Current Date/Time: 4/2/2025 3:44:38 AM
Linked Consumer Comments
OO-2025-0233
| Consumer Comment No. | Date Filed | Consumer Comments |
|---|---|---|
| P202501759 | 2/28/2025 9:07 AM | "I just wanted to voice that I've been having billing issues with Liberty for over a year now and I keep getting different excuses as to the reason for the billing issues. I never had these problems when it was Empire or Laclede. Something needs to be done and I am glad the PSC is looking into it." |
| P202501760 | 2/28/2025 9:23 AM | Had issues with Liberty billing for the past 4.5 years spanning over 2 different addresses. Nov/Dec 2021 Liberty charged customer $300 for a vacant lot at 1163 Ornate Ln, Diamond MO 64840 and 2022 the consumer was incorrectly charged $15 per month for 2 years for her neighbor's light pole. She was never reimbursed or credited for the error. |
| P202501761 | 2/28/2025 10:15 AM | Everything was fine until Liberty changed their computer system about 6 months ago. I am enrolled in auto pay. They skipped taking a payment 1 month & started collecting a month behind. For example, the old system would have drafted a payment in March for what I used in February. Then it changed to it wouldn't draw that payment until April. Then it skipped taking payments for two months and then took 3 payments at once for different amounts than the original bills. By this time the original bills were "gone" from the system and replaced with the new amounts. I have been printing to PDF when a new bill comes. In March maybe they may take payments for 3 months since they haven't taken any since Dec. Customer service is polite but not helpful. |
| P202501762 | 2/28/2025 10:49 AM | The customer contacted and stated that the main issue is billing, which has been the case since Empire began DBA Liberty with format changes. Older customers are unfamiliar with grids and graphs that can help explain usage. Older and less educated customers were familiar with the previous format. It was simpler. For a period of two months, his bills were not sent on time. He needed a three to four-day extension or he would be shut off. He contacted to make arrangements, but the agent was rude and unresponsive. He called back the next day, and the agent was pleasant and polite. Overall, the operation has been in the public interest. |
| P202501763 | 2/28/2025 11:28 AM | "The chain of command at Liberty is a joke and needs to be documented. I turned in an application for direct withdrawal from my bank account in Dec. 2024 and received a notice of disconnection in Feb. and had to fill out another application. They lost my 1st app and cancelled check and would never let me speak to a supervisor. " |
| P202501764 | 2/28/2025 11:34 AM | "Liberty is terrible. Their TOU are ridiculous, you are charged more from 6am to 10p,- that is ALL day. Also, the Billing system is horrid. The bills are misleading-constantly showing past due amounts and when you call them they say 'Oh just disregard it, its just our system is messed up' -well an elderly person may not call and will be paying more than they should since they are not told to "Just disregard" and lastly, Liberty charges a fuel surcharge for each meter every month when they do not even come out to read the meter. They are making stuff up to charge customers for. " |
| P202501765 | 2/28/2025 11:37 AM | "We spent thousands of dollars to install our own well but it and others in the neighborhood have dried up because Liberty is over-pumping their water to cool down transformers." |
| P202501766 | 2/28/2025 11:39 AM | "Liberty electric company, Galena, Kansas or Joplin, Missouri. I was watching local news. They were discussing They were discussing liberty electric billing issues. I had also set up an auto pay from my bank to liberty electric and during the last year. " |
| P202501767 | 2/28/2025 11:44 AM | "To supplement your investigation I wanted to share with you the following. My family installed a solar system in August 2018. We were extremely pleased with the purchase for about 1.5 years. Then Liberty came through and replaced our electric meter. (Even though we had a new meter installed with the solar system just 1 year prior.) Our bill immediately went up. After about a year of consistent higher bills I contacted Liberty to inquire and explain this story. The agent said the "new" meter would be more accurate than my old meter (that was also new) and thus the reason for a higher bill..."*Please see attached for full comment. |
| P202501769 | 2/28/2025 12:33 PM | My elderly parents heated with wood until their 80's, at which time they contacted Liberty to connect gas. They already had the lines and heating stove. Liberty refused, saying they would have to have another gas appliance, so they could bill them all year long. My parents didn't buy another gas appliance, so we had to move them out of their home, since they were too frail to continue burning wood. I hate the fact that I can't shut my gas off during the summer months, and use it only for heat. The customer charges each month are more than the gas. My son shut his gas off in the spring one year, and he had to pay a customer charge for all the summer months he didn't use gas. This company extorts its customers, and won't let them save money. |
| P202501770 | 2/28/2025 1:20 PM | Customer contacted to say she had never had a problem with her account at Empire District. She went months without receiving her bill. She went ahead and paid it because she is on a level payment plan and does not want to be stuck with an enormous bill. She has two properties. When it was Empire, the bill was condensed. Now she receives two bills. One is due at once, and the other at another time. She cannot schedule them on the same date. When you get down there, there are only a few windows open in the lobby, but there are people there. Only one worker manages the drive-thru, which becomes backed up to the street. She does not grasp what the people are doing down there. She suggests we look at the initial letter they provided to the custo |
| P202501771 | 2/28/2025 1:26 PM | Customer called and stated that he has not received a bill since August 2024. He talks to them every month. He always receives the same response: they'll get him one sent out. He is on a fixed income. It's frustrating. |
| P202501772 | 2/28/2025 2:06 PM | "It is not fair that the company is able to send me a $1600 bill when I called every money asking what my balance is. It is ridiculous that the PSC allows this and thinks it is okay to do to people. |
| P202501773 | 2/28/2025 3:39 PM | Liberty billing is so outrageous. I am averaging monthly bills ranging from $600-$900 per month and I use wood for heating. This cannot be right. When Liberty finds out we have contacted the PSC they retaliate with hatefulness and making every attempt to shut off power. |
| P202501774 | 2/28/2025 3:45 PM | "I have to say that Liberty is a nightmare to work with. They do not communicate at all. They do not try to explain or fix their billing mistakes that have been going on since March/ May 2024. They do not follow the rule that they provide twice as long as the billing mistakes were made to pay it back. " |
| P202501782 | 3/3/2025 8:48 AM | "Liberty is a horrible company with terrible customer service, and terrible business practices. They have cheated customers out of their money through their billing for too long. Please hold them accountable." |
| P202501783 | 3/3/2025 8:57 AM | "I also want to file a complaint against liberty utilities. They are throwing random charges on our bills that have nothing to do with our service and also hiking rates also! Had a charge of $18 last month and this month for a February 2021 storm it says. I haven’t even lived in the city that long let alone at my current address. Something needs to be done to get our money back and stop the random charges and rate hikes! Please and thank you, Concerned Branson, MO homeowner" |
| P202501784 | 3/3/2025 10:05 AM | "Liberty is price gouging our bill. I live in a 70 ft trailer and the only thing that runs somewhat continuously is the furnace. My bill is over doubled in the last 5 years. This is price gouging. We were told the new meters would help w/ costs but our bills have only increased because of this. |
| P202501785 | 3/3/2025 11:04 AM | "Liberty has been horrible with sending out bills. I have called for several months trying to get them to send bills with no luck. Now I have received4 bills in the mail today for the last several months." |
| P202501788 | 3/3/2025 12:58 PM | Their charges are outrageous compared to other companies right down the street. People can no longer afford their rent due to increasing utility prices. They are price gouging. They are killing us." |
| P202501790 | 3/3/2025 9:25 PM | I regret living in a house that liberty serves . I’ve never had such high electric and water bills in my life and I can barely afford to live like this . I never even have lights on and use the bare minimum of heat and air both . Yet I still can’t afford it . No one can! And we can’t move to a house that’s not on liberty because no one will live in a liberty services house ! Something has to be done ! Also the water has an intense chlorine smell that some outside source needs to investigate. It literally smells like a swimming pool and it’s my believe our health is at risk |
| P202501791 | 3/4/2025 8:48 AM | "In my experience, Liberty tries to cover up and lie about why their billing is so high and so wrong. They try to charge the amount they want to charge and not base it on actual usage. PSC, please put a stop to this. " |
| P202501792 | 3/4/2025 10:02 AM | We are charged monthly for closure of Asbury coal plant and February 2021 storm. My understanding is that this charge will continue for 13 years. This seems excessive. Is this an acceptable practice to charge multitudes of customers for this for so long? I would think that these costs are just part of doing business, not something to be passed along to their customers, and especially for so long!! |
| P202501795 | 3/4/2025 6:48 PM | I live alone in a 1600 square foot house. In my opinion Liberty rates are too high and billing is a mess. February electric bill was $230.15 + $62.84 balance forward (BF). January electric was $288.26 + $59.21 BF. December electric was $152.45 + $60.86 BF. My primary heat is propane but I did run a space heater when it was really cold. February water bill was $62.84 + $347.47 BF. I'm on autopay so don’t know why there are balance forwards.. You would practically have to make a spread sheet to figure out what you are being billed for and from when. The $703.30 total utility bill for February was a record for me. I'm half a mile from people on Southwest Electric which has more reasonable rates and regret buying a house on Liberty. |
| P202501796 | 3/5/2025 8:35 AM | I heard on the news that the PSC is investigating Liberty. I wanted to add my greivences. It took me over a year to fix an issue with them. I was on the Budget plan and each month I kept getting behind. It took a whole year to get off of there |
| P202501799 | 2/28/2025 | After the PSC ordered an investigation into Liberty Shawn wanted to file a comment into the case regarding issues he has had with Liberty electric service. His issues have been resolved at this time but still wanted the Commission to be aware of his issues. He has several commercial accounts with Liberty under his business Parity Services. He has had numerous billing issues with Liberty with the new CIS system. Receiving no bills for months, combo account billing not working properly, and receiving some bills on some accounts but no bills on others. |
| P202501803 | 3/5/2025 12:03 PM | Since July 2024, we have faced ongoing billing issues with Liberty Utilities—missing bills, false charges, and conflicting explanations. Despite many calls, visits, and a public meeting, the problems persist. We were wrongly billed for 44,000 gallons of water and an electric bill of $1,099.85. Liberty corrected some errors but failed to fix others. As retirees, budgeting has been impossible. Yet, on March 3, we learned Liberty raised rates while still failing to bill us correctly. We demand immediate resolution. Full details are in the attached document. |
| P202501805 | 3/5/2025 1:24 PM | My son lived in Bolivar MO and received outrageous bills for his small 1 bedroom apartment - sometimes over $300 for one month in a small, 1 bedroom apartment with normal electrical utility usage. Liberty charges OUTRAGEOUS rates for its electricity. Liberty makes a strong case for why utilities should NOT be private sector suppliers. |
| P202501806 | 3/5/2025 1:49 PM | "Liberty has been a nightmare to deal with. This being a Canadian company having all of this control over our electricity AND water! Their billing is horrendous, it seems they are just making up numbers to charge their customers. " |
| P202501808 | 3/6/2025 8:43 AM | Starting Summer of 2024 Liberty has incorrectly billed or not even sent out bills to me for electric usage. I"ve talked to them several times regarding billing. They have told me that I was behind on the bill for both my house & garage by several months. I told them that the bills I've seen I've paid. They had not sent out correct bills regardless of the several phone calls to them regarding this issue. They said that I was behind by more than $1000 but I didn't get a bill from them with that Information. I had sent in a check for $1000 but according to the newest incorrect bill...its just sitting in the account with a positive balance of $1000. I've called & emailed the company at least once a Month since July regarding billing issues. |
| P202501811 | 3/6/2025 9:29 AM | I am contacting you again. Nothing has changed Liberty is not sending bills that are easy to read and they are caring balances over I had a water meter malfunction .They charged too much on water and sewer and I don't think what they are trying to refund it correctly The local offices in Joplin and Ozark here can not help customers because they don't understand these bills I have concern why are we charged for a storm that happened in 2021 they call it an Asbury on the invoices, They need a complete audit.and an change the invoice system back like the ones that there sending out before that April change that was sent to Canada, People don;t have clue as to what they are paying I know they are under investigation, *See attached |
| P202501816 | 3/6/2025 11:35 AM | "I've lived in the same home for 38 years, my electric bill usually runs $80-$180 per month, but since Liberty's billing issues have started, my bills have increased to $400.00-$600.00 per month! They have sky-rocketed! Liberty is doing something wrong." |
| P202501817 | 3/6/2025 12:24 PM | Liberty billing is terrible. Liberty states they have to add up amounts from missing bills -but I received bills every month and paid them so that is not true. Also, I had a credit of $240.00 for Nov for an overpayment and then a credit for 241.63 on 01/02- then rec'd a bill for $303.96 on 01/02. I want to know where and when the credit was applied. I am certain I have overpaid Liberty but their billing is such a mess it is hard to pinpoint. |
| P202501820 | 3/6/2025 3:04 PM | Customer contacted to say her husband died in September 2024, so she doesn't use it very much. She goes to work and returns. Her bill more than doubled in the last month. We need to look at their fees. They tack on $50. (When I attempted to obtain more information, she disconnected the call). |
| P202501821 | 3/5/2025 | Customer called and stated that he now has a bill totaling about $1500. For months, he never received a bill. He cannot afford the bill. He does not know what to do. Liberty claimed it's their computer system. He has yet to hear back about a payment arrangement. (A complaint was also filed). |
| P202501825 | 3/7/2025 10:44 AM | "We placed my mother in a nursing home in January yet her electric bill stayed the same even though there should've been less usage. I also recently had an issue w/ not receiving my January bill. I had to go to the local office yesterday after receiving two billing statements. They assured me they have the issue corrected but I will see on my next billing statement" |
| P202501839 | 3/10/2025 12:22 PM | "Liberty is not competitive on the rates. Their billing practices are ludicrous. People are forced to have Liberty as their provider and Liberty is completely taking advantage of that lack of choice, charging 65% more than the power company in town that I cannot choose and now they have the audacity to ask for a rate increase. Please do something about Liberty utilities." |
| P202501843 | 3/10/2025 4:20 PM | "Liberty Electric changed their billing system in April 2023. I am concerned that their new system is corrupt and that their customers may not have received proper credit for payments made between April-June 2023. Please investigate to insure that the proper credit is reported and to prevent double billing by Liberty Electric." |
| P202501862 | 3/11/2025 10:06 AM | "I am asking the PSC not to great this rate increase. It is ridiculous. People are already have trouble paying their bills now; we cannot handle this type of increase." |
| P202501882 | 3/11/2025 5:32 PM | I have been a customer of Liberty for multiple years. I work in public service / non-profit and not only do I struggle to keep up with Liberty's rates for my 2 bedroom apartment, I also see many members of the public daily who express concerns about being able to pay Liberty rates. I have also personally known people who have become homeless because of exorbitant Liberty bills. I have a relative who is a single parent living in a 2 bedroom home, less than 1200 sf, and they have paid upwards of $600 per month to Liberty at times. It is unethical that someone would have to pay almost as much as a rent/mortgage payment to have electricity. Liberty should look internally to solve any perceived profit issues. |
| P202501890 | 3/11/2025 | Joy currently has no issue but wanted to file a comment into the investigation case due to numerous issues with Liberty she has had. She has had 2 periods of not receiving bills and Liberty is inconsistent on providing bills. This makes it extremely hard for someone on a fixed income to know what to pay and when to pay it. There should be no reason that after almost a full year they still have these many issues with this new system. |
| P202501908 | 3/12/2025 8:25 PM | We lived in our home for 2 months and the gas portion of our utilities have totaled over $850. We know it’s has been extremely cold but we kept our thermostat around 68 degrees. |
| P202501911 | 3/13/2025 7:57 AM | "Correction to P202501763 Dec 13, 2024, I attempted to set up direct withdrawal payment for my light bill. I filled out a form, gave a voided check (@ the Office). I was told it could take 6 weeks (I thought this was excessive!) Got my next bill due January 23, 2025 (41 days post application). Direct payment was not completed after 41 days!. February 5, I receive a disconnect notice. I made immediate cc payment. On Feb 6, I went to the Liberty Office in Bolivar, asked to see a supervisor-was told I couldn't. On Feb 6, I called customer service, was sent another app for direct withdrawal-I completed/returned on that date. They have NO document CHAIN OF CUSTODY (correction for previous P202501763) for this process. Poor customer service! " |
| P202501919 | 3/14/2025 12:29 PM | I just now March 12th received my bills for Nov-Dec and Dec- Jan. I don’t have a bill yet for Jan-Feb or Feb-March. I also received 2 bills. One was date March 11th for one amount, then another dated March 12th for a completely different amount with no explanation on why. |
| P202501952 | 3/18/2025 8:06 AM | "Liberty has billed us incorrectly for a long time, they also let billing get run up to $6500.00 after I moved out, when they would shut power off when the bill reached $3000.00 when someone lived there, so why do they let it get so high when no one lived there and it should of been turned off? Sketchy billing practices." |
| P202501993 | 3/20/2025 2:05 PM | The customer called and stated that we cater to Liberty. He has faced numerous power disruptions. The Asbury cost is deemed theft and fraud. If they are incapable of running a business, they should not be in business. They are going to make people homeless. They are harming them. |
| P202502012 | 3/21/2025 2:54 PM | "I am writing today because as I understand it, this is a department to contact in regard to Missouri's investigation into Liberty Electric's false billing practices..."*Please see attached for full comment. |
| P202502018 | 3/23/2025 11:48 AM | I have been a Branson resident since 2003 and make barely over minimum wage in retail sales. Please do NOT let Liberty have this extremely huge rate hike!!! |
| P202502028 | 3/24/2025 11:08 AM | In response to the insufficient “consumer comments” from my call on 3/20/25, I request my actual comments to follow, be used in its entirety. (see attached PDF) |
| P202502034 | 3/24/2025 3:30 PM | "Liberty billing is so messed up, we did not ever receive our March bill that was due on 3/17. My husband had to go and pay it in person. Their billing has been messed up for over a year." |
| P202502037 | 3/24/2025 5:23 PM | I moved into a townhouse on 31 May 24. I had the utilities put in my name. I Had Liberty utilities submit verification to the property manager. I received two bills, which I paid. 44.40 in June 2024 and 158.31 in July of 2024. Had not received any bill after the first two were received. The property manager contacted me in February and told me that Liberty utilities had sent them a bill for $700.00, and I would be responsible for the balance. The property manager also told me that another tenant in the same complex had been receiving my bill and paying it. After the first two bills that I received. I would receive a bill for someone else. I assumed it was the last tenant to live in my unit. I took the bills to the Post Office and told the |
| P202502040 | 3/25/2025 7:55 AM | "My husband and I are both medical professionals who recently accepted positions at a hospital in Bolivar, Missouri. As part of our transition, we sought to establish roots in the community and began searching for housing. We engaged with local residents through the Bolivar Facebook page, eager to integrate into the area and make a home there. However, after receiving extensive feedback from the community regarding the severe financial burden imposed by Liberty Utilities, we made the difficult decision to rescind our offer on a home in Bolivar..."*See attached for full comment. |
| P202502052 | 3/26/2025 8:20 AM | "Liberty Utilities failed to bill me for almost 8 months following the switch to their new billing system..."*See attached for full comment. |
| P202502054 | 3/26/2025 10:35 AM | I have been getting varying water bills since December with bill as high as $600.00 this month. I have been working with Liberty to get these addressed but unfortunately this has not yet happened and I continue to get the run around from them. I included my most recent bill. How this is not being addressed since December is really frustrating. |
| P202502057 | 3/26/2025 11:14 AM | "We went 6 months w/o receiving a billing statement even though I called each month. We've now received all 6 at once. I am going to call Liberty to pay it but think it is unfair that they are able to do this." |
| P202502073 | 3/27/2025 3:52 PM | I previously filed a complaint (CI202401415) regarding late billing. Although the issue had gotten slightly better for a short period...the issue has re-surfaced starting with the February 2025 billing cycle. I did not receive my bill by mail until 10 days AFTER it's due date for February. This most recent month my due date was 3/25. I still have NOT received a paper copy in the mail. Last months bill was mailed bulk mail, with no post mark nor proof of service. According to a Liberty customer rep, it's not their problem. How is it that all other vendors can get their bills mailed efficiently but not Liberty? I have signed up for the email notifications, but their emails do not reflect the entire bill amount. |
| P202502075 | 3/27/2025 8:30 PM | I am on the even payment plan, however I am not being charged the amount I was told I would be paying. Plus I don't always get the monthly statements. When the new billing was started never got my statements for 2-3 months so I didn't have my new account number. I called every week asking how to pay my bill and I was told that I would be getting a statement. It turned out being in the 3rd month of no statements when I finally got someone on the phone that said she could take my payment over the phone,. At that point it was over $800. And the new bill would be due in less than a month |
| P202502090 | 3/31/2025 12:20 PM | It's March 31, and Ms. Kraxberger several of her neighbors still haven't received a bill (has happened many times of the past year). When she called, the company said the bill was sent March 27. When she asked the due date on the bill, she was told March 27. She uses auto-debit, so has a credit to cover the bill, but her neighbors don't. Ridiculous billing. |
| P202502092 | 3/31/2025 1:17 PM | Requesting an investigation into the rate increase and billing practices please! |
| P202502094 | 3/31/2025 4:27 PM | Just received this months email regarding bill due. Email states I owe $216, Logging into Liberty's billing website shows I have a credit of $-14.13 Downloading a PDF of the bill shows a credit of -12.31 Looking at billing history shows last months bill Statement Date is 10 days AFTER the Due date! None of the last 3 months billed vs payments history even add up! Called Customer service, again, after several minutes of being on hold. I was told their is yet again another billing issue this month and I should receive a updated/new bill within the next week. To watch for a new email/bill and if I don't receive anything within a week to call back. All documents attached. |