Archive: Opinions

I thought it odd when the government broke up AT&T.  It seemed to me that they took something that worked brilliantly and affordably and exploded it for purely philosophical reasons.  Not that it wasn't a good philosophy -- competition and innovation in the market eventually sprung up, especially with the advent of new technologies like cell and VOIP phones.  The idea that competition would bring down prices didn't work as well in my opinion, and nobody will ever convince me that any modern phone gets as good a connection as those old black dial phones used to have.  If I had to be convinced that monopolies are bad nothing could have been more effective than my experience with NYSEG this week.

A day or so after last month's check was due I received a call from a NYSEG representative asking where it was.  As far as I knew it was in the mail, and I told her so.  So I was surprised and very much not amused when I received a final termination notice a week later.  It threatened to turn off our electricity on February 22, less than a month after the payment date on the statement.  Full disclosure: I did send the check later than I usually do, though there should have been enough time for it to arrive either on time or, at most, a day or two late.

The NYSEG representative I spoke to later that day didn't help matters.  Before asking what I was calling for he tried to sell me something.  I told him to stop, and then noted that NYSEG has been receiving my checks on time for almost a quarter of a century, which I think makes me a good customer.  I said that threatening to cut off service a couple of weeks after not receiving a check seemed disrespectful and contemptuous of good customers, an odd way to conduct business.

His response was that people don't send the messages.  They are computer generated.  I pointed out to him that a computer is nothing but a dumb lump of metal until people tell them what to do.  Computers don't make company policy, or I assume they don't.  People do, and then program the computers to execute their part of those policies.

His response was to ask whether there was anything else he could do for me, with the clear implication that he couldn't get me off the phone fast enough, and he wasn't going to do anything about this, including giving me some assurance that the power at our house wouldn't be cut off in sub-freezing temperatures in the middle of a nasty winter.  My take-away was that the power company is happy to abuse its own product -- power.

I sent a duplicate check via certified mail, and sent a complaint via the company's Web site.  After clicking 'send' the site assured me I would receive a reply within two days.  It was Monday.

Thursday morning I did receive a reply.  It said, "A recent change in the mailing address for our payment center has caused a delay in the receipt of some payments. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration this may have caused. We have placed a hold on your account to allow for your payment to be processed and have waived the late fee associated with the payment delay."

Wow.  A polite response that acknowledges the problem and takes action on it.  Too bad phone guy couldn't do that.  It would have saved three days of worrying about what losing our electricity would mean.  We have oil heat, but the furnace requires electricity to run.  We are not on town water, and when the power is out we have no water.  Obviously no Internet without electricity, but since our home phone is over the Internet we would have no way to call the ambulance as we froze to death.  Of course we could use a cell phone, but only if the battery hadn't run down -- you need electricity to recharge them.

I was moaning  to a colleague about this experience after covering a municipal meeting Monday night, and a local official told me he had just suffered the same experience from NYSEG.  Further he had tried to set up an electronic payment on their Web site and, despite being one of the most intelligent people in Tompkins County, he couldn't figure it out.  It was interesting to know that government officials get the same lousy treatment.  It's power company democracy in a way.  But I don't subscribe to 'misery loves company' -- I don't want him or anyone to be as miserable as I am.

I wondered whether it would be an abuse of the power of the press to write this editorial, but was pursuaded by a fellow local editor to go for it.  She is right -- I hope it helps others who find themselves in similar situations with the power company.

I had been on the NYSEG site myself Monday morning before I called the company, but didn't even try to pay electronically, because they don't accept credit cards.  I am not a big fan of Time Warner either, but they take my Visa.  The water filter company takes credit cards, as does the cell and land line phone companies.

My email response also said that I can pay with a credit card on the Web site, and gave me detailed instructions.  I followed them -- they didn't exactly align with the actual Web site, but by paying close attention I could find it.  But guess what?  Even if you can find this option you have to pay an additional $4.95 'convenience fee' to do so.  The Web site explains, "NYS Public Service Commission-approved rates do not allow NYSEG to include the convenience fee in your bill.  The charge represents the cost to process your payment in a secure manner. The full amount of the $4.95 fee is passed to KUBRA, the provider of this service. NYSEG does not retain this convenience fee."

Convenience fee?  They would bill it if they could?  Who is that convenient for?

Also I'm a pretty Web savy person, so if credit card payment wasn't obvious to me it may not be that easy to find on the site, I'm thinking.  As Web site design goes, I am thinking that 'ways to pay' should be up front and virtually flashing to get attention.

If the power company thinks I'm going to let them take direct payments out of my bank account they've got to be kidding.  With the extra protection credit card companies offer I'm willing to risk it, but not with my bank account.  This is the same company that so over-estimated my electrical usage when they couldn't be bothered to look at the meter for three months at a time that they ended up owing me so much money that I ended up with two $0 bills in a row.  Basically I got to finance their company with those overpayments, or face being cut off.  Their rep also told me at the time I could read my own meter if I wanted to.  Why would I want to?

When AT&T was a monopoly I always found their service to be polite, respectful, and leading to a good result (not so much any more, but back in the day...).  Even for a monopoly that seems like a good way to treat customers.

Even bad customers.  It is reasonable to have a path down which a company goes when it doesn't get paid.  Most companies do a second billing, and then a third.  With power usage being what it is I can't imagine that NYSEG would go bankrupt even if they took some extra losses by extending this courtesy.  And I agree with them that when customers don't pay they shouldn't get service. 

Most companies do understand, though, that working with customers through hard times usually results in a better outcome for both, and creates more loyal customers.  Most companies understand that there is a difference between customers who maintain a history of paying on time and those who don't.  And I think all (but one) companies understands that sometimes checks actually get lost or delayed in the mail.

To recap: My check may have been late because I sent it at the last minute, and delayed because the company's payment center address changed.  (The lesson for me: don't wait until the last minute because it may not be the actual last minute.  The lesson for NYSEG: don't delay your own payments and then threaten your customers if they're late.)  I can pay electronically by credit card if I wish to pay extra to do so.  It is company policy to threaten customers within two weeks of one late payment, regardless of their payment history.  Phone service representatives are not trained to handle the substance of customer issues.  Reading your own meter and paying extra to pay your bill is how the company defines the word 'convenience'.

I have to say that the email reply was quite a lot more helpful than the phone representative.  It included an apology, as well as action from the company to deal with my issue.  I am glad it came before the deadline for this piece.  I checked with the bank and my original check has not been cashed yet, so I believe it actually was lost in the mail.  I paid extra for certified mail to make sure the replacement would get there before the cutoff date.  I am anxiously tracking the check.  So far the postal service web site tracking page reports that it was accepted at the Lansing Post Office.  I signed up for email tracking notifications.  I feel paranoid.

Do you understand your elcectric bill?  Do you understand why this fairly new split between electricy sellers and providers really matters to consumers (besides the added annoying phone solicitations and mailings it generates)?  Could you have figured out how to pay online by credit card (and would you with that added fee)?

It makes sense to me that companies treat their customers fairly and with respect so they will continue to be customers.  This experience hasn't quite prompted me to run to Sears to buy enough gasoline-run generators and a huge tank to power my house, or to check windmill and solar panel Web sites.  But it did make me think of it, and made me angry and paranoid enough to write to the company and write this editorial.  Companies can't be perfect for all customers all of the time, but what they can do is focus on clarity and policies that their customers can understand.

And when things go wrong the people who help us should be trained to really help.  NYSEG is one to two with me on that score.  If the company had moved their payment center why did the first representative call me only two days after the check was due?  She was very nice, but why was I talking with her at that time?  The email representative did a very good job, I thought.  The representative I talked to on the phone didn't.  He obviously wasn't given the tools to do anything but brush me off.

I don't blame him personally.  I suppose I should blame that computer that makes company policy.

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