Massachusetts utilities company National Grid is once again the target of criticisms from customers over billing practices. Just a few weeks ago it was revealed that it failed to bill thousands of gas customers for most of the previous winter.
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Now WCVB Channel 5 Boston reports that a quarter million customers were switched to paperless billing since August, but several are coming forward to claim they didn’t opt in or know about the change. They say they only learned of the switch after they received a disconnection notice demanding hundreds of dollars in missed payments be made.
In March, state regulators called the company’s billing issues "systemic" and "inexcusable,” and they recently announced relief for customers who did not see their paperless bills.
Here’s what you can do if you’re facing a similar issue with a utilities or service provider.
‘I got no phone call. Nothing. It just stopped.’
Albert Mercado, a National Grid customer, received a final disconnection notice by mail in May — his first letter from the company in months.
At first, Mercado didn’t understand. “Out of the blue. And I’m like, ‘What’s going on? What in Galloping Gale is this?’” he said in an interview with WCVB.
He called National Grid and learned he had been switched to paperless bills some months before. The company was sending the bills to an outdated email address.
"My first email account. Hotmail," Mercado explained. He also told WCVB that there was no notice included on any of his previous paper bills.
Similarly, Matt Ricciuti also received a disconnection notice in late May with a bill for $800.
"I didn’t choose it, and I didn’t even have an option," Ricciuti said to WCVB. "I got no notice of [the switch]. I got no phone call. Nothing. It just stopped.”
His bills were also going to an old email.
"She said it was going to my original email that I had established back when MSN was just starting up," explained Ricciuti.
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The news station reports 266,000 people have been moved to paperless billing since last August, and the company automatically enrolled customers who had any email address listed on their account. The company confirmed that they only notified customers of the switch through email, and no notice was sent with bills or other letters. They only reenrolled customers in paper bills if an emailed bill bounced back.
"I think they should have notified people a lot better than they did," Ricciuti said.
"I said, ‘Your implementation sucks. For the number of years I’ve had an account with you guys. Always pay the bills on time. Never got a call, text message, nothing. This just doesn’t make sense,’” Mercado said.
How you can avoid missed bills and disconnected utilities
For their part, National Grid said in a statement, "We have made efforts to communicate with all customers enrolled in paperless billing over the last two years and will continue reaching out to those we have not reached using available contact information. Customers who prefer to receive printed bills can easily update their preferences by logging into their National Grid account via our website or mobile app, or by calling 1-800-233-5325 to speak with a Customer Service Specialist."
However, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities told WCVB they have received dozens of complaints about the paperless transition from National Grid customers.
They also confirmed any customer who did not receive their bills is not responsible for charges older than 60 days. This includes paperless bills that were sent to the wrong email address. They advised National Grid customers eligible for this relief to call the company.
If you are with another service provider or living in another state, you can reach out to your state’s public utilities department to file a complaint involving a gas, electric, or water company.
You can also contact municipal, county or state government offices to find more information on how to file these complaints, and if there are any additional watchdog or community organizations in your area that will register your issue and help you with your missed bills. They can also inform you of the regulations in your state concerning bills you did not receive.
In the meantime, to avoid any disconnection of your essential home services, be sure to log in to any accounts you have with your utilities providers and check your preferences to ensure your bills are delivered to the right address. You can also call your provider’s helplines to check this information.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
