One of my favorite things about Ameren is that you can pay your bill online. Except that, at least half the time, you can't. And if you happen to be that place where your service is about to get shut off, your only option is to use the Speedpay, which charges an extra $2.75. Thanks for costing me even more, Ameren!
Fortunately, I haven't had to call their customer service in years. But I still remember back in the day, when whether or not you could pay over the phone depended entirely on which representative you got that day. I was told everything from ""only with a card that has the same name as the account"" to ""no, we don't take payments by phone, you have to go into a payment center"", all in one day.
This is the problem with zoned utilities. With no competition, there is absolutely no incentive for them to be even mildly polite to you or try to help you in any way. You can't take your business elsewhere, and unlike cable, you can't just opt out of having electricity, and they know it.
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