Payless Power Reviews

Kay S. in Waco
Published on February 22, 2021

Response: We are so thankful for your review and would love the opportunity to speak to you about your charges, so that we can help you in any way we can. We invite you to reach back out to us via email or phone, so we can offer further assistance. Published on February 22, 2021

Jorge O. in New Llano
Published on February 22, 2021

Response: Jorge, Thank you for the feedback. We will be more than happy to go over your billing and see what tips we can provide you on saving as much on your electricity. Please contact us at 888-963-9363. Published on February 22, 2021

Manuel C. in Mission
Published on February 22, 2021

Response: Manuel- We understand your concern with not having power especially during these harsh temperatures we are experiencing here in Texas. Unfortunately we have no way of knowing how the outages are implemented and since so many outages going on across Texas there is no time given as to when power will be connected. Please contact us at 888-963-9363 so we can further assist you. Published on February 22, 2021

Jennifer K. in FREEPORT
Published on February 22, 2021

Response: Ms. Kirkland- your comments state that you would not recommend us because you were still charged $10 per day last week for not using enough power and you were without lights since last Monday. First, hopefully your power has been restored for some time. If not please call out automated line at 888 963 9363 and follow the prompts to report an outage . Secondly, let me reassure you that if you received charges on days where your power was out this is due to the automated estimations that are generated by CenterPoint when your meter is unable to transmit data. Our billing processes are automatic so this can lead to inaccurate billing . The good news is that there are also automated processes to correct this . We just have to wait until the end of your 30 day billing cycle. If that looks like it will be longer than a couple of days we have options to eliminate the impact to you until the corrections can be made. A representative tried top reach out and your phone was not accepting calls. Please call us at 888 963 9363 so we can assist. We are not disconnecting this week so if you can reach us tomorrow we can take care of you with no worries. Published on February 22, 2021

Holly S. in Houston
Published on February 22, 2021

Response: Ms. Seltz- You comments state that you were trying to quickly switch from Griddy and that the associate you spoke to, Frank, failed to advise you that a payment was needed to start service. This resulted in a delay which was avoidable because you would have made the required payment on the phone . That’s an unacceptable situation and its not a good thing if you walked away from your enrollment with an incorrect expectation. I do see that you were able to get your service activated as of Saturday which is a good thing . We would like to get some more information about your situation as our records indicate that your enrollment was completed online. We also do not have a Frank working for us. I’m sure we can get to the bottom of this for you . Please call us at 888 963 9363 to discuss. Published on February 22, 2021

Demetrius P. in Spring
Published on February 19, 2021

Response: Demetrius - You comments say that you are upset because our rates have gone through the roof when many customers are at their most vulnerable. The stress of the week makes this very understandable . That’s why it’s important for us to clarify that Payless Power has not raised anyone’s rate in advance of, or during the storm . Your charges may have increased substantially but this is due to the amount your home is consuming and not because we increased your KWH rate. You are paying the same rate as you were when the weather was pleasant … the record setting cold just results in heaters running non stop for days. This increased usage of course results in higher daily charges. We would be happy to go over this with you or you can visit your Payless Power MyAccount Portal for more information. We also have some additional options for you if you are struggling to keep your account current due to the storm. Call us at 888 963 9363 because we would like to help. Published on February 19, 2021

Tiffany P. in Waco
Published on February 19, 2021

Response: Hi Tiffany- Your comments say that you feel that Payless Power charges outrageous prices due to the cold and that’s messed up. This week has been very hard on every Texas resident so your frustration is more than understandable. There is one important thing to note though, Payless Power has not raised the rates of a single customer in advance of or during this winter storm. Everyone’s charges have skyrocketed due to record usage due to the coldest temperatures since 1899. You daily charges no doubt increased greatly but this was not because we were charging you more for eletricity. The increase was because the amount of electricity you were consuming increased. We do have options to help you though so call us at 888 963 9363 and we’ll go over it with you and show you what we can do to help. Published on February 19, 2021

Vlad P. in Belton
Published on February 19, 2021

Response: Mr Para. Your comments state that Payless Power cut your lights off at 2:00 AM and bills you for usage when your power is actually off. You also state that your place in line is not kept when you call in . Not having power during a historic cold spell is a terrible thing. That is why Payless Power has not disconnected a single customer including you all week. If you lost power it was due to ERCOT Sanctioned rolling outages and not because Payless Power requested this to happen. In regards to being billed while your power was off What you are experiencing is a side effect of the statewide outages related to the winter storm. Transmission and Distribution Utilities (AEP Texas, Oncor, Centrepoint, Texas New Mexico Power) own the power distribution infrastructure and the meters. Typically, a smart meter will transmit usage data in 15-minute increments, and they are very reliable. If the meter stops transmitting data. The Utility systems assume that the meter is still working but and that there is simply a problem with the data transmission. Because if this the Utility systems will automatically generate an estimate. At the end of a customer’s 30-day billing cycle they read the meter for the whole month which catches any discrepancies so the customer’s bill can be properly adjusted. This is a pretty straightforward and accurate process and the meter’s are accurate enough that there is rarely a noticeable issue. Unfortunately, this same process works during widespread outages due to extreme weather, grid damage, fires etc. The meter stops reporting data because there is no power, but the Utility metering systems still generate estimates, and these estimates are then sent to Retail Electric Providers. Payless Power also has automatic processes that bill customers daily based on the metering data that the Utilities send to ERCOT and then to us. Because of this, many customers are seeing charges on days when they had no power. The last time this happened on such a scale was during Hurricane Harvey. We do have good news for you though. Your money is not gone. We also have an automated process to adjust your account balance if you were over billed during this week’s winter outages. If you were charged for usage while your power was out this will be reflected at the end of your 30-day billing cycle when we get the monthly read from your local utility. If you would like to know approximately when that will occur, please contact us through your My Account Portal or at 888 963 9363. Published on February 19, 2021

Jaquanna S. in North Richland hills
Published on February 19, 2021

Response: Ms Smith. Your comments state that you told someone 2 weeks ago that your usage wasn’t right and now it has increased by 4X. This makes you feel like this is rigged. It’s never a good thing when your electric bill feels like its out of control. To help get it under control it is important to understand the factors involved. Many customer’s automatically feel that the electric provider is cheating them if their charge seem too high. Others feel that the meter is not working properly. While there are those I mean maybe a possibility of a meter issue , Payless Power is very transparent and straightforward with our billing and can show you how to confirm that we are billing you based on the usage that is being reported. First, rest assured that even though your selected the variable rate plan option that came with a lower start up cost and higher KWH rate, Payless Power has not raised your rate over the last month. The amount that you pay per KWH has not increased however your usage has . Keep in mind that your plan comes with a daily fee of $2.67 and this includes the first 17KW at no additional cost and the per KWH rate is applied to any usage over the first 17KWH. We send you a daily text with he amount of KWH you used the day before yesterday (as noted on your texts we bill 2 days in arrears). You can also view a record of your usage on you MyAccount Portal. Let us know if you need help accessing this because it has great information. While on the MyAccount Portal you can also register for www.smartmetertexas.com which is a free website operated by the State and not affiliated with Payless Power. This site will allow you to do 2 important things: 1.) you will be able to compare what we bill you for with what your meter said you used and by doing so confirm that we are calculating your usage correctly for billing. 2.) It allows you to view your usage during the day in 15 minute increments and this can help you pin point what is consuming the energy in your home. These are the most valuable tools you have to not only understand where the issue is but also what you can do to stop it. Looking over your billing I would say that something is clearly going on but it is not with your billing and rate and probably also not the meter. I would ask the property manager to check the thermostat and perhaps the refrigerant gas in the unit. Also make sure to avoid the emergency or auxiliary heat settings and this uses 3x the normal amount if power as the standard heat setting . High usage has been unavoidable this week. This was the coldest week in Texas since 1899 with historic black outs that made it hard to keep homes warm. All this will have an affect but there may be a technical issue as well. Call us for more info 888 963 9363. Published on February 19, 2021

Irene L. in Harlingen
Published on February 19, 2021

Response: Ms Lopez. You comments state that you thought that Payless Power was supposed to be cheap but you have seen otherwise. You live by yourself in a small apartment and don’t use a lot of electronics and things that consume a lot of electricity. You switched to Payless because you heard our service was inexpensive but This has not been your experience. Its not good when you feel that you aren’t getting the proper value for your money. Let me say that as a below average usage customer your concerns are understandable. Our plans in your area carry a $2.67 daily customer fee. This fee includes up to your first 17KWH of power at no additional charge. That comes out to be up 510 KWH included at no additional charge. If a customer exceeds 17 KWH on a day this usage is billed at their low per KWH rate so the more you use the more you save. After reviewing your daily usage I can see that you use a little over the 510 KWH threshold monthly so on some days your usage is under 17KW and some days it goes over. This week will be an outlier as it looks like your usage was way up due to the record setting freezing temperatures. But after things go back to normal and mild spring weather returns, is this the best value for you? The answer is “maybe.” If you shop around and can find a provider that will only charge the flat per KWH fee then that might benefit however here are some things to consider. Payless Power does not charge a minimum usage fee. We also do not charge late fees, assistance fees to call our Customer Care department, minimum payment fees, fees to load funds, fees to pay over the phone , disconnection or reconnection fees. These are all commonplace throughout the industry and many competitors charge these and others to make up for lower advertised rates. It’s like booking a ticket on an airline that’s $100 cheaper than the more well known airline that extensively serves the “southwest” ; only to find out at the airport that they are going to charge you $50 each way to carry on a bag. Their flight was cheaper but they made it up from you in other ways. We are like the well known airline serving the southwest. We don’t nickel and dime our customers with annoying fees and gimmicks that make it seem like you’re getting a better value. Even so, I would encourage you to look around on www.powertochoose.org Published on February 19, 2021