Appalachian Power

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 1 historical complaint about Appalachian Power, published in 2010. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Power Company Accused of Violating Laws and Cutting Off ElectricityPublished Sep 28, 2010 · Historical consumer allegation

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Appalachian Power official website: https://www.appalachianpower.com/
• Virginia customer service and 24-hour emergency line: 800-956-4237 1 complaint mentions this number
• Ohio and Marshall County (WV) customer service: 1-800-852-6942
• Tennessee customer service: 800-967-4237
• West Virginia customer service: 800-982-4237

Locations

Appalachian Power customers: contact, payment help, deposits, disconnection rules and where to complain (checked October 12, 2026)

Appalachian Power (APCo) is the regulated distribution utility in its service territory, and its rates are set by state commissions rather than chosen by the customer. Some eligible Virginia customers may obtain electric supply from a third-party provider registered with APCo Virginia, according to the company's Virginia rates page. The steps below follow the company's own pages, Virginia statutes and the two state commissions, opened on October 12, 2026.

Contact. The company's Contact page lists state numbers of Tennessee 800-967-4237, Virginia 800-956-4237 and West Virginia 800-982-4237; it also says to report emergencies and safety hazards immediately to 800-956-4237 (available 24 hours) and to call that number to add someone to an account or change the name on it. Outages can be reported online. The page also says high-bill questions should start with the bill itself: check whether the read was estimated (a later actual read can lower the next bill), compare to the same month last year, and review weather.

Payment help the company lists. A one-time payment extension, an extended payment arrangement (log-in required), the Average Monthly Payment plan, Winter Bill Help, LIHEAP for Virginia and Tennessee customers, LIEAP (including emergency heating and cooling repair) for West Virginia, Virginia's Percentage of Income Payment Plan (income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, applied for through the local social-services agency; the page also gives the State Corporation Commission at 804-371-9611), and Neighbor to Neighbor grants through Dollar Energy Fund that apply directly to an account to prevent disconnection or restore service.

Security deposits (residential). Per the company's deposit page: in Virginia, interest runs at a rate set annually by the SCC and the deposit plus interest is applied after twelve consecutive on-time bills; in West Virginia, interest runs at a rate set by the state Public Service Commission and the deposit is applied after 12 consecutive on-time bills. If the account closes before a year, the deposit is applied to the final bill.

Disconnection rules in Virginia. Virginia Code section 56-245.1:4 says a utility may not disconnect a residential customer for nonpayment until the account is 60 days in arrears and the utility has made reasonable efforts to offer bill payment assistance, arrange a payment plan or provide information on other assistance; it must send notice by at least two channels (mail, email, text, phone call or door hanger). Section 56-245.1:3 bars electric disconnections for nonpayment when the forecast low is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or the forecast high is at or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit in the following 24 hours, and bars nonpayment disconnections of residential customers on Fridays, weekends, state holidays and the day immediately preceding a state holiday. Section 56-245.1:4 also requires disconnection-policy notices in English and Spanish (and other languages for certain localities) and says an electric or gas utility may not require a deposit of more than 25 percent of the arrearage amount to restore service to a residential customer whose utility received Home Energy Assistance Program funding for that customer within the last 12 months (eligible once every three years). These are the statutes as displayed on the Virginia legislative site on October 12, 2026; this page did not check the company's West Virginia disconnection rules.

If the company does not resolve it. In Virginia, the SCC's Division of Public Utility Regulation, on request, investigates utility actions for compliance with the utility's tariffs and tries to resolve disputes informally; the SCC's Utility Complaints page lists an online form for electric companies, a mailing address (Division of Public Utility Regulation, P.O. Box 1197, Richmond, VA 23218) and telephone 804-371-9611 or toll free 1-800-552-7945, and suggests first trying to resolve the concern with the utility. In West Virginia, the Public Service Commission's home page links to 'Assistance for Consumers / File A Complaint' and to the Consumer Advocate Division (its complaint page returned an access error to the browser used for this review, so its contents were not read). Keep bill copies, dates and names from calls.

Imposter calls and texts. A company director said in November 2025 that imposters pose as the company by phone, text, email and in person, often asking for prepaid debit cards, gift cards, cryptocurrency or payment apps, and that customers should use the number on their bill or the company app to check their account status.

Rate cases and commission orders: Virginia SCC and West Virginia PSC

Rates for APCo's two main states are decided in commission cases, so most 'regulatory' news about the company is about prices. The items below come from the company's SEC filings (which also carry AEP's own disclosures) and from the commissions' documents or news coverage, as noted.

Virginia.

• SCC final order in Case No. PUR-2023-00002, November 30, 2023: the company asked for about $212.6 million; the Commission approved a $127.3 million annual revenue increase and a 9.50 percent authorized return on equity.
• Cardinal News reported that the SCC's November 2024 order raised the average residential monthly bill by about $1.39; the company had sought about $10.
• Per the Form 10-K, in December 2025 the SCC approved a hearing examiner's recommendation of no fuel cost disallowances for the review periods at issue (an intervenor had recommended a minimum $20 million disallowance).
• Per the June 2026 Form 10-Q, in May 2026 APCo issued 20-year securitization bonds for about $1.4 billion of Virginia costs (Amos and Mountaineer plant balances, deferred storm costs and financing costs) and a Base Rate Reduction rider credits customers until new base rates take effect.
• Pending: the company filed a base rate case on May 29, 2026, and says its request is about $61.4 million (about $9.10 a month for a residential customer using 1,000 kWh after $8.38 in securitization savings, if approved as filed). Cardinal News (October 1, 2026) reports SCC staff recommended a $5.5 million decrease and a 9.65 percent return on equity, the Attorney General's consultant argued for 9.325 percent, a public hearing is set for October 19 and an evidentiary hearing for October 20, and the final order is due by January 15 with no rate change before March 1.
• Cardinal News (February 2025) reported utility data provided to the SCC showing about 46,000 residential customers, or 9 percent of 466,000, were disconnected between November 2023 and October 2024, with power typically back within 12 hours according to the utility.

West Virginia (cases are filed jointly with sister company Wheeling Power).

• January 2024: the PSC disallowed $232 million of fuel and purchased-power (ENEC) under-recovery ($136 million related to APCo). In November 2024 the West Virginia Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part and remanded for further examination of the calculation; remand proceedings were still open in the June 2026 10-Q.
• August 2025 base-rate order: a $76 million annual increase ($67 million related to APCo) on a 9.25 percent return on equity, against a request of $251 million. On reconsideration in February 2026 the PSC set a 9.75 percent return on equity, which raised the figure to $91 million ($79 million related to APCo) effective February 20, 2026.
• West Virginia Watch reported that more than 5,000 protest letters were filed in that case and that the order made the Dollar Energy Fund available year-round, raised the per-household amount from $300 to $500 and lowered reconnection charges (previously up to $75).
• March 2026: final financing order approving securitization; July 2026 order approving an overall $2.7 billion balance ($1.7 billion related to APCo), with issuance expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
• April 2026: the PSC conditionally approved an inflation-based adjustment of 4 percent for residential and commercial customers (2.5 percent industrial); the PSC order allowed an inflation adjustment of $40.1 million, and the companies agreed not to file a new base rate case before June 1, 2027. The company's May 12, 2026 news release says the new rates take effect June 1 and that a residential bill at 1,000 kWh a month rises by $4.84; the June 2026 Form 10-Q describes revised tariff sheets reflecting a $40 million combined annual increase effective July 1, 2026 (the two company documents give different effective dates). A group of APCo customers and an intervening party appealed that order to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

Related. In April 2025 Sierra Club, with two APCo customers as plaintiffs, settled its federal suit against the West Virginia PSC over a 2021 directive tying cost recovery to coal-plant operation at a 69 percent capacity factor; Sierra Club says the PSC agreed that fuel and purchased-power recovery will no longer depend on operating plants at any level.

Typical bill as displayed by the company. West Virginia: $183.07 for 1,000 kWh (effective September 1, 2026). Virginia: $169.85 for 1,000 kWh (effective September 24, 2026).

Who Appalachian Power is: ownership, territory and related companies

Appalachian Power Company is an electric utility subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP). AEP's 2025 Form 10-K lists APCo as a Virginia corporation organized in 1926 that generates, transmits and distributes power to retail customers in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia, with about 971,000 retail customers in that filing's table. The company's own About page says it serves roughly 1.1 million homes, businesses and organizations in 57 counties across Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia and is headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia (company statements; the two customer figures are counted differently and are not combined).

Related companies. Wheeling Power Company, another AEP utility subsidiary, shares West Virginia rate cases with APCo; the company's Wheeling page says the Northern Panhandle (Ohio and Marshall counties) area is managed by Appalachian Power. Kingsport Power Company, also an AEP subsidiary, provides service in Kingsport, Tennessee and neighboring communities according to the Form 10-K. Appalachian Consumer Rate Relief Funding, LLC is a wholly-owned APCo subsidiary formed to issue securitization bonds.

Not the same business. Black Diamond Power Co. of Charleston, WV is a separate electric company that buys power wholesale and serves 4,886 customers in Clay, Raleigh and Wyoming counties, according to a September 2025 report on a petition by PSC legal staff for an investigation of that company; complaints about it are not complaints about APCo.

Leadership. The company's leadership page (opened October 12, 2026) lists Brian Abraham as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Complaint record: BBB, ComplaintsBoard and this site's archive (as displayed October 12, 2026)

BBB. On the BBB profile for Appalachian Power Company in Roanoke, VA, BBB shows an A+ rating and BBB Accredited status. The complaints tab shows 109 total complaints in the last 3 years and 24 complaints filed in the last 12 months; the reviews tab shows an average of 1.26 out of 5 stars from 27 customer reviews. BBB notes that displayed complaint text may not represent all complaints. BBB's raw page data lists accreditation from December 15, 1940 and a file opened January 15, 1939.

Separate West Virginia BBB listing. BBB also has a listing named Appalachian Power Company in Charleston, WV, which it marks as not BBB Accredited; its complaints tab shows 70 total complaints in the last 3 years and 13 complaints filed in the last 12 months (as displayed on October 12, 2026). It is a different BBB file from the Roanoke listing and the two are not added together.

ComplaintsBoard. The ComplaintsBoard page shows a 1.0 rating from 2 reviews and 20 complaints (page updated May 15, 2026). These are user submissions whose allegations are not independently established by this profile (some entries carry ComplaintsBoard's 'Verified customer' label, meaning the reviewer confirmed an account using Google); they are a separate source from BBB and the numbers are not added together.

This site's archive. One approved complaint in this site's archive names Appalachian Power as the subject: a September 2010 post from a Wytheville, Virginia writer who alleges rate increases without reason, deposits charged when a bill is late and electricity cut off. It is an allegation by the writer and is not a finding.

Counts from different sources are shown separately and are not totals. Appalachian Power is not a bank or lender, so the CFPB consumer complaint database was not used for this profile.

Court record: Clark v. Appalachian Power Co. (S.D. W. Va.) and how it ended

The main consumer class action found in the sources checked on October 12, 2026 is Clark et al. v. Appalachian Power Company et al., Case No. 2:24-cv-00424 (S.D. W. Va.). The class action complaint, filed in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, named Appalachian Power, American Electric Power Company, Inc. and Homeserve USA Repair Management Corp. It alleged that mailed offers for "exterior electrical line coverage" plans to West Virginia residential electric customers were misleading, that electric utilities are responsible for maintaining their lines through rates, and that customer information was shared to facilitate the mailings. These are the plaintiffs' allegations. The defendants removed the case to federal court on August 15, 2024.

Outcome per the docket. On February 24, 2025 the court granted a motion by Homeserve to compel plaintiffs Clark and Congleton to arbitrate and stayed the case. On August 13, 2025 plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, and on August 22, 2025 the court dismissed the action with prejudice as to the named plaintiffs' individual claims and without prejudice as to the claims of the putative class. The docket entries reviewed show no ruling on the merits of the allegations.

Other dockets naming Appalachian Power in federal court are individual injury, property-damage, contract or civil-rights matters and were not summarized here.

Is Appalachian Power Legitimate?

Appalachian Power Company is a regulated electric utility: its Virginia retail rates are approved by the State Corporation Commission and its West Virginia rates by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, per the company's rates pages and commission orders. It is an AEP subsidiary included in AEP's SEC filings and is BBB Accredited on BBB's Roanoke profile (accredited since December 15, 1940 per BBB's raw page data), with an A+ rating, alongside the complaint and review counts shown above. Rate levels and bills are disputed in public commission cases, which is the venue for challenging them.

Court & Public Records

Company Relationships

• Owned by: American Electric Power Company, Inc.
• Affiliated with: Wheeling Power Company
• Affiliated with: Kingsport Power Company
• Affiliated with: Appalachian Consumer Rate Relief Funding, LLC

Frequently Asked Questions