Our Analysis of Southwest Power & Light

I was promised 8.6 cents if I signed up for autopay (the discount for autopay was .5 cents). The first month they 'forgot' to put me on autopay and I had to pay 11.9 cents because it was a partial month and I didn't use enough electricity to get the lower rate (I was only with SWPL for a week). I didn't appreciate that they wouldn't prorate it. The second month, I was on autopay and got charged 9.3 cents. They said their system runs a month behind on the autopay credit, so the autopay discount wouldn't take for another month. Another ripoff as far as I'm concerned. They also said that all electric companies require you to use 2,000 kwhs to get the advertised rate, which is why I got charged 9.3 cents instead of 9.1 cents. I didn't print out the original electricity facts label and it has changed several times in the last two months, but I sure don't remember it that way. I've used a half dozen companies in the last fifteen years, this one seems especially devious to me. Also, their website is terrible. Four of the last five times I tried to access my bill, every link I clicked on timed out instead of taking me to the webpages.

I live alone and use less than 1000 kWh per billing cycle. I get ripped on monthly charges and the highest rates. This would be cost effective, like all other plans, to use 1000 or 2000+ kWh... then you get the advertised rate. However, their online system for billing / payment management is easy and I was able to get a hold of someone whenever I need customer service. My contract ends tomorrow and I'm switcing to a company with better rates. When your contract is up, be prepared that they call endlessly to renew.

I move into my place on the 5th of November and my termastat was on 85 all day not to mention I am away from 7 am until 7 pm and my first bill was $116.00. To lower the bill I turned my termastat down to 70 and I am still away twelve hours a day and my second bill is $255.00...how is this possible...this company is a big rip off and I am going to switch to another plan...

I signed up thinking I would save on energy costs. After the first short bill I noticed the delivery charge was larger than the amount billed for electricity. I called only to be told that the delivery charge is billed by another company and Southwest Power did not know how this was charged. Unfortunately for me I did not act and now have received my second billing that includes delivery charges of $116 which is almost half of the total charge for electricity used. This is outrageous and unacceptable. I am now considering paying the early disconnect fee to switch to another carrier which will cost more money, but will save in the long run. What happened to full disclosure????????

Look out for the delivery charge it was almost as much as my electricity charge! Cancelled after 1 month despite $175 charge. Ripoff!!!!!!!!!

They operate under several names including Texpo Power, Texpo Power & Light, YEP, Southwest Power & Light, and who knows what else. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. In this day and age where you can get cheap rates and service from nearly anywhere, they're butt heads. Their billing system is retarded. I called to ask that they move the date a couple of days to accommodate when my pay check hits so that they'd stop costing me $35 over draft fees. They actually tried to hit my checking account 7x in 3 days - really racking up the fees with my bank and you HAVE to pay on line to get the best rate. It's taken multiple complaints to the PUC and BBB and it's still not fixed yet!

Billing error not corrected as promised. Called CSR several times and said they would call back. Never called back nor did they correct my account.

I just signed up online and was told that I need to immediately call their number and mention code 350 because of credit fraud. Of course like others said, I got the answering service. It is hard to commit to a 12 month contract, when the company may not clearly tell you everything they are going to charge you for. The website said it was going to check my credit when I click continue. Now someone has my SS number and I know I haven't signed up with them.
I don't like this at all. I would rather pay a half penny more and know what I'm getting into. This is very uncomfortable.

I had a bad week at work, and after calling to
set up a payment plan for a high bill, they
told me to simply pay the full amount by the
15th. I was not behind on any bills. When I
got home from work and paid the bill it was
after midnight, so the 16th to them. At 10 in
the morning, the local Oncor guy comes and lets
me know what's going on. I call the company
and they have to get the reconnect approved
since the payment was made on the 16th. Oh,
and did I mention that this was only 15 days
after the due date? Ridiculous company! DO NOT
USE!

I've enjoyed SWP&L's month to month plan and easy to read statements. They don't add on all those "fees" some other companies do.

I noticed on my last bill, their rate has gradually gone up (in 2011)from 4.6 cents to 10.5 cents so I called for their best rate and they quoted me 8.0 cents for their 12 month plan. They beat every company I have reseached for my area (FT Worth) as of 26 Nov 2011.

I have rental properties and when I try to cancel service they always want to call
me back instead of taking care of my service immediately. Called this morning
to cancel a service on a rental property, and they told me the office had not
opened yet, they would have to call me back. The website says office opens at
8:30 I was calling at 8.50. They were eager to help me if I was signing up for
service but not for canceling service. Will not use them again.

Good thing I was only in Houston for the summer. I made a payment through their website two weeks before my bill was due, got a confirmation email that day and the payment was deducted from my bank account three days later. All of a sudden they are sending emails about my over due account. When I try to find out what is going on, they are nasty and give me inconsistent info about the amount I owe. Won't even bother listening when I try to tell them that the bank sent them their money. They take your money, and don't post it to your account. Won't ever use them again if I come back to Houston.

Do not switch to this power company. Very poor customer service. They have hidden fees which makes your bill far higher. I was with Texas Power prior and really liked them - wish I had not switched.

Southwest Power and Light have a nice section of your bill Special Service Fee Charges. They charge you $30 extra just for adjusting your service date. No warnings. They are very unhelpful and cannot speak clear English.

I have switched power companies 5 times before now and this is the first time I really regretted it.

you get billed whenever the meter is read. you can pay a bill one day and have another bill 3 days later. I once was double billed for 1400 in one month. took months for them to reverse it, yet only took a minute for them to take it. customer service horrible and rates are higher then most of the others out there. we left them for Bounce electric and saved tons of money.

Do not under any circumstances fall for Southwest Power & Light's "green" tree-planting plans. The customer service is beyond horrible. When you're locked in I guess they don't feel the need to hire polite service reps. They bill you a monthly fee that isn't advertised anywhere, and when you call to complain they claim it's in some agreement I certainly never got a copy of. They charge a "printed correspondence fee" even though I repeatedly signed up for online billing. On every bill you'll see an extra $15 tacked on for no legitimate reason. Do NOT get stuck with this company. Run. It's worth paying a few cents more per kWh just to avoid dealing with their surly customer service reps and crazy add-on fees.

I have used Southwest Power & Light for about three years now. Every other month they arbitrarily shut off my power even though the bill has been paid and I have a conformation number. They do not open until 8:30 a.m. CST and when I call I am directed to a call center that takes their calls for them until they open. Of course they can not tell me why the power was shut off. I am then always told to contact Oncor about the issue because they claim Oncor turned off the power. Every time I call Oncor they tell me that they did no such thing. I will be using a new provider soon. I advise you DO NOT use the services provided by Southwest Power & Light.

I went with this company because they had a good rate on the Power to Choose website. Their advertised rate did not include "Total Utility Charges" that added on another $50 to my bill. I was with Summer Energy before and now regret switching. They are also charging me a $175 cancellation fee for only a 6 month contract. Customer service was also very rude, stating that I should have read all the fine print. Counting down the days until I can end my business with them.

This is the worst service I have ever encounter. They first mess up on my bill, because they mess up on the wrong disconnection apt, therefore they were charging me for something I hadn't done. Plus after calling and complaining about the 175 charge they never took care of it. Than they disconnected my light due to unpaid balance , which as of today I have no idea what that extra charge was. Than I call to change my light to our new home. They told me I had to paid 190 plus 215 of this month, which I includes late fees of charges I am unaware of as today. Customer service is at its worst too since they can never give me a explanation of all this. They have by so far made this experience horrible.

For 18 months I had service with the company and it was fine. The entire time I was on autopay. I still show that my account is on auto pay. Back in March I cancelled service, no problem. However 2 weeks ago I noticed that my credit score dropped from 805 to 680. The reason SWPL decided to put a collection on me for a final bill. It was only 160.

I never received a past due notice, and was on and from the website am still on auto pay. I still have not heard back from the company. I paid the 160 to the collection company and they said they will send me paperwork requesting that it removed from my credit. Still haven't received!

I am very upset with the billing practices and the whole reason I was on auto pay is to ensure I never have a late payment. Which was smooth for the previous year and a half!!

I pay my bill through online billing with my bank. My payment was sent and received before the due date. They called me and said it was past due the day after the due date. I called them and they said that they didn't receive it yet to check back in two days. The next day I got a notice of disconnect in 7 days! I called them back. They still have no idea where the payment is. I went ahead and paid it, so, my wife, son and I had electricity. I sent them screen shots of where money was taken from account. That wasn't good enough. The next day i got a copy of the deposited check they put into their bank. They still argued with me saying that didn't show that they received my money. WHAT ELSE COULD I GIVE THEM! Talked to three different people today to try and get my money back. The last person after saying there is nothing they can do, she did some type of inquiry, came back to the phone and said " I found it". It was deposited into someone else's account. NO "SORRY WE PUT YOU THROUGH THIS MESS" NO, "OOPS OUR FAULT". Told me to sign up for auto draft and this wouldn't happen. Tried making me feel like it was my fault. To hell with them!

Don't choose any company that can be so stupid as to shut down your power one day after starting the service. I bought a home and my sellers moved out on 6/15/15 so I started my service on 6/16/15. I chose Southwest Power so I would be 100% certain that there would not be power interruption because this is the same company used by my home seller. It is inexcusable that this company shut off my power on 6/17/15 after I had full confirmation of my power being started without service interruption.

I signed up online from the 'power to choose' website. Enrolled in a paperless billing, auto pay 6 month contract for 11.4 cents/kwh, and got an email confirming my turn on date. Well, we get to the house with trailers of furniture, etc and are moving in and we have no electricity. I call and they cannot help. They scheduled my turn on for 7/3, and no one is in the office, "holiday", they said. I have no electricity and loads of things and people needing some refuge. Terrible experience and lack of communicaiton.

I get my first bill for 4 days of service and have to pay a minimum usage fee. I understand. You just can't use that much electricity in 4 days. My second bill comes and I am WAAAY overcharged. I finally get a hold of someone and they told me I was not on a contract, I was paying month-to-month at the going rate. All the confirmation emails I got apparently meant nothing. They said they can apply a bill credit to my first bill, the one that used 220 kwh, not the 2nd one that used 2260 kwh.

I am done with them. Switched yesterday.

My usage for Nov was down substatially from previous month yet bill was the same amount. Noticed a Smart Meter recovery charge of $40 dollars for the month. Thought that was kinda pricey so called CS to ask about it. She said " oh that charge is only $18.33".....i said how come mine is $40?? Puts me on hold to go ask about it. Waited 30 plus minutes on hold.......I got better things to do. Unpluggin these dolts tomorrow

My house was up for sale when my 2 year contract was soon to expire with SW Power & Light. I called weeks in advance of the contract expiration. I was mistakenly given the impression that it was a good idea to go to a month to month contract since I was moving soon. The customer service rep told me that my rate would go up a fraction of a cent. Instead my rate was doubled. During the period of time I repeatedly got calls from SW Power & Light Sales people who tried to get me to resign a new long term contract and NONE of them warned me that my rate would go up if I did not resign a long term contract (remember it doubled). I ended up switching to another company because they would not credit my bill for the amount they ripped me off.

SPL has dishonest marketing tactics - Please beware of monthly fees, which they won't disclose to you when signing up. My experience with this service provider is horrible - All they care about is getting your money rather than being upfront with their charges. Need to do a better job to inform subscribers of all fees involved.

I have had many unfortunate and disappointing dealings with their customer service. They have very limited hours. To speak to a supervisor they only offer a call back. Each time I call I get a different answer, usually they are all incorrect. The last straw was the change to the new website. The associate I spoke to as I tried to get access told me that as part of the recent change to their site, every client was forced to get a new Username. Either 1) that's true, then this creates a terrible customer experience or 2) it's not true, in that case it just goes to show the bad information you get with this company.

I would NOT recommend this company!!! They have lots of hidden fees and even just making a payment, there is a charge for that too......talk about a disgusting company to do that to their clients!!! I will NOT do business with a company that charges you a fee to take your payment! Look out for hidden fees and watch your pocket book as they will take as much $$ for anything.....Money hungry and dishonest!!!

I went with them about a year ago. Set up for auto pay. My bills due date is the 20th and they pulled out of my acct on the 4th the first 3 months.. turned the auto pay off and I was charged a monthly fee on top of them upping my kilowatt price because I was no longer on auto pay. Wanted to pay the bill through the automated system and you have to use a checking account. Can't use a debit card. And they charge you $10 to pay the bill.. this company is horrible. I will pay the additional charge to switch to a new company... will be doing this first thing Monday morning.

First they set up two different accounts and tried to charge me for not being on autopay when I was on autopay for the account they sent me via email to set up! Then they billed me twice for the same month of service on both accounts, only one bill came almost 6 weeks later. A manager told me that it was a "delayed bill due to Oncor." When I checked my bills, they had double billed me under both accounts for the same service period, even though I had paid the bill under the wrong account number. Interestingly the billing amounts for the same period were different. I have spent hours on the phone with this group trying to get their billing errors fixed and every time they tell me they finally have it straight, they manage to mess it up again. I regret ever signing up with them.