How this utility monopoly gouges it customers and basically treats everyone like pasture litter. Read on to ‘hear’ my story. . .
I have been a customer of Arkla forever . . . ok, maybe forever is a stretch, but for a long time. I bought my current home in 2000 and like many older homes it has gas appliances, stove, water heater, and furnace. Even when I replaced my furnace soon after moving in, it never occurred to me to ‘go electric’.
I thoughts about natural gas was that it was cheap, and reliable. And in all of the years that I have been a customer of Arkla I have never been late. Not once.
Fast forward to 2006. Recently I opened a new retail establishment, Tammy’s Treasures. And like a lot of new businesses cash flow can be ‘up and down’ in the early stages. I soon found myself juggling to keep everything current. And, for the first time, I was late on my Arkla bill. On top of that, the monthly bill was for an amount over $260.00. So much for natural gas being cheap.
My boyfriend offered to help but before I could get the bill paid, Arkla shut off my service. First I went online and paid the bill, thinking that was the quickest way to expedite getting the service turned on. Then I call the Arkla customer service line. This was my ‘wake-up’ call to dealing with a monopoly. Not only was the woman unsympathetic to helping me, she was down right rude.
After years and years of being an ‘on-time’ paying customer, not only was I asked to pay a $37.00 reconnect fee, but now am required to post a $100.00 deposit. What? I have one month in over 10 years that my payment is late and I’m treating like dead-beat trailer-park-trash? The “customer service” rep talked to me like they had to come after me every other month! Then to add insult to injury, she told me that it would be 3-4 business days before it could be reconnected, after the other extortion was paid.
Now, since these guys have a monopoly over natural gas what can I do but pay their tribute and wait? Nothing in the short term but here is my 1 year plan.
The other objective of removing their monopoly status may not happen in my lifetime, but I do have a choice on how and where I spend my money. And I choose to spend it with the electric monopoly.
By the way, electric is cleaner, more efficient, and less expensive than gas. And from my dealings with the electric utility, more customer friendly.
Written by and posted for Tammy J. Castleberry
I thoughts about natural gas was that it was cheap, and reliable. And in all of the years that I have been a customer of Arkla I have never been late. Not once.
Fast forward to 2006. Recently I opened a new retail establishment, Tammy’s Treasures. And like a lot of new businesses cash flow can be ‘up and down’ in the early stages. I soon found myself juggling to keep everything current. And, for the first time, I was late on my Arkla bill. On top of that, the monthly bill was for an amount over $260.00. So much for natural gas being cheap.
My boyfriend offered to help but before I could get the bill paid, Arkla shut off my service. First I went online and paid the bill, thinking that was the quickest way to expedite getting the service turned on. Then I call the Arkla customer service line. This was my ‘wake-up’ call to dealing with a monopoly. Not only was the woman unsympathetic to helping me, she was down right rude.
After years and years of being an ‘on-time’ paying customer, not only was I asked to pay a $37.00 reconnect fee, but now am required to post a $100.00 deposit. What? I have one month in over 10 years that my payment is late and I’m treating like dead-beat trailer-park-trash? The “customer service” rep talked to me like they had to come after me every other month! Then to add insult to injury, she told me that it would be 3-4 business days before it could be reconnected, after the other extortion was paid.
Now, since these guys have a monopoly over natural gas what can I do but pay their tribute and wait? Nothing in the short term but here is my 1 year plan.
- I will file a complaint with the Arkansas Public Service Commission regarding these ridiculous requirements. I don’t expect to receive much help because these politicians are ‘in bed’ with the big money utilities, but I want my complaint filed for the public record.
- Publicize this website to spread my story. I am sure that this is not the first time these 800 pound gorillas stomped on another working-class tax-paying citizen to extract a few more dollars that usual.
- Begin a campaign to remove monopoly status for this and all utilities. If our global economy has proven anything it’s that monopolies, even in capital intensive industries, can only survive when propped up by the government. Let’s see how we are treated when we have a choice where we do business.
- Replace all of my gas appliances with electric. For many years it was thought that gas was cheaper, simply because the bill was smaller. The fact is gas is more expensive and very inefficient compared to electric. In the next 60 days I will replace my water heater with a very efficient Marathon electric water heater. Then I will save all summer and in September my gas furnace gets replaced with an efficient electric one. And lastly, the gas stove moves out by spring 2007 for an electric one.
The other objective of removing their monopoly status may not happen in my lifetime, but I do have a choice on how and where I spend my money. And I choose to spend it with the electric monopoly.
By the way, electric is cleaner, more efficient, and less expensive than gas. And from my dealings with the electric utility, more customer friendly.
Written by and posted for Tammy J. Castleberry
posted by J. Lance Curtis at 5:45 PM
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