Duke Energy Corp. could be facing a $1.45 million fine from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
The agency says Duke repeatedly violated the state’s administrative code while making more than 100,000 billing mistakes since 2022.
Some critics say the proposed settlement isn’t enough.
On Cincinnati Edition, we’ll talk about what went wrong with the billing software, the impact the problem has had on customers, and the response from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Duke Energy declined an invitation to participate in the discussion but sent the following statement:
"Some Duke Energy customers have experienced issues with their bills, and we apologize for this experience. Utility rates are complicated, but our goal is to provide timely and accurate bills to our customers.
"Most of our customers receive accurate bills every month. However, for some, a transition to a new billing platform in Ohio resulted in statement errors, delivery delays, omitted information, and/or other inaccuracies.
"As a recent story with WCPO indicated, most of the system issues that were identified by the reporter have been resolved. Of those, about half of the issues were unrelated to the customer billing amounts, but rather involved a bill messaging omission which has been addressed.
"However, this is not the experience we want our customers to have. We continue to work diligently to address any system issues we’ve encountered, and we have dedicated resources in place to work through outstanding customer billing issues as quickly as possible. When issues are found, we work hard to ensure bills are corrected, all credits due are provided and, where appropriate, flexible payment options offered.
"We do not take these issues lightly and appreciate the patience of our customers so we can deliver the service that our customers and communities expect.
"If customers do have a question about their bill:
"Customers are encouraged to contact us at 800-544-6900 with any questions or concerns, and, where applicable, to discuss payment arrangements. If a bill adjustment is needed, we will reach out to affected customers by email, letter, call and/or bill message (depending on circumstances) before adjusting a bill.
"We apologize for any inconvenience these errors have caused for our customers and will work directly with any affected customers to regain their confidence."
Guests:
- Marc Dann, attorney, Dann Law
- Dan Monk, I-Team reporter, WCPO 9 News
Ways to listen to this show:
- Tune in live at noon ET M-F. Call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on today’s topic.
- Catch the replay on 91.7 WVXU and 88.5 WMUB at 8 p.m. ET M-F.
- Listen on-demand. Audio for this segment will be uploaded to this page by 4 p.m. ET., or subscribe to our podcast.