Michigan’s attorney general has asked for an investigation into DTE Energy’s eBill program over concerns the company enrolls customers without getting permission first.
The eBill program automatically enrolls DTE Energy customers in DTE’s paperless billing program without approval from the customer. Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office said this could “pose hardships” to customers who don’t know about the program and aren’t checking email accounts for bills they expect to come in the mail.
Nessel has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) Chair to investigate the program and any other utilities’ with similar programs across the state.
“For many people who are struggling to make ends meet, adding additional costs based on a change that was made without their knowledge and consent is completely unfair and must stop,” said Nessel. “I hope that the Michigan Public Service Commission will open an investigation into this practice to ensure that ratepayers are not facing additional burdens and that they require the company to provide refunds to the customers who were negatively impacted by this practice.”
According to Nessel, customers who have shared their emails with DTE Energy for other reasons may be notified that they’ve been selected for an eBill trial. DTE Energy automatically enrolls the customer into the eBill program if they don’t manually opt-out.
The information on how to opt-out of eBill is at the bottom of the email and Nessel said it is not likely to be read by the customer. Nessel said paperless billing without consent could cause problems for customers who had previously opted-in to paper billing and are unaware of the change.
“This practice is especially troubling as we head into the colder months,” Nessel said. “It’s essential that residents, especially seniors who are more likely to fall victim to this type of trickery, have reliable heat in their homes throughout the winter.”
DTE Energy released the following statement to Local 4:
“DTE’s eBill Paperless Billing program has made account management easier than ever for customers, while also reducing paper waste and ultimately cutting costs for customers. In order to continue to save costs for customers, while also allowing what effectively amounts to a longer period to pay bills, DTE extends eBill trial enrollments to customers through an email campaign.
“Customers have told DTE they appreciate the opportunity to experience eBills on a trial basis. The trial begins and ends with emails explaining to customers they have been enrolled in the trial, with the opportunity to opt out before fully enrolled.
“If customers do not open either email in the trial, they will continue to receive paper bills. And as always, customers have the opportunity to opt out of the program at any time. No customer is ever required to use paperless billing. Anyone experiencing a late fee during the eBill enrollment process, or wishing to enroll or unenroll in the program, should call DTE at 800-477-4747.
“We look forward to working with the attorney general to address her questions about the eBill Paperless billing program.”
Here is the letter from Michigan AG
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