CenterPoint Energy
Reviews and Complaints

I was on a service repair plan and paid my monthly bills by mail. One month I paid my bill online and then I never received another bill in the mail. I thought they had discontinued the service. About 10 months later I started getting letters from CenterPoint saying they were trying to e-mail me my bill for some reason, but my e-mail address didn't work for them. They had the right e-mail, but I never did receive those e-mails even after adding CenterPoint to my e-mail list. I never did get another monthly bill in the mail until they sent me a notice of final payment for $287.40. Now I am getting notices from a collection agency for this amount. I told them I am not paying it since I never received any of the monthly bills. They have stopped the service and are not adding to my bill but they still want me to pay for the 12 or more months that I wasn't using their service.

I paid my bill at a local 'pay station' Monday morning at 9. I was told by a very rude *customer service* (laughable) representative that I did not need to report the payment because it is automatically posted to the account when it is paid at such a location. -insert lots of sighing & smacking of lips-

My service was disconnected sometime late Monday afternoon.

I did not know that it was disconnected until the raw meat for dinner had already been prepared to cook, mixes were mixed, and batters were ready.

When I called to find out what had gone wrong I was informed that this was considered my fault, my negligence, and most importantly more of my money would be needed before we could get reconnected.

$20 service fee for them to come out and disconnect me.
$40 reconnect fee.
$20 service charge for them to come back out and reconnect despite the fact that I paid on time as promised and it was their own customer service that fell through.
$47 after hours overtime fee if I want it reconnected on the same day.

$127 total just in fees.

And my bill was paid in full on time, and I attempted to report the payment.

When calling customer service I am more often than not hung up on after listening to representatives laugh & talk for a few minutes.

I suppose they disconnect after enough time has passed for it to count on their calls received quota.

I am fairly certain that they do not even have their headset on, as surely they would respond to my direct cursing, screaming and name calling when I realize that I am hearing the exact 3 females that I heard the last time I called, waited in que for approx. 15 minutes and then was hung up on.

9 out of 10 representatives that I am forced to deal with [protected]) are so completely and shockingly rude.

They seem to be very fond of eating while receiving calls. Taking no shame in making you hold while they chew.

That is, of course, if you can understand them.

I would have presumed that being able to articulate would be part of the job description in customer service.

There are no available alternative gas companies. The only option for getting rid of CenterPoint would be to convert my hot water heater, stove top, oven & central heating unit to electricity.

If this happens many more times that option may prove to be more economical.

I have 5 children the youngest is 7 months old. It is such a hassle making a payment to Centerpoint, I usually put it off. Since I don't deal with mailing checks, I use my credit card over the phone. First I have to call Centerpoint (on the phone for about 10-15 minutes)just to get the phone number to call for Bill Matrix to make my payment (another 5-10 minutes) plus they charge a 2.95 charge for electronic checks or plastic. THEN I have to call Centerpoint AGAIN (Another 10-15 minutes of phone time) to give them the confirmation code.

Well, my gas was cut off yesterday evening, no knocker...nothing. So I had called Centerpoint, the electronic voice said 61.08 plus $20.00 reconnect fee. But being that I wanted to speak to a person, I had to call back. I finally got through to a person and was told 157.00 and that our service wouldn't be reconnected until Tuesday. Today is Thursday! 5 kids, 2 adults, no hot water for 6 freaking days!?!?!?!?! The guy, can't remember his name said there was no way they could make it out here until Tuesday.

Grumbling, I got off the phone called and made the $157.00 payment, plus an additional 2.95 Bill matrix payment fee.

I called Centerpoint energy back with the confirmation code and still pretty ticked off that my service wouldn't be reconnected until Tuesday. Then by the lady I was speaking to with the receipt number, she tells me that I can pay an additional $35.00 OVERTIME fee for them to reconnect today. But through Bill Matrix of course. They have to have that additional $2.95 ya know! But I had to do what I had to do for my babies!

So I called, made the payment to Bill Matrix and then called Centerpoint back. They couldn't give me a time of when someone would be here, but someone has to be here! Good thing I have no life outside my house... ya right! DON'T THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOO!?!?!?!

They charge you an arm and a leg for everything. My bill was only 94.40 (Summertime, no heat, just hot water) and it totalled 157.00 for a reconnect fee, So it was 94.40 (gas) + 62.60 (reconnect fee) + 2.95 (pay it fee) + 35.00 (OVER TIME fee) + 2.95 (another pay it fee).

Did I mention that I can't go and make the payment at the actual company, because there isn't a Centerpoint energy or place to make a payment anywhere near. The closest one is in Lawton, Oklahoma which is about 50 miles away!

This just seem illegal to me and they are getting away with it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they started charging us to mail our bills to us! I know they charge us a stamp to mail our paper checks to them!

I'm so livid over this that I am thinking about calling my attorney to see if something or anything can be done! Gas prices are high enough!

Centerpoint is a bunch of liars, and their customer service sucks on the phone. I missed work today to sit at home and wait ALL DAY for a representative to show up...NO ONE SHOWED UP...whats worse is that they lied about it and said that they showed up to turn my gas on... WHATEVER not a damn person showed up. they say they rang the doorbell and my dog started barking, strange at the time he said he showed up was right around the time our power came back on after hurricane Ike. so if he was just before the power came on the the doorbell would not have worked therefore not getting my attention, let alone my dogs to go bark at the door. if it was after the fact that we got power back then he is still a liar, because once the power came on I went and opened the garage door to take the trash out to the curb since tomorrow is trash day and we haven't had trash service for weeks due to Ike. the thing that makes it worse is that they sent an e-mail saying when they would be here, and it stated that nobody needed to be here... why then would he come out (the liar didn't come out) and cancel my turn on because he said nobody was here. DON"T TRUST CENTERPOINT THEY LIE AND THE SAY ITS YOUR FAULT AND YET MAKE YOU WAIT LONGER FOR SERVICE.

Center Point has been contacted over one hundred times regarding downed power lines on Spring Cypress Road between Grant and Eldridge Roads in northwest Harris County zip code 77377. Center Point is ignoring community requests to have these lines and downed poles repaired/replaced. Center Point is also diverting power restoration crews from this area to other, more affluent areas in the wake of hurricane Ike. Center Point refuses to send crews to this area even though a clear and present hazardous condition exists. Center Point is negligent and liable for this hazard.

After many phone calls and several weeks, we *finally* got someone from Centerpoint to come out and install a meter for electrical service - only they didn't. After severl days of calling customer service to see if our power had finally been installed (the service is in a different town than we live in) we were informed of the turn down, as the company calls it. We asked what the reasons were, the rep named them, one of which was a cryptic "Construction needed". We asked the CSR to explain the problems (so that we knew what to correct) and she couldn't say! We asked what "construction needed" meant, she similarly couldn't explain it and then referred us to a local rep, John Burke, which we had to leave a voice mail for. To make a long story short (and believe me, it IS a long story) John went out to our property and determined that the transformer box was just that, a box, and that the company has to intall one in order to provide us electrical service. Because the service is going to our RV rather than a home (we won't be building for a few years) Centerpoint is charging us $864.00 for the labor of installing said transformer. Keep in mind others with homes in this subdivision get this service for free, but we are being forced to pay for it. We will not be reimbursed for the cost when we build our home, and the transformer also services the vacant property next door - so once someone moves in there, they will get for free what we have had to pay for. I spoke with John's supervisor Christine Churny who made no concessions whatsoever to our plight. As the $864.00 charge is discretionary, I feel they could have given us a break. FREE would have been nice, but halving it seems fair given that it's a shared piece of equipment. I wish there were an alternative to Centerpoint. This latest is just another problem we have had with them and our service hasn't even started yet (although our disservice has!)

BE SURE TO TELL THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WE'VE HAD NO GAS SINCE AUGUST ONE!
Can't get Centerpoint to place my meter in a timely fashion. They were supposed to come Monday August 4th, when they received the fax that the City had inspected the completed plumbing work. When I attempted to inquire about the status of my meter, I was disconnected 4 of the 13 times I called over the next 36 hours, was told numerous times(on a sunny 95 degree day)that storms wouldn't allow service, was rerouted and disconnected, was lied to, told there was no way to reach any local office (wow! no wonder it is difficult to dispatch workers) and even told that the company has no supervisors to whom I could speak. Eventually, I was able to get through to a real person on the emergency gas leak report phone number and told that they would replace the meter if I stayed home AGAIN to wait for them (obviously they're under the delusion that no one else goes to their jobs either) How do I get compensation from a company that so blatantly lies to its customers? telling us that consolidating offices away from local areas would increase efficiency when in fact they have workers in Seguin Texas sitting idle because it is raining in Houston?!?! telling us they have no way of contacting area offices? telling us they have no heirarchy through which to channel a complaint? I know they are handicapped by having an all male board but surely someone could take a basic business course and start working on a few of these most obvious concerns; hopefully before enough people are so upset that they expect Centerpoint to operate fairly within a free market and deal with things the rest of the business world deals with - like competition.

The adjusted rate on my gas bill is 2700% more than my base rate. I was told the adjusted rate is the cost of the transportation of the gas from the supplier to my house, in other words, their cost of doing business. Why do they have the right to pass on their cost of doing business to the consumer? I don't mind paying the base rate or the service rate but this adjusted rate is exorbitant. The transportation of gas to and from point A to point B is a corporate cost and should be reflected in their cost of revenue, which reduces their earnings and thus, reduces their tax burden. On top of that, the ignorant ###ic customer service rep told me if I have a problem I should call the Texas Dept of Railroads. Is there a law firm willing to go up against CenterPoint in a class action suit with the consumers as plaintiffs?

I own a rental property in Pearland and turned the energy on for a family moving in the property. In late November 07, I called the CenterPoint Energy company several times to turn the gas off and change it to the new renters name, but they told me they could not place the account in the new renters' name unless the new renter personally called them. I said ok and asked them to give the new renters 7 days and if they did not convert the gas in their name to turn it off. I also contacted the new renter Robert Strong and he assured me he did transfer all utilities in his name, so i did not worry about a bill. I returned to Houston on 19 June and just as i stepped off the plane, i received a call from CenterPoint Energy to tell me there was a 973.39 bill that i needed to pay or they would turn the gas off. Mr. Strong had just broken his lease, due to illness I was told, and there were new renters in the home. They told me that Mr. Strong never put the bill in his name and I had to pay it or they wouldn't let the new renters #2 move in. I was upset that they had let the bill go for over 6 months and never before called me. The person who called me stated she was turning off the gas in two days. i asked how it had gone sooo long especially since she had my phone number from back in november and she said the bills went to the house. Neither Mr. Strong nor the actual company notified me of the large bills being accrued by Mr. Strong.
After several attempts to contact Mr.Strong, i talked with CenterPoint staff again. For some reason they acted as if they knew Mr. Strong and one lady said, "they didn't say the would pay the bill did they"? She had a very strong reaction to my stating I was awaiting a call from Mr. Strong's family again and had talked with his nice. I believe the billers were somehow related to Mr.Strong and do believe they waited his departure to tell me about the bill. Mr.Strong didn't mail the bill to me, of course because he had told me he changed it to his own name and the company didn't call me for 6 months because they didn't want me to know either. THIS COMPANY OR THEIR STAFF has defrauded me in not telling me the gas bill was not being paid until AFTER the renter moved out. There is something wrong with this picture as most bills must be paid within 30 days, etc. I would like a response to this complaint.

Louella Anderson
3134 N 158th Ave
Goodyear, AZ 85395

PROPERTY ADDRESS: 10023 Chestnut Creek Way, Pearland Texas.

Centerpoint is incapable of maintaining it's equipment. Frequently, as often as three times a month, a line fuse blows in my neighborhood with a boom and the power is out again. Sometimes it is followed with a louder boom and the transformer is gone again. With the temperatures in the 90's and high humidity, no air conditioning represents a health risk. You cannot contact a live person at this company unless there is a fire or a power line down - the only option is voice mail with limited choices. When a line fuse blows as frequently as it does, why can't they FIX IT and keep it operating?

Came out to replace my meter. No problem just everyday meter change out program. No notice just changed it and left note to call to get gas turned back on. When I called they indicated that I must commit to stay at home all day for them to put me on the schedule. No time frame, no call before coming no service in any way.

At about 1:30 PM, 11/13/07, a Centerpoint Energy contractor by the name of Jeff arrived to do the 'six point check' on our furnace. In past years I had gone through our local heating and cooling company, but this year decided to go with Centerpoint to save money and spread out the payments on my monthly gas bill.
This man was not in the house more than 15 minutes and discovered a crack in the heat exchanger which followed with the unit being red- tagging and turned off our gas. I called my husband who, in turn, called a contractor he knew from his years in home building. My husband simply began the conversation, 'Centerpoint is at my home' and the man on the other end of the phone interjected , 'and they red-tagged you'. Apparently, Centerpoint has a reputation of red-tagging for reasons unknown to me.
What angers me is that I will still be charged $98.50 for the six-point check and cleaning which wasn't done at all. He looked for a crack, found it and this is what I am being charged for. Seems a bit scammish to me. Seems to me I would be given a break since the unit was not cleaned, etc. By the way, none of us have been waking up or suffering with headaches and the furnace has been running for at least a month. We also have a lovebird right outside the room which contains the furnace and it hasn't dropped dead.
I called our local heating and cooling company and they remarked by stating that Centerpoint is a bit over cautious. At one of their other customers home whose furnace was cleaned and checked, noticed fingerprints on the mans furnace. The contractor asked if someone had been out to see the unit, the man said yes and that it was Centerpoint Energy one week earlier. Well, apparently his furnace was not cleaned as Centerpoint said they would do and they were only in the man's home for about 15 minutes. My local company will spend about 1 and1/2 hours on the furnace. Wish I would have spent the extra $30 and gone with my local company. Live and learn.

CanterPoint Energy gas division of Houston, Texas accidentally shutoff my gas services this morning for non-payment of my bill which was paid via their online billing services. I had my confirmation print out from my computer had the technician rang the doorbell and notified us. I always call a person at Centerpoint and relay this information but was unable to contact their services. Their voicemail stated they were too busy to take any phone calls right now so call back in thirty minutes so I e-mailed them. Now I have to reschedule reconnection for tomorrow and be available from 8 am to 8 pm a twelve hour time frame due to their mistake which they initially admitted but now their representative Tasha who reports to Michael Anthony is dancing around their even acknowledging this. This is a complete 180 from the customer service that I have received from CenterPoint Energy in the past 30 years. Tasha even danced around the suggestion that I go totally electric so I would not have to deal with them anymore. WOW! What poor customer service!