My husband and I contacted College Station Utilities about making a partial payment on our utility…read morebill. Our bill was higher than we could afford at the time, so we wanted to pay down as much as we could and pay the remaining balance by the end of the month.
I received a text message from +1 (470) 694-5684, which we had been receiving as a notification regarding our College Station Utilities account and bill. The message stated that we could make a partial payment of a specific amount in order to keep our utilities on until we were able to pay the remaining balance.
Based on the information provided in that message, we made the partial payment. However, a couple of days later, our utilities were shut off.
I called College Station Utilities and asked to speak with a supervisor. When I spoke with the supervisor, I explained what had happened and showed her the message we had received. She initially acknowledged that the message was a mistake and later referred to it as an error. Since the information came from the utility company, I explained that we relied on that information when making our payment and believed our utilities would remain on.
Despite this, she refused to have our utilities restored and said they could not be turned back on until we paid the remaining balance.
I have never had an issue making partial payments before. I was extremely frustrated because I was not going to allow my child to go without food or air conditioning because of an error made by a company and then be told that the company would not take responsibility for that error.
I asked the supervisor what she would do if she were struggling financially and could not afford to pay her bill on time. Her response was, "That wouldn't happen. I have money, and it's on automatic payments."
That response was extremely upsetting to me. Many people struggle financially, and not everyone has the ability to keep their bills on automatic payment or pay the entire amount when it is due. I felt that her response was dismissive of people who are experiencing financial hardship.
I also explained to her that, as an employee representing College Station Utilities, she had a responsibility to help address the situation after the company sent us incorrect information. During the conversation, she later denied saying that the original message was a mistake, even though that was what she had previously told me. I recorded the conversation.
She repeatedly told me, "I understand your frustration." I told her that I did not feel she understood my frustration because, if she did, I believed she would have made more of an effort to help us resolve the situation.
I then asked to speak with someone above her or another person who could review the situation. She would not connect me with someone higher up and gave me reasons why she could not do so.
I found the entire experience extremely frustrating and felt that I was not treated with the respect or consideration I expected from a utility company representative. I also felt that my concerns were not taken seriously.
College Station Utilities should consider providing better payment options and assistance programs for customers who are experiencing financial hardship. Life is difficult for many families right now. People are struggling with unemployment, housing costs, food costs, and other basic expenses. Sometimes people are barely getting by and need additional flexibility when paying essential utility bills.
I believe College Station Utilities should consider creating or expanding income-based payment options, payment arrangements, or other programs that can help families keep essential services such as electricity and water while they work toward paying their balances.
My biggest concern is that we relied on information that came directly from the utility company. When that information turned out to be an error, I believe the situation should have been handled differently. Customers should not have to suffer the consequences of a company's mistake, especially when essential utilities are involved.
I am asking College Station Utilities to review this situation, including the text message we received and my conversation with the supervisor, and reconsider how this matter was handled.