CenterPoint Energy

Houston, TX

Diana of Conway, AR October 19, 2009

my gas has been turned off for serveral months. On 7/Oct/09 i paid the bill which was 357.95. On 14/Oct/95, i calledd to find out when my service would be restored and was informed that i needed another 50 for a deposit. at which time i paid that. I was told to contact Ms. Thompson, which i did and was told by her that because of my association with someone that owes them money, i would not be able to get service until their bill was paid. The person in question is my son who has lived here in Arkansas a few years before i moved out here. I had to fax her a copy of my lease and my electric bill and was still denied service.

KOSTA of Katy, TX October 13, 2009

Have two properties, my residence and rental property. Gas company, named above, established very strange policy toward us consumers. First of all, there is some fees named Customer charge (looking like kind of reap of established long time ago, if you want gas in your house you have to pay monthly fee). Looking like then established way to earn extra money. For my residency is 10.50, For rental property is 13.65. asked so many times for the last year, to be called from someone who knows about this difference nobody ever tried to do so, but customer service people do not know answer on it.

Second: When price of the gasoline, year ago or so, was 4.00+ they established Cost Adjustment Fee. Gasoline price is not anymore that much but adjustment staying as is. For my residency is: 0.89187 per CCF. For rental property is 0.83250 per CCF. Why nobody knows from customer service people but again no ANSWER FROM SOMEBADY WHO KNOWS!

Gas cost is also different? For my residency is: 0.89187 per CCF. For rental property is 0.83250 per CCF. the same, no body knows, but there is no one either to answer on those questions. If you ask them where is they office to find somebody to talk and complain, there is no answer either.

In total gas cost difference is: For my residency is: 0.93787 per CCF. For rental property is 0.9049 per CCF. Why, again the same answer actually no answer! They do have monopoly for so long and they use and abuse us customer on every possible way. This is like very well know case of Houston based ENRON and we all know how that finished.

Do I need to say impact a specially in this difficult times of our economy. I do believe that Consumer affairs is very well known as fighter for us consumers and certainly with big influence on media and politicians. What we can do to established deregulation on gas industry too?

Candida of Comanche, OK October 9, 2008

I have 5 children the youngest is 7 months old. It is such a hassle making a payment to Centerpoint, I usually put it off. Since I don't deal with mailing checks, I use my credit card over the phone. First I have to call Centerpoint (on the phone for about 10-15 minutes)just to get the phone number to call for Bill Matrix to make my payment (another 5-10 minutes) plus they charge a 2.95 charge for electronic checks or plastic. THEN I have to call Centerpoint AGAIN (Another 10-15 minutes of phone time) to give them the confirmation code.

Well, my gas was cut off yesterday evening, no knocker...nothing. So I had called Centerpoint, the electronic voice said 61.08 plus 20.00 reconnect fee. But being that I wanted to speak to a person, I had to call back. I finally got through to a person and was told 157.00 and that our service wouldn't be reconnected until Tuesday. Today is Thursday!!! 5 kids, 2 adults, no hot water for 6 freaking days!?!?!?!?! The guy, can't remember his name said there was no way they could make it out here until Tuesday. Grumbling, I got off the phone called and made the 157.00 payment, plus an additional 2.95 Bill matrix payment fee.

I called Centerpoint energy back with the confirmation code and still pretty ticked off that my service wouldn't be reconnected until Tuesday. Then by the lady I was speaking to with the receipt number, she tells me that I can pay an additional 35.00 OVERTIME fee for them to reconnect today. But through Bill Matrix of course. They have to have that additional 2.95 ya know! But I had to do what I had to do for my babies!!! So I called, made the payment to Bill Matrix and then called Centerpoint back. They couldn't give me a time of when someone would be here, but someone has to be here!

Good thing I have no life outside my house... ya right! DON'T THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOO!?!?!?! They charge you an arm and a leg for everything. My bill was only 94.40 (Summertime, no heat, just hot water) and it totalled 157.00 for a reconnect fee, So it was 94.40 (gas) + 62.60 (reconnect fee) + 2.95 (pay it fee) + 35.00 (OVERTIME fee) + 2.95 (another pay it fee). Did I mention that I can't go and make the payment at the actual company, because there isn't a Centerpoint energy or place to make a payment anywhere near. The closest one is in Lawton, Oklahoma which is about 50 miles away!!!!!

This just seem illegal to me and they are getting away with it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they started charging us to mail our bills to us!!! I know they charge us a stamp to mail our paper checks to them!!!!!!! I'm so livid over this that I am thinking about calling my attorney to see if something or anything can be done! Gas prices are high enough!!! GRRRRRR....

Vanny of Rosharon, TX March 21, 2008

My meter pole fell on 3/17/08 due to severe weather. I live out in the country so I had to repair the pole myself. I called in 3/19/08 to Reliant Energy so that someone could turn my electricity back on because Centerpoint came out and turned it off when the pole fell. I have talked to several people at least ten times a day for someone to come out and turn my electricity back on.

Something that should only be a 4 hour turnaround has to turned into 2 days! That means 4 days without electricity or water!!! Can you imagine that? How can these company have no compassion for families that live out in the country with no light or water and Centerpoint is the electric service in my area so there's absolutely no one I can complain to! I think that this is absurd to treat paying consumers like this. Not one person has apologized to my family and no one even cares that we have no electricity for 4 days!!!! I don't know who else to complain to, please get this to someone with authority in Centerpoint so that they know how their company is effecting people's lives.

Daryl of Andover, MN January 10, 2008

We are a family on limited income. Filed on October 1st with Anoka County Community Action Program for energy assistance. We were told with our income we qualified for the program. Our work hours vary from week to week. Total income for 2007 of 18,000. I had not heard anything from Anoka County by November 1st, so I called and was told there was a letter being sent out needing further information. I received this letter the end of November. The letter was because I had turned in income for 2 companies where I did a one time job to help them out of a bind. They wanted any more income I had from these companies.

I faxed them back on 12/3/2007 saying there was no more income from these companies. I received a letter fron Anoka on 1/7/2008 saying I was denied because they never received the information they requested. I talked to Anoka on 1/10/2008 and was told their fax was not working for a few days during that time. In the mean time I can't commit to a certain payment plan without knowing from week to week what my income is going to be, therefore my gas was disconnected today. I told Centerpoint I have a 19 month baby in our house right now as my daughter is out of town for work this week, and we have him every weekend, and will have him the full last week in January also, and the customer service person told me there was nothing they could do for me.

She said we qualify for the cold weather rule and they would send us out forms to fill out for the 10 percent plan. In the mean time what do we do with no heat and a baby in the house? Will we have problems with pipes feaazing? We are going to contact the Attorney general's office tomorrow and see if they can help at all.

Paul of Cushing, OK September 24, 2007

I moved out of one address and 6 months later, with calls and e-mails every month, they still have not refunded my deposit.

Veronique of Houston, TX September 4, 2007

Explanation of the facts On 09/04/2007, I found a representative from Centerpoint energy in my driveway who informed me that he was here to disconnect my gas service. The bill was being sent to another one of my properties on the other side of my country and I never realized that it was missing when the mail stopped being forwarded. To this date, I have yet to have a single call or a Voice Mail from Centerpoint to the phone number listed on my account to inform me that my service was about to be disconnected. Their answer to this issue was: well, our automated system calls customers but we don't leave a message or bother checking if the calls ever reached you... Seems to me like the system's only designed to deal with intentionally deliquent customers and not to resolve billing issues as is the case here. The reason I am contacting you to place an official complaint is twofold:

1. Monopoly practices (failure to reach a customer to try and resolve issues): Not leaving a phone message (while disconnect notices are being sent to an incorrect address) does not give a deliquent customer a way to know there is an issue with their account and to resolve it. My uncheckered payment history should have been a good reason to suspect there was an issue somewhere... but when you are the only company around, you don't have to deal with customers the way others do, I guess!

2. Racketeering (They want to charge me 70 dollars to turn the gas valve back on). This simply ridiculous!!! Mind you that I owe them a measly 98 and that until 04/07, I made regular payments.

PS: At this point in time, I believe the only gas powered appliance in my house is the water heater, which I will be replacing with an electric one so I no longer have to use the ONLY gas providing utility company. I also want to make sure that you are aware f what appears to be monopolistic abuse from Centerpoint energy. This is soooo ridiculous and could have been avoided had the company bothered to have a live employee call me on the number they had on record, which seems like proper business practice. Please be so kind and let me know what my recourse is against the big bad wolf!

Vanessa of Houston, TX March 5, 2007

Gas was cutoff without notice (late payment). Centerpoint Energy said they would send somebody out on Monday, 03.05.2007. They were supposed to call 30 mins ahead so I could leave work to meet them. They didn't. I called @ 3pm to check status and they said they already came and nobody was home. They apologized for not calling and said somebody would be out again (same day).

My boyfriend got home @ 4pm to two notes saying nobody was home. So that's twice they came and twice they didn't call like they said they'd do BOTH times. My boyfriend called to talk to a manager (Susan) and she said she wouldn't be able to send anyone else out today and I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I asked if somebody would call and she said yes. This is right after she said we do not have to call you. I am extremely frustrated with this company and their lack of customer service.

Vincent of Houston, TX January 30, 2007

I am sick and tired of them telling me they are reading my electric meter every month, when in fact most of the time they are estimating my usage. I have made several lifestyle changes and home improvements to reduce electric usage, just so they can estimate my bill every month which does not reflect any improvements or cut backs.

My bills are higher in the winter than the summer, when I finally corner them they admit that on several occasions they do estimate. It is there responsibility to maintain and read the meter. I want to be billed for what I use, not what they think I use.

Lilian of Houston, TX October 15, 2003

The last 4 months have all been "over billed". Every time I bring it to their attention, they say they'll investigate and the following month I get overbilled again. Examples: my bill for 9/25/03 was 94.82 they corrected it to read .83, that's correct 83 cents!!! As always, I call Customer Service, they say they'll investigate and now again I'm receiving a bill for 87.38 due on 10/27/03. I'm sure that again this is an error because IT'S SUMMER here and I only use a gas dryer and furnace. How could I possibly be turning on the furnace when it's 90 degrees here.

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