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On 02/09/2012 I received a notice on the door stating that my service was terminated. Worried I called Columbia gas and offered to pay the amount. I was informed the primary (my wife) would need to call. I had her call right away and we were informed we would have someone out the same day. The company insists that she was told someone would need to be home in order to restore the service but she does not recall this. Regardless the initial termination notice stated that if we call before 12 30 PM it would be restored the same day otherwise it would be the next day. This tells me there were appointments on both days. The rep for the company came out and left another notice on the door that they could not restore the service as we were not home. I called the company again at 2 30 PM upon receipt of this notice after returning from work and advised that there must be a misunderstanding but what can we do to resolve this claim. I was informed by the vendor that they could not have anyone come back out for 5-6 days. I advised that it was unacceptable as I have two toddlers and the temperatures are supposed to drop to 18 degrees. I advised that there may be health concerns and potential freezing pipes to the home. I spoke to 2 CSRs, Supervisor and the supervisor's manager trying to get them to understand the importance of the situation. Out of the bunch only one person was semi courteous but none were helpful. I advised them that due to the customer experience I will look for other options at which time I was advised that there would be no other options. So obviously the company has a monopoly in the market and could care less if the customers are satisfied. As I had to wait for the the manager to callback I had done some research and found this:

4933.12 Company may shut off gas - exceptions.

(A) Except as provided in division (C) of this section and division (E) of section 5117.11 of the Revised Code, if any person supplied with gas neglects or refuses to pay the amount due for the gas or for rent of articles hired by the person from a natural gas company or a gas company, the company may stop the gas from entering the premises of the person. In such cases, after twenty-four hours' notice, the officers, servants, or workers of the company may enter the premises of such persons, between eight a.m. and four p.m., take away such property of the company, and disconnect any meter from the mains or pipes of the company.

Now based on this information I think that I should have been given a 24 hour notice prior to termination. Upon talking to the Manager I was advised that they do no do the 24 hour notices. I informed her that based on what I knew, I thought there was a notice required but the manager told me that was not the case. I am not sure which is correct but if she was lying then it should be on the recorder as she told me the call was being recorded. So since Columbia gas was unwilling to help me I have weatherize the home so I will have no heat, water or bathroom facilities.

At this point, we have suffered terrible customer service at the hands of this monopoly and yet we would have to keep doing business with them as they have a monopoly in the market which should be illegal. My goal is to inform as many people of how terrible these people are to deal with and how in-humane our treatment was. I will check on the above mentioned law and if there is any legitimacy to it I will make sure that they get punished for their actions. I will also speak against them to anyone and everyone including my senator and governor. As a consumer, I deserve to have options and it is not fair for any company to treat people like cattle for the sake of money because I know if I had paid after 12 30 PM that day they would have an appointment for me for tomorrow.

Columbia Gas I want you to know I will be on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and every other social media telling people how horrible you are and I will not rest till I can get your monopoly broken up like microsoft.

Sheraz

Location: Columbus, Ohio

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Guest

They turned ours off do to a few missed payments. Ex loss of job! I can now get it turned back on but theyre wanting 208.55 which is more than what my bill was for and their reconnect fee is 55.00 i called today and their rude butrs refuse to atleast let me pay the past due amount and recconect fee instead of the 208.00 do they care abojt laws,etc heck no!

Guest

I have had Columbia gas service for a long time (years), and I have always rec'd a shut-off notice with a date to pay by and also options with help in paying the bill. It sounds like you need to be more in charge of the bills than your wife, she obviously didn't show you or tell you about the shut-off notices.

When you called the first time and offered to pay the bill why wait till they shut it off before you offer to pay the bill that you created. If you had the money then you probably had the money before too. You said the conversations were recorded, if your willing to spend the time in all of the facebooking and social media hype calling your governor and all that why not take a few days and allow them to prove to you that they told your wife someone needed to be there for them to turn it back on. Twice or three times they told you someone had to be at the house to turn it back on and when they did their part in showing up to turn the gas back on noone was there, she couldn't stay home to be there for that?

You knew they had came because you stated they left notices on the door that they had been there. Don't be upset with them you all didn't follow the rules.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-904337

Shut up *** happens in life. You are in no place to tell people what they should and should not be doing

Guest

Similar situation here. Is there any other gas company in the area?

Banyan Oiw

We just had our gas turned off, today, without warning either.

Our account with Columbia Gas became delinquent because the payments weren't pushed through with myCheckFree. Our account became delinquent because I relied on electronic payments going through, and I did not check up that process, to verify that Columbia Gas was indeed receiving payment on time.

The high was 27 yesterday. The high is 28 today, and 28 tomorrow.

You'd have thought that the contractor they sent out this morning would have rang the bell to tell us what was going on, so we could pay up before they turned the valve outside to shut the gas off. (When I paid the account up over the phone a few minutes ago, to request the service be restored, they told me it was shut off this morning at 8:30am). We were home. We were awake :(

You'd have thought that Columbia Gas would have sent us an email before this, giving a forewarning so we could make sure the payments are made.

You'd have thought that Columbia Gas would have called before this, giving a forewarning so that we could make the payments during their phone call.

You'd have thought that Columbia Gas would have tried a little harder to _not_ cut the power in the middle of winter, on a customer of over 15 years.

Heaven forbid if weโ€™d have been on vacation or something for a week or two away and this had happened. Weโ€™d come home to house frozen and pipes burst.

Note to self: check bill payments, monthly. Also, research other gas suppliers to evaluate changing from Columbia Gas.

For those interested, Columbia Gas is supposed to send someone out tomorrow to turn it back on.

Guest

I have paid my old gas bill to begin new service. They said they couldn't send anyone out for a week to turn it on.

It's 7 degrees out. I told them I have no heat and it's freezing. I paid my bill it only takes a second for one of their lazy workers to stop and turn it on. But yet they refuse.

There is a number you can call though. Google puco.

They will call the company and help you out a great deal. I just left them a message I hope it works.

Guest

Haha, anonymous down there stating that they work for Columbia and could give two **** less... you are the reason that Columbia gas SUCKS. They have the worst customer service that I have EVER come across.Your attitude speaks volumes.

Guest

WE just had our gas turned off without warning! The technician that turned it on said they are swamped with turning off and back on gas at people's homes.

There is a deadline of Nov 15th for them to be able to turn off the gas and they will do it for any late payment!

:zzz

They should be stopped!! :zzz

Guest

I am a columbia gas customer who pays HER bill ON TIME!! Today they came to my house to fix the line between the house and meter, and ruined a evergreen bush in my front yard.

Also, they damaged my house siding. Never knocked on the door to say they damaged anything just left. I am so amazed that there are irresponsible people that work for a major company like this, and feel it's ok to damage people's property.

Sure hope that when I have to deal with their supervisor they will take care of the damage, and apologize. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!

Guest

I have to say, I work for Columbia Gas, and honestly, if you would just CALL WHEN YOU GET YOUR *** BILL, if you know you won't be able to pay it, there are DEFINITELY affordable options. You people just don't call, or wait to call until the day of, or day after your bill was due.

STOP THAT ***!

*** *** By the way, take it to twitter, facebook, youtube...all of that. Honestly, we couldn't give two ***.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-630426

You are the reason that Columbia Gas sucks. They have the worst customer service I have EVER come across.

I can (fairly confidently) assume that you are Customer service by your unprofessional attitude. They need to hire educated people.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-630426

Dear annonoymus,

My name is Joni I'm a bartender in ohio and am a Columbia gas customer....for the moment. The reason I am posting to you is because your customer service is atrocious and since you work there at least I'm able to leave a complaint with an employee that I can get a hold of.

Columbia gas has no system for monitoring the working technicians in the field to actually see if they're doing their job. Because, trust me anonymous, they are not. In February of this year...I believe we hit negative degrees in ohio...yes yeah we did it was freezing. Anyway while I'm at work we get a knock on the door from the gas guy who says he needs to read our meter.

I get a phone call at work a little while later saying that the gas guy is gone and so is the meter. When I call the company you seem to love so much they accused me of turning the gas back on myself and said because of an investigation I would not be able to have the option to turn it back on for two days. Now...like I said...I'm a bartender...before that a flight attendant, and I can tell ya it does not take a genius to do what I do for a living...so I wouldn't know *** about how to pull something like that off.

I take full responsibility for not paying my gas on time.

I will pay the fees the deposit and whatever bs they tack on because when I don't pay my bills on time I will pay for the mistake. And I deserve the same respect in return. Your company wants me to pay the fees for their technicians mistake. Your company rips people off and apparently have you convinced the only people who don't pay their bills are deadbeats and they don't deserve you help or compassion....just your judgment.

You work for ***.

Natural gas nazi ***. Congrats on the job with I'm sure benefits and retirement package and what not...with so many people unemployed right now and struggling to find work you have no worries about that!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-630426

Wow, did you stuff you rock hard heart in your balls???

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-630426

Good job youโ€™re going places in life.... not you loser you are a customer service rep who doesnโ€™t deserve anything better lol

Guest

I am a Columbia gas customer in KY. And I too have at one time had my gas terminated for non-payment.

Who's fault is that? Columbia's? No, mine. Getting your gas shut off is not the end of the world.

Columbia is a BUSINESS selling a PRODUCT! Just because it's cold out would you expect Wal-Mart to give you all the electric or kerosene heaters you need for free? Come on, give me a break..... The gas station will not give you free gasoline, and natural gas companies will not give you free natural gas.

If you don't pay for it but you are using it anyway, you are stealing it, plain and simple. Then you want to *** and moan when it gets shut off and then you have to pay a deposit or some huge past due bill (because you were too *** to pay it to begin with) to get your service restored. Maybe if you can get Obama to use one of his executive orders to take over Columbia Gas, you can get it for free like your stinkin little Obama phones..... Here's an idea.....

if you don't like Columbia's product and service, buy yourself an electric heat pump unit to heat your house and see how that works out for you.

There are other methods of heating a house and your water. Choose something other than natural gas and stop *** you bunch of whiny cry babies!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-594162

Free???? You're missing the whole point you ***** ***.

We don't want anything free. We want service back after we PAID for it with our HARD earned money. Yes, hard earned. Our punishment for not paying should only be the fee, not the lack of service for days.

Good businesses don't operate that way. And let me remind you that it is DANGEROUS and in humane for anyone to have to suffer in freezing conditions without heat. And you even admitted you forgot to pay once. Well guess what???

We are human too. We sometimes forget too.

Guest

I've been dealing with Columbia gas the past few days as well. I live with 2 other roomates, one of whom is moving out.

So he calls Columbia to take his and only his name off the bill. That day with out any warning our gas was off. This was not due to lack of payment since we've paid in full and on time every month. I called them to say there was a mistake and our services were supposed to remain the same, just without one person on the bill.

Finally they said they could have someone out to turn it back on in a week.... It's January! They failed to even notify us that it was being turned off and they wouldn't admit that it was there mistake that put us in the situation in the first place. Later that day I called back again and immediately worked my way up through the management once I figured out whoever was on the phone wouldn't help.

After 20 min in yelling at them, I managed to have moved up 3 days rather than a full week. I guess sometimes they only way to get thjnfs done is to get pissed.

This company is rediculously disorganized, lazy, and will not own up to any mistakes. If there is a reconnection fee then you'll see another post on here, probably with more profanity and caps lock.

Guest

Columbia gas has billed me for a reconnection fee after I augured on the phone with the rep. He insisted that the gas was shut off but me standing in front of my gas stove says otherwise.

They told me they had to come by to check. When I waited around all day at the house I find a note on the door saying they stopped by and no one was home. Lol those jerks could not of knocked seeing that I was home all day. It's been a month since they told me it was shut off and I got a new bill in the mail with my new gas usage and my reconnection fee.

There is no way they could of shut the gas off since the metter is in my basement. Well I'm back at it I have to call them again!

Guest

I have been dealing with the customer service representives and manager of Columbia Gas all morning long. I am the first to admit that I made a mistake and failed to mail my payment this month.

I had a sudden and traumatic death in the family and just haven't been myself lately. Anyway, as a result, Columbia Gas shut off my gas yesterday. Yes, I should have paid the bill, and I regret that my grief distracted me so much that I forgot to put it in the mail. What really has angered and upset me about Columbia gas doesn't involve the fact that they cut off my gas.

Instead, I am disappointed and upset by how rude, callous, and uncaring the customer servie reps and managers have been on the phone. With my electric, cable, and phone comapnies, the reps are friendly and at least understanding. And when a rep is friendly, this helps the consumer tremendously. There is absolutely NO excuse for the reps and managers to be so unfriendly and mean.

Yes, people need to pay their bills on time. But, also, Columbia gas needs to be pleasant to their costumers and treat them with respect. Instead, I have been treated like a dog all day long. I work in a hospital, and I work frequently with suicidal and dying patients.

As I told one rep at Columbia gas, it is essential in every situation to keep our voices calm and steady and to not ever raise our voices in anger. But, the rep did not listen to me and instead barked a rude response to me. I highly suggest that Columbia Gas either hire people with underlying compassion and give their present employees lessons in how to properly and kindly talk to customers.

I will be filing a complaint against this comapany through the appropriate channels. Even though they're a monopoly, they're not as immune as they think.

Guest

CGV the 24hr notice your speaking of is only used when the ambient temperature for that particular day is under 32 degrees, (per NOAA) then the 24hr notice will be posted to the property. As far as the other $ amounts $85.00 "same day priority fee" for reconnects was approved by the SCC themselves, and to pull a already horsewhipped technician away from his 10 hours worth of daily work the $85.00 is still CGV losing money.

As far as the "monopoly" goes theres nothing stopping joe blow from going into the mountains of WV and paying for drilling a gaswell, running 400 miles of high pressure steel, setting 6 pump / substations along the way fighting all of the 10000 underground utilities and paying big money for a contractor to install it all the way to your doorstep so you wont freeze to death. Nothing holding you back from chopping wood in your backyard to stay warm. You chose how you live. I live fairly modestly and I shut off ppl all day long with Lexus' and Denalis in the driveway, 5000+ sq/ft homes pools living like rockstars, and you should hear the excuses at the door.

It is quite amusing.

Yo, can you come back tomorrow i's broke. @#$!%!#$er please.

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