Aug 30, 2007 9:19 pm US/Central
TXU Billing Error Costs Medical Student $2,800
by Jay Gormley
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
A Dallas medical student says he was getting the run-around after TXU Energy withdrew $2,800 from his account. But after a call to CBS 11, he's finally getting some answers.
Jim Rittimann's electric bill for his small Dallas apartment typically runs about $60 a month. Imagine the lump in his throat when he was billed $1,400 twice.
"The most response I got from one of them was, 'I understand you feel frustrated.' I replied, 'I was frustrated a little while ago. Now I'm angry,'" he said.
TXU withdrew just over $2,800 from Rittimann's bank account, leaving the U.T. Southwestern medical student in a financial hole.
"My balance is negative $1,200. I was hoping that would set something in motion," he said.
Rittimann called TXU several times. He says his complaints fell on deaf ears until her reached a supervisor.
"Her response was, 'I'm going to submit a request to send you a rebate check.' I asked her how long it was going to take, and she said four to six weeks."
That's when Rittimann called CBS 11 News. All of a sudden, TXU was listening.
"Obviously there was an error on our part, on TXU Energy's part. We completely apologize to the customer for any inconvenience that this might have caused him," said Sophia Stoller with TXU Energy. "We have over two million customers, and we strive everyday for that good, quality customer service, and this time it just didn't happen."
TXU says the billing error was the result of a glitch after the company replaced Rittimann's meter. They say the money will be back in his bank account within 24 hours.
(CBS 11 News)
