JEA Customer Solutions Center & Headquarters — Attraction in Jacksonville

"JEA can do whatever it wants", seems to be the attitude as they keep their "own credit ratings" for customers they target for $500 cash deposits. After 12 years of uninterrupted service, JEA has decided to squeeze clients for free loans! In order to do so, they downgrade customers, intentionally by putting JEA credit ratings in place! I had a 798 FICO score with a $240k annual income, no late payments, no service interruptions ever! Yet, one day after JEA had ordered us to pay a $500 cash deposit, while they had previously required a credit card on file for missed payments, were those to happen, they shutoff our power (mind you..NO late payment or missed payment had occurred since the mistake a year prior). The $500 cash deposit then, of course, became completely redundant since the card they kept on file carried a $14k available credit balance! They blocked ACH bank payments by 2nd half of 2023 since we'd missed a payment while on vacation, which was in fact caused by falsely reported ledger balances by VyStar Credit Union, which was at the time in transition to a new online platform! The power or water was never shutoff, nor had we ever received a late fee, but JEA insisted on a credit card for backup anyway. Then in the summer of 2024 another requirement came up..they now wanted a $500 cash deposit while payments had been made on time..an outrage! JEA already had a credit card on file in case of missed payments! We dismissed the new cash deposit requirement, mentioning that we are not the bank, extending free loans to them! After 3 months, in October 2024 they turned our power off while we had paid the "usage" part on time! JEA has become a rogue bully under Mayor Deegan's leadership, apparently consenting to JEA's incredibly dictatorial practices. We have four kids. After my wife called me in distress, I paid the $500 deposit online and power was restored within an hour. This is how JEA is blackmailing families for free interest loans..imagine the financial windfall they get from thousands of families posting $500 deposits, in free interst in interest bearing escrow or savings accounts!? It's an unbelievable scam of a magnitude unheard of. I hope people write JEA and the Mayor and somehow stick together to file a class action lawsuit with consequential and punitive damages for those who fell victim to these terribly shady practices which this Mayor is allowing! Let's fight back! Any powerful Law Firm looking for a challenge..read this and respond please. The...

Last year there was an issue with our electric being shut off without our consent because we had to replace our breaker box. They stated because we "hadn't had it inspected" they shut it off. Well, the part required to complete this breaker box was on back order. So, we cornered them stating what they were doing was wrong because it was out of our control. So, the turned the electric back on and then tried to force us to pay over $400 because of their internal credit score system. We fought that and they removed it. Flash forward a year later....I have MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. A debilitating disease. My husband almost DIED and was in the ICU dating back to May, 25th this year. I had the Catholic church pay our last bill. Then attempted to pay online for the most current bill. The payment was returned because the funds were not in the correct account. Once again, no help from JEA. I emailed them explaining the situation they said I had to call THEY COULDN'T RUN THE PAYMENT AGAIN. I did, I was told I had to pay not only the past due amount again online (no help ftom them) AND had to pay over $400 deposit for their internal credit score!!! WE ARE BROKE!!! WE ARE SICK! I have my husband who's been fighting for his life, I dealing with my disease taking care of two young boys and now being bullied saying I have to pay an additional $400+ dollars?! All because of an issue with the online system?! What makes you think we can pay that if we can barely pay the electric bill?! This is cruel and I don't know how you people sleep at night. I literally want to sell my house just to get away from JEA. This is unethical, disturbing, and a true depiction of today's society. EVERYONE is struggling in this economy and JEA's solution is to charge MORE to people that are struggling?! I'm sick, absolutely sick. I'm getting my documents from my doctor to state that my electric is medically necessary and required for my condition so our electric cannot be shut off. Next step is seeking one of the many groups that are trying to sue the city of Jax and JEA for their sketchy practices. JEA and Jax should be ashamed! I live in OP, I don't even live in Duval. GET OUT OF...

My power got shut off. To be fair, I should have checked my email more often so I knew what was happening.

Apparently when I set up Autopay, my account wasn’t right. (Which is weird, because if the account isn’t correct, it shouldn’t have let me enter it.) I never questioned that anything was out of the ordinary as whenever I went to fix the autopay, the reasons they gave included “Autopay account already exists.”

But when they didn’t get the payment, instead of calling me, or at least shooting me a text, they sent two emails. That’s it. Again, I should have been checking these things. But I was very active on my online account to make sure everything was ok. No mention of anything out of the ordinary. I honestly thought there was just a power outage when I woke up with no power.

I get on a call with them and it takes five minutes to get it turned back on. Ok… so why didn’t you just call me? That would have saved us both some time.

Just a terrible experience, and it was such a major hit to my credit for something that was mostly their fault. (If I want to edit my autopay settings, LET ME ACCESS IT!!!)

-Edit

so there was an inaccuracy in my review. My credit score dip was unrelated, and after calling them (and being out on hold for about half an hour) they sorted out the information and credited me for the $20 I spent.

But this is treating the symptom, not the problem. You have to tell me what account is hooked up to autopay. In the same way they’ll ask you for a phone number ending it your last four digits to authenticate your account, they should have that system for autopay. My internet company does that, my gas company does that, why can’t they?

It’s not like you have choice in a utility company though. Unfortunately, until new technology offers alternatives, you’re stuck with...