Arizona Public Service

So about 8 years ago, as I was unloading a U-Haul into my mom's new home and thought it might be a good idea to call APS on her behalf since she’s old and has issues with hear and especially understanding customer service operators and if it’s a computer that answered her call, she will just hang up. So to avoid all scenarios and since she left her old home where SRP monopolized the utilities market and now this new neighborhood was monopolized by only APS, she couldn’t just transfer her service. So now that she was moving in 3 days early, I totally made the right choice in contacting APS as soon as I could and let the oh so nice lady who answered my phone call that my mother just bought a home and she would be a new customer with APS since she couldn’t stay with SRP.

So the APS CSR began asking me all kinds of questions. So after I gave her all of mom’s info, SS#, new address, old address, everything. She put me on hold, obviously ran my mom's info and came back on the line and either waived all deposits or requested something minimal like $25 deposit. Doesn’t matter because as I’m patting myself on my back for doing such a much thing for the woman that gave birth to me and thinking how it took me all of 10 min to start a new utilities account when my mom would have spent all day and still possibly not have a power on date.

Then all of a sudden, Mrs. APS Operator realized what a great son I was and asked what my name was. I told her but she didn’t say what an awesome son I was, she put me on hold, so obviously she was gathering other operators to help her sing “He’s A Jolly Good Fellow” or something similar to express her new found love for me. But first, she got back on the line and read me a familiar sounding address and asked if I ever lived at that address. It took me a second to recognize it and immediately said yes, about 10 years ago.

She then told me that I had left a balance with APS of $460.00 and that she would NOT turn on my mother's electricity until my 10 year old bill where I was the only person who’s name was on that account and was the only person who lived at that old address which in no way even concerned my mom then but now did because even after requesting to speak with her supervisor, then manager where they all said the same thing, that NO, they didn’t want to see proof that I don’t live here with my mom or proof of my current electric/utilities account bill with SRP that’s solely in my name at my home address having nothing to do with mom's new address so that they wouldn’t punish their new customer because of some stupid mistake her son did 10 years earlier by skipping out on his bill and now mom is expected to pay my $400.00 bill and now her new $250 deposit just to start service with APS.

And the only answer that each APS CSR gave me as I climbed the phone ladder of managers that day was that there would be no payment plans and that they didn’t care if I currently had service in my name at a different address because there might be a time or two in the future that I might be at my mom's house visiting and because of that reason and that reason alone, if I’m physically there then I would benefit in some way from the use of mom's APS electricity that day and that’s why APS flat out refused to turn my mom's power on until $600 almost $700 was paid immediately if they were to even consider scheduling a turn on date for her new home.

They said I might benefit from the power that my mom would be paying for since it’s not like this trashy APS gives out free power. I honestly don’t remember skipping out on that bill but knowing me 10 years earlier, it wouldn’t have surprised me if I did but what did surprise me other than APS’s horrifically foul business practices is that why wasn’t that bill ever on my credit report or why wasn’t it sent to a creditor? We just blindly took their word for it plus in complete shock over the entire ugly situation that APS created (save it fools, yes I technically created it by not paying my bill but in no way should that effect anyone BUT ME....if you think otherwise, you work for APS or you are VERY STUPID) and we paid the entire amount that day because in that area, APS was the ONLY electric provider which is the only reason why they can treat old customers and new customers like crap and they love it that way. DISGUSTING COMPANY.

I should have known not to trust a company that turns off power on elderly people who are barely over a few days late. This CEO had better hope he never needs help in a formal business situation. I believe Karma will take care of this type of ethics. Absolutely horrible. When you call and do the automated system with any other utility or cable provider, after you key in your checking account, you are ALWAYS allowed to type in the day you want it processed. I hope Doug Ducey and the State of Arizona impose heavy regulations on this company.

Upon APS making this change without proper notice, my payments and billing got out of whack. Then, all of the sudden, after years of no issues, I had billing issues galore! I experienced the same issues with missed payments and deposit add-ons due to payments being off even though I tried to catch up. They are deceitful, they hide behind bureaucracy, and they mistreat their good customers. They know they can do this because for some reason we all allow who we use for power to be dictated to us by politicians and bureaucrats. No choice allowed! Ugh!!!

I understand the grief they went through this summer with 80,000 people not paying their bills but that’s not my fault. So they said anyone who had a balance over $75 as of October 15 would be put on a four month payment plan. I was told that was the case for me but as of October 15th I had a $.72 credit???? The customer service guy was super nice. He didn’t know what was going on with my account!! This so frustrating!!! They cannot even explain your account to you because they are CROOKED!! And yet they require me to pay in full and on time?? Yea right. Not until I get a clear answer regarding my account!!! I feel bad for the poor APS customer service employees. I cannot wait to move out of their service area!!! ????