Ameren

In reviewing the information, the customer called to establish commercial service in a new business name. Upon review by our Credit Department, a deposit was assessed on the new account as a security precaution. We spoke to the customer and explained, although the deposit will not be
removed, it could be billed in six installments. The customer declined the offer and stated he will just call the Revdex.com

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/16) */
October 16,
Revdex.com
Open Date: 10/14/
Complaint ID #: XXXX-XXXXXXX
Account #: XXXXX-XXXXX
Customer Name: *** ***
Service Address: *** *** **
Swansea, IL XXXXX
The
customer's complaint is in regard to a deposit
Ameren Illinois Response
Ameren Illinois conducted a thorough investigation of the subject complaint which revealed the following information
Ameren Illinois records indicate *** *** established service at *** *** *** Swansea, on Apr17, (Ameren account number XXXXX-XXXXX)
On Oct6, 2015, Ameren Illinois sent a letter to Ms*** advising that a security deposit would be assessed to the account if the Company continues to receive late payments
Ameren Illinois strives to be consistent with all customers regarding the assessment of deposits pursuant to the revised Illinois Administrative Code Title 83, Section (effective Nov1, 2014):
Section Deposits
c) Calculation of Deposit Amounts:
1) Residential and small business customer deposits shall not exceed of the estimated annual charges for the service to that customer
e) Present Customer Deposits:
1) A present customer may be required to pay a deposit if both of the following conditions occur:
A) The customer has paid late four times in the past months; and
B) The customer's account has an undisputed past
due balance that has remained unpaid for over
days beyond the due date
2) A present residential customer may avoid the
requirement to pay a deposit under subsection
(e)(1) by entering into and keeping current with a
DPA for the unpaid balance, so long as the
customer enters the DPA prior to the assessment
of the deposit
Ameren Illinois does not keep deposits; they are refunded when the customer has met the requirements for refund
A deposit has not been assessed to Ms***'s account at this timeAmeren Illinois encourages Ms*** to make payments by each bill's due date to avoid assessment of a depositThe account is eligible for a deferred payment agreement (DPA) if neededMs*** is also encouraged to contact customer service to discuss payment terms
Effective Nov1, 2014, the Illinois Administrative Code rules governing the assessment of deposits, as well as many other billing and payment processes, changedAmeren Illinois encourages Ms*** to visit AmerenIllinois.com for further information about these changes
Given the above, Ameren Illinois considers this issue to be resolved and the complaint closed
Thank you,
Ameren Illinois
Regulatory Affairs
*** ** *** *** ***
Decatur, IL XXXXX
cc: *** ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/10/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This information about the two conditions should have been explained to me by the representativeI have never met both conditions and should not have been threatened with a depositAgain, who allows these laws to be put in place

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/22) */
In reviewing the information, service was placed in the customer's name on 08/20/and prior balances were transferred inOn 09/15/we spoke with the customer and advised the account is eligible for a non cold weather rule payment
arrangement; however, the customer declinedAt his request the call was escalated to a leader who explained the account is not currently in threat of disconnection and suggested he call to discuss options available when he receives the next billBecause no payments were received on the account, disconnect notices were generated when the 10/05/bill was mailedWe spoke with the customer on 10/16/and explained the account is currently eligible for a non cold weather rule payment arrangement with an initial payment of 50% of the balance due by 10/20/to prevent possible disconnectionThe payment was received and the disconnect order was voidedCold weather rule payment arrangements are offered beginning 11/01/15; however, the customer's account was not eligible for an extension to that time as there had been no payments to the account

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/29) */
In reviewing the information, due to slow payment history, a disconnect notice was mailed on 04/23/On 04/24/we received automatic notification of a pending payment for the full balance due and the disconnect order was voidedShortly
after, the customer called to state the payment she initiated on line was made in errorWe advised the customer she would need to contact her bank to reverse the payment as we will not issue a refund unless there is an overpayment on the account

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

The
customer’s complaint is in regard to a damage claim
Ameren Illinois Response
Ameren Illinois conducted a thorough
investigation of the subject complaint, which revealed the following
information:
*** *** is not an Ameren Illinois
customerMs*** is a customer of
the *** Electric Cooperative (***). Ameren
Illinois delivers electric power to *** through an Ameren Illinois kV line, line
noAmeren Illinois has a contract with *** to provide these
services.
Ms*** first reported a damage claim
to Ameren Illinois on February 10, During that conversation Ms***
indicated that she had been experiencing electrical service issues for the past
several years, which, according to her, resulted in damage to various
electrical appliances in her homeShe stated that she had reported these
problems to ***, her electric provider, which, according to Ms***, denied
her claims and, in some cases, tried to pass blame onto Ameren IllinoisMs*** has indicated to Ameren Illinois
that she only presented a claim to Ameren Illinois because she was not
successful in her claims with ***
Ameren Illinois denied Ms***’s claim
on May 2, 2016, because after reviewing her claim it was determined that Ameren
Illinois was not at fault in any of the events cited therein. Ameren
Illinois has explained its position to Ms*** over the phone on several
occasions.
It is Ameren Illinois’ opinion that an outage
on line nowould not cause damage to common household appliances similar
to the type described in Ms***’s claim.
It is *** equipment that is ultimately delivering electric power to Ms
***, not Ameren Illinois equipment.
It is the responsibility of *** to regulate voltage and deliver safe and
reliable power to their customersAmong other items, the contract between
Ameren Illinois and *** generally provides that neither party thereto shall be
liable to any third party for an obligation of the other [contracting] party.
In the course of business, Ameren
Illinois has been making upgrades to the kV line, line No3319, in order to
continue providing safe and reliable service to Ameren Illinois customers as
well as ***
In sum, after reviewing the circumstances surrounding
this complaint, Ameren Illinois has concluded that it is not liable for the
damages sought by Ms***. Ameren
Illinois considers this issue to be resolved and the complaint closed.
Thank
you,
Ameren
Illinois
Regulatory
Affairs
*** ** *** *** ***
Decatur, IL
cc: *** ***

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/21) */
In reviewing the information, the customer established new service on 12/04/At that time, a deposit (twice the average bill for the residence) was assessed as a security precaution and an unpaid balance from a previous account was
transferred inThe transferred balance was for service at the customer's previous residence from 12/09/through 06/15/Per our records, the customer did not call to close the account; therefore, she will need to work out any dispute of responsibility for the time frame of the account with the landlord as Ameren will not get involved

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me
Sincerely,
*** ***

In reviewing the information, the customer is being held responsible for the roommate's balance due to benefit of service. She will need to work out responsibility of payment with the roommate as Ameren will not get involved

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/27) */
In reviewing the information, Ameren does not offer payment arrangements on an account balance without an initial paymentA supervisor spoke with the customer last week and although the initial payment generally required this time of year is
50% of the balance; as a courtesy, we agreed to accept a smaller initial payment to place the remaining balance on installmentsThe payment has been received and the account was removed from collections

In reviewing the information, we spoke with the customer on 05/13/and the brush left from storm restoration was moved on 05/16/

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2016/02/02) */
In reviewing the information, the customer's meter was not reporting the correct daily readings used for billing purposesA meter investigation order was entered on 12/11/after three consecutive zero use readingsWe found a faulty gas AMR
(Automated Meter Reader) due to a low batteryThe battery was replaced and the actual usage recorded on the meter was then reportedThis resulted in a catbill for the difference in the originally billed service and the actual reading from the meterBecause the customer's account has only been active since 06/15/15, the balance was then adjusted by more than 50% to estimate the service used by the customer from this date to discovery of the issueThis information has been explained to the customer and the account is eligible for a payment arrangement if he will contact our Customer Call Center at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX to discuss

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/19) */
In reviewing the information, the customer's account was placed on Budget Billing (average monthly billing) in June Because we did not receive any payments between 09/18/and 01/08/the account was removed from the Budget Billing
program for arrearsThe customer had used more service than had been billed for the average and the difference came due in full on the recent billDisconnect notices have been mailed for the past due balance and the disconnect notice amount will be required by 01/25/to prevent possible disconnection

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/13) */
In reviewing the information, the customer called to place service in her name at a location where the existing account was in active collectionsUpon investigation, her successor request was denied when the mobile home park could not verify
she was a new tenant

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/22) */
In reviewing the information, the customer established service in June In September of we discovered a switched meter situation and the customer's account was then rebilled for his actual usage which resulted in a credit to his
accountA payment arrangement was then established on a prior unpaid balance from a previous account in the customer's nameThis arrangement defaulted when the July payment was not receivedDue to continued slow payment, disconnect notices were generated and the customer was advised the account did not qualify for an extensionPer our records, the customer has made payment and the disconnect order was voidedThe remaining balance due has been placed on a non cold weather rule payment arrangement and will bill in installments

In reviewing the information, the customer called to place the service in his name effective 06/23/12. At that time, the outdoor lighting associated with the premise was also placed in his name At his request, the outdoor lighting has been removed from his account and he will
no longer be billed. The customer has been advised we will not refund any of the previous lighting charges as this has been a separate line item on his bill each month

In reviewing the information, the customer contacted our office on 11/27/to let us know they initiated an overpayment online in error. At the their request, an order was submitted to review the overpayment upon posting for a possible refund. The payment posted on 11/29/16; however,
the account was in the billing window and a new bill generated before a refund could be processed. The customer's overpayment is reflected in the current balance due on the new bill and will not be refunded

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/21) */
In reviewing the information, the customer called to establish service at her residence effective 12/18/At that time, she was advised an unpaid balance in her name for service at a different address from 12/07/through 08/23/would be
transferred in and the account balance was placed on a payment arrangement in February when she received energy assistanceThe customer has not been held responsible for service in any name other than her ownShe may contact our Call Center at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX if she would like to discuss

In reviewing the information, the customer called to set up new service on 06/30/17. At that time, an unpaid balance from a previous account in her name was transferred in. Due to non payment, disconnect notices were issued last month and we explained the account might be eligible for a
medical hardship extension if she would have her doctor fax a statement indicating medical necessity for review. We explained this would extend the account until approximately 10/18/and is only an option once every months. The doctor statement was received and the disconnect order was voided. Due to continued non payment, disconnect notices were mailed again this month for the past due amount due by 10/18/to prevent possible disconnection. We have explained the account is not eligible for an extension as there have not been any payments to the account. On 10/17/17, the customer stated she uses a breathing machine and we mailed our Medical Equipment Registry forms to her for her to complete and return. This program identifies residential customers who require electrically operated medical equipment and they benefit by being notified of scheduled outages. This program does not prevent disconnection for non payment

In reviewing the information, a deposit was assessed in September when the service was disconnected for non payment. A deposit of twice the average bill was assessed and a letter was mailed advising it would be billed in installments. Because we do not bill for deposits during the
winter months, the final installment did not bill until April. The account is currently on our budget billing level payment option. The average billed is reviewed twice a year and may change based on the customer's usage history. We do not have any way of knowing what used the service nor was there anything noted on the recent bill to indicate 80% of the usage was directly related to the water heater. We recommend the customer contact our Customer Call Center at *** to discuss any concerns she may have