AAAAARRRRGGHHH!!! I get so frustrated with the huge businesses and their lack of basic customer service. I switched to TXU because of some promotion I heard about where they guarantee your rate is guaranteed to be a certain percentage (pennies) under whatever the current rate is for Reliant Energy. Since I was with Reliant, it was pretty much a no-brainer.
So, I am going along, trying to save money, and indeed my rate appears to be microscopically under what it used to be. Then, in a conversation with Mike, I find out his is a couple full pennies less expensive per kilowatt hours. I believe he is with Dynegy.
After getting the largest electric bill in my life ($365) I remembered
hearing that the charge per kilowatt is less in off-peak hours. I figured I can do things like run the dishwasher, clothes washer etc. during those times and save money.
The problem is that I cannot find out how to determine “off-peak.” Looking at my TXU bill, it appears that there are two times of the day when the rates are DRASTICALLY different. We are talking a period that energy is at less than half price of the other period. The bill doesn’t give times of day. Their website doesn’t give times of day. I sent them an email to their “help line,” and nothing!
I know it isn’t in their best interest if I switch some of my usage to the cheaper times, but they are a freaking utility – doesn’t that imply that 1-they should be transparent in how they do business, and 2-they should be duty-bound to respond to customer questions?
All I can say is – SCREW RELIANT, SCREW TXU… there are cheaper rates out there and despite the pervasive rumors, the service during times of outages is no different and all handled by the same work crews.
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