FirstEnergy
Reviews and Complaints

I have received a number of Telemarketing calls in regards to switching to your company, each time I have politely asked First Energy not to call back. Well my request was blatantly ignored and I blocked the number on my phone, only the calls continued but with a private number.
The last caller received a quiet abrupt shock when I answered the phone! which was at 17.51 on the 8/03/17. I have now lodged an official complaint as my number is on the 'do not call' website. If after I have written to you, and you do not action my request of NOT calling, I will go to the media with the list of calls I have received from you and the times. I suggest you get your act together.

In April 2016 I changed from First Energy to a different electricity supplier. First Energy sent me a bill for $100 cancellation fee. First Energy had been my supplier for quite some time, and when I renewed my contract I was under the impression there was no cancellation fee. A renewal letter had been sent out that stated there was no early termination fee, but when I called first energy after receiving the charge they stated that was only if I did not renew my contract. Nowhere on that letter however did it mention anything about a cancellation fee, and twice it stated that there was no penalty. Only after it was too late to terminate did a receive other papers listing a cancellation fee.

Couple of months ago I have changed the company and chose Firstenergy Solutions. I didn’t like how they worked and it was impossible to speak with someone from the support team. I was speaking with some useless guys once, who knew nothing about the tariffs and why I needed to pay them more money for electricity, if I haven’t used such amount of power. I tried couple of times cancel the contract, but they only promised to stop billing me. The worst company.

I have no idea what the hell happened, but the company First Energy Solutions. I noticed fake charge from them. They charged for $600 and no idea why they took such sum from me. Total crap, so be careful and share this info. I wonder if there are people, who had the same thing. Maybe you can advise me how to stop these withdrawals. Please post your ideas and comments. Thanks.

Allegheny Power has billed 1, 800 for one month. Why? Because they have been estimating instead of getting their lazy ### out of the truck and read our meters. I have personally seen this as well as everyone else on my street that watched them estimate them and they report it and we get a high bill. This is not the first time, for the past 2 years they have done nothing but estimate. I guarantee they have made 10, 000 easy from us. This has got to stop! I just paid 1, 990 on my bill for the month of June, however, they are still charging us for July in which we have no electric since around the first of June. So tell me why are we still paying for service we don't have? I WANT A DAMN ANSWER! THEY WILL HEAR FROM MY LAWYER IM TIRED OF IT!

I received a call from Firstenergy Solutions at the end of last year, concerning my electric and gas bill in order that I may save on my electric and gas. So far there was great savings on the electric bill until April. Then the bill went from $29.94, to $209.90 within a one month period. This is a total rip off.

In the middle of November, Allegheny Power surged the entire neighborhood. They blew up peoples computers, surge protectors, televisions, DVD players, etc. Their own employees admitted that it was the fault of the company. We all sent our computers & televisions out to have them replaced, or repaired. Myself & 10 other neighbors, most of which ate the cost on the first hit, had our electronics fixed, or repaired. Then approximately 1.5 weeks after the repairs were reconnected, we all were hit 1 week later & lost everything again. Including all our surge protectors & everything again. I myself had my brother-in-law gut my PC, & replace pretty much the entire thing the first time. (He works for AT & T. After waiting forever to have the repairs reimbursed the first time, I finally got paid. The second incident happened around 12/15/2010. Same thing happened, had to wait almost a month for repairs, shipping, parts, etc. The claims representative for Allegheny Power is still giving me a hard time, and has yet to reimburse me. Daniel Hartung, the claims representative, was downright rude & ignorant. Furthermore, the power goes out at least once a day, & they refuse to replace the lines, because the houses are too far apart & it would cost them to much money. So I stated that I was tired of taking the hit on all this equipment, which by the way is still not working & it is almost the 1st of February, because he claims, that I am not providing him with enough information. The first time it got hit I replaced everything, all the parts within the computer. The only thing left is the covering for the tower. So naturally, I did not purchase another. Now, the original receipt that I have for the computer is the same one that I had for the first hit. Duhhhh. It's the same computer with the entire inside gutted. So, after having a scathing conversation with Mr. Hartung, he very rudely pretty much tells me that I am lying, "Anyone can produce a receipt from their brother-in-law. Excuse me, 1. I told you that my brother in law was fixing it. 2. It was okay when it happened the first time, but not the second? 3. you asked me to provide you with a letterhead of the person that was fixing the PC! All of which were provided, & now you are calling me a liar?! I contacted the news once, & they asked me if I was reimbursed. At the time, for the first claim, they did reimburse me, so I told them, "I think they are taking care of it." Bad decision! Now, they are going to force me into turning it into my Homeowners insurance, because they destroyed my equipment & refuse to reimburse me. After replacing all of my surge protecters again, I call the power company & ask them to place an outside surge protector on the box so this does not keep happening. Well, what do they tell me? That there is an installment fee, & a monthly charge for something that they are causing in the first place. I don't think so! I need the news crew to come back out, & put this monopolizing company in their place! Please help me to do this! Any suggestions? Documentation is all on file if necessary. I will gladly provide numerous witnesses in the neighborhood that have all been affected also. Feel free to contact me.

Allegheny Power Strikes Again! First, they overcharged us thousands of kilowatt hours that was only found because we found it. Gee, they 'estimate' our usage many times higher than it is, consistently. I wonder why that is? They basically said 'Oops'! That translated into a $350 reduction of our electric bill. (We KNEW they were wrong - we are frugal! Lights off, utilities unplugged when not in use, freezing our tushies off all winter NOT turning on the electric heat, hovering in front of a wood stove to stay warm!) Here's the kicker. One week after we called them on their over-estimation, we get a letter the basically states: Our research has indicated you are under-secured. Therefore, you must pay an additional $351 security deposit (think the amount is coincidental? Me thinks not...) due with your next bill. If you do not pay this deposit in full with your next bill, your electric service may be terminated. We have had this account for two years, paid a security deposit when we started it (which they still have), and we're managing to meet our obligations in spite of a rotten economy. So why do they want more at this time? You know what their excuse for this additional security deposit is (besides the fact that the government has lifted the regulations on the industry so the pirates are free to rape and pillage at will?) They are doing it to offset losses from foreclosures where people are walking away from their final bills. Oh, THAT makes sense, put it on the backs of us who are barely surviving, push MORE people to the brink of foreclosure. How about your executives take a modest cut in pay instead? I REALLY, REALLY HATE CORPORATE GREED! Especially in these times when we should all be looking for solutions together, not having to deal with Corporations grabbing all the loot they can while running to their off-shore hideaways in their corporate jets. So, if you have your electricity through Allegheny Power, let them know you dislike their unfair practices. And look into other options for electricity providers. If you don't - stay as far away from this company as you possibly can. All I can say to Allegheny Power is this - BAD FORM! Now, as to what I can DO about it - that is another story altogether. Filing complaints on websites such as this is merely the beginning of my perfectly legal and multi-armed attack against their corporate greed. I have also filed complaints with the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission, the BBB, and the President's Commission on Energy, to name a few.

We have Allegheny Power both for our business and our home and we have nothing but problems with their service in both places especially our business. We are constantly getting charged for deposits and service that we have already paid for and today was the last straw, we showed up to our business and all was dark, Allegheny Power shut our power off without so much as a warning and we are more then mad about it, if this would've been the first time we might have thought it was a mistake but this is the 6th time this has happened, this is how we make a living and without power we fall way behind and to be honest it's embarrassing when customers show up and we have to explain why we have no power.
We received a note on our door 2 weeks ago that stated we were past due $213.00 and it needed to be paid by 11/4 so we paid the amount immediately, upon paying this bill I called All. Power and they told me that our account was current and nothing else was owed but now 2 weeks later our power is shut off and we now owe them another $211.00, where did this balance come from? It didn't exist 2 weeks ago when they gave us a print out of our account or when we called to confirm our payment, plus when I called them with the $211.00 payment the automated system said we were past due $433.00... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? I just talked to these people 2 weeks ago and our account was at a zero balance, they pulled this same crap with our house also and I do not understand how they just keep getting away with this, little do they realize the stress and tension they create in ones home & personal life doing this stuff, I'm just sick of it I really wish there was another power alternative in my area so I didn't have to deal with this company

Got home to find my power shut off on the hottest day of the year to date. Called Allegheny and they said that becuase I had opted out of the "budget plan" for a monthly plan, that my due date had changed and I was 5 days late, plus they no longer were required to give me any grace period. After arguing that I had a bill showing I was current, they agreed to send someone out to turn it back on. When the agent of evil arrived, I was informed that I had to pay 2 months ahead plus a $100 security deposit, even though I have been at the same address for 11 years and never had any prior issues. Also refused to allow me to pay with credit card, check or cash only. I argued my case to the poitn I felt like bashing his skull in, but he just threatend to leave and not turn my power back on. With kids and an elderly woman living at my residence I was at their mercy. $700 to get my power turned back on, when it shoudl never have been disconected in the first place. Allegheny Power are criminals that practice extortion ona daily basis.

This past winter was one of historical severity in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia as it was in much of the WV-MD-VA-DC area. Due to the lengthy period of below normal cold and the extreme snowfalls (over 90 inches) I and many other customers experienced much higher than normal electric bills. When I received a January 10 bill nearly twice the cost of my bill from the previous January I immediately called Allegheny Power to work out a payment plan. Imagine my dismay when I, who had never missed a payment in the 5 years I have resided in WV, was told that Allegheny Power would not work with me on a payment plan until I received a disconnect notice! I was extremely uncomfortable with this, since I do pay my bills on time, but they would give me no other option and advised me not to make any payments until I received the disconnect notice. . When I received the disconnect notice (dated 2/10) I again immediately called Allegheny Power. I was advised about the payment plans but was not comfortable with this option since it continued to leave me in significant arrearage. I instead worked with the customer service representive to immediately send in a payment of $150.00 (mailed 2/10/10) and a subsequent payment of $150.00 (mailed 2/17/10) to completely pay an arrearage of $294.72. Imagine my surprise when I received a second disconnect notice on March 16! I then contacted Allegheny Power again to set up a payment plan and was told that I could not do so since I had sent in two payments. They advised me I would again need to receive a disconnect notice. I received the next disconnect notice on 4/13/10. By this time I had made payments of $518.77 towards total bills of $802.89 for the months of February and March. Compare this to bills of $460.51 for February and March of 2009! At this time I agreed to accept a payment plan which was established as three monthly payments of $91.00 each plus my current bill. My first payment was established at $147.00 due on May 3, 2010. I mailed $150.00 (notice this was above the established amount!) on April 19 (notice this was well before the due date!). Instead of giving me the respect I should have received as a conscientious consumer I instead received a notice (dated 5/10/10) that because I had received three termination notices I now had to pay a $121.00 deposit despite the fact that I had never previously missed a payment! I immediately disputed this with the WV Public Utilities Commission by phone but Allegheny Power refused to work with them. When I sent in my next payment plan payment of $136.53 ($91.00 payment plan and $45.53 in current charges) Allegheny Power transferred $61.00 of the payment to the deposit and sent me notice that my bill is now $61.00 in arrears! This company is taking advantage of consumers who have already had to pay much higher than anticipated electric costs due to a bad winter which was beyond their control and is now harassing them with unwarranted security deposits to pad their own finances. This puts me, and I am sure many other consumers, in a situation where we can never get caught up, are seeing our credit ratings suffer, and are being harassedIf I was a deadbeat who simply failed to make my payments I could understand it but I have consistently gone out of my way to work with Allegheny Power and have consistently sent in payments beyond what they have requested. I have repeatedly attempted to contact Allegheny Power and have either been placed on hold for between 10-20 minutes at a time (due to extremely high call volumes at 7:00 am--wonder why?) or talking with extremely rude customer service representatives who provide no alternatives and who refuse to connect you with supervisors. Instead they take information and promise a supervisor will call back which to date they have never done. I have seen other postings on this website regarding the same situation. Many of those expressed frustration over not knowing what to do. You can contact your state PUC and file a formal complaint, which I will be doing. I also encourage you to write your senator and congressman, write your local newspaper, and contact the consumer advocate at your local tv newstations, all steps I am taking. Who knows if it will work, but this kind of consumer scam for a life essential resource needs to stop!

Here's one for you. I pay my bill every month and this months bill said I owe $6, 855.00. I called thinking this was a mistake and they said that it was correct because they hadn't read the meter since October, 2008! No call or letter in the last 15 months to tell us they hadn't read the meter or that we needed to read it. When I asked what they could do, since obviously my 2-3 hundred dollar monthly payments haven't offset this, i got a big fat nothing. We live in a 3 bedroom house, always keep everything off as much as possible, heat and air low, etc. This is crazy. Called the Public Service Commission to see how this could possibly be correct. Haven't heard from them yet. I mean seriously, how can a house, not a business, use that much above and beyond what the monthly estimated bills were for just 12 months. Mind you, the resason they said they couldn't was because of a dog. Well, we have four dogs but are kept inside when are not at home. So that reason doesn't work either. This is very upsetting and I've been hearing lots of stories about how they work. Very scary since we obviously need electric. Waiting to see what the Public Service Commission finds out.

I don't know what this company is doing to its electric customers...but somehting needs to be done about it. I live in a very small house and this month was the highest bill I have ever had. Nothing has changed about my electric usage either, but they claim it is double its normal. There is nothing they will do about it either...their answer to me was "sorry about your luck!" I have many other friends this month who received bills that are double its normal and they get the same response. I am 9 months pregnant and was laid off at 4 months pregnant. There is very little I can do and I feel extremely taken advantage of! Everywhere I turn for assistance, I am told I cannot receive any until I receive a shut off notice. I was trying to get help before that time came...but I guess if I have to let it go...thats what I have to do. Something needs to be done about this company. We are all facin hard times and there is no reason for any of this!

I was on vacation from June 20 till September 19. Nobody was living at my home. My electricity consumption during that time amounted to the insignificant value of about 6.9 amps, (This was verified by an electrician I hired for that purpose), which if calculated correctly, comes to about 597 KWH per month for the three months of June-July, July-August, and August-September.

My Electric meter was actually read on June 21. The reading was 8465.

On August 19 the meter was finally read and the reading showed 9659.

My actual consumption during the two months period was [protected] = 1194 KWH (or 597 per month).

The Jersey Central Power and Light (JCPL) wrongly assumed that the meter went a full cycle before reaching its final value. They added (due to their erroneous estimates through that time) another 10000 KWH (just about $2000) to the bill.
When calling them for clarification, I was advised that I should get an electrician and find out how it was possible for me to consume so much electricity (according to JCPL I consumed more than if I had been staying in the house and used my AC all of the time) when to my knowledge nobody was using power during the three summer months. The electrician I hired cost me $128.40. JCPL should refund that amount.
On August 19, JCPL changed the meter on my house. I do not know why they did that.

The bill for the month of August 21 to September 21 (on the new meter) was significantly lower than the erroneous bill for June -July, July - August. But, still, it was almost double of what should be expected, due to the fact that nobody was home, and the electricity consumption was still the same, i.e., 6.9 amps on a daily basis, or just about 597 KWH for that period. I do not understand how this is possible. Is it the function of the new meter? or is it another "erroneous" overcharge?

After the gross overcharge I have experienced I find it hard to trust the JCPL billing. It may be true for other customers.

In conclusion - JCPL method for estimating electricity usage rather than actually reading the meter, may have caused overcharges to other customers who failed to understand how their electrical consumption turned up so unrealistically high.

I just wanted to alert everyone to one of the antics of Allegheny Power. I moved into a small 1 bedroom apartment in a rather large apartment complex. Since this was my first time with Allegheny Power, and AFTER checking my credit rating, they wanted a large security deposit of $182. My credit rating was 799 and they still wanted $182 for a security deposit! They said that they would give that back to me if I kept a perfect on-time payment record for 1 year. Well I not only kept & maintained that perfect record, I was putting in a little extra in case they had any issues. So I had a surpluss of about $70 (a credit) in my account. Well 1 year came and went and what did they do? They put the money INTO MY ACCOUNT! I now have 2 years worth of money in my Allegheny Power electric account! I don't want to store 2 years worth of Allegheny power money in THEIR account. I want to use that money now! My electric bills average $20 per month. So now they get to keep all the money ANYWAY! They are a scam and I wish I could report them.

On a final note, they did add an additional $7 and change for interest over the year. Once again, that money now sits in my electric account, which is their property.

Lastly, they knew this was going to happen. So alert to you future residents and users of Allegheny Power! This is a scam. Before you get involved with them -- Like you have a choice? You do not have a choice! And don't bother fighting the large security deposit. I did and got nowhere.

My electric service was shut off today. All for a past due payment of 78.00 that I never received a bill for, nor did I receive a shut off notice for.

Allegheny Power said that they haven't received anything returned so they assume that I just havn't paid it. They want a 40.00 reconnect fee and want to make me wait 3 days for them to turn it back on.

I understand that this is not a normal situation. Basically the Post Office was returning all my mail addressed to my home address and post office box for four weeks. This has caused numerous issues with packages and bills being overdue or returned.

My complaint is that

A) Allegheny Power does not show my mail as being returned when I know it was. The dates my mail was being returned started and ended during the time that those pieces of mail were sent.

B) No supervisor is available to talk to for 48 hours through Allegheny Power. Whatever numbskull thought that was a great idea for customer service needs to loose his job since this change was implemented in May. The customer service reps cannot do anything to help the customers. That is why supervisors are available. Even the call center employees agree that this is a rediculous policy. Change it.

C) The fact that it will take 3 days to come out to restore service.

D) that these people told me to call my doctor to get a note to turn service back on because I am pregnant, when in fact it is ILLEGAL for my doctor to do that unless someone in my home is on life support. Train your reps for proper response.

E) that no contact was made via a correct phone number to tell me I owed them a measly 60.00. I've been trying to get the phone number corrected that has not been in use for almost a year now.

F) That a company will disconnect service, that is a monthly requirement for anyone living in the us for being less than 30 days behind in a payment and for such a small amount. they even admitted that my reconnect fee wasn't even enough to cover the cost for them to disconnect/re-connect, so what was the point in doing it for such a small amount of money anyway?

Some may not view this as a legitimate complaint and may say "well, just pay your bill". Trust me, I would have if I would have been contacted at the right phone number when the mail was not delivered to me. Allegheny Powers new policy of making the customer wait for 2 days to speak to someone is absolutely absurd and is in no way considered customer service. Just because they realize that people have to have their service since we cannot obviously pick who we want to use as our electric company, they feel that they can treat us however they want, whenever they want.

Just a couple of days ago, I recieved two pieces of mail from Allegheny power. One I knew was my bill, but the other I had no idea. Upon opening it, I found that they are charging me a $117.00 security deposit, due the same date as my next bill, which is roughly two weeks from now. Their reasoning for this? Well, since I have had 3 shut off notices in 12 months, they feel that I deserve to pay this amount, in full, or face possible termination of service.

But what I feel is wrong about this is the fact that my service has NEVER been shut off. Yes, ive been late a few times. But never has it been shut off, and ive been here 3 years. Im a single mom just trying to get by, and when money is low, I first pay what MUST be paid out of neccesity.in the colder months, that is my heating bill, which can blow up to almost $500 monthly in the winter. (gas heat.)

How is it lawful for them to charge this extra security deposit? I paid a deposit when I first got service turned on, what was that for? Obviously it was for nothing because now they are demanding another one! This seems like a very underhanded thing to be doing. They are focusing on getting extra money out of people who CLEARLY do not have extra money to throw around.

Ive seen a couple other complaints on here concerning this, and I hope it gets noticed by somebody who can do something.