DTE outsourcing jobs

[East Detroit]

I just wrote a big check to DTE for gas and electric and mailed it to Cincinnati, Ohio. Why can't they process their bills in Detroit? I'm sure there is space for a billing center and capable folks to be employed in our city.

DTE pays a dividend, plain and simple. So, they care more about profits than anything else.

[Gistok]

I'm not in favor of nationalizing utilities, but the TVA has been pretty successful by and large. And of course there are many successful muni power companies. The one I have personal experience with has the lowest rates in its state and also the best service. Of course that doesn't mean there aren't be bad ones too, just that it isn't inevitable. There are also bad public utilities.

One thing to keep in mind is that despite some deregulation, the delivery of electricity to your home is a monopoly. If the service is bad you can't switch to another transmission company, and that is a situation where some kind of public provision may make sense.

Agreed about TVW mwilbert.

As for monopolies of electric/gas.... anyone else get those annoying phone calls about how much money you can save switching to another natural gas company?

I don't remember getting any calls about electric service... but aren't there both types [[gas/electric) of other companies that offer other energy sources... but use the gas/electric grid?

Isn't this part of a "supposed" deregulation of the energy utilities here in Michigan?? I don't recall the specifics...

[Novine]

"can't do any better for travel than Amtrack

and as far as a sustainable business, the Postal Service is A#1"

Amtrak and the Post Office are both good examples of what happens when Republicans screw over the operations of public agencies and turn around and complain about how poorly they operate. Amtrak loses money on long-distance routes that largely serve the Red States of the Midwest [[Republican). If they could end those routes, they would be in better shape financially. But Republicans refuse to let them do that. It's the same with the Post Office. Republicans insist on 6 day a week delivery to every rural post office location. They also force the post office to subsidize the costs of bulk mailers. First class mail isn't what costs the PO. It's the bulk mail. But the PO isn't allowed to force bulk mailers to pay their fair share so everyone else who uses the PO is forced to subsidize those costs. Again, it's an example of Republican meddling leading to poor operations and then blaming the agency for running a deficit.

[rb336]

More General DTE griping

had one of those even-pay deals. forgot to shoot out the bill before leaving on vacation, so i was late by ONE day. now they want every penny of the amount over NOW. Their "customer service" reps claim they can do nothing to extend it 6 days to the 15th. and there is NEVER a supervisor available. you have to go to the United Way to get it extended????? what a crock!

[Hermod]

One thing to keep in mind is that despite some deregulation, the delivery of electricity to your home is a monopoly. If the service is bad you can't switch to another transmission company, and that is a situation where some kind of public provision may make sense.

We do have a public provision. Electric, telephone, [[and in some places) water utilities are regulated by the states. The companies present their cost figures to the regulatory commission who tacks on an allowable amount of profit and sets rates.

The federal government did give away the farm to CATV and SATV utilities making it difficult to control rates.

[kassia]

I just wrote a big check to DTE for gas and electric and mailed it to Cincinnati, Ohio. Why can't they process their bills in Detroit? I'm sure there is space for a billing center and capable folks to be employed in our city.

http://ir.53.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=727...186&highlight=

It's called a lockbox. Many companies have been processing payments via lockbox as a way to reduce operating costs. I don't see why it's an issue that DTE does the same.

If it really bothers you, sign up for DTE's online bill payment and stop mailing your checks in.

[Hermod]

More General DTE griping

had one of those even-pay deals. forgot to shoot out the bill before leaving on vacation, so i was late by ONE day. now they want every penny of the amount over NOW. Their "customer service" reps claim they can do nothing to extend it 6 days to the 15th. and there is NEVER a supervisor available. you have to go to the United Way to get it extended????? what a crock!

I get my water from the City of Pompano Beach, FL. They did the same thing to me when I was on vacation this year. The only time in my life I ever had a utility shut me off was back in 1964 and it was a city-run water department.

Electric has usually been pretty good with me [[and I have had power from a wide variety of different companies).

As far as telephone goes, Ma Bell and her kids have usually treated me pretty good. The worst phone service i ever had was the German government run Deutsch Bundespost phone system in Germany. Another bad one was the DOD AUTOVON long distance system in the US.

[Hermod]

"can't do any better for travel than Amtrack

and as far as a sustainable business, the Postal Service is A#1"

Amtrak and the Post Office are both good examples of what happens when Republicans screw over the operations of public agencies and turn around and complain about how poorly they operate. Amtrak loses money on long-distance routes that largely serve the Red States of the Midwest [[Republican). If they could end those routes, they would be in better shape financially. But Republicans refuse to let them do that. It's the same with the Post Office. Republicans insist on 6 day a week delivery to every rural post office location. They also force the post office to subsidize the costs of bulk mailers. First class mail isn't what costs the PO. It's the bulk mail. But the PO isn't allowed to force bulk mailers to pay their fair share so everyone else who uses the PO is forced to subsidize those costs. Again, it's an example of Republican meddling leading to poor operations and then blaming the agency for running a deficit.

Where did you get your info? PRE-SORTED bulk mail qualifies for a discount rate because it doesn't burn up that much in the way of man-hours [[most expensive thing for the post office. Where the post office loses money is when Miss Minnie on a rural route in the mountains of east Tennessee send an odd-shape birthday first class to her sister on a rural route in the mountain areas of Montana. The PO loses big time on that 44 cent stamp.