Electric Deregulation

[Patriotic Stabilist]

think the PUC got to them. They didn't come till 3:30 to unhook the electric. Hubby worked till 7PM trying to get it all done and just couldn't, had been there since 7AM. So I called at 7 to schedule the reconnect. They had my account working, someone answered quickly, had the reconnect set up for today. I tried to explain it was supposed to be disconnected yesterday so he still had 2 or 3 hours of work to do as he ran out of time. The gal insisted, it WILL be reconnected by midnight tonight. There is just no reasoning with those folks, I tried to explain he didn't have time to get all the work done since they didn't disconnect it when they were supposed to, sigh, I'm through. So I said sure leave it that way. Hubby said let them hook it up there are wires sticking out all over, but he said he can finish it hot if has to but would rather not. He figures noone will come tonight to do it, they hadn't by 7PM, and they only work till 7, so he will see. He said if he gets down there at 7 maybe he can do it before they come.
They are total complete idiots.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

The saga continues. About 9AM today, the 8th, hubby had me call and see if we had a reconnect order. I've learned, I called Centerpoint first. They had 2 disconnects that the system had cancelled out and no reconnect order. Remember last night the gal with TXU said it would be reconnected by 12 midnight!! She would not take a reconnect order for today even though I explained they don't work after 7PM. We thought maybe it would happen today.
So I call TXU after that, they tried to charge me a reconnect fee. The guy said you haven't paid the fee, I said what fee? But that's fine if I owe one I will pay it, I just want service on, how much is it. He didn't know. I said that's odd, didn't know I had to pay for a temporary disconnect but I will. He goes on sorry, sorry didn't know it was a temporary disconnet. So he sets up a reconnect, he said he even called them. I check around 11 to see if Centerpoint had it, nothing yet. So I'm going to wait till around 2 and try, they said its over to them in a couple of hours so we will give it 4 and see what happens.

I did learn, that if the provider sends more than one reconnect or disconnect Centerpoint Energys system cancels the orders, so TXU shows an order and that they sent another but Centerpoint doesn't have it. Why don't they know that about each other?? I bet that's a little fact noone from the grunt level up even knows. Sigh, so the saga continues.

This will go to the PCU too, maybe this sort of thing reported will help other consumers.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

We are going to change suppliers, but I talked to Reliant and you have real issues just trying to transfer. So we are going to make sure this gets hooked back up then in about a week I'm going to put in a move order and go to them.

I'm going to file another complaint with the above info after its reconnected.

 

[tommu56]

I dont under stand how changing suppliers for electric would affect local service.

At least in pa the local utility gets paid to transport and maintain the electric grid whoever is your supplier is.

So wether you get some one to supply you with wind power they still get to pay the transportation charges to the local utility and are your local service still comes down to the local person who owns the wire in the street.

It is just like oil by it at the refinery if you are big enough but you still have to get it home except you can call 1000 trucking companys to move oil but with electric you only have one carrier to choose the guy that own the wires and you are stuck with them.

tom

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

After I chose TXU, there are probably 30 providers you can choose from, I found lots of complaints on the net, should have looked there first.

Centerpoint used to be the suppliers, line people, hooker uppers and everything in the past. They went to glorious deregulation now you can not go directly to them, except to see the status of an order. All requests for changes or anything has to go through the provider, the actual utitility company is the one that does the physical work but can't take an order from the customer now.

Now I found out some more information. It's not just TXU communitcating with Centerpoint, TXU goes through ERCOT, then to Centerpoint, isn't that something. No wonder peoples bills have doubled, what a disaster.

 

[capi75rs]

We had this electric dereg come in a few years ago. We have the option to change but I never did. I stayed with AMEREN and have had great response from them. I figure if I'm happy with my service and the price isn't outragious why change. Sounds like I may have made a good decision for once. Best of luck. Sounds like you have your hands, and ears full.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I'm still fighting this time trying to get a reconnect. 6 times on the phone today, they are telling me we are reconnected to look at the meter and check the tag! The meter is laying on a sawhorse where they left it, how dumb do they think I am.

Then they tried to tell me I had to get a permit, so I called all over trying to get a permit and finally got a manager and he said we DON'T need a permit there. So I called them back, this is Centerpoint and they said I don't need a permit afterall. I AM SICK, SICK, SICK, TO DEATH OF THIS, SICK OF IT.

Never have I had such a runaround. Hubby said he should have pulled the meter and put it back himself, I agree with that.

The latest is it will be reconnected by 10PM tonight. I have to see it to believe it. They have ruined my husbands time home, have messed us up totally on getting our work accomplished. I hate those 2 utility companies with a passion.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I think I can be declared insane or brain dead soon! If we work down there guess we will have to take a generator for electricity.

 

[Kfbeal]

Deregulating critical infrastructure is a sure way to introduce terrorism to the United States. All it takes is someone to hack these podunk, fly-by-night electric companies and they can black out huge areas of our country. I know, I work for an electric company. We are upgrading everything in order to comply with CIP (Critical Infrastructure Protection) and Homeland Security.

You can read about it here;
Critical Infrastructure Protection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I don't know of any resellers that have access to any wire companies or G&T's SCADA systems to give them control over any sort of circuitry. They may have access to accounts that run through them, but no control over the distribution side, especially not over the generation & transmission side.

In Texas, Senate Bill 7 screwed us up. Our rates have gone up considerably and our right to choose is a right to choose much higher rate and crappier service than before. Look at the telephone industry. Look how many years that's been de-regulated and it's still not perfect.

The good part is Coops in Texas were exempt from de-regulation and could opt in if they chose to. We chose not to because we saw the writing on the wall.

Some others now, are trying to force Coops in, which will end up having us pass on all the charges of this to our membership which will raise rates.

De-regulation is a disaster.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Deregulation is beyond a disaster. We did FINALLY get power.

But I'm not through. I'm going to write the PUC, our state reps, the pres of TXU and Centerpoint, ERCOT, and anyone else I can find to copy. State legislature, you name it.

I may not get anything done, but it won't be for lack of trying.

Ok, now FINALLY to work down there.

 

[BobRip]

Deregulation is beyond a disaster. We did FINALLY get power.

But I'm not through. I'm going to write the PUC, our state reps, the pres of TXU and Centerpoint, ERCOT, and anyone else I can find to copy. State legislature, you name it.

I may not get anything done, but it won't be for lack of trying.

Ok, now FINALLY to work down there.

I would also call the local TV stations and newspaper. Utilities hate that.

 

[300UGUY]

Derugulation in Michigan has been a pia. Electric bills went up, service went down. When there are more hands in the till, how is it going to be cheaper?

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I agree. Got a letter from the PUC yesterday, my first complaint is being sent to the utility company and they will have a response in 21 days from them. I told the people there, when this was going on, document well because I was filing a complaint. I doubt they even understood what it means as I'm sure their call center wasn't in this country. I've got to get time to sit down and write the second one. That was just about getting a disconnect, this will be about trying to get it reconnected. The site only allows a 1000 characters, so real hard to tell what happened and condense it.