Georgia Power
Reviews and Complaints

A friend of mine takes care of his grandmother in Sumner, Georgia. His grandmother has a need for a 24/7 supply of oxygen provided by her electrically-powered oxygen machine.

About a month ago, he called me frantic because Georgia Power would not do anything to assist them and demanded payment of nearly $900 from a family that makes $650 or so a month total. I assisted in providing a majority portion of that amount, and Georgia Power seemed OK with that and after calling agreed not to disconnect the family before or around Thanksgiving.

Today, I received a call that someone had gone out there and disconnected the power, in spite of proof that the family had an elderly member dependent on oxygen for heart failure. I called Georgia Power, and arranged another payment in order to keep the lights on, however; I was told that they still could be disconnected again in the near future as an enormous amount of reconnect fees, deposits and late charges were added.

I have now filed a complaint with the public service commission in the matter and contacted my legal counsel. At this point, I will give the PSC a week to figure out a solution to this issue, there is absolutely NO way that family uses as much electricity as is being alleged by Georgia Power, furthermore; the company's inflexibility and lack of compassion, even calling the family a "Bad customer" while discussing things on the phone with a manager named Angela is completely unacceptable.

Given the company has been completely unprofessional, rude, insensitive to medical needs and absolutely heartless in regards to value of life, even showing the willingness to take that life by depriving the grandmother of the oxygen she needs to survive, I have decided to make it my mission to resolve this issue. If you are in a similar situation, DO NOT TRUST Georgia Power. They will say what it takes to get you off of the phone, and then do whatever they want regardless of outcome. I have seen this with my own eyes.

Right now, I will wait for the PSC decision, however; I am considering legal options in the matter as well as any form of retribution, censure, or penalty that may be sought against Southern Company/Georgia Power. If Georgia Power makes you a promise, get it in writing. Beware of their cavalier attitude toward poor and those who are least able to help themselves, money is the only language they speak.

My neighbor had a problem with their electricity, seems trees got planted over their electrical lines and caused them to get broken under ground, so they came out, blocked off my driveway. Put a backhoe on my driveway, broke my driveway, tore up my lawn, ripped out my cable, costing me 2 days worth of work, then told me to contact the cable company myself, and that the cable being ripped out was the cable companies fault. Very poor work ethics with this company. But they know they can do whatever they want.

My poor mother has been without any power for over a month now because they are holding her responsible for paying an outstanding bill that isn't even her account. And when my son moved in with her and leased the house in HIS name they refused him service as well using the "benefit of service" clause and claim that ANY one who might have benefited from use of the power at that address is responsible and can be held responsible for that bill. So even tho niether one of them has ever even had an account with Georgia Power they can't get one til the bill is paid and they have been told if it's not paid then they will NEVER get power in Georgia with them again. And they are claiming the bill is almost $2, 000...plus once it is paid they want more money for a deposit to open the account for them in their name. My mother even tried to get help from charities to pay this even tho she isn't responsible for it but GP refuses to deal with them due to the privacy issues of the ACTUAL account holder they claim they won't or can't discuss the account with anyone except the account holder. This is completely outrageous that with the economy like it is they can get away with this. I have been reading about their crooked business practices like adding extra charges and charging multiple deposits added onto peoples bills when ever they make a late payment...and DOUBLE BILLING in some areas. Seems to me like all of this is highly illegal and at the least morally unethical and something has got to be done about it. I have contacted the BBB..the news stations and consumer advocacy groups and all to no avail but it's time to start going higher up and we ALL should start contacting our state representatives and if that doesn't work then maybe a huge class action lawsuit might get their attention..it's time people knew just whats going on here in Georgia and how they hold power literally over peoples heads to extort money from struggling families...they operate like the mafia and are nothing but a bunch of thugs trying to cash in on people's hard times and there HAS to be laws against this kind of thing and I intend to find out and will NOT shut up til something is done.

I have had several problems with Georgia Power. First and foremost is the fact that I monthly receive a bill a week or less before it is due. Because of that, I have an additional problem. I have been late paying my bill several times because they are expensive and have unpredictable bill amounts. They consistently attempt to tack on a deposit for being late and insist that they informed me this would happen when I swear on my life I had never hear anything in the regard before I received my first $600 bill(with deposit included) a week before they demanded payment. What a horrid way to treat customers.

My husband has been out of a regular job for over 2 yrs. We are late on "all" our bills. Ga Power has tacked on and extra $150 to our bill every year because we have a history of late payments! Why penalize the poor because they can't find a job? Charge them more! Make them pay more! So what if they can't pay their bill now let's just make their bill higher! It is unethical, are they cold hearted money grubbing socialists. And I want something done about it.

Georgia power adds $125 + because of being late a few times...my family was so happy that we had given them enough and would see a bill that we could afford . But then Georgia power adds another deposit for being late ... How is this suppose to help me out the hole its getting more difficult to provide lights for my family ... We need to do something, make sure our complaints are getting to the right people... When they see that there customers are having a hard time, they bill you more charges, this is sad and hurting my family in the worst way ... Why is Georgia power doing this to the struggling families?

I PAID MY BILL ON TIME WITH GA POWER BUT BECAUSE I PAID IT AT ONE OF THEIR SO CALLED AUTHORIZED PAYMENT LOCATIONS( METRO PCS) AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT IT SAYS AT METRO. THEY CUT MY POWER OFF. SO AS THE GUY WAS CUTTING IT OF I SAID WAIT, WAIT I PAID MY BILL ON TIME. LET'S CALL GA POWER NOW AND I HAVE THE RECEIPT. HE PROCEEDED TO DISCONNECT MY POWER WITH MY HUSBAND AND TWO BABIES IN THE HOUSE, AND ALL HE SAID WAS THESE ARE MY ORDERS. NOW THEY WANT TO MAKE ME PAY THE RECONNECT FEE AND PAY THE REMAINDING BALANCE THEY WILL LET ME WAIT TWO WEEKS TO PAY ANOTHER $200 INSTEAD OF PAYING IT NOW, REALLY. THEY SAID IT WAS CUT OFF BECAUSE THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE PAYMENT YET... OK. THE MANAGER TOLD ME TO FAX MY RECEIPTS OVER AND I DID AND THEY JUST CALLED TO LET ME KNOW THE SERVICE WILL BE RESTORED TODAY. IF THE GENTLEMAN WOULD HAVE ONLY HEARD ME OUT THE DISCONNECTION FEE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, AND I ALSO COULD HAVE PAID THE REMAINDING BALANCE WITH THE NEXT BILL. SOLUTION: I will only pay my bill at ga power next time, I will try to move to a place that has other energy providers when we move, and I know now that ga power only wants your money, and kids or not they don't care. Keep in mind I paid my bill on time. What ga power can do for me: waive the reconnect fee, and allow me to pay the remainder with my next bill. Have a nice day!

I called Georgia Power regarding my July bill. My bill was more in July than June and I was out of town 8 days during the month of July. No one was in the home, all of the lights, electronics, etc. were off as well as the AC. I asked for someone to come out and read the meter to confirm it was not malfuntioning and I was told by the customer service rep that they do not offer that service. She said the company does everything remotely. I then asked if they assessed the remote readings to ensure it's working properly. She told me that it's on a satellite computer and everything is working properly so apparently I used more electricity in the 3 weeks of July versus the 4 weeks of June. In addition to the convuloted billing, my household used 400 more kilowatts in July 2010 than July 2011 and the bill is roughly the same. This absolutely ridiculous. My thermostat stays at 77-78 degrees, the recommended temp and it's all for nothing. This isn't the most comfortable temp during a heatwave but in efforts to keep the bill low I sacrificed my comfort. To add insult to injury, Georgia Power has charged an additional $150 deposit when I've paid a $90 deposit already. I was told by the rep that they have the right to charge a deposit 2 1/2 times my monthly average. After I saw that I was getting nowhere with her, I requested to speak to a manager, in which one was not available. She said she would make a request to have a manager call me to provide more detail as to why my bill is more in July versus June. It appears that Georgia Public Service Commission has given Georgia Power tremendous leeway when it comes to billing Georgians and I feel like Georgia Power has taken advantage of this in efforts to build their nuclear power plants on the backs of Georgia's struggling tax payers. Especially since they are the only major providers in the states. They've partically monopolized the state's utility industry with the help of PSC. PSC should look out for the greater good of the public, but according to numerous complaint boards and pettitions, it seems like GA PSC bears the interest of the corporation. I hope this is not the case. Please bombard PSC's websites with complaints. A Commision Committee meeting is scheduled for 9/1/2011 and the electric utility issue is supposed to be addressed. Let's hope PSC hears the voice of the people.

http://crs.psc.state.ga.us/Consumer/Contact/utilityIndustry.aspx?type=Complaint

Sincerely,

Overcharged and Under Serviced Citizen

I had set up a automatic bank draft for more than five years for my service charge. Never had i any problems with the company, until this month. Georgia power had sent me a letter stating that they were charging me 30$ late charge without any warning or alert. I had personally contacted them and they said that they couldn’t get any CASH from my bank. So i went to my bank and they told me that there were no errors or problems and that i had outstanding finance. then the bank provided a letter of proof. I then emailed it to Georgia power, but they said that they didn’t accept attatchment from emails even though they can still email me and tell me that they can’t get the letter i so many times continually send them over and over for a second time by mail and by driving all the way to one of their local offices, which aren’t even “locally” close by, and personally hand to them. And then one time when I had sent them a letter, they sent it back with NO reason whatsoever without my voided check that i had placed in there and made sure was in there. Of course they kept complaining to me that I had not sent in a letter and all that stuff. So, of course I had to continue sending in the letters one after another and now I’m just sick and tired of it all.

We have been Georgia Power customers for over 11 years. Not once has our service been interrupted. They draft from our checking account at the end of each month. My husband is paid once a month. When things began to get a little slow for us, we contacted Georgia Power to ask about having the payment due date extended by 5-7 days, in order to ensure available funds.
They would not work with us. We STILL were able to ensure timely payment. In 11 years, we have twice had insufficient funds and now they have told us we are cash only. We can't go back to the days of snail mail and even mail a check! We can't pay on line, as we have been blocked by bill matrix. We actually have to PHYSICALLY take cash to a payment location, which is no where NEAR our home! We both have over 700 credit scores, work hard to keep them there, work hard to communicate and avert any negative financial problems and yet we are reduced to this?
When we contacted customer service, we were unsuccessful in any attempt to try and resolve the issue. They told us that pretty much the "buck stops with them" and that ALL POLICIES ARE IMPLEMENTED BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION. NOT TRUE! The public service commission only approves or disapproves the policies that GA POWER implements... The worst part about this: They are the only utility in this area... can we say MONOPOLY? Any ideas on what we can do? It's just not feasible to physically drive 40 minutes one way to stand in line and pay cash for a bill, when we could just as easily send it electronically! No other utility companies service this area!

My power bill has increased tremendously. According to the bill, I have used 1000 more kw this same time than last year. This seems very unlikely. I have spray foam insulation throughout my house, my thermostat is set at 75, my filters are cleaned regularly and we rarely use the oven in the summer. I have heard many people complain that their bills have also gone up tremendously. My bill went from 237.32 last month to 643.56 this month. I realize it is hotter, but not that much higher. I have been told by many other customers that Georgia Power increases their rates during the summer. They have a monopoly on electricity and it's time something be done about it.

Ever since AMLI @ Nothwinds changed to Georgia Power, I am getting very high bills. For the past one year i was paying around $60. Now my bill has started with $93 in the first month and then $179 and then $140. Not sure what is going on. When i called them they told it is because of heater and advised me to keep it in auto. After doing that also my electricity bill is too high

I requested new service on 01/03/11. While this new service was on, I had requested that the other property be left on and not turned off until I called back. The guy I spoke with told me ok. Well, they turned off the old property anyway without my permission. No surprise. They are now charging me 30 dollars to reinstate it AND gave me a new account number. The supervisor I spoke with on the phone said I had to pay it anyway. It is a scam to get more money out of consumers/me.
I want the 30 dollar service charge removed for their error.

I recieved a bil for 320$ in the middle of winter. It was cheaper in the heat of the summer. I called and emailed them and they said it was bc of the unusualy cold winter month, thing is i did not change my settings it lowerd them there no ecuse they can come up with it went up by 150$ for no reason Georgia needs a new power company, and a fair one. Georgia Power has a monopoly on electricty in Georgia. They can charge whatever they want and they do.

I guess Georgia Power has its way. What did I tell you that PSC has them in their pocket. Now the rate increase is 14 days. Wow this sucks, trying to get more money out of consumers when the economy are tough. I guess it is time to go to budget billing. This is absurd to have a rate hike before Xmas and want the rate hike wtihin 2 weeks but when time comes they want their money they don;t give consumers time. I guess Georgia Power Exces are greedy. Right now even though the bill are going up $10.00 and with other fees it is about $13, 00 rate hike. Lovely. I don;t see how they are still the lowest. Wrong.

Bills to rise $10.76 a month for residential customers * Utility revenues to rise $562 million in 2011 * Customers to pay for new nuclear plants NEW YORK, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Georgia utility regulators
have approved a 10 percent rate hike for customers of Southern
Co's (SO.N) Georgia Power utility starting in January, a
company spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday. Bills for the average residential customer using about
1, 000 kilowatt hours per month will increase by about 10
percent, or about $10.76 a month. The rate increases would increase the utility's revenue by
$562 million in 2011, $189.7 million in 2012 and $92.6 million
in 2013, spokeswoman Carol Boatright said. Even with the increase, Boatright noted Georgia Power's
rates would remain below the national average. The rate hike will allow Georgia Power, Southern's biggest
unit, to recover funds already spent on environmental controls,
infrastructure upgrades, the addition of three 800-megawatt
natural gas fired Units 4, 5 and 6 at Plant McDonough in 2012
and 2013, and smart meters, among other things, Boatright
said. In addition to the rate increases, Georgia Power will also
add a nuclear rider to customers' bills in January to recover
financing costs on funds borrowed for the construction of two
new 1, 100 MW nuclear power reactors at Plant Vogtle. The nuclear rider will add an additional $3.73 a month to
the average residential bill for a total recovery of $218
million in 2011. It will boost residential bills by $1.44 a
month or $91 million in 2012, and $1.50 a month or $97 million
in 2013. Geogia Power hopes to get a combined construction and
operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
for the new reactors by the end of 2011. The new units are
projected to enter service in 2016 and 2017. The new reactors will cost Georgia Power about $6.1 billion
for its 47.7 percent stake in the project. The other owners are
Oglethorpe Power Corp (30 percent), Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia (22.7 percent) and Dalton Utilities (1.6
percent).

I was late on my business' ga power bill... Times are tough... Business is slow... I was about 30 days late. Thank you ga power for not cutting my power off... Instead, they charged me a $695 deposit... Due by december 22... Three days before christmas. They wouldn't let me wait until after christmas to pay... Or finance the charge... Merry christmas ga power! Enjoy the $695 that I haven't earned yet. This $695 would have been more than I would spend this christmas on my wife and 10 year old son... What can I get my son for christmas?