National Grid Reviews

I asked why the old lines even mattered at that point since National Grid said they would re-run new lines to the water heater anyways, since they were on the opposite side of the house now. He told me they are only responsible to run the lines to the meter and I have to pay to pipe it in the house, even though I did not want the meter moved. He wasn't thrilled with me questioning him as to why they initially agreed that they were responsible, so he decided to give my phone number to the city's plumbing inspector, who had a nasty attitude, and he told me the same thing, "hire a plumber."

Today I saw my bill has been updated but only to see the new bill at $600 which is again outrageous! My landlord said she has never seen a bill more than $140 for this apartment, even in winters. I checked their website, even with a 40% increase they are claiming... it should not go more than $200. I even checked an estimate for this size (1300 Sq. Ft) of apartment during winter months. $150-175. And their bill shows previous reading as ESTIMATED. I would probably call them again tomorrow and update my review here, if they fix the situation.

I said, “I need to complain” and was put through to the complaints dep’t who told me it needs to go through to the Mains Replacement team for action. I then spoke to the mains replacement team who told me it was a free service to get the mains pipe replaced and she would contact the team and get back to me the following day. No call was received so I called again and asked for the mains replacement team. I spoke to a different person and he told me it was only free if the mains were replaced under nine months ago. I asked “When would a team be doing the work?” and he said he didn't know as it was contracted out but he would mark it as urgent and call me back to advise. No call was received so I am now phoning everyday for updates but it is the same story each time. How can I escalate the urgency and get my gas back on, can anybody help please? It's now 11 days and I am no further forward!

I have been trying to get electricity for the past three days and I was just told that I will have to wait another FOUR days because of National Grid's incompetency. The first day was THEIR mistake - I scheduled it for that day but National Grid representatives do not seem to understand their dates. The second day, they gave me no forewarning, information, or guideline on what was needed to get the electricity. The third day, they called my maintenance guy during his lunch hour and lo and behold, he was not available. Probably because in this day and age, it is flat-out INCONSIDERATE to assume that anyone is free at any point in time to drop whatever they are doing without at least a day ahead scheduling.

I am absolutely livid and sick of having to rely on the WORST business that I have ever had to deal with. I cannot WAIT for the day that National Grid becomes bankrupt and falls on its feet due to its poor customer service and operations. National Grid does not deserve a single CENT of my money and it is a shame that their monopoly forces inhabitants to deal with this TERRIBLE quality of service.

Well National Grid entered the wrong information and the payment didn't go through because they entered the wrong bank account. I called again yesterday to complain again about their mistake and made the same payment for the second time. Well today I get a phone call from them and it's a recording to tell me to call them back (what? You called me, there should be someone there to talk to me). I called them back was told I have a disconnect notice for the 11th of this month! I was also told that the second payment I authorized yesterday may be declined for a second time, why?! National Grid is the one making all the mistakes and blaming it on me, all the while increasing the bills every month, this is ridiculous!

This is a crime. The way these people do business should be illegal. I have been lied to, tricked and billed incorrectly. They told me the State petitioned them to shut me off before the shut off date. My Boyfriend incredulously asked them why. Why would the State ask them to shut me off? She then had to admit, it was "them", Nat'l Grid. They sent me a notice with a date then go and shut it off before the date? This is just wrong.

I called the 800 number and the lady on the phone told me that she couldn't help me and then went on to explain the charges for credit cards, which I could care less about hearing for the 100th time again. I have a checking account tied to my Gas account, so if I could just log into my account via their website, this would all be settled in minutes. She again says she cannot assist me and transfers me to what is supposed to be another customer service department, but one that deals specifically with the website. After being on hold for a few minutes, I get some recording that I cannot even understand and then says to leave a message. Despite wanting to hang up in anger, I decided to detail everything that I have listed here, along with my name, my account number and my phone number. Something tells me this will go either unheard or deleted immediately.

The biggest kicker here is that I have no other option but to use National Grid. This horrid service (which is also beyond disgusting when the utilities get knocked out) continues to be beyond terrible because they have zero competition, so they can keep up these tactics. If they had direct competition, they would (1) fix their website so that customers would be able to log in and pay their bills on time, (2) have better customer service representatives, (3) actually make amends to their customers for bad service and poor response times (they never do this, by the way) and (4) actually value their customers. This company is almost as bad as the cable companies. If I could switch, I'd do it in a heartbeat. If someone from National Grid is reading this, please contact me. This is asinine.

Day #2 6:00, I tell the customer rep that I've been calling all day and she says there is no record of that. I retold her the story and she tells me that her records show that they called me twice at 9:26 on Day#1, not the evening. I tell her that's not true because I was still in the house at that time. She apologizes and says she will check. She checks with dispatch and tells me that I was already an "assigned job" to be connected that day and they will call me anytime (even after midnight). This time, she promises to note the call. Day #3. Crew doesn't call or show up. 8AM I call again. Retell the story. Customer Rep yet again tells me she will put it in for the job to be done and to expect a call. I ask for a supervisor. She says, she will have the supervisor call me. Someone should be able to hold National Grid accountable for poor service. Because they have a monopoly as gas providers in the area, we are at their mercy. Meanwhile, it is public utility.

SECONDLY: I noticed a $26.19 (no meter reading charge) on my bill. I've seen notices about the meter reading before and I was told, since they were going by estimates for too long a period of time, that they must have a reading. I was told I can call it in. So I did. So imagine my surprise when months go by and I see that we were being charged. I opened another note and when I read it carefully, it said they haven't had a meter reading for nine months. So I called to refute that only to be told by the customer rep that my sending them the meter reading DOESN'T COUNT. If they are not the ones to physically read it, they will still charge the penalty fee. THEY DON'T SAY that of course in their notes. So whether you call in your meter reading or not, it doesn't matter. FOR all you working people or those who dismiss the gas meter guy because he was in a hurry and he said he didn't need to come in (it's happened to me), force them to read it. Otherwise National Grid will just happily keep charging you $30 whether you call in your reading or not.

This winter we were charged over $700 per month for gas service to a single family home. Yet we spent winter breaks and holidays down south. We were not at this address. Also, a rep told me today that our service was not to be shut off till the end of the month so she had no idea why we had no service all weekend. The public utilities commission rep has informed me that it is blatantly illegal to shut off a utility without notice on a weekend in order to strong arm a consumer to pay off a padded bill in full. It is also illegal to shut off service if there are elderly or children in the home.

The rep from National Grid called me back near the end of the business day to inform me that the "system had not been updated". How can they shut service off on a Friday yet not update the turn off notice till Monday? Regardless, it makes no sense. They obviously needed to boost their profit margin this week so they ignored payment arrangements and staged mass shut off. Typical Wall St tactic. Not to mention the explosion in the Bronx and other woes in the media and courts. A lot of complaints and lawsuits are being filed against National Grid. Beware!

June 6 - plumber comes and tells us there is nothing wrong with the pipe. June 6 - we call National Grid to set up another appointment and woman on the phone seems unwilling to give us an appointment for Sunday and keeps asking us plumbing questions we can in no way answer as we are not plumbers; she "sets up" our appointment for Sunday. June 7 - call National Grid and found out we DID NOT have an appointment for Sunday. We asked to speak with a Supervisor who then that put me on MUTE while I am explaining the situation after having been transferred multiple time to multiple people. When I am done explaining he asks me "are you done now?" I ask him to repeat what I have said, he says he will not. I know he cannot because after I stopped speaking, there was about 1 minute of silence as he had obviously muted me (I could hear the background noise in his office) and was not listening.

I asked to speak to someone above him and he told me he was the only person there. I asked for a direct number to someone else, he refused to give another number or extension. I asked for the name of who we spoke to yesterday and he told me "there is no way for him to have this information" and when I was in the process of asking if they notate their systems, he said "I am the only person here and I have 16 other calls, just write us a letter" and hung up. We now have an appointment for Monday after 6pm - but it is a "not guaranteed" appointment which I am sure it will not be met do to such terrible customer service. Additionally, we were told there was an issue with the pipe in the basement now as opposed to the pipe in our kitchen - which is what we had originally been told. We have been without gas for 17 days due to poor management, rudeness, irresponsibility, and poor customer service.

I told the woman I couldn't do that which is why I wanted to do the payment plan. She said I was lied to and that plan didn't exist. Furious, I hung up with her and called back to speak to someone else. This person was super helpful and actually took the time to figure something out for me. She gave me a list of papers I had to fax in and once they received them, they would dispatch someone out to turn the power back on. This was Friday evening, and I asked if they would come on the weekend. She said yes.

So I waited...no one came and of course the offices were closed Sat, Sun, and Mon as it was Memorial Day. I called this morning to the services dept. They told me they hadn't seen anything yet because they had a large number of papers sent over through the weekend and I should try sending them again. I asked him why someone wasn't sent over on the weekend to which he responded, "I don't know why they told you we would send someone over then, we're closed weekends." After I hung up with him, I faxed the papers over once again.

After not hearing anything for about 3 hours, I called again. This time I was told they were still waiting for my papers, so they transferred me to the billing dept who told me I was still missing items - items that I was NEVER told I needed!! The first person I spoke to who gave me the first list even confirmed it with her supervisor that they were all I needed, now this! I asked to speak to the supervisor and was told they could "set up" a call back but it would take about four hours. WHO HAS THIS KIND OF TIME?! I'm not going to sit around and wait FOUR HOURS for your supervisor to just give me the same damn runaround!!!

Another thing is you can tell they overcharge like hell!! We purposely kept our thermostat down at 60 for the entire month of April and our bill was still $174?! HOW! This is absolutely absurd! This is the worst company ever and they just get away with it because they're a monopoly and they can apparently just do whatever they want. It seems as if all the employees there just make up their own rules and question you when you say someone told you something different. All they say is "I understand. I'm sorry." SUCH BULL! And if I have to hear their slogan "National Grid: Here with you, here for you" one more time I'm gonna scream. Talk about false advertising!!

Each bill I get says "current charges" and the number... plus my old bill = my current bill. When I pay my bill every month, I have called a number of times but it just keeps adding it to the next and they say it's just a computer issue and the bill is the correct amount. Biggest problem - If they are the only company my town can get service from they are in complete control and I have no way to even switching service!

Are these Departments aware of each others job duties and how transfer of service works? What are they trying to pull? I complained to a supervisor in collections about this practice. I said to her "You cannot count the current budget plan that's not due in the past due balance." Her reply was ''I understand what you are saying but that's how we do it''. What?? Well I had no choice but to make arrangements on an amount that wasn't due yet. So I in turn filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission on this shady practice and I'm waiting for Nat Grid to respond. We shall see where this goes.

I have 14cents in my pocket then he told me he was having a hard time hearing me and hung up. I called back the same thing, No extension. I asked for a supervisor -- they would call me back. The supervisor called me back. Same thing. What a joke. I was just asking for a couple days after the shut off date to pay and they could not granted me that. I don't know any other company that will not give people a break or extension.

So after contacting them about this continuing problem, the operator proceeds to tell me that I am unable to start another agreement and that I am required to pay my balance in full and have no other options if I want to keep my power on. This I cannot stand for. Under no circumstance should I backed into a corner with no options due to THEIR inability to get a simple letter of agreement to me. This is completely unacceptable. It's bad enough we had to suffer through them taking advantage of this year's weather, but their business practice regarding my issue is nothing short of extortion.

A couple of days before I spoke to four different people trying to sort this out. I cannot go through all that transpired but it was ridiculous and a couple of these people were downright snotty. I have had no problem with the PSEG electric bill. Lastly I received this month's electric bill on APRIL 2ND. It is APRIL 7TH today and I have yet to receive my NATIONAL GRID bill. WHAT IS GOING ON?

Again, their answer was "February was a short month". So a two-day difference in the length of the month leads to a two weeks difference in the billing period... and overlap of two periods (?). When asked how this could happen, the telephone representative simply repeated the "short month, different meter reading" story, and when pressed said, "I am giving accurate information and you are questioning me." How in heaven's name do they get away with this stuff???

Then she proceeded to tell me that the national average with any supplier is about the same. I advised her that her statement wasn't true... and as I expected from her previous tone all she had left to say was "Oh that's great, maybe you should go with them then". Ummmm, what!!?? Really that's all she had to say to me? Wow!! Just wow!! No help, ripped me off, and I guess it's suppose to be ok. Looks like an Attorney General complaint is in order. No wonder they were sued in the past... Maybe again???

They're out of control. Not one review on this site is over 2 stars. If you check other sites, the reviews aren't much better. How are there so many complaints about a company and they're still allowed to operate the way they do? Add to that the unethical way they raised all their prices in January during one of the coldest winters in years. Something needs to be done about the excessive greed.

Three months later I got a bill from a collection agency stating that I owed National Grid $8.72. Meanwhile I have never received a bill from National Grid for $8.72. I contacted National Grid again and their response was they don't do followup. It's not about the money. If they had sent me a bill I would have paid it. They are ruining my credit for $8.72. This is not right. I had to pay the collection fees plus the $8.72.

They have been impossible and insist on having ridiculous amounts of money saying that they are forced to charge everyone according to the law. Yet if you are a new customer you get free line run to your house with no extra charges. We have been faithful to this company and always paid bills on time and this is how they treat us. It has been the most damaging situation and we're forced to go without power through subzero temperatures with no help at all and no hope of solution. This situation leaves us with no water or toilet facilities as well as animals that need water too for survival. They do not care, despite their claims and doing the right thing is to charge huge amounts of money to replace a broken line that they claim to be responsible for. The company is one of the worst and greediest companies we have come across in a long time.

Yesterday, 1/13/2013, the National Grid rep. said we do owe this money due to National Grid's problems mentioned above and that the previous customer service rep. was wrong because he didn't have all of the facts. Very poor customer service as it took close to an hour for them, including the supervisor, to explain why we got hit with such a large bill. We never had any problems with the previous company key span. Going forward, I'm very concerned with National Grid regarding the handling of customer service problems.

However, despite the weather conditions, NG was not going to do business with the current owner of the house until I produced a death certificate for my father who died in 1978. Apparently, NG clerical records being straight was more paramount than providing heat. In view of the situation as we go deeper into frigid temperatures, was a 35-year old certificate that important? Now I must acquire this document. As I write, there is 4 to 6 inches of snow falling in New York, temps falling into teens and it's 55 degrees in my house. I guess if I survive this ordeal, I would never mistake NG for a humanitarian organization. Pay them or they'll make you pay.

Nonetheless, I live on that other side of town, and we have lost power for more than two hours three times in the past week and have had several power surges over the past few weeks. It is inexcusable. Is this going to last into Christmas? A lot of families around here, mine included, are going to be having parties, and if the power goes out the party won't last long. If I had the choice, I definitely wouldn't choose National Grid for my electricity. I don't think many people would, especially after this and how long it took them to get our electricity back after the Halloween snowstorm a few years back. I own a business with a friend of mine from college. I know that if you don't treat the customer well, you'll go out quickly. Good luck, National Grid.

National Grid shut me down this past September when they shut off our power and informed us that we had a commercial rating as of October 27, 2009. I had no idea that this change had been made but I did recognize that our bill was out of control. We now owe them $11000.00 for 2 years of service. Our home is a well insulated renovated 1832 farmhouse that has a 1600 sq. ft. footprint. We only use the back half of the house and the upstairs is not a full second story. How can we owe this much money?

In 2010, my husband had a knee replacement. My husband was out of work for months with no pay and the shop was closed in order for me to help him recover. The shop was also closed when my mom had her hip replaced in order to help her recover and at other times as well. In 2011 my husband lost his job and was out of work for a year. He finally found a great job but needed reliable transportation. We worked and saved and put $5000.00 into a used car. We have no loans and no credit card debt. We do not own any other property. We work to survive. My shop never made very much but it was a good learning experience for the children enabling them to make and sell some of their crafts. My shop was a seasonal shop that was only open 3-4 days of the week depending on the season. The only power from the shop were the lights and a computer running.

We know that we should have paid National Grid or kept in contact at the very least, but because of being unemployed for so long and because he had a doctor's note and they could not shut us off, we took advantage and tried to play catch up with everything else that had fallen behind. In September, National Grid informed us that we were rated commercial and shut off our power therefore shutting down my shop as well. This was the beginning of the lucrative season for the shop. They accused us of being criminals and giving them a doctor's note knowing we were commercial... This is not the truth. My husband needs a breathing machine and we both have health issues. Financially we are qualified for a hardship case. They informed us if I closed the shop they would change us back to residential and honor the doctor's note and the hardship case. They did not.

They shut us off at a time that resulted in losing money in my shop. They shut us off as the weather was getting cold. They sent a National Grid rep. to walk through our home to verify that the shop was closed and that it was in fact our home. They still would not turn us back to a residential rating. They sent us to the DPU who also denied us. They want $5700.00 down to restore service.

We have contacted Senator Brewer, Martha Coakley, Governor Patrick and Congressman McGovern to see if they could do something to help resolve this issue, all to no avail. We have requested a hearing from the DPU and National Grid and any and all paperwork in relation to this case to no avail. We had to get our chimney lined in order to obtain heat for our children and pets, and we were cold for many days waiting for this to happen. We have had to purchase a wood stove and a generator in order to be able to function in some capacity. We have been through 3 generators for various reasons and right now we only have a small one so we are unable to use our microwave to heat something to have a hot meal. Losing money in the shop in addition to all the expenses for heat and the generators has hurt us financially when we were finally getting on our feet again. Not to mention all the gas for the generators and taking the children back and forth to my mom's in order for them to shower

Some of the biggest frustrations are that National Grid never gave us a chance or a warning or an option to have a second meter installed for the small shop. They never sent a rep at that time to do a walk through, they did a drive by determination. They never informed us they were changing our rating. And the many other in home retail shops in town are not paying commercial rates, have much larger homes/businesses with longer hours, and their bills are nowhere as high as ours, why have we been singled out? The very little profit, if any, that I make in my shop is now supposed to go to National Grid.

I feel this is unfair to many small in home businesses and at this rate they will do away with many other shops like mine. We have received help from Facebook friends, the Congregational Church in West Brookfield and GoFundMe donations but it has only enabled us to run the generators and obtain wood for the stove. I feel that we are being bullied by a huge company. We are hardworking honest folks that are just trying to keep our head above water and because of National Grid we are sinking once again.

I am at a loss at what to do next or where to turn for help. We are facing bankruptcy at this point because that is the only thing that will result in the electricity being restored. I am saddened that we are in this situation and I would hope that this letter will inform and warn others of the "commercial" rating for in home retail shops like mine. I plan to reopen my shop someday when we can resolve this mess and I can afford to have a second meter installed. I do not believe that I should have to pay commercial rates for cooking and bathing and all the other things one does in their "home".

Then yesterday, they turned off our existing gas as the new one was hooked up, and no notice was given. Again, things need to be done, but they couldn't knock on our doors and tell us to turn off the roux I was cooking. So then, a couple hours later, someone knocks on the door to check the stove, dryer, and to relight the boiler and hot water tank. Stove cranks right up, oven works, clothes dryer works, and then he lights the boiler/hot water tank. I am with him, and I hear the pilot ignite and then he leaves. About an hour later, I have not hot water and no heat. Great. The sound we heard when the pilot lit was the residual gas in the line and as soon as the air pocket hit, out the pilot went. So I called the gas company today and asked when someone would come out to relight the burner and after three attempts to get a time, I asked for a supervisor and she said it wasn't her problem that when the technician left it was working and that was it, but that someone would call me and I could negotiate with them about their coming back out. Swell.

Two days later, the check clears my account. During this time I receive another bill that states I owe the whole balance by November 10th. I then call again because I am supposed to be on a payment plan. The customer service rep tells me that I was generated a new bill and the amount is $115.00 by November 20th. Okay, fine. I can pay that no problem. Around November 15th, I receive a phone call stating I am in danger of being shut off. Why? My bill isn't due until the 20th? Even though I don't even have a bill for this amount, but according to them I owe $156.00 for November 10th as well as $115.00 for November 20th. I have nothing that reflects this, not one bill or email or anything.

How can they bill me twice in one month? They basically made up an imaginary bill. I talked to multiple customer service reps as well as a supervisor, they absolutely refuse to let me talk to a manager. This is the worst monopoly. I don't understand with this being the United States of America why we don't have an option in selecting our provider for electric. They just don't care. They are nasty, unfriendly, and unhelpful. When I asked the supervisor if I could pay the $156.00 and then apply for HEAP to take care of the rest, he said, "By looking at your account, I can see you would only be eligible for the emergency and that doesn't start until January so good luck with that. Is there anything else I can help you with? If not have a nice day". This statement as well as everything else the SUPERVISOR said to me was in the most condescending tone I have ever heard. They are just the worst company. Who can we complain to? Something needs to be done about this company.

After receiving a shut off notice, I called them. They demanded I pay $71.00 within 5 days. I told the representative I couldn't pay that amount within the time frame as I only had about $5 in the bank and asked if they would please give me an extra 3 days until I received my check for the month. I was told "no! " After begging and pleading she said I would have to speak with her supervisor. This was on a Wednesday in October. I waited until the following Monday and called back. I spoke with another Rep. to ask why a supervisor hadn't called me yet and he told me they were very busy. I said "I guess you are, it's getting close to November 15th when it's against the law to shut off people's heat" He laughed and said "Ya, I suppose so". I told him I was calling the DPU to put in a complaint. The following day my gas was shut off!

My gas has been off for just short of a month now. No heat, hot water or cooking. During this time, as anyone in New England knows, it has been freezing cold especially at night. Temps down in the 20's. I now stay in bed dressed in flannel pajamas, my bathrobe, and slipper socks. Some nights have been so cold I even put on a scarf, gloves and winter jacket over my bathrobe to sleep in.

I called my Dr. yesterday and told her of my dilemma. She immediately faxed over a letter to National Grid stating I must NEVER be without heat because of my disabilities. I called the company at 9 AM this morning to get a confirmation on whether or not they got the fax. I was told they did and my gas would be turned on today and I would receive a call one half hour before they get here. It is now about 7:15 PM and still nothing.

This company is without a doubt the worst company to try and work with. Their representatives are very rude and treat you like you're a piece of garbage. I'm 60 yrs old and don't feel like I should be treated this way. No one at any age deserves to be treated like that. If there was another supplier here I would change companies in a heartbeat!

At 5 pm, we called back and she re-stated that our work-order is on the Priority list but still could not guarantee what time service will be restored. They also ask us to flip the master switch Off so that after they restore the service, we can flip the switch back on. It's 8 pm now, no one showed up. We stayed by the window wrapped-up in blankets. Temperature inside the house is hitting 31 degrees. We tried to call back at 9 pm. Not a single line is open unless its for the reporting of a disaster! We manage to gather a few extra blankets for our son. It was a terrible night as temperature was in the 20s. Without electricity, the house has no heat whatsoever.

As of this morning, at 11:45 am, we still had no service. There's got to be a way to report and monitor these horrific treatments of "paying customers". This is monopoly in its worst form. When I had issues with Verizon lying about their FiOS speed, I switched provider and now I'm getting what I was promised. My neighbor had some issues with DirecTV, she switched to Dish Network. We don't have an alternative when it comes to Electricity provider. National Grid has no problem shutting off any customer regardless of their circumstances (financial or medical). We're not asking for free service. We're asking for fairness in dealing with delicate situation. Even after the fact, if the bill is paid in full, why does it take more than 1 hour to restore the service? Lives can be put at risk. These people have no one to answer to. We have nowhere to go. I can't take my business elsewhere. National Grid must be investigated for deliberately abusing customers. Without competing providers, they must be held to a higher standard. This is truly UNACCEPTABLE.

Since June 2012, I have spent more useless time trying to navigate an ABSURD website in order to try and pay a bill. All my other utilities are zippity doo. I find myself constantly in arrears with National Grid. This is not because I don't want to pay, but my defeat in trying to pay my bill any other way than having a paper copy, and writing a check. I got a notice the other day that I owed over $400 and was in danger of a shutoff. I called, waited forever. I tried the website... and wanted to scratch my eyes out. I finally paid $200 online...flipping miracle.

My gas was shut off today. You kidding me? I called to ask why there was someone creeping at my house today.... I work from home 1 day a week. I called and hit the "report a gas leak" button and got someone right away! I immediately told of no emergency...I was still helped. I paid my balance of 200+something and told the rep of my disgust. I asked about reconnection. A fee? When? Yes, a $50 fee, a reconnection window of 12-6 tomorrow. Thanks a ** heap! No heat, hot water, stove, a fee AND to wait for your person? You SUCK!!!

I called back at 11 am. Now service was scheduled for Wednesday. What? Asked for a supervisor and waited 3 hours. He couldn't help me and told me that he has no way to get in touch with any of the service personnel. Now I'm waiting for a manager. This is ridiculous business practice. If you pay for a service it should be provided in a timely manner. They had no regard that there were small children in the house either. How are they allowed to be the only monopoly in RI? How is this fair to consumers? This site alone shows a 90% dissatisfaction rate, something’s amiss.

The next day I call them on my lunch break. Now a week and a half later I am being told that I needed to fax them a rental agreement. That’s why it did it get changed over. I asked so why did the electric work and not the gas? She said because the state of RI requires that I send them one. So why in the apartment across the hall I didn't have to do this. Mind you I had a 6 month lease for the other apt. I don’t know why she said it’s just a state law. And why wasn’t I notified that it wasn’t going to be transferred into my name because of this reason that I needed to fax them this info first back on July 27th.

She had no answer. I asked to speak with a supervisor. First a girl. Then I asked to speak with someone else that might be able to answer my question. All those two could do is say the same exact thing about 5 different ways without even answering it. And why am I being treated like this is my fault? It got extremely frustrating and I snapped on both of the "so called "supervisors". If I was properly notified that the gas will not be transferred into my name without me sending them what they needed back in July. This would have never happened! And why is it ok for the electric to get changed over but not the gas. This is not acceptable. So I asked to speak with someone else. She said there is no one else I can talk to about this.

I flipped and yelled at her. My gas was turned off for negligence on National Grids behalf. Not mine. So my family has to pay for it. I get home from got the info ready to be sent over for the morning (it was after 5 by the time I found it). I call first thing in the morning Friday Aug 9 around 730 am to get a fax number. I fax it to them around 8 maybe 8:30 am. I was told I would get a call back soon. Someone called me at around 11:30 am. The call was cut off after me hearing that the earliest someone could come out was Tuesday. I left work, went home, I called them back. No one has anything to say about this except we’re sorry we can't, we don’t know etc. This is not considered an emergency. We can’t send someone out on the same day.

I asked her out of the 3 people I had spoken to the day before do you think any one of them would have said if we don’t get the fax yesterday we won’t be able to get your gas back on until next Tuesday. There is a National Grid truck on the side of the road less than one mile away from my house. I told her that this should not have even happened in the first place. I asked how to file a complaint. They said call back and contact customer service. Now I won’t have gas service all weekend. I called back. The woman asked me what I wanted to complain about. Like your bill or something? No, I pay my bill. I would like to complain about the situation that I am in. I am like all choked up trying to explain this whole mess, everything down to me calling her.

Me and my two kids can’t shower or do anything for 3 more days in our own home. We are pushing 1 week with no gas service in my house because of something that was not my fault. This one had nothing to say. She put me on hold. Came back, said there was no one available now, that she would give my name and number to someone that I can file a complaint with. I asked her before the end of the business day today. She said yes. I did receive a missed call on my phone with a message on it that I can barely understand from **. This was now 6:54 pm on Friday night. I will post it online and maybe someone can understand what this guy’s name is cause all I heard was you can contact customer service Monday through Friday. They will be able to help you!

So I tried to call the number back. It’s from there executive offices in MA. Me and my two kids can’t shower or do anything for 3 more days in our own home. Thank You National Grid!!! Oh btw, this is not the first time my services were turned off for no fault of my own. I moved in to the 1st apartment back in Feb, called to get my services on in my name. Two days later I get home to a freezing cold house. It’s after 5. I can’t contact till next business day. This is not considered an emergency. So me and my 4 and 7 year old had to sleep in a freezing apt. I called the next day to make sure it was on, said it was on in the computer. So it’s on at the house. I called the landlord he said when I get home to give a call and he will come over to take a look.

Maybe something was wrong with it. They show me a block in the meter. I told them the girl insists that it is on. I called back the next morning. They keep insisting that it is on. I had to speak to someone else to convince them there was a block in the meter and I have 2 kids this needs to get fixed. They then finally put me on an emergency list (Now 2 days later and right before the blizzard). The guy who came and turned it back on said when we have nothing to do we work off of the old orders that gas is still on but no one lives there. You must’ve had it switched already. Thanks again National Grid!

They don't care. Just as reckless as B.P in the Gulf. Another British company. You don't have to buy your electric and gas from National Grid. You could from Con Edison, or another utility which are American.

I told them that I filed an application with Social Service for food stamps and temporary assistance but they have 45 days to make that determination... I completed a financial statement with National Grid as they said that it would be mandatory on 6/28/13. When I met with my case worker at SS the following week, she said that I needed to contact National Grid because they were showing my unemployment income even though I told them I had not received ANY further benefits after June 9th and even though my home was in foreclosure, the monthly mortgage amount would need to be documented on my financial statement. Otherwise I may not be qualified for any type of benefits until this is straightened out.

I contacted National Grid that same day but the representative bluntly told me that there was nothing that they could do as they are only allowed to make changes every 30 days!!! No matter what I said, the rep was rude and said that if the info was incorrect it was on me because I gave that information... As I was expecting, I received my disconnect notice from National Grid on 7/16/13 even though it was dated 7/10/13 and if I didn't pay the entire overdue balance of almost $1,700 by 7/23/13 they would be disconnecting me. I faxed this to my case worker and left her a voice message.

Today, I get a call from National Grid wanting me to pay this money or I was scheduled to be disconnected on 7/25/13. I tried to explain to this gentleman about the financial statement that was holding up my case for temporary assistance and HEAP but he was very snotty telling me that they would gladly change any information AFTER 7/29/13 (4 days AFTER my power will be disconnected)!!!! He bluntly informed me that these rules are in place so people like me can't give info and then want to change that info in order to receive benefits!!!!! I asked to speak with a supervisor but was rudely told that a supervisor would not do anything either. Then I asked what would happen because Social Services had a copy of my disconnect notice - would I still be disconnected? He said that I was not speaking with social services and he didn't work for social services and pretty much hung up on me...

I am a 55-year-old woman that raised two daughters by myself. I have an LPN license and two degrees but cannot even get a job as a cashier in the local grocery store... I am currently going to college to get my RN so that I will NEVER be in this situation again!!! All my other creditors have made arrangements with me to give me time to catch up once I do start working in August... I have had nothing but trouble with National Grid since moving into this house back in 2002 - my first bill was over $700!!! I have been on a payment plan ever since that time because I have received bills for $1,200 for one month!!!! I have an old house but I disconnected the second fridge, unplugged everything that I wasn't using and brought it down somewhat but it stayed high because I worked from my home office for 9 years...

We are cold in the winter and we have to huddle around one window air con unit but I got my bill down to under $400/month on a budget plan... My oldest daughter moved to RI and my youngest has been in college for the past 3 years and having had my home office up and running for over a year... so my bill should be significantly lower but continue to spike more and more every month!!! They claim that their "new" meter is much more accurate than the old ones but how can that be when they drive by with their "scanners" to read a meter that is in my basement on the back end of the house????

When is someone going to step in and investigate this company????? The economy is in a bad shape and so many of us have lost our jobs and are or will be homeless because our homes are in foreclosure but National Grid doesn't care if it's 150 degrees. Unless you have a serious health problem they will disconnect you, me, the senior citizens, etc. who will certainly get very sick from this heat. What little food we have left will spoil... This BIG BUSINESS needs to be investigated!!!! Our entire state with exception of one small neighborhood with their own power supply is "owned" by National Grid - they have the monopoly and they are greedy, uncaring and some even nasty - they are only lining their own pockets while the rest of us get our power turned off!!!! We know that National Grid is overcharging their customers because the people that live in that small neighborhood I spoke about above - their bills are less than half of what a monthly National Grid Bill is!!!!!

But because of injury, I requested for my gas to be turned off until further notice as I was under treatment at that time, and was not able to be at the location temporarily. They told me to turn back the gas on it would cost me around $80 dollars for them to send someone to reopen the meter and so I agreed on their terms.

On June 2013, I requested for the gas to be turned on. Instead they came and removed the meter from my property without any notifications, then after one week I saw the gas contractor working and doing major works on all my street. When I asked the contractors they told me they where replacing the gas shutoff for new ones. I was fine to wait. But after they finished I called for my meter to be reinstalled, and when the gas personnel came and try to install my meter he found out that it was no gas coming to my line, and that it was cut off from the street. I called the National Grid to fix the problem, but they requested that I pay $500 for them to install again new line on my property when it was already done last year. Since that time they created thousands of excuses for them not to connect my line until I pay the amount.

I did consult anonymously with a National Grid employee, and told me that it was no reasons to cut the gas line from the street without reconnecting it, but to shut it off from the meter since the meter and the line coming to my property was fairly updated and new, and believes to be just a mistake by the contractor or supervisor of the area who is refusing to admit it. Until now I have no gas and not able to enjoy of taking shower or cooking or having families or friends. I feel strongly discriminated and unfairly treated. If they had any issues, at least they could have notified me and not disconnecting my meter and cut off my line, especially when I had no outstanding bills. Any help from you would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I continuously kept calling for a final amount that I owe but they always said that it's in review. Then they said they had to send someone else out. I waited for that appointment a few weeks; someone did come and checked the meter. He said it then takes another full month for them to review the account and I should not pay anything yet. I kept calling and telling them that I cannot afford a huge bill at the end of the winter and I would like this to be cleared up asap. After a month I called again - and they said that it's STILL in review. I waited some more... In the meantime, my bills kept going higher for each month of usage. They still told me not to pay anything.

A few weeks ago, I received a bill and it stated that they will be turning off my gas for non-usage. I called and they still said that it's in review and I shouldn't pay and they will note the account not to turn off the gas since it's in review. Well, guess what? - They came and turned off the gas. I called today, June 25th, and demanded that the gas should be turned on TODAY. They said policy is they won't turn it on until I pay in full. AND - they finally told me that I was overcharged and gave me the right amount to pay. I told them I never got a bill with the correct amount and I will NOT pay until my gas is turned on. They will not do that. I asked to speak to a supervisor. They told me someone will call me back. I refused to get off the phone until I spoke with a supervisor - they said no. We were back and forth for a few minutes until THEY hung up on my. I am extremely angry and insist my gas be turned on TODAY!!

Now when they came, they had found a meter on my next store neighbor's house that was apparently not on record since 1987, then told me that because the paneling where my meter wasn't messed up or looked like it had been played with, that they don't think it had anything to do with me having a shared meter? So I said so why then when I did the breaker test did the whole building turn off and on. Is there any way they can turn the power on temporarily so they can witness it themselves? They said they wish they could but that's not how it works! Now all of a sudden, my bill for this month is normal at $280 total. I find it hard to believe that my bill dropped almost $600 if I wasn't connected to other people. They gated my neighbor's meter box and turned his power off, but yet he still has power. How?

I've borne witness to people on fixed incomes who have to choose between either paying their utilities or paying for their food (to sustain life) every month. Some even have their utility bill surpassing their actual house payment. What is up with that?! Answer me this, Grid. How can you justify charging a delivery payment that's actually higher than the amount used by a particular household every month?! Twist your answers to make it sound feasible but to the average Joe trying to keep up on payments, your math simply sucks.

I do recall just a few short years ago when we had a mild winter & Grid even had little fliers sent in their bills encouraging people to conserve energy at one time, when Grid raised their rates (again) because they were losing money (joke) from the mild winter & had to make up for the losses. So much for giving people incentive to conserve that when it happens naturally, they're punished because your National Greed cannot be kept in check. It's not an uncommon sight to see Grid workers driving around in very large company pickup trucks alone on their way home or doing personal errands with them; why not? The next chronic rate increase will cover it. This company needs to be investigated and at the very least audited or better yet, thrown right out of the country!

They made a deal with a neighbor and drove in on their land to the poles on my land and continued to make a mess. They cut one pole and broke it and threw it over the edge of a bridge trestle and then cut a tree down on my property at the river's edge which is my access to the part of the river that I own and cut off my access to my own property having cut down a tree that was over 2' in diameter and a hardwood that was on the river's edge to help hold the bank together. What a mess!

I've spoken with some landscaping companies and they have quoted that the damage incurred will be from $2600 - $4000 plus to fix. They've never returned my call or offered to fix the problem since they put the new poles in and left the mess.

There was also another issue which took 7 months to fix because they transposed numbers at a rental property even going so far as to send not one but two inspectors out, trying to bill 3 separate people and then trying to blame the electrician for the mistake when it was their inspectors and their internal glitch. They only made good on it when I turned them into the Better Business Bureau and now it looks like I have to turn them in for property damage.

You do not have to allow National Grid onto your land to service their poles that do not provide you power. And the fact that they've made a decision regarding a waterway and private property without asking when I went down and spoke with them personally about not making a mess and cleaning the mess they made up is sickening. National Grid needs to learn to treat people and their property with respect and, at the very least, clean up the mess they made.

My services were discontinued on April 16th. My documents were not received within a timely manner, as explained from National Grid. However, as acting within an issued 30-day time period, let it be established my services were ceased prematurely. Whether or not the correct time period was given to me to re-establish service, I was directed to submit a missing part of required documents. I submitted them that day after finally getting access to them. As they (National Grid) have received all required documents, approved of them and would return services upon receipt as noted. This information was relayed from Collections rep (Chris) on April 16th.

When trying to re-arrange return service, after documents were received by collections (Sam's dept), I was then told from a different rep, (Christopher) and others from Collections the payment plan was non-existing. After three days without service, I was temporarily reconnected with the exception order of a chronic medical condition, from my doctor. I spoke with Ryan (management) to whom I explained. His response was that they made a mistake establishing me a payment plan. He directed me to Consumer Appeal dept. On the 24th and 25th, I left messages with contact info with the Appeals dept. I also placed two orders/requests with Customer Service for Consumer Advocate Referral to contact me.

I have not received a response from either dept. I have been given conflicting and misrepresentation of information from Collections and Customer Service depts. When confirming directives from one rep, it would be presumed as false from another rep. I was noted the rep. (Collin **) who approved me on 25th of March 2013 and directed me to send the required financial statements was wrong. I am pleading for better quality of customer service and credibility from those appointed to customers. As such a secure and sensitive and accurate part service fails to be rendered to customers the majority of the time.

At our new home, we have one fridge, 2 TVs in the kids’ room and living room, and an electric stove. Now, can anyone explain how that uses over 3,000 kwh? When I called, they sent over a man to take a reading and the reading matched. I told him the numbers match because that is not the problem; it is the smart meter is not calibrated nor is it working properly. I need a new meter or need it recalibrated. He said they will call me.

Now I have a tortoise which we have a 125 W heat lamp on due to winter. They tried to tell me that was why it was so high. I told them I had a pet store with 60 fish tanks and reptile lights on all the time and it used close to 3,000 kwh. They told me I am not going to get a new meter nor am I’m going to get my bill lowered. Then they told me to have a nice day and hung up on me. I am looking for a lawyer now! I am tired of being ripped off by this monopoly of service we have to have, and they are the only company we can get it from!

Then, we called for an appointment to have our gas turned on and to have the pilot light lit. They gave us a 6-hour window from noon until 6 pm to wait in a freezing cold house (this was in December in New York) or wasting gas idling our car in the driveway. We called several times throughout the day to check on when they would come. When 6 pm came and went, we called them to hear that the representative assigned to our case was running late. We were never called or alerted in any way that they would miss the appointment window. We asked to speak with a supervisor and spoke with Allison who would not leave her extension or a last name or representative number with me. She said that the representative could come to the house up until 10:30 pm to service our house. We waited another 2 hours in the car and finally went into a neighbor's house for another half hour.

I called National Grid again and they assured us that they were still coming, but that we could leave a number and that they'd call us 15 minutes before the time they were set to arrive so that we could grab dinner. No call ever came. I called them again at 10:15 pm and a customer service representative could not locate our account for 10 minutes, searching for our LIPA account instead of National Grid when I kept repeating that we were calling about our gas service. She finally found it and said that a representative came to the house at 8:30 pm (which they did not because we were there).

When I questioned this, all she could tell me was that that was what the representative had entered into the system. Apparently, they can enter anything they want into the system. I asked to speak to a supervisor again, and preferably "Allison". She wasn't available. I was put on the line with another supervisor who could do nothing except field my questions with "I apologize (which is insincere, patronizing, unhelpful, doesn't solve anything, doesn't pay me back for my time, doesn't prevent the pipes from breaking due to the freezing cold)" and to put us in for another appointment window the next day from 7 am until noon. He could not guarantee that the representative would actually show up. He could not guarantee that we wouldn't waste another day waiting for nothing while our pipes freeze. He couldn't transfer us to a comments line, give us the regional manager, Timothy **'s business phone/email, transfer us up to any higher tier of customer support than himself (who is a glorified gripe-taker and appointment secretary).

So, that basically communicates to me that this company has little regard to customer support, is unreliable and flaky, makes statements that it cannot back up with actions, has an unbalanced workforce of unskilled appointment secretary versus skilled technicians that can turn on your gas, has a monopolistic power over its consumers in that it can turn off your gas on a whim and not turn it back on, does not endorse faith in its service, is uninterested in consumer relations or improving the way they do business.

National Grid had little interest in my helpful suggestion to print out professionally-printed bright yellow signs to place on the doors of house where the gas has been turned off, so that neighbors could alert people who are vacationing. They did not care to hear that National Grid should call their customers who are waiting for their 6-hour window appointments that they are going to be late for their window. They did not care to hear that they should hire more skilled workers that could actually help their customers rather than unskilled phone call takers who can only say "I apologize". Everything will stay completely unsatisfactory and unacceptable. National Grid simply does not value customer satisfaction.

After a half hour, I called National Grid back and spoke to another rep, to have someone come sooner or at least give me a time frame as to when they could come. I was told the same, that they didn't know, only that it would be sometime up until 12 midnight. I asked to speak to a manager and I was rudely told that "he will tell you the same thing." I was connected to Mr. Kevin ** who after explaining my plight to him, he abruptly told me that "they were on their way." An hour later, I called back and told Mr. ** that I was not feeling well and that my cell phone was losing power. I don't have a land line and I was unable to live in the house since the storm (no furnace)! He again reassured me abruptly that, "They were on their way," and he repeated all my demographic info. Finally, after sitting in my clothes, coat, hat, gloves, scarf, I called again and spoke to Mr. ** (4 hours later!) and only 20% cell power left. He informed me that no one would be coming tonight and there was nothing he could do about it!

I started yelling at him and asked him why he kept promising me and then did not have the decency to call me and tell me that no one could come. He kept saying there was nothing he could do about it and even started to tell me about other customers that are "worse off" than me and that have lost their homes! I didn't need that attitude from him, it certainly didn't help me. What kind of training do these guys get? I live in Zone A directly across the street from Midland Beach! And why didn't National Grid notify me about the regulator change? I could have made arrangements. Now, I have to miss a wake tonight to again wait for his promise of someone coming to turn on the gas tonight between 4-8pm!

Today, NGrid finally showed up to reconnect us, but I was told they would not be able to connect us because we needed an electrician. I explained our situation and the words of the assessor to 3 levels of employees and it was useless. They would not take ownership of the words of their assessor. I had to get an electrician and a wire inspector to come out last minute. National Grid had a lot of repairs to take care of, but they should have honored the mistake by their employee. Still in the dark!

According to my bank information, National Grid took their money on October 10th. The next morning, Wednesday, October 11th, I phoned National Grid to inform them that according to BVCAP, once 10% is paid, I would get my gas turned back on and that BVCAP also had informed them that I was on the Henry Shelton Forgiveness Act Program as well as that the 10% had my bank records showed that they had been paid to them the previous day, so they needed to restore my service again. I was told that someone would be sent out the following day.

The following day came and went and no one showed up. When I called again, I was told someone would be out Monday, October 15th. Once again, Monday came and went and no one showed up. Each time I call, I am told someone would be out the following day. We are nearly into a week now since I first called to have services restored and I am still without heat or a shower.

Original Review: Oct. 3, 2012

Seeing as though I have 7 months of history to go over, this entry may be rather long. I apologize upfront - grab a cup of coffee or tea and get ready for a really frustrating story.

Early last March (2012), my oil furnace began leaking and quickly gave out. I bought the house at the end of 2009. It turns out there was a warranty on the furnace, but only for the original owner. So, it was going to cost an estimated $5,000 just for a new furnace - after the required chimney work and labor, the estimate rose somewhere north of $8,000. I checked out National Grid's gas conversion rebate offers and realized I would save a lot of money if I went the natural gas route. A plumber pointed out that I already had a capped off line in my basement - I've had a few plumbers out for 2nd and 3rd opinions and all of them asked why National Grid wouldn't just reactivate the line. National Grid claims they have to do the entire dig process over again and set a new line regardless of whether another exists.

Anyway, I called National Grid to ask about converting and was told they cannot request a permit until 6 weeks after the first week of May (Why can't they just say mid-June?). I balked at the idea - I had no heat and was told the hot water situation would most likely be temporary. The furnace was leaking and it could very likely burst if not replaced soon. So, the rep told me to apply for the "Hardship Permit". Now, I don't know if the "Hardship Permit" is a concept he made up at that very moment on the phone with me, but 7 months later, it sure feels like it was.

So here's the long and short of the "Hardship Permit" - you fill out an application, write a Hardship letter basically begging for an early permit to dig, send a check for $500 for the permit and a check for the cost of the furnace. I did all that over the next day or so and sent it back to the David ** and Kerrie ** (going forward I would only be dealing with Kerrie **). So this all happened in early March.

On Monday, 4/9/12, I kept reaching out every few weeks and asking for updates and was consistently told "no word yet"... On the week of Monday, 5/28/12, and Friday, 6/1/12, I got a voice mail from a representative at National Grid who just wanted to let me know they submitted my permit request ... that day, three months after I submitted the hardship request. What was all the "no word yet" about then? They hadn't even bothered submitting my paperwork to the town until June. I was sitting there with no heat and a sketchy hot water situation for 3 months and they didn't even lift a finger till June?

On Wednesday, 6/6/12, after chewing on my situation for a few days, I emailed Kerrie to let her know about the voice mail. My main intent was to "nicely" let her know that I now knew she lied and never submitted the permit request early like she claimed. I also decided that I didn't want to purchase the furnace upfront like they required because this lack of organization and professionalism just struck me as bad news. I had a feeling the permit would be denied and I'd be stuck with a furnace I couldn't use. And if the "Hardship Permit" process was this protracted and frustrating, I could only imagine how difficult it would be to return a furnace to them!

I told her to hold off on ordering the furnace. I said I was doing work around the house and planned to install the furnace in September, before it got too chilly. I wasn't technically lying either - I just didn't come out and say, "Gee, you keep bungling this whole process. I don't think I want to put a couple grand out there for a potentially useless furnace I might get stuck with." I was trying to be diplomatic. Minutes after I sent that email, I had a weird feeling that I better write back and let her know to keep on with the permit process. The way they were messing everything up, I had a feeling she would go and cancel the request on me because I was holding off on buying the furnace. I shot off another quick message to that effect - I also said that if for some reason the dig could not be done separate from the installation of the furnace, then I wanted to shoot for September for both.

On Thursday, 6/7/12, Kerrie responded, "That is fine. You have up until 6 months to complete your gas conversion. I would have the gas line installed and talk to your plumber about waiting until September for the actual conversion." I responded to ask if they would hold on to my original check for the furnace or if I needed to send a new one when I ordered the furnace in September. She never responded.

In mid-July 2012, Kerrie ** called and let me know my town denied the permit. Then she asked, "Do you want me to submit your Hardship request now?" I just sat there in total awe. What do you mean, submit my Hardship request now? Wasn't she supposed to have already submitted that way back in March? So, they sat on my application for 3 months, only to submit it as a general request in June. So why did they have me go through the Hardship request process if they were simply going to toss that aside and treat me like a regular conversion case? I basically bit my inner lip and said, "Yes, go ahead and submit the Hardship request, thank you." What else can you do at that point?

On Thursday, 8/9/12, I emailed Kerrie again asking for an update. You see, she never calls to let you know where you are in the process. You have to email and call and email and call like a professional stalker before she'll acknowledge your existence. I emailed for yet another update. On Saturday, 8/11/12, Kerrie finally responded with, "Unfortunately, the town has denied the permit." I wonder how long she knew this before she decided to share it with me.

I reached out to my town and told the Superintendent about my problem. His main issue was my road had been paved within the past two years - and from what I gather from what I've read about National Grid, a lot of towns are pretty displeased about how they tear up the road and then leave an ugly patch behind them. So, I think he was understandably hesitant to approve the permit.

On Friday, 9/14/12, after a few weeks of talking, the Superintendent said he would reconsider the permit if a rep from National Grid would come out and show him where they intended to dig. I immediately called and emailed Kerrie to let her know - sent her his contact info and all. I never heard from her; he never heard from her. Kerrie really is the consummate professional. He eventually reached out to his own contact and set up the meeting himself.

On Friday, 9/21/12, the superintendent approved the permit. He said he would call his contact and let them know, and he told me to call Kerrie on my end to let her know. I was thrilled. Kerrie told me I had to send the check for the cost of the dig and repave ($2,100) - originally I was only going to be charged the cost of the dig ($500), but the Superintendent wanted to ensure that National Grid repaved the road nicely, and National Grid decided to push that cost ($1,600) back on me. I was a little miffed that after all of their shenanigans, they had the nerve to expect me to pay that extra cost. They should have taken a consumer-valued approach and waived it (IMO) but I just wanted to get this over with already. It was over 6 months since I applied at that point. During this conversation, Kerrie informed me they (let's be honest, she) lost my original paperwork. So I had to resubmit it. I saved the email I sent the original paperwork to her, so I was able to forward it back to her. I also sent out the check.

On Monday, 10/1/12, I still hadn't heard anything from National Grid. I should be used to this by now, I know. But it has been getting colder and colder, and I have long since even had the use of hot water in my home. So, I called Kerri and left a voice message asking for an update - when are they coming out? Since I know Kerrie has a habit of never responding, I also called the marketing and sales line to ask when my dig was scheduled. To my great aggravation, the rep said I was not on the calendar and then he followed up with, "Did you submit an application yet?" - another moment where you just bite your inner lip and try to remain calm. I informed him that I had indeed submitted my application, now 7 months ago. I told him my story and he said he was sending a message off to Kerrie to have her call me.

Yesterday, 10/2/12, Kerri called me back. She had a rather cheery tone to her so I figured it would be good news. No, it wasn't. She said since my permit was denied, my application had to go back to the beginning of the process. I said that didn't make sense. The Superintendent already called them on 9/21/12 and gave the permit the go ahead. Why would they go back to the beginning and resubmit it? She said she had taken me out of rotation after it was denied. So, I reminded her that I was a Hardship request, and that supposedly that meant that my application was supposed to go through an expedited process. She became annoyed and informed me that they had "other jobs to do". She said they were so busy, she couldn't even guarantee that they would get to me in 6 weeks (which will be mid-November, mind you). She also accused me of having tried to cancel the permit request - remember my email string from June 6th?

I told you I had a feeling she'd take that and try to twist it up some way! I quickly let her know that I saved every email between the two of us and that she was flat out lying. When I became upset (yes, I raised my voice - after 7 months of this I think I've earned the right) she had the gall to declare, "Well, Shannon, you've been without heat and hot water since March anyway"... as if to say, "Gee Shannon why are you so angry - shouldn't you be used to living like a Pilgrim by now?"

To give you an idea of what it's like not to have heat or hot water - first of all, outside of summer, it's really cold at night in Massachusetts. Second, try actually getting anything clean - your dishes, you, anything - without hot water. My son and I have to boil water each morning to wash ourselves. Every once in a while, I take a bath. I fill the tub 1/4 of the way with cold water, then boil water 3 to 4 times in one of those huge lobster pots - it takes 45 minutes for each pot to boil - so taking a bath has become a 3-hour process. To top it off, in order to stay warm, we have to run a bunch of electric heaters. I have National Grid for electric. Do you think during any of this time (during the colder months), they would offer me some sort of discount to offset the inconvenience of their process? No! As a matter of fact, when I mentioned my rising electric costs to a rep, she said all indignantly, "That's not our problem!"

At the end of our conversation, Kerrie let me know she would do me a favor and honor the price of the unit I had applied for back in March - isn't that so kind of her? After all of this mess, she's going to honor the price of the unit I selected way back in March, a unit I haven't purchased to date because she sat on my application for 3 months, creating this protracted process. If she had submitted the Hardship request back in March like she was supposed to, this would have all be handled months ago and I'd have the unit installed by now. It's amazing that she actually thinks she's doing me any favors at this point. Bottom line, they better honor the price. This mess was all their doing, not mine.

So, I informed Kerrie that I was going to file a complaint against National Grid if they did not place me on the calendar immediately. She basically shrugged me off like big deal, have fun. I emailed my Congressman, emailed Hank Phillipi Ryan, and am now submitting this post to forewarn others of what may be in store for you if you attempt a gas conversion with National Grid. I am mulling going to court and getting an injunction to force them to do the work but by the time I get a court date, they will probably have me on the calendar (I hope). I just really don't know what to do in that respect. I heard back from an aide in the Congressman's office yesterday, and he said he'd look into this matter and see what he could do for me, if anything. I appreciate that either way. At least, someone cares enough to look into it. Hopefully, if I can put enough pressure on the company, they will finally get out here and connect me to the street so I can get some heat and hot water back in my home. After all these months, is that really so much to ask?

I called a representative on August 28 at 7:00AM on my way in to work. She was not helpful in explaining this bill to me other than telling me that for the past two years, my bill had been estimated and this was the bill for the difference. I was clearly upset, and she had no sympathy or understanding of the poor financial situation I was being put in with this large bill. I inquired more about how this happened and why it was not resolved sooner. She could not or did not want to answer this. She tried a supervisor, and I was told they were busy.

I requested a call back before I got into work at 8:30 AM. She said she could not guarantee this. I asked if I could receive a call back by the end of the day, and again, she could not guarantee this. Frustrated, I left my work number (the best to reach me) and told her it was ridiculous that I must guarantee this $500 payment but no one could get back to me today. I hung up.

Today is Friday, August 31, and I still have not heard from a supervisor. I called back again and spoke to a woman named Linda. Linda is the epitome of excellent customer service. She took the time to explain why my meter was only read at an estimated value for the past two years, that this should not have taken this long to fix, that I should have been notified that something needed to be fixed, and that it is incredibly frustrating that I am now responsible for the $500 bill. These were the issues I was looking for answers to from the first rep and a supervisor. Again, I was clearly upset, especially since I had not heard from a supervisor in 3 days after my request.

When I spoke with her, she stated that a notice of the need for service to the meter/electronic reading gauge should have been sent to me but it could have been sent to my landlord. I stated that I am 100% positive that in the past year, I had not received a notice. If I did, it would have been in 2010 and I would have promptly given it to my landlord, as I have no ability to authorize any type of change to his property.

This is not the first major issue I have had with National Grid services. I honestly wish there was another provider that I could switch to. I have worked in the service industry for years in many capacities and feel that besides Linda, I have never come across a company with such poor customer relations. Currently on customeraffairs.com, there are 126 reviews of National grid with 91% being of a 1-star rating (the lowest). You would think that with this type of customer rating, you would be trying to improve your model.

Today, I will be adding another rating to this website and any place else that will allow it. Unfortunately in RI, you are the only option for me and your company will continue to provide horrible customer service with even worse communications. I am sickened that a company like you still exists. You should give Linda a raise, since she is clearly the only person in your business who actually has care and respect for the people she serves.

On August 7th, I made a trip to the house to drop off a car full of belongings and left for another week. I did not return to the property until August 14th. At which point, I still had not yet received a notarized copy of the lease. On August 14th, a National Grid employee showed up, shut off my gas because it wasn't in anyone's name, but I informed him that I had put the utilities into my name the previous week so he left and returned maybe 10 minutes later saying that National Grid hadn't received a notarized copy of the lease yet and that's why he was there to shut off the gas. This employee left without disabling services. At this point, there was absolutely nothing I could do until the following week because I would be nowhere near RI and was not going to make a special trip just to pick up the lease. I had no idea dealing with National Grid would be this difficult. If I had, a special 3 to 4 hour round trip at 8 months pregnant, in the middle of August in a car with no A/C would have been well worth a special trip just to get the lease and end this.

On Monday the 20th, I arrived in Pawtucket with plans to occupy my new residence full-time. It was nearly midnight by the time I arrived and found that my landlord had left a notarized copy of the lease on my kitchen counter just as he promised he would. At this point, it was long after business hours and there was nothing I could do until the following day. On Tuesday the 20th, I woke up to no electricity without ever receiving any sort of notice or so much as a knock on the door. I immediately called National Grid and they told me that the soonest they would be able to turn the power back on would be Thursday the 23rd. No one came on Thursday so I called again and they told me Friday, the 24th. Again, no one came on Friday and they told me Monday the 27th. It is now Monday the 27th and I just hung up with yet another National Grid representative who told me that on Friday there was no order sent through because I hung up on them. On Friday, I told the woman that I spoke with that my phone was going to die and it did, but only after I assured them once again that my breaker was indeed off, but even when flipped on, I still had no power.

After all of the hardships that come with going 6 days without electricity, I draw a line at being accused of hanging up on them. That accusation is completely out of line and uncalled for considering that every time I have called them, I have been distressed and have practically had to beg them to reconnect my electricity. Even if I had hung up out of frustration, that is still no excuse for not sending someone out when I have done everything they have asked of me and yet they still have not reactivated my electricity despite my call every single day with the same questions and complaints. What is most upsetting about this situation is that I do not owe them any money whatsoever. In fact, I have yet to even receive a bill, yet my services have been disconnected and remained so for nearly a week now. Every time I have called them, the employees that I have spoken with have been rude, uninformed and completely unhelpful causing me to lose my temper.

Nothing about this situation seems right or ethical. They should not be allowed to treat customers this way simply because they can and we have nowhere else to go. I have done nothing wrong here. I owe them no money. I did what I was supposed to do to the absolute best of my ability and yet I am still without power and my residence which I pay for is pretty much useless considering I am unable to store food in the fridge/freeze, turn on lights for my midnight trips to the bathroom, charge my phone and so on. Moving is a pain enough as it is. Moving this late in a pregnancy is even harder, especially coming from out of state. It is not my fault that they failed to shut off the utilities after the previous tenant moved out, yet I am the one being punished despite the fact that being without power for such a long time and having to deal with this much added stress is not safe for me this late in pregnancy and they could not care less. Nothing about this situation has felt right. There must be something that can be done to remedy this situation.

Getting back to National Grid, when I moved in, the rent included all utilities until he met that thing he married - and believe me, she loved his money. The only thing he did ever in our apartment was disconnect the wires from the upstairs apartment. We had carbon monoxide twice and he wanted the man that came to fix or try and fix the furnace to leave the furnace on. The man said no way - the serviceman and owner of the company had to red flag the furnace. Then, he put a salamander in the cellar. I didn't know how dangerous it is but I was getting sick so I turned it off.

Again, I had very high levels of carbon monoxide. The very first time after the slumlord had meters put in for all apartments, we discovered cellar lights and the shared washer and dryer which he collected the money from was on my bill. I called National Grid - they didn't notify me that they were coming out to check it out. The landlord and his wife were in the driveway for a very long time. They lied and said they were waiting for the water company to come because the water bill was so high. Then, my sister and I were walking down the street and saw a National Grid van go by so we watched. It turned down our street so we went back. The slumlord wasn't even showing him the things that was on my meter so I did. The slumlord tried to say that the washing machine was on his and not mine. Well, I guess he wasn't telling the truth.

Then, last April, I went in the cellar and, don't ask me why, I noticed that someone was totally hooked into my breaker box - every wire that went to that apartment. So my mistake was that I called the slumlord and didn't call the police. What a mistake. I sent a message on National Grid's website requesting they send someone out the next day, Monday, which never happened. Those people that lived in the upstairs apartment had electric heat, and stove, plus a huge electric heater. She vacuumed every day. She was on welfare, collecting $600 a month in food stamps. But when the wiring was disconnected, they had a fit. Begging everyone to let them use a lead cord to have some electricity. A meter lady came a few days later and I spoke to her. National Grid knew that no bill was going there and that they had electric.

I sent them several messages stating who resided there before they moved in so how hard is it to look at the records to show when the meter was shut off. I also called and so did my sister and the customer rep was very rude to my sister. I have also sent letter after letter to them with not one response back from National Grid. They just do not want to lose money. It is their fault and they should be held reliable along with the slumlord who didn't pay a mortgage for over 3 years but collected rent every third of each month. He would knock on the door to collect it. That is the only time he was ever seen. He never repaired anything, just collected the rent and didn't pay the mortgage.

Last year, when I was served the foreclosure papers, he had told the bank I was the only tenant in the building. That was an outright lie - all the apartments were rented together with the 3 tenants who lived there for over 4 to 5 years. So since National Grid has done nothing about this matter, they will have to soak up the money from the other tenants. They certainly had plenty of warnings. Can't they read or do they just throw away those complaints? As each letter, website message and phone call told them exactly who lived there and when.

I have rare cancer and live on very limited income but my bill is always paid on time. Oftentimes, I didn't have food but my bills were paid. I am very angry that they would do this to a very sick man when they have had repeated statements that could be proven. I do have pictures of this. Also, when I moved and my lights were shut out, the slumlord's outside lights, porch light, hall light, and hot water that were supposed to provide to apartments 1 and 3, they were no longer on. So this proves that his lights were hooked into mine also. What a slumlord to do this to a sick man.

Also, National Grid should be held and they will have to take that off my bill as it was not mine. I pay for my bills but I will be damned if I will pay for someone else's. So National Grid, I am putting you on notice. I will file a civil suit against your company as you ignored all of my pleas for you to straighten this matter out. You have done nothing and it is over a year later. Also, on your website for people who steal electric, it's a complete joke. You can only type like 50 words. I will no longer allow you to disregard the way this was handled or should I say, not handled. You are the one responsible for this matter to drag on. You have done absolutely nothing about it.

So now, even if it takes the rest of my life, I will make sure this matter is straighten out and you will have to suck up the monies that the other people owe you. I do not owe it. Get it through your head. It was against the law for them to steal my electric and I have pictures of it. So you will correct this situation and I demand prosecution to the individual who hooked the entire electric in their apartment into my breaker box. Not only did they steal lights, they also stole cable, which was investigated and the person who did so got into trouble. The cops do know that all of this happened.

My son and sister lived with me on and off. My sister still does live with me at times when I am real ill. National Grid, you are being put on notice. I will not play your games. You have had more than enough time to figure this out yet you dragged your feet. This is discrimination towards a very ill man. So you better start figuring out that I should only owe you about $200.00. This is your problem and I will sue for discrimination and putting a very sick man through all of this aggravation. Take notice, National Grid.

Therefore, I learned when I returned home that Grid had already appeared, and cut my service. I called the customer service number again, and was told I would have to clear the entire balance - over $650 - before service would be reestablished. I explained my financial circumstances (certainly they are aware, since I was on the payment agreement), but they were unrelenting. I would note that I did pay the balance, by phone, utilizing the rent money for this next month. That $650 is not readily replaceable in my situation - so I may now be evicted if I am unable to come up with the $1050 due in rent at the end of this week. I spoke with a supervisor, who ultimately acknowledged that they are at fault, because the surly rep I spoke with is not in the Collections Dept., and is not authorized to make representations regarding what is or is not owed, and I should have been transferred to the appropriate department personnel who, in turn, should have advised me that the actual amount due - $79 - could be paid by phone.

My family and I are on gluten-free diets, the food for which is very expensive, and I could not afford to replace the bread, etc. in my freezer, so really, there was no choice but to pay. While I no longer owe them any money, it doesn't mean much if my children and I are living in our car. To add further insult, the clown who finally showed up was leering at me, and making wise-ass comments! Does it not occur to these morons that even on a payment plan, my utility payments is equal to their paychecks, their 401k, their mortgage, etc.? Why is Grid allowed a monopoly in my area (upstate NY)? Why are they allowed 24 hours to restore power, when they all have cell phones, laptops, etc. and it certainly doesn't take them 24 hours to cut your power? These guys drive around on a power trip (no pun intended), enjoying the bonus they'll receive for successfully completing their "cut-outs" for the day.

Now, here it is, 8:23pm on Thursday, May 24, and I'm still waiting for them since yesterday to turn my gas back on (which according to them was turned off in February by the former company I live under) but service was removed until the 22. I wake up to this ** trying to cook breakfast for my family, which is another reason why I'm pissed. I have a wife and a 3 year old son and I can't ** cook everything isn't microwaveable and I'm not made of money. I can't just go and buy something to cook.

I was told someone would come out yesterday before 11pm. They called at midnight saying they were here which was a no go because my super in my building was not having it. He said no to opening the door to the basement which I told them would be an issue if it was after 11. I was assured it would be before that, yet it wasn't. So here we go again, today as previously stated, it’s after 8pm and still no one has come and the super once again said after 11 he's not doing it. So this is beyond ** up not to mention they said someone would be here today before 1pm.

If anyone comes by to relocate your meter, chase them away. The third party has no interest in you because they get paid by National Grid. You are going to be stuck with whatever is left behind. National Grid should be National Crap.

Meanwhile, the man took some kind of tool and banged it on the electric box 7 times and said, "This will wake them up." What the ** kind of professionalism is this? Is this what you train your people to do? Play with kids' toys on other people's property and then the other damages it? My husband ended up at the ER because of his panic and anxiety. My husband has a broken neck, from building the Buffalo International Airport that you people use everyday. And now that he can't work, he's behind on his bills and he gets treated like this? For some two stupid turn of people? Big deal. That's a hard job, anyone can get trained for that! Try building an airport! Anyway, this is not about that. It's about the fact that your people are very disrespectful towards other people. Oh and by the way, my husband is also a veteran. I just can not believe this. What's going to come out of this? Nothing! Unbelievable!

I contacted all of my political representatives and was told they have no control over a private company. Whatever happened to public utilities going private and our government has no control over a public utility? In fact, National Grid is not even an American company at all, it's a UK-based company. What can be done to receive equal treatment like my neighbors enjoy from our private gas utility provider?

When I explained that the house had caught on fire last year and that perhaps there was a problem with the meter due to the fire, I was completely dismissed by Rita. At no time did anyone say that they were sorry that I was told by the first representative that I could request someone to come out and check my meter. I would like someone from National Grid to contact me regarding this and want to lodge a complaint against them for not properly addressing my issue.

I am not the property owner, and by the stipulation in my lease, I do not have permission to access any part of the building, except my apartment. After explaining this twice to National Grid, I was told that it is not the landlord's responsibility to grant access to the building, rather, it is the tenant's responsibility. I have asked them why they don't work this out with the landlord, but they refused to answer this question. Even though my landlord has contacted them to work out meter readings, they still claim they cannot access the building and that I am responsible for this task. Please advise me on my rights and any course of action I can take against National Grid.

But due to the fact that the WIC was not in his name, they would not count that either. And because his card doesn’t not say MassHealth on it, they will not honor that as a way to change the rates to low-income. So now in March, after many faxes and tons of calls, I faxed over the WIC cards with both our names and they stated they could not read them. So I mailed it to them. Still no rate change as of today. I am so upset and frustrated with them. We should be under the low-income rates and they don’t want to change the rates. I was also informed that if the rate is finally changed, they will not credit back all of these months. I don’t know who to contact or what to do. And for proof of address, you need a major bill with your name on it so that is why one bill is in his name and one is in my name. If we were married, this would not have happened. It’s so wrong.