My issues lie way back when I started my account with this company. I moved into the house we are renting back over the weekend and that following Monday, a technician was sent out to my address to shut my electricity off. All in regards to a "supposed" deposit required which I may add, when I opened my account, not once was a deposit mentioned or required. So, when I mentioned that to the technician, he gave me a number to call and said to let the customer service representative know I spoke with him and make sure that they take a deposit otherwise someone else will be back to do the same thing. I called and automatically received resistance from the customer service representative after I mentioned about not being informed on the deposit. From the gist on the conversation, it was either pay the deposit or not have electricity.
On January 2010, I noticed my bill was much higher than the norm. There was no reason for it considering that I took all my holiday decorations on the day of Christmas. When I brought this up to the CSR's attention, she tried to give me the run around for the many reasons the bill could be higher. Once I explained to her that there is no physical way my 900 square foot home is capable of generating that much energy, she said that all she could do was sent out someone to check the meter. At that point was when I realized SCE was only out to rob the blind. And once again, it was put up or shut up.
Fast forward to January 2011, once again, I noticed my bill much higher than the norm. And not only was the bill high, the numbers for the month of January 2010 were identical numbers for the January 2011 bill. What caught my attention was that there was a twenty dollar increase.
The more I looked into the account, I realized the wattage usage for the months of November 2010, December 2010, and January 2011 were identical to the November 2009, December 2009, and January 2011 bills. When I called SCE, I made sure it was the graveyard shift because I would be able to get through, and was able to obtain an honest CSR about SCE. When the CSR looked at my account, he admitted SCE was over-billing me and in fact the entire time my account has been opened, the account was only read once. All the other reads were estimates. I asked how you expect a consumer to pay on an estimation and not on actualization, and he couldn't respond. So, he said he would do an investigation in regards to the over-billing, and it looked like there would be money coming back to me. I asked why my meter wasn't read correctly, and he said it looked like my dogs were the issue. I mentioned how I asked for a note to be put on the account to have the reader come to my door, and I will make sure he has open access. Not once has this ever happened, and I asked the CSR to make sure that note was on the account again.
(Mind you, I have 2 mini-rotties, half Dachshund and half Rottweiler, weighing no more than 40 pounds. Very harmless dogs, and all they want you to do is play fetch with them.)
A few days after that phone call, an email was sent stating they did over-charged me well over five hundred dollars, and they used half the credit for the January 2011 bill. So throughout the last six months, I did not raise an eyebrow because the usage I was being billed finally made sense and I was chipping away at my credits.
Then my June 2011 bill comes in and my jaw hits the ground. SCE tried to say my little home generated over six hundred dollars worth of wattage. Which I assure you is physically impossible, and SCE said my meter was read, false. I was home all day when my meter was supposedly to be read and not once did someone come to my door to ask to gain access to my meter. When I called about the issue, this time, they tried to give me the old odometer theory and that the energy used was used and I am responsible for it. I mentioned the readings were all estimates again and none were an actualization. The numbers on my account were made up anyway because six months ago on my bill, those weren't the kilowatts charged.
After that waste of time, I ask for another read on the meter, and the next day, someone did come out and knock on my door. SCE sent me a bill back stating there was another error and credited my account another one hundred eighty dollars but I had an outstanding bill of two hundred seventy-seven dollars. Once I saw this, I called to get clarification on the matter, because now it is really not making sense on their end. I get a CSR agent who was pleasant and informative at the beginning but once I filled her in on the situation and began to question SCE's business practices, she got condescending and rude. And when I mentioned this wouldn't be this way if the meter reader would have done their jobs right from the beginning, her response back was verbatim: having someone come to your door every time we read your meter for the amount used if far fetched. And that is when I was over her and SCE.
That was when I contacted the corporate office and explained my situation to them. The woman who helped me seemed genuine until I mentioned all the ** SCE is doing. She tried to use the odometer theory and that is when I responded with my leasing theory. I told her the way SCE operates is like if I were to lease a vehicle for an entire contract, and when it was up, trying to turn it in, and having the dealership tell me they had been undercharging me the entire time, and before they can do anything, I am responsible for all the underpaid charges for the entire contract.
That is when the conversation turned and she asked me what I wanted done. I asked for the charges to be waived and to have my credits relinquished. She said if I went to Public Works, it would come back to her eventually and would be a waste of time. She said that from her experience, I may not get the charges waived, but she will fully review my account, and follow up with me the next day.
The next day has come and gone, she did contact me, but had no answers other than a message on my voice mail of an offer to have a NEW meter installed at no cost to me, and a supervisor will be contacting me to set that up. And from what I am reading, that is probably not going to help my problem with SCE. This company operates under ZERO regulations, and it's not like, we as consumers have ANY other choice on the matter.