DTE Energy billing

**leady106** · June-27-10, 05:47 PM

Can anyone tell me why our DTE Energy bill is sent to Ohio? How many jobs where lost in metro Detroit by shifting the billing outside the region and is the amount saved [[assuming that they did this to save money) was worth the job loss.
DTE Energy used to advertise its cooperation with companies on expanding in the area, what happened to this goal. I would imagine that the billing department represent a couple of hundred jobs lost.
p.s. I did e-mail local TV news departments about this and did not receive any reply, maybe because there fear of the loss of add revenue from DTE.

**Meddle** · June-27-10, 07:02 PM

p.s. I did e-mail local TV news departments about this and did not receive any reply,

About the same as the Wayne County Jail potato chip issue, eh?

**DLife** · June-27-10, 09:52 PM

My Free Press bill goes to Cincinnati---go figure??

lilpup · June-27-10, 10:13 PM

Here's a better one - the budget counselor at my credit union told me that DTE Energy is the only utility company in the country that reports to the credit agencies monthly. How's that for screwing Michiganders while everyone else gets a pass??

**Det_ard** · June-27-10, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Here's a better one - the budget counselor at my credit union told me that DTE Energy is the only utility company in the country that reports to the credit agencies monthly. How's that for screwing Michiganders while everyone else gets a pass??

So they report the fact that I pay my bill on time every month? That should help my credit rating. I guess the only people feeling "screwed" are the ones who don't pay on time.

**English** · June-27-10, 10:24 PM

^ Well, you know those metro Detroiters can't be trusted.

**Hamtragedy** · June-27-10, 10:46 PM

No, the only people being screwed are those who call DTE at their Ohio call center and attempt to have DTE solve ANY kind of problem. The buy-out of Mich-Con [[years ago now) has DTE's records so improbably screwed-up that the left hand has absolutely no idea what the right hand is doing. Multiple trips to their offices often don't solve the problem. Keep and document any and all correspondence with DTE so it doesn't screw up your credit rating, including bill payment.

**CLAUDE G** · June-28-10, 02:36 AM

I though the DTE and Michcon central bill collection and processing center was downtown by Cobo Hall?

I sold them a DISH Network satellite system down there several years ago for their offices.

Im not so happy that they started reporting either, but if you pay your bill ontime it only helps your credit. The people it was designed to hurt where the ones who constantly owed $800-$1000, never had any plans of paying down the ballance and would just pay the minimum to keep the service turned on.

Its especially a problem with single mothers in the winter months, because they know that DTE cannot shut the heat or electricity off if they have small children.

**1KielsonDrive** · June-28-10, 02:42 AM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

So they report the fact that I pay my bill on time every month? That should help my credit rating. I guess the only people feeling "screwed" are the ones who don't pay on time.

That might include some of those people who are laid off and having difficulty paying their bills. There are a few of those in this 'greatest country' of ours. Maybe even a few more in the coming weeks, months and years, since our 'do nothings' in congress refuse to bailout the working class after bailing everyone else out and paying for endless wars.

**1KielsonDrive** · June-28-10, 02:53 AM

And you better have unlimited minutes on your phone if you call DTE for anything at all. I racked up huge phone bills while trying to get service connected on my new business this past winter. They continually put me on hold, day after day, while trying to figure out which department was responsible for which task. I waited on my phone, in my heated auto, while DTE workers discovered they didn't have the correct tools to turn on gas and electricity, or were not the correct department to handle the task at hand. Tough shit. I had to pay huge overruns on my phone bills. Do I have any choice in the matter? Not quite. You can list DTE with Comcast as one of the companies you hope to never have to see or deal with. Good luck.

Retroit · June-28-10, 08:12 AM

Hey, at least they're not in India.

Welcome to Globalization.

**rooms222** · June-28-10, 08:16 AM

That zip code appears to be assigned to a major bank for lockbox processing. T-Mobile bills also go there. This sending of bills out of town is more of an indication that Detroit has lost its large local banks than anything else. A bunch of my medical bills from Botsford also go to that center.
Payment processing is generally outsourced, as there are large economies of scale. EDS operated one in Livonia for GMAC, and I was lucky enough to go on a tour. Big expensive equipment [[often from UNISYS, or before 1987, its Detroit-based predecessor Burroughs) was the main expense. Such facilities often had excess capacity and would seek other business.

Redford's Water bills go to Chicago to National City/PNC. With the merger, there is a good chance the payment address will change again through consolidation.

UPDATE- Burroughs is back- and in Wayne County......From Wikipedia

Re-emergence of the Burroughs name
In 2010, UNISYS sold off its Payment Systems Division to Marlin Equity Partners, a California-based private investment firm, which incorporated it as Burroughs Payment Systems based in Plymouth, Michigan.[4][5]

**1KielsonDrive** · June-28-10, 11:42 AM

Rough calculations - I figure DTE cost me about 2- 3 months [[commercial) gas/electricity bills in phone overages while on hold, being switched and talking to various departments, 'customer service' reps, and managers. That's how cost efficient and helpful they are.

**Meddle** · June-28-10, 12:15 PM

^^^ Send them an invoice.

LodgeDodger · June-28-10, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Meddle

p.s. I did e-mail local TV news departments about this and did not receive any reply,

About the same as the Wayne County Jail potato chip issue, eh?

And Lay's Potato Chips at Comerica Park...

**milesdriven** · June-29-10, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Its especially a problem with single mothers in the winter months, because they know that DTE cannot shut the heat or electricity off if they have small children.

A friend of ours had her gas shut off in January 2008 who had two children, ages 6 and 12.

**jackie5275** · June-30-10, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by CLAUDE G

Its especially a problem with single mothers in the winter months, because they know that DTE cannot shut the heat or electricity off if they have small children.

Several years ago, when my son was an infant, my payments got messed up because my husband & father in law have the same name. DTE posted my payments to my father in law's account. That put me in arrears. It took me several months to get it right, but in the process my heat & electricity were turned off for four days in December. I had told them I had an infant in the house. They don't care who's in the house. It's amazing how they can turn off your power with the flip of a switch, but to get it restored requires a "service call" that needs to be scheduled & takes 4-5 days for them to flip the switch back on.
Unfortunately, they're the only game in town for utility service, so they can be as oppressive as they want. Regardless of all their lies about customer service, it's all about profit.