Complaint Review: TXU Energy

I moved to Texas three years ago. I got a divorce at that time and the energy bills from all the states we had lived in due to our jobs had been in my ex husbands name. So, before he moved out, I needed the lights turned on in my name. I called up TXU and was told that even though I had excellant credit at the time that I needed $1000.00 deposite because of the energy crises and that I had no credit history with an electric company in Texas or recently. I came up with the money and the lights were turned on in my name.

A year later, my lease was up on the house so I decided to buy a house in nearby Santa Fe. I then was told that I had to pay an additional $350.00 deposite to have the lights switched on at the new resisdence. I again did so with difficulty. For the next 3 months, I was billed for not only my new residence but my old on as well. I was paying someone elses light bill. I called month after month complaining for TXE energy to fix this and give me a credit. For those 3 months, I was paying over $1000.00 a month in electricity. At the end of three months, I was having difficulty paying my bills so I kept trying to play catch up. I told TXU that I cannot afford to pay this rate but they reminded me that I was locked into a contract and that if I didn't pay it then I would have no electricity and no other company would give me electricity either since they would report my bill was repeatedly not paid in full even though they were billing me for two addresses. I asked then how they could do this and they explained to me that I would be charged excessive fees even though they were billing me for someone else too. I couldn't afford to pay these fees and the outrageous bills for both residences. After months of complaining moving up the hiearchy of power at TXU, my bill was adjusted. I discovered that they went into my online account and changed all the figures. They adjusted the rate for my new house where almost all of the electric consumption was for my new house. When I lived in the old house of only 1400 square feet, TXU charged me arround $350.00 per month. I was using the minimum ac there too and didn't have very many appliances and my stove was gas. TXU only attributed $200.00 average for the house now that I was paying someone elses bill.

I am a single mom on a budget and I feel like TXU has acted like some kind of energy Mafia and they trap you in with no way out. I talked to many people who have TXU and othe carriers and nobody has had energy bills like mine. They don't even come out and read the meters. They bill you on estimations. The people that lived in the house before me partied every week and they had high energy cost so they based my bill on that.

After paying thousands of dollars to TXU I thought that I was finally going to get a break when last year they offered me another contract offereing me 14.4 percent saying that energy cost were going to go way up and this would lock me in at a low rate. I was happy thinking wow, how nice of them to offer me this deal. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford electricity in the future. My electric bill began to run $500 a monty in the summertime and $300 a month in the winter time because I don't run the heat. I use the fireplace. I still know my bill for a 2000 square foot area is outrageous.

Well, at the first of this year, a new law was passed in Texsas lowering energy rates for everyone. TXU is clever and dishonest because they knew this was going to happen. So, they took loyal high paying customers and tricked us into a contract that would ensure that the new law would not protect us. Now I and others are paying higher rates than the rest of the state and our state is the highest arround. I am paying 14.4 killowhats per hour and the rates are now 11.2. Can you believe it? TXU and other energy giants are in this to make money and rip off customers anyway they can because the bottom line is money. THere is nothing fair about this but to add injury to insult, they act like they are the mafia. YOu are tricked and swindled in any way they can to keep your money and you cannot afford to leave but you cannot afford to stay. It is scary.

I want to leave this company so bad but I will be charged over $200 for breaking an illegal contract and then blackballed to other energy providers, having to pay high deposits to sign on. I know this because TXU plays dirty.

I would advise anyone not to sign up with TXU. YOu will be sorry. I am looking for a way out. I may have to pay all of thier fines and penalties for switching. There is one company that I think I can go to that is run by the State of TExas and will not consider TXU's bad report of late bills at the rate of sometimes $1000.00 per month. I have the bills to prove it. I know that I didn't use that much energy and I have never seen a meter reader out here in the country. I have a fence all around my yard and a dog and I know the fence is locked so I don't see how they read the meter at all.

Anyone in Texas with this company should look eslewhere immediately and don't sign any contracts. If is sounds too good to be true, it is. I am going to TEXAS Energy run by the state as soon as I come up with some more money. Texas energy can offer 11.2 percent right now with no contract to lock you in. Remember, contracts are not to benefit you the customer, they are to benefit the electric giant.

Tammy
Santa Fe, Texas
U.S.A.