How One Customer Overcame a Monopolistic Nightmare: A Tale of Persistence and Luck

Customer Service Woes with CenterPoint Energy

My fault a little, theirs a lot — and a resolution that, really, was a matter of dumb luck.

January 18, 2025 at 11:29 PM

David J. Therkelsen shares his experience with CenterPoint Energy, a utility monopoly, highlighting how challenging it can be to resolve customer service issues.

I’m a busy person and prefer to automate my financial transactions. In September 2022, my brokerage changed banks, which required updating my routing number. All my service providers updated the information correctly, except for CenterPoint Energy. They started billing me with incorrect information after the initial month.

I called them multiple times, explaining that they had the correct numbers but continued to charge me incorrectly. They blamed me for the mistakes, imposed late fees, and even canceled my autopay account. Frustrated, I prepaid a year’s worth of gas usage to avoid further issues.

After a year and a half, I still faced billing problems as they continued to use the wrong information. My luck changed when I spoke with a representative named Melissa, who took the time to investigate my situation. With her colleague Rishi, they resolved the billing issues and reinstated my autopay.

This experience underscores two critical points:

1. Monopolistic companies like CenterPoint often neglect genuine customer service.
2. Occasionally, individual employees like Melissa and Rishi can make a difference by taking responsibility and solving problems.

It’s unfortunate that customers must rely on persistence and luck to find responsive service. After 50 years as a customer, I felt treated like a deadbeat despite my good payment history. What kind of company, especially a monopoly, would treat a long-term customer this way?

David J. Therkelsen, Minneapolis, retired nonprofit CEO