Consumers Energy review: billing

Consumers required us to change our form of payment from credit card to bank account to avoid extra fees. Although I totally understand why and was willing and able to do so ahead of the deadline, the whole process has caused me to have late payments because of system issues. I went on my account and updated the info to my bank and paid my balance. I received a confirmation number so I thought it was paid. A few weeks later I am looking at my bank balance and noticed that the amount of my Consumers bill was not taken out. I did not receive a past due notice from Consumers at all. So this payment is now past due and the next one is coming due. I called Consumers to find out what happened and they say my payment was denied by the bank so I call the bank and they said that I may have entered my account or routing number wrong. So I went back in to my Consumer account and updated the bank information and double checked it to make sure it was correct and made the payment again and received another confirmation number. Now mind you they always send you to an automated (secure)system to make a payment, a customer service agent cannot take the payment over the phone, so you are relying on their automated system. So I check my bank account a few days later and find out the payment still had not been made. I called Consumers who said it was probably the bank's fault so I called the bank and they said it was probably Consumer's fault. I was just trying to make my payment. So now since Consumers had 2 returned payments, they locked my bank account out of their system for 3 months making me either do bill-pay or pay in person. So I went on bill pay and paid the 2 bills. Then I get a letter from them saying that now they are requiring me to pay by certified or cashiers check or cash for a WHOLE YEAR! I have never missed a payment and have lived in my house 10 years. I'm appauled at being made to feel like I can't pay my bills. It was Consumers who started this whole change over thing and won't cut anyone any slack if there's a glitch. I still don't know whose fault it is and I don't care. I just want to be able to pay my bill like I always have. To double check that things were taken care of, I went on my Consumers account and noticed that one of the payments that I had made over the phone went through but that my Bill-Pay payment was not applied to my account. So, apparently, the system does work but you just don't know how long it will take. So now I feel like a loser. Thank you.