TXU Hasn’t Quite Gotten The Hang Of E-Commerce
I pay most of my bills online. I receive many of my monthly bills online. One of those comes from TXU. But every month I still receive a paper invoice from TXU, which, paradoxically, reads “E-Bill Statement.” But it’s not an e-bill, it’s on paper. It’s as if TXU can’t quite believe that those digitally bits it sends over the Internets actually reaches real people with real bank accounts. So it wastes a lot of money sending out paper statements just to make sure. Cute. Except that I wonder just how much that adds to my electric bill.
8 Comments to “TXU Hasn’t Quite Gotten The Hang Of E-Commerce”
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I share your frustration. What I also find angering on their website is when you make a one time payment and it takes you to another site that doesn’t know your account number, so then you either have to find your paper bill or go back to you account page, in which case if you copy and paste it, you have to remove the hyphens first so it will fit into the payment page’s text box. Surely there’s an easier way to do this stuff…pretty much every other site in the world that lets you pay bills works like it should.
of course, you can always switch to a cheaper, more e-friendly electricity-service provider…that’s what deregulation is all about and there’s plenty of options out there
and for what it’s worth i received two paper copies of water bill from the city of dallas this month. same exact info and all…just looks like they sent out two copies
maybe someday these companies and government entities will get it, but i ain’t holding my breath
Give http://www.smartenergytx.com a whirl…
Motorola makes TXU look bleeding edge. I ordered their Phone Tools software for instant download ($35 plus tax). The download worked, and it functioned marginally well, although seemed overpriced just to have the ability to upload and download contacts information.
However, a week later I have a 1′ square box on my porch. In which, packed in bubble wrap no less, is naught but a receipt for the software, and a pocket installation guide.
I think this is an energy industry issue, actually. In New Mexico it was the same deal… no online bill-paying, fees to pay over the phone, a complete ignorance to the fact that most of us pay everything online now because it’s easier. If only energy companies were investing that extra brain power in more sustainable energy solutions rather than just being lazy…
Dear Mr. Allison:
I saw your post on Frontburner. Thanks for the comment on our e-commerce capabilities. You are right. It isn’t what it ought to be … yet! The good news is that TXU Energy’s online team is implementing a new best-in-class website that includes online management tools and services that will allow our customers to manage preferences –like paperless billing– and a whole lot more. Once fully in place in early 2009, patient e-savvy customers like you will be able to conduct most of your business with us via TXU.com.
In the meantime, please also understand that many of our customers — even though they receive and pay their TXU Energy bill online — like to have the paper bill as well. Our systems right now are imperfect, but we are working hard every day to build the flexibility needed to customize things to meet the individual needs of our customers.
Thanks again for sharing your frustration. It only helps us get better.
e-commerce
implement
best-in-class
tools
flexibility
customize…bingo
MARK you dipstick!
Are you kiddin’ me?
Foremost, ‘e-savvy’? What is that? Are you getting ecommerce or internet savvy confused with the
E.Savvy remix of Mary J. Blige’s Jst Fine song
? Methinks you may be confused and it is simply because TXU has no relative grasp of how ecommerce and online user interface should exist muchless where standards have progressed over the last decade. But it was probably a term that you typed out and were certain you had heard it in a seminar before.
Maybe a webinar? NO, that’s too advanced for TXU.
I’ve seen it before. I bet TXU does not want to invest the capital into the site and its operations because they do not think it’s viable.
Well take note of your North Dallas neighbor who has it all inside. They rake in over $1B in annual online sales. Your swanky downtown neighbors ring up $500M+ online annually.
As a longtime and successful ecommerce and marketing consultant, I give you a grade of F+. (The plus if for effort to your previous response.)
Wick, stop and think how much a year of web developement will add to our bills? $200k? more? Probably.
I too still recieve an E-bill… two years and running. My fondest recollection goes a couple of years back to the time of my intial enrollment into e-vill. After a few months of e-billing I did not receive the e-bill email. I just went on my merry way because I trusted that I was a cherished internet customer. I assumed I would be reminded of how much it costs each month to stay abreast of weather and Ted Nugent’s latest television hunting endeavors. Maybe the person changing TXU’s email servers did not have the sense of mind to realize that in doing so, they negated any previous listing agreements with email providers such as yahoo, gmail and hotmail thus comprismising their connectibility with their e-bill customers.
But rest assured, I got my friendly pink paper reminding me I am un-’esavvy’ and narrowly fit to be served filét power by TXU.
Has TXU ever considered making those pink reminders deliverable via email for their e-bill customers? It would only make sense for those of us who frequently travel but like to rest assured our wife and dog will not be overcooked in mid-August while I’m in California. How about a text message TXU?
Is that too much to ask?
Can you sit TXU E-Bill?
How ’bout rolling over?
Come on back to me little fat buddy.
PS- I like the way you described the coming website where patient e-savvy customers like you will be able to conduct most of your business with us via TXU.com. WTF is that?