KCP&L customers are experiencing sticker shock this summer. Here’s what you can do

Kansas City Power & Light officials blame excessive heat and changes to its budget billing program for the sticker shock some customers are experiencing this summer. And there is little consumers can do about the eye-popping price hike beyond filing formal complaints and taking advantage of the agency’s one month reprieve to pay up.

Now, online petitions are raising questions about the utility company’s billing practices. Coupled with Kansas City’s rising water rates, utility prices are causing financial hardships for residents such as Christopher Miller of Kansas City.

Miller, a single father, recently saw his monthly electric bill spike to more than $400. His previous bill was about half of that.

Others have complained on social media about bills that have topped $1,000. At least 900 customers using the budget billing program are paying about $100 more each month than in the past.

Miller started an online petition to protest the soaring costs. The appeal had nearly 40,000 signatures as of Wednesday.

“Parents are choosing between paying a bill and spending time with their kids, and that is not right,” he said.

Another online petition seeks an audit of KCP&L’s billing practices. The utility company is not obligated to comply. But it should. Customers have the right to expect fairness and transparency when it comes to the company’s billing. An audit would help ensure both.

A change to KCP&L’s budget billing program basically nullified a plan put in place to give customers an idea of what to expect on their monthly bills. Then, a hot summer and modifications to the program created a not-so-perfect storm for thousands of customers stuck with unusually high bills, said KCP&L spokesman Jeremy McNeive.

Excessive heat partially explains the rising costs but it’s hard to conclude that alone is to blame for the whopping increase. Wouldn’t an independent look provide clarity?

McNeive says KCP&L notified customers prior to the change. But did the utility company do all it could to warn consumers that higher bills were coming?

The adjustment caused some customers’ bills to double and even triple.

KCP&L has asked the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission to consider rate increases this year. The utility company would be wise to address growing concerns before the hearings. Both regulatory agencies will take customer complaints into consideration when evaluating the request.

As a major supplier of electricity in the region, KCP&L has an obligation to operate in good faith. But what can customers do other than pay their bills?

They can contact KCP&L to set up payment arrangements and take advantage of the agency’s decision to extend a one-month grace period to customers with delinquent accounts.

Or they can file a formal complaint with the commissions in Kansas and Missouri to voice concerns. Those agencies are set up to regulate entities such as KCP&L.

In the meantime, KCP&L should reevaluate its budget billing plan. The revamped program has become a budget buster for too many customers.

Learn more about your bill

Do you have concerns about your KCP&L bill? Here’s where customers can turn for help or to voice complaints.

In Missouri:

The Missouri Public Service Commission urges customers to first contact KCP&L for more information about billing issues or to establish payment arrangements. After that, customers can call the PSC consumer hotline at 1-800-392-4211.

To make written comments on KCP&L’s requested rate increase or secure additional information, contact the Office of the Public Counsel, P.O. Box 2230, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102; call 573-751-4857 or toll-free 866-922-2959; email mopco@ded.mo.gov or contact the Missouri Public Service Commission Staff, P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Missouri 65102; call 1-800-392-4211; email pscinfo@psc.mo.gov.

An evidentiary hearing will be held beginning Sept. 17.

In Kansas:

Customers can lodge informal complaints with Kansas Corporation Commission. If the issue is not resolved through the informal process, customers have the option of filing a formal complaint against the company, said KCC spokeswoman Linda Berry.

Both of these processes are explained in detail on the KCC website.

Public comments on KCP&L’s requested rate increase will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Oct. 17. They can be submitted online or through a letter or phone call to the commission. An evidentiary hearing will be held beginning Oct. 23.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 8:33 AM with the headline "KCP&L customers are experiencing sticker shock this summer. Here’s what you can do."