This company is disgusting. I moved out at the end of Jan closing my account February 1st. They put my move out day February 22nd, making me pay for almost a month after I moved out. My daughter helped me to call to cancel as I am having major health issues. I was on the phone with them and her, yet they keep telling us they can’t talk to us because my daughter is not an “authorized user”, BUT I WAS ON THE PHONE! Both times the ladies were rude to us. I do not recommend this company especially if you’re older and might need help with family. Zero stars.
Response: Mary- You have stated that you requested to cancel your service on 2/1 but this was processed incorrectly as 2/22. Due to this you have had to pay for service for the past 10 days in error . You also state that the representatives would not assist your daughter since she was not an authorized user even though you were on the phone. This is a completely unacceptable situation and we are in the process of fixing this to your complete satisfaction. Anyone that this happened to would understandably walk away with a similar reaction. Thankfully, such clerical errors are rare but when they do happen we are fully committed to make things right. A supervisor is reach out to discuss but please note that we are refunding you usage after 2/2 and also adding a courtesy credit that will be included in your refund. In regards to your daughter not being assisted, we do have to follow Public Utilities Commission guidelines regarding account privacy and this included only allowing account holders or authorized users to request account changes etc. We have reviewed the initial call and it appears that you came on the phone after your daughter advised that you needed permission and she was assisted after that point. We are in the process of reviewing the call you made to us this morning. If you like, we would be happy to review both of these calls with you to clarify any concerns you may have. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue. Published on February 11, 2021
All they do is take your money so they can offer you a credit (that I didn’t ask for) to keep you locked in then start over charging you! It’s a scam!
Response: Ms Green… You review comments state that you feel that Payless Power simply over charges you in an effort to force you into a deferred payment plan (which you did not agree to ) because this will prevent you from switching so we can continue to over charge you. I was also able to review your account notes from today and account notations show that you were upset at learning that Payless Power bills you 2 days in arrears and that you did not have an option to get reconnected today without payment. That’s a lot to process but first let me say that its not a good thing to be disconnected . That’s a very difficult situation and we have no idea the amount of stress it might be putting on you personally. I never blame a customer for being upset when they are disconnected without an instantaneous way to reconnect. Its also not good when a customer is convinced that they are being unfairly charges etc. The good news is that we can address some of those issues and point you in a direction that may help you in putting enough funds on your account to reconnect. First let me say that as a licensed retail electric provider we are highly regulated by the Public Utilities Commission and must be prepared to explain any customer’s billing to them (and the customer ) at a moments notice. This means that we have to show that we billed accurately based on the plan terms and customer’s verified usage from their meter. Honesty and transparency are also values our company holds in high importance. You don’t have to take our word for this though. You can verify all of your usage through a state operated site called www.smartmetertexas.com. Log in to your Payless Power MyAccount Portal and you will find the information and instructions needed to register on Smart Meter Texas. This will allow you to independently verify your usage so you can be sure you are not being overcharged. Secondly, in order to have a clear understanding of our billing you need to understand our billing timeline . We have to bill all customers 2 days in arrears. For example, if a customer received an invoice this morning (2/1/21) this was not for yesterday’s usage, but for day before yesterday’s usage. The reason for this is that Payless Power would have received the meter read for 1/31/21 late in the afternoon of 2/1/21. Our system then calculates the 1/31/21 billing for every customer during the overnight ours of 2/1 and then bills the morning the of 2/2/21. That is the absolute fastest billing can be done . We do notify every customer in their daily invoices that the billing for that day is actually for 2 days prior. Please check your texts and you will see this . Finally, deferred payment plans are issued only on a voluntary basis. You have to have a negative balance and be unable to pay. If you feel that you did not agree, we will be happy to review your account and can play the recording for you if you requested this over the phone .Please call us at 888 963 9363 and we will be happy to go over any account activity that does not match your memory. We want you to be confident that you hare being served with honest and dignity. We can also suggest some external options that may be able to help you obtain sufficient funds to reconnect your service. 888 -963 -9363 Payless Power Customer Care. Published on February 03, 2021
They were unwilling to help me when they had miss informed me. Over charged an account that I was trying to transfer to a new address. I was told I had to cancel and re open a new account. They lacked to inform me that sales department couldn’t cancel my account. I had the understanding that my account was being cancelled and a new was being opened. They left my account open for 15 days and charged me for that energy when I wasn’t using it. I would advise anyone to stay on top of them, double checking they are doing there job correctly.
Response: Hayden- You are stating that you attempted to set up service at a new address and you were not informed correctly on how to handle service at the original address. This resulted in the service being left on at that address for 2 weeks and you were then held responsible for the new charges. Its not acceptable when a customer is misinformed or underinformed about what steps they need to take to solve an issue. If Payless Power fails to hold up our end of the responsibilities we will make it right. A review of your account confirms that the associate did not complete the necessary steps so we have issued a credit for those last 15 days of service. Thanks for your patience and your continued business. Published on January 21, 2021
Payments for the moth of January
Response: Thank you for rating Payless Power! Published on January 15, 2021
I wouldn’t recommend them to my worst enemy. First they make you sign a 12 month contract for prepaid lights pay a deposit for prepaid lights the least you can pay on your lights is 20. Then they charge you what they want t ou especially if you have more than 50 dollars in your account your average daily use will jump from 1.84 to 4.90 to 10.00 and you don’t have to be home I think they are a load of horse $@#! Simply my opinion. I would give no stars if possible
Response: Ms Sampson- There’s a lot included in your complaint so please allow me to summarize. You are stating that you were forced into a 12 month contract with Payless Power and made to pay a deposit as well. You do not like that there is a minimum payment of $20. You also are saying that it feels like we just charge you what you want even if you are not home . Let me say that if that was my impression of what was going on with my provider I would probably write a horrible review too… maybe even worse. It’s definitely not good if you feel like your charges are unfairly out of control and you are stuck as well. The good news is that we can take a look and see what is causing it to seem like this and if something was set up incorrectly we can fix it. The first thing to address is the contract . We actually have 2 options available to every customer when they enroll. A 12 contract plan with a cheaper rate and a month to month plan with a higher rate but with the freedom to switch without the early termination penalty. We do see that you have been with us for a while and we thank you for that. Our records show that you enrolled with a Payless Power New Service Consultant over the phone. We will review the enrollment call to ensure that it was handled properly. We can even play this call for you to help put you at ease if you like. If we find that you were pushed into the 12 month agreement against your wishes we will fix it for sure and make things right. As for making you pay a deposit, please let me clarify that we do require deposits. A deposit is money that is held in addition to your payments to protect against a broken contract or non payment. We do indeed require an initial payment be made to start an account but since we offer pre-paid service, a customer must put money on the account in advance… a pre-payment if you will. We don’t set this payment aside… it goes into your account for your immediate use. Now lets take a look at your charges . The first thing I would say is that one of the main benefits to pre-paid service is daily billing. This should assist a customer by giving them a better idea of how much energy they use so that they have an actual chance of making changes quickly to stay within budget. Looking over your daily billing I don’t see any $10 invoices but I do see some recently in the $4-$7 range. Keep in mind that $2.67 of this is your daily customer fee. This also includes your first 17KWH each day. Over the past few weeks there has also been an extra $1.00 per day deducted to repay the deferred payment plan that we assisted you with . When someone is a moderate consumer of electricity like your self that extra $1 will be noticeable. The good news is that it s looks like that is completed. The most important thing to understand though is that your charges rise and fall with your usage . This usage is reported by Oncor the operator of your meter and if we reported that you used 40 KWH in a day any other electric provider would have also reported that as well. We all get the meter data from Oncor. But… you can also verify independently that we are only charging you for what your meter reports. Just log in to your Payless Power account and there is a link to www.smartmetertexas.com . This is a site operated by the State government that tracks your meter usage . You will actually be able to see your meter reads the same time we do. It also lets you see your daily usage in 15 minute increments which should help you determine when and what is using the power in your home. I hope this helps. We will reach out after we listen to your enrollment call to share what we found. Published on January 06, 2021
This company has been gouging me every since December 9th. I keep getting transaction fees early termination fees and my electricity is constantly flickering on and off. I wouldn’t recommend this company to anyone. I paid over $160 since December 9th and today is only the 26th of December.
Response: Mr Goosby- Your review states that you feel you are being gouged, are being charged transaction and early termination fees and your lights are continuously flickering on and off . These are all major concerns and if you do not have a good understand of what is going on or what you need to do it easy to se why you would direct your frustration at your electric company. The first thing I would address is the flickering of your lights. This is clearly an electrical issue at the home. Whether it is due to a problem with the meter outward, or due to an issue inside the home would have to be determined. If you are renting I suggest that you contact your landlord immediately to report the issue. You may also contact your local utility, Centerpoint Energy to report the issue (800 332 7143). We also do see unusually high electric usage between 12/14 and 12/18. If this correlates with your flickering lights then these problem may be related. It is important to understand that retail electric providers bill you on what is reported by the meter and all provider use your meter data as provided by Centerpoint. In short, you would have received the same usage for those days regardless of the electric provider you used at the time since Centerpoint provides the usage data. You do have options to have the meter tested and this could result in a usage adjustment if you experience these problems with your new provider. We did receive a small credit adjustment when we received your final meter read that is available for refund. In regards to the fees you have mentioned, the terms of your plan include a daily customer fee of $2.67 that includes your first 17 KWH of usage included. If you exceed 17 KWH in a day (which you did each day that you were with us) then you would be charges the low per KWH for the additional usage . You were also charged a one time early termination fee which was outlined in the terms of the 12 month contact plan. We would be happy to go over this or any other questions you may have regarding your usage or your account. Just call us at 888 963 9363. Published on December 29, 2020
This is over priced paying double than I did when I had an electric bill monthly! Ridiculous
Response: Ms Ervin- Your compliant states that you feel Payless Power is over-priced and that you are paying double what you paid on a monthly post paid service. It is not good to feel that you are being gouged or overcharged by your electric provider. It can definitely feel that way if your usage is increasing during to colder weather. The good news is that we can go over this with you . One thing is for certain… Our rates are not twice as much as any other company. We are actually competitive with any other reputable provider in the Texas retail electricity market and we also do not have reconnection fees , disconnection fees, customer assistance fees , payment fees or late fees that many other providers add in their fine print. Mostly likely, if you have experienced and increase in your charges it is a result of high usage . We would be happy to go over this with and also show you how to confirm your usage with the State of Texas so that you know you are actually getting charged for what you’re using. A supervisor will contact you or you can also reach us at 888 963 9363. Published on January 04, 2021
Didn’t realize it was a prepaid acct. I do not like this..
Response: Ms Matthews, Your comments state that you did not realize the service was a prepaid service and you do not like it. It is never a good thing if the customer does not realize what they have agreed to. To ensure that everything was correctly disclosed, we are reviewing your enrollment call to see if there are training opportunities. Your plan was a month to month product with no early termination penalty. Your account is closed with a small final balance due. Please contact us at 888 963 9363 to take care of these final details. Also, please note that while pre-paid service may be something that you are not used to , it can help customers save money by managing their usage in a ways that post -paid service cannot. We send daily invoices and account access that shows your daily usage and charges. This is designed to work in a similar way to a gas gage on a car. It allows you to monitor your usage and account balance and make changes to your usage habits if it appears that you are in danger of exceeding your budget. With post-paid service this is really not an option and when you open your monthly bill you can either afford it or you can’t. With Prepaid you actually have a fighting chance to make adjustments to stay within your budget and studies show that pre-paid customers on average use 27% less energy that post-paid customers living in similar sized homes. Payless Power has many features and options that will also benefit customer’s financially. Payless Power does not charge reconnection fees, disconnection fees, late fees, payment fees when using our automated systems or with an associate, or customer assistance fees. We also offer payment extensions and deferred payment plans. When you add all of this up , Payless Power offers as many assistance options as any electric provider in Texas… all with the flexibility of no deposit and easy payment terms. Please call us at 888 963 9363 if we can answer any questions for you. Published on January 04, 2021
Últimamente me esta saliendo muy cara la luz
Response: Estamos muy agradecidos por su evaluación y nos encantaría tener la oportunidad de hablar con usted sobre sus cargos, para que podamos ayudarlo en todo lo que podamos. Lo invitamos a que se comunique con nosotros por correo electrónico o por teléfono, para que podamos ofrecer más ayuda. Published on December 18, 2020
It was easy! I didn’t have to wait all day on the phone to do something simple.
Response: Thank you Kimberly for sharing your service experience! Published on December 14, 2020