The New York State Public Service Commission has opened an investigation into Central Hudson's customer information system implementation and billing practices, according to Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.

Ryan says he called for the investigation after hearing complaints from residents ranging from extremely over-estimated bills, to large automatic withdrawals from customers' accounts without notice. He says that since September, at least 11,000 Central Hudson electricity customers have experienced billing problems. "This is an urgent issue for countless residents across Ulster County who have been severely impacted by the failed implementation of Central Hudson's new billing system, which was compounded by unexpected and unprecedented bill surges," says Ryan.

Joe Jenkins, a Central Hudson spokesman, released a statement that says, in part, "Central Hudson is in the process of implementing a new customer service platform to replace a nearly 40-year-old legacy system in order to meet the complex and changing needs of our industry and customer expectations. As we transition to this new system, we have encountered challenges that we are actively working on to resolve. We expect to have the vast majority of impacted customers with corrected bills in hand and back onto their regular billing cycle by late April." Jenkins went on to say, "The recent increases in the prices for energy and other goods have created a financial burden for all New Yorkers. Central Hudson offers payment options and financial assistance for customers, and hedges energy purchases to help dampen market-price volatility. We are committed to doing all we can to assist our customers and we look forward to working with state regulators to address the increase the market prices for energy."

Individuals who want to comment on the investigation can click here or call the Ulster County Recovery Service Center at 845-443-8888.