Since my last blog post, “New Online Billing System,” I’ve noticed we still have some customers with issues logging in to “My Account” to view and pay their bills.
First, on behalf of Pepco, we appreciate your patience as we work through all of the issues. I can assure you that we’re continuously working on ALL of the complaints we’re getting. That said, we’ve been able to funnel everyone’s issues into three main sources; Password Reset, Hold Times, and Error Screen.
1. Password Reset
Customers who have signed up for “My Account,” but can’t remember their username and/or password need to reset it. All they need is the answer to one of the security questions to reset their username and/or password. If a customer can’t remember any of the answers to their security question or is locked out of the system they can call Customer Care at 202-833-7500 to remedy the issue.
2. Hold Times
Customers calling into Customer Care have been getting long hold times. We currently can’t control the number or calls we get, but we can provide call backs without customers losing their place in line. If interested in getting a call back, follow these simple steps:
- Call 202-833-7500. After the recorded message finishes, there is a prompt asking what the purpose of the call is.
- Say “Online Billing.” At that time, callers will be connected to the next available CSR. While being connected to the line to speak to a CSR, customers will hear the current hold time and be offered the option for a call back.
- Press “1” for that option.
3. Error Screen
Currently, Firefox and Internet Explorer are the ONLY browsers compatible with the 3rd party vendor we use for “My Account.” Customers will continue to get error messages if they’re using browsers other than Firefox or Internet Explorer. We’re working diligently with our vendor to support other browsers.
If you are using Firefox or Internet Explorer is the browser in use and error messages are still popping up, follow these simple steps:
- Close all of your open browses sessions and try again with a new browser session.
- If you continue to experience problems, clear out internet history & cookies. Go to the menu bar and select Tools. In the drop down menu, choose Internet Options. A pop up box will appear on the screen and the option to clear out internet history and cookies will be there. Note: all browsers are configured differently and the path to this action may be different.
- Close browser.
- Relaunch browser.
As I said in the last post “I hope this post was useful to you. If not, it may be useful to any Pepco customers you may know, so feel free to forward it on to them.”
‘Til the next post,
Andre
March 9, 2010 at 3:58 pm |
I am still getting the same error I have been for weeks and online bill pay is how I pay my bills with no fees.
My Account
System Unavailable
My Account self-service is not available at this time due to system maintenance.
Please visit us again in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Difficulty Logging In?
If you are having difficulty accessing your web account you may contact a Customer Service Representative at
202-833-7500 Monday-Friday 7AM-7PM for further assistance.
March 9, 2010 at 4:20 pm |
Email PepcoConnect@pepco.com with your Account #, Service Address, and Contact # and I’ll have a rep call you.
March 9, 2010 at 11:10 pm |
THANK you so much for this blog! Answered my question immediately. I was using the Chrome browser to pay via My Account and getting error messages.
Thanks again for this service.
March 11, 2010 at 10:43 pm |
This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. How many customers did you cancel auto bill pay without notice? Do you know how busy the people are in this town! Do you know how many people DO NOT CARE about your bill pay system, but are going to be pissed as heck(like me) when we see the bill hasnt been paid in two months? you fail. Bad move. Bad monopoly on DC electric choice. We need electric choice, and this is why.
PS tried to pay my bill online and your system is down. Double Fail:
Account Information Unavailable
We are unable to retrieve your account information at this time.
Please try again later.
March 12, 2010 at 10:37 am |
I’m glad this blog exists, but now my complaint. Not compatible with Safari? Pepco ought to be ashamed of itself for choosing a vendor that is living in the dark ages. While Firefox is a fine browser, many Mac users use Safari. Cutting us out feels like a jump back to the 1990s. It used to be easy to pay online with Pepco. Now I dread it.
March 12, 2010 at 10:46 am |
Another issue: I finally managed to pay my bill, but when I did, the new interface does not provide a confirmation number. The confirmation email doesn’t do this either.
March 12, 2010 at 11:00 am |
This system is inaccurate and faulty. Pepco has out done themselves again poor service, and a system to match.
March 12, 2010 at 1:17 pm |
Send an email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com with your account #, service address, what is innacurate & faulty, and a contact number and I’ll get someone in touch with you.
March 12, 2010 at 1:00 pm |
The security image associated with my account was wrong from the first day I registered my account on your old site. I have tried re-registering but the new site infoms me the account is already registered. Since users can not fix security images, would PEPCO PLEASE, get your head out of your shady valley and fix my security image?
March 12, 2010 at 1:51 pm |
I hope it hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience. Hopefully I can fix this all for you. Send an email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com with your account #, service address, details of what’s wrong, and a contact number and I’ll get someone in touch with you.
March 17, 2010 at 9:58 pm |
Well, this online system is far worse than I envisioned. You’ve really outdone yourselves. I used e-bills, it worked fine for years. Now, I used your stupid on-line system, I set up the automatic payment back in February. Guess what? Nothing happened. No payment whatsoever. Considering that “troubleshooting online billing” is your number one item on your web site, I’m assuming I’m not the only one with issues. Now what?
March 18, 2010 at 9:46 am |
We’re diligently working to get all the kinks worked out. Have you been able to remedy your issue? If not, send a detailed email including your account #, service address, issue you’re having & contact # to PepcoConnect@pepco.com
March 17, 2010 at 11:13 pm |
Your new online billing system is horrible. I have faithfully paid all my bills on time for the past 2 years since being with Pepco. Who is the genious that rolled out this “upgrade” without working out the bugs. All I want to do is pay my bill. Come pick up a check if you want to get paid. I’m done with your new system.
March 18, 2010 at 9:52 am |
We ran the usual tests on the system before we rolled it out. The issues we came across were completely unforeseen. That said, I’m here to help if you want. If so, send a detailed email including your account #, service address, clear explanation of what’s wrong & contact # to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.
March 19, 2010 at 8:35 am |
I’ve sent emails to pepcoconnect@pepco.com, because I keep getting the “system maintenance” error message, but haven’t gotten a response. I also haven’t gotten a bill in any form.
March 19, 2010 at 8:41 am |
Good morning! What address are you sending your emails from? I manage PepcoConnect@pepco.com & I haven’t seen any from your attached address. Please try sending another.
March 19, 2010 at 12:03 pm |
I’m completely dismayed with the new online billing sytem. I haven’t received a bill via email or by paper since January. It’s major step back from using my bank’s billpay system for over a decade.
I can’t get to my bill online because my account has been locked. I have tried to reset the account online multiple times with no success. Calling your support proved to useless. After walking through the same steps I was already doing from the online steps, he tells me that he would have to get someone to call me back. No call so far.
So, what happens when my bill comes due and I can’t get to it. Will PEPCO be waving the late fees or I’m getting electric for free till you get the kinks out of your online billing system?
March 19, 2010 at 3:34 pm |
Send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com including your account information, issue you’re having, and a contact # you can be reached at. I will personally make sure whatever problems you’re having are taken care of.
March 22, 2010 at 9:50 am
Are you going to respond to the issues being address here?
- The missing bills. (email or paper bills)
- The waiving of the late fees on bills not sent.
- The lack of options of paying my bill either through my bank or other systems. Setting up another account with Pepco isn’t a real option.
- The failure of your customer service reps to call people back in due time.
DO NOT respond with a cut and paste of “Send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com…” These issues needs to be address in a public forum.
March 26, 2010 at 8:28 am
1. I haven’t been seeing complaints of missing bills. If a bill can’t be found, Customer Care can find it in their archives.
2. We are currently waiving late fees for customers who have received them due to the switch to My Account
3. In an effort to be a socially responsible company, we’re trying to conserve as much as possible, hence the conversion to My Account. If you’re adamant about paying your bill through your bank you should still be able to. Most banks just require the address of where you’re sending payment as well as your account information.
4. I haven’t been seeing complaints about our Customer Service Reps getting back to customers, but I will make note of it now.
I hope this answered your questions. If you need anything else, feel free to contact me via twitter and/or email.
March 28, 2010 at 11:39 am
It’s not a matter of being able to pay our bills through our bank. It’s a matter of being able to *receive* our bills and pay them through our bank’s electronic billing system. That’s now impossible. Thanks, Pepco! You recovering the cost for this “upgrade” through our rates?
April 8, 2010 at 6:56 pm
I cannot agree more…we require e-bills – there are no other acceptable options!
March 19, 2010 at 3:12 pm |
FAIL!
I don’t get call backs after 4 hours. I request my username/password and my accounts get locked out.
this is incredibly incompetent. Won’t pepco spend a few dollars just to log calls rather than create a wave of frustration from ALL my friends?
March 19, 2010 at 3:32 pm |
I’ve received your email & forwarded it to Customer Care. Someone will be in contact with you to help get your issue taken care of soon.
March 20, 2010 at 7:50 am |
If people want to comlain about Pepco’s shoddy product and treatment of its customers, email the Public Utility Commission: http://webapp.psc.state.md.us/intranet/psc/contactus_new.cfm
March 20, 2010 at 8:26 am |
A HEARTFELT NOTE TO THE PEPCO CEO: What is the objective here? Is not the objective to create an electronic payment system that is more cost efficient for you, which means reducing the reliance on a paper billing system, and that is easy to use for your customers? Then why not give customer’s options? All my other bills – except for Comcast and I really don’t think their customer relations should be your model – allow me to either use e-bill or to set up a “my account” system with them. I prefer e-bill because I don’t have to spread around my personal account informatiOn. Everytime I have raised the issue of privacy with Pepco, the standard response is well, don’t use “my account.” Which is a real “to hell with customers” response and which would mean going to a paper system, which I would guess is counter to what you were trying to do. GIVE US THE OPTION TO USE E-BILLS, PLEASE!
March 20, 2010 at 9:55 am |
Today is Saturday, March 20th. My bill is due Monday, March 22nd. I’m frustrated now because I’ve tried everything pepco suggested, and now I’m locked out of my account. I just want to pay my bill on time. Please help!
March 22, 2010 at 8:45 am |
Send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com! Please include your account #, service address, issue you’re having, and contact #.
March 21, 2010 at 1:28 pm |
I read some of the responses and am glad to know that I’m not the only one who is frustrated with Pepco’s new online bill payment system. I have created accounts, when one didn’t work, or at least I thought it was the username or something else that I did, spoke with a CSR, had my password reset, sent emails to Pepco. I finally went to a payment location to pay my bill because it was past due because I was trying to pay online! The CSR said she realized Pepco’s issues with the new online system and it should be working now. Well I couldn’t wait until I got home to login and when I did, guess what? She lied. The system was still “unavailable to retrieve my information” so I could pay my bill. I have gotten so used to paying all of my bills online because it is so convenient. Pepco offers and promote e-billing and payment why can’t
Pepco provide a reliable, and effiecient software for it’s customers. I do not have time to go to payment location and worry about parking everytime.
March 22, 2010 at 8:49 am |
Send a detailed email including account #, service address, contact #, and issue you’re having to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and we’ll get everything taken care of for you.
March 24, 2010 at 8:13 pm |
THe email informing people about the new system and telling them to click on the link to set up a new account looked like a phishing email, which we have all been trained to avoid. The roll-out of this new system was done very poorly, and the new system is still not working for the customers. Is that what happens when it’s a monopoly and not a competitive service?
March 26, 2010 at 7:34 am |
Isn’t Pepco deflecting some of the ownership of these issues? For example: ” Currently, Firefox and Internet Explorer are the ONLY browsers compatible with the 3rd party vendor we use for “My Account.” ?” A 3rd party vendor is NOT where I receive my electrical power from. This is Pepco’s “MY Account” system. The fact that you use a 3rd party vendor is irrelevant to your customers. You presumably established requirements, selected this vendor and pay for the service. It is YOUR system in the eyes of your customers. May I suggest that next time you say “Currently, Firefox and Internet Explorer are the ONLY browsers compatible with “My Account.” Customers will continue to get error messages if they’re using browsers other than Firefox or Internet Explorer. We’re working diligently to support other browsers.
March 28, 2010 at 11:34 am |
This new billing system is a perfect example of the kind of customer service that one can expect from a utility with a monopoly over its customers. How bad is this new system? Let me count the ways:
1) Pepco used to allow its customers to receive and pay e-bills through their bank. One-stop billing is incredibly convenient. But no more! Instead, I went two billing cycles before I noticed that I wasn’t receiving Pepco e-bills through my bank anymore. Thanks, Pepco, for the late fees!
2) The online system requires me to give Pepco my bank account information. This is a clear privacy issue. There’s no reason why this is needed. It is additionally unclear whether Pepco has the authority to unilaterally debit my account without my approving the payment first.
3) The web interface is a joke. Use Safari on a Mac? Then you have to reset your browser to the most unsecure cookie setting possible just to pay your %&$* electric bill.
Please, please, PLEASE for the love of all that is holy, give your customers back the ability and choice to pay bills through our banks’ e-billing systems.
Unbelievable. If the people who were in charge of this billing “upgrade” still have jobs, then it’s only because Pepco has no meaningful competition and doesn’t need to care in the least what happens to their customers. I am drafting my letter to the Maryland Public Utilities Commission now.
March 29, 2010 at 8:38 am |
If you are adamant about paying through your bank, you still can! It will just no longer be an electronic transfer as before. The bank will mail a check to Pepco. Outside of that, here are alternate ways to pay your bill: http://www.pepco.com/home/billing. There are some benefits to registering for My Account though, so I’d still reccomend checking it out. If you have any other issues, feel free to email me at PepcoConnect@pepco.com
March 29, 2010 at 10:17 am |
Your system will not allow me to pay my bill online. Keeps asking for username and password, but when I give them, your site says their incorrect. They are not, I tried resetting the password but still not allowed into your system. I have left messages, I’ve had return calls, the last time I called I was told that there would be a technician calling to resolve the issue . . . NOT.
Please help, all I want to do is pay my bill.
Thank You.
April 6, 2010 at 8:34 am |
Email PepcoConnect@pepco.com with details of your issue, your account info & a contact #
March 30, 2010 at 12:15 pm |
Ditto all the complaints everyone noted above. I registered when this system first opened and *immediately* was told the system was unavailable for maintenance. I called and requested a call back. Never got one. I called again, waited an hour, was told that my password was unlocked and that I’ll get an email. Again, never did. Heck, as I write this, I’m on hold again!
I tried with IE8 and FF3.5. I’m going to mail a check the old-fashioned way since the “E” in “e-Bill” must mean exasperating.
April 6, 2010 at 8:38 am |
Don’t give up on us just yet! Email PepcoConnect@pepco.com with details of your issue, your account info & a contact #
April 3, 2010 at 1:56 am |
I just want to log on, enter my card number and POOF bill-be-paid. What about being “paperless” includes me having the HAVE A PAPER CHECK? Why can’t I pay with the same old credit card I always have? Who accepts Discover Card but NOT Visa? Something is not legitimate about this BillMatrix.
April 6, 2010 at 8:55 am |
Hopefully not accepting Visa wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. Bill Matrix has actually been like that since before this new online billing change. That said, I’ll make sure the proper people hear your concern about not accepting Visa.
April 5, 2010 at 12:26 pm |
please improve your bill payment website. make if user friendly
April 6, 2010 at 8:57 am |
We value everyone’s opinion and try to use those opinions to provide better service to you all; our customers. Please Email PepcoConnect@pepco.com with more detail of how we should improve our bill payment website to be more user friendly.
April 5, 2010 at 7:11 pm |
Why can’t you go back to the old system which actually worked??? All I want to do is pay my bill, preferably without all of these issues. Thanks.
April 6, 2010 at 9:00 am |
I understand your frustration and appreciate your patience while we work to get ALL the bugs out of paying your bill via My Account. The switch was made to streamline our programs & services through 1 portal. So, you can do your online energy audit, pay your bill, adjust your smart thermostat, etc. via My Account. If you have e specific issue, email PepcoConnect@pepco.com with details of it, your account info & a contact #
April 8, 2010 at 5:04 pm |
worst . system . ever
April 8, 2010 at 6:55 pm |
The removal of e-bills that allowed payment from my bank account is incredibly inconvenient to the point that I am considering other options for electric service. Requiring me to store personal bank information on your site – which is insecure (by your own admission) is unacceptable. Given my travel schedule, a central paying service is my best option.
It clearly seems that Pepco has taken a step BACKWARDS in customer service for your own benefits – not that of the customers.
PLEASE RESTORE E-BILLS SO THAT WE CAN PAY SECURELY FROM OUR BANKS
April 16, 2010 at 11:13 am |
There are various options to pay your bill: http://www.pepco.com/home/billing. You can still set up payments through your bank, you’ll just have to manually plug in the amount monthly.
April 17, 2011 at 8:52 am
“pepcoconnect” never answered the question as to why e-billing was discontinued.
Here is the answer.
It is SLIGHTLY cheaper for Pepco to “pull” payments through their own system than to receive e-bill payments from a variety of different banks. By disallowing us the option of e-bills, Pepco has cornered us so that the only means of having automatic bill payment is through their system (which has many technical and privacy problems). I and many others will not be forced into this, and are instead initiating each monthly bill payment manually, which actually costs MORE for Pepco, as well as reminding us each month what low regard Pepco has for its customers.
All of my service providers offer e-billing EXCEPT Pepco.
BRING BACK E-BILLS.
June 10, 2011 at 8:22 am
Moving all online payments to My Account was a business decision made by Customer Care. I’ll be sure to share your concern with them. With regard to your point about automatic payments, you can sign up for them through My Account.
April 11, 2010 at 8:09 pm |
What a piece of junk this online payment system is… I tried and tried to login tonight …. I did make a couple of mistakes but PLEASE…. such security to pay the #$%!! BILL… I finally was kicked off (locked out) and ended up paying over the phone… Your new system is a piece of trash. I work with many systems at work and nothing is like this one… You need to get it fixed and make it easier to make a payment, SOON. I guess all of us Pepco accounts got to pay for this serious piece of work. Thanks a bunch for spending our dollars on a system like this. What in the world were you thinking?
April 16, 2010 at 11:19 am |
I understand your frustration and will make sure my colleagues in IT see everyone’s comments. The only way we can improve our system is by taking customer feedback seriously. If you haven’t been able to get your account unlocked, send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com (explaining what happened) and I will make sure it gets taken care of.
April 13, 2010 at 8:01 am |
I had been using my bank’s web bill payment service for some time to simply receive, schedule and pay your bills without any issues or late payments.
I thought I successfully made an online payment for the transition period. When I received this month’s bill, however, I saw that I did not and there is a late fee.
Seven days ago, I sent an email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com per your instructions to other customers and I still have not heard back.
I would like to hear back before this month’s bill is due, which is in two days.
April 16, 2010 at 11:21 am |
I apologize for the delayed response. We have since been in contact and your issue resolved. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to email me at PepcoConnect@pepco.com.
April 14, 2010 at 5:36 pm |
Pepco, you really failed with this. I find it annoying that I had to read a PDF trouble shooting guide then log in to a completely different browser just to pay my bill. Please make it so there are no more errors that pop up when I try to pay my bill.
April 16, 2010 at 11:23 am |
We are working hard to avoid those errors. If you do get them and are unable to work through them, email PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I will make sure everything gets taken care of.
April 20, 2010 at 5:42 am |
I accidentally “lost” my online billing capability during the upgrade because I did not log on. Now I cannot re-enter my account information because it is asking me to enter a “Service Date” line that happens not to be printed on my bill. I have tried the “Bill Issue Date,” and even tried entering the date that’s a month before my “next scheduled meter reading,” but neither works.
April 27, 2010 at 2:42 pm |
Send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com with exactly what your issue is, your account number, your service address, and a contact number and I’ll get it all taken care of for you.
May 1, 2010 at 7:53 am |
If its not broken don’t break it. That’s what happened.
The new system is a disaster.
May 3, 2010 at 5:44 pm |
I used to pay via my bank’s ebill system. Two months went by before I realized my pepco bills weren’t being paid. Now I have late fees. I just spent a half hour on hold to tell the customer service guy to nix the late fees.
What is the real reason you killed ebills? Surely not to “streamline your programs & services through 1 portal”. Nobody wants to come to your portal and we sure as hell don’t want to trust you with our bank account or credit card numbers.
May 4, 2010 at 10:11 pm |
Not only does your system not work with Chrome, which is outrageous in itself, but it doesn’t work with Internet Explorer, either. I followed your instructions above, cleared by cache, closed my other browers and still i can not access my online account. Here is the error message i get:
Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage
What you can try:
Diagnose Connection Problems
Please fix this and notify me when it is fixed. I paid late fees last month because your system did not work properly, if i get late fees this month, i will make a complaint to the public service commission.
And please do not try to pretend this is to help the environment. You are trying to save funds by making it hard for your customers to pay their bills. I can not even access mine to figure out how much I owe.
May 15, 2010 at 10:11 pm |
I’m hoping you can help me. I got a notice that my bill was overdue by two months because you changed your autopay system while I was traveling, and did not inform me via email. You have charged me late fees, and will be turning off my power in 9 days.
I know you guys are trying work out the kinks in the new system, and I appreciate that, so I wanted to share what I’ve tried so far:
I logged into the new site and created a new account using Firefox, per the instructions. However, whenever I click access my account, the site says “Please wait while we retrieve your account information…” but it hangs on this message; no new screen ever comes up.
If I click “View and Pay Bill”, the site says, “Not Found. The requested URL /ebill/pepco/30303939393831363439/viewebill.ashx was not found on this server.”
I tried calling 202-833-7500, and said “Online Billing”. But you are “Unable to process my request at this time.”
Your letter says you will cancel my service in 9 days. What can I do to make sure you don’t shut off my service?? You have the information you need to bill me, and I’ve tried all the provided avenues for getting in touch.
PLEASE don’t shut off my power over your system migration issues. I’ll be happy to pay my bill, if you would provide a way to do this.
Thank you.
June 2, 2010 at 10:37 am |
Were you ever able to get your issue resolved? If not, email me at PepcoConnect@pepco.com.
June 2, 2010 at 12:58 pm |
I have reverted to paying by mail with a check. If everyone goes back to that, Pepco will have to hire more staff to process all the checks. That might lead to them fixing this horrible new, non-functional system.
June 6, 2010 at 7:03 pm |
Once again… the new wonder of wonder online payment systems is simply beyond words. I can sign in and I can get to all my account details. I can see the difference between the 2 months payment… I can see my account # and I can see my name and address. I see a button “View and Pay Bill” and I click on it thinking I am going to be able to pay my bill…. no, not so easy. I called “Customer Care -7 am – 8 pm” only to be finally told … “Oh that’s Mon-Fri and I can’t help you”… The Customer Care # on the bill fails to mention Mon-Fri… Bottom Line.. I still can’t pay the bill on line today and have to spend MY time tomorrow fighting with this issue. Last month I was in and out without a hitch… what in the world is up with this today? What a mess you have created. I hope it’s saving Pepco time and money because it’s costing me …. “Thanks” again for such a wonderful Customer Friendly Product
June 7, 2010 at 10:37 am |
OK, so you guys broke a pefectly well working system. The bank used to get the bill, and on the day due Pepco got their money. And I had peace of mind. It will be a cold day in a coal fired power plant before I give you access to my bank account.
Whose idea was this, Mr. Burns’? Did Smithers write the code for ‘My account’?
On the other hand, what you did really does make sense. It’s Pepco’s contribution to stimulate the economy.
Great, we’ll play along… Keep sending us bills in envelopes with lots of paper – keep the bill printers and the mailman employed. We’ll have the bank send you paper checks – keep the check printers and the mailman employed. Hire a subcontractor to wreck your payment system – keep the webgeeks employed. Get a blogger to respond to all the customers who complain – keep a PR person employed. Pure genius…
July 12, 2010 at 9:18 pm |
please give me 4 major problems in online billing. the problem in manual billing statement, because i propose a online billing and reservation system but my professor told me to give 4 major problem in billing. can u please help me. tnx
August 3, 2010 at 12:29 am |
I am still having problems with password reset. I put in all the correct information but the new email with the temporary password does not make it to my email and yes I checked the spam folder…not there either.
August 13, 2010 at 10:01 am |
I can check into it if you send a detailed email including your Account #, Service Address & contact number to PepcoConnect@pepco.com
August 5, 2010 at 4:40 pm |
My paperless billing was discontinued without any warning or even my consent! I wasn’t aware of this until I suddenly received a paper statement in the mail of an overdue bill. When I logged on to pay online, I received the following message (and have been for a week now): There are no Utility Accounts associated with your Web Account.
What on earth happened?! I have been paying online for months with no problem and all of a sudden I have no account?? Please advise!
August 13, 2010 at 10:03 am |
We changed the online payment option in an attempt to streamline all customer self service issues via My Account. The reason it’s coming up as no account is because we didn’t automatically generate new usernames when we made the switch. I can check into it if you send a detailed email including your Account #, Service Address & contact number to PepcoConnect@pepco.com
August 11, 2010 at 8:46 am |
EVERY time I try to log on, it says that my account is locked for protection. I go through the process, update my password, and then log on successfully. Why is this happening? It is extremely frustrating and there is obviously something very wrong with this system.
September 2, 2010 at 3:38 am |
Last night I got up to the “View and Pay Bill” page, clicked on that, and then got the next page, with Please wait while we retrieve your information or something to that effect. Then it just seemed to freeze. I gave up after about ten minutes. Same thing tonight. I remembered the “troubleshooting” comment on the new user registration/old user sign in page, but there doesn’t seem to be a link to these troubleshooting pointers, so I clicked on the blog link and ended up here. Most of the comments and promises to fix things were in March to June, but I saw a couple more in August and decided to do this on September 2. But has anything been fixed. Sometimes I’ve been able to pay, but often I’ve had problems. In light of the recent fury PEPCO has been getting from the public about slowness in repairing storm-caused power outages, is it possible PEPCO accidentally dispatched computer programmers to the power lines and put all the electricians to work designing your website and payment systems?
September 3, 2010 at 9:15 pm |
Hi, I have paid online for years and will continue to do so, but boy… for a company with at least a couple of geeks on the payroll, you guys should have come up with a more reliable “new and improved” website. I have about a 50-50 chance of accessing my account on any try, have been dropped in the middle of sessions, and just don’t the same warm, cozy feel I do when I use the Washington Gas website.
I was the neighborhood Pepco cheerleader during the recent power outages (especially against the MoCoEnts who screamed in Algore terror when you suggested trimming their trees, yet ranted against you when said tree blew over into their feeder line).
But come on, you can do better than this!!
Paul Caucho, Kensington
September 10, 2010 at 12:04 pm |
The main PEPCO website is so unattractive. If you just want to pay your bill or view your account, it’s buried between alot of useless information. I want to learn more about conserving energy but the site does not provide useful and simple tips. When I finally was able to find the pay online button, I couldn’t get on the site. I tried from home and work and the system is soooo slow. I want to go paperless but the online system has failed me. Also, I am persuing a formal complaint againt an employee who disconnected my old account and now I have a new account and had to pay a whopping $200 deposit!!!
September 12, 2010 at 12:28 pm |
What in the world happened? My wife and I have not been paying our pepco bill through bill pay for the last year. We recent recieved a disconntinuance notice and realized that our automatic payments were not being recieved????? Now, we tried to log in to pay online to avoid disconntinuance and we cannot gain access to our pepco account online! We’ve tried EVERYTHING and we still cant get through to pay our bill!! Please fix this and please waive our late fees because we were not aware that you all made these unfair and ridiculous changes!!! This is aweful!!
September 13, 2010 at 8:38 pm |
I have been trying just to view my account online for a week now.
1)PEPCO sent me a “correspondence” email informing me I could now view my bill. There was a link embedded in the email, which I used.
2) I clicked on the link and was directed to the sign-in to my account page.
3) Using my username and password I kept getting an error.
4) I contacted PEPCO by email asking for help.
5) I was sent an email “…as per your request your password has been reset”. I did not ask to reset my password.
6) Never the less I used the new password and was directed to the page to create a new one (password), which I did, and again was unable to access my account – I was given the same error.
7) I went through steps 4-6 several times. Please note this included using my security question which I answered correctly each time.
8) Today I called customer service since it’s become clear no one was reading my emails and I was just automatically being sent a new password each time I contacted PEPCO.
9) The person on the phone helpfully said “it should work”. I helpfully replied “I wish it did work”. No solutions were offered. I/my computer were blamed for the problem.
I pointed out that I had the same problem on two different computers which are not networked and the very small statistical probability of both computers having the same problem with the PEPCO website (and no other problems) when I try to access my account.
10) I asked to speak to someone who manages the database to please help me with my problem by looking at my data in the database.
I was told there is no one who can look at the PEPCO database. I replied that I myself work with databases and I know there is someone who can look up my data to find the problem in my unique identifying row of data. Needless to say I was told again “it should work” and the problem is with my computer.
11) I tried to register my account as a first time user to try and get around the problem and of course I can’t because my account number “is already registered”. Yes. It’s registered to me. But I can’t access my account.
I do not need a new password. Yes PEPCO you have my data in your database. You have my account number and security question/answer and username and password.
The problem is with accessing my account even with all of the above correctly typed into the prompts. I use microsoft browser on one computer and firefox on the other and I get the same error on each computer. The computers are not connected.
i want to view my account. You have my email and account number in your database. I want to see my account. If you can’t help me then I insist you purge this data from the database.
I owe you money. I have wasted an absurd amount of time trying to pay you and/or view my bill.
Why can’t someone help me gain access to my own account?
September 15, 2010 at 9:17 am |
I’ve been trying to pay my bill online for a week now with no success. The worst thing in the world is having problems giving your money away. Are ya’ll fucking idiots. This shit is suppose to be simple. You are the only bill pay system that gives me problems. I pay my bill every other month just to avoid this dumb ass online waste of my time bill pay. Ya’ll are the worst electric company in the world. And most sad is that the president is african american like me. President Pepco, you are a fuck up and so is the company you are running. How do you live with yourself, no power, people losing fridge full of food. Then when we try to pay your bill, you make that hard. I’m moving out of DC, where is BGE when you need them.
September 26, 2010 at 7:18 am |
I have been unable for nearly a month to log in to My Account to pay my bill.
Error message:
# The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few
moments.
# If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network
connection.
# If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make
sure
that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.
Per the troublshooting guide, I have 1) used Firefox and 2) cleared my
internet history/cookies.
My bill is due 9/30/2010. If this issue is not resolved by that date,
please ensure that my account does not receive a late fee.
I prefer not to be called since your customer service reps will likely try
to call me when I am at work and unable to pick up the phone. Please resolve this issue on your end and send an email confirming that I can now
use My Account.
Please also consider this formal feedback that I am dissatisfied with the
change in the online bill paying system. Needless to say, it’s extremely
frustrating to spend my evenings and weekends trying to give money to your
company.
November 7, 2010 at 11:15 am |
This is so frustrating. Every time I click on the button “View and Pay Bill,” it gives me a 404. This has been ongoing for months.
Every other vendor on the planet can easily manage to take care of this sort of bill payment – of course, it is in their own interests to make it as easy as possible for their clients to send them money.
I suggest that it is also in PEPCO’s best interests to get their payment sytems functional.
And for what it is worth, I have been using IE to access the PEPCO site.
May 30, 2011 at 6:49 pm |
I would actually say it’s not in their interest to set up a well functioning online system. This way they collect late fees too. You have no other option and you’re going to pay regardless, so why not collect late fees too. It’s criminal.
June 10, 2011 at 8:18 am
Send a detailed email including your issue, service address, and contact number to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I can look into it for you as well as look into getting those late charges waived.
November 7, 2010 at 8:18 pm |
I have been trying to pay my bill on Pepco’s website for the last 3 days. When I click pay bill it says ”
Not Found
The requested URL /ebill/pepco/32303335303437313133/viewebill.ashx was not found on this server.
How am I supposed to pay my bill? I don’t have time during my workday to call Pepco and be on hold for too many minutes!
January 17, 2011 at 4:01 pm |
As many others have observed, this website is poor. I am tempted to start paying this bill by mail again since access to my account information and the payment window is so sporadic. I’ve been trying to pay off-and-on for a week and have waited many, many minutes with “retrieving account information” displayed on the screen with no account information forthcoming. What a waste of my time. Is that part of your corporate model?
January 17, 2011 at 9:32 pm |
Pepco you are the most backward agency ever.I wish that you have a local replacement soon. Your online payment options are totally inadequate. The MASTER CARD ONLY cradit card option is rediculous!!!! This is 2011–get with it. Your customer satisfacton rating should be awful. There needs to be other viable payment options. GET WITH IT PEPCO!!!
January 21, 2011 at 8:42 pm |
I got no email with my bill again. So now I am paying late again.
February 14, 2011 at 5:28 pm |
Pepco SUCKS.
I’ve had this error message for over a month:
“My Account self-service is not available at this time due to system maintenance.”
Plus I just hung up after waiting over 20 minutes on hold with your crappy telephone service.
Do you want my money or not?
April 5, 2011 at 10:03 pm |
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April 11, 2011 at 9:04 am |
I logged in last month but can’t log on today. I cleared the cache. I have IE 8.0.+. I get an error page when I enter my account name. I have sent an email from the online link, but it wouldn’t allow the error message (“illegal characters”).
Server Error in ‘/IDMPepcoLogin’ Application.
——————————————————————————–
Runtime Error
Description: An application error occurred on the server. The current custom error settings for this application prevent the details of the application error from being viewed remotely (for security reasons). It could, however, be viewed by browsers running on the local server machine.
Details: To enable the details of this specific error message to be viewable on remote machines, please create a tag within a “web.config” configuration file located in the root directory of the current web application. This tag should then have its “mode” attribute set to “Off”.
Notes: The current error page you are seeing can be replaced by a custom error page by modifying the “defaultRedirect” attribute of the application’s configuration tag to point to a custom error page URL.
April 14, 2011 at 12:38 pm |
Send a detailed email to PepcoConnect@pepco.com with your issue, account number, service address, and a contact number and I will look into it for you!
May 24, 2011 at 7:48 am |
i got same issues with regards to my account. i forgot my password, tried to reset it but no luck. i called support, no use. utility billing
June 10, 2011 at 8:24 am |
Send a detailed email including the email address and username you used to sign up for My Account to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I’ll look into it for you!
May 30, 2011 at 6:47 pm |
I thought I had paid my first Pepco bill online after I set up my account, however, I received my bill for the following month with late charges as apparently the payment was never registered. Now I am supposed to pay a late fee. This online service is unacceptable. How has Pepco not managed to create an online interface on par with every single other company that exists in this country that charges its customers a monthly fee? Simply Unbelievable. That is the last time I rely on your site to pay my bill.
May 31, 2011 at 1:40 pm |
I don’t know if this post is still being monitored or not, but I recently called to deal with a similar problem to one others are having; since setting up my online account back in January, I’ve been getting the “System Unavailable; My Account self-service is not available at this time due to system maintenance. Please visit us again in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience.” message. I’m all for site maintenance, but I doubt that it’s really been down for 4 months now. I called and spoke with someone who put in an IT request, but she told me that 1) it could take up to 4 weeks for a resolution, and 2) that there was no tracking or reference number to check if/when it’s not fixed; I just have to call back and submit a whole new request if I still can’t access My Account in 4 weeks.
I get that this is a complex system and I get that you’re dealing with lots of annoyed and difficult customers. But that is just a ridiculous way to handle your support process. Is there any alternative way to solve this problem?!
June 10, 2011 at 8:16 am |
Send a detailed email including the issue, your service address, and contact number to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I’ll look into it for you!
June 3, 2011 at 8:40 pm |
Have not received a paper (in the mail), electric bill for the past couple of months. The last correspondence from PEPCO was a late/disconnect notice, that I went to PEPCO and paid. The past several months have been paid on-line. Would that create a problem with my electric bill being mailed to me?
June 10, 2011 at 8:14 am |
You can opt out of our “Green Bill” program in My Account
June 4, 2011 at 9:01 am |
New account, setup fine, no issues, however, every time I go to pay the bill, it says down for maintenance. Do you post the times when bills can be paid online and you are not doing maintenance service?
June 10, 2011 at 11:06 am |
A bit of advice…Pepco isn’t going to resolve their online bill pay system anytime soon. They have zero incentive to do so. You’re much better off using your bank’s online bill pay options and just paying your bill that way. It works just as well and is way more reliable.
June 10, 2011 at 11:50 am |
Wow, it seems the same My Account error messages from over a year ago still have not been resolved. I am assuming when PepcoConnect@pepco.com gets around to it, he/she will ask for my information that is completely irrelevant to getting anything fixed ONLINE to get the bill payment to work. I have lived here for less than a month and already hate Pepco and their useless customer service who resets my password without my permission then after stating they will look into the problem, I asked “So will you send me an e-mail when this issue is resolved?” Response “I am sorry, I do not have the ability to e-mail you.” At least I did not have to wait long to get on the phone with them…please hire competent customer service and IT people, thanks!
June 21, 2011 at 9:30 am |
I can look into your issue if you’re interested in help. Email me at PepcoConnect@pepco.com
July 13, 2011 at 7:10 pm |
Very frustrated. Just want to pay my bill. I have changed password even though I know I had the correct one to begin with. I can view my bill, but when I click “View and Pay Bill” it takes me back to the log in page. I have followed suggestions (dump cookies, close all browsers and open a new one) etc. but to no avail. Also, I am using one of the “browsers accepted.
I too, am curious as to how Pepco can bill to any brower but will only accept 3 specific ones. However, my primary issue is how to access bill payment.
Notify me with solution via email.
October 7, 2011 at 6:33 pm |
It just clicked to read this blog. I spoke to a rep a couple weeks ago who helped reset my password which I said was correct, I thought I was loosing my mind but now I see everyone is having this problem. She completely withheld the fact that it was not jusst me going thru this issue of a different picture when yuou log in and forcing you to change your password. I got in to pay one bill and always get the system down for maintenance error. All this time I wsas trying to log on earlier in the day thinking it was down at night for maintenance. Please waive my late fee and I’ll send my payment thru my bank via snail mail or however they do it.
November 25, 2011 at 1:13 pm |
Why put e-statements out if you don’t even have the system set up? I’ve waited months for this service.
If you guys actually wanted to fix something you would. Don’t you realize it costs money to ship out the bill statements? You could save a lot more $ just by fixing this problem. No one can pay their bills online unless they do it through a bank.
You guys are lucky you’re the only power provider in my area, I would’ve switched a long time ago.
December 9, 2011 at 10:48 am |
Email your service address as well as the username and email address you used to set up your My Account profile to PepcoConnect@pepco.com and I’ll look into it.
March 16, 2012 at 11:42 am |
If I sign up for online bill view/payment, will I still get a paper copy in the mail?
March 16, 2012 at 2:39 pm |
When you register for My Account you agree to receive monthly e-mails informing you that your bill is ready. However, you will still receive your paper bill unless you select the “Go Green” paperless billing option. Regardless of which option you choose, you may print your bill at any time in order to retain a printed copy for your records. You will have six months of bills available for quick, convenient access. You can always turn your paper bill back on by changing your Selection in the Go Green Paperless Billing option.