I pay my bills on time. Yet last night, my Con Ed bill included a dire notice that my electricity was about to be disconnected. For the past four months, my health insurance bill has included a notice to cancel IF I don’t pay on time.
I have never been late paying either bill. Never. Not one time. My credit record with both companies is perfect.
I called Con Ed and was told that it was a mistake and to disregard it. I asked the rep how to prevent this “mistake” from happening again and she said “people make mistakes, there really is no way to prevent it from happening again.” Oh yes there is! But first someone would have to get off their butt and find out the cause of the mistake.
I wrote a letter to the president of the company that handles my health insurance. He told me the threatening notices are sent to all customers at the request of GHI and that “good customers like you who pay on time can simply disregard the notice.” NO! Wrong!
More than pananoia
I don’t think either of these are mistakes. I think this is an intentional way to threaten consumers into paying their bills on time. You think that’s paranoid? I am willing to bet (let’s say, $10 bucks) that it’s a new trend in customer relationship managent policy and not a mistake.
And jeez, if this is how they threaten their good customers, what do they tell the deadbeats?
Con Ed’s recording says “your electric bill may be 30% higher this year than last.” Undoubtedly a lot of people are having trouble paying. Threatening them with shut off is one way to jolt them (pun intended) into paying quickly.
Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Clinton, Senator Schuman, Congresswoman Maloney you need to look into this vile practice.
An Alarming New Trend in Consumer Intimidation
BL Ochman | February 10, 2006 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) | TrackBack (
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/gnp0fnhzxcgi/domains/whatsnextblog.com/html/wp/wp-content/themes/WNO2/single.php on line 32
0)
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/gnp0fnhzxcgi/domains/whatsnextblog.com/html/wp/wp-content/themes/WNO2/single.php on line 32
0)
Categories: Commentary
Tags: , Con Ed, Congresswoman Maloney, CRM, customer_relationship_management, GHI, Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Clinton, Senator Schumer
Tags: , Con Ed, Congresswoman Maloney, CRM, customer_relationship_management, GHI, Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Clinton, Senator Schumer
Interestingly, on my renewal notice for my apt. insurance there are two places, not one, but two, that tell you if the bill isn’t paid by 12:00am on such and such a date, your coverage will be canceled immediately. I, too, have never been late with a payment. I didn’t really like those two comments since there is also a “pay by X date” plainly visible also. Good grief.
ConEd and GHI Blindly Bully Blogger
ConEd and GHI insurance bully customers into paying on time, threatening cancellation, even if they pay they bills punctually, rants PR and blogging maven B.L. Ochman. I pay my bills on time. Yet last night, my Con Ed bill