Southwest Gas review: Billing Practices 40

They just hit me. I payed my bill in full the last time I got it. This time they delayed the bill - shut my service down - billed me $35 for the re-connect - two days with no not water or shower - and $310 to SECURE the account - WHAT A RIP OFF - nothing but a grand billing fraud. They will of course waive the secure fee if you let them have access to
your account - nothing but intimidation so they can get you on electronic bill pay and - make more money off you.

If you want to know how SWG calculates their deposit amounts, you are always able to review the tarriffs in your respective state which are the laws set forth by the corporation commission of each state and are binding for SWG to practice business by. That being said, its roughly 2 times the highest bill over a 2 year period at an address for the deposit that is required if your account is ever delinquent (+31 days overdue and unpaid).

Same thing happened to me! They want a $200 deposit for being a day "late" (even though I mailed the bill the day I got it) that I cannot afford to pay at the moment. I am going to have to spend this winter without heat, in the cold. Southwest Gas' billing tactics are sneaky and unfair.

They have been charging my mother an outrageous amount of money the past two months on her bill. She uses the same amount of gas or maybe a little more in the winter as she does in any other part of the year. She does not and never has had a working furnace. Her bill would go from 15.00 to 25.00 in years past . This year her bill this months and last was 70.00! She has tried to get something done about it but they will not listen to her! She feels helpless. Last year when there was a gas leak around her trailer ...they made HER pay for ALL of the gas that had leaked! It was hundreds of dollars! Her little 1 bBD trailer isn't even 500sf! My house is 1500sf and I have a gas furnace . My bill was 70.00 this month so there is obviously something wrong here! Don't know what to do or where to turn for help!

I'm not sure where you live cindola424 but anytime you have a dispute over a utility bill you can contact your public utilities commission. For instance if you live in Nevada look up public utilites commission of Nevada. They will investigate the issue and while they're doing so, your mother will not have to pay a dime till they come up with a solution. All she will have to pay for is current usage. I went through this is Pittsburgh and the PUC -public utilities commission resolved everything for me. That's what they're there for. Good luck!

Disconnecting us, when we are not home. Now, its the weekend and we have guests one who is elderly, whom cannot take a warm bath nor have heat (39 degrees last night) and we cannot cook, for our children!
Now they claim that they cannot connect us untill mid next week! Funny, how they have plenty of staff to dissconect struggling families.

This company is absolutely terrible! My guess is that they take advantage of the fact that they are the only gas company option in my area. I will admit that we had been behind on payments but were paying what we could. We never missed nay payments we would pay half. I just could not understand why my bill had increased so drastically without my knowledge. Until I realized that they had added a 350 deposit to our bill.

So I called right away to ask them how they justify seeing that a person is struggling to pay their bill, yet they add an additional 350 that they cannot pay. So I was told to apply for Automatic Payment Plan and the deposit would be waived. So I enrolled in February. I was told to make the minimum payment due to avoid disconnection so I did. The Next month in March I made a payment of $200. 00 and the next day they took out a payment of 464.60 so for the month of March we made a payment of 664.60 so to my knowledge that would tell me that we have a credit of $200. But then I see our bill this month and it is 350.00. SO I called to ask where the extra 200 went and I am told that they applied it to a deposit for paying late the month of February.

At first the rep was going to waive my deposit that they added to my Aprils bill, which I am not sure where this extra deposit came from. (They are now responsible for taking out the payments and I am still given a deposit added to my Aprils bill when we are in fact current and up to date).

So after being put on hold I am then told that there is nothing they can do because we are set up for automatic payments and then he proceeds to go back months and let us know how much we had been struggling to pay our bills as if that justifies their actions. regardless of our past payments we were up to date and current on our payments as of March, in my mind I was thinking Thank God we are back at zero, but NO they somehow found a way to keep us behind and it is completely unethical. They are being dishonest and very sneaky, but I am not sure if anything that they are doing is illegal because there are always some hidden clauses or loopholes. Or it could be that they know people don't want to deal with filing complains or being involved in legal actions... So they continue to say sorry, you payed 200 extra dollars on your bill BUT that doesn't count because you were late paying in the month of February.

What is worse is that the rep started to get an attitude and no regard for anything I was saying, he knew that I was right which is why he attempted to waive the deposit to begin with.

They have so many complaints...something should be done.

SWG should check the weather report in areas every month before they decide to try and scam residents on therm usage!

If Southwest Gas gets 2 NSF (non-sufficient funds) in your account in a one year period, they will suspend your ability to make ANY electronic payment for 12 months - they want cash or western union only - FOR 12 MONTHS. When I told them this was ridiculous, the rep actually got rude with me. I hate companies who make up arbitrary rules because they know they're the only show in town.

I agree with all.. I moved 2 years ago from one resident to another. I had my mother- n-law with me on the account that was her bill to pay. There was a balance that I needed to pay in order to have her named removed off the account. When I moved into my new place they had me under the belief that this was all one account # but they gave me a new account which I just realized when all this surfaced and when i went to make a payment on the old account they applied to the new account so it shows as if I never made a payment towards old account. Well one day recent I'm calling to pay my bill they tell me that i have a balance from my old account 2 years later. So you mean to tell me 2 years later you people are billing me for something that I thought I paid. While I'm current on my new account they turn my service off for an old account. I figure if your not billing for the new address how can you turn me off for an old address. And that's their fault for not being current on their billing. I never received a bill in the old account that I need to pay they have my address why didn't they send me a bill 2 years ago even 1 year ago. But their expecting you to pay an old bill and a new bill how can that be fair?

I am outraged by southwest
gas attempt to charge me a deposite for payng late. I AM CONTACTING THE PUBLIC
Utilitys commission. I will go solar if nothing else. I am low income and they think they can take advantage of that. ..also Irish and we fight back!

I am in the same situation as the above complaints. After 4 years
of service, they added a deposit to my bill after I made a few late
payments. I have never had service interruption due to non-payment, yet I am being treated like a deadbeat. The customer
service rep was very rude and belligerent when I tried to get information on why they were charging a deposit on a $40 a month
bill. I emailed my concerns about the conversation and got a reply
that indicated that the rep lied in the notes on my account. I am now
being threatened with an additional $350 deposit if I am one day late. I will be contacting Public Utilities Commission and the BBB about Southwest Gas.

This is the Free Enterprise system that Mitt Romney thinks is so great. Southwest Gas Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as SWX. You will get more of this type of business when they privatize the U.S. Post Office and everything else they want so much to get their grubby little hands on. Citizens better get together to stop this type of financial abuse or you deserve what is coming!

we all know this is happening, now can anyone tell me how we can stop this? this can't be legal! i am sick of hard-working people like me getting ripped off!

I just got our first SWG bill for part of Dec thru first half of Jan, its 326.00. Our energy usage shows almost triple of last years usage. We just moved in the middle of Dec. Theres no way we used that much. Our home is about 1000 sqft. we used gas for water, and heater, but heater is set to a reasonable temp like 68-70. I am so confused as to how we are being charged this much. They also charged us a 80.00 deposit, and now there reflects two fees that have to do with installation, and new service fee, equaling about 40 dollars. Hearing all the complaints against them makes me wonder if they are frauduant charges. I cannot afford a gas bill thats 300 or more. I wouldnt have moved here if I had know this would be a problem. I am going to call them and ask whats going on. We hardly use stovetop, and having paid gas in other places winter bill never really were more than about 80 dollars. From what I read here I doubt they will remove charges, but maybe after alot of complaints something will raise a red flag as to something wrong on thier part.?

I paid on their web site with an e-check I checked my bank account a day or two latter it said they had taken it out I checked again another day or two there was money in it I thought was from e-bay sales they had put it back in and I spent some they then tryed too take it back out again anyone with your account number can put money into your account they are charging 20 doller late fee they must take it out before it posts put it back in

I agree with all of the above complaints. South west gas has a monopoly on Arizona . We were out of the country for 5 weeks only to come home to find our gas was shut off. No emails, no phone calls. We paid our bill on the 21 st. They shut our gas off on the 22 and said they didnt receive the money until the 23. So it was in electronic limbo? We can prove it left our account on the 21st. Now they want $1000 deposit. I asked what kind of interest are they paying us on our deposit? She couldn't answer that question. My guess is none. Is that legal? We have only received 1 bill in the mail. They say it is our responsibility to look up what we owe? I have never heard of this before. Does a company not have to send a bill. Not everyone has access to the Internet

I am in the same boat as all of you, I live in Apple Valley, CA. They just gouged me with a $100 deposit, all bills are way higher this winter than last, when I call they are rude and don't give a crap, NO OTHER utility I have ever dealt with is like them, all of them give extensions and understand hard times. All my bills are always paid, I will NOT pay them a deposit, will complain to Util Commiss tomorrow.

Correction for above, it's a $300 deposit, TOTAL BS, I am so sick of these monopoly companies, the only reason they can do this is because they are the only ones in town!

I just found out why I never received my gas bills . After shutting off our gas they mailed me a refund check.. The mailed it to Surrey, Canada. No house #, no street name, no postal code. Thank you Canada Post for finding me.

 
I just found out why I never received my gas bills . After shutting off our gas they mailed me a refund check.. The mailed it to Surrey, Canada. No house #, no street name, no postal code. Thank you Canada Post for finding me.

If Southwest Gas has failed to resolved your complaint, go to the Arizona Corporation Commission, Utilities Division and file a complaint with them. Online go to: http://www.cc.state.az.us/Divisions/Utilities/forms/ComplaintForm2013.pdf
The Arizona Corporation Commission, Utilities Division WILL TAKE ACTION ON YOUR COMPLAINT, giving Southwest Gas 5 Days to respond! Also in your complaint, you can add that you do not think, Southwest Gas should be allowed a Rate Increase due to your problems with them. And the Arizona Corporation Commission which oversees Southwest Gas' Rate Increase Requests, will add your complaint to the listings of why Southwest Gas should not be allowed a Rate Increase. This is the BEST way to Report Southwest Gas!

I was on auto withdrawal and never really noticed the bill taken out because it was such a small amount. Then I got a bill for 6 months of usage. They stopped taking the money automatically and not once sent a bill or notice to let me know. Then they wanted to charge me the deposit but I couldn't pay my bill over the phone. They wanted me to go here and there and everywhere to make the payment at a western union by money order. Then today I got a bill for a prior address I lived at 5 yrs ago. What!? Why am I just now hearing about this and how is this even possible?

These damn Fkrs SUCK! In Sierra Vista they will NOT accept any payments inside the office. I was directed to go outside to the Kiosk with had a sign on it "Out of Order" They Charge $2 to use Western Union instead of charging 76 cents to use a credit card. They do no accept credit card. Kiosk does not accept check. Online payment does not accept credit card. I refuse to give them my bank account number.

The billing cycle sucks. Nobody but them does this crazy billing cycle, refuse payment in person - even if in cash - and says you can (at a charge of course) use automated system of giving you bank info over an insercure cell phone that somebody probably hacked into the NSA spy system with a kiddie script.

SOUTHWEST GAS BILLING SYSTEM IS DESIGNED FOR YOU TO DEFAULT BECAUSE CHARGING FOR DISCONNECT IS PROFIT MAKING! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! ! SWG sucks! SWG sucks! SWG sucks! SWG sucks! SWG sucks!

Southwest Gas should be prosecuted.
On 10/1/14, I checked the website and the balance was zero.
It seemed odd, so I took a screenshot from my computer (thank God).
13 days later, they added a $300 deposit to the account.
* I sent them an email (with the screenshot) and they told me to CALL [protected]. I informed them that this resulted in a message that they were too busy to take the call and there was NO OPTION TO HOLD.
* Their next move was to tell me the deposit had been applied because I had been late IN THE PAST. I informed them that the late payments were due to INCORRECT INFO ON THEIR SITE.
* They DIDN'T RESPOND, so I wrote again with more details.
* I finally got an email from Lisa Stoffle | Lead Customer Specialist, CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE who stated the deposit had been "waived" (NOT REVERSED) and "In the future in order to obtain information regarding this account you must send in the updated Estate paperwork showing you are the personal representative. (which we had completed as a family in 2011).
I guess I needed to be PUNISHED for pointing out their flaws.

How can we as customers stop South west gas unfair practices. Just like everyone else I called in and ask for a few days extension, they was nice and said fine, then a week later they sent me a note saying they were going to charge me another deposit of $185.00. I ask how they could do this twice, and what did they do with my first deposit. They had no answer. There has to be something that can be done with this company that's ripping people in a big way. And nothing is being done about it. Maybe if they were to loose a bunch of customers they might be a bit nicer. Which I doubt. They are cheating people big time, and they are getting away with it. maybe we could turn them to the utility commissioner or something. It looks like with all these complaints something would be done. They are worse than oil companies.

I am in Nevada and we just received our bill today we pay on time every time never a missed payment now we've only been paying for a year but last month (March) we had our furnace on this month (April) we turned our furnace off so our payments will be lower in march we use 30 therms and now for april the say we used 43 therms with the furnace completely off? This is a complete scam there is no way this happen heck in January i accidentally left the darn oven on at 400 for a couple hours and that month we were charged for 35 therms and on top of that I have called SW gas around 4 times a week for the past 8 months and every time it says they are busy and to call back later? even on the emergency line when i thought i smelled gas.

I am experiencing some of the same complaints above. I pay my bills every month, most of the time a few days late, My bill is due on the 27th of each month, so most of the time my payment is late due to a timing issue of when the bill is due, when they mail the bills out and when they are due, and when I get paid. I've read how companies that use due dates that fall just before typical pay days do so on purpose so that people usually pay late and they get a late fee. I believe this is the case with SWGas. I'm wondering how they can charge a late fee AND decide to add additional charges to my account when I pay every month, service not disconnected, etc. I have called to ask how the additional charge is determined and have not gotten an answer and also told the charge could be waived if I sign up for automatic bill pay, which I will not do with them. I do plan to contact the Public Utilities Commission about this as well as the BBB.

Southwest Gas is the absolute model of horrendous customer service. They exist due to lack of options...nothing more!

I've been a southwest gas customer for decades. They've done nothing for me, not that I expect them to. However recently we ran late on a bill. As soon as we realized it, we paid the bill and all late fees in full.

The following month a new bill came only this bill includes a $300 security deposit! What? Our average bill is about $40/month. I guess because we were late, we have to pay 8 months ahead of time.

I called and asked if.there was anything they could do to and was told yeah, they can disconnect us if not paid in full by the first of next month.

Class Action Lawsuit waiting to happen!

I paid Southwest Gas the full amount of my monthly bill two days before it was due. Three days later I discovered Southwest Gas without authorization pulled the full bill amount out of my bank after I had already paid the months bill in full. Southwest Gas took my bill amount and double withdrew it from my bank account after payment was made in full and early. When I called Southwest Gas they acknowledged the mistake but refused to deposit the money back in my bank account and said they would just apply it to the next months bill? I refused that option but they would not budge. When I asked to speak to a supervisor she was extremely rude and offered no solution saying she was not authorized to redeposit the stolen (yes, stolen) money they wrongly withdrew from my account. I tried to explain the problems they had caused to my finances as all funds had been wrongly drained from my bank account due to Southwest Gas and now I had additional charges because when they withdrew the money it caused a check for another bill (electric) to bounce. I went to my bank and luckily they were able to resolve the matter, however, it took two months for Southwest Gas to send me a check reimbursing me for the money they literally stole from me. I looked this company up online and discovered they are owned by the Koch Brothers, yes, the same Koch brother that on national TV said they could financially bury Donald Trump should he seem to be a real candidate for the presidency (all my political views aside). In addition, although they are Nevada based, they tend to open businesses in other states in isolated areas such as Lake Tahoe and Big Bear Lake, California. One of there practices is to get stock holders in the city to install only natural gas appliances in houses and businesses because it has been statistically proven that people will stay with the energy source of their appliances. Their only real competitors in these areas are the electric company. Which entails changing out all your appliances to electric or propane. Additionally, the Better Business Bureau has them flagged with a warning, and obviously Southwest Gas is not a member of the Better Business Bureau, and they abide by Arizona business laws, have no real oversight, are allowed to randomly increase rates without warning (supposedly because they store Gas for some of these places in New Mexico?) and Southwest Gas suffers no consequences for illegal, corrupt business practices.
In my opinion check your appliances before you rent or buy if you live in an area where Southwest Gas is your natural gas provider. For us it has been much cheaper to switch to electric appliances. Don't expect your local city council to help with Southwest Gas as they specifically service areas where local investors, the big guys, get large kick-backs from lying down with Southwest Gas.

I just moved to Big Bear. I was presented with a letter of credit from Southern California Edison (my old electric company) SW Gas said they would waive the ridiculous $250 deposit (from someone with no bad credit) if I had a letter of credit from a previous electric or gas company. I just received a letter saying my letter of credit was declined (no reason). So I looked into switching to all-electric. Home Depot has a tankless high efficiency water heater for around $150. A high-tech showerhead that provides just as much power but uses 40% less water for $20. And the newest technology in electric heaters is a 400 watt convection wall heater (like a picture you hang on the wall) that will heat a 20X20 room. So, I can switch to electric for about the same amount of the deposit they require. Oh, and I'll have to find a used electric stove, but that shouldn't be more than $50. I say, "SCREW Southwest Gas!" and go electric.

I'm glad I decided to check out Southwest Gas on line. My gas bill is generally small and sometimes I'll miss a month. But I always pay the complete bill when I do make the payment. I have been using SWG for 4 years and they have NEVER not been paid . Right now I am paid in full with them but when I went on line to see if the new month's bill was posted yet much to my surprise they had tacked on $500 for a deposit. I live pay check to paycheck and I don't have $500 extra dollars laying around to give to an undeserving utility company. I did find some new information by checking out this site. Thank you all so much I will be contacting that Public Utilities Commission.

Payment History

Payment Date Payment Amount Payment Status
04/10/2019 $ 157.00 Processed
03/13/2019 $ 102.00 Processed
02/12/2019 $ 102.00 Processed
01/08/2019 $ 102.00 Processed
12/18/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
11/08/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
10/08/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
09/12/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
08/09/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
07/09/2018 $ 68.00 Processed
06/07/2018 $ 87.00 Processed
05/21/2018 $ 90.00 Processed
03/26/2018 $ 45.00 Processed
02/26/2018 $ 90.00 Processed
01/03/2018 $ 45.00 Processed
11/20/2017 $ 32.98 Processed
10/25/2017 $ 23.51 Processed
09/20/2017 $ 23.33 Processed
08/15/2017 $ 43.09 Processed
07/05/2017 $ 24.37 Processed
05/23/2017 $ 25.65 Processed

This is my billing history from May 2017 to the present. I've been at the same house for fifteen years and am being told that this winter it was "colder". So an increase from $45 to $157 in one year?!?!?!?! Hello? Anyone else going through this anomaly?

Southwest gas is "requiring" me to give then a third deposit. Reason: I'm days late. I'm on a fixed income and I do not have the extra money. If they disconnect me. I cannot cook food or take a shower. I hope someone here can help me.

Yes i have a daughter with a disability and its crucial she has hot water .. they are trying to get me to pay the father of my kids bill it has been under his name ..

https://efiling.azcc.gov/online-services/utilities-complaint-external
They did the same thing with me. Except I line in CA. Complaining here is what they want you to do. I filed an official complaint with the state public utility board. They are the people who make the rules SWG must follow. Within hours SWG was calling me to back peddle and "work something out" they already had 3 deposits on us. For the same reason a day late. We stopped auto billing because SWG double withdrawn money from our bank. Instead of returning it. They issued a bill credit without an explanation. I pressed them and got nowhere. After reviewing a bill 9 mo earlier for the same amount as the credit. When they double billed us it was with another months charges.
I sent a copy to the Governor's office. The next year SWG had to refund everyone in CA their deposits. Again they issued a bill credit that would pay our gas for years. I sent them a letter telling them to cut me a check. Why should my money be sitting in their bank account.
I encourage ALL to go online and file a official complaint with your PUC. Forcing people that just late and paying late fees. To also pay hundreds more in deposits only effects those on fixed incomes and the poor. Copy your PUC complaint to your governor.
https://efiling.azcc.gov/online-services/utilities-complaint-external

ryan nightenhelser

MichaelJ O’Donnell

They didn’t respond to my request for sleeve inspection on September 22nd, I kept calling and sending emails for more than 10 days and they made me redo the trench and pay for the same work twice , SW should hire more professional people

Please Help me the bill was last year $150the the new bill it was $ 250 how this is happening ? we are 2 seniors in a one level condo no changes the bigger house are paying $90