‘I had no idea what to do’ about PPL cutoff notice. So they called abc27, and their power stayed on

Seth Kaplan
·2 min read

MIDDLE PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) — Bill & Cindy’s Valley Store has been here for 42 years. Which means they’ve paid — well, how many electric bills would that be?

“Forty-two times twelve, whatever that is,” said Bill Maturo, who has owned and run the small grocery store with his wife Cindy the whole time.

But about a year ago — about the same time Pennsylvania’s Public Utilities Commission says “widespread consumer billing issues” began at PPL Electric Utilities — the bills stopped arriving.

The Maturos say they tried calling. Cindy — the more technical of the pair — says she tried paying amounts they estimated they must have owed online but “I couldn’t, because nothing was due. It kept saying, zero due.”

Then in April, they say got a bill for thousands of dollars, which — after all the missing bills — was a plausible amount, but it didn’t have any detail.

“We know we’re using electric, and we want to pay the bill,” Cindy said.

So she mailed checks, “trying to pay something every month,” she said. “And nothing was taken off the total bill.”

Then finally a letter — dated Dec. 7, but the Maturos say it didn’t arrive until this past Friday, Dec. 15 — saying the power would be cut off sometime after 8 a.m. today. They would have to pay a reconnection fee and a security deposit to have it turned back on.

“I had no idea what to do,” Bill said.

So they called abc27 News, which contacted PPL on Monday morning. Soon after, a PPL representative contacted the Maturos, offered to work out a payment plan and said the power would stay on. The representative didn’t say whether her call was related to abc27 News’s efforts.

“Customers impacted by the billing event are now receiving timely and accurate bills. We understand how frustrating these billing issues have been for customers and appreciate their patience and understanding as we worked to resolve them,” PPL Electric Utilities told abc27 News in a statement. “Please know that we have made significant changes in our processes and system controls to help prevent something like this from happening again. Supporting our customers and continuously improving our service continue to be top priorities.”

The company also said it offers resources for customers including:

  • Making bills more predictable and affordable with budget billing, payment plans and due dates to fit your budget.

  • Saving energy used at home or work through no-cost and low-cost energy saving programs and products.

  • Providing bill assistance or support programs if you need help paying your bill.

More information is at pplelectric.com/SeasonalSavings.

So how do the Maturos — no longer feeling literally “power”-less — feel now?

“A lot better than we did over the weekend,” Bill said. “That’s why I only watch 27 news.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.