This morning the power to my house was cut off with warning. We could not leave, because our cars in the garage and I don’t know how to manually open the garage doors without power. We have food in both freezers, etc. I could not look up APS on the computer or get my account. We managed the old fashioned way – the phone book and our cell phone. It turns out that when I paid the bill over the phone last time, one of the digits on the account number was keyed wrong. I don’t know if I keyed it wrong or they did. In any case, they told me it had taken the payment and I had a zero balance. Now they say the bank told them it was the wrong account number, even though I have been paying them that way for three years. So, after three years of on-time payments, does APS call and let me know the account number was off a digit? Of course not, they turn off my power.
Then, to get it back on, my wife and I had to call and wait forever for a person to tell us that now we have to pay two months in advance AND set up a $700 deposit for a year. Mind you, my check did not bounce, it was keyed with the wrong account number, and I have never been late with a payment. So, I try to make the payment, but NO, they can’t take a payment, I have to call another number. The people who CAN take a payment don’t know what I owe or my account numbers. More phone calls. Then, they charge $5.90 TWICE, once for processing the double payment and once for the deposit account. Then, we have to call back APS with two confirmation numbers. Finally, they turned back on power. So, they charged me $1,300 to turn back on power because a $300 payment last month was entered with the wrong account number.
I plan to write out a complaint and send it in to APS and to the Corporation Commission, which will be as affective as spitting into the wind. The people at APS would only give me an address for “The Correspondence Team” which I assume is similar to File 13. I asked to complain to a real person, and after 30 minutes on hold I hung up. I wish we had a choice in power companies. I have always lived with SRP before this and they were excellent to work with. APS deserves its horrible reputation.
APS’ motto – The Power of Experience, The Power of Reliability
What they really mean – The Power to Screw You Over and Laugh About It!
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 
Would this incident not be a good one for Chanel 5 or is it 12 in the Phoenix Arizona market?
If you have paid to the wrong account number, that very account has an overage. With your proof of payments, it would appear to me that APS has to reimburse you? If they transfer the funds to the correct account number, in that case they need to reimburse for the charges you incurred to reestablish services. By my estimation, you could also argue that bills were sent to you, under your name at your address. The same name and at the address payments were issued from.
Not knowing every details, I think either one of the local television stations would be of great service to you. While you are at it, mention the fact that you are a writer and needed to communicate with your readership while your electrical power was off.
I must say their timing is less than desirable but again, there is not good time for such experiences.
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This is horrific customer service. I just read an article that gave 5 reasons why the customer is not (and should not be) always right. And I agree with it, but to treat a customer like this is just piss-poor business practice. I hope it gets ironed out.
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I agree. I really have a problem with power, or water or whatever service in the claw of ONE company. Customers have no choices.I have had similar experiences with the local ‘fascist’ companies when I lived in Ga. You call them fascist, to me they look like the ‘one people one plant one will’ communist logo LOL
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