Problems with a bill...

[Frenchy]

It always seems to happen just when you think you have it all set, you have cash for what ever you wanted to purchase, some thing happens…

Does this happen to you also?

I had some money ahead of us, all the bills save one was paid up, that one had a balance that was not high enough to worry about right now.
I check my bank statement.. Wait, Duquesne light did not pass yet, and it’s been a few weeks since I paid it on their online portal… I go back to check on the portal if the payment is there… Can’t get on the portal page, it says my username or password is no good.
I go to my bank account again, create a pay bill for this electricity bill, and pay it… It’s been a pain in the butt to pay Duquesne light for 2 years now, and every time we speak to the customer service rep, they get more and more insulting.
So I make a full payment on my bank account, and hope like hell it passes.
It passed, but for some reason Duquesne was not happy with this, cut off my power one more time! I had already checked with my bank and gotten a copy of the deposit made to Duquesne light..

I call them and speak to the CSR and she says “Well I don’t care if you “Think” you paid it, it is not in our accounts…” I ask to speak to a supervisor or a manager, point out what the last rep said right away and then say I have proof the payment went through, and I have a copy of it in my hands… The supervisor says well fax it to me… (Gives me a wrong number) Seeing I don’t have power to scan and e-mail or internet fax this, I go back to the bank.. My bank faxes this to them, I call back and say ok now you have my bank statement in hand, check things out, you have my payment in full… Err nope, I have not received a fax, I tell him the fax # he gave me, he says ok try this one… Back to the bank I go…

“Well I can see there was a payment taken out for that amount, but it does not reflect this on your account”
The problem is simple, I own what is called a “Heritage home”, and the address at my home is what it was some 75 years ago when the postal service decided to use civic addresses. Since then, the area has developed and rather then say 13, 13 a, 13 b and so on, they made a new address area starting with 2500… Technically, I would be 2536 Woodland… but every thing I own and have registered, every thing I get mail for is to 13 woodland and oddly it gets to me, where as 2536 some times does, some times not, all depends on the weather or the postman.
Seeing as every thing I have is at 13 Woodland, makes sense my checks and banking info are also at that address… So is my credit card. So when I pay a bill that is supposedly for 2536 Woodland, the addresses don’t match up, and poof the money goes into a Duquesne light limbo. Seeing as they will not recognize my address as it is, they will not apply the money from that address to their mistaken address.

So this weekend, rather then buy my self a new gun I wanted so much, or a female dog we also where thinking about. I sent my wife out to buy a generator, out of necessity. Some time next week, they will figure out where my money went, and post it to my account… Late!

So apart from having to get all this phone and fax done, apart from having to buy a generator, I also have to pay a $50 late fee… AND a $168 deposit to get my power back on some time next week when they finally find the money they already know they have but can’t find.

Meanwhile, I will be spending more money filling up the generator with gas… But revenge is sweet in my heart, be cause this can’t continue. Monday (my birthday) I am going to do some thing I have never had to do yet in my 49 years of existence. I am going to go file a small claims report against Duquesne Light. Not because I had to buy a generator that was on my list of things to get… Not because I am without power again for the 4th time this year. But because this is stressing us out so much at this point, that it is making both my wife and I fall into a sort of depression. This is what they will be paying us for. Giving us 24 months of anguish having to chase a payment to be sure it is on time at the right place not once in a while but every month! All because they will not accept our address as it should be.

I have asked them multiple times to correct the address or at least make our address the “Billing” address, I could not care less where they “Think” we live, as long as I get billed at the right place so I can pay the damn bill!!!

Anyways, enough with my rant, anyone else have exiting experiences with Duquesne light?


Oh and by the way... here is my Birthday Present to my self

[XD45]

Wow that sounds like a major major pain in the ass. I can't say i've ever had problems with them, a few months back I didn't get a bill for whatever reason maybe i lost it maybe the post office. But anyhow they gave me a call a few weeks after it was due and I said I didn't get one and just didn't noticed it so she said no problem, let me send it in the next day and there was no late fee's. I'm thinking there may be something up with your street if they are cutting your power off that quick, sounds like something got screwed up bigtime there at somepoint, thats ridiculous and good luck if ya take'em to court.

[dman]

Well first off,Happy Birthday my man Frenchy,The yellow becomes you !
This is no time to loose power,It's cold !!Let us start the "Viva Le Revolution"with Duquesne Light ! I got your back my man !!
A lttle flower to brighten your day! http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...rvedflower.jpg

[Ten*K]

hell, i tried to change my address with my own bank and they couldnt get it right for 2 YEARS.

Customer Screw-you Reps dont give a shit.. they are high-school kids and brainless 40-somethings who get paid minimum wage to read "policy" off a computer screen.

no more original thought flitters across their puny brains than that of say.. paris hilton, or lindsey lohan

[Longshot]

Wow sorry too hear you are having troubles Frenchy, I have not used that light company but utility company's suck ass. I had my phone bill shut off (long time ago) for owing $.25. They wanted me to write them a check for .25 then charge me a late fee. Nuts..

Anyway, wish you a happy B-Day. Too bad you didn't post this before you bought the Gen, I would have let you borrow one of ours until you got this resolved, although its probably smart to have one handy.

Good luck Frenchy.

[ar15jules]

Jeeeeeeeeesh....Frenchy, have you talked to any of the neighbors about this mess? It seems logical (there I go trying to make sense) that they would be having the address/billing issues as well. Maybe you guys could go in on some sort of action together? Just a thought. I hope it all works out for you.
Jules

[c3prret]

We normally get a automatted call from PECO saying you owe us before the due date, and want payment now. A few times companies for what ever reason hve tried to charge late fees, wife tells them not paying the late fee, it's your black hole, you pay it. It works!
Could try stalking the meter reader then find out what address he's reading or go and sit on someones desk to fix it. The phone is great go getting disconected, in person, can't get rid of you that easy. Also get names.

[Frenchy]

The problem is not with the neighbors, or should I say they don’t have this problem. Most homes on this street are less then 30 years old; my direct neighbor for example has a 11 year old home.

Way back when, this area just above Ambridge and Baden was a big domain from what I understand, it was a farm of sorts. On the farm, there where some homes that belonged to the farmer and where like helpers homes… When the farm got sold, these homes already had addresses so they had lot numbers, mine happened to be # 13 Further down the road on the same side is # 18 and again a little further is # 21 on an other street is # 5 from what I understand,

The owners of these properties where given the choice way back when to keep their numbers as they where “Lot” designations and not street address. When the buildings became 75 years of age, they became “Heritage” homes meaning they are part of the American Heritage… You might see some of these from time to time with an oval brass plaque usually in a rock type post. On many commercial streets the actual address on the building is not the same as the street address.

When I bought the home, I had the choices of keeping the heritage address, changing to the new civic address, or using a combination IE: 13 Woodland AKA 2540 Woodland…

The lady before me, had hers as 13 AKA 2540 Woodland rd.

This seemed to me a difficult thing at the time, so I chose to stay with the 13. One of the nice things about it is, my taxes are no where near what the newer homes taxes are.

Every one accepts this address as valid, my drivers permit, my L.T.C.F. permit and my registrations for the cars, and every other bill I have, says 13 Woodland on it. When Duquesne put up the electrical here some 50 years ago, they decided this was way too confusing to them, so they decided to give the house a new civic address… 2536 Woodland… The city does not recognize 2536 woodland, it’s either 13 or 2540 you just cant chose a number and say this is mine…
The regular postman knows this house as 13 or 2540, Duquesne says its 2536 and nothing else…

I really could not care less what it is to them, as long as I can pay my bill and not have my money fall into a financial limbo.

To explain this simply, let’s say I bought a house in Florida or even in Canada for that matter and asked Duquesne to send my bill to that house so I got them on time, they would as long as that house is a legal address. This would become my “Billing” Address, and the address where the service is then would be known as the “Service” Address… but seeing as they do not recognize 13 Woodland as a “Legal” address even if the Sheriff in Beaver, PEN Dot and every one else recognizes it as a valid address… they will not change their records. So this means my billing address is what they say it is, nothing else. Problem is, when you pay anything today, there is a check made of your address validity with your financial institution. Making my address anything other then what it presently is at the bank, would be fraud. Think of it this way, opening up a bank account or credit account to your Neighbors address… So as My checks or debit card or even my credit card all say I live at 13 Woodland, they can accept this check as valid, they just don’t know what account to apply it to seeing as they cant reference 13 to 2540… or as they have it, 2536…
The only way I can get them to change it, is to pay a fortune in lawyers fees and have them re-issue a new address to me, or fight them in small claims court… I figure a judge telling them where I legally live should be good. Plus the $10K in possible charge for what is becoming harassment and causing me and my wife undue stress should help them get their facts straight seeing they will not listen to reason.

At this point, if they do not change, I can go to a higher court and not only force them to change their records, but sue for more as it will already be established they are not cooperating in making my payment possible.

This is affecting my credit report, every time I have to buy some thing; I have to explain why “They” are not paid on time. In 2 years time, I have not missed or been late on a car payment or house payment. My Credit card is always on time, and every other bill I have gets paid without any problem, they are the only problem, and they are the only ones who will not accept my address.

When I asked the fix this problem, they suggested I open a new bank account with the address 2536 Woodland… I directly told them this would not happen as it would be fraud to do so.
I guess it seems simple to me, but to them, it is completely impossible...

[Exbiker]

You are obviously able to be online. http://www.duquesnelight.com/ has all kinds of online payment options either one time or automatic. You get a confirmation number the minute you pay and a confirmation email. That way it`s paid.

The address thing is just stupid and letting people pick an address is even dumber. Your township and county needs to do what we are doing. We are going through a readdress process where everybody will have a number and street name. Numbers will correspond to x number of feet along a street odd one side and even on the other. Duplicate road names in Monroe will also be eliminated. This will make it so much easier for police, EMS and post office.


PS the 3 most important places for your address is emergency services, post office (officially not what the carrier does and the tax map filed at the county courthouse) The street number on your check has nothing to do with paying the bill. There is a communication problem here.

[soberbyker]

You are obviously able to be online. http://www.duquesnelight.com/ has all kinds of online payment options either one time or automatic. You get a confirmation number the minute you pay and a confirmation email. That way it`s paid.

The address thing is just stupid and letting people pick an address is even dumber. Your township and county needs to do what we are doing. We are going through a readdress process where everybody will have a number and street name. Numbers will correspond to x number of feet along a street odd one side and even on the other. Duplicate road names in Monroe will also be eliminated. This will make it so much easier for police, EMS and post office.

.... and delivery type people. I drive a residential trash truck, my customers are people who have to individually contract for their trash removal. I have a route in Delaware once a week. Part of that route is in a development. The development has one way in/out off the main highway.

It's a large race track type oval with about 8 cul-de-sac type street off-shoots. No two cul-de-sacs are numbered the same way. One has odd/even on the same side, another goes into a T, all even to the left, odd to the right, it's a nightmare. They are row homes, about 6 in each section. Most of them don't even have a number on their house. They have clusters of mail boxes every few driveways.

I've been driving delivery/pick-up type trucks for a long time. This place is the worst I've even seen for trying to figure out the addresses of the houses. Another one I hate is a road that travels thru a bunch of small towns, in one block you have addresses in the 200's, the next might be in the 3600's, then it drops down to single digits.

Duplicate street names are a bitch too, for instance, in Lower Merion Township there are 3 distinct and different Bryn Mawr Avenues.

I don't know how they come up with some of the numbering schemes but I wish they'd take the initiative your county is Exbiker.

Sorry for the detour Frenchy, as a professional driver this hit a nerve.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Bill
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