Menu
Florida Power & Light [FPL]

Florida Power & Light [FPL] review: Deposit requirement 53

A
Author of the review
7:43 am EDT
Review updated:
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Re: florida power and light residential deposit requirements and policies

To whom it may concern:

I am writing you regarding florida power and light’s (Fpl) deposit policy for residential service in manatee county florida. Like millions of people in the united states and hundreds of thousands of people in florida, I have been impacted by the slow economy. I consider myself to be middle-class. My profession of 16 years has been commission sales. The economy has tremendous impact on both my customers’ purchasing decisions and my income.

My specific area of complaint is fpl’s current policy to charge a deposit up to 3 times an average monthly bill for “delinquent”, “at-risk”, “problem” customers. Their policy is to penalize florida residents for late payments, returned checks, and non-payment on their electric bill.in my specific case to avoid “interruption” of my service (Turning out the lights until payment is received) resulting from current intermittent financial hardships, I am required to make a “deposit” of $790.00. Ironically, my inability to pay my $250.00 bill several months ago that has long been paid, now requires a deposit of $790.00 that I do not have. As a resident of manatee county florida, I have no alternatives for electricity providers. Essentially, I am a victim of a monopoly that has a profound negative impact on fpl customers and manatee county florida residents.

The deposit policies that are in place by fpl are non-negotiable and strictly enforced by rude and sometimes belligerent fpl employee’s some of which are most likely experiencing the same hardships that my family has encountered. Fpl strives to find alternatives and assistance programs that they direct their customers to, but none of these are fpl entities. These organizations are community based non-profits that offer assistance to people in dire straits. Fpl does subsidize some of these programs and I have actually donated time and money (Under better financial circumstances) to these same organizations. However, based on my income level and the amount of my deposit, it is laughable to them when I phone for assistance. They just don’t have the money to assist fpl customers with funds for a deposit, and can only assist fpl customers with nominal bills.

Manatee county residents have tough decisions to make when it comes to paying their fpl bill or providing necessities that impact and their families which include:
• feeding themselves and their children (Milk, dinner, or fpl?)
• paying their mortgage or rent (Foreclosure, homelessness, or fpl?)
• going to the doctor (Bronchitis, pneumonia, cancer diagnosis, or fpl?)
• buying prescriptions (Blood pressure, asthma, oral chemotherapy or fpl?)
• required medical procedures and follow-up appointments (Bone marrow biopsy, blood work, treatment results or fpl?)
• gas in the car for work, bus money, carpool or fpl?

And on and on.

In contrast to fpl’s practices, manatee county residents do receive assistance and relief (Even if only emotional), from companies that provide most products and/or services and are not immediately directed to community based organizations or be faced with excruciating decisions that have a profound negative impact to their daily lives. Non-profit and community based programs along with residents of manatee county florida would be better served if non-profits applied their limited resources to provide assistance to the above mentioned scenarios. These organizations were formed to assist in the above mentioned points, not to pay money into a “deposit account” to cover an outstanding balance to fpl in the event someone may not pay their bill and move from an fpl service area.

In my particular case, I have received negotiable re-payment terms (That I have kept) that fit my budget but no deposit requirement from the providers of other essential and chosen services for my family. These include mortgage, auto, credit cards, phone, water, gas (Teco) etc…mortgage, auto, phone, and credit cards (Choices), water and gas (Are essentials). But they all have been willing to make arrangements with their customers experiencing financial hardship that will provide long term solutions and avoid an immediate loss of a necessary requirement power. Unlike fpl that demands a payment amount equal to 3 months worth of a service that has not yet been provided, for a bill that I am already having an issue paying the face value amount of. Plus, given 30-45 days to come up with that money at the risk of the lights being turned out.

My complaints are common but above all reasonable:
• if I struggle to come up with 1 month’s worth of payment, how in america the greatest country on earth, can any government or public entity approve of this deposit practice when there are no alternative choices?
• since fpl turns off my power for a 30/60 day past due account or “non-payment” for a provided service and I pay the re-connect fee, why am I required to pay a deposit that fpl states can never be applied to an outstanding invoice unless I move or have 14 months of on-time payments?
• in order to restore service when my power is turned off, I must pay the past due amount. That makes sense. To have my service shut off because of non-payment and the inability to come up with a 3 month deposit is incomprehensible.
• why can’t fpl add 5, 10, 20 dollars per month to their “at risk” customers monthly invoices up to a reasonable 30 day deposit as an alternative if a deposit is absolutely necessary?

I sit here typing this letter, stressed out over the prospect of my power being shut off today, tomorrow, or the next day because I cannot pay my $1, 169.98 fpl bill that is including the $790.00 deposit. I will have my current months $379.98 payment this friday or next, but not the $790.00 deposit. So I must make the choice in the coming hours, days and weeks. Can I pay a deposit for electricity that I have not yet used in my $790.00 fpl deposit at the risk of sacrificing my home, car, fuel, employment, food, medication, water, toothpaste, hospitalization from not being able to afford medication, foreclosure, mold in the house from non-air conditioning in florida, asthma attack from mold, brakes for the car, or my front headlight?

Above all of this, I have been an fpl customer in good standing for almost 10 years. Does that not account for anything? Please help!

Sincerely,
Austin kastner

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

53 comments
F
F
FlaJo
North Port, US
Dec 09, 2022 3:05 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I feel your pain! I am in the same situation and so stressed right now my blood pressure is way up!

G
G
Gary Fowdy
, US
Sep 21, 2022 4:44 pm EDT

Power box rusty and killing plants

In our front yard there is great big green box that covers electrical wires.

It has become rusted and is killing our p!a table

It needs to be released

View 0 more photos
G
G
Gary Fowdy
, US
Sep 20, 2022 9:03 am EDT

I have a large been BOX outside of my house that has major rust issues!

It appears to be killing my plants next to it as well

I believe it needs to be replaced

L
L
las las
, US
Sep 21, 2017 1:41 pm EDT

sad this is still going on and they have not changed their tactics what is wrong with Florida that they refuse to open up the game for more electricity companies to get established this has to change

J
J
J & J Dson
, US
Jan 15, 2016 11:32 am EST

My 70 yr old veteran husband & I, 64, blind w/spine injury, rented a Miami Beach apt. 570 sq. ft. 8 months ago; lamps have one 40 watt bulb, NOT used daylight hours, we are in bed at 9:00 pm, have no devices (game-box or stereo), sparingly use AC, cannot tolerate cold due to severe arthritis. FPL says meter was broken 5 months, we should have reported it (isn't it THEIR equipment to monitor & maintain?) Mentally diminished husband said: "bill wrong? I paid what FPL asked me to pay, never late, never skipped a month!" All cust. serv. reps parrot identical phrase "nothing I can do" to correct 19, 355 kilowatt hours they "guess-timated" for us those 5 months - IMPOSSIBLE! Because this month, Jan-Feb we used 488 kWh, last month 635 kWh, 718 kWh the previous month. Ms. Perez said she deals with so many dishonest people, we are probably dishonest, too; ambition & anger prevent fairness, blind her that hardworking families, not criminals, are made desperate by such billing tactics. She was angry our Jan-Feb usage is low, said we probably changed our usage "Now that you know you have to pay for it" - no regard that the weather is cooler. Instead of rudeness, sarcasm & bullying, FPL should admit the trusting Elderly are heavily abused, victimized & exploited. Several hours every day, 2 solid weeks, I am unable to find ANYONE at FPL who will correct this ridiculous bill; we are suffering appetite & sleep loss, depression & higher blood pressure. THIS COMPANY WANTS US TO PAY ELECTRICITY WE DID NOT USE, in payments the next 2 years! At the US Poverty Line & elderly, we are ANOTHER FPL horror story.

P
P
PBD2015
Naples, US
Sep 24, 2014 4:15 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

HAS ANYONE HERE TALKED TO ATTORNEY OR KNOW WHO IS MOST APPROPRATE FOR THIS?

PLEASE LIST NAMES OF SOME ATTORNIES A.S.A.P.

THIS B.S.!

P
P
PBD2015
Naples, US
Sep 24, 2014 4:11 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hi there, This is exactly what I'm dealing with. They are ruthless! Did you find an attorney to review the FPL case? I see a lot of people on here with the same exact thing and could be a class action law suit. We all have to pull together somehow and go against FPL. I will act on this and am serious about consulting with an attorney. I don't see replys on here to each comment. Click my profile and send me a message if you have an update any attorney info, etc. Thanks, Rob

S
S
stever87
Palm Coast, US
Jun 17, 2014 9:31 am EDT

FPL IS A MONOPOLY AND ACTING UNETHICALLY TOWARDS ITS LONGSTANDING CUSTOMERS
FPL is requiring and additional $294 deposit from us because we were late twice over the last year. I have been a paying customer of FPL for OVER !2 YEARS and they are treating us like we are criminals. They are acting as an illegal monopoly in direct violation of the Sherman Anti Trust Act. No other business, be it a bank, insurance company, financial institution or retail outlet acts in this manner. FPL does not give a rats ### about their customers and is exploiting people at their weakest moments in the middle of a financial depression in this country. I spoke with FPL and told them of my eight months of unemployment and the drastic reduction in pay I have experienced and they simply said, "pay us or we turn off the power". FPL is comprised of some of the coldest, most ruthless ### on the face of the earth. They truly do not care whether their customers live or die. FPL needs to be brought into a court of law and sued for abusive monetary practices and holding their customers hostage to intractable collection tactics. As long as I am forced to use FPL as my only power provider, I will seek ways to bring them to a court of law to answer for their financial terrorism against victims of the ongoing financial depression in this country. I will find an attorney to bring them to court. They will have to answer to a judge. I will make sure of that.

E
E
elizaabeth parisi
Cape Coral, US
Nov 01, 2012 2:10 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I live in lee county and two months ago i was charged a 100.00 depoist because I used more electricity, here I am two months later and being charged another 150.00 for the same reason, I have never had my electric turned off or not paid my bill in the allotted time, they just said it was because of my useage I am a senior and on a fixed income and can get no relief because of no other options to electric and that's why this is happening I believe we need to fight this problem . LCEC are the theives and they should be made accountable, When I asked to speak to a supervisior they told me they would call back to busy to talk, You would think with what they charge there would be a supervisor available on every call.

C
C
Candida Ruiz
Miami, US
Sep 27, 2012 11:08 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT IS ABUSIVE AND INSENSITIVE TO THE NEEDS OF IT'S LESS FORTUNATE CLIENTS.

THEY ASK FOR EXTRA DEPOSITS FROM PEOPLE WHO FIND IT DIFFICULT TO PAY ON A TIMELY FASHION DURING THIS HARD TIMES WHEN SO MANY OF US ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

I lost my business about two years ago and of course I started facing some financial trouble trying to adjust to my one and only income now which is my retirement, to make matters worst Florida Power and Light forced a deposit on me last year which I found difficult to pay but was forced to do it for fear of being disconnected, because of that particular deposit I am paying my light bill in arrears and dragging one month.

I just received another letter for and additional deposit placed on my electric bill with a proposal to forget about this deposit if I allow for my payments to be automatically taken out of my bank account every month. As it stands, to bring my account up to date I would have to make two payments, this proposal is in fact some kind of extortion because if I permit FPL to take out the money to pay my bill form my bank account they will surely bring it up to date thus leaving me with no money for anything else and if I pay the additional deposit It will also affect me financially and live me open to yet another deposit in the future.

In these times of hardship in which we are living any extra amount of money is a sacrifice, many of us find it hard to pay bills on time and FPL just makes it worst for the public. FPL is a monopoly and knows that they are the only ones able to provide this service and are being abusive and insensitive with it's less fortunate clients.

I do not know where this country is heading but companies like FPL do not care as long as they get paid on time or else, this is why there are so many people protesting and if these abuses continue they will get worse.

I have been a faithful customer for over forty years and pay between $500.00 and $600.00 monthly regardless of date in which I make the payment but do you think they care about this at FPL.? If something can be done beside complaining to the Public Service Commission please let me know, I will use the last of my savings to pay for a lawyer if that is what it's going to take.

I will send then the deposit but this is not going to end here, along with it i will take the time to print all the complaints on this forum just in case they have not read them since they obviously care very little about their customers or what they have to say, another copy to the Public Service Commission and will also talk to my lawyer to do something against this blatant abuse and extortion.

L
L
Larry P
Venice, US
May 22, 2012 10:15 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I agree wholeheartedly with M. Wilson. As US citizens, we have a constiututional right of access to the courts. Florida has nonprofit legal aid agencies in every county that will provide free advice, and in some cases direct representation of Florida Plunder and Loot customers. There are also websites with sample lawsuit complaint forms available free or at low cost. Check out www.nolo.com, which is a publisher of low-cost law books written for the non-lawyer (that is, US!). Also check out www.rocketlawyer.com/FreeLegalDoc for free legal forms you can download and print.
The main thing is to stand up and fight by SUING THE ###. We don't have to TAKE their crap. Remember, every dollar you spend on a self-represented lawwsuit will cost FPL $1000 in legal fees. Look into "tort" actions for harrassment by rude employees. Free and low-cost assistance is available to those with the patience and willingness to persist.
Good luck!

G
G
gt!!!
Miami, US
Dec 08, 2011 6:35 pm EST

I have a house in Miami, and have always paid my FPL account in full every month. However, when my bank was bought out and accounts transferred last summer there were some problems with the transfer of the bill pay system. My automatic payments to a couple of large and small vendors FPL were dropped, and I was not notified. FPL contacted me in November to tell me that my account was delinquent and that I needed to pay them $1100 immediately to balance my account or they would turn off the power. I paid them the $1100 immediately. I attempted to fix the billpay problem but did not get a bill the next month so I paid an arbitrary amount of $600, which was 50% more than what I expected the bill to be. I came back from a one-week trip out of state, and found out that my power had been cut off for three days. My alarm had been off, the batteries and UPS dead, three refrigerators and freezer filled with spoiled foods, and who knows what else I will find. The loss to me was in the thousands of dollars. When I finally contacted FPL, they said that it was too late at night turn the power back on, and that I could talk to a supervisor in the morning. Today, a supervisor said that they had charged my account with an $800 deposit for being delinquent last November, and this had made my account delinquent despite my payments to keep the balance at zero. They said that I should have paid $1900 in November, not $1100. Even though I told the supervisor that the FPL representative told me the $1100 payment would balanced the account, and that I had never received any notification of a $800 deposit charge on my account, and that I thought the payments I had made were in excess of the power charges at my home, the supervisor told me that FPL was fully justified in cutting my power because my account was delinquent. I was told that since I was on bill pay, they could not send me any bills, and did not have to notify me other than by mail. I was gone a week, and their notification by mail was in my mail box when I came home at night to a dark, damaged home. Remedies? I was told by FLP customer service that they are not liable for the loss in security and damage to my home, because my account was delinquent, and it did not matter if it was their unannounced deposit charge to the account that made it delinquent. Is there anyway to right the wrong? The damages are too small too justify a lawyer, but maybe small claims court is a solution? Anyway, I am fortunate that I have enough resources to pay the bills, but unfair treatment by a monopoly like FPL makes me mad. Until this incident, I though that FPL was a reasonable company to deal with, but not anymore. They set me up for delinquency. FPL is overzealous about penalizing customers with deposits and powers shutdowns, which makes them heartless, guttersnipes when it comes to dealing with customers.

K
K
Kim1006
Bradenton, US
Oct 28, 2011 4:48 am EDT

I'm not sure if you guys would be interested in airing this or not but I've just had a serious experience with FPL and wondered if anyone had contacted you with the same/similar issue regarding customer service with them.

On Oct 4 the payment extension that I got through FPL was due in the amount of $363.668. I did not get paid until Oct 6 and when I realized this error I called them and asked if they could extend my time only 2 days until I got paid. I was told that could not be done. They could not physically extend my extension and if I didn't make my payment that day my power would be turned off. I explained to her that I didn't have the funds to do this with until Thursday the 6th. She then proceeded to tell me that it takes 2 days to reach my account and that I should be OK paying it that day. I reluctantly paid this hoping it would wait until Thursday to hit my account. I was wrong! It actually reach my account the very next day. I was unaware of this until I accessed my bank account on Thursday to check my deposit and see if their payment had cleared or was pending or had even reached my bank yet. It had and was already in the process of being returned. I immediately called FPL and explained the problem and was told by this customer service rep that she would note my account and when I asked her if I could go ahead and make that payment then I was told no that I had to wait for an additional final notice that would have the $363.68 which was September's bill along with October's bill of $423.42 that I could then file an extension for. Looking everyday in the mail for this so that we could make that payment and extend the other, we never received that final notice. My husband is out of work the entire month of September and we play catch up the next few months.

Moving to today Oct 27. My son is at home, a minor, but old enough to be home alone, receives a knock on the door and it is FPL looking for my husband or myself. We were both working. The tech handed my son the disconnect notice and proceeded to turn our power off. He called and told me and I immediately called FPL again and tried to explain the situation at hand and plead my case and explain that I was told by their rep to pay the bill without having the funds in my account and that I was then told by another one of their reps to wait for a bill that never arrived. I also explained that had I not been told to pay the first bill without having the funds and was just extended the 2 day grace that I was asking for that I would not be on the phone with them right now and I would still have power. They didn't care that their reps messed up and gave me inappropriate advice. We were also behind on our rent and I had to call my landlord and ask her not to deposit my rent check that I was just able to pay yesterday, as I had to use this money for FPL and they wanted the entire amount of $787.10. So now we are at risk for losing our place to live and are working on being 2 months behind with our landlord. I'm now also afraid that they are going to charge us an additional deposit due to the lateness and disconnection of our power that we are already struggling to pay now. So now my husband and children are sitting in the dark tonite with no power as FPL also has a 24 hour turn around time to reconnect your power. I also called them multiple times after paying the amount they requested to get my power turned back on to make sure that it would be turned back on tonite and I was advised that their techs work until 9 or 10 pm and then start again at 7am the next day. I contact my family at 930 to see if the power had been reconnected and I was advised it had not. Then my last call to them tonite I was told that they were done for the night and that they have my work order for it to be turned back on but that they had until 5:37 the following day as that was the time I made my payment to them. So as they sit there tonite without power FPL sits there with my money and the capabilities to turn it back on but did not. We are extremely frustrated as they had enough techs out to come turn it off but not enough to make sure that it was back on in a decent amount of time. I feel that they are doing it on purpose as to teach us/me a lesson as parts of my conversation with them were not very nice from my end.

Have you had anyone contact you reference FPL's customer service and their inadequate customer service? I'm just curious as I googled FPL lawsuits/complaints and there are several and I am uncertain how to handle this now.

Thank you in advance for any help you might have on this situation and where I can get help for possible future problems that we might encounter.

L
L
Leer4trt
Miami, US
Feb 05, 2011 6:39 am EST

It is a complete monopoly, they have given me two deposits to pay because I was late for two consecutive payments. Helppp

F
F
Fair Energy
Pittsburgh, US
Jul 17, 2010 10:56 am EDT

I have been wrung through the coals with EPl too. It is time for this monopoly to stop. Anyone who has been wrong by FPL should get together in their towns and hold a meeting. If each town should gets together with other towns until all of Florida can protest the unfair practices of FPL. If Martin Luther King did it, we can too.Many people sit by and let other people do the work. If you are piss off like I am, I think it is about time we should all get together. Put an ad in the Pennysaver. Signing off ( fair energy)

F
F
fplfighter
Miami, US
May 21, 2010 5:31 pm EDT

FPL in Miami sucks. They have cut me off for a nominal bill and even calling for an extension. I laugh at you for trying to get an extension to pay in 2, 3 or even 4 days. THey will laugh at you too because chances of an extension are 0 none zilch your cooked if you were late just 1 time or dont keep a prior extension because of economical situations.

For everyone reading this though there is good news. Turning your power back on and fighting back is easy if you know how to put it back on. They have no way of knowing how, why or what turned it on and as long as they dont read my blog I can tell you how

*********read with caution****** I do not condone doing this in place of paying a bill, but only wen these [censor] shut you off and you need power to survive.

This may not always work so I wish you luck, but if you go to where your meter is and you carefully pull the actual meter housing out and down it basically unplugs like a house plug. There is a little switch on the bottom left you can switch it on and then flip your main breaker on...thats it your back on. Remember to plug back your meter so they dont catch you in the act.

*****note*** it is against florida law to do this and restore your own power...so they say, but you can just tell them there was a power outage nearby and an fpl worker made a stop to turn it on and helped out.

good luck I hope that helps many people in dire need.

C
C
concerned in FL
Port Charlotte, US
Dec 30, 2009 8:30 pm EST

Let's do something about together, it is time. We must contact every legislative body that we can to see to it that FPL doesn't take advantage of any more Floridians. I have written President Obama and I will now go down the chain to our Governor and so on and so forth. This is only causing our economy to be worse as we are having to decide on whether to pay a mortgage payment or electric deposit. Many of us are choosing to pay the deposit to take care of our families by providing food for them because without power it is hard to cook and store the food. I will make this my mission to see to it that FPL stops this unethical practice.

L
L
Laura Newton
Palm Coast, US
Nov 16, 2009 9:23 am EST

Everyone here needs to file a complaint with the F.T.C Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/ to get these greedy ### to change their policies. Something needs to be done about this. If enough people start to complain they have to reply.

From the FTC website:
The FTC deals with issues that touch the economic life of every American. It is the only federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors of the economy. The FTC pursues vigorous and effective law enforcement; advances consumers’ interests by sharing its expertise with federal and state legislatures and U.S. and international government agencies; develops policy and research tools through hearings, workshops, and conferences; and creates practical and plain-language educational programs for consumers and businesses in a global marketplace with constantly changing technologies.

When the FTC was created in 1914, its purpose was to prevent unfair methods of competition in commerce as part of the battle to “bust the trusts.” Over the years, Congress passed additional laws giving the agency greater authority to police anticompetitive practices. In 1938, Congress passed a broad prohibition against “unfair and deceptive acts or practices.” Since then, the Commission also has been directed to administer a wide variety of other consumer protection laws, including the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Pay-Per-Call Rule and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. In 1975, Congress gave the FTC the authority to adopt industry-wide trade regulation rules. The FTC’s work is performed by the Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics. That work is aided by the Office of General Counsel and seven regional offices.

Learn more about the FTC...http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/general/gen03.shtm

File a Complaint: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

V
V
vlc5190
Melbourne, US
Jul 29, 2009 1:07 pm EDT

I agree. FPL needs to be taken down off their high horse..If there is a class action suit against them I would like to know Enough is enough.

G
G
girlinatizzy
, US
Jul 23, 2009 10:38 am EDT

Ever since the Government stopped regulating FPL the price of electricity has just sky rocketed. The girl on the phone told me FPL has not changed since the 80's and that it is the fault of fuel costs and that FPL cannot control fuel prices. They slapped me with a deposit of 350 after not making my bill on time, they will give you an extension maybe but not always. They send their service techs to disconnect you with an unfriendly attitude and demand payment there and then not giving you even an hour or so to see if you can come up with the money. Times are hard, yes, I have 3 kids and my husband's job was very slow, if it wasn't for family helping out we would have been without power in 90 degree heat and 3 small children..do they give a crap? hell no, you can beg, cry all you want they just want their money. The Government should have some kind of service plan for people with children and disabilities and low income where you only pay a certain percent of the bill and no deposit and an extension or waver or something if you cannot come up with the money right away. “When our power plants operate more efficiently, they use less fuel. And when our plants use less fuel, customers save so we are told..yeah like five bucks or so which is really noticeable on the bill right? The rich are greedy and that has a lot to do with why the economy is so bad..greed. Heavily tax those SOB's and help the us struggling poor people with families, illness and hardship.

H
H
Helen Smith
Tamarac, US
Jul 09, 2009 9:06 pm EDT

I agree with everyone that is commenting on this bulletin. FPL has made this industry such a monopoly, residents have no choice, but to pay the additional deposits, which are very unnecessary. This country is in distress right now and Florida residents do not have any reprieve. I was forced to move out of my apartment because the landlord went into foreclosure without my knowledge. Of course I paid rent up to the last day. When I left I was told by the real estate agency that the all services will be switched over into the proper name. And because I was so distraught and busy trying to find a place for my family, it never dawned on me to check if the electricity was changed. So when I found a new place, I had a large balance that I was unable to prove was not my services. FPL was asking for specific documents proving the date I left the premises and there were no documents to prove that. So I ended having to pay the bill. Because of the situation, an FPL supervisor spread the payments over 3 months.

I complied with all of the payments, and the lights were still disconnected because now I was late with the current bill. I paid my deposit of 120.00, I paid two bills late because of this arrangement that was made on the old bills, which are technically not my services, but if I did not pay it, my family would be without power. I struggled to pay the electric bill because I still needed to come up with money to find a place for my family and I move.

Needless to say, the struggle was null and void because I received an additional deposit of 119.00. What! Seriously if I am struggling to pay my monthly bill, how am I going to pay an additional deposit. The customer services agents are rude and really do not care about your situation.

So after two late payments, you are billed an additional deposit because you cannot afford to pay your bill on time. FPL is already charging a late fee. That should cover the late fee expenses and should be enough compensation.

I work for Emergency Services and provide the utmost care to very sick people all the time and provide safety and medical care to the community and now I cannot get any assistance during hard times. I am almost ashamed of the choice I made to serve my community and when needed, no one can regulate or provide services to us who give back to our community everyday. Sad, sad, sad...I am going to email everyone in Broward County until I find an answer.

K
K
KAR
Fort Myers, US
May 26, 2009 6:27 pm EDT

I absolutely agree with everyone here. I live in Collier County. I have luckily been forutate and have been able to keep my finances afloat... until FPL. I moved 1 and a half months ago, and used FPL's online service to transfer to my new apartment and cancel the previous. When I cancelled the old address, they would not let me pay the bill online. When I called in to ask how to pay my previous address bill to "0" the operator told me it would transfer to my new bill within 2-4 weeks. 2 weeks later I got a bill for ONLY my new address. I mailed a check immediately for $60.25 paid in full. 30 days later they finally cashed my check as an ACH payment (05/08/2009). Since I had transferred my address on my checking account and had all new account #'s the check was returned. I received an email and immediately called the bank who apologized and fixed the situation and called FPL who said they would "take care of it" and for me to resend payment. FPL however (adding on my previous address bill) disconnected my power (05/14/2009). I received a bill then for $188.00 on the meter in which i could pay "CASH ONLY" with a $17.95 reconnect fee. I called FPL. My first question, why had I not received a bill with this amount due. Second question, why had I not received a bill AT ALL. They have no paystations with in 30 miles of me in which you can pay CASH (money orders and bank checks do not work). You can use Western Union though. (Western Union only accepts MasterCard and Discover) I had to pay a $25 fee to use a VISA and Set up an account. 05/18/2009, I received a 1st disconnect notice of $188 (a little late). 05/20/2009 I received a FINAL DISCONNECT notice. As of 05/21/2009 the day I was leaving for vacation, my payment through Western Union had not posted and I received a letter in the mail with an FPL bill for $526.00. (My average monthly bill on ONE place was only $70 though this did not include FEES). Today is 05/26/2009 and I have again received a disconnect notice and have yet to have power restored.

05/21/2009 (here is the ironic overlap). My boyfriend and I live in separate residences. We both have very good jobs and pay our bills religiously. Before we left for vacation, he made sure all payments had been paid. 05/22/2009 as we are accross the country on vacation, the dog sitter calls to inform us that his power has been turned off. He immediately called FPL to report an outage and was informed that his account showed "CLOSED". Obviously irritated he inquired as to how the account was "CLOSED" when he had obviously not requested that. They did not know. He asked them to correct the situation and restore power immediately as we had 2 dogs there and it was extremely hot and dangerous for them to be left there. He was then informed that they would have to open a new account and he needed to pay a $200 deposit. Also in order for them to expedite the reconnect, he would have to pay through "WESTERN UNION" and again, not having a MASTERCARD or DISCOVER CARD, he would have to pay the $25.00 wait an hour and call back the MAIN number with his receipt #. After 3 hours hassling around searching for a computer getting to a phone where we could sit on hold, we were able to call back give them the number and inform the dog sitter that the power would be restored. We received a reconnect confirmation and decided to work it out when we returned. We called 3 times daily from 05/22/2009-05/25/2009. The power was never reconnected and we were forced to spend even more money to have the dogs cared for. The excuse we received on 05/26/2009, was that they had no ACCESS to reconnect the power, yet they had no problem getting access 4 days earlier to disconnect service. The service "MANAGER" hung up as she could do nothing to resolve the situation.

And this company is not a monopoly.

C
C
csweetmom
Fort Lauderdale, US
May 22, 2009 1:53 pm EDT

I think this is outrageous, I'm an existing customer with FPL, I live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I'm about to move into a new place, I called FPL to get the Service turned on and I was told that I need to come up with 450.00 to have the services turned on.

I need to have this deposit before they will come out and turn the service on. I dont have 450.00, not when I just paid 3700 to move into this place (which I am moving into on June 1), but if I cant get the light on, then I cant move. What am I supposed to do? I am a single Grandmother, raising 2 kids, 1 with a disability.

I havent had any late payments, I closed my account about 8 months ago, to live with my daughter and help her. I got my original deposit back from FPL which was 280.00. Why has the amount of the deposit doubled? and why cant they add the deposit into my monthly bill, like they did the last time I had electric services? How do they expect you to come up with all of this money at one time? Do any one of you know of an agency that can help me come up with the 450.00 Deposit required by FPL? I cant move into my new place without electricity

A
A
Ana Toca
South Miami, US
Feb 19, 2009 4:50 pm EST

This is totally unfair. We are a small business in South Miami, Florida and were hit with this additional deposit. Last week our electricity was out for 4 hours in the afternoon, perhaps we should ask for a guarantee deposit from FPL.

T
T
Todd Ford
,
Dec 04, 2008 8:30 am EST

I agree strongly that FPL is engaged in price gouging and abusive policies that hurt families and small business that are most affected by the current economic crises. They charged me a $763 deposit and they have refused to allow me to pay automatically through my bank account. They are completely unresponsive and they look for any excuse to raise your deposit level and make it more difficult to pay.

I am glad that I found this site and I encourage everyone else who has been victimized by these abusive FPL policies to contact the PSC and complain.

It is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for a monopoly like FPL to abuse their position and hurt the most vulnerable people in our community during this difficult economic recession.

I hope that someone at PSC will send a message to FPL and make them change their policies.

C
C
Collen
,
Nov 21, 2008 11:22 pm EST

I forgot to mention that I called a number that FPL gave me for assistance and they told me that Coral Springs does not have funding for helping FPL customers at risk! HOW CAN THAT BE? We have new buildings going up all over the place that by the way my tax $ pay for and the funding pays for but they have no money to help their citizens. This situation in America is a digrace to what the world once was.

Where is all the money anyway? Makes me wonder.. Maybe it's in someone pocket?

C
C
Collen
,
Nov 21, 2008 11:05 pm EST

PEOPLE.. LETS FILE A CLASS ACTION
I am in the same situation. I have been a loyal customer of FPL for 14 years now and due to the economy and my mother's illness last year, I started to have financial problems. I have never been disconnected but since my last few payments were late, I was billed a deposit of $583.00, which is due today. I called FPL to ask them if I could have an extention and they said flat out no and it was policy and that was it. I was told I must make my payment of $800.00 which is the pastdue and my deposit. I told them I just wanted to have an extention until Monday, so i could try to get help... the rep told me I couldn't. I just went online and made a payment of $100.00 and guess what? IT ALLOWED ME TO GET AN EXTENTION UNTIL NOV 26TH? This is wrong, I was crying on the phone to this rep and now that a payment went thru it allowed me to make an extention? I don't know about anyone else but it seems to me that we have enough FPL cusotmer's and I am sure there are more of us to really sock it to this company. They think they cando what ever they want because there is no competition. They have raised rates and next year they will again. I am sick and tired of being ripped off by this company. If I am having a problem paying my bill in the first place, how the heck can they add on another almost $600 to my bill. They are really sick and it's about time we spoke out. Do you know how they come up with your deposit bill. They take your highest bills through the entire year and that your deposit. If they really cared about their customer's they wouldn't do this. It's all about money and they don't give a crap if you are sick, disabled have children, dying.. THEY DON'T CARE! One person can't do this but if a whole lot of people get involved then it will be heard.

V
V
vann
,
Nov 20, 2008 9:52 am EST

F, Fpl there must be a way to fight this I to am in the same boat as others and must come up with a deposit only because I was late on one payment. I just want to know One thing How does the CEO of this company sleep at night? On stacks of Money I am sure that One one day I will have a choice and I will remember this. Thanks,
Vann

H
H
Hal
,
Nov 19, 2008 2:50 pm EST

I want to thank everyone here for the FL PSC information. I was unsure how I would pay this $300+ deposit that FPL wanted, but the PSC helped me get it straightened out in about 10 minutes. Perhaps the Holidays won't be quite as bleak as I had thought.

H-

C
C
Carole
,
Nov 07, 2008 12:57 pm EST

I also have good news! I contacted Ms. Plendl at the PSC. She immediately took my call and listened to my problem. She put me on hold and contacted FPL and got a supervisor on the line with me. The supervisor at FPL resolved my situation much to my satisfaction. PLEASE PLEASE if you are having a problem like mine with a deposit that you cannot afford to pay, contact the PSC at [protected], option 2. Anyone in that department is qualified to help you with your problem. I really thought the situation was hopeless, but I was wrong! Please don't give up. Best to all of you and thank you again Ms. Plendl!

C
C
Carole
,
Nov 07, 2008 11:20 am EST

I strongly agree with all of the complaints on this site. I have been an FPL customer for 20 years. I have been late a few times, but never have I been shut off. Yesterday I received a bill from FPL for a deposit for almost $500 because of two late payments in the past I believe six months. I called and asked to spread the payments over a longer amount of time and they said no. I asked about an extension to pay and they said possibly but it would only be for a few days. My husband hasn't worked since May of 2007 due to health reasons and also just not being able to find any kind of work. I have a full time job and I don't even make enough money to pay for our mortage, utilities, gas for the car, groceries, medications, etc. We have not been able to pay our mortgage since April of 2008. We never have any money left over and often have very little in the refrigerator and cupboards. I find myself gathering any change we have around the house to buy food. We have begun to sell things on ebay and are trying to sell other larger items but no one has any money to buy anything. I asked the FPL rep how could they expect someone who can't pay their electric bill to come up with ANOTHER $500 in four weeks. She said I don't know. I asked about speaking to a supervisor and she said there was nothing anyone else could do for me. I am current on my bill now but I have a payment due of $256 on November 18. Then they are asking for this deposit of almost $500 due on December 4. I just don't know where to turn. I called one of their agencies for "help" but they say they have no more money to give anyone help, not to mention I am not at "poverty" level so they couldn't help me anyway. I have been borrowing money from family members, but they too are all tapped out. FPL has a monopoly on the electricity in our area, and until there is some competition, they can just do whatever they want. There must be something we can do - a classs action lawsuit perhaps. Please Please any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

S
S
sheila crawford
Jupiter, US
Nov 04, 2008 3:17 pm EST

I am with you 100%! I have been unemployed for about a month and have tried to work out something with FPL. I am a single mom and I have no family to support us except myself. I live in Palm Beach County which of course is more expensive than one could imagine. I'm trying to get out of here as it is. Anyway, I asked to be put on their payment plan however they wanted my bill current to be put on it. So, I got on the payment plan now my bills are higher than before. Long story short. I called FPL yesterday to get them to hold off shutting me off until this Friday. They said I had until TODAY, 11/4/08 to make the payment. To me, that means I have until midnight to make this payment. Guess what? They went to my home, I was not there but my CHILD was. My MINOR child. They asked if I was home and my child said no. So, they TOLD MY CHILD how much my bill was and that they had to shut off my power. THEY TOLD A MINOR CHILD THIS! So guess what? My child sat in the dark for an hour until I got home. I am livid, I mean livid! I now have to come up with some crazy amount to get my power back on and I can't do it until Friday. And that's supposed to be ok with FPL? How screwed up is our country.

F
F
ffemt685
Merritt Island, US
Oct 09, 2008 7:09 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I would just like to follow up my previous post with some good news. I called Ellen Plendl
Regulatory Specialist
Public Service Commission
Division of Service, Safety & Consumer Assistance
[protected] (phone)
[protected] (fax)

like some on this board suggested and they were able to help me reach an agreement with FPL. I don't believe this could have happened without the help of the PCS. So thanks Ellen! I really can't thank you enough for helping me out. I appreciate your understanding, and empathy more than anything. Times are tough, and it's not always easy asking for help. You definitely made it painless and your response time was great. Thanks again!

F
F
ffemt685
Merritt Island, US
Oct 04, 2008 9:41 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am a former firefighter/emt that was hit by a drunk driver. I am also a single mother of 3 that is going to school full time and working in retail until I finish my nursing degree. I am struggling to pay bills due to the terrible economy and with the 45% increase in FPL's rate, my bills are tremendously outrageous. I've been averaging approximately $300.00- $320.00 a month and now on top of that...a $409.00 deposit is due by the 19th. I have no idea how to come up with that! I have lived at the same residence for over 6 yrs and have definitely proved that I'm not a flight risk. Yes, I've been late...but, I haven't been disconnected. I'm going to try those phone numbers on Monday and hope and pray for the best! Thank you.

C
C
Carlos
,
Sep 20, 2008 11:11 am EDT

I agree with everyone's comments on here, I live in a apartment in miami, less then 650 sq ft, and when I get up in the morning at 6:30 to go to work, the first the I do is turn off my AC. I am out of the door by 7 am on my way to work, and do not arrive back home unit 6:30 in the evening, and while I am gone, there are no lights on throughout the day. My bill arrived yesterday for a total of $190.55, of which $68.56 is for fuel costs, $47.49 is for non-fuel cost, and on top of it, I was slapped with an extra deposit of $54.00. I have been trying to call these people since yesterday and can't get thru to anyone. I am extremely upset, and would love to slap a lawsuit on FPL for price gauging and for monopolizing the industry. The worst part of it all is that our governors allows this to happen, and only listen when its time for elections. This country is so backwards and all they care about is the tax we have to pay that they abuse on and don't provide any answers or change. Every city should be ran by its citizen that are good at heart and people who truly intend to help out people in need. I dont have any children, but i feel for the families with multiple kids that live from paycheck to paycheck and monthly are being forced to live days without any power until they can scramble up money from family or friends to have to pay there light bill. This is ridiculous, and I want to join anyone that i can in order to slap a lawsuit on FPL, not for my financial gain, but for a reinbursement for the people of Floirda who have paid way too much money in electricity and to be able to provide everyone that pays FPL with a substantial reinbursement that will hurt FPL so bad that they will think two and three times before raising there prices again and screwing the people.

C
C
Christle
,
Sep 17, 2008 7:44 am EDT

Yesterday I had posted contact information for Public Service Commsion and did not realize that I used the long distance phone number, if anyone needs to contact PSC you can use the follwoing Toll Free contact information;

[protected]
[protected] Fax
contacct@psc.state.fl.us
www.floridapsc.com

This informationis also listed with the Emergency numbers in the front of phone books.

C
C
Catriel
,
Sep 16, 2008 4:00 pm EDT

Ok. I agree with you 1000%
This is so overwhelming, there are no words to describe the frustration I feel.
got to talk to Mrs. Ellen Plendl as advice by Christle.Mrs. Plendl was GREAT, she connected me to some executive at FPL and right now I'm going thru the issue with a Real person and not to a computerized son of a be...he that doesn't care for my issues.

I would recommend you though to call this other number and keep pressing 2 whenever you hear a recording; then ask to be transfer to Ellen Plendl. This would be the best way to contact her directly!
The number is: [protected] (remember to keep pressing option 2 while a recording plays)

We need to stop FPL from abusing people.

C
C
Christle
,
Sep 16, 2008 6:56 am EDT

So, yesterday after posting my comment regarding my issues with the deposit and my bills I started emailing everyone I could think of and one senators office forwarded my complaint to an agency that regulates FPL, below is their contact information.

Senator King's office forwarded a copy of your e-mail regarding Florida Power & Light Company to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC).
The PSC regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, and telecommunications utilities throughout Florida, and investor-owned water and wastewater utilities in those counties which have opted to transfer jurisdiction to the PSC.

To assist you, please provide us with the following:

* Your service address
* Your service telephone number
* Your daytime contact telephone number
* The name in which your electric bill is addressed

You may respond by return e-mail or by calling me at [protected]. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Ellen Plendl
Regulatory Specialist
Public Service Commission
Division of Service, Safety & Consumer Assistance
[protected] (phone)
[protected] (fax)

C
C
Christle
,
Sep 15, 2008 3:04 pm EDT

I too live in Manatee County and have the same situation, along with friends of mine. My electric bills have gone from $180.00 a month to now over $325.00 a month, they just charged me a third deposit for $153.00 dollars because I am struggling to pay my bills on time.

I don't understand how they can charge additonal deposits if your power hasn't been disconnected, and not to mention the fact that they will still disconnect your power even if your bill is less than your deposit because they consider it to be seperate and it only gets used if your account is closed and there is a balance owed. Well I ask you, what else if the deposit for? If my electric is disconnected then doesn't that mean that my account has been cancelled?

How can we possibly afford to pay more money in deposits if we can't even pay our bill? The news channels need to address this situation and do something about the utility companies, it's not like we can just use another provider.

C
C
carolin
,
Sep 15, 2008 9:42 am EDT

I agree with everyone i never knew fpl was like this, i have been without light for a month now. they said i tampered with my light and i have to pay $8000 to turn it on! i have two young neices to care for who are 5 years old and 10 months old, i tried to call the company but no one wants to talk to me all they say is pay up! The public service commission isnt any help either they told me if i could come up with $6500! If i dont have $800 how the hell will i come up with $6500! Im so shocked at fpl. i have always paid my bills on time and to have them do this to me is cruel! i dont knwo what im going to do...