PERRY — A resident is upset that the New York State Energy and Gas Company (NYSEG) and their policy on power restoration after a shut off due to failure to pay a bill.
According to Russ Johnson, Perry resident, he admits he forgot to pay his bill, but was incredibly frustrated at the amount of time it took for power to be restored after making a payment.
Johnson states that he was initially told that after he paid the $114 balance on a Monday it would take up to a week for the payment to be processed and power to be restored. He then requested to speak with a manager he was told that the power would be turned on the following day, a Tuesday.
On Tuesday, with his power still off and below freezing temperatures on the horizon, Johnson called looking for an update on his power being restored and when called NYSEG he was told his power would not be back on until Wednesday. As a result Johnson packed up his family, which included a sick 2-year-old child and paid $130 to stay in a Geneseo Hotel.
Johnson states that he needed to he was forced to pay $130 for one night of heat at a hotel in Geneseo because of his sick child’s well being but was told by NYSEG officials his power would have been turned back on.
In an email to the GeneseeSun.com from Clayton Ellis, Manager of Corporate Communications for NYSEG states:
– The last thing we ever want to do is shut off a customer’s electricity or natural gas service.
– We are especially cautious during particularly cold weather. We certainly don’t want to put anyone in danger as a result of being without utility services. (We follow the requirements of the state’s Home Energy Fair Practices Act with regard to cold weather shutoffs. This information is available in NYSEG’s Rights and Responsibilities brochure that is sent to customers once a year. The brochure is also available at nyseg.com.)
– Customers who are having difficulty paying their bills are urged to contact NYSEG right away at 1.888.315.1755.
– Out of respect for the privacy of the relationship we have with our customers, we will not discuss a customer’s account with anyone except the customer.