Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

PGW

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PGW


800 West Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia , PA 19122
215-235-1000
Neighborhood: Girard Avenue
Help us make this site useful-- to citizens and the city.  When posting, be as concrete as possible, whether your review is positive or negative. Try to include:

-Date and details of experience.
-Was your situation resolved?
-What do you wish someone had told you before you dealt with the department?
-If the city offered to correct the situation, what would you tell them they’d have to do?

Use your real name if you can.  (Or let us know how to reach you.)  We follow up on many of the reviews posted here to write stories. Also, the city often asks us to help them reach people to resolve their problem.

Complaints about specific employees should be directed to their departments. We reserve the right to edit or remove profane, abusive, or unhelpful reviews.

Have a suggestion for how to make City Howl better? Call the hotline at (215) 854 5307 or email dmerrell@philly.com.
Style: Help us make this site useful-- to citizens and the city.  When posting, be as concrete as possible, whether your review is positive or negative. Try to include:

-Date and details of experience.
-Was your situation resolved?
-What do you wish someone had told you before you dealt with the department?
-If the city offered to correct the situation, what would you tell them they’d have to do?

Use your real name if you can.  (Or let us know how to reach you.)  We follow up on many of the reviews posted here to write stories. Also, the city often asks us to help them reach people to resolve their problem.

Complaints about specific employees should be directed to their departments. We reserve the right to edit or remove profane, abusive, or unhelpful reviews.

Have a suggestion for how to make City Howl better? Call the hotline at (215) 854 5307 or email dmerrell@philly.com.
22 User reviews | Post a review
Reviews
07:00 AM, 09/28/2009
Should be privatized
This entity should be sold. The city should not be in the natural gas business.
Posted by StewieforPresident
07:58 AM, 09/28/2009
Why Government Owned?
PGW has rates higher than other utilities for natural gas. The higher revenue stream is required to pay for political cronies that work there and for those customer who won't pay their bills. Most PGW employees, most PGW customers, and the city government would be better off if PGW were owned by a larger utility, like Excelon or Consolidated Edison. I think PGW could be a valuable asset to a larger business concern, and their employees would be valued more, if they were not part of the city government. I call on Mayor Nutter and City Council, to make the city government smaller. An easy first step is to sell, or perhaps give, PGW to another non-politial utility business.
Posted by misterpond
08:09 AM, 09/28/2009
Commodity Charge
PGW accesses a commodity charge that is frequently high then my actual gas usage. Which is absolutely ridiculous – making my gas bill very high. It seems to me that I’m just paying for all the people that don’t pay.
Posted by jnandal
09:21 AM, 09/28/2009
Winter Rates
Is it me? Or does PGW charge a higher rate in the winter months. I would like to know what I am paying. And I wish that PGW do not charge me extra to pay for people who are either unable or unwilling to pay for their own gas.
Posted by silydia
11:37 AM, 09/28/2009
STOP USING VENDOR FOR ONLINE PAYMENTS AND CHARGING CUSTOMERS FOR IT!
I am sick of paying an extra fee every time I make my PGW payment online. PECO doesn't charge you. I pay every two months now, not because I don't have the money to pay on time, but to save the stupid fee. STOP CHARGING US AND BLAMING IT ON AN OUTSIDE VENDOR! YOU PAY THE VENDOR INSTEAD!
Posted by Mrs. Newless! Mrs. Newless!
10:04 AM, 09/29/2009
Who would buy it?
The sale of PGW has been debated and suggested for well over a decade if not decades, finding a buyer for it is the issue. It most likely will never happen as long as it remains in it's past and present condition.
Posted by TomM
12:35 PM, 09/29/2009
ONE BILLION
PGW is a political cronies heaven. Thay have sunk it into a billion dollar debt. Not even ENRON would buy it years ago when they were buying everything in site.
Posted by news1234
02:55 PM, 10/02/2009
Overcharges
I had gas meter removed from property in February. A bill in amount of $9.38 was added to final bill even though no service to the property. When I inquired about it at gas company customer service rep.just looked at me as if I were from outer space and nothing was done.
Posted by nettieb1
05:06 PM, 10/12/2009
monopoly
I was under the impression utility monopolies were illegal due to anti-trust issues...? There needs to be choice and competition, for gas and electricity...just like the cable and phone companies..
Posted by niceguy19125
02:16 AM, 10/19/2009
Gas Leak and Road Repair
During a training exercise, multiple gas leaks were discovered on my street, including my supply line. PGW identified 9 houses with leaks and fixed 3 (mine included) the same day. They left, leaving a large hole in the street in front of my house. It 2 months of calling to get them to finally fill in the hole and repair the remaining 6 leaking supply lines. It's worth noting that PGW responded 3 times during the 2 month-period by coming out and enlarging the hole. It got so large, that every truck or bus going by knocked the wood beams covering the hole into the hole. I finally had to call every day. I think I finally called the streets dept and 311 about the continually open hole. The initial response to the leaks was great, but then they completely dropped the ball.
Posted by an00
08:51 AM, 10/22/2009
overcharges
Just realized that my payment plan amount of which im been paying the last 9 months, is $250 more than any single month worth of gas used......something is wrong with this picture
Posted by Raheem
06:42 PM, 10/24/2009
PGW
PGW is a great company. They have great employees. The politicians in city hall is the problem. You people need to get to the root of the problems. Don't blame your family, friend and neighbor who works at PGW. The technocrats in city hall, puc, city council and the gas commission are the problem.
Posted by bluebook1
02:56 PM, 11/10/2009
Thanks for the feedback
@ an00: Reviews like this are great -- we want to collect an archive of citizen experiences with city services. But we also really want you to tell us about experiences like this while they're happening, so we can look into them and see if we can pressure the city to take action. Is there an open pothole in the middle of your street right now? Howl about it! P.S. I know that review's been posted for weeks but if you write about an ongoing problem, we'll get on top of it faster than that, I promise. -Doron Taussig, City Howl/It's Our Money
Posted by Doron Taussig
06:04 PM, 11/18/2009
Parts and Labor - Furnace Repair
To contrast my earlier miserable experience above, when my furnace didn't light last week, I called PGW, and they came out at 8am on the second business day and fixed it in under an hour. They would've come the next day, but I wasn't available. Score one for the Part and Labor plan and the tech who came out. Navigating the phone system for a non-emergency service call was another thing. I went directly to an operator to get the right department.
Posted by an00
01:46 PM, 01/28/2010
PGW COMMITING FRAUD WITH DISTRIBUTION CHARGE
PGW IS GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER. THE DISTRIBUTION CHARGE IS MORE THAN THE USEAGE CHARGE. NO WONDER PEOPLE CANNOT PAY THE GAS BILL. PGW IS STEALING AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT. I AM CONTACTING CONGRESS
Posted by bigl60
09:23 PM, 02/01/2010
LIHEAP?
I applied for LIHEAP back in November, made sure all my paperwork was mailed in and all that needed to be in was in. I got a letter in January stating I needed another document... okay it was faxed over...not once, but twice. I get a letter today February 1st stating all my paperwork was not received and that I was not eligible?? talk about fair? I called the LIHEAP hotline and the worker says to me "It looks like all you paperwork was received I don't know why you were denied?" Ummmm okay me neither ,so now I have a husband that is out of work, two kids I am a stay at home mother looking for work and a $970.00 PGW gas bill on my kitchen table. They tell me I have to reapply or send in an appeal letter, so what it will take another 4 months to be processed? talk about unfair!!! What is fair anymore in this day and age! I need this bill to be paid we have NO money to pay this! I was counting on this to help us. Now I am in the same situation that I was in back in November!!! Unreal!
Posted by rosemaryy
12:27 PM, 02/04/2010
Terrible Response Time
This department, along with the Water department are quite possibly the worst run of all the city agencies. The automated telephone system used by these two departments does what it is supposed to do by frustrating the callers to hang up after 15 minutes or so of runaround. Bring back the human element to answer the service calls. I recently called for a gas line not working and they asked if there were elderly or younger persons living there. Otherwise it would take an appointment several weeks away to come out and look at it. Maybe I should take several weeks to pay my Gas Bill. I get just as cold as an Elderly or Young person, and it could have been a gas leak causing the problem. But I'm sure they would have found the problem around May or June after my death.
Posted by V7110
11:32 AM, 03/22/2010
ms.
Issue Resolved Has anyone in authority looked into this DISTRIBUTION CHARGE. I want ALL OF MY MONEY BACK FOR BEING ROBBED BY PGW. HOW ABOUT YOU?
Posted by bigl60
02:52 PM, 03/22/2010
SHAME ON YOU PGW
My gas bill last month and EVERY MONTH DURING THE WINTER, is over $500.00 a month. Get rid of the commody/distribution charge which is more than the usage charge, I would be able to buy a car. Over $200.00 a month for that criminal charge would be my car payment. We should all get together and picket pgw/ get the news people and involved and see if this charge is investigated and STOPPED. Maybe would we ALL HAVE CREDITS ON OUR GAS BILLS, AND CARS, THIS CERTAINLY WOULD HELP THE ECONOMY AND PURCHASE CARS AGAIN. WHAT DO YOU SAY PEOPLE. HOLLA BACK, PLEASE. :)
Posted by bigl60
08:53 PM, 04/24/2010
They want to increase the rates...
Just about every two years they want a rate increase. (Currently, PUC v Philadelphia Gas Works, Docket No. R-2009-2139884). Why? Because sales to people who actually have to pay the entire bill have decreased, & the low-income people who pay ONLY $25 for the ENTIRE MONTH can use all the gas they want (which accounts for 14% of everyone else's bill). PGW's answer: Demand Side Management Programs - new, energy efficient appliances, etc.(at our expense), for the low-income people, in order to reduce their demand. How about putting a LIMIT on their demand, and encourage their responsibility & conservation?
Posted by dee99999
06:33 PM, 12/16/2011
PGW a new way to steal our money
I signed up for the parts and labor plan. Our heater broke down. They sent a technician to repair the ignitor switch. After breaking four....four new ones he tried to install he called a second and third technician out....then I was told by the third technician that they could not fix it that it was previously altered (which it was by their own technician that day) I told him they had to fix it he told me to get a contractor that I would not be reimbursed for my parts and labor plan and call a supervisor. The first technician cut wires removed parts and left with them because he had failed so miserably. I called a supervisor and he basically told me to call anyone I wanted that they were not going to fix it.
Posted by sally g