Latest news with #billingissues
Phone Arena
10-07-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
What T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all have in common? A very strange obsession with pennies
T-Mobile – freedomwider, Reddit, July 2025 – Difficult_Ad_5528, Reddit, July 2025 And it's not just one or two cases. Some people end up ignoring the whole thing because, seriously, who has the time to deal with this nonsense? – akhil1980, Reddit, July 2025 What's the most ridiculous thing a phone carrier has done to you? Charged me for literal pocket change. Sent endless bills for $0.00. Made me jump through hoops just to cancel. Promised a deal, then disappeared. Honestly? I've blocked it out for my own sanity. Charged me for literal pocket change. 0% Sent endless bills for $0.00. 0% Made me jump through hoops just to cancel. 0% Promised a deal, then disappeared. 0% Honestly? I've blocked it out for my own sanity. 0% It's wild to think these carriers are actually spending more chasing these pennies than they're worth. And for what? From what most users say, anything under $20 usually doesn't even go to collections – let alone hit your credit report. But that doesn't stop the flood of reminders, which means your account just keeps hanging around, never fully closed. It's wild to think these carriers are actually spending more chasing these pennies than they're worth. And for what? From what most users say, anything under $20 usually doesn't even go to collections – let alone hit your credit report. But that doesn't stop the flood of reminders, which means your account just keeps hanging around, never fully closed. – a_PRIORItastic, Reddit, July 2025 Recommended Stories Honestly, with all the billing errors , weird fees and shady charges that sometimes show up , wouldn't it make more sense for the carriers to just waive these tiny leftover amounts and let people go in peace? But nah – that's not how it works. So expect the cycle to continue: users getting annoyed, switching carriers, or simply roasting them online for these absurd little things that somehow turn into big annoyances. We've reached out to T-Mobile , Verizon and AT&T for a comment and will update the story when we have a response. And of course, people are starting to fight back… with creativity. Some are suggesting mailing in 33 pennies. Others are writing a check for 34 cents, which then leads to even more mail from the carrier – this time to let them know they now have a 1-cent credit. One person even suggested marching into a store with the exact number of pennies in hand. Get a Motorola Razr 2025 for just $199.99! Switch to a 2-month Total 5G or 5G+ plan with Total Wireless and score this foldable deal. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer All phone carriers have a special talent: driving people up the wall. Doesn't matter where you live or which one you're signed up with – T-Mobile Verizon or anyone else – they all somehow manage to make things more complicated than they need to it's because we depend on our phones so much these days that we expect everything to run smoothly, or maybe… just maybe, these companies have some kind of secret pact to make things just a little bit harder for that is a joke — but after hearing what users are sharing online, you'd think it's actually true. Some of the stories are so ridiculous they're almost funny… almost. Recently, a T-Mobile customer shared online that they were stuck trying to pay 33 cents on their final bill. Sounds easy, right? out the minimum payment allowed over the phone is $5. Online? Minimum is $3. And if you try to pay in-store, there's a $5 fee just to do it. So yeah, it's not the setup for a sitcom, it's just if you get lucky and land a helpful rep in-store or contact's T-Force support team on social media, the fee might get waived. But honestly, the fact that you even have to go through all that for pocket change is just plain annoying.
RNZ News
26-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Faults with a third of Watercare's smart metres
A huge catch-up bill has left one Watercare customer stressed out and "pissed off' and she says the problem is still not fixed. Checkpoint has revealed that more than 13 thousand Watercare smart meters are not working properly. It means customers have been gettting zero use bills; bills that claim they havent used a single drop of water in a month or in some cases months. Watercare said the problem is specific to a particular smart meters. They have installed about 40,000 of them since 2022, and there's a fault with about a third of them. Watercare chief financial officer Angela Neeson spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvanian gets $12K utility bill after months of silence — and thousands more in the state face problems
Posiey Brown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was floored when she opened her PECO energy bill in April — totaling $11,723.93 in charges. 'There's no way,' she recalled thinking to CBS News Philadelphia in a story published May 30. It was the first utility bill she had seen in months and much higher than anticipated. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Brown says she called PECO after not receiving a statement in August and was told the company had trouble accessing her bill. She continued to seek answers and tried to make partial payments in the meantime, but felt her concerns weren't being taken seriously. As it turns out, Brown wasn't the only PECO customer to experience billing problems. Ann Palladino of Whitemarsh Township also reached out to CBS News Philadelphia about her PECO billing problems, and says she'd gone nearly a year without receiving a bill. 'My daughter told me to contact you because she was tired of me complaining about it,' Palladino told the local broadcaster. 'For people who are used to having their bills fully paid and on time, it's disconcerting' PECO confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that up to 8,000 customers have been impacted by billing glitches since last year after the utility company transitioned to a new billing system. PECO admitted it has not been able to explain why certain accounts were affected, but says it has taken steps to fix the problem, including hiring more staff and setting up an email address dedicated to billing complaints. 'Many of these issues have been resolved, and we continue working daily to address remaining concerns,' a company spokesperson told the broadcaster. Even so, frustration is mounting. The Southeast Delegation of Pennsylvania House Democrats sent an open letter to PECO accusing the utility of not acting quickly enough to solve these problems. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it CBS News Philadelphia reports, after it got involved, that PECO determined Brown's shocking balance was caused by a meter programming error that calculated her usage incorrectly. The company corrected her bill and waived late fees, reducing the total balance to around $900. Brown is now on a payment plan. Palladino told the broadcaster she started receiving statements for previous months, but her bills were not yet current. Brown says PECO should have been more proactive and forthcoming about its billing problems. 'They should've notified the customers they were having a billing issue,' she said. If you're a PECO customer — or dealing with a billing error from any utility — here are steps to protect yourself: Document everything: Save your bills, note when they stop arriving or if you feel there's a major error, and keep a log of your payment history and any communication with the utility company. Write down the time and what you discussed in phone calls, and try to reach out by email so there's a paper trail. Contact the utility right away: For PECO customers, use the dedicated email (PECObilling@ and ask for a written explanation. Make sure to document any attempts at communication, whether you reach someone or not. File a complaint: If you're not getting a resolution, file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or your state's equivalent. Contact your local representative: Sometimes outside pressure makes a difference. Your county commissioner, mayor or other lawmakers may be able to help. Local media might also be interested in telling your story. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvanian gets $12K utility bill after months of silence — and thousands more in the state face problems
Posiey Brown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was floored when she opened her PECO energy bill in April — totaling $11,723.93 in charges. 'There's no way,' she recalled thinking to CBS News Philadelphia in a story published May 30. It was the first utility bill she had seen in months and much higher than anticipated. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Brown says she called PECO after not receiving a statement in August and was told the company had trouble accessing her bill. She continued to seek answers and tried to make partial payments in the meantime, but felt her concerns weren't being taken seriously. As it turns out, Brown wasn't the only PECO customer to experience billing problems. Ann Palladino of Whitemarsh Township also reached out to CBS News Philadelphia about her PECO billing problems, and says she'd gone nearly a year without receiving a bill. 'My daughter told me to contact you because she was tired of me complaining about it,' Palladino told the local broadcaster. 'For people who are used to having their bills fully paid and on time, it's disconcerting' PECO confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that up to 8,000 customers have been impacted by billing glitches since last year after the utility company transitioned to a new billing system. PECO admitted it has not been able to explain why certain accounts were affected, but says it has taken steps to fix the problem, including hiring more staff and setting up an email address dedicated to billing complaints. 'Many of these issues have been resolved, and we continue working daily to address remaining concerns,' a company spokesperson told the broadcaster. Even so, frustration is mounting. The Southeast Delegation of Pennsylvania House Democrats sent an open letter to PECO accusing the utility of not acting quickly enough to solve these problems. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it CBS News Philadelphia reports, after it got involved, that PECO determined Brown's shocking balance was caused by a meter programming error that calculated her usage incorrectly. The company corrected her bill and waived late fees, reducing the total balance to around $900. Brown is now on a payment plan. Palladino told the broadcaster she started receiving statements for previous months, but her bills were not yet current. Brown says PECO should have been more proactive and forthcoming about its billing problems. 'They should've notified the customers they were having a billing issue,' she said. If you're a PECO customer — or dealing with a billing error from any utility — here are steps to protect yourself: Document everything: Save your bills, note when they stop arriving or if you feel there's a major error, and keep a log of your payment history and any communication with the utility company. Write down the time and what you discussed in phone calls, and try to reach out by email so there's a paper trail. Contact the utility right away: For PECO customers, use the dedicated email (PECObilling@ and ask for a written explanation. Make sure to document any attempts at communication, whether you reach someone or not. File a complaint: If you're not getting a resolution, file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission or your state's equivalent. Contact your local representative: Sometimes outside pressure makes a difference. Your county commissioner, mayor or other lawmakers may be able to help. Local media might also be interested in telling your story. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Problems with Auckland's Watercare bills after more than 13,000 smart meters not working
Photo: Michael Heim/ 123rf A number of Aucklanders have received Watercare bills that say they've used zero water, while others claim they're being overcharged. The zero fee bills claim customers have not used a single drop in the past month or in some cases for months. The issue stems from Watercare's smart meters, which it told Checkpoint more than 13,000 of are not working. The water supplier also said they've known about problems with one type of smart meter since October last year, and the fault has so far affected around one third of the 40,000 meters installed since 2022. Greg is one customer who has been receiving zero fee bills, the first one arriving in May. "We got the bill that said we had used no water and there was just the sort of standard monthly charge. And I just thought oh well, they've forgotten to read it or they haven't got around to reading it. And I just made a note that the next bill was gonna be bigger and then the next bill came and once again we'd used no water." Greg contacted Watercare about the issue, who told him his smart metre must not be working. "They said could you take a photo of the metre and then we can send you the proper bill. And I said, well, no, that's not possible because I've had knee surgery. I can't get down to take a photo." He was then told the water supplier could send someone out to take the photo for him, but it would cost $35. He said he was yet to receive the correct bill but had been told they would now be reading his metre manually. Kyle was on to his second smart meter after the first one stopped sending signal a few months ago. But he told Checkpoint his water bills were now coming in much higher than he would expect. "Our water bill on average was about $100 or $120 a month and then it jumped to about $200 and it I'm like yeah, no, that doesn't seem quite right. "[Watercare] were basing it on estimates from the previous water bill, which would have been around summer, and me being a gardener I obviously used a bit more water." Kyle said Watercare made no effort to contact him about the issue, and it was him who raised it with the agency. He said they came back to him and told him his metre had temporarily stopped communicating. "They used the word temporary, but if it was temporary, then why are they replacing it?" He said he was still waiting to have the issue resolved. "I disputed it initially. Sent them a photo of the meter, heard nothing back for them... then I sent them the photo and said, 'hey, can I please get a bill amended?' They said it would take three to five working days and I'm still waiting for it." Watercare's head of retail operations Evan James said the fault means the meter eventually stops sending data but keeps recording water use. Watercare stopped installing that particular model and started returning affected meters to manual reading, leading to ''catch up'' bills that are higher than previous months. He said Watercare sincerely apologised for the inconvenience and it was offering payment options to help ease the impact. Utilities Disputes told Checkpoint they would expect Watercare to inform customers if it was aware of issues with meters, and explore the options, like letting customers know they can self-report their use to avoid significant back bills. Watercare has around 500,000 meters and of these, around 70,000 are smart meters.
