Central Hudson Receives Over 1,000 Complaints in Just 48 Hours

KINGSTON – Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced that the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) investigation into Central Hudson has received over 1,000 complaints in 48 hours after County Executive Ryan encouraged impacted residents to post public comments on the matter via the DPS webportal. Triggered by a formal request for investigation on March 3rd by County Executive Ryan, DPS will look into Central Hudson’s customer information system implementation and resulting billing errors.

“As Ulster County Executive, I will continue to use my office to advocate on behalf of all of our residents. The failed implementation of Central Hudson’s new billing system along with the unexpected and unprecedented bill surges is simply unacceptable,” County Executive Pat Ryan said. “I want to thank all of the impacted individuals who have already participated in the investigation along with DPS for their immediate attention to this matter. While this investigation has already seen over 1,000 comments, I am continuing to encourage residents to submit their concerns in order to show the full scope of the situation.”

This week, in response to County Executive Ryan’s formal request, DPS opened matter number 22-00666 to investigate problems with Central Hudson’s billing practices. Other matters open with DPS are an investigation into Central Hudson’s winter storm response (matter number 22-00497) and an audit into Central Hudson’s billing practices (matter number 21-M-0541). Within 48 hours of County Executive Ryan notifying the public that an investigation had been opened, there were over 1,000 public comments logged on the matter.

Central Hudson customers who have been impacted by the implementation of Central Hudson’s new billing system, and who have not been able to resolve their issues with the utility, may submit public comment to the DPS investigation through the online form.
Due to unusually high call volume, the Ulster County Recovery Service Center is prioritizing Ulster County residents who do not have computer access or a valid email address, and those who fit this criteria may call 845-443-8888 for assistance with submitting public comments on the investigation. All others, please keep the lines open for these folks and use https://on.ny.gov/3iOP2wk.

There is no deadline to submit complaints, and it’s anticipated that the DPS investigation will go on for several months.

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