Xcel Energy

Company records show that Mr [redacted] was billed a deposit of $in May due to a bankruptcy filing and subsequent write off of his outstanding balance The Deposits and Guarantees tariff that is approved and on file with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission states that “The Company will refund by direct payment, or as a credit on the customer’s bill, a customer’s deposit after consecutive months of prompt payment of all utility bills.” A review of Mr***’s payment history shows late payments in June 2015, July 2015, and June According to the tariff, Mr***’s deposit would have been refunded in August 2015, but with the late payment in June, 2016, the earliest his deposit can be refunded is in July

I am rejecting this response because: When I call back I keep getting different stories from representativesExcel is a bully and that's that!

Xcel Energy's position has not changed from the previous response submitted on April 25, The information provided was based on information noted on the customer's account and calls reviewed However, I contacted the customer and explained to her my findings I offered to set her on an arrangement that she could afford She accepted and was set on a month Fixed plus Current payment arrangement with $down payment Her monthly installments would be $plus her current charges Her current balance was $478.15.I received a call the following day advising me that she had an outage and her husband thought they were disconnected so he made a payment for $ She asked if she still had to make a payment I called and left her a message that her account was paid in full so she no longer had to make a payment Her payment arrangement has been satisfied Her current balance is a credit of $1.85.There is nothing further pending at this time

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.I cancelled my service onlineI also called Xcel when I movedI don't have that phone number anymore and therefore do not have access to old phone recordsI spoke with Xcel Energy and was told that any account 60+days past due would have services terminated and charges would stop accruingSo it brings to question why charges were continuing to accrue on this account for over a year? Xcel Energy did not seek to remedy late charges or the account balance until I discovered I was still being charged and sought to terminate the accountWithin days I was referred to collectionsThis should have occurred in April [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.] Regards, [redacted] ***

I am rejecting this response because: Xcel Energy does not address the complaint I made, which is why has my energy usage increased so much? (see attached) Xcel Energy is a monopoly and I have little recourse to get my complaint resolvedI think I'm getting ignored because Xcel Energy knows they can get away with itI sent a complaint to the Public Utilities Commission and I didn't even get a responsePlease help meThank you[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Xcel simply makes up a rule stating that they do not have to reimburse customers for light outages, which allows Xcel to fail to service its customers in a timely manner In this case, Xcel did not provide the light pole service for months, yet they required that I pay the bill for that service for months No other competitive business would get away with this slight of hand However because Xcel is a monopoly they are allowed to take advantage of customers (i.echeat customers) I plan to file a complaint with the PUC Sincerely, [redacted] ***

I briefly spoke with Mr [redacted] today before he ended the call I tried to explain that [redacted] ***, Resolution Agent with [redacted] advised me that they only gather a customer’s payment information and do not process payments Payment information is forwarded to each of the vendors that service is established with and that vendor processes the paymentAny reimbursement for possible duplicate charges would have to come directly from the vendor, in this case [redacted] Mr*** advised me that in a previous conversation he had with Mr***, the customer actually told him he was only charged once I attempted to ask Mr [redacted] if he was only charged once but by that time he had ended the callIn addition, Mr*** advised me that the $charge is a past due balance from his previous account with [redacted] for his acct when he lived in FloridaMr [redacted] was very polite when speaking to me but said we were just going around in circles, that this matter has created a hardship for him, that payment had been made and he has provided the necessary documentation before he ended the callI was going to extend a sincere apology for any inconvenience this matter has caused but if he is owed a refund that would have to come directly from [redacted]

Your concern directed to the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) was forwarded to my attention for investigation and response All residential customers starting service with Xcel Energy by phone are transferred to ConnectSmartThey help movers and new customers select and order home services, such as:• Local telephone and long distance• Cable and satellite TV• Internet access• Home securityConnectSmart is run by AllConnect, an Atlanta-based company that currently serves close to of the top US electric utilitiesYou can find additional information at www.allconnect.com The data we send to AllConnect is not sold or shared beyond the service providers with whom the customer places an order and is used for only two purposes:• Confirm the start service requestIf AllConnect identifies any errors, your request is returned to Xcel Energy to correct.• Allow customers to place orders for other home services.I forwarded your concern to AllConnect to ensure that the proper process was followed I apologize if this information was not clearly communicated to you previously or for any inconvenience this has caused If you have further questions or concerns please call ###-###-####

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2015/08/19) */ Mr [redacted] had service at [redacted] from January 4, until June 1, He called to end service on June 1, His final bill was mailed on June 3, 2013, in the amount of $and went unpaidThe account was sent to a collection agency on August 30, 2013, who attempted to collect the debtWhen they failed to collect the payment the account was recalled on October 31, and then reassigned to a different collection agency We received a fax on August 15, 2014, to start service at [redacted] for Mr [redacted] on August 2, MrVrain had service in Colorado previously at [redacted] and at [redacted] Mr [redacted] had failed to pay the final bill for $at [redacted] He also had failed to pay the final bill for $for [redacted] ***Both of these amounts were added to his first bill for the account at [redacted] We are not allowed to transfer money from one jurisdiction to another, thus the unpaid charges from North Dakota remained with the collection agencyOn August 7, 2015, the debt for the North Dakota account was again recalled and assigned to new collection agency I was able to speak with Mr [redacted] on August 19, and we discussed the accountsI advised that if he was willing to pay the balance at [redacted] that I would recall the account from the collection agencyMr [redacted] admitted that the charges were his responsibility, but was upset that Xcel Energy didn't contact him before they sent the account to a collection agencyI did apologize and tried to ask how we could helpMr [redacted] was very upset and stated that he was going to file a Public Utility Commission complaint is both states and was going to go to the media to tell his storyThe last thing he told me was not to call him againOur offer to recall the account from the agency stands if he is willing to pay the balance in fullI also explained that he could work with the collection agency and pay the balance with themThe collection agency that currently has the account is CBCS and they can be reached at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2015/08/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This response from xcel verifies my complaintThe amount of money that I owe was never in disputeMy complaint is that despite having all of my contact information and as I continued to pay off the remaining balance from addresses in which I had service years prior; xcel continued to place my debt with various collection agencies instead of contacting me while I was current in regards to remittanceThe explanation that I was given was that I had different account numbers in different statesThis shouldn't be an issue considering you have to provide a social security number in order to get serviceThe representative most certainly did NOT apologize, that is what I wanted from them in the first place a written formal apologyHe actually said, "we won't do that"The man was dismissive, patronizing, and generally unpleasant to deal withThe purpose of my contacting the Revdex.com is simply to inform the general public of the continuing shady and underhanded business dealings that xcel practicesWhen confronted with this behavior they hide behind company policy and the letter of the lawAs if that somehow relieves them of civic responsibility and general common courtesy for another human beingThis is very common when trying to make amends and pay a past due bill with them; they become rude, holy than thou, and smug agents that represent the very bottom morally abject denizens of societyI have news for xcel, things happen in peoples lives and sometimes they get behindThis shouldn't come into play when someone is attempting to put things rightI don't have a single creditor that behaves in this flippant mannerWhich in my humble opinion goes to the culture that xcel energy promotesTo be clear I did tell the rep to not contact me again, but that was aimed at him personally due to his disrespectful tone and attitudeAlso, I absolutely told him I would file complaints with the PUC in both states in addition to contacting the media(should they want to listen)This is the first step in doing so

The rebate is paid by our 3rd-party implementer, Appliance Recycling Centers of America (ARCA) This customer has a valid rebate application for their refrigerator Records show that ARCA mailed the rebate check to the customer May The rebate application is marked as “Complete” as of June 30th in our system The phone number provided by the customer for Debbie is for ARCA I spoke with Ms [redacted] September and apologized for any inconvenience and explained that the check was reissued September (check number [redacted] ) by ARCA

I am rejecting this response because: The following points are taken directly from an xcel representative Regarding Xcel complaint: On May,20, at I spoke on the phone for minutes with “customer advocate manager for Xcel”, Tom [redacted] , who assured me several times that he was authorized to speak officially for xcel and it’s policies 1)Mr [redacted] assured me several times that xcel’s only obligation was to send a single letter by mail to customers whose power was to be turned offThe letter is not tracked and has nothing to distinguish it from junk mail Mr [redacted] informed me several times that any records regarding their attempts to inform me of the impending shutoff could only be obtained by a subpoena2) They specifically do not send emails letting customers know of impending shutoffs although he admitted that Xcel sends marketing materials,etcto customers’ email address 3) In regard to xcel’s claim that the person sent to shut off the power tries to get payment first, a few points refute this claim: The person who pulled our meter did not ring the doorbell or knockI and my dog were both home when it happened and would have heard them Mr [redacted] admitted that they have outside people doing the shutoff who drive their own unmarked vehicles and may not have xcel identification visible or on themIt became clear talking to Mr [redacted] that Xcel tries to disassociate themselves and their logo from the shutoff process The person who did our shutoff was obviously trying to be unnoticed, drove an unmarked car and did not have visible identification on themI saw this person as he was exiting our fenced yard hurriedlyMy impression is that the whole process is done in a quick “repo” style I suspect that xcel tries not to be be associated with the denial of power to their customers to protect their image and therefore have no interest in risking a confrontation with homeowners by notifying them of their presence when they come to turn off power 4) Mr [redacted] said xcel tried to call several times to inform me of the impending shutoff, however, they do not leave a message regarding their intent I pointed out that since they were aware that they had not spoken with me by phone and had not left a message regarding their intent that they necessarily knew that I had not been informed by phone I informed Mr [redacted] that I was recording our conversation (following state law) and I will make it available to the Revdex.com at your request to validate the points aboveThank you, [redacted] ***

I contacted the customer to discuss her concerns with the Revdex.com Company records show the customer entered into a month Fixed plus Budget payment plan Her first payment of $was due on June 14, No payment was received causing the arrangement to breakThe customer inquired about resetting her arrangement She was declined due to her broken arrangement and the payment history She was offered energy assistance information which she declined stating she wouldn’t qualify I contacted the customer on June 29, to discuss payment plan options The customer offered to pay $down payment and set the remaining balance on an arrangement I accepted and she was set on an month Fixed plus Budget payment arrangement with $down payment Her monthly installments will be $plus her budget amount of $totaling $ Her current balance is $ There is nothing further pending at this time Thank you

The equipment purchase and installation requirements needed to qualify for a Premium $rebate in the Colorado Evaporative Cooling program includes percent media saturation or above, Period Purge Water, and Remote Thermostat Control Records show that Mr [redacted] did purchase the Period Purge Water and Remote Thermostat Control, but the unit he purchased was a Champion/Mastercool 4001SDThis unit is listed under Standard Equipment on the Colorado Evaporative Cooling Program document attached The media saturation of this model is percent, which is below the percent required for the Premium $rebate This is why the unit is listed under Standard Equipment and is the reason why Mr [redacted] was given a $rebate instead of the Premium $rebate

In order to prevent frequent quarterly or monthly variation of the Averaged Monthly Payment (AMP) plan we have a threshold in placeThis addresses most cases; however, the increased usage fell just below this threshold until the third quarterly review at which time it was necessary to increase the AMP in order to cover the difference accumulated throughout the year The balance was displaying as past due because we only received partial payment of the AMP billing for May and June, which resulted in removal of the AMP plan We understand that this can create a hardship when the balance is unexpectedAs a regulated utility, we must bill according to actual usage and cannot reduce the amount billed if it is correct Due to the payment arrangements established on July 21, future statements will list the installment and new AMP amount and is not considered past due as long as the installments are paid

As a regulated utility, Xcel Energy must be consistent in the application of the rules approved by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MN PUC) Our tariff approved by the MN PUC states that customers are responsible for service until we are notified to stop service Section subsection states Subject to its rates, rules, and regulations, the Company will continue to supply electric service until notified by customer to discontinue the serviceThe customer will be responsible for payment of all service furnished through the date of discontinuance Per review of company records, I was not able to a request to discontinue service Ms [redacted] ’s account at for the address in question prior to December 3, The account was closed based on a request to begin service effective December 3, by a new party Without record to demonstrate that notice to discontinue service was given prior to the final billing date the responsibility for charges will remain with the account holder I spoke with Ms [redacted] on June 28, 2017, and advised we were unable to locate a request to discontinue service and no adjustments would be made to the account

Our Vegetation department was contacted who informed me that the brush was cleaned up on October 4, I contacted the customer who confirmed the brush has been removed There is nothing further pending at this time

The attached response was mailed to Mr [redacted] 5/6/

[redacted] contacted the MN Revdex.com regarding a portion of her account balance that was generated at a prior residenceMs [redacted] does not dispute living at the residenceMs [redacted] disputes that she was designated as the account holder Records find the property manager for 40th Ave NE in Columbia Heights, MN called to notify us of his new tenantsThe property manager provided Ms [redacted] 's contact information to begin billing effective July 6, The property manager was in his right to request the new accountThis is referred to as a third party request for new service Ms [redacted] states she had other roommates listed on her leaseIf the roommates were responsible for any of the unpaid balance, Ms [redacted] must pursue them for any unsettled balancesWe are not able to mediate a dispute among roommates We have previously offered a payment arrangement of $per month to Ms [redacted] Considering the account balance and average monthly bill at her residence, we are not able to negotiate a lower amount for an arrangement I have been unable to speak directly with Ms [redacted] On March 22, 2016, I mailed a letter with our responseThe letter also advises Ms [redacted] to seek energy assistance if she qualifies

We do not have record of an online request from Ms [redacted] to stop service If Ms [redacted] can provide proof of the online request, we would correct the stop date to the date of the request We also do not have any record of Ms [redacted] contacting us by phone from the date she called to report a gas leak on September 27, until she called on February 7, to dispute the final balance Records also show that a number of the disconnect notices were issued during the Cold Weather Rule period of November to April 15, when we cannot disconnect service Others were issued when the balance was relatively low making it a low priority for our Credit Department to work during the months we could disconnect service However, as stated previously, we were sending disconnect notices nearly every month to the same mailing address Ms [redacted] has listed on her inquiry, so she should have received those notices The account was stopped on February 7, 2015, and the balance was referred to a collection agency on May 1, As stated previously, Ms [redacted] is responsible for the charges in accordance with the Application for Service tariff unless she can provide proof that she contacted us prior to the current stop date of February 7,

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/03/03) */ Called cust 2/& 3/and left vm message to return my call, no responseSent letter regarding cust concern w/$return check feeIn the letter I explained a cust who stops a payment after a payment is made & we are unable to stop it (payment is pending) are charged $feeAs a courtesy and because $payment was made in error and cust bills are never this amt and account balance isn't that much, the $return check fee was credited to the acct & will be reflected on cust next billing statementTold cust to call w/questionsSee attached letter sent to customer Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (2000, 7, 2016/03/14) */ The customer indicated that he/she ACCEPTED the business response