Jonathan sent a message to Scott M. Prochazka – President and Chief Executive Officer of CenterPoint Energy – Email Address that said:
Hello,
Hi my name is Jonathan . I recently had my gas disconnected for a return payment. I called to get the issue resolved and hit a brick wall with the customer service representative and her supervisor. I made a payment of $51.49 using my debit card that is only form of payment method saved onto our computer. I received an email that stated "We have received your online payment of $51.49." When I spoke to the rep about this issue she stated that the account used to make the payment ended in 9066. Which is a checking account that has been closed for 6 months. When I made the payment I made sure that I clicked the debit card and I used the CVV code that it asks from the back of the card. This is the only method we had used in the last 6 months. However, when trying to explain this to the rep and supervisor I was immediately told that center point was 100% not at fault and that there would be no fee removal. Even though we were ready to make the payment to resume services. The rep and supervisor both seemed disinterested and scripted. Not to mention did not address our specific concern. They were more preoccupied with defending that center point was 100% not at fault. We feel that the email that we received was misleading about the received and confirmed payment. We also never received a letter even though they stated they mailed one to our address. We understand that we could have double checked our account. But, we have not had this issue in the past with a returned payment. We feel that this might be an issue with the payment processing company but this was never addressed by the rep or her supervisor. In fact, we feel as though they both were cold and desensitized to customer concerns. It would have felt more emotional speaking to a robot. We sincerely believe the email is misleading and that the wording needs to be changed to reflect the actual status of payment which is not "received" but "in processing". If we had received an email saying it was in processing we would have double checked that it was taken out during that week. At this point we are so frustrated with the lack of customer service that we want to switch gas companies. As leaders in this industry, we know that you understand that the reputation of a company can make a huge difference in its success, and we feel that the direction of this company is not keeping up with the surrounding businesses and there excellent customer service. The policy of your company is very black and white, leaving no room for compromise or understanding with your customers, which is needed because not every situation is the same. We are really disappointed on the refusal to remove any or all of the fees that this miscommunication has caused, and we would like the phone calls to be listened to and some contact from the people really in charge. Something needs to happen, we are not happy with taking all the blame on this. We habitually pay this bill with the same card every month, this is very much concerning and upsetting, and our frustration is worth making the company $50 dollars richer? That might be of benefit right now, but in the long run its not good for the survival and success of the company. We can do our part to fix this, by double checking from now on and making sure there are no expired accounts on the website, but also you guys can reword that email and make and compromise somehow on the fees you are charging. Family like ours go without food because of mistakes like this, I hope the resonates with you. We are a one income family right now, but we are educated and we know that this situation is being mishandled by Centerpoint.
