Complain about a product or service

Reliant Energy

DLFRAZER of Baytown, TX October 28, 2009

I have been a customer of Reliant Energy for the last quarter of a century, the last 15 years at the same address. Since September of 2008, after Hurricane Ike, this company has been gouging its customers. The energy cost have sky rocketed to an outrageous monthly amount and I have never paid these amounts for electrical service prior to center point energy's buyout. I have documentation to support this and have repeatedly complained about outrageously estimated charges and have been met with complacency and a attitude that the charges are right.

I continue to dispute these charges but at every turn my disputes have fallen on deaf ears. They charged over 1000.00 dollars for service I did not even have during September and October of 2008 while electricity was out due to Hurricane Ike and I was forced to pay these charges or have my service disrupted even further after being out a month due to the Hurricane.

I can not change providers until January 2010 or be hit with additional outrageous charges I cannot afford to pay. I will be changing soon but now I am being sent disconnect notices for amounts that are not even 30 days past due. They also charge late fees on amounts that are not over 30 days past due and could care less if their business practices causes any financial difficulty for their customers. I have always paid my bills on time and am devastated that this has ruined my credit as well as hit my family with additional hardships due to these immoral if not illegal business practices.

dl of baytown, TX October 28, 2009

October of last year after Hurricane Ike my energy bill sky rocketed and has been astronomical every since. After being a customer of Reliant energy for over 25 years these people have become outrageous in their energy costs. They refuse to give any extension or help in anyway when you call them and have started sending out disconnect notices for amounts that do not even exceed 30 days pass due. How is that legal. The mounting costs for energy has thrown us behind on other bills and has devastated us financially.

Mark of Pearland, TX October 19, 2009

I asked an account rep in chat if there was a cancelation fee for my account and they said no. I changed my provider and now I get hit with a 295 cancelation fee. I hate these guys so much. I will never use them again.

Dale of Spring, TX September 6, 2009

I just got married and was moving to my husbands house so I called Reliant Energy to cancel my service which I have had for years. When I got my last bill they charged me 295 for canceling service plus the amount of the bill. I could buy a used car for the bill they sent me. I called them and they would not back down on the 295. People, Reliants charges %20 more than any other electric company plus they screw you anytime they can. Why does any body use Reliant when you can use another decent company that doesn't try to use you to pay off the national debt.

tm of houston, TX August 6, 2009

my light bill jumped from 150.00 to 320.00 july to august.when i complained they said they read the meter wrong but i still have to pay the bill.in the 50 years ive been here this is a first i run 2 6000 btu window airconditions stay in one room most of time when im home.only cool bed room non stop,this is a hell of an increase

Catrina of Azle, TX July 24, 2009

On the 17th, I switched apartments. Exact same complex, just a different apartment. The month prior, I had signed up for Reliant's Average Billing program to stop the steadily rising prices I was being charged. One month it was 60-something, the next, 100, the next 120, and this last, if not for average billing, would have been 170. Well, after changing apartments, I check the status of my bill to make sure the electricity was shut off at the old apartment on the date requested so I wouldn't be charged anything for it, and that's when I got the news that I owed 177 for this month's electric.

See, last month, I only owed 92 after average billing kicked in, but five days later, it still wasn't showing on my bank account even though it was supposed to be automatically drawn on the due day. Fearing they would accuse me of late payments and try taking the 320 security deposit I paid last November, I made another 92 payment. Next day both were taken out. I wrote Reliant and was told I now had a 92 credit. I was fine with that because I thought it would cover the next month's bill as well.

After all that mess, four days after moving in, I check the bill online and see I owed 149 on the website. I checked the copy of the actual bill they had, and it said I owed 177.02. Confused as all heck, I called up Reliant to ask what had happened to my extra 92 and which number I was expected to pay. That's when I found out the 92 had been credited, and used. It paid for half of July's bill. The 177.02 came from the rest of July's bill as well as the deferred balance from averaage billing in June. (Thak God I only did one month of that mess or I'd be in even bigger trouble than I am now.)

Anyways, wondering why I was paying the rest of last month's bill, I was informed I was no loner on average billing. Carlos wouldn't really explain that to me too well, but offered me the option to do deferred payments that would take a down deposit I couldn't afford because I had just moved, or put an extension on it until the 26th of August. I chose the extension.

The next day, I called back and got Mariana. I wanted to try filing a complaint, stating I had never agreed to the monthly flex plan and wanted to go back to the average billing, hoping that would help somewhat with my current financial difficulties. She informed me of several things.

First, I wasn't on average billing for last month's bill because it was the last for that apartment. She let me know the same happened for everyone and no one was warned of this. Secondly, she told me even though I am the same person and at the same complex, the apartment is different, so therefore I have a new account and cannot sign up for average billing again for another month, at least. Nothing is allowed to carry over to new residences except your security deposit, and all old accounts must be settled for the old residence. So in reality, security deposits and bills carry over, but none of the options or anything else will be allowed to. Third, I was also informed in less than 24 hours, my bill had now jumped to 226.69, all to be owed on the same day, my request to be on average billing, which I had been promised by Carlos, could not be done, and the extension I had asked for was out the window.

The new bill consists of June and July's bill for the old apartment, combined with the bill for five days of residence in the new one. Guess that carried over and applied, too. The new version of my bill reflects the new number, not the 49.67 I am being charged for five days, and the big number will be what is averaged in two months when I am allowed to go back on average billing, because big numbers averaged with other big numbers create big numbers. Big numbers averaged with little numbers create smaller numbers. Reliant averaging the 226 with what will undoubtedly be two more 150 bills will create a roughly 170 bill, while averaging 49 with two 150 bills would create a 115 bill.

See, their average billing requires two full bills averaged in with the third bill that is the start of your average billing. Makes business sense to tack on the biggest number to generate bigger numbers. What I wanna know is, if nothing but security deposits are supposed to be carrying over to new residences, why is my old bill being added to my new residence? Simple: So I can get shafted that much easier.

In short, I wasn't told about anything they were going to do to me, one person promised me one thing, and then the next day, I was told something entirely different. At the very least, I know my bills shouldn't be combined; they're two different accounts, so two different charges. I also should be given what I was promised by one of their representatives.

Ali of Houston, TX July 11, 2009

In one month alone they charged me 350.i called them and asked why my bill so high,they told is what i used ,i told no i have never paid this much money for electricity in my entire life.i told them there is no way i am going to pay this much of money.i called them 5 times disputing about the bill .unfortunately they were unwiling to listen to me .finaly i filled complaint with BBB .they called and said they will investicate.I forget them and changed my provider to different provider.i use ac 24/7 and i really pay less than 200 dollars .

Bryan of Dallas, TX June 25, 2009

My last bill from Reliant is 700 dollars for a 1200 square foot apt. I mean are you SERIOUS! Reliant Energy would rather you pay in full 700 dollars rather than work with you, keep you as a customer and take off 200 dollars (even though a 500 dollar bill for that space is STUPID!)

NEVER EVER USE THERE SERVICES. I fell like an Enron stockholder with these guys. The lady said everything is accurate and I disagreed. This is what is wrong with America. No wonder people are going bankrupt. 700 dollars for a 1200 squre ft apt.

Michael of Grand Prairie, TX May 14, 2009

I met a Reliant Energy Sales Rep., J. Thomas, at a Grand Prairie Chamber of Commerce meeting, in May of 2008. I gave him my card and he called me later in the week, to discuss switching my business from TXU to Reliant. I told him I was pretty happy with TXU and saw no reason to switch. He eventually convinced me to switch. This was a huge mistake. My bills steadily climbed to the point I was Paying almost 500.00 in January of 2009. This was more than double what I paid with TXU in the middle of July. I switched to Direct Energy (I'm very happy with them) in February of 2009. A month later, I received a bill from Reliant for 1800 for one moth of electricity plus a fee for leaving my contract before the two year term. I

called, and waited on hold for an hour, and finally spoke with a "customer service rep". She informed me that they had me on tape agreeing to the two-year term. She was going to play the tape for me but the "computers were messed up". I paid the excessive monthly bill but refuse to pay the 1000.00 early termination fee. Just yesterday, I received a call from a collection agency. Stay away from these folks. BTW, my Direct Energy bill is 1/4 of what Reliant was stealing from me. They want 1,000.00 early termination fee even though I never agreed to a two year term.

Victoria of Los Angeles, CA April 29, 2009

I sold my house in Pearland Texas on August 29, 2008. Reliant continued to bill me even though I wasn't the homeowner. Both myself and the new homeowner contacted Reliant and the bill was paid in full. In fact, Reliant issued me a credit of 5.25 in January of 2009. I am now told that they have put me into collection through "ER Collection Services". They are double-billing and it is a scam. I have all of the paperwork to authenticate this transaction. Please stop this harassment that has been going on for almost 6 months. I am owed an apology for all of this work they are forcing me to do. If not a monetary sanction.

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