Finally resolved things with Direct Energy...maybe

So, I think I may have gotten everything settled with Direct Energy.

Maybe. But that's what I thought last time.

It was interesting because once I was through to right people, everything was fine. (Or, at least, I think so).

But getting to them...getting through the voice mail hell of the company's phone system, trying to figure out contradictory emails from the various offices...was maddening.

Surely this could have been done with a lot less fuss.

Item: I had to send the company proof of my father's death. I can understand that, so I emailed them his death certificate and the legal documents showing my role as successor. I wrote a letter about it. Then, I sent everything to the office of "credit exception."

Only to get an email saying that oh, sorry, in spite of what I had been told by a somewhat impolite phone center person, none of those documents was useful. I had to go through a completely different office and a different group of people.

Which sent me back into voice mail hell.

Like I say, when I did get through to the right people, everything was fine. But, again, this could have been relatively easy. It wasn't.

Why would a company make it difficult for me to continuing paying them?

Just curious.

A concern about Direct Energy - revisited!

Okay, what the heck is going on?

I thought this problem was resolved. Now, I'm told I can't close out my late father's account. The man is dead. He can't pay any bills any more. 

I want to transfer the bill to my name, but it doesn't seem possible.

I am particularly peeved because I'd thought this was taken care of. I'd even posted kudos to "Jane," who thought she'd had it all set for me.

But then, I get the following email:

Good Morning Mr. Tucker,

 

                We did forward your documentation to see if the name could be changed. Unfortunately,  we are not able to transfer the account into your name. The accounts can only be transferred between spouse’s names. At this point we would recommend for you to enroll for services under your name and identifiers. You can contact our enrollments department at 888-305-3828. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

 

 

Thanks,

Nickie Catlett

Credit & Debt Exception Specialist

Direct Energy Residential

Office 855-788-8923

Fax 866-745-6571

      


  How difficult will Direct Energy make it for me to give them money?


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Kudos to Direct Energy, and particularly to "Jane." She helped me with the problem described below and was direct and kind.

Thanks so much.

cheers
mjt




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I have a concern to raise with Direct Energy.

My late father was a Direct Energy customer. I have just sent a note to credit.exceptions@directenergy.com with his acct. information.

But my concern is as follows.  I have been attempting to change the billing information for quite some time now. It has not been a pleasant experience. To take the last two days alone, I began on Thursday by entering your voice mail system and spending a good ten minutes trying to get the system to actually put me through to a customer representative. Once I did reach someone, that individual transferred me to someone else who told me that there had been a “reset” of the system and that he would call me back. He never did.

Today, I went through the same routine. I finally ended up with an individual who identified himself as “Rick,” and who, in my opinion, was less than helpful.  He told me what I already knew and that supporting documentation needed to be sent to the company to prove my father's death and that I was the designated heir. As I say, I knew this, but the message was not provided in a particularly respectful manner. Indeed, I actually had to ask him to stop being patronizing.

I suggest that you reconsider the mechanisms by which you interact with customers in these sorts of situations. Things would have been easier for me if: 1) There had been an option in your voice mail settings to directly enter the account number rather than "the phone number associated with this account" (which has been disconnected for months), or 2) there had been a place on your webpage a place to arrange for the transfer of billing without going through a live operator, or 3) that Rick (or whoever) had not been so quick to assume that I needed to be treated as if I were not particularly bright.

regards
Michael Jay Tucker

problem with my Linksys?

Hey, Linksys folks!

So I’ve got a problem that I hope you can help me with...though I’m guessing that the problem isn’t coming from my recently purchased AC1200. But, who knows, maybe you’ll have some insight.

Anyway, it’s like this. I am a CenturyLink customer. They gave me a Q1000 modem. I’ve been using it for quite some time, but it has very limited range (the TV in the living room is always losing the signal).

Worse, every once in a while, though not all the time, it would suddenly misbehave. We’d either lose connectivity to the web, or the web would slow to a maddening crawl.

Centurylink support was only marginally helpful. They said that another modem in the area might be interfering with our signal. They told me to change the channel on the modem, which I did, but it didn’t seem to help.

So thought perhaps my problem would be solved if I got the AC1200. I attached it to the modem, turned off the modem’s Wif-Fi, and starting using the router’s network. (And yes, I put the Ac1200 across the room from the modem. I’m told they can interfere with each other.)

But, once again, the web goes in and out, and can slow down dramatically.

I’m guessing the problem is in the Q1000. But I’d thought I’d ask just the same. Can you offer any suggestions before I go and deal with Centurylink (shudder) support?

Thanks hugely in advance.

cheers
mjt