Payless Power

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:I received the emailsAn I have another question? So what do I do about the workers that told me other wise with what they do with these companiesBecause now I'm stuck in the middle of a he say she sayI really just need my switch hold off so I can get some power Regards, [redacted]

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this issueOur records show that [redacted] contacted Payless Power on 9/21/to request refund instructionsThe Customer was advised at that time that the refund process could begin once the account had gone into final status meaning that the account had been permanently closed and all final charges had been calculatedAccount notations show that the customer then called on Friday 9/23/and was advised the refund would be processed within to business hoursThe internal request was created at 9:AM that dayThe Customer then called again on Saturday morning 9/24/to ask about refund statusThe customer was advised again that the time frame was to business hours meaning Monday through Friday excluding holidays The customer then called Monday morning 9/26/stating that she had not received the refundThe customer was advised that business hours had not elapsed since Friday however the customer was not receptive to this informationThe customer demanded to talk to someone who could ensure that she would receive her funds today but advised that this was not a possibility A team lead did explain the refund process and that the customer would receive a confirmation text when the refund was processed here but this would not guarantee instant access to her funds Transactions that occur during the day are actually settled by banks and card companies at midnightSome banks will give access to the funds in advance however Payless Power would have no insight into her bank's timelines The Customer's refund was processed internally on Monday 9/26/at 10:AM in the order that it was received which was well within the to hour timeline provided to the customer on Friday and certainly within the state mandated day business day timeline specified By the Public Utilities Commission Good Day, [redacted] Regulatory and Compliance ManagerPayless Power

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this complaintPayless Power experienced a delay in receiving daily meter reads from Oncor for the dates of 12/5/through 12/09/When these type of usage data delays occur the Public Utilities Commission of Texas provides regulations specifying how estimations can be temporarily applied in place of the daily meter readPUCT Substantive Rule ( c ) (6) (D) states “If usage sent by the TDU is estimated or the REP estimates consumption according to paragraph (11)(E) of this subsection, the REP shall promptly reconcile the estimated consumption and associated charges with the actual consumption and associated charges within hours after actual consumption data is available to the REP.” [redacted] This specifies that if a Retail Electric provider estimates charges then a true -up or bill reconciliation must occur within hours of the receipt of the actual meter read In Mr***’s case his actual meter reads for 12/5/through 12/9/were received late in the day on 12/10/and trued- up on the invoice sent on 12/12/This resulted in additional charges totaling $for those days in addition to the actual meter reads for 12/10/The itemized invoice illustrating these additional charges will be included at the closing of this letterMany affected customers have asked the question” why were the original estimates so inaccurate?” This is related to the sharp and significant drop in temperature on 12/9/The Metroplex experienced a drop of nearly degrees which resulted in the area’s first hard freeze in almost yearsPayless Power’s billing system estimates on a 7-day trailing average and the daily high temperatures during that period were consistently in the high 60s and low 70s The combination of the length of the estimated time frame and the difference in temperature resulted in underbilled usage for nearly every Payless Power customerSince the beginning of full customer operations in the Company had never experienced a situation in which so many customers were affected to such an extent at onceThe result was lengthy wait times to speak to a Customer Care AssociatePayless Power recognized the impact of this unusual situation and suspended all disconnections for the following week so every customer would have the opportunity to speak to an associate and either ask any questions or post a payment /set a payment arrangementText updates were sent to all customers throughout the process advising that service would not be disconnected until the follow week or until wait times had receded We are happy to report that no customer’s service was interrupted due to these issues and wait times are now consistently under minutes for all customersPlease note that any actual or trmeter read can be confirmed independently at [redacted] This is a website operated by the state agency ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and is not affiliated with Payless Power or the owner of the meter, [redacted] Our customer will need the following information to register: [redacted] Meter: [redacted] Company: [redacted] Energy LLC dba Payless Power (Please choose selection on the bottom of the list) All Texas residents also have the right to file an informal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission should they suspect that are being billed unfairlyThe PUCT can be reached here: [redacted] Regards, [redacted] Regulatory Compliance ManagerPayless Power

Hello- Please note that all service calls to the residence can be confirmed by [redacted] by calling [redacted] ***It would also stand to reason that any technicians that you spoke to were dispatched to your home by [redacted] for the express purposes of repairing or replacing a non functioning meterYou would need to contact the [redacted] customer service center for any additional clarificationThe technicians are not Payless Power employeesThis does not change the fact that the meter at your home was malfunctioning and not reporting you usage correctlyThis is why a true up occurred for the unreported usage This has been confirmed by *** You are welcome to dispute ***'s trbut this will not result in a reconnection of your serviceIf you wish to lift the switch-hold you can call Payless Power customer are at [redacted] for instructionsWe look forward to helping you settle this issue

Dear Revdex.com Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue Mr [redacted] ’s account balance fell below $on 3/12/As 3/12/fell on a Saturday the disconnection was postponed until the following business day, Monday 3/14/ Mr [redacted] failed to use this time to apply funds to the account and services were disconnected on 3/14/at 11:AM On 3/15/Payless Power received notification from Oncor that services were being switched to another providerA final meter read was submitted by Oncor at 9: PM that evening Please note that Payless Power invoices our customers days in arrears For example and invoiced received on March would be for usage accrued on March This is because we do not receive the meter read for the day until the following eveningSo if we use the example above we would receive the meter read for March during the evening of Mach 16th and then calculate the billing on the morning of the 17th This is detailed on each of the daily text updates we send out showing charges and usageMr [redacted] s’ service was disconnected on 3/14/ On March 15th he was invoiced for charges on 3/13/even though his account was disconnectedHe switched services to another provider that day but received a final invoice on 3/16/ for all remaining chargesHe final balance due is $ which is an accurate amount with no adjustments warrantedWe encourage Mr [redacted] to contact customer service at to settle these final charges Kind Regards, [redacted] Regulatory and Compliance Manager – Payless Power

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this issuePlease note that switch-holds can only be applied under circumstances: a.) an unpaid payment plan b.) meter tampering. In Ms***'s case she doe not have an unpaid payment plan. However,her electric
utility, AEP Texas North has identified meter tampering and due to this has placed a tampering flag switch-hold on the accountThe hold will not be lifted until the tampering charges are paid or dismissedMs*** can contact AEP Texas North at *** *** *** for more information regarding the nature of the tamperingShe may dispute these charges with AEP directly or with Payless Power by calling our customer care team at *** *** ***If Ms*** feels that the charges have been added unfairly she also has the right to contact the Public Utilities Commission at *** *** *** to file a complaint against AEP

Thank you for the opportunity to address this complaint. All retail electric providers who serve Mr*** are bill their customers on meter reading as performed by ***, the regional transmission and distribution service providerAs a pre-paid electric retailer, Payless Power invoices
its customer daily using daily meter reads as provided by *** also performs a 30-day meter read at the end of each customers billing cycleIf there is a discrepancy between the daily usage and the 30-day usage a tror bill reconciliation will be performedEssentially the 30-day meter read is the official usage record and acts as a monthly re-read to catch under and over billing to meter issues and other technical problems On 4/12/Payless Power received the results of Mr***’s monthly meter read which covered 3/9/to 4/4/*** reported that Mr*** meter had under reported kilowatt hoursWith taxes and fees the additional charges totaled $Payless Power’s billing system automatically placed a 3-day protection against disconnection to allow the customer to call in and make payment arrangementsThe customer contacted Payless Power Customer Care on 4/13/and spoke to a supervisor regarding the matter who explained that he had been underbilled due to a malfunctioning meterHe was offered a payment arrangement at that time but declinedOn Friday 4/14/17, the customer called requesting additional extension time and was advised to make a partial payment of $before Monday 4/17/to avoid disconnectionNo payment was received by this deadline and a disconnection order was sent to *** and completed at 1:PM that same dayThe customer then called to request a payment arrangement and was advised that Payless Power would send a reconnection order if the customer agreed to Pay that day, an additional $on 4/19/and the remaining negative balance + $on 4/21/The Company agreed to maintain service if these payment terms were metThe customer remitted a payment of $that day and service was reconnected. No additional payments were received from the customer and service was disconnected again on 4/20/at 2:PMThe customer the called on 4/20/to state that a clear time to pay was not advised which resulted in the 4/disconnectionA review of the called recording showed that the customer was properly advised that a payment was due by 4/20/at 10:AMOn 4/27/Payless Power received a request form *** to remove the switch-hold on behalf of *** ***Payless Power declined this request as Ms*** is listed as an authorized user on Mr***’s accountWhile Payless Power sympathizes with Mr*** plight there are charges that moved be settled to restore serviceMalfunctioning meter equipment resulted in electricity usage at the residence not being reported properly and these charges must be paidWe are more than willing to work with Mr*** on payment arrangement that would result in service being restored however the terms of the arrangement would need to be met while at the same time maintaining a positive account balance for his future usageMr*** can contact our Customer Care Department at *** *** *** for a breakdown of his options

We are disappointed to receive this customer's response however it is the company's position that the billing is correct and the disconnection due to non payment was handled per State regulations. The Company's position stands that no further adjustments are necessary at this time and asks the Revdex.com to close the complaint

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: Day and no correspondence received regarding billing, also no return call from businessHave been holding for them for two days in various increments and they are not answering told I have callers ahead of me at this very moment, and the have a switch hold on my acctAlso they bill to days later you never know what your true balance is have emailed request for a return call as well Extremely exhausted billing goes from to a day to to and I'm not home till pm so nothing running heater is on and turned off in day time......I want switch hold removed immediately
Regards,
*** ***

To Whom It May Concern, Per the terms stated in the Payless Power Terms of Service and Energy Facts Label issued to *** *** (The Customer) the electric plan provided is a variable rate pre-paid planThe term is month to month with no early termination fee This plan
requires a pre-payment for service and the customer must maintain a positive account balance to pay for the electricityIf the account falls below $service will be interruptedIn such instances a reconnection balance must be metThe current reconnection balance required to restore service is the negative account balance + $+ any past due deferred payment plan installmentsA $reconnection fee will be deducted from this payment once power is restoredUpon receipt of a payment of this amount a reconnection order will be automatically triggered and submitted to the customer’s Transmission and Distribution Utility (Oncor) and will typically be completed within hours as long as the customer’s meter is capable of accepting a remote signal On 6/3/the customer enrolled for service which was connected by Oncor on 6/6/16. A low balance warning was issued to the customer on 6/7/advising that funds should be added to the accountNo payment was received and a disconnection request was sent to Oncor on 6/9/The customer contacted Payless Power later that day and expressed an inability to pay the reconnection balance and restore service. A deferred payment plan totaling $was offered to and accepted by the customerThe repayment schedule for this deferment was weekly installments of starting on 6/21/and ending on 7/26/The customer was informed that that a switch-hold would be added to the account until the deferment was re-paid in full and while under a switch-hold the customer would be unable to switch service to an alternate providerThe customer was also informed verbally and in writing that service could still be disconnected while under the deferred payment planThe customer agreed to and confirmed her understanding of these terms A deferred credit was added to the account and the reconnection fee of $waived s a time courtesyThis resulted in a reconnection order being generated and service was restored on 6/9/at 2:PM that day. The customer did not post additional funds to the account and on 6/12/another low balance warning was issued to the customerNo payment was received and a disconnection request was submitted to Oncor on 6/13/at 1:Pm and completed by Oncor at 1:PM that same dayOn 6/14/Payless Power began receiving inquiries from the customer regarding her account statusShe was advised on 6/14/16and 6/16/that a payment equivalent to the negative account balance + $would be required to restore serviceThe customer stated during these conversations and subsequent follow ups that she should not have been disconnected due to her contract and due to the deferment which she stated was in place through NovemberA review of the documentation provided by the customer shows that she was mailed a welcome pack including Terms of Service and an Energy Facts Label for the Oncor Flexpay planThe customer also included a copy of the deferred payment plan letter mailed to her on 6/10/These documents clearly outline the plan provisions listed above Links to copies of these documents are included belowThe customer’s deferred payment plan confirmation letter will not be posted due to concerns for the customer’s privacy https://www.paylesspower.com/files/SmarTricity_Terms_Of_Service_English.pdf https://www.paylesspower.com/files/SmarTricity_PrePaid_Disclosure_English.pdf https://www.paylesspower.com/files/Your_Rights_As_a_Customer_English.pdf https://www.paylesspower.com/files/ONCO_FlexPay_2.0_EFL_English.pdf On 6/16/the Company received a Public Utilities Commission Complaint regarding this matter. A response to the PUCT was delivered on 6/17/along with relevant records and other documentationThe company feels that all of its business rules and policies fall with State regulations as outlined by the PUCT The customer was also advised on 6/that the switch-hold could be removed by paying back the deferred plan of $Once this payment is received the switch-hold can be removed no later than 12:noon the following TDU operational day Based on our terms of service, energy facts label , third party verification call and deferred payment plan letter Payless Power feels that its actions were within all Public Utilities Commission rules regarding Pre-Paid service https://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/rulesnlaws/subrules/electric/25.498/25.498ei.as...⇄ And thus would not be liable for any damages as outlined by the customerThe customer also mentioned that by contacting her to discuss charges we would be subject to a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission due to violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices ActPlease note that Young Energy dba Payless Power is not considered to be a collection agency since we are not attempt to collect debt on behalf of a third party and thus the provisions listed in the FDCA would not apply to efforts to communicate with its own customers

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue. Our records show that [redacted] contacted Payless Power on 9/21/16 to request refund instructions. The Customer was advised at that time that the refund process could begin once the account had gone into final status meaning that the account had been permanently closed and all final charges had been calculated. Account notations show that the customer then called on Friday 9/23/16 and was advised the refund would be processed within 24 to 48 business hours. The internal request was created at 9:20 AM that day. The Customer then called again on Saturday morning 9/24/16 to ask about refund status. The customer was advised again that  the time frame was 24 to 48 business hours meaning Monday through Friday excluding holidays.  The customer then called Monday morning 9/26/16 stating that she had not received the refund. The customer was advised that 48 business hours had not elapsed since Friday however the customer was not receptive to this information. The customer demanded to talk to someone who could ensure that she would receive her funds today but advised that this was not a possibility.  A team lead did explain the refund process and that the customer would receive a confirmation text when the refund was processed here but this would not guarantee instant access to her funds.  Transactions that occur during the day are actually settled by banks and card companies at midnight. Some banks will give access to the funds in advance however Payless Power would have no insight into her bank's timelines.  The Customer's refund was processed internally on Monday 9/26/16 at 10:20 AM in the order that it was received which was well within the 24 to 48 hour timeline provided to the customer on Friday and certainly within the state mandated 10 day business day timeline specified  By the Public Utilities Commission.  Good Day,[redacted]Regulatory and Compliance ManagerPayless Power

Hello-  Please note that all service calls to the residence can be confirmed by [redacted] by calling [redacted]. It would also stand to reason that any technicians that you spoke to were dispatched to your home by [redacted] for the express purposes of repairing or replacing a non functioning meter. You would need to contact the [redacted] customer service center for any additional clarification. The technicians are not Payless Power employees. This does not change the fact that the meter at your home was malfunctioning  and not reporting you usage correctly. This is why a true up occurred for the unreported usage . This has been confirmed by [redacted].  You are welcome to dispute [redacted]'s true-up but this will not result in a reconnection of your service. If you wish to lift the switch-hold you can call Payless Power customer are at [redacted] for instructions. We look forward to helping you settle this issue.

Tell us why here... Hello,Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue.   A review of the customer’s account including usage, billing and service orders has been completed.  The results of this review are included below:On 1/3/18 the Customer’s account balance fell to -$.4.53....

Ms. [redacted] subscribes to a prep-paid electricity plan that requires the account balance to remain above $0.00 in order to maintain service continuously. On 1/3/18 at 9:23 AM a low balance warning was issued to Ms. [redacted]’s wireless phone.1/3/2018 9:23:00 AM    SMS Text             4696614288         PayPwr.com/[redacted] LOW BALANCE REMINDER: Friendly reminder that your balance must remain positive to avoid interruption. Disconnects process at 11AM Mon-Fri Daily Low Balance Reminder AcceptedNo payment was received and a disconnection order was submitted to Oncor for completion at 1:30 PM and completed at 2:36 PM.Call volumes have been extremely high through the latest cold spell due to records numbers of winter electricity consumption across the State.  Customer responded to the Customer’s email inquiry at 6:04 PM- This response included belowHello, [redacted] - [redacted] Thank you for your inquiry. As of now, the minimum payment of $25.93 is required to send the reconnection request. We have set your reconnection fee to be waived therefore you will not be charged the $25.00 reconnection fee for the disconnection and reconnection today, 1/4/2018. You may visit a [redacted] payment location to make a payment using our receive code [redacted]. Please note that while we will review and provide usage data from your meter, Payless Power cannot comment on which items in the home are causing your usage to increase as we do not have direct insight on which devices or appliances are consuming power. There are many environmental and technical factors that can affect your usage and charges. Before we delve into specifics though please allow us to establish a few important facts. 1.              Payless Power does not read your meter- This is handled by your transmission and distribution utility, Oncor. They also own the lines, poles, sub-stations and other equipment required to transmit electricity to your home. All retail electric providers receive the same meter data at the same time so these readings would not differ regardless of which retail electric provider you select. 2. Cold weather drastically affects everyone’s usage. The fact is, it is much harder and more expensive to heat a home when temperatures are in the 20s and 30s than it is to cool a home when it’s in the high 90s or low 100s. This is because even the best heating/cooling systems cannot regulate temperatures that are more than 28 degrees different between the inside and outside. In the summer, it’s usually around 100 and you are trying to cool it to around 75 (a 25 degree delta). In the winter, it’s usually around 35 at night and you are trying to heat it to 75 (a 40 degree delta). Under such conditions the unit will run almost nonstop. Certain things help like great insulation, double paned storm windows etc. but the heater will still run constantly even if you don’t touch the thermostat. Also, it’s coldest over night when you are home. 3.          If you have an electric furnace or a 2-stage heat pump and set the thermostat on “emergency” or “auxiliary” heat, your heater will use 3 times the amount of electricity as it would if set on the standard “heat” setting. Never use the emergency heat setting unless the fan on the outside unit won’t turn on. Please review the attached PDF file which shows your usage for 1/2/2018 in 15 minute increments. This will highlight the points during the 24-hour billing period in which there were usage spikes. This can help you in pinpointing what consumed the power in your home during that timeframe. This information and all other daily meter data can be verified by registering your meter free of charge at www.smartmetertexas.com. This is a free site operated by the State of Texas and is not affiliated with Payless Power or your transmission and delivery utility. You can set it to receive reads every 15 minutes so it matches the information included on this response. By using this website, you can always be sure that any retail electric provider you are with bills you accurately. You will need the following information [redacted] Company Name- Young Energy LLC dba Payless Power 1 (bottom selection on the list)Ms. [redacted] made a cash payment of $28.05 at 6:50 PM and a reconnection request was submitted to Oncor for completion at 7:02 PM. Oncor provided confirmation that service had been restored at 8:02 PM.Based on the aforementioned notifications, timelines and account balance data it can be determined that Payless Power met all requirements for submitting a disconnection order due to non-payment. The customer’s $25 reconnection fee was waived as a courtesy and non-deducted from her balance.  As explained to the customer in the email response-  winter usage in sub-freezing temperature is very impactful to a customer’s electrical consumption and thus is quite expensive. In the last 7 days, Ms. [redacted]’s residence has consumed 451 KWH and in the last 30 days 1444 KWH.  A billing review confirms that the customer’s daily meter reads since 12/11/17 have all been actual reads and not estimations generated by either Oncor or Payless Power. Based on this evidence, no billing adjustments for improperly billed charges will be made at this time. Please note that Ms. [redacted] may confirm all daily meter reads as reported and billed by Payless Power with the State of Texas at www.smartmetertexas.com This  website is free for all Texas residents and shows meter data at the same time it is received by an electric provider. She can register using the following information: ESI-ID – 10443720008683269Meter #- 105589192Company- Young Energy LLC dba Payless Power (last selection on the list)Please note that if Ms. [redacted] feels that she is being billed unfairly she has the right to open an informal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission of Texas who can be reached here: 888 782 8477Critical Care/ Chronic Condition DesignationPlease find attached a Critical Care/ Chronic Condition application that Ms. [redacted] may take to her son’s Dr. If her Dr. approves the child for one of these medical designations she must select a post -paid provider as the State of Texas does not allow these customers to use pre-paid service due to the frequent possibility of disconnection with short notice. A suitable provider may be found here: www.powertochoose.org Final RemarksWhile Payless Power understand the financial impact of the record winter usage affecting Ms. [redacted] and her family, her usage, data  and billing appears to be accurate at this time. As a show of good faith to Ms. [redacted] we are adding a courtesy credit of $5.00 to the account due to the inconvenience of the wait times. We appreciate her business and patience and trust that she will be more satisfied with her daily charges as the weather continues to warm up over the next 7 days. Regards,Raymond HoneycuttRegulatory Compliance Manager- Payless Power

Dear
Revdex.com
   Thank
you for the opportunity to address this issue. 
 Mr. [redacted]’s account balance fell
below $0.00 on 3/12/16. As 3/12/16 fell on a Saturday the disconnection was
postponed until the following business day, Monday 3/14/16.  Mr....

[redacted] failed to use this time to apply
funds to the account and services were disconnected on 3/14/16 at 11:26 AM.
  On
3/15/16 Payless Power received notification from Oncor that services were being
switched to another provider. A final meter read was submitted by Oncor at 9:48
PM that evening.
   Please
note that Payless Power invoices our customers 2 days in arrears.  For example and invoiced received on March 17
would be for usage accrued on March 15. This is because we do not receive the
meter read for the day until the following evening. So if we use the example
above we would receive the meter read for March 15 during the evening of Mach
16th and then calculate the billing on the morning of the 17th.
This is detailed on each of the daily text updates we send out showing charges
and usage. Mr. [redacted]s’ service was disconnected on 3/14/16.  On March 15th he was invoiced for
charges on 3/13/15 even though his account was disconnected. He switched
services to another provider that day but received a final invoice on 3/16/15
for all remaining charges. He final balance due is $ 21.51 which is an accurate
amount with no adjustments warranted. We encourage Mr. [redacted] to contact
customer service at 888 963 9363 to settle these final charges.
Kind Regards,
[redacted]
Regulatory and Compliance Manager – Payless Power

Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue. Payless
Power bills its customers by receiving meter reads daily as reported by Oncor
and calculating charges using the KWH Rate as determined by the customer’s
transmission and distribution service provider. In this case the customer’s
TDSP...

is Oncor and the current rate in the Oncor footprint is 9.9 cents per KWH.
This rate is variable has not changed since the customer enrolled on 10/7/15.
The customer also receives a discount through the State funded Lite Up Discount
low income energy assistance program which deducts an additional 4.7 cents per
KWH off of the rate. This gives the customer a rate of 5.2 cents per KWH hour
which is extremely low for electric service with no contract, no credit check
and no deposit.   State and local taxes are also added to each
daily invoice along with a daily recurring customer charge of $.40. On days in
which the customer uses less than 17 KWH a minimum usage fee of $.50 would also
apply. This was disclosed verbally to the customer upon enrollment and is also
outlined in the welcome packet that was mailed to the customer on 10/28/15 at
7:30 AM and which is also available online at https://www.paylesspower.com/files/ONCO_SuperSaver_EFL_English.pdf    
On 11/22/15 the company issued a low balance warning text
message to the wireless phone provided by the customer upon enrollment. No
payment was received and on 11/23/15 the customer’s balance fell to
-$6.00.  The customer called at 7:12 AM
that same day and requested an extension which was granted through 5:00 PM that
evening.  The customer failed to remit
payment and a disconnection order was submitted Oncor at 5:01 PM that afternoon.
Payless Power was informed by Oncor that the disconnection order was completed
the following morning (11/24/15) at 7:04 AM and showed to have remained
disconnected through 12/2/15. Oncor then continued to report intermittent usage
during this timeframe so Payless Power opened an investigation to confirm the
usage. Oncor responded with their findings today stating that an onsite visit
revealed that the disconnection order had not completed properly due to a meter
malfunction and a new meter was installed.   The
customer called and posted a payment of $75.00 at 4:21 PM on 12/2/15.  Service was restored at 6:20 PM.
 This reconnection
triggered a reconnection fee of $25 + tax which the customer was informed of
upon enrollment and in writing as part of our terms of service included in the
welcome packet.  Based on Oncor
investigation results Payless Power is crediting the reconnection fee of $25.00
+ tax  
 When the customer
called in to enroll with his current account on 10/7/15 it was determined that
he owed an unpaid balance on his previous account of -$60.73. He was unable to
repay this amount at that time and accepted a deferred payment plan for $60.73
to be repaid in weekly installments of $4.67. These payments cannot be repaid
per the established repayment schedule if the customer does not maintain a
positive account balance.   At the time of the disconnection the
customer’s negative balance had increased to -$20.11.  Once the $75.00 payment was applied this
balance was paid and the customer’s past due deferred payment plan installments
of -$9.34 was also deducted in addition to the aforementioned reconnection fee
and new daily charges. This left an available balance of $16.88 on December 3,
2015.        
The customer was disconnected for non-payment again on
12/22/15. As a courtesy I have submitted a reconnection order and adding an
additional $36.04 to the account to compensate for that reconnection charge. This
will a balance of $17.63 once services are restored. The customer can use this
money for electric usage or to pay off the remaining charges on the deferred
payment plan of $23.37. The deferred payment plan must be repaid in full in order
for the customer to lift the hold on the account and switch providers. If the
customer has additional questions he may contact me at [redacted]
for assistance.

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this complaint. On 4/15/15 a disconnection order was issued on Ms [redacted]'s account due to a negative account balance.  As a provider of pre-paid electric service with no deposit, Payless Power requires that all customers...

maintain funds on their account in order to avoid a service interruption. if funds are not available on the account when a daily invoice hits each morning, then the account is eligible for disconnection. That is what occurred on Ms [redacted]'s account on 4/15/15. On 4/15/15 at 12;37 Ms [redacted] contacted Payless Power after services had been disconnected and stated that she  had posted a cash payment on 4/14/15.  Our records show that the last payment received from the customer was a credit card payment on 4/10/15.  Ms. [redacted] was advised by 2 separate associates and a supervisor that we could research the payment if she could fax or email a copy of her payment receipt, In such cases, if the customer can show proof of payment we will credit the account temporarily and as a show of good faith, credit the reconnection fee.  Thus far, Ms, [redacted] has refused to provide proof of payment so we are unable to research the payment on her behalf.Please note that our cash centers post payments either instantly or within 2 hours. If the payment location the customer uses is having trouble with their internet network or payment terminal that is really beyond Payless Power's control however there are 5 locations within 3.5 miles of the customer's home including an ACE Cash Express which is our premium payment vendor. After being advised of these options by a supervisor on 4/15 at 1:33 PM the customer stated that she wished to cancel her service. She was advised that she would need to first pay off the deferred payment plan balance of $17.75 in order to lift the switch-hold on the account. Ms [redacted] requested a deferred payment plan for $31.04 on 3/16/15 and was advised that a switch-hold would be put in place on the meter until this amount was repaid in full.       In summary we are eager to assist Ms [redacted] in rectifying this situation, we simply need proof of her payment to initiate  search for the missing funds.  She may contact me via email at [redacted].

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this issue. The customer posted a negative review on the Payless Power website on 4/28/16 stating that he had contacted Payless Power 4 times in an effort to cancel service.   Although there are no records of email or phone calls showing these...

attempts Payless Power reached out to the customer on 4/28/15 for the purposes of assisting with the request however there was no answer so a voice mail was left asking the customer to call back.  The Customer called back later that morning but could not confirm the service address and was advised that he would need to be able to confirm this information in order to make changes to the account due to security purposes. The customer was not receptive to this policy and disconnected the call. The customer called again on Saturday 4/29/16 and demanded immediate cancellation of service. He was informed that we could put in the request for the next business day – 5/2/16.  The customer was also not receptive to this information feeling that this was tactic used by Payless Power to inflate charges. Please note that Retail Electric Providers do not perform move-out orders (cancellation requests). These requests are performed by the local transmission and distribution provider which in Tyler, TX is Oncor.  All Retail Electric Providers are subject to the timelines of the TDSP. Oncor does not consider Saturday or Sunday to be operational days and thus will not accept move out orders on those days. The earliest move-out date available as of Saturday 4/29/16 was Monday 5/2/16. A move out order was submitted for Mr Madera’s account for 5/2/15.  Oncor provided the final invoice on the account at 10:30 PM that evening and the account was finalized shortly thereafter at 11:08 PM. Final charges on the account total   -$5.29 and should be paid immediately at www.paylesspower.com Please note that no adjustments are warranted at this time as all actions were performed within Public Utilities Commission and Oncor timelines. While we can understand Mr. Madera’s frustration in not being able to cancel service at the moment of his choosing such scheduling request are out of the control of any retail electric provider and thus no negligence occurred.

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this issue. Our records show that [redacted] contacted Payless Power on 9/21/16 to request refund instructions. The Customer was advised at that time that the refund process could begin once the account had gone into final status meaning that...

the account had been permanently closed and all final charges had been calculated. Account notations show that the customer then called on Friday 9/23/16 and was advised the refund would be processed within 24 to 48 business hours. The internal request was created at 9:20 AM that day. The Customer then called again on Saturday morning 9/24/16 to ask about refund status. The customer was advised again that  the time frame was 24 to 48 business hours meaning Monday through Friday excluding holidays.  The customer then called Monday morning 9/26/16 stating that she had not received the refund. The customer was advised that 48 business hours had not elapsed since Friday however the customer was not receptive to this information. The customer demanded to talk to someone who could ensure that she would receive her funds today but advised that this was not a possibility.  A team lead did explain the refund process and that the customer would receive a confirmation text when the refund was processed here but this would not guarantee instant access to her funds.  Transactions that occur during the day are actually settled by banks and card companies at midnight. Some banks will give access to the funds in advance however Payless Power would have no insight into her bank's timelines.  The Customer's refund was processed internally on Monday 9/26/16 at 10:20 AM in the order that it was received which was well within the 24 to 48 hour timeline provided to the customer on Friday and certainly within the state mandated 10 day business day timeline specified  By the Public Utilities Commission.  Good Day,[redacted]Regulatory and Compliance ManagerPayless Power

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I received the emails. An I have another question? So what do I do about the 2 workers that told me other wise with what they do with these companies. Because now I'm stuck in the middle of a he say she say. I really just need my switch hold off so I can get some power.
Regards,
[redacted]

Hello, Thank you for the opportunity to address this complaint. Payless Power experienced a delay in receiving daily meter reads from Oncor for the dates of 12/5/17 through 12/09/17. When these type of usage data delays occur the Public Utilities Commission of Texas provides regulations specifying...

how estimations can be temporarily applied in place of the daily meter read. PUCT Substantive Rule      25.498 ( c ) (6) (D) states “If usage sent by the TDU is estimated or the REP estimates consumption according to paragraph (11)(E) of this subsection, the REP shall promptly reconcile the estimated consumption and associated charges with the actual consumption and associated charges within 72 hours after actual consumption data is available to the REP.” [redacted] This specifies that if a Retail Electric provider estimates charges then a true -up or bill reconciliation must occur within 72 hours of the receipt of the actual meter read.  In Mr. [redacted]’s case his actual meter reads for 12/5/17 through 12/9/17 were received late in the day on 12/10/17 and trued- up on the invoice sent on 12/12/17. This resulted in additional charges totaling $20.52 for those days in addition to the actual meter reads for 12/10/17. The itemized invoice illustrating these additional charges will be included at the closing of this letter. Many affected customers have asked the question” why were the original estimates so inaccurate?” This is related to the sharp and significant drop in temperature on 12/9/17. The Metroplex experienced a drop of nearly 40 degrees which resulted in the area’s first hard freeze in almost 2 years. Payless Power’s billing system estimates on a 7-day trailing average and the daily high temperatures during that period were consistently in the high 60s and low 70s.  The combination of the length of the estimated time frame and the difference in temperature resulted in underbilled usage for nearly every Payless Power customer. Since the beginning of full customer operations in 2009 the Company had never experienced a situation in which so many customers were affected to such an extent at once. The result was lengthy wait times to speak to a Customer Care Associate. Payless Power recognized the impact of this unusual situation and suspended all disconnections for the following week so every customer would have the opportunity to speak to an associate and either ask any questions or post a payment /set a payment arrangement. Text updates were sent to all customers throughout the process advising that service would not be disconnected until the follow week or until wait times had receded.   We are happy to report that no customer’s service was interrupted due to these issues and wait times are now consistently under 3 minutes for all customers. Please note that any actual or true-up meter read can be confirmed independently at [redacted] . This is a website operated by the state agency ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and is not affiliated with Payless Power or the owner of the meter, [redacted] Our customer will need the following information to register: [redacted] Meter: [redacted] Company:  [redacted] Energy LLC dba Payless Power (Please choose selection on the bottom of the list) All Texas residents also have the right to file an informal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission should they suspect that are being billed unfairly. The PUCT can be reached here: [redacted] Regards, [redacted]Regulatory Compliance ManagerPayless Power