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Binghamton, NY –  U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) today demanded Patricia Nilsen, CEO of New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), provide answers on the company’s billing issues and take immediate action to address them. NYSEG provides natural gas, electric, or both services to communities in every county in New York’s 19^th Congressional District.

In September 2022, NYSEG made changes to its billing and customer information system. Following these changes, thousands of customers in New York’s 19^th Congressional District received incorrect bills, late bills, or bills that charged customers far more than what they owed. In one such instance, an Ithaca resident that contacted Rep. Molinaro, received two bills in one month, one for $500 and another for over $1,000 – when she only owed approximately $300.

In a letter to NYSEG’s CEO, Rep. Molinaro requested information related to the company’s billing errors and a report on how the company is fixing the issues.

Rep. Molinaro said, “I have heard story after story of NYSEG customers who have received late or incorrect bills, with some being told they have to pay hundreds of dollars more than what they actually owe. Upstate New Yorkers cannot afford to pay for NYSEG’s errors, especially at a time when so many families, farms, and small businesses are dealing with inflation. One of Congress’s most important functions is to conduct oversight. That’s why I’m leading this effort to get to the bottom of NYSEG’s billing issues and stop this from continuing to happen.” 

The full text of this letter can be found below:

Dear Ms. Nilsen,

As you know, hundreds of thousands of my constituents rely on New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) to power and heat their homes. The essential services your company provides should be delivered without burden. However, lately, this has not been the case as thousands of my constituents have been wrongfully billed in the past few months. Incorrect bills should not be sent, but the extent to which many of the bills are excessively wrong is absolutely unacceptable. Resolving your system’s billing issues should be NYSEG’s top priority as I continue to receive horror stories from my constituents of the billing issues they face.

One of my constituents in Ithaca recently reached out to my office to share her incorrect billing experience in which she was first sent a bill by NYSEG for nearly $500 and then a few days later, another bill for over $1,100. Meanwhile, her itemized electric and gas usage shows the total cost at just over $300. This is just one of many common billing stories that my constituents across New York’s 19^thDistrict are faced with and have shared with me. No person should be burdened with outrageously incorrect bills, particularly in this economically difficult time with high inflation.

On September 2022, NYSEG and its sister company Rochester Gas & Electric made changes to its billing and customer information system. Immediately following this, thousands of customers began filing complaints with the New York State Department of Public Service (NYSDPS). In fact, the number of customer complaints soared to over 4,700, more than a 60% increase over the number of complaints in the past two years combined. This led to the NYSDPS initiating a review and investigation into the matter.

I have several questions that I expect answers to no later than February 27th:

1. When did you first notice that there were issues with incorrect bills being sent to customers?
2. What communications were made to customers notifying them of widespread billing inaccuracies, and when were these communications sent?
3. Have you identified and fixed the issues dealing with incorrect billing?
4. What actions are being taken to address the billing issues?
5. What date will the issue be completely resolved and can customers expect consistently accurate bills?
6. What actions are being taken to improve customer service to shorten hours-long phone wait times and return customer emails?