Southwest Gas review: Service Transfer Refusal 8

I have had a very similar experience with Southwest Gas. They are crooks.

southwest gas is crooks same problem here and i am ready to start a community lawsuit against them and demand the monopoly be terminated

Unbelievably horrible customer service. I have been paying the gas bill on my parents home, left in family trust to my sister and I for 1 year. I have been in and out of the hospital since Dec 2nd. Due to a problem with a family member raiding the trust account - that I have been putting money into to auto bill pay this account - I had to close the bank account and open up a new one. I have been shut off - not for nonpayment but because of SW G's terrible customer relations and outdated requirements in their horrible billing process (all the other utility company's just changed the account name or said not to worry - just pay the bill. No problem.) I had a serious head injury on Jan 1st and have been trying to resolve this with a very rattled brain. I am ill, I have no heat or hot water, Yesterday after trying to deal with the rudest most poorly trained customer service rep, I asked to speak with a supervisor - she REFUSED to let me and REFUSED to give me her name. My caregiver stepped in to help and finally got a supervisor who said they would get service reconnected that day, yesterday. I have been up since 5 AM in cold house, in terrible pain and still struggling with the head injury and I am appalled at the lack of compassion this company has shown. I STILL HAVE NO GAS! I have received nothing in writing and can not believe this company is allowed to treat their customers as they do. All this frustration because I am trying to do the right thing. I called them told them that I would no longer be using the same account numbers for bill pay, have sold the house will be moving March 1st and would they please tell me how much I owe, change out of auto-bill pay and bill direct. If I didn't have the head injury and family members who thought since I was in the hospital they could raid the account I realize this situation would be different. But this is life - my life and SWG has added more stress at a time when my stress level is already adding to my medical problems. Is there anyone in that company who cares? The control issues this company has leave them unable to properly handle billing issues. This should not be the customers problem. Any time a staff is as non cooperative and poorly trained the problem lies with the top management and the atmosphere they are creating. Trust no one, create impossible billing "rules", show no compassion, be so afraid that you won't give your name to the customer, give no credit for customer loyalty and let ill people freeze! I'm sure it is a horrible place to work. I have worked in call centers, I know what I am talking about. This is a major problem. When I move I will make sure it is all electrict as that utility company made this process so easy! I am sorry for all of us who are ill, elderly, disabled and trying to deal with a very disfunctional firm.

HA - Having problems meeting my bills I was consistently late paying my gas bill in the winter when the furnace was running but I always paid. I received a letter indicating that I needed to pay a $300.00 deposit to continue service even though they always got their money. I called and of course was met with the typical customer service, mentioned in other posts, and was informed that there was nothing that could be done. So at that moment on the phone I told the guy that I'd like to to discontinue my service as of that moment which left the customer service rep. speechless. He questioned my decision and pointed asked if I was aware of whatt appliances in my house required gas. I informed him that I refused to do business with a company that treated their customers in such a way. Again he questioned my decision at which point I informed him that if the gas service to my house was not turned off the following day that I would be contacting the attorney generals office and then I asked for his first and last name. This was followed by silence and then a quick transfer to a supervisor what was ready to make a deal on the deposit and allow $50.00 payments over 6 months, which would have kept me as a customer if we could have started there in the first place. I refused and asked for my service to be shut off which the supervisor began scheduling. The supervisor asked how I was going to heat my house and water which I explained that I was going to replace the current appliances with electric. He questioned the reasoning due to the initial cost to which I replied, "at least I won't being doing business with your company. My gas was shut off the following day. The following week I called southwest gas and asked which part of the gas line I was responsible for if a leak were to occur the customer service rep indicating all lines from the meter to the house were my responsibility and the other side of the meter was theirs. I then instructed the customer service rep. that I was not a customer and required that they remove their equipment from my property or they would need to sign a lease for storage. Yep, off to the supervisor again, I explained that the gas meter sat at the back of my house and was in the way of a remodel I was planning and they needed to move it to the easement or remove it all together. A few days later a crew showed up had to dig a hole out next to the street to shut off the gas and cap it and they removed the meter. By the way, my electric bill is less than whatt I used to pay for gas and electric combined and have easily recovered the cost of the hot-water heater and currently recovering the cost of the heat pump I installed. HA!

Just want to add to the list of complaints. My gas service was shut off recently, I do not recall getting a shut off notice as mentioned by customer "service" reps. As I was sitting home applying for jobs on the internet, a Southwest Gas technician shut off my gas service & attached a locking device on my meter. I understand that service techs need to do their "jobs" but a phone call or a knock at the door would have been appreciated, to let me know of their intentions. Instead of sneaking around and attaching a lock on my meter. If the common courtesy of advanced notice would of been honored, this letter would not have been submitted. Now I have to waste a whole day for a technician to turn my gas service back on! What took a technician 5 minutes to do, now takes all day! So I had to call to schedule an appt & pay my bill, not a problem. The problem arises when you get to talk to a "rep" so robotic & terse they ask if they can "help", (what a line) with no results, all empty promises, supervisors are the same. That is why i am submitting this compliant here, maybe something will come out of this.When my appt was set for 7am I committed the whole day to this appt, making changes to accommodate service. 12pm rolls on by, still no phone call or technician, I decided to call to find out what is going on and when to expect an E.T.A. Same old garbage! they tell me that they will have somebody out by sundown! NOT ACCEPTABLE! to any standards! but it seems to be ok with southwest gas! If they ask me "what can we do to resolve this" please don't treat me like some 2nd class person! myself and countless other subscribers are quite familiar with the tactics and procedures you try to impose on us. All I ask is to do is your job! remember where your salary is truly generated from! You all need to treat your subscribers with respect! not B.S.!

Southwest gas has their employees climb fences to shut service off. They did that to me. There's something wrong with that picture? Just because the meter is in fence line does that mean they can trespass? What if their employee fell and injured themselves, would they want to sue me for trespassing ?They also extorted $300.00 deposit from me as well after being a long time customer and paying their bills

Heh, at least they climbed your fence. The jerk who was supposed to switch ours on had a key available and permission to enter. He snuck up around 5:30 PM and left a "no one home" note on the door and snuck away. Something about "not being allowed to enter after dark if no one is home".

That's very interesting, seeing as the note AND MY KEY were on my counter when I came out of the bathroom.

I've paid up everything, so I'll switch it on myself, thanks jerks.

I had a similar experience. .. I paid my bill by check which posted and cleared. A few days later I received a check from them in the amount of my recently paid bill. Curious? I called and was assured it was due to overpayment? Ok so I deposited the check... Then days later the meter man came to the door demanding payment of the same amount be paid to him by check then and there or he would have to shut off the gas. As I was leaving for a work trip, I quickly wrote him a check (that I knew would probably vlear before I could put money back into the account and bounce). I thought for sure that this circus payment deal coulf be essily fixed. But no - after speaking to a supervisor who finally hot it said I need only re-pay the original amount In their office. Ugh. I went to repay (again) the bill of $78. The rude woman at the counter was surly and rude and cared little about the entire situation (that they created) and just wanted the payment. As I began to write a check (from a different account mind you) she exclaimed - what are you doing!? - I am writing you a check for the amount I already paid etc (I still had to pay my banks fees tho) - she loudly exclaimed that they couldnt take a check. Different account? Nope. How would I pay future bills came to mind as waiting nearly an hour in line sucked. No reasoning worked - she finally agreed that they would except cash money. Of course I didn't have it on me. Leave ww gas go to back cash check get cash and return. Well by noe I'd spent hoursxand hours and days on yhis and was fed up. I returned to the s w gas office, waited in line for the same surly mean rep and told her I got her cash. I then gave her $78 in unrolled pennies. Plus 2 cents more so would be sure to have gotten my two cents about this whole stinking mess. Yes it telt good!