Please read! I’ve been scammed.
I received a phone call from the illuminating company telling me that if I don’t pay my past-due bill, my electric service will be cut off.
I was confused; surely I paid my bill. So I went through my checkbook ledger, and lo and behold, I didn’t see any entry for the Illuminating company after November. OK, before you say WHAT!, keep in mind I am constantly going, involved with too many things, and when a bill is due, I write a check immediately. Yes, checks, I do not like online payments unless ordering something where I am forced to. So this had to be a complete oversight.
Anyway, I called the Illuminating company. Indeed, I was 4 months behind. I said, “To be honest, I don’t see any checks written after November, but thinking about it, I don’t remember receiving any bill.” “Sir, you are signed up for e-billing.” “E-billing, I never do e-billing!” They checked the email address, but it was not mine.
Cutting this story down, I was scammed by an energy marketer/consultant.
Here is what we surmised: Either this scammer somehow got hold of my electric bill account number, or, which I don’t remember, I supplied my electric bill for a door-to-door marketer to compare rates. The end result was this: my supplier was changed, e-billing set up, a dummy email address used, and the scammer received a commission for this illegal switch from the company he represented.
Realizing I was legitimately scammed, the Illuminating Company removed the cancellation date and late fees and returned me to paper billing. Now you know why I don’t like e-billing. I know many of you do, and soon there will be no option, but until then, I want paper billings. Paper billing equals far less fraud and scams.
Note: Not all energy marketers/consultants are scammers. I was one, but they are out there. Be careful. Or to be sure, compare rates online and make a choice that way.
Carey On…
