New Mexico Gas Company

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: NMGC should provide a receipt for the money taken. It is in no way up to landlords or previous renters. This is unacceptable. Who would hand someone $175 and not get a receipt?  I had no choice. NMGC had chosen the coldest week of the year to turn of my heater, stove, water heater. There was nothing I could do but pay the money. It was extortion. AND THEY DIDNT EVEN PROVIDE A RECEIPT!
Regards,
[redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  We did not receive the call beforehand.  Furthermore, we did not expect for the Gas Company to turn off our heat for a balance due of less then 100 dollars.  My husband was home, and nobody knocked at all.   It is illegal for the Gas Company to turn off heat from November 15th through February.  The Gas Company failed to give us the proper notice it was turning off our heat for the small balance we owed.  The Gas Company thus made three times what we owed in reconnection fee's and same day service fee's to get our heat back on for my 7 year and two year old who were freezing that entire day and ended up with colds thereafter. 
Regards,
[redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I was not provided an itemized receipt for the $178 I paid to the company.  This issue has been discussed extensively with the company, and yet they have still refused receipt.
Regards,
[redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason if he complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

New Mexico Gas Company contacted the collection agency and has been assured that this debt was cancelled.  I reached out to the [redacted] and was advised that they had received a letter that this matter had been resolved.

NMGC has researched Ms. [redacted]'s concerns and found the following:
Per the customer of record's request (who was not Ms. [redacted]) the service to the address was disconnected on January 6, 2015 as Ms. [redacted] had failed to place the service in her name when she moved into the residence.  On...

January 7th Ms. [redacted] called NMGC to request service be placed in her name.  At that time, NMGC requested a copy of the lease as there was a prior unpaid balance on the account and NMGC wanted to verify who was responsible for this balance.  Per the lease received, the effective date for Ms. [redacted] was September 1, 2014.  Based on this information NMGC required Ms. [redacted] pay the balance owed on this account for the period September 9, 2014 through January 6, 2015 as she was responsible for the gas usage during this period.  This was explained to her when she called back on January 7th, after faxing NMGC a copy of her lease. This is the $178 she paid over the phone.  Ms. [redacted] verbally received the confirmation number for this payment at the time the payment was made.  At that time a service order was placed to connect the service in her name on January 8th.  The connection fee of $70 plus tax was quoted to Ms. [redacted] at that time as well.  Ms. [redacted] asked what “she got” for the $70 connection fee.  The representative advised her that a technician would light the appliances and a safety check would be performed.  She was also advised during this phone call why the gas service had been turned off.   
On January 9th, Ms. [redacted] once again contacted NMGC and requested that the $70 connection fee be waived.  The representative advised Ms. [redacted] that the connection would not waived and she then asked to speak with a Supervisor.  The Supervisor returned her call but was unable to reach her and left a message.  On January 12th Ms. [redacted] called and requested to speak with a Supervisor again.  When the Supervisor spoke with Ms. [redacted] she advised Ms. [redacted] that the service had been disconnected at the request of the account holder of record and because she had not contacted NMGC to request service be placed in her name, the service was disconnected.  Ms. [redacted] denied knowing that she was supposed to contact NMGC to take over service and that the landlord did not notify her of this.  She stated that NMGC should have been responsible for notifying her that she should place service in her name.  As a one-time courtesy, the Supervisor offered to reduce the connection fee from $70 plus tax to $38 plus tax as that would have been the amount to transfer service into her name had the gas service not been turned off. Ms. [redacted] stated that if that was done she would “be greatly appreciative."
On February 16th Ms. [redacted] called and stated that she was being double charged for the connection fee.  The representative at that time attempted to explain the charges to her but Ms. [redacted] requested to speak with a Supervisor.  A Supervisor returned her call but was unable to reach her and left a message.  Ms. [redacted] called back later that day and again requested a Supervisor.  On February 17th a call to Ms. [redacted] by a Supervisor was again unsuccessful and another message was left.
On February 18th Ms. [redacted] called NMGC and again the representative tried to explain the charges to Ms. [redacted] but Ms. [redacted] wanted to speak with a Supervisor.  A call back by the Supervisor was unanswered and another message left.
On February 19th Ms. [redacted] called and requested to speak with a Manager and stated that she wanted a receipt for a bill. (She was referring to a bill for the $178 paid for service from September 2014 to January 2015 while the service was not in her name.)   She stated the only receipt she had was her bank statement.  The representative asked if she was given a confirmation number and Ms. [redacted] stated that she did not remember.  The representative advised Ms. [redacted] that a receipt can only be printed at the time of the payment and offered to give her the confirmation number.  Ms. [redacted] stated that she wanted a statement showing that she did not pay for any connection fees or other charges that she should not have had to pay for.  The representative advised her that she could verbally provide her with the charges but because the service was not in her name she could not provide her with the billings or statements.  The customer asked her to verify that, on the January bill, there were no disconnect or connection charges paid for by her on the on the previous parties account that she should not have had to pay for.  The representative verified that there were not any additional charges.  The representative advised Ms. [redacted] that she would contact the previous party and explain the situation and ask that he request and provide her with the statement.  The representative did this and has since sent a statement of account to the previous account holder who, in turn, said he will provide it to Ms. [redacted] via the landlord.  During this call Ms. [redacted] stated that she had figured out that she was not double charged for the connection fee; it was billed twice and refunded.  Ms. [redacted] stated that she wanted to speak with a Manager.  Ms. [redacted] was advised that a request would be placed through the Supervisor to have the Manager contact her.  A call to Ms. [redacted] was placed later that day by a Supervisor and a message was left.
If Ms. [redacted] has not yet received the statement of account from the previous account holder or would like to discuss this further, I ask that she contact me at [redacted] and I will work with her to resolve any outstanding issues.

NMGC spoke directly with the customer and was able to resolve the issue to the customer's satisifaction.