Latest news with #PosieyBrown
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvanian gets $12K utility bill after months of silence — and thousands more in the state face problems
Posiey Brown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was floored when she opened her PECO energy bill in April — totaling $11,723.93 in charges. 'There's no way,' she recalled thinking to CBS News Philadelphia in a story published May 30. It was the first utility bill she had seen in months and much higher than anticipated. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Brown says she called PECO after not receiving a statement in August and was told the company had trouble accessing her bill. She continued to seek answers and tried to make partial payments in the meantime, but felt her concerns weren't being taken seriously. As it turns out, Brown wasn't the only PECO customer to experience billing problems. Ann Palladino of Whitemarsh Township also reached out to CBS News Philadelphia about her PECO billing problems, and says she'd gone nearly a year without receiving a bill. 'My daughter told me to contact you because she was tired of me complaining about it,' Palladino told the local broadcaster. 'For people who are used to having their bills fully paid and on time, it's disconcerting' PECO confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that up to 8,000 customers have been impacted by billing glitches since last year after the utility company transitioned to a new billing system. PECO admitted it has not been able to explain why certain accounts were affected, but says it has taken steps to fix the problem, including hiring more staff and setting up an email address dedicated to billing complaints. 'Many of these issues have been resolved, and we continue working daily to address remaining concerns,' a company spokesperson told the broadcaster. Even so, frustration is mounting. The Southeast Delegation of Pennsylvania House Democrats sent an open letter to PECO accusing the utility of not acting quickly enough to solve these problems. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it CBS News Philadelphia reports, after it got involved, that PECO determined Brown's shocking balance was caused by a meter programming error that calculated her usage incorrectly. The company corrected her bill and waived late fees, reducing the total balance to around $900. Brown is now on a payment plan. Palladino told the broadcaster she started receiving statements for previous months, but her bills were not yet current. Brown says PECO should have been more proactive and forthcoming about its billing problems. 'They should've notified the customers they were having a billing issue,' she said. If you're a PECO customer — or dealing with a billing error from any utility — here are steps to protect yourself: Document everything: Save your bills, note when they stop arriving or if you feel there's a major error, and keep a log of your payment history and any communication with the utility company. Write down the time and what you discussed in phone calls, and try to reach out by email so there's a paper trail. Contact the utility right away: For PECO customers, use the dedicated email (PECObilling@ and ask for a written explanation. Make sure to document any attempts at communication, whether you reach someone or not. File a complaint: If you're not getting a resolution, file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or your state's equivalent. Contact your local representative: Sometimes outside pressure makes a difference. Your county commissioner, mayor or other lawmakers may be able to help. Local media might also be interested in telling your story. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvanian gets $12K utility bill after months of silence — and thousands more in the state face problems
Posiey Brown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was floored when she opened her PECO energy bill in April — totaling $11,723.93 in charges. 'There's no way,' she recalled thinking to CBS News Philadelphia in a story published May 30. It was the first utility bill she had seen in months and much higher than anticipated. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Brown says she called PECO after not receiving a statement in August and was told the company had trouble accessing her bill. She continued to seek answers and tried to make partial payments in the meantime, but felt her concerns weren't being taken seriously. As it turns out, Brown wasn't the only PECO customer to experience billing problems. Ann Palladino of Whitemarsh Township also reached out to CBS News Philadelphia about her PECO billing problems, and says she'd gone nearly a year without receiving a bill. 'My daughter told me to contact you because she was tired of me complaining about it,' Palladino told the local broadcaster. 'For people who are used to having their bills fully paid and on time, it's disconcerting' PECO confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that up to 8,000 customers have been impacted by billing glitches since last year after the utility company transitioned to a new billing system. PECO admitted it has not been able to explain why certain accounts were affected, but says it has taken steps to fix the problem, including hiring more staff and setting up an email address dedicated to billing complaints. 'Many of these issues have been resolved, and we continue working daily to address remaining concerns,' a company spokesperson told the broadcaster. Even so, frustration is mounting. The Southeast Delegation of Pennsylvania House Democrats sent an open letter to PECO accusing the utility of not acting quickly enough to solve these problems. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it CBS News Philadelphia reports, after it got involved, that PECO determined Brown's shocking balance was caused by a meter programming error that calculated her usage incorrectly. The company corrected her bill and waived late fees, reducing the total balance to around $900. Brown is now on a payment plan. Palladino told the broadcaster she started receiving statements for previous months, but her bills were not yet current. Brown says PECO should have been more proactive and forthcoming about its billing problems. 'They should've notified the customers they were having a billing issue,' she said. If you're a PECO customer — or dealing with a billing error from any utility — here are steps to protect yourself: Document everything: Save your bills, note when they stop arriving or if you feel there's a major error, and keep a log of your payment history and any communication with the utility company. Write down the time and what you discussed in phone calls, and try to reach out by email so there's a paper trail. Contact the utility right away: For PECO customers, use the dedicated email (PECObilling@ and ask for a written explanation. Make sure to document any attempts at communication, whether you reach someone or not. File a complaint: If you're not getting a resolution, file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or your state's equivalent. Contact your local representative: Sometimes outside pressure makes a difference. Your county commissioner, mayor or other lawmakers may be able to help. Local media might also be interested in telling your story. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
PECO customers shocked after getting $12K statements, others going months without bills
Thousands of PECO customers have experienced bizarre billing glitches since last fall, resulting in some receiving shocking statements or going months without receiving a bill. Posiey Brown couldn't believe the balance when she opened her recent PECO bill. "There's no way," she remembered thinking, staring at the nearly $12,000 statement she received in April. Brown, who lives in Norristown, Montgomery County, said it was the first PECO bill she'd received in months. Brown said she continued to make partial payments while trying to get an explanation from PECO, but she said she felt her concerns weren't being taken seriously. Posiey Brown shows the nearly $12,000 bill she received from PECO after going months without receiving one. CBS News Philadelphia "I really try to stay on top of it because when August came and I didn't receive a bill, I called them and I asked them, 'Can I know what my bill is?'" Brown said. She was told on the phone that PECO couldn't see her bill. Brown isn't the only PECO customer to recently contact In Your Corner for help. Ann Palladino in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, reached out after going nearly an entire year without receiving a bill. "My daughter told me to contact you because she was tired of me complaining about it," Palladino said. "For people who are used to having their bills fully paid and on time, it's disconcerting." PECO addresses billing glitches CBS News Philadelphia contacted PECO on behalf of Brown and Palladino to get to the bottom of what was going on. A PECO spokesperson explained that as many as 8,000 customers have been impacted by bizarre billing issues since last fall. The problem appears to stem from the utility's transition to a new billing system last year, but PECO says it can't pinpoint why certain customers are impacted. PECO said it added 60 new associates and established a dedicated email address, PECObilling@ specifically for customers experiencing billing issues. The Southeast Delegation of Pennsylvania House Democrats recently sent an open letter to PECO demanding answers and slamming the utility company for not acting fast enough to fix the problem. PECO said that it has resolved many of the issues and continues to work daily to address remaining concerns. "We appreciate the Southeast Delegation's attention to billing issues affecting our customers and thank those who signed the letter for the opportunity to engage," PECO said. "We've responded, reaffirming our commitment to resolving these concerns." Getting back on track After CBS News Philadelphia became involved, Palladino says she started receiving statements for missed months, but she is still not receiving current bills. PECO said it will continue to make regular contact with her until her issue is resolved. PECO said Brown's nearly $12,000 bill was caused by a meter programming error that led to an inaccurate usage calculation. The utility company said it corrected her balance and waived late fees, and she now owes around $900. Brown said she agreed to a payment plan but feels PECO should've handled the situation differently. "They should've notified the customers they were having a billing issue," she said. Customers with billing questions or concerns can also call PECO at 800-494-4000. Do you have a money question, a consumer issue, or a scam story you want to share? Email InYourCorner@
