Tennessee Tech University - Cookeville, TN Bornes de Recharge

I’m new to driving an EV, and this was my first real trip where I needed to charge it. I planned to meet friends in Cookeville for lunch, knowing I’d use most of my charge to get there. I scoped out this charging station in advance and read that it should take about 45 minutes to charge my Leaf at the fast charger. To be safe, I arrived over an hour before lunch to ensure I’d have enough charge for the drive home. However, after an hour of charging, my car was nowhere near fully charged. I decided to leave my car at the station and asked my friend to pick me up for lunch down the street. I was concerned about hogging the station, but it was Christmas break, the campus was deserted, and the app showed no one had used the charger for over a week. The app listed a rate of $9.60 per hour, so I was surprised when the total charge was much higher than expected. There was no clear breakdown on my receipt, just an unexplained total. After contacting customer service, I learned I had been charged a $24-per-hour idle fee for leaving my car plugged in after it finished charging. While I now see that the app mentions idle fees if you click on the plug and expand the fine print, this wasn’t obvious when I first looked. It’s easy to miss, especially for someone new to EV charging. Additionally, the idle fee wasn’t itemized on my receipt, which made the total confusing. I understand the purpose of idle fees and fully support the idea behind them, but the lack of transparency and poor customer service were disappointing. When I explained the situation, I hoped they would waive the fee as a courtesy for a first-time misunderstanding. Instead, they were dismissive and unhelpful. For new EV drivers, clear communication about fees is essential. Unfortunately, this experience left me unimpressed with both the transparency and customer service of this charging network.

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A user has changed the information of this public charging location. The ChargeHub Team appreciates the contribution—thank you!