NYSEG Sucks!

Every single place I go, I hear about people’s crazy high electricbills. Then this week, I had my own run in with NYSEG. For a house closing, the seller and buyer each called NYSEG to make sure the electricity would smoothly transfer between the two people and there would be no gap in electricity. Fifteen minutes before the papers were supposed to be signed, I got a call that NYSEG had turned off the electricity.

We were expecting a snow storm with high winds and very cold temperatures. I called NYSEG and told them there was a mistake, could they please turn the electricity back on. I was sure we could solve this problem for the two older women wanting to sign papers: one who had spent the entire day moving out and the other who had previously called, spoken with five agents and still nothing. Would NYSEG really leave an elderly woman in a brand new home without electricity on a cold night where the furnace had an electric starter?

The first answer, “no.” Then I asked that the customer service rep ask the supervisor.

I believe mistakes are only a problem if they can’t be fixed. This could surely be fixed. After being on hold, the representative came back and said “NO” Okay, one more try. Can I speak to the Supervisor? Another hold, this one longer and the Customer Service Representative came back on. So no supervisor, but we finally got the answer we needed. They would turn it back on. And do you know what that meant? Did they have to go back to the house and turn something on: NO. Did they have to get a technician out to some pole? Nope! They had to hit a switch from their desk. So while the crisis was averted for the two women looking to sell and buy a house, this is the craziness that we are consistently paying through the nose for.

Real Solutions - Not Empty Promises:

And while Republicans are suggesting a bandaid to address the affordability crisis, in terms of a tax moratorium, Democrats are offering real solutions: a 2-year rate hike moratorium, a cap on how much profit NYSEG/ Central Hudson can rake out of its customers, and a rebate to jump start the winter next fall.

These are the solutions that don’t forfeit services for our communities but hold the greedy electric utility CEO’s accountable for everything they are taking from us: our money and our time.