Public hearings into RG&E billing and customer service issues begin Tuesday
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Following a year-long News10NBC Investigation, the New York State Department of Public Service will hold a virtual public forum on Tuesday, Jan. 31 and an in-person public forum on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to receive public comments regarding delayed and erroneous billing, delayed or inaccurate meter reading, and customer service problems affecting customers RG&E.
The NYSDPS says it saw a significant increase in complaints against the company and a deterioration in customer service performance metrics in 2022, especially since August 2022. Among other issues, customers have reported high, inaccurate, or delayed bills, which they assert are inordinately based on estimated meter readings.
These problems have been compounded by the inability of customers to reach the companies’ customer service representatives by telephone without substantial delay. The issues have been highlighted in dozens of stories investigated by the News10NBC team for nearly a year now.
The virtual public hearings will be held on Tuesday at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. The deadline to sign-up to testify has passed but you can still watch the hearings by following the steps below:
For the 1 p.m. hearing:
Electronic Access: www.webex.com
Event Number: 2343 229 4895
Event Password: Jan31-1pm
Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500
Access Code: 2343 229 4895
For the 6 p.m. hearing:
Electronic Access: www.webex.com
Event Number: 2333 158 8627
Event Password: Jan31-6pm
Phone-Only Access: 518-549-0500
Access Code: 2333 158 8627
***The in-person public hearings will be held Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Rochester City Hall, inside Council Chambers at 30 Church St.
More about billing issues with RG&E:
- Following News10NBC investigation, state regulators expand probe into RG&E and NYSEG (Dec. 28)
- Community members speak at town hall to discuss public takeover of RG&E (Dec. 19)
- Frustrated homebuilder encounters more problems with RG&E (Dec. 16)
- Greece housing development slowed over struggles to get RG&E power (Dec. 12)
- RG&E billing chaos continues (Nov. 30)
- RG&E Customers protest at Rochester City Hall (Nov. 21)
- New Business Spends 17+ Hours Trying to Get RG&E to Hook up Gas Line (Nov. 4)
- Business customers having issues with RG&E too (Oct. 28)
- NYS regulators launch new investigation into RG&E (Oct. 27)
- RG&E President: ‘We’re in the storm’ of customer service issues (Oct. 27)
- City leaders flipping the switch, wanting to take over RG&E (Oct. 27)
- RG&E threatening to shut off customers for uninspected meters (Oct. 5)
- Lifespan Helping Elderly Customers Worried about High RG&E Bills (Sept. 23)
- Public hearings begin on RG&E and NYSEG rate hike requests (Sept. 15)
- RG&E president responds to billing issues and PSC penalty (Sept. 14)
- RG&E penalized $900,000 for missing bill service quality metric (Sept. 14)
- Hilton Man Gets $7,622 Bill from RG&E (Sept. 13)
- RG&E and NYSEG to begin installing smart meters across the region (Sept. 6)
- President of RG&E: “We’re working on ways to make billing more efficient” (Sept. 5)
- An Irondequoit man’s big RG&E bill spurs a call to News10NBC (Aug. 31)
- Good Question: What’s behind RG&E billing issues? (July 21)
- RG&E answers questions about months of no bills (March 31)
- After months of no bills, pizza shop owner gets $6,168 RG&E bill (March 29)
- ‘We were shocked’: Marion family facing nearly $1K utility bill (Feb. 14)
- RG&E offers help, suggestions for customers stunned by big bills (Feb. 14)