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Old 11-28-2012, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022

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I pay my electric, cable, phone, gas and Discover Card bills online out of my checking account. I always pay as soon as I get the bills. I was shocked to get a letter from SCG in October, telling me I did not pay in May and July 2012. I had my checking account statements showing the payments were deducted from my account. After spending hours on the phone with them - including with one woman who said "I'm not going to listen to you" and hung up - I was told to send "proof". I mailed photocopies of the checking account statements. Over a week later, I got another letter, now claiming I have missed 3 payments and they are threatening legal action against me. I went to my bank yesterday and a wonderful woman there spent over an hour on hold with their recordings and eventually reached someone who told her the same thing - that my payments were returned rejected by the bank. She said "I'm calling from the bank and I have her account info in front of me - the money was deducted from her checking account". She was told to fax the info, which she did and the faxes went thru. I was told someone from SCG would call me when the faxes arrived. That was over 24 hours ago and no call yet. I offered to go to their office with my documentation, since mailing it did no good and was told they do not have a walk-in customer service or payment center.

None of the other companies I pay online are claiming I did not pay so it is clearly a problem with the SCG system. But no one will try to figure out what is going on - they just keep repeating the same old story - my payments were rejected by my bank.

Is anyone else having a similar with this company or any other utility company? Should I contact the state Attorney General? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I did pay these bills and do not like being threatened with legal action - they have already reported me to one of the credit reporting agencies for non-payment of 2 bills.
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Old 11-28-2012, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,776 posts, read 28,124,156 times
Reputation: 6711
I've been overcharged a few times, and then magically my next monthly bill is reduced. It all happens behind the scenes. Not sure why.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:03 AM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022
It is a very complicated situation. They are going back into my account and marking bills that I paid as not paid, rejected by my bank. In late October it was the May and July bills, then in November the August bill. They refuse to even look at the bank statements that I mailed to them - the "proof" they asked for - or the ones my bank faxed to them and will not let me go into their office with my documentation. Hard to believe they can just mark my bills as unpaid and refuse to fix their mistakes. And their customer service is non-existant. I have left phone messages for their director of customer service (the one who signed the second nasty letter threatening me with legal action) and he does not even reply.

I did file an complaint with the Public Utility Regulatory Agency yesterday. Don't have any other ideas of what I can do. From now on, I will pay by check and keep my checks, but who knows they may ignore that "proof" too.

Glad no one else is having a similar problem.
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Old 11-29-2012, 10:35 AM
 
Location: OH>IL>CO>CT
7,520 posts, read 13,639,903 times
Reputation: 11914
Does your local newspaper have a columnist who likes to take on issues like this ?? Like Kevin Hunt of the Hartford Courant ??


Kevin Hunt: CL&P Pays Cheshire Woman $10,000 Billed 25 Years For Street Lights - Courant.com

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Old 11-29-2012, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022
Thanks, I will try that route. Getting nowhere on my own.
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:09 PM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022
Thumbs up finally getting somewhere with SCG!

Well, I put in a complaint with the public utilities regulatory agency and mentioned to an SCG customer service person that I was considering going to either Channel 8 or Channel 3 and they are now phoning and emailing me and eager to straighten this out. I also found out, thru repeated questions till I got an answer, than there are "quite a number of people" in my same situation. They actually went back into my account 3 times in October and took off payments I had made in May, July and August and stated they were "rejected" by my bank, though they show on my bank account statements as paid. They say they put in a new billing system and there are always problems with new systems. But the 2 letters I got from them accused me of issuing payments with insufficient funds and threatened legal action against me. Since they knew they had a new system and there are "always" problems, and I have been a customer for 20+ years with never even a late payment, shouldn't someone have looked into this before treating me like a deadbeat?

Good luck - hope no one else on here runs into this same problem with SCG.
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Old 12-12-2012, 01:35 PM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022
Unhappy still having problems with SCG

Since last hearing from SCG, about 2 weeks ago explaining they had a new system and some problems with it, etc. I thought everything was straightened out. Today I got an email telling me some "processing information" was missing from my last 2 payments and they want copies of my Nov. and Dec. bank statements - I haven't even gotten my Dec. statement yet and until now thought they only had problems with May, July and August. I emailed back and asked what is "processing information" and soon got a reply that my payments were sent to the "wrong address". I pay online so don't know what this means either. Just curious - is anyone else having a similar problem with Southern Conn. Gas Co.? They did tell me that "a number of people" had the same problem since they put in a new billing system. I plan to pay my bill via a check at a payment agent in town from now on as their new billing system is obviously the problem. I pay all my other bills online and no one else is having problems with my payments.
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Old 12-13-2012, 05:17 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,879 times
Reputation: 10
retiree2011

I am experiencing the same issues. I have sent my letter to the Attorney General. Trust me it works. Send certified return receipt. It was the only way I got a response from Southern Connecticut Gas.
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Old 12-14-2012, 10:40 AM
 
Location: Conn.
1,065 posts, read 1,428,430 times
Reputation: 1022
Quote:
Originally Posted by taylbpt View Post
retiree2011

I am experiencing the same issues. I have sent my letter to the Attorney General. Trust me it works. Send certified return receipt. It was the only way I got a response from Southern Connecticut Gas.

Sorry you are having the same problem. I put in an online complaint with the public utility regulatory agency (have heard nothing yet) and with SCG's own online complaint system. Was supposed to get a reply in 5 business days; it has been over 2 weeks. Will try the Atty. General now. Thanks for the suggestion.

As I stated I thought everything was all right till this week when I got these strange emails. Yesterday, after posting, I got another email telling me that if I mailed my payment to New Jersey it was lost in Hurricane Irene (I believe they meant Sandy) and I should contact my bank and if my check has not cleared, to send another one as it was lost in the storm. I did talk to someone at SCG yesterday and they put in a new billing system in May and also changed their bank. I am convinced they outsourced this to an outside company that is maybe doing billing for a number of utility companies, in different states.

I do have the direct phone number of the director of Customer Service at SCG that I can email to you and anyone else having a similar problem. After I talked to him I started getting a little action and also learned that they had put in a new system and "a number" of people were having the same problem I am having. Direct message me if I can be of help. I have 7 weeks experience with this by now.
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Old 12-14-2012, 01:18 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,952 posts, read 57,005,315 times
Reputation: 11229
Be very careful with the way you handle paying these bills. Only talk directly to SCG using the telephone number from their website or the phone book. Do not trust an email. There is a lot of fraud going on out there. Jay
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