My story is very similar to all the ones I've seen posted here. While many people (most?) have paid a bill late at one time or another, I realize this is not TXU's issue. They are running a business and truly don't have to care what personal issues arise with any of us.
I do, however, take issue with them turning off power in cases where bills have been paid & confirmation numbers issued. And there are far too many cases I'm reading about that are similar for this to be "coincidence"... It's now happened to me twice.
Once a long time ago, as I was going through a divorce (I know, not TXU's problem) - going from stay at home mom to unemployed single mom that had no money in the bank - I was late on a payment. I did get a disconnect notice, and scrambled to pay the bill. I did this through Bill Matrix, got a confirmation number, and the next day my power was shut off. When I called TXU, they told me the payment still wasn't in time, and had I chosen to speak with someone rather than go through the automated system the CS rep could have physically noted the account and stopped the disconnection from happening.
So here I am, a long time later, and I had another late payment. I remembered what they told me the first time, so I sat down, called TXU, got a live person, made a debit card payment, got a confirmation number, and of expected that the disconnection would be prevented. That night I looked at my bank account online, and sure enough the payment was showing to TXU that same day. The next day my power was turned off. Can you say livid?
Here's the greatest part of the story. I called TXU, certain they made a mistake. Long story short, spoke with a supervisor. You know what her reason was for making me pay 162.00 EXTRA to have my power turned back on? Because she said technically I should have paid the bill a week earlier (11/25), and they had the option of turning it off at any point after that (today is Dec. 1). My question was "so you're telling me since it was due last friday, you could turn it off even after I paid the bill?" Her response, verbatim, "if we wanted to, yes". So is this like if your car was about to be repossessed, you paid the balance owed in full (not partial), and then your car is repossessed a week later?
You know, I'm a mature person here. I understand that it was not anyone's fault but my own that I was late on the payment. Does anyone out there think it makes sense if a consumer "corrects" their indescretion with a service provider/lender/retailer/etc., that the consumer can still have everything ripped out from under them?
I will be doing research on a class action lawsuit, and hopefully I will be allowed to post the information on this site. It is an incredible scam to receive payments and still disconnect someone's service. Playing the dumb card, or "our system can't do what your asking", or any combination of the bold faced lies I've heard from TXU - they don't work for me.
PS. I was also told today by TXU, after much prodding and digging, that the only way to get my deposit back (once I change providers) is if I formally request it. So they don't give you back your deposit if I don't ASK for it? Isn't the definition of a deposit mean "something you get back"? Guarantee it's another way to keep our money, keep it invested so they make more off it, hope people forget or don't know to ask for it back, OR tell you that even though you swithed your service over to someone else they "don't have a record of it". Meanwhile you've received bills from two providers for the same dates of service. I can't wait to experience this one...
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