Tampa Electric / Teco Energy
Reviews and Complaints

Since July 2019 m7y bill has gone up every 3 moths. It went up since last month! $ 34.00 in 5 months. RIPOFF! So called budget billig is a scam. To get off off budget billing you have to off a balnce the hold!

Terrible customer service. No one knows anything. Just read the script.

They just keep rasising my bill. No one knows why. t he meter was checked,
made me make an apt to ave the guy the check again. It took 3 calls to do that! The good of checked everything when he was here, Not waste my and their time.

I live alone, have the same usage, and bill keeps going up very few months!

Someone need to investigaate this scammers.

I pay my bill every month. I am ripped off and treated like crap!

I wish there was another gas company I could take myy business too.

This company is the WORST! I wish I had another choice in company! My grandmother is VERY SICK! She has heart disease, congestive heart failure, is legally blind in one eye, has diabetes, neuropathy, and is 72 years old! She recently moved to Tampa (last week of April) and as a result has been very busy establishing new doctors and getting used to living in a new state. Things have been especially busy this past month; as a result, she forgot to put through her last payment. The next bill isn't due until the end of this month, but they turned her electric off WITHOUT warning! The state website clearly states, "The company must attempt to contact you by phone OR in person before they disconnect services." There were NO warnings, and the jerks waited until RIGHT BEFORE CLOSING to turn it off! So we couldn't get into contact with anyone for help until the next day! This whole thing is absolutely disgusting and immoral! They should be ashamed of themselves! But based on the multitude of negative reviews, they don't care. Of course not, because there is NO competition! They also did this to a friend; she went out of town for 2 weeks because her father was having major surgery (high risk of death) and she wanted to be there for him and her mother. Of course, she forgot to pay bill when it was due. Again, she was only gone for 2 weeks! She came home to an awful smell; everything in her fridge was spoiled because power was cut off. Again, NO warning was given. Their excuse (same given to grandmother) was that they put "PAST DUE" on the paper bill. That is NOT a phone call NOR is it IN PERSON! And it doesn't take into consideration when people have major life events and/or family emergencies! This company is disgusting and shameful, and they don't even care if everyone knows it!

Tampa electric company charges multiple charges on your electric bill. There's is basic service charge just to have the electic in your home for $16.00
There is an additional use tax of approximately $16-$17. Plus $9 franchise fee charge. My actual usage came up to $32. Yet I'm paying almost $80.00 for 320. Sq ft Studio condo, with a wall unit AC. No central air.
This is targeting the lower income people. When I resided in a more affluent area I did not have this many fees and taxes on my electric bill.
Their reconnection fee is also rediculous. They disconnected my electricity on the same day I called to inform them that I had made an online payment but I didn't get confirmation number, so I wasn't sure if payment was accepted. I spoke to rep, who assured me that I had no disconnect order. On the very evening my electricity became disconnected. I paid my bill in full then my payment was credited to their gas company instead of the electric then turned around and billed me again for the same Month. When you call they have reps trained to reinforce and offer zero solution is their solution.

They want me to $240 up front for my new account that's way too much for a single mother like me now I don't have service because I can't pay the money up front I have a son he's ADHD and now we can't stay in our apt til I come up with the money no government agencies will give me the money either they recommended me to a shelter but I have no gas and no food to eat to get there

7/14/2016 This is the WORST ELECTRIC company. I made my payments online and the/ website said payment processed. Few days later my light was cut off. I have a small apartment and pay so much each month. I ask for a breakdown of my bill and they said it's summer and your bill is going to be high. This is a monopoly in Tampa and I should be able to pick my electric supplier. When they are at fault (long wait time on the phone, outdated website, or mailing your bill late) they charge you.

On June 29, 2016, Teco had order to come to my house and shut off the main valve in order to proceed with a termite fumigation. According to customer service, the technician on call showed up at my property and when he sar the tent on decided not to proceed. The tent had been widely opened in one side of the house which clearly indicated that the fumigation did not start. As a consequence of this irresponsible technician, the fumigation was not conducted and I incurred in hotel, travel, and meals expenses for nothing. Teco must be liable for the negligence of its unqualified employees.

In this day and age you would expect to be able to simply log on to a TECO internet site and pay your bill. Not only are you unable to pay your bill online without giving them your full checking account information and enrolling in auto bill pay but when they provide the option of paying via a phone call you are charged a $3.00 "convenience fee"

Not being able to pay my bill on time I called them to make a promise to pay a week after the due date.

I made my way through the menu options where I finally wound up on hold for the bill payment department. I started this at about 11 AM Tuesday and waited 62 minutes (my phone has a time elapsed timer) to speak with someone. I made the arrangement and then asked to speak to "a manager" and was asked "What is the topic?", I said "the fact that i had to wait over an hour to speak with someone and I was going to have to work late that night in order to make up for the time lost by waiting on the phone.

So then I was PUT ON HOLD AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 15 MINUTES. The person at the other end of the phone did the usual totally patronizing line and told me "we are experiencing long wait times". He was only doing his job for an enterprise which clearly could not care less about customer service.

For the life of me I wish I could go somewhere else for my electricity but obviously cannot. The know this and as a result, can let customers wait on the phone for over an hour as a general practice.

The fact that they do not have even the most primitive feature such as "long wait times, please hit 1 to schedule a call back". The web page could not be more useless and I really do wish I could vote by cancelling them.

I am s&%t out of luck and have no choice but to keep being a customer in spite of how lousy their service is. I feel bad for the people who are on the receiving end of these calls as they must have to hear loads of similar complaints day in and day out. Upper management should be made to man the phones so they could be on the receiving end of what must be constant complaints.

If I were to make customers wait on my phone line at work for more than 10 minutes, I would not have many customers left. The damn TECO people left me on the line for SIX TIMES THAT, plus another 15 for a person to complain to. Totally exasperating and frustrating, especially since I still must remain an abused "customer" of theirs

Why is there no category for "Public Utilities" ?

10/29/2015 Prior to moving to Florida I contacted TECO and was informed of a $460 security deposit based on two months of service. I paid the amount over the phone and incurred an additional $4.95 convenience fee. Upon move in, the previous occupant could not finalize his service/bill due to the payment I made not showing up in their system. I contacted TECO (30 min hold time) and was able to fix the issue when the customer service representative saw the payment. Two weeks later we received a "Final Notice" stating we were going to have our power shut off because we have failed to make the security deposit payment. Again I contacted TECO (50 min hold time) provided them with the receipt number for our original deposit payment and hopefully ended this issue. I asked the representative about customer compensation in the form of a credit based on the phone calls and hold times I had to endure for something they should have been taking care of. She informed me that TECO does not offer any such thing. That is a first for me... no way to compensate customers?! Seems like TECO holds all of the cards and everyone is at their mercy. If I would not have called my power may have been turned off and warnings of a $55 or $165 fee applied to my account. Unfortunately there are no other options and TECO has the monopoly.

Hello, I am on ssi and before my late husband died (before he was able to move in) the electric was in his name but it was always my checks that paid the bill. Now, his check came before mine so I was able to pay on time, but since he passed I can only pay by the 3RD of each month, in which I contacted teco to have it changed but they wanted another deposit. I have just ignored that and paid the late fee for a few years but now they want 283.00 plus my bill and I live in a 55 and older park, if they know my husband passed then why cant they change my date to we're I can make my payments on time? I've even called them and asked to be able to pay half this month and the rest next month, but they can't do that. Can anyone help me find some free legal advice to as how I should handle this... PLEASE HELP As I checked I have seen there is alot more ppl that has the same problem. As I also seen they have big problems with ppl stealing electricity, and it looks like we are footing there bill, and to be honest, I believe they are attacking the older ppl because some have $ but some of us don't. Most, probably I'd say 80% of older ppl just pay so they don't have to worry about it(THIS IS THE RETIREMENT STATE FOR MOST) AND alot of them just believe what the rep says and just pays and some have to go and borrow $, in which a high intrest rate, but don't worry you can pay your bill at amscot when you borrow the $, how easy is that? I need help ppl and if I can get 7 more to do this with me the lawyer will take it on for free or untill we get a settlement. To be honest, I can care less about any xtra $, I just want to stop being screwed when I stand to lose my food in the fridge and no A/C, AND TRUST ME AT MY AGE I NEED MY A/C. So come on lets do something about this Mafia style outrage, young or older, just join and I'll get the lawyer started. Also, his name is being withheld for a reason, only so he's not bullied or bought, and that's not happening. Also, 1 more thing, do you know any other sites I can get ppl to get on this? Cause it will only get worse. Thank you. And I only want what I pay for no overages, I worked hard for my $, I'm just trying to enjoy the rest of my life without white collered thugs taking just cause they can. [protected]@gmail.com

we have TECO gas in st Petersburg going on five years, we have a gas range and gas water heater. we are renters that use the same amount of gas on average for showers and cooking, washing dishes but I have noticed our bill states are gas use has gone up double the amount that's been stated on the last 4 years gas bills, our average bill was $25 to $28 dollars a month now its been averaging $40 to $43 a month. when contacting customer service they state the increase is due to fees and taxes but according to the bill a increase of fees which equals $2.37 wouldn't double our bill, so they were no help. we occupy the garage apartment and one of the Tennant's in the home in front of us has TECO gas but I've never seen a meter reader in our backyard checking his meter I've only seen them checking ours which is outside of our fence close to an alley. also on our bill it says residential 2 but on back of bill where they list type of residence or business accounts it only lists residential so what does the 2 mean? again cs was no help.

I closed my Teco account due to moving out of Hillsborough county. My refund for deposit wad issued 3/3/2014 and mailed off 3/21/2014. I never received the check so I called on 04/28/2014 to have a new one mailed off . I received a letter stating the check was already cashed and had a copy of the check. There was no other information and the check was not signed and no banking information where the check was cashed. I called Teco and they were very rude saying it is my responsibility to find out who stole my check out of the mail. I asked if I could have information about where the check was cashed they said they didnt have to tell me, that it is all my responsibility to get my money that Teco owes me. I explained that if it was reversed and a check I wrote to them was stolen it is my responsibility to replace the check (or my electric would be disconnected in a hurry) and to file a police complaint and contact my bank to take care of the issue. They responded that they are a business and that does not apply to them. To them, once they sign a check it is not their concern who deposits the check. Once it leaves their bank it is now my problem.

The issue is Teco banks through SunTrust and they will not give me any information about who cashed the check since It is Teco's account. Teco would have to request an investigation. Calling Teco back I was told that they will not do anything that I would have to contact law enforcement. I am stuck because without knowing where ot was cashed the sheriffs cannot investigate anything. I guess I have to go after Teco througj civil court.

I called in to TECO this morning to ask for an extension on my account. I stayed on hold for 50 mins before I got to a rep. That is inexcusable, imo. I work in a call center environment and if we have a customer holding for more than 2 mins we appologize to the customer. TECO nets over 300 million a year, hire some more people! This rep denies my request of a 2 week extension on a $155 bill, because there was a interruption in services within the last year. 1st the interruption was 10 months ago and was interrupted for all of 2 hours! I ask to speak to a supervisor and was left on hold for another 21 minutes... again inexcusable! This supervisor again says I don't qualify for an extension. After telling her what I felt about this conversation she offers me a 1 week extension. What good is a 1 week extension if I get paid bi-weekly? TECO'S CUSTOMER IS PISS POOR! They have a monopoly and don't give a crap about their customers. My total bill (not past due) is only $155 freakin dollars and they cant give me a 2 week extension after being on hold for an hour and 15 mins?

Please complain with the Public Service Commision! I am positing this on every teco site I know so that someone will finally do something. We should flood them with our complaints as there really is no other option. TECO is practicing bad business techniques and can get away with it because we have no other options. So please go to http://www.psc.state.fl.us/utilities/ and file a complaint.

Teco gas has decided to cut me off when i have always paid 2 months at a time, this month right before Thanksgiving they decide to cut me off over a $50.oo dollar bill, then have the nerve to charge me an additional $70.00 dollars for reconnection charge. THE CHARGE WAS MORE THEN MY ACTUAL BILL! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOUT! that should be considered PRICE GAUGING! if enough people complain im sure we can do something about this robbery! WE NEED ANOTHER GAS COMPANY IN THIS AREA QUICK!

I just moved from France to USA, and therefore my SSN is new and don't have a credit history. Because of this, my electric company, TECO required me to give a 240$ deposit (what I did). Few time later they apparently tried to contact me because they wanted more proofs of my identity (ID Card, and SS card copy), however when they called me, I did not answer and at this time my voicemail was not setup. Long story short I never get this call, and I did not know that they wanted these documents. Yesterday TECO just turned off our electricity. When I contacted them I told them that I never received any bill (we just receive and paid those send to the leasing center one month ago), and they told me that’s because they did not receive these documents. I was really pissed because, it’s been one month now that my voice mail works and they never try to contact me again, they NEVER send us a warning letter or a disconnect notice, and when they turned off the electricity the guy did not even come to our apartment to explain the situation. I told them that I was able to pay right now by credit card, that I have a 1-year old kid and needed AC for the night, that I am gonna loose all my grocery in my fridge… They just did not care. I send all the document yesterday and they told me that it will take 48h for having power to switch on, and that I will have to pays 60$ fees for restarting the service! All this is legal? This company is not supposed to send a letter before turn off electricity? They are not supposed to turn off power only to delinquent? Again I NEVER receive any bill… Thanks for your help…

My fiance and I moved into a rental home just in the past couple of weeks, we took the lease over from friends due to them moving out and making the house available. We assumed that the electricity was either still on in their name or transferred to the landlord since in was currently on. On July 9th, 2012 a police officer and a representative from TECO show up at my door and state to my fiance that the electricity at this location was on illegally and they would be cutting it off. Although the electrical box was locked up with a standard TECO tag that was obviously place on the box by TECO. Well since we had already emailed TECO about starting service in our name, I went to a local ACE check cashing facility and paid the deposit as required in the return email that we received with the account number for our new account. After paying the deposit I contacted customer service to report to them the receipt number as required. The gentleman that answered the phone took all the information and proceeded to place me on hold, after holding for just over 32 minutes he comes back on the line and gives me a number to contact another division, concerning electricity theft and loss prevention, which I called three times and left three messages and my fiance did the same no one ever picked up the phone or returned a call. I am a father of four the oldest 7 and the youngest 8 months, I explained on the message that I had just purchased over 300.00 dollars in groceries that were in the refridgerator and would go bad if we did not correct the situation. I also went one step further and contacted the lady that just vacated the home and made sure that she also had no account problems with TECO. She informed me that TECO had just started new service at her home on Florida that same day and her account was in good standing. I contacted the owner of the home and he also has an account in good standing, and last but not least I contacted TECO to insure that my fiance had no prior negative history with TECO and she does not. She was just refunded her deposit from TECO that was issued from our previous location. So without having spoken to anyone at TECO in the loss protection department I contacted my attorney Mr. Norman Canella and he got me a phone number to JORGE CERMENO a vice president in that division in Tampa and I left him a message at 7pm. Hopefully I should have contact with someone tomorrow but wanted to inform you that although I understand the importance of controlling theft, it should be just as important to take care of customers that have paid TECO on time and have had no previous problems or the at least have the company contact them in a timely fashion. I will be forwarding the receipts from my grocery store dated and time stamped as well as my receipt for the hotel that I will have to pay this evening and will be expecting TECO to reimburse me those expenses. Thank you for your time and looking forward to speaking with a representative SOON... J. Guzman

TECO turns off the power a few weeks ago, our mobile home heated up to 90 degress and I have asthma, really great when they received more than half of the bill, they wanted the other half that week and I did not have it, had to borrow from everysingle person imaginable, completely broke, disabled husband who is working and I work very little hours. Now they want a hugh deposit and another bill...$600.00! that is half of our income! Someone please help us TECO is robbing us and so many people blind where are our leaders and hearts to people who have been destroyed by this economy thru no fault of their own? I never had problems paying my bill until this year. I want an attorney or someone to email me: [protected]@aol.com about a class action lawsuit against TECO and leaving people in extremely hot conditions, and all of our food went bad that was worth all of my miniscul foood stamps of $85.00!
M. Pritt- I am ready to sue! I even wrote the Governor hoping to stir attention and filed a formal complaint with the PUC.

the division of teco that turns off your pwr is the revenue protection.the are mostly made up of retired tpd so they know they have plenty of backup. clayton dean is the man in charge and the one that will not respond to your phone calls. you can find his address on hills county prop appra or HCPAFL.org. you might try calling the community relations department at [protected].you will have to say it twice to the computer before it gives you a oper, then ask for cr.they can make things happen

the division of teco that turns off your pwr is the revenue protection.the are mostly made up of retired tpd so they know they have plenty of backup. clayton dean is the man in charge and the one that will not respond to your phone calls. you can find his address on hills county prop appra or HCPAFL.org. you might try calling the community relations department at [protected].you will have to say it twice to the computer before it gives you a oper, then ask for cr.they can make things happen.

My Teco bill has increased by almost $300 in the past 4 months, I now have electric bills for $455 a month, but first let me say I am hardly home, and I have been keeping my a/c at 78. My due date on the bills are the 15th of each month. For some reason Teco disconnects my power on the 16th, ( I also get a final notice sent out around the 6th, before my bill is even due.) They wont even let me be a day late. I have tried to set up payment arrangement, but the reps tell me that my account does not qualify for it. I just got off the phone with teco, and they are charging me fees for a tech that came out and "spoke" to me or left a door hanger. This never happened, I never spoke to or received a hanger on my door from a field tech. I do not understand how this company is allowed to continue to rip people off. Hillsborough county residents have no other options but to use teco as their electric providers. This is disgusting, I am completely sickened by they way they treat their customers. They claim that they do not bill for any charges that were not used, but yet every month my bill has around $200 in misc. charges, which can not be explained by teco. Something needs to be done. I know a lot of customers who have had an issue like mine with teco, and have made complaints, but nothing is ever handled, so is it pointless to even make a complaint? I'm thinking so. Teco will continue to charge hundreds of dollars for fees they are making up, and nothing will come out of this. Someone should seriously do an investigation on them.