This company does not do their due diligence to ensure accurate information is provided for account set ups. I am a victim of ID fraud and this company allowed someone to use my information to set up an account and did not pay the bill and i have been sent to a collection agency. The account is set up under my name and my ss. used my phone number-which is an out of state number. They also set up a billing address to another different state. Dont you think this should have been a red flag? NOW, the burden of proof is on me to provide documentation that I am ME, with MY SSN and MY DL with MY address to prove that I do NOT live, nor have I EVER lived in the state of MI. In order to provide this information, I have to log into their website using my information that is associated with the fraudulent account. Funny enough, I can't get in because the system wants to send me a one-time access code to the email on file to protect the account from being accessed from an unauthorized user. Imagine that. Had you protected MY information and verified the information provided at the time of account set up, I would not be in the rabbit hole to try to clear this situation up.
Recommendation: Due to DTE's carelessness during account set ups, prices for energy costs will continue to rise for customers.
1 comments
That is a maddening catch-22, and you are right to be livid. Here is the practical path: call DTE's fraud department directly (not the general customer service) and ask to speak to a fraud investigator. Tell them you are a victim of identity theft and that you cannot access the online system because the email on file is fraudulent. They have a manual process for this, but you have to insist. Also, file a police report in your home state for identity theft and send a copy to DTE's legal department via certified mail. Finally, dispute the collection account with all three credit bureaus and attach your police report and ID documents. You are not responsible for this mess, so fight it systematically.