CenterPoint Energy
Reviews and Complaints

This email is expressing my disgust with the subpar service and unfair treatment I have received from center point regarding my natural gas service. Last month center point claimed my gas billed totaled 188.00. Because I have never had a gas bill larger than 40 dollars, I disputed the charge; even though the customer service representative did his best to try to reassure me center point was correct in the charges of 188.00. I also asked the representative if I needed to set up any payment arrangements anyway, because I did not want to have my service interrupted especially if this was no mistake on my part. I was told not to make a payment until I was contacted by center point. A month had gone by and I heard noting form center point until they came to my home to cut off my gas, in the middle of cold weather. When I spoke with customer service, I asked why I was not notified and she claimed there was a notice sent via U.S mail, which I never received, notifying me of an attempt to collect payment. She also claimed there was a call made and a message left, which I have not received. All in all, at the end of the day my service was interrupted because the 50 dollar payment I made (on my own not having received any communication from center point regarding my bill issues) was not enough. It was 38 dollars short of the adjusted bill from the month prior which came out to be 88 dollars instead of 188.00. At this point to restore my service it cost me the $38 dollars that was the remainder of the bill, $60 reconnect fee, and a $90 deposit. I asked if I could have the service restored the same day and I was told I could for a$50 fee. This was an upsetting situation on my part because the interruption of my service all came down to center point making a mistake by attempting to overcharge me on my bill, and then not notifying me of the corrections. Even though this was not my fault I attempted to rectify the issue by making the payments with no argument. I did not have the all the money to pay to have my service reconnected the same day, but as a loyal customer I asked a supervisor if I could just be billed for the charges because it was detrimental I had the service restored because I am alone with 2 small children. The representative was rude and simply told me no. When I asked if I could speak with someone else I was told no but he would have them call me. This all began on Thursday February 25 and today is February 28th and I have not heard from anyone regarding the issue and I and my two children are in a home with no heat, no hot water, and no way to cook. I know center point does not give a damn about me being a single mother trying to make it, but as a loyal customer I felt as though I was treated as if I were a customer who never pays their bill, and as if I were being unreasonable. I was willing to pay the ridiculous charges which were put on me by no fault of my own. This whole situation has come because I disputed the charges on a bill, which was determined to be WRONG. This seems as though it’s a plot to scam money from me, all because center point was not able to get me to agree with the bill they previously sent out. And even if I were late on the bill by my own fault…. $38? Really? Center point would not go into bankruptcy if I refused to pat this amount. Today we are home with no service and I intend on taking this complaint as far as it will go. I hope someone will contact me so I can have a chance to further explain and express my disgust with the lack of respect or customers and the attempt to scam money f room those who are considered “loyal” customers.

I am the executrix of a house left to me and others when my uncle died. I live 350 miles from this empty house. The house was empty for a year and a half and up for sale. The gas bills were off the chart. I have made many calls to them and have written a letter. No one answered the letter or called about it. I hired a plumber to check out leaks in the home - no leaks. Center Point does nothing. They can't explain why I have these bills. The gas hot water tank is turned off, and the gas heating system is off. People never call you back. The people you speak to have no idea what is going on. I have a list of all the dates I have called them and whom I have spoken to. The house sold in Dec. and today I had the new owners call me and asked about the high bills. When the last bill was off the chart again, I told them I wouldn't pay it and they made a note of that and said they would have someone call me. NOTHING Then I got a statement telling me they were turning me over to a collection agency. If anyone owes money, it is them. They owe me hundreds for their problem that they have not attempted to address.

It all started when I had to connect my gas service. It was on a Friday. I left a callback number for Centerpoint to use in order to gain access just 'outside' to connect the gas for the apt. they didnt call the contact. And left a note on door. Okay so I let it go. Called the company and they were to bring someone out on Monday. Okay, i dealt with it. Mind you it was 38 degrees outside. So that meant i couldnt stay in my apt for that weekened (but oh yea still paying rent). Anyway- but come Monday afternoon -no one has showed up and I made sure I had someone at my apartment waiting in 38 degree weather with no heater nothing! I call Centerpoint and they said, 'no it's not to be hooked up till tuesday". Hell, no! I had to insist that customer rep told me Monday. She said ok well I will have to charge you . There's no way I told myself. I ended up getting the fee waived luckily and service got turned on that afternoon. Ok- I guess they did something right FOR NOW. so get this i did a bill payment to be withdrawn automatically on 2/5. My bill was due shortly after. It was 2/8 and nothing debited from my bank account. So I made a manual payment. I then sent an email to the company informing them to only charge my account once. Never received response. on 2/12 they charged my account twice. I sent another email and again no response. their quote: they will respond within 24 hours. DID NOT HAPPEN!. they are money -hungry and i have pay to pay my bills too! dont get me started

Having been employed in the Centerpoint offices for many years, I can tell you that everything we do here is perfectly legal. People call us fraudsters every day. We are accused of running rip-off schemes and even stealing/misplacing our own gas to artificially inflate retail prices. I can tell you with certainty that whatever level of illegal activity is happening here is not enough to warrant the upset I've seen on boards like these, especially considering that our activities (legal or not) are industry standard and are not attracting negative attention from FERC. You, the public, elected the folks who appointed the FERC officials, and thereby created the laws that govern companies like Centerpoint. If you don't like the fact that we are the only game in town for gas or residential electric maintenance or that we play for-profit hardball just like every other energy related company, then maybe you should have thought about that when you made your voting decisions a couple years back. If you are expecting great customer service or something, I'm sorry but that is a completely unreasonable request considering the lack of competition. Customer service improvements are expensive and will not affect our sales in the slightest and would therefore be silly to consider. Bottom line is just 'get over it'. Your complaints are not getting you anywhere, and in some cases could be construed as libel.

Center Point hires Davey Tree to "trim" tress and shrubs around the utility lines.
I want to have our utility lines burried but cannot get Center Point to give us a bid or tell us what we need to do prior to have them burried.
The lines were put where all the Tree Top Pines existed for over 100 years. Thus, they cut them making them flat or one-dimentional. Another tree they cut the center right out like taking the top off of our heads.
Today they sent out 4 FOUR oversized vehicles on a single private lane sinking the lane, plus another oversized vehicle and 4-5 pickup obstructing our ONLY entry/exit.
Then after nearly taking down everything around the lines: they took time to CLIMB to the Tree Top Pine TOPS: the throw up a line to wrap around to pull up another saw that the Cherry Picker wouldn't reach.
They spent 2.5 hours cutting limbs that were above: 30 feet or more. What a stupid pathetic waste.
I want a class action filed.
They refuse to state the costs of: training, equipment, insurance, travel, maintenance; OT pay; injuries; benefits RATHER THAN simply burrying the lines for safety.
The lane lanes are dangerous enough let alone those coming into our yard to the house.
Outrageous. If anyone has any ideas, or wants to join a CLASS ACTION or how to force Center Point to provide the comparable costs of continued tree killing vs bury: send it to
[protected]@live.com

I have had a terrible time communicating with the ignorant people that Centerpoint Energy hires. Apparently they get off on calling customers liars, and don't ask for a manager b/c there just so happens to not be one regardless of the time of day that you call.

I receive my bill by email and when I do forget to pay they send a reminder through the mail. Great. With 3 kids and being a single mom not always enough time to pay everything on time.

Fine, I'll pay a late fee, no problem.

Well this month by the time I opened the reminder letter to late already disconnected. Finding this out Tuesday evening. Fine get on the phone pay the bill through billmatrix, call centerpoint give confirm.#, now just wait till tomorrow to have it reconnected. Great.

Not so great. Wed. morning call the customer rep center (from work I like many others do have a job from 7:30 - 4:30) I gave them my cell # to call me on while I'm at work since they said i could to have the tech call me 20 min prior to arriving. Great!

Not so great. All morning i waited no phone call. So I asked if I could take the afternoon off to wait for the tech (used up 1/2 a day of vacation since it was for personal use). Arrived home at 11:55 to look on my front door and that famous yellow ticket was hanging on the door that the tech had already been by. Got on the phone called centerpoint and the rep that answered said the tech would be out again later the ticket was no closed. Great! So then she said let me read the call ahead #, well she read it wrong so I corrected her and here is where it starts. She said that's what I said. ok no big deal just want my gas connected. Waited all day at home cell phone glued to my hand so i don't miss the call.

Well now it was 5:00 p.m. no tech. Open HOuse at the kids school in 30 min. so I'm looking out the window and by chance I see a msg. on the home answering machine. I play the msg. guess who? Centerpoint Tech. called @ 9:13 a.m. said he came by no one was home and was closing the ticket. I was so pissed I called the centerpoint and they were swore up and down the tech called my cell # maybe I didn't know where I was listening to the msg. from like i'm ignorant. telling me they had to verify the story and listen to the recording. And then they still insist that i'm confused. come on now.

All in all nothing was solved when i spoke to them last night the window of reconnection was 8am - 8pm. So i told them i'd like to try tomorrow but please i'll be home at exactly 5pm. and the ignorant Ms. Pamela Bolden said well now the window is from 8-5 be home before then. That b***h just aggravated me. If there were another provider in the city I would no longer by with centerpoint even if i had to pay twice as much. I think my sugar level dropped and my blood pressure went up at the same time arguing with those ignorant people there. And then one of them said well you have a problem and that is that maybe you should have paid your bill on time.

How's that for outstanding customer service. I know nothing will be done about this. I wish they would screen the ignorant people they hire. But I guess at 7.25 an hour we get what we pay them for.

on 8-12-09 @ 9:09 am i went into the discount tobacco oulet to pay on a gas bill, discount tabacco outlet had a sign posted stating that any bill of center point energy would immediately post, well i paid the bill @ 4:10 pm the same day 8-12-09 a service man from center point came and disconnected my services stating non payment, well i called centerpoint and they informed me that i needed to call in with the reciept number, but i did not know that only because the discount tabacco stated that my payment would post immediately, now centerpoint is charging me reconnect fees and disconnect fee which is totally wrong, futher more no where in centerpoints cut disclosure does it mention anything of a 31 dollar disconnect fee, i feel as though they are trying to get a dollar anyway they can, and its wrong. i paid my bill and it should have posted but discount tabacco did not post it, and centerpoint supervisor informed that they have NO CONTROL over what an authorized agent puts in their store. Discount tabacco should pay the 61 dollars as they are the ones that misrepresented centerpoint. and centerpoint had they time that i paid and still charged me those redicolous fees.

My husband made a wrong internet payment submitting a US$ $ 7032 instead of US$ 70.32 last March while we were in a hurry leaving for a trip last March 2009. We have paid BIG time as Center point has failed to return the money they owe us.
It took them weeks to understand the problem and do something about it, then we were transferred to Mrs. Susan Ackerman who said that they would make a deposit to my husband's account for the amount paid. After it, it is been a huge struggle for Center Point to successfully place the money to my husband's account due to 'technical difficulties' with Chase Bank. My husband had to go back and forth between these two in order to clear up a transaction none could understand! Finally, a couple of weeks ago my husband got the money into his Chase account and we thought it was the end of the story. He went to a Chase branch to ensure the money was there at the end of May and was not going to be removed and guess what happened. They have removed the money due to the 'disappearance' of the check Center Point claims made to the Chase Bank for this amount. The check is not found on the system reason why we are left without US$ 7032 again!
The unbelievable is that it is US the ones having to deal with the Chase Bank as Center Point not just kept and keeps failing to pay us back but to do it properly ensuring all mechanisms are in place with the bank.
Now I am going tomorrow to downtown to deal face to face with these people looking for a physical proof they've done what they said they did which honestly I do not believe anymore. That means, I have to miss work and money to look for a way to close this matter successfully.
All these months to make a single payment transaction?
It is unbelievable.
If anybody has any advice about other routes to proceed and get this fixed I am all ears.

They came in a team to jump my fence with ladders (i keep my gate locked) and cut off my gas. When I showed them copies of my bank statement and recent bill to prove I was up to date, they literally ran away from me and refused to even call their supervisor for confirmation.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone, trying to figure out how such a mistake could be made. I'm on time and current - in fact, I overpaid last time just because it was easier to make it a round number!

They said they would get somebody out within 2 hours. When he showed up, he flat-out said he would not climb my fence. Well, the person with the key wasn't home, so I couldn't unlock it, even if I wanted to. The technician was being such a jerk about it and said he was leaving - and not turning on my gas.

When I stood in front of his truck and called CenterPoint, he decided to call the police instead (like i would let him leave without doing his job?). When the cop showed up, he told the cop that he wasn't allowed to climb fences, which we all know is BS. His attitude was so bad with me that I wasn't about to invite the jerk into my home to go through to the backyard, but that was eventually what the cop suggested. The technician said he was frightened, which was why he didn't ask if he could go through in the beginning, which is also BS, because he came to the door with an attitude.

To top it all off, after the police escorted him to my meter and back, the technician had the nerve to ask if he could inspect the hot water heater. HE HAD TO COME IN THE HOUSE TO DO THAT, SO WHY DIDN'T HE JUST ASK TO COME IN AT THE VERY BEGINNING, instead of getting all trashy and calling the cops?

I'll tell you why: because CenterPoint hires lazy people. My husband caught one hopping the fence, but he was dressed like a thug: ballcap on sideways, baggy t-shirt, baggy saggin' pants, and basketball shoes on - NO CENTERPOINT IDENTIFICATION ON AT ALL. And now this guy, refusing to turn the gas back on because it required him to get a freakin' ladder.

The Centerpoint meter reader's unauthorized access to our yard caused our older dog injuries. The results of the injuries include multiple trips to the veterinarian, high vet bill, and depression! Another result of the meter reader's unauthorized entry to our yard is that I need therapy to begin feeling safe in my own home again!

When we purchased the house five years ago, Centerpoint assured my husband and I that their electric meter readers would never barge into our yard unannounced. Don't they have ways of transmitting homeowner requests or warnings to field workers? After the first few times someone surprised us in our own yard, however, Centerpoint told us we could read the meter ourselves and promised to send postcards for that purpose. When the postcards stopped coming the reader returned and again barged in without announcing himself! Of course we called Centerpoint to complain and they promised to send cards for us to read the meter ourselves again. Thus, a cycle began. We received cards for a few months and then without warning a reader would be leering at me through the blinds as I stepped out of the shower! Or a reader would run through the gate as the dogs crashed through the back door roaring their displeasure. How many times can a human stand such unpleasant surprises? My blood pressure must have been through the roof at each instance. Several times, I asked my husband to leave work because I was so upset!

The worst occurrence of a Centerpoint meter reader ignoring the requests we've repeatedly made to the office was on March 23, 2009. That was the day I stepped into my backyard with my dogs to find a stranger lurking behind the bushes! The dogs, who came out with me, began barking immediately. Our larger dog thought to protect me (as I was scantily clad!) and performed amazing feats of leaping and posturing that I haven't seen in years. He herded the stranger out of our yard without a single bite! The moment the stranger (I could now see was a Centerpoint meter reader) closed the back yard gate behind him, our poor brave dog collapsed onto the grass and began yelping and crying like I've never seen any dog do before. I was sure the meter reader had kicked him and broken his bones! I rushed him to our veterinarian! She diagnosed him with severe muscle strain in front and back legs and possible hairline fractures. She put him on medication, crate rest for several weeks, and wanted him back for x-rays when swelling decreased. We have now spent nearly $1000 on meds and testing and the vet says it's time for x-rays but we have already spent much much more than we ever do for our dog's routine vet care.

All of this should have caused the meter reader to notify us before trying to enter our back yard again. My husband and I re-filed the request again on the day of our dog's injury and again a week following it to be absolutely sure no meter reader would barge into our yard unannounced again.

Today, the absolutely most insulting incident occurred, however. I witnessed the meter reader tromping through my yard unannounced again! Today is May 22, 2009. The reader is the same one who caused our dog's injuries just three months ago! How could he forget? How could he ignore the Centerpoint office stating in very clear terms that all readers must have permission from these particular homeowners prior to entering the back yard?

The ridiculous thing is that the backyard faces a lightly wooded area and a main neighborhood road. The electric meter could easily be read over the fence and all the unpleasant and hurtful encounters could have been avoided!

My husband and I expect Centerpoint to cover all of the veterinarian bills that occurred as a result of the meter reader's unauthorized entry. We know that our dog was fine before the incident because he was seen by a vet one month before the injuries occurred!

I would love to hear from any other homeowners who had unpleasant experiences with a Centerpoint meter reader ignoring requests to be notified before the reader enters the yard.

Center Point Energy"...what a company.

I've been a long time paying, honest customer...& what do i get...

the tech came out to my home April 27, 09..to read my meter because my gate doesn't permit them get in my house... so of course we let him in to read the meter..
the following mth i get a $600.00 bill n the mail...Of course I call & they explain...the reason for the enlarged bill was, because the tech claimed we had a dead meter..& was changed out the next night @ 7:48 pm (yeah ok)... First of all we have survaliance cameras 2nd.. there was no way the tech came into my house...
long story short...I called ther infamous csr rep. & she strait out told me It was my my word against the techs...
They can Kiss My ###...

We had been paying our bill, never late. They changed my account number without notice. They turned off our gas and left no notice. Now they will not turn it back on. Their customer service is below zero. TO top that off, you can't change to another gas company. I am very very upset. I will retaliate in any way I can.

This Company arbitrarily Disconnected My service and there was no wy for their customer service people to listen. Taking advantage of their dominat position being the only option we have in Houston for Gas service.
Even after I was forced to pay them some money that i feel I don´t owe them. then after paying $ 62 for the reconnection they tell me that my service is going to be recconected in 4 DAYS. This is an utility and therefore necessary. Is completely unacceptable for this people to take this long. I wish I had an Alternative of a Gas company.

I recently moved out to my own apartment with 2 kids. I thought the hardest thing would be finding an affordable apartment. Boy was I wrong. I called Centerpoint Energy to get my gas connected on March 2nd paid my deposit on March 3rd. The deposit payment has been taken out of my Bank account. They told me my gas would be connected on March 6. Today is March 14 and my Gas is still not connected. I called on March 6 they told me there was a system error, that my turn on was not ordered and my gas would be connected on the 8th. Guess what it still was not connected and Im having to order out because I am not able to cook and sponge bathe my kids cause I refuse to baith them with cold wated and have them get sick. I even spoke with a Ignorant Supervisor who was blaming me for not having my gas on and didnt even care that I had young children to bathe with cold water. It seems everytime I call the Customer Service Specialists get ruder. I call today March 14 and they tell me the connection for my apartment was never ordered and that now I have to wait until March 15 to get connected. This is the most ridiculous and incompetent customer service department I have talked to. They take advantage because they are the only gas company in the city of Houston. I hope this changes soon. Because they talk to people like ignorants and they treat people like they want.

Center Point Gas Service has the worst Customer of all utility companies I've ever dealt with... ! I have forgotten to pay the bill and they disconnected the gas service. I paid the bill immediately. However, the next day I was going to get the gas service reconnected they told me a technician will arrive between 9:00am and 7:00pm and that someone must stay home and wait "ALL DAY" because they could not tell me an approximate time of arrival. Since I have to work and I was about 10-15 minutes away to get home I left a phone number for the technician to call me when he was on his way to re-connect the gas. I called 3 times Center Point Customer Service to make sure they have the information and I would get a call from the technician. The technician showed up around 6:00pm and never called the 2nd phone number. I hope I can find another Gas utility company in Houston to change the service. I also have a business account with Center Point Gas which I will also change. If you know of any other Gas utility company in Houston, please advice. I'm also looking at another options like installing a "Califont gas water heater, " which is widely used in Europe and South America. This heater can be connected to a portable gas container and it’s much cheaper that staying obligated to Center Point Gas service. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Centerpoint disconnected my gas on Feb. 19 2009 in error. When I called them and reported it, they ensure me someone was coming out that evening to reconnect. No one showed up. No hot water, unable to cook for my family, and the weather outside being 40 degrees, they still don't know what happened. Called Centerpoint at 7:00 am on Feb.20. To inform them no one showed up. Once again, they don't know what happened. Assure someone will be out some time today to turn on my gas. There is one catch someone has to be home. I have to work, and unable to sit at home with no time frame of when the gas will be restored. As of now, I still have no gas, due to no fault of my own. Can I please get some gas?

Center point is out for themselves and the customer service providers truly suck! I wish I was a billionaire, because I would buy Center point and fire every worthless employee and those deadheads who play supervisor and managers as well!

My father is 89-years-old. January 12, 2009 my father’s gas was turned off because (It truly happened) we did not get the bill…. I immediately called Center point and spoken to a Ms. Johnson (they never give their first names, because Center point allows the agents to be rude and obnoxious to the caller without any implications.) MS. JOHNSON told me that I called on time and that if I pay now, the power would be restored tomorrow, well guess what? It did not happen. I paid more than what was asked, called to report the payment and the line was busy all day on January 12, 2009. When I called this morning January 13, 2009 I was told I needed to call YESTERDAY to set an appointment. Oh Yea? No Kidding! I called yesterday and the line was busy… Anyone else have an alternate number to call with the line is continually busy? I paid and Ms. JOHNSON’s word was voided. LOL! I even talked to the ### manager Mr. Brian (talking to both of those idiots gave me an indication that my account will not be taken care of properly) now another day with my 89-year-old father taking cold baths because I have no way of warming the water and another day of ordering pizza.

CENTERPOINT IS THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN; WHY IN THE HELL DO WE THINK THEY SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER? WE NEED SOME RICH OIL TYCON TO COME AND BUY OUT CENTERPOINT AND FIRE ALL OF THOSE GOOD FOR NOTHING EMPLOYEES FROM THE STINKING “DON’T CARE” ATTITUDES OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICE (LOL! MAKES ME LAUGH TO EVEN CONNECT CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THOSE BLANTANT IDIOTS) TO THE SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS WHO WALK AROUND A GRADE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT ON HOW FAST THEY CAN DISCONNECT FROM THE PHONE CALL WITH A DESPARATE ELDERLY CUSTOMER WHO NEEDS HOT WATER AND HEAT… MUST BE NICE TO BE KING FOR NOW…

ONE DAY… CENTERPOINT will mess with the wrong customer and every one of those pathetic employees will lose their jobs and hopefully replaced with employees who actually have brains that are fully-functional.

CENTERPOINT act as though they can do without my business, I am not the only one complaining... There is power in numbers and one complaint turns into many. CENTERPOINT... You need to watch how your staff is treating your clients...

I have been trying for a week to get my natural gas turned on. The first time the tech did not show up because he called ahead(to some number outside the US)and nobody answered so he did not even come to the residence. I took a day off work because they give an all day window. When I called to reschedule "Robert" assured me that as long as I had someone at the house by noon that I would be fine. My niece shows up at noon and there was note on the door that said "here at 8:45 could not come in the afternoon. I called and talked to a supervisor and she coped a major attitude. "We did nothing wrong" AWFUL COMPANY! SWITCH TO ELECTRICITY.

I would greatly appreciate any information concerning a class action suit pertaining to Centerpoint Energy and the company's pricing and operation conflicts with consumers.

I have had an ongoing problem with Centerpoint Energy in Texas concerning my faulty meter and connections, not having my meter tested or calibrated in as many as 28 years despite being told by that it had been tested and found accurate upon enrolling with 2 different energy companies, and my energy bills more than doubling from a range of $35 - $100 monthly to $180 - $320 monthly in a 1 month period for a 792 square foot condominium. I had an independent electrician check my the balance of my home's electrical load from my fuse box and found it to be balanced within 2 amps of each phase and concluded that I have either a faulty meter and/or faulty main connections of my meter. I am now without power and have outstanding balances due to 2 energy companies while attempting to resolve this. I filed a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas who found no fault of Centerpoint Energy. I have exhausted all options except legal or a class action suit.

Here is the formal complaint I have filed with the Better Business Bureau, The Public Utility Commission of Texas, and other organizations.

Thank you,
Anthony

FULL SUMMARY

In June 2004, I enrolled for services from Reliant Energy. Upon enrolling, I was told by Reliant that my meter was tested and reading accurately. After one year, I decided to switch to services offered by Direct Energy for their better rate costs. When I enrolled with Direct, I was told that my meter was tested and was still reading accurately. For my 792 square foot home, my monthly bill amounts have ranged from approximately: $100 in the summer of 2005 to $35 in fall of 2005 increasing to $150 in the summer of 2006 to $70 in fall of 2006 increasing to $180 in the summer of 2007 to $95 in the fall of 2007, cost per kilowatt and varying weather notwithstanding. In September of 2007, I had repairs done to my air conditioning and heating unit to improve their efficiency and lower my consumption. Since then, my monthly consumption charges have ranged from $180 to $320. My electricity usage has not increased in these months and has in fact decreased due to my not being present at my residence for at least 3 days per week due to my current work schedule. I called Direct Energy regarding these increases on March 12, 2008 and requested a meter test. I was referred to CenterPoint Energy who conducts meter tests on behalf of Direct. I spoke to a helpful CenterPoint representative named Gabrielle who informed me that although I was told by both Reliant and Direct Energy that my meter was tested upon enrolling for their services, according to Texas utility records my meter had not been tested since 1986. She then told me that my meter would be tested within 15 days and I would be called as soon as the results were available. She also informed me that if there was a discrepancy in my meter reading then I would be reimbursed by Direct Energy for previous charges. Fifteen days later on March 26th, I called CenterPoint to check the status of the meter test since I had not yet received a call. I was able to reach Gabrielle again and was told that my meter was tested on March 14th and read accurately. She then told me that the meter had not been tested since January of 1980, not 1986 as I was originally informed. On April 23rd, 2008 I was without electricity as it was disconnected the week of March 10th. I chose not to pay any further bills to Direct Energy until I had this matter looked into. I then received a monthly bill from Direct for consumption charges of $68.27 from March 6th through the day of disconnection (5 days). Fifteen of these days were without any electricity usage whatsoever. My overall bill accumulated to $1, 244.94 as of April 23rd after paying Direct amounts up to $500 in recent months to prevent disconnection. I enrolled with National Power Company on April 28th, after which my energy provider was deferred to Amigo Energy upon National Power Company’s going out of business. I accumulated a bill of $858.87 in a 4 month period with very little use of electricity as I chose to stay with friends and relatives to minimize my energy consumption.
On October 17th, 2008 I hired an electrician from On Time Electric and Air Services to assess my meter operation and check the electrical load to my home from the fuse box of my residence. He found the load to be balanced within 2 amps of each phase (A Phase reading approximately 2.8 amps, B Phase reading approximately 3.7 - 3.8 amps) with all appliances on and air conditioner off. His conclusion was the meter and its main connections were probably faulty, as the bill amount did not reflect my energy usage or the balanced electrical load of my fuse box.
On the week of November 15th, 2008 my energy was disconnected due to the outstanding balance of $858.87 that accumulated during my effort to have my meter either calibrated or replaced. This is in addition to the $1, 244.94 balance due to Direct Energy. On November 25th I spoke to Centerpoint Energy about this issue which was forwarded to their revenue department for further consideration.
I would like my meter to be replaced after it has been analyzed for discrepancy and would like my balances due to be adjusted according to the difference of consumption reading on my faulty meter and connections and, if applicable, reimbursed for my over payments to Direct Energy dating back to summer of 2007 when my energy charges took a substantial rise.