NEWBURGH – Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) has made a formal request to the Public Service Commission to investigate the billing practices of Central Hudson Gas & Electric. The request comes after Jacobson and other lawmakers have spent six months arguing with the utility company over faulty billing.
When consumers began receiving exorbitant bills from Central Hudson earlier this year, the utility company said that errors were caused by new billing software. In May, Jacobson wrote to Central Hudson to ask if the software glitches had been resolved. He also requested that Central Hudson discontinue the practice of estimated billing with the exception of extreme circumstances.
Jacobson told Mid-Hudson News that Central Hudson had not replied to his questions, forcing him to request a PSC investigation into Central Hudson’s billing practices.
Since January the assemblyman says he has received hundreds of complaints from constituents about their higher-than-normal bills from Central Hudson and other billing problems. One constituent had a bill for over $700,000 while others had not received a bill in more than four months. Others had been receiving estimated bills for longer than that. When customers called Central Hudson, many could not be helped because their name or account number could not be found in the system.
In March, Jacobson introduced legislation to limit estimated billing.
“Central Hudson’s customers, my neighbors, deserve answers to these basic questions,” said Jacobson. “It is hard enough to deal with rising prices, without having to deal with inaccurate or confusing billing. Enough is enough!”
