customer service illustration

Apr 27, 2021 | Customer Service | 38 comments

Improved, more inclusive web experience

Improving our website for the visually impaired

We’re committed to delivering an effortless customer experience, whether we chat on social media, speak over the phone, or interact with you on our website. We’re also committed to continuous learning and improvement. So, when we received customer feedback regarding accessibility issues with our website, we took action.

Here’s what we learned:

  • A legally blind customer made us aware that she was having difficulty using her screen reader to pay her bill online.
  • Another customer with red and green colorblindness was having difficulty interpreting certain message banners on our website.

Here’s what we’re doing about it:

  • Updating our online bill pay section to better support those who are visually impaired.
  • To help overcome the color hurdle, we’re testing and implementing designs that use larger icons, which are more noticeable and legible for users with colorblindness.

Taking it a step further:

  • We’ll continue checking-in with customers who have disabilities and design our website with accessibility in mind.
  • We’re establishing panels of customers who can provide us guidance and insight on accessibility issues as we’re making routine improvements to the website.

We’re continuously learning from customers who access our website differently, so we can make the web experience inclusive for all.

38 Comments

  1. Kenneth G Haas

    I waited on the phone for over an hour to talk to someone. Finally someone answered. I stated
    the reason for my call. She wasn’t knowledgeable enough to answer my question and put me on hold again.
    New hold time will be at least 28 minutes per recording. This is totally unsatisfactory. Why use offshore customer service, if they can”t answer a very basic question? Why should I have to endure long wait times because your customer services reps are unqualified to
    handle basic questions?

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Morning Kenneth, We are very sorry to hear about your customer service experience, but we are happy to assist you with your concern. If this is a general question, please provide your inquiry on our Blog. However, if this is a question regarding your private account, we want to keep that information secure, so we ask that you (Facebook) private message or (Twitter) direct message us with your inquiry under http://www.pplelectric.com. Thank you for reaching out to us!

      Reply
  2. Nadia R

    Agree waited an hour . No fax number I. The web site to fax ID

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Nadia, We are sorry to hear about your wait, however we want to provide our fax number to provide Identification which is 484-634-3484. Please let us know if we can help you further. Thank you!

      Reply
  3. OLEG LEVENKOV

    Do you have a way to upload ID documents after creating an account?
    Also, what is the working fax number to sent over ID?

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Morning Oleg, We do not have a way to upload ID documents. Most customers fax the identification information to (484)634-3484 or mail it to PPL Electric Utilities/Attn: CCC Connect Group/827 Hausman Road/Allentown,PA 18104. Thank you for reaching out to us!

      Reply
    • Jen

      I want the smart meter off of my home

      Reply
      • Kathryn

        Good Afternoon Jen, Please call us weekdays between 8am-5pm at 1-800-342-5775 (say Billing) so we can assist you. Thank you!

        Reply
  4. James Walsh

    I tried twice to reach customer service only to have my calls disconnected. I want information about having a light placed on the ppl utility pole in my back yard.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Morning James, Please call our Job Service Department directly weekdays 8am-5pm at 1-877-220-6016 with your inquiry on having a light placed on the pole in your backyard. You can also DM (Twitter) or PM (Facebook) us with your address and phone number so we can have a Representative call you back to assist. Thank you!

      Reply
  5. gary morgan

    ii cannot get any graphs on daily use. nothing but your home page.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Gary, We apologize for the inconvenience. We were experiencing an issue with our Daily/Hourly usage graph tool. Please try to assess the tool again since we have since resolved this issue. Thank you for your patience!

      Reply
  6. Lisa Roth

    Tuesday 6/1/21 at 2:40pm EST we had a gentleman ring our doorbell and indicate he was a representative of PPL’s Peak Rate rebate program and wanted our permission to access the power box and specifically to reconnect a line to our HVAC outside unit. My husband asked for ID and he said he had none, that he was a subcontractor and PPL would not give them ID. We took a picture of his white van which simply had a magnetic sticker that read “ltron…..Contractor for Delmarva Power”. We asked that he not touch anything on our property and I tried to reach your 800# but was on hold for over an hour. Having worked in Cust Service for over 25 years, I believe I’m entitled to say that yours is quite possibly the worst I’ve ever encountered. Lisa Roth / 104 Lone Lane, Allentown PA 18104

    Reply
  7. Kenneth J Houck

    Called 1-888-668-4775. I tried communicating with you over two days any many, many hours. On hold the entire time. This is a business account. I don’t have 3 hours to spend on hold. Never got through as of this writing. Furious and not in the mood for apologies or excuses.

    Reply
  8. A.W.Johnson Jr.

    When will the testing of the power lines be completed.
    The late night test is the most awfull noise .
    mid day testing is just as bad ,but interruption of service can and is a pain .
    re stting clocks every day is a pain .
    In the 50 years of ppl service i have had i do not recall setting my clocks but one or two times.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon A.W., Please call our Customer Service Team weekdays between 8am-5pm at 1-800-342-5775 (Say -Service Department). We will need to take specific information from you such as your location so we can look into this for you. Thank you!

      Reply
  9. Jim K

    Your suggestions about contacting via Twitter and / or Facebook were disappointing. A lot of people don’t use those 2 social media platforms and don’t have any desire to do so. They are garbage.
    I would suggest creating some other method(s) of contacting your company.
    Regards,

    Jim K.

    Reply
  10. Barbara Holtz

    The last 3 days I was told waiting time was 55 minutes, 35 minutes and 60 minutes to talk to a REAL person. I used to know people who worked at PPL including my husband. I never got to talk to anyone, this is not acceptable for our local electric co. This is not good PR. It’s more like bullshit.
    Barbara Holtz

    Reply
  11. Margaret D Knox

    Your customer “service” is not service at all. I do not use twiter or face book nor other electronic sites that use my info to keep sending junk emails to me. I once had confidence that I could reach ppl and a human would help me. It seems that unless you have a smart( ?) phone or put personal info on facebook your call is put in the hold forever slot.
    Anyone over the age of 65 is considered obsolete by all businesses and PPL has joined the parade.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Margaret, We understand your frustration. Please know we are working to resolve the issues with our delayed Customer Service phone response. We would be happy to assist you with your questions on our Blog. Let us know how we can help you or if you prefer, we can issue a call back from a Customer Service Representative during the work week. Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Crystal Newcomer

    I am getting a new cell phone. On my old cell phone I had the PPL mobile app and it works fine. The app did not download during the initial mass download/transfer that the phone store did. I tried to download it from Google Play Store and I cannot find it. I called customer service and was told that PPL no longer has a mobile app. I do not believe her. It is still working fine on my old phone.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Morning Crystal, We do not have an IOS/Android app. However, our website is designed to adapt to whatever browser or OS you are using.
      – If you are on an iPhone…. You can save the PPL homepage to your home screen as a shortcut, and it looks/feels like an app. Go to our website in safari, click the “share” icon (the square icon with the up arrow) then scroll down and select “Add to Home Screen.” Not sure if Android has the same. We are in the process of creating an app to make it easier for our customers. Thank you for checking with us!

      Reply
  13. Therese Handwerk

    Your customer service is awful!! Trying to access our account online. Call, get someone who cannot speak English, he transfers, drops call (by now I waited over 30 mins) called again, nice lady, but transfer to account verification dropped (another 35 mins). Can’t do verification on line, because cell phone number on account is husbands old cell and no way to change cell phone without verification, which I cannot do on line or get contact to customer service verification. This is beyond unsatisfactory. We want to go paperless and we want to enroll in PPL standard charge….

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Therese, We are sorry to hear of your frustration but would like to assist. If you have a facebook, twitter or Instagram account, please PM or DM us with your address & phone number. We will have a Representative call you to assist weekdays 8am -5pm. Thank you!

      Reply
  14. Shirley M Hess

    I have been on hold on the phone for over one hour with no one coming on the line. It has now taken me another 25 minutes to figure out how to e-mail you! I am having a problem and was hoping you could assist but that hope is becoming very dim. My current supplier, NRG, has advised me my usage has soared since 10/19/2022. I was hoping to discuss this with someone to determine if by chance it has anything to do with a new toaster oven that was placed into service on said date. As of this date (11/4/2022), we have discontinued use of this appliance. Is there a way the meter can be checked to determine if indeed it is in working order and not the cause of this sudden increase in usage. It has to be one of these two things as nothing else in the house has changed. PLEASE have someone respond to this request!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Shirley, While we do not come out to your home, we offer a no-cost Virtual Home Energy Assessment that includes a phone consultation with a trained Energy Advisor, energy efficiency recommendations, and a free personalized energy savings kit. For more information and to set up an appointment, visit http://www.pplelectric.com/virtualassessment. Also, please review your daily & hourly usage under pplelectric.com/analyze. You will be able to view the time of day your usage is highest contributing to an increase in usage/bill and make lifestyle adjustments. Another option is to contact our Energy Education team weekdays 8am -5pm to review the usage on your account at 1-800-342-5775 (say Energy Education Team.) A Call back option is offered for the customers during the highest volume Call Center times. Please leave your account number, name, address & phone number. Thank you for reaching out!

      Reply
  15. Ronald Witkowski

    Simple question.

    Will PPL provide 2FA with sign-in?

    Possibly I have missed the information for that issue.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Ronald, When signing into your web profile, we do not require a 2-factor authentication. When calling our customer service toll free phone number, we offer a 4-digit number or password security before the Representative opens & discusses your account. Thank you for your question!

      Reply
  16. Ed Spotts

    58 minute wait time to talk to a rep is totally unacceptable!
    why can’t we submit a Simple Question via email.
    I do not see that option on contacting Customer Service

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Morning Ed, We apologize for the long wait time when contacting our Customer Service. Since your post, we have added a significant amount of Representatives available now to assist you by phone at 1-800-342-5775 (say for example “Billing” or “Web Issue” during the prompts to be forwarded to the proper Department. You can also reach out to us with concern on Facebook (Private Message) or Twitter (Direct Message) or Instagram on our website http://www.pplelectric.com. Thank you for bringing your experience to our attention so we can better serve our customers.

      Reply
  17. Diane and bill scott

    Would like to thank Brian the supervisor and his crew for restoring the power today at lake in the clouds they were very professional and courteous they did a great job and we really appreciate it

    Reply
  18. George

    You have acknowledged a breakdown of your computer system resulting in having to use estimates for the latest billing. My billing may be at least 3 times what it should be. With all your resources why have you not corrected the billing. Instead you are asking me to overpay and hope you correct your shortcomings

    Reply
  19. Boris Rovenskiy

    Strange situation. 2 years in a row from November to May I live in Florida. The water heater is off. Heaters are at 50 degrees. I don’t use the stove or microwave, and the amount of electricity I use is more than when I lived permanently. It’s impossible to get an answer why. And I would like to.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Boris, PPL Electric offers several tips, tools, & programs that can help customers manage their energy bills.
      • Read about our no-cost Virtual Home Energy Assessment. Your free virtual assessment includes a phone consultation with a trained Energy Advisor, energy efficiency recommendations, and a free personalized energy savings kit. For more information and to set up an appointment, visit http://www.pplelectric.com/virtualassessment.
      • If you have an existing web profile for your account, please review your daily & hourly usage under https://www.pplelectric.com/analyze. You will be able to view the time of day your usage is highest contributing to an increase in usage/bill and make lifestyle adjustments.
      • Call our Energy Education Team weekdays 8am-5pm at 1-800-342-5775 to review your bills & usage.
      • Customers can lower the Generation portion of their bill by shopping for a supplier. For tips on shopping smart, visit pplelectric.com/shopsmart and papowerswitch.com for a list of generation suppliers including their price offer.
      • Using less energy can save customers money. We offer programs, rebates, and tips that can help. Visit savewithppl.com to learn more.
      • PPL Electric offers numerous programs that can help lower payments or relieve debt for eligible customers. We also offer information on federal programs, like LIHEAP and ERAP, that provide direct assistance to eligible customers. Learn more these and other programs to help pay your bill at pplelectric.com/billhelp.
      Thank you for reaching out to us!

      Reply
  20. Richard

    I have tried for 90 minutes (three phone calls) to contact support via phone about switching from my current electric supplier back to PPL. I have contacted my supplier to terminate my contract effective 5/30/2023 and was trying to verify with you all that my supplier would default back to PPL. After two connections with hang-ups I finally spoke with someone, but they could not understand what I was asking. Is there a special process needed to revert back to PPL as my supplier after trying another vendor?

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Evening Richard, We are sorry to hear about your frustration with our customer support. Your account will default back to PPL by contacting the Generation Supplier on your account to cancel. Once you cancel the supplier, they electronically notify PPL of your cancellation. We then mail a letter to your home confirming the supplier is dropped and your account is returned to PPL. If you are interested in shopping in the future, please read more about safely shopping for suppliers under https://www.pplelectric.com/shopsmart. Thanks for reaching out to us!

      Reply
  21. Linda Renick

    All I wanted to do is learn if my check was received and acknowledged. Phone only gives automated choices, not personalized, no one to speak with. Pretty much the same here on the computer. I don’t want to “make a payment”. I don’t want to change supplier. I don’t want an online account. Just an answer to a simple question: did you or did you not receive my check !

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      Good Afternoon Linda, We are very sorry to hear about your frustration when reaching out. Please know you can contact us with your account address & phone number on Facebook (Private Message) or Twitter or Instagram (Direct Message) on our website http://www.pplelectric.com so we can review your account and let you know if your check was received. Thank you.

      Reply

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