Electric Bill TRIPLED??? WTH???

[kristenrice]

I'm a little frustrated right now...

I have auto-billing and e-statements for my electric bill. Well, when I tried to sign on (using my e-mail address and password), it says my password is incorrect. I followed the steps to reset my password which included them sending a reset code to my e-mail address. I got the message saying that my password was successfully reset. So, I go back to sign on...and I get a message that says my e-mail address is not on file...ummmm....they JUST sent me an e-mail with my password reset code...WTH?

Of course, my next step is to call them...but since we just had a bunch of storms roll through the area, I get a recorded message that says they are only taking EMERGENCY calls right now.

I cannot even get my account number since I have not received a paper statement in over 3 years and I cannot log on to my account. DH checked the meter reading, but since I cannot access my statement, I have nothing to compare it to.

As promised, I will keep this updated, but I have no idea when I am going to be able to get a hold of the electric company. After I vented this all to my DH, he mentioned an incident about 2 years ago when we had a sudden rise in our electric bill. It went from about $110 to over $200 in one, non-summer month. IIRC, I went through the same rigamarole without ever being able to get in contact with the electric company. When the next month's bill came, it was only like $30 so there was an "adjustment". Since I really don't know when I am going to be able to wait on hold for 45-60 minutes, I might just have to wait and see what happens with next month's bill.

 

[bearzabout]

If your company is DTE Energy, they are great to deal with over the phone. If I forget to print my statements before they drop off the system, they will print them for me and mail them.

They should be able to look up your account and help with your online problems.


8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday
800.477.4747

By the way, there was an article over the weekend in the Detroit News about a recent rate hike in order to raise 37 million dollars to install meters that they can read (and turn off) remotely. They are getting sued over the increase.

 

[kristenrice]

If your company is DTE Energy, they are great to deal with over the phone. If I forget to print my statements before they drop off the system, they will print them for me and mail them.

They should be able to look up your account and help with your online problems.


8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday
800.477.4747

By the way, there was an article over the weekend in the Detroit News about a recent rate hike in order to raise 37 million dollars to install meters that they can read (and turn off) remotely. They are getting sued over the increase.

We have DTE Energy for our gas service, but our electric is through Consumers Energy.

 

[semo233]

How do your KW's compare to your summer bill? Also - how does your cost per KW compare to what you paid last summer? Those are probably the first two things you should look at.

Now - DH and I had a bill that was EXTREMELY high - and realized that we were having a problem with our well pump. Our usage otherwise didn't make any sense - so we went through our circuit breaker 1-circuit at a time, until we found the one that made the electric meter spin fast. Then it didn't take long to figure out what was happening. (Luckily for us - our pump was on the verge of failing. So - we "literally" got it fixed just in time. And - I would never want a well pump to fail...everything is nastier when I haven't had a hot shower in the morning.)

Just adding that story because sometimes - things DO go wrong with appliances that you have.

Same thing happened to us when we first moved in. Our electric bill was comparable to the family that lived here before us, but it just didn't make sense...we were 2 people, they were 4 and we were both at work 12 hours a day!
There was a crack in the pipe coupling leading down to the pump and our pump was running 24 hours per day! We had the pipe fixed (didn't have to get a new pump, 19 years later, we have the same pump!) and our electric bill was more in the "makes sense" range!

 

[sharbear]

Do you have a service center in your town? I know they have a window at ours that you can pay your bill. Maybe they could access your bill for you.

How frustrating. I also sign up for ebills but I don't for the electric and gas. If the bill varies I want to pay for it every month.

 

[kristenrice]

OP here...returning as promised...

I got not one, but 2 emails this month, letting me know that my bill is due. Here's what they say:

Your energy bill for (ADDRESS DELETED)is now ready for you to view.
This month you have a credit in the amount of $136.91. No payment is
due this month.

Then, at the same time, I received this one...

Your energy bill for (ADDRESS DELETED) is now ready for you to view.
This month you have a credit in the amount of $245.29. No payment is
due this month.

Well, they sort of resolved it...but now, according to this, I will have a credit of $382.20 on my Visa. So, that's where I stand. I'm going to check my Visa statement in a few days and see what shows up.

I have tried a few more times to call, but I guess it's not in the cards...I keep getting hold times of 45 minutes.

 

[jrw118]

I highly doubt they will refund your visa. The will most likely keep the credit on your account so you next few months will not have payments.

 

[angwill]

I highly doubt they will refund your visa. The will most likely keep the credit on your account so you next few months will not have payments.

This is true the credit will be to your electric company account not to your visa. So it may be a few months before you owe a bill unless they estimate it again and decide you owe more than you should.

The options they might give you is to estimate your bill for the year where you pay the same each month all year and pay or get credit for the difference at the end. The other option may be to call in your meter reading on a monthy basis.

 

[sissy_ib]

OP here...returning as promised...

I got not one, but 2 emails this month, letting me know that my bill is due. Here's what they say:

Your energy bill for (ADDRESS DELETED)is now ready for you to view.
This month you have a credit in the amount of $136.91. No payment is
due this month.

Then, at the same time, I received this one...

Your energy bill for (ADDRESS DELETED) is now ready for you to view.
This month you have a credit in the amount of $245.29. No payment is
due this month.

Well, they sort of resolved it...but now, according to this, I will have a credit of $382.20 on my Visa. So, that's where I stand. I'm going to check my Visa statement in a few days and see what shows up.

I have tried a few more times to call, but I guess it's not in the cards...I keep getting hold times of 45 minutes.

You have a credit with your electric company not on your Visa. That's what the part about no payment due means.

 

[kristenrice]

You have a credit with your electric company not on your Visa. That's what the part about no payment due means.

This is true the credit will be to your electric company account not to your visa. So it may be a few months before you owe a bill unless they estimate it again and decide you owe more than you should.

The options they might give you is to estimate your bill for the year where you pay the same each month all year and pay or get credit for the difference at the end. The other option may be to call in your meter reading on a monthy basis.

I highly doubt they will refund your visa. The will most likely keep the credit on your account so you next few months will not have payments.

I figured it would be an account credit too, but then I read the rest of the e-mail...

** You are enrolled in Recurring Card Payments. Your bill will be
automatically charged to your payment card. **


I was just wondering if it is all "automatic", will it go through as a "negative charge". Time will tell...I guess the worst case scenario is that I don't have an electric bill for the next 2-3 months.

 

[kristenrice]

OP back again!

I just got this month's e-statement...

This month, I have a credit of $19.xx so they obviously fixed the problem. I don't like pre-paying for three months of electricity, but in the end, it worked out OK.