Southern California Edison
Returned check fee charged for typo on online payment

I paid my electricity bill online, receiving no error messages during the process and a payment confirmation number at the end. Nearly 2 weeks later, I received an e-mail threatening disconnection. When I called SCE, I was told the payment had not gone through after all because of a typo - one incorrect digit - on my checking account number. Immediately I went back online and paid the bill in full. My next bill from SCE showed a $9.00 "Returned check charge" for a minor typo! This is unreasonable, and unjustified because no check was returned or even involved. Further, typically, a mistyped checking account number will return some kind of error message by the online payment program, but none was received here, and the payment was fully confirmed. Thus, I thought everything was fine and had no way of even knowing about the typo — if there even was such a typo at all.

BEWARE!!! I think SCE has devised another consumer rip-off scam here. By giving the false impression that my account was paid in full, then waiting 2 weeks to send me an E-MAIL notice (which had a completely vague subject line that didn't even hint that this was a disconnect notice), I think what they wanted was to disconnect my electricity to generate even higher reconnection fees. But, because I know SCE is full of dirty tricks, I went on and read that e-mail instead of ignoring it, and paid the bill before they got a chance to shut the power off. So all they could do was drum up a bogus "returned check charge, " which they refused to reverse, forcing me to waste time filing a complaint with the Public Utilities Commission. BE WARNED!!! SCE is unethical and guilty of a number of fraudulent consumer practices! This is just their latest scheme! Don't pay your bill online anymore! Send them a physical check!

Company: Southern California Edison
Country: USA
State: California
City: Los Angeles
Site: sce.com

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