Recent Events: Florida Power & Light (FPL)
If you’ve heard of Florida Power and Light (FPL), then you are likely aware that many residents believe they provide less than satisfactory service. Unfortunately, they are one of the few, if not the only, power companies that Florida residents can turn to for their energy needs. And if you’re a Florida resident, then you fully understand how incredibly frustrating it can be having them as your sole power provider. Personally, I’ve encountered several issues with their service myself, and I’ll share those specific problems in just a moment.
Check out the detailed screenshots of Mariah Sartes’ Facebook post displayed below. In her post, she includes her own screenshots documenting her FPL usage and billing information for everyone to see. Mariah goes on to explain that her bill typically falls around an average amount each month, but the bill for August unexpectedly combines multiple previous bills together without any clear explanation. She boldly calls out FPL’s pricing as “price gouging”—a sentiment with which I completely agree. In a move to bring further attention to her situation, she tags our local news network, WEAR ABC 3 News Pensacola, suggesting that she hopes they will notice her plight and perhaps write a story addressing the ongoing issues with FPL. This is an effort that others in the community have attempted in the past, though they have been unsuccessful in catching the media’s attention thus far.
Various commenters also share their personal experiences and explain the significant hardships they’ve encountered while trying to navigate the healing process with FPL. One particularly vocal commenter even includes her own screenshot of her bill, which reveals an outrageous number that left many in disbelief and sparked further discussion among the community.
I mentioned before that I’ve had my own problems with FPL. I discovered that they’re a “one strike, you’re out” company, which can be quite a frustrating experience for customers. Initially, I was enrolled in auto-pay, which I thought would help me avoid any payment issues. However, I inadvertently missed a payment due to an oversight; I forgot to add sufficient funds to my debit card, and as a result, the payment was unable to go through. When that unfortunate incident occurred, I was automatically unenrolled from the auto-pay system, and to my dismay, I learned that I couldn’t be re-enrolled until a full year had passed following this incident. At this point, I was required to use the online-payment option, which enabled me to pay directly through the company website or app, with my card information securely saved. However, I faced another setback when I again missed a payment. This time, it happened because my credit card expired, and amidst the chaos of everyday life, I completely forgot to update the details of my new credit card. So now, I am stuck paying with my credit or debit card online. While that doesn’t sound too different from before, the process has changed; now, the payment goes through a third-party card-processing company, and I have to manually enter my card details each and every time I want to make a payment. To add to my frustration, my one-year time limit for re-enrollment also restarted, extending my period of inconvenience even longer.
Mariah definitely wasn’t joking when she mentioned that there’s essentially no customer service available. It’s becoming nearly impossible for anyone to get ahold of a real person who can help with any questions or issues.
There are a multitude of ongoing issues with FPL, leading to the creation of a dedicated Facebook Group that serves as a platform for customers to voice their complaints and share their experiences as unhappy customers. This community allows individuals to connect and discuss their frustrations related to FPL's services. Click HERE to visit the page. Personally, I think something needs to be done about FPL. What do you think? Are you happy with FPL? Let me know in the comments below.
