- Report: #81055
Complaint Review: TXU Energy - Dallas Texas
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TXU Energy
PO Box 100001 Dallas, 75310-0001 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
972-791-2888
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TXU Energy charging us when we requested service with another electric company Dallas Texas
Back in December of 2003, I called TXU Energy to cancel my service at my old apartment since my husband and I were moving to a home. I asked for service for my new place and then called to let my husband know about it. He then told me he already called Green Mountain Energy for our energy service provider. So I called TXU Energy back to cancel our service at our home, and they told me they would cancel without a problem. I asked for a confirmation number on my cancelation and they told me I didn't need one. In the middle of January 2004, we received a bill for $124.
I called TXU to dispute the charges and see why they would bill us since we requested Green Mountain to be our energy provider. They told me they do not show (in their records) that we canceled our service with them and it is not possible for someone to have two electric companies. Also since ordering servce through TXU. that automatically cancels out my service with Green Mountain. I told them we are not paying this bill since we asked them to cancel our service. They told me that if I don't pay my bill, my credit report will be messed up. I called Green Mountain to see if we still have service with them and although they said no, which company I requested service with first, we should have service with. I called TXU back and got the same run-around about their records not showing us canceling our service. They were extremely rude to me over the phone and stated "That's not our problem" when I had mentioned I had told them to cancel our service with them.
Apparently TXU thinks they can get away with playing a game with us since we are unable to use a new provider until the end of the billing cycle.
We would like to know if there is a lawsuit against them.
Joel
Dallas, Texas
U.S.A.
I called TXU to dispute the charges and see why they would bill us since we requested Green Mountain to be our energy provider. They told me they do not show (in their records) that we canceled our service with them and it is not possible for someone to have two electric companies. Also since ordering servce through TXU. that automatically cancels out my service with Green Mountain. I told them we are not paying this bill since we asked them to cancel our service. They told me that if I don't pay my bill, my credit report will be messed up. I called Green Mountain to see if we still have service with them and although they said no, which company I requested service with first, we should have service with. I called TXU back and got the same run-around about their records not showing us canceling our service. They were extremely rude to me over the phone and stated "That's not our problem" when I had mentioned I had told them to cancel our service with them.
Apparently TXU thinks they can get away with playing a game with us since we are unable to use a new provider until the end of the billing cycle.
We would like to know if there is a lawsuit against them.
Joel
Dallas, Texas
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Michael
Fort Worth,Texas,
U.S.A.
How deregulation works in Texas
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Mon, December 12, 2005
In Texas, when you choose a new electric provider, the new company sends an order to The Energy Reliability Council of Texas. Since all the processing is tied to the unique number assigned to that one electric METER, only one customer can be billed at a time, no matter what company they choose. They coordinate the change, if you are already receiving service at the address. If you are moving into a new address, they will send the order to start your service. There is a little difference in the processing if you already live there as opposed to just moving in. 1. Exisiting customers who already have service at the address are referred to as a "Switch". These changes take up to sixty days, since they occur on the regular meter reading date at that address. ONE ORDER TO THE NEW COMPANY IS ALL THAT IS REQUIRED. Since all the lines, poles and meters are owned by one company (called the Distribution Service Provider), the same meter reader and repair technicians will take care of the service, NO MATTER WHAT COMPANY bills you for the electricity. Consequently, the readding taken on your regular meter readding date is the FINAL readding for your old company and the INITIAL readding with the new provider. The Distribution Service Provider will supply the information on your new readding each month. The information is only given to ONE company. That company then sends you a bill. If multiple orders for service for the same customer come in from different companies, the Energy Reliablility Council will honor the FIRST order received. 2. New customers, such as people who are moving into a new home or aparmtment will have their provider of choice on the day they request service. Most companies have a lead time that is required to start new service, sincee an order has to be sent to the ENERGY RELIABILITY COUNCIL, then sent on the the Distribution Service Provider, scheduled to be worked (based on the number of orders for connections, reconnections and service work) then dispatched and completed. Be sure you allow as much time as possible to be certain you have service the day you move in. The reasons a switch does not ocurr are typically that the new company does not submit the order to the Energy Reliability Council of Texas. The customer requesting service may not have completed all the required conditions, such as deposits, evidence or a lease or contract of sale (when a previous resident at the address has a seriously deliquent account). The companies require this to make sure the service is not being put in a different name, with the same people residing at the address. Sometimes, an old bill, from a previous residence, may surface that must be paid before the company will allow the same individual to obtain service again. (Many times, this is inadvertant. Many times a final bill didn't reach the customer when they moved long distances and surfaces when the company checks their records at the time service is ordered.) Consumers should be aware that THE SAME COMPANY WILL ALWAYS DO THEIR METER READDINGS AND SERVICE THE PHYSICAL LINES. If you are switching because you are dissatisfied with the PHYSICAL facility, it is a waste of time. The same people will do the work. If you are switching because another retail service provider has a better rate...great! You will get the same service on you physical facilities, have the same access to repair services for storm damage, etc. Just be sure to keep the number you are required to call if you have a power outage. Some companies provide "one number service"...you can call the same number as you would for a billing question, etc. Others have you call the Transmission Distribution Service Provider (the comapny that owns the poles, meters etc) dirctly if you have an outage. In the case of this complaint, just call your company of choice, and place an order to switch your service. They will give you the effective date of the switch. You will owe the company that supplied your electricity up to the date of the switch (in this case TXU Energy.) You will only be billed by Green Mountain from the date of the switch forward. Check the final bill from TXU against the first bill from Green Mountain. The ENDING METER READDING from TXU should be the same as the beginning Meter Readding from Green Mountain. You will still need to pay for the electricity and service from TXU up to the date of the switch, including the intial service fee. (By the way, these fees are charged by the TDSP..who owned the meter and turned on the service, so it would be the same from either company for NEW service for you at the address. The only difference would be any variation in the electric rate charged per kilowatt hour.) Most companies DO report to the credit bureaus, so failure to pay for service can have a negative impact. I worked as a customer service rep for TXU Energy for about two years until just after they outsourced most of the telephone rep work to Capgemini Energy. Many of these positions are now outside the US, such as the Phillipines. If you have trouble with ANY service rep, just request a supervisor. Calls are randomly monitored and reps are required to honor this request. Due to the limited number of supervisors, you may have to wait for a call back. Write down the name of the rep, keep track of when you called and, if you don't get a call back, make ONE more attempt. If they fail to respond again, look on your bill and file a complaint with the Public Service Commission of Texas.
