DTE Energy company

DTE Energy company

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to let you know that the way DTE treats their customers is absolutely awful. In the area that I live, which is Traverse City, they are the only gas company available. They have a complete monopoly over the entire area.

Recently I was forced to pay a bill that my father left after I purchased my house. My gas was shut off for eight days in the fall when the average temp was in the 40's during the day. I called them to try and figure things out but they said that it seemed my father was putting the bill in my name to avoid paying his past due bill. I had to fight with them for eight days to restore heat, hot water and gas for my stove. Meanwhile, I was carting two children to their grandmothers for showers and hot meals that I couldn't make in the microwave.

I had no option of a different gas company and the local electric company wouldn't allow me to put up a propane tank on my property. So after calling some Michigan consumers help line I was finally able to restore gas. But the whole run around required me faxing them the deed to my house proving that I owned it and that my father no longer lived there.

And this wan't the first trouble that I had with DTE. Before that my fiance and I had moved into his grandparents house after they both passed away. After repeatedly calling them to put the bill in my name they still hadn't done it. I kept paying under his grandfather's account because I couldn't not pay my bill. So they finally got the bill in my name but told me that I owed them $1500.00 because the money was applied to the previous owners account and not mine. So essentially they wanted me to pay a year and a half of gas twice. And that time I had to send them the death certificate of the deceased grandparent who had the account.

I am feeling completely and totally victimized by DTE. I have no choice about the kind of people I have to deal with to recieve gas service at my home. I think that it is unfair that I should be reponsible for someone else's bill not only once, but twice. Should they be able to run people's lives like this legally? I think that there should be some compotition for them because right now there is nothing that I can do to better my situation witht these people.

Thank you for your time withthis matter

SIncerely-

Elizabeth Click this link to e-mail the message author: Email User

Comment On This

I ditto your sentiments and I wish there were other options for me. I am also suffering to stick with this company due to it's monopoly. Their website is the most confusing site I have every used and on top of that, when you call them to ask for help, the service rep. will innocently tell you that they are not familliar with it....give me a break!!!!!!!!.

My online payment setup first of all didn't behave the way I was expecting and when my payments didn't go through and i wanted to pay on phone, i was told tha it will charge $3.75 to pay on phone....is there any justification for this? Most Frusrating