that customers had reached out to us and maybe they didn't hear back from us," said PECO spokesperson Candice Womer.
"Billing issues aren't abnormal when it comes to the complexities of these systems, however, we realize that there's no excuse, that we need to be working on this to make the corrections as quickly as possible."
Womer told CBS News Philadelphia many of the delays stem from the utility's transition to a new billing system in 2024, while others are related to new service setups or meter changes.
Currently, about 8,000 customers are impacted, Womer said, down from more than 20,000 customers at the start of the year. PECO serves roughly 1.7 million customers.
"Since the beginning of this year, we've made significant progress," Womer said. "We've resolved many of the earlier issues and continue to make steady improvements each day."
Womer said the utility is "on track to return to normal levels," but wouldn't specify a timeline for when remaining impacted customers could expect to start receiving bills again.
PECO added 60 new associates and established a dedicated email address PECObilling@ specifically for customers experiencing billing issues. Customers with billing questions or concerns can also call PECO at 800-494-4000.
Late fees are being waived for impacted customers who are being set up on payment plans, according to Womer.
"Once they do start receiving bills, we will tailor a payment plan that best fits their financial need," she said. "We're not setting a certain amount that they need to pay on top of their regular bill."
After CBS News Philadelphia got involved, Moore-Ford says a PECO representative called her to confirm they were working on her case. However, she still doesn't know when she'll start receiving bills again or how much she'll owe.
PECO says a customer's energy source, supplier, and billing preferences can all factor into how quickly the utility is able to get their billing back on track.
"I'm grateful that you took it up," Moore-Ford said.
Lorback said he's now set up on a payment plan and was assured he won't be charged late fees.
"I'm just glad that finally I can reach a satisfactory conclusion, and thank you again to Channel 3 for all your good work," he said.
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