Business Profile

Electric Companies

Ameren

BBB Accredited Business A+Rated by BBB

Important information

Customer Complaint:
BBB has received consumer complaints about Ameren which primarily allege difficulty switching service from one location to another, billing issues, and poor customer service. The company has address concerns brought to its attention.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Ameren's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

189 total complaints in the last 3 years.
42 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:04/22/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
In Aug of 2023, I was on budget billing paying $116/mo. I wanted to cancel it in Sept and the guy said that I would have to call on the month I wanted it canceled, so I took that to mean that it would be effective IMMEDIATELY once canceled. In Sept, I called to cancel and I asked the lady that if I pay what is actually owed plus what I was behind at the time, I would be square right? She said yes, so I got the bill in Oct and it was still $116, so I paid the actual PLUS the behind which came to $78.83, which left a balance of $*****. In November I got the bill and it was $119!! (actual bill+behind balance+ *****), so I called for the 3rd time and got a very rude lady, I explained to her the situation, she didn't care and said that if I don't pay it, I will just accrue late fees for that balance. I then paid my actual bill PLUS the behind balance AGAIN, but I did not pay the $37. Fast forward 8 months of just paying my actual bill with that $37/$38 still on there, I have moved to a different location and that balance is still on there for my final bill, so I called once more to resolve the issue and she said that that is what is owed, I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that one would reach out to me in ***** hours and no one ever did. This is extremely poor business practice and very poor communication as well. I realize the amount isn't very much, but it's the principle of the matter at this point. Just think of how much money they are getting out of every person wishing to cancel their budget billing in this fashion with no one wanting to explain anything, it's really sad.... I will pay this balance, reluctantly, just to be rid of them, but I wanted this to be reported on record for poor business practices in the future. Thanks for your time.
Business Response
Date: 04/23/2024
Please respond with the address you are referring to. The address listed on this complaint was recently opened.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/29/2024
ood Morning,

This is ***************************, I had filed a complaint against Ameren UE and had been assigned the ** # ********. I was informed that you needed the address in question. The address is ****************************************. 65202. I have since moved from that address and HAD to clear out that account, so I had to make the payment of $38 and some change, which was the amount in question. Thank you for your prompt response in this matter.

Sincerely,
***************************
Customer Answer
Date: 04/29/2024
This is ***************************, I had filed a complaint against Ameren UE and had been assigned the ** # ********. I was informed that you needed the address in question. The address is ********************************************************************************* 65202. I have since moved from that address and HAD to clear out that account, so I had to make the payment of $38 and some change, which was the amount in question. Thank you for your prompt response in this matter.

Sincerely,
***************************
Business Response
Date: 04/29/2024
It appears the confusion may have come in when the bill was mailed on 09/20/2023 for service dates 08/20/2023-09/19/2023. A partial payment posted on 10/11/2023 for that bill. The budget balance ahead/behind amount showing on each bill is only accurate after the payment of the current bill in full. On 09/22/2023 the request was made to stop budget billing. The bill that went out on 10/19/2023 included service dates 09/19/2023-10/18/2023. That bill reflected that the budget billing had been cancelled in the billing cycle and the budget billing behind amount was added to the actual usage during those service dates. The budget billing ahead or behind amount is reflected on the bills each month.
Initial Complaint
Date:04/10/2024
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 4/4 I tried to pay for my electricity. I am set up for budget billing. I tried to make a payment did not go through. The payment came out on the 4/8. They told me the payment was returned. The full balance is due in 2 days. They said that I abrogated their budget billing agreement so I have to pay the full amount for electricity.
Business Response
Date: 04/16/2024
In reviewing the information, the account was previously set up on a cold weather rule payment agreement where the remaining balance was being divided into installments. The initial down payment to start the arrangement was returned on 04/10/2024. The customer recently spoke with a supervisor and the supervisor agreed to set up another payment agreement. The prior returned payment charge has additionally been credited. The initial down payment is due by 04/18/2024 and the remaining balance will then be divided into ********************************* addition to the normal monthly bill. The bills and monthly installments are due by the due date each month in full to keep the arrangement active.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/17/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*************************
Initial Complaint
Date:04/08/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am requesting a supervisor call back. I called this morning to get my service disconnected and I am not sure if it even happen because Ameren start arguing with me about transfer over to a supervisor, stating the policy is supervisor call back only so since you policy is request to call back only then all my supervisor request will be BBB. I called to ask about disconnecting the bill and to back date it until 03/31/2024 because I haven't been in the unit since 03/31/2024 and I have a notice stating that I was out the unit then. The caller stated Ameren cannot then I ask to speak to a supervisor and her immediate response call back only because that's your policy but its not listed on the bill nor in FAQ's about supervisor call back policy. I spoke to **************************** and other Representative that's said that Ameren change their supervisor request policy a few months ago and Ameren only stated that because I told Ameren I have gotten a supervisor before. The is my supervisor request call back and also I would like for the bill to be date back to 03/31/2024 I have paper work that says I was out the unit 03/31/2024. I do not do supervisor call back because that is my policy when I am conducting business. You all continue to train your employees to be argumentative and disconnect the call when ever they are being offensive and offended. Going forward If I need questions answer I will only submit a BBB report.
Business Response
Date: 04/10/2024
In reviewing the information, the customer initially called on 04/08/2024 and requested to disconnect service effective 03/31/2024. The advisor indicated that the disconnect would not be backdated (the customer had not provided a prior request to discontinue service). The customer requested to speak with a supervisor regarding their request and was advised that a callback request could be issued. The customer indicated they did not want a supervisor to call them back. That same day there were multiple calls from the customer. A supervisor spoke with the customer regarding the customer's concerns. The supervisor advised that the service disconnection date would be effective 04/08/2024. Per the applicable tariff, the customer is responsible for service until they provide notice to terminate service. The approved tariff information is provided below for reference regarding the customer obligations.

GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
G. CUSTOMER OBLIGATIONS
* 7. Be responsible for payment of all electric service used on customer's premises and for all requirements of the provisions of the Service Classification under which the electric service is provided, until such time as customer notifies Company to terminate service.
The customer has since spoken to a supervisor on 04/08/2024 after this complaint was received. The account will remain as billed for service up until the provided notification date to discontinue service of 04/08/2024. The customer *** consider contacting their landlord to discuss and resolve any service dates that *** be in question between the tenant and landlord.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/10/2024
I will like to cancel my complaint
Initial Complaint
Date:04/04/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Ameren Mo Has sent us to a collections for a bill they say we owed them,First i want to say that they have said they have repeatedly tried toget in contact with usBut we have never been given any thing in mail regarding this issue. The bill theysent us to collection for is for a building we sold,when we got the collection letter in Febuary the lady told us it was for a Dec2022 Bill I have Proof that all the dec 2022 electric bills have been paidi have bank statements to prove this. as of Jan 1 2023 the bills belong to the company that bought ourbuilding.My HUsband called Ameren and informed them we were selling building and to cancel our account because people were moving in Jan 1 2023. we have disputed this with collections and we have gotten a couple diffrent stories none are the same. first time I talked to Person from collections she said it was from a bill in Dec 2022like I said we have proof we were all paid upMy husband called and talked to a customer service lady who had said that she had seen wherehe did call and cancell our account for that building andshe would have to send it in to her supervisors wehavent heard from them. so after a couple weeks a called back Tried to get a supervisor on the phone customer service lady said she couldnt transfer to a supervisor and they **** contact us in a couple of days but we heard that before second excuse we had gotfrom Ameren is that they could see where we called to cancel our account and we sold the building but no one had the meter numbers so thererfore even though we cancelled the account as of *** 1 any bills after our cancelled account was ours. we also heard someone say the people who bought and moved in building didnt include both meters when they had electric put in there name so our CANCELLED account was charged ,it seems like everytime we talk to customer service person the story changes.
Business Response
Date: 04/12/2024
We would be happy to investigate this more. Can you please send the phone number used when you called to cancel the service (and also include the date)? We will search our phone system and listen to the call for verification.
Business Response
Date: 04/12/2024
Are you able to provide the address where the bill occurred for investigation? The address on this complaint appears to be active.
Business Response
Date: 04/16/2024
Please include the address that you are disputing and the phone number that was used to close the account so that the call can be pulled and the information can be reviewed.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/22/2024
The address is ********************************************; the business name is *** Automotive
Business Response
Date: 04/30/2024
Our records indicate that there was not a call to close out this service. The reason the account closed is because the new owners called in for service, but the new owners were not aware that there were two accounts. On 01/31/2024 ***************** called and was advised that this account closed on 01/24/2024 when the new owners took over (but he didnt ask about the second account). At that time, Ameren was not advised that there were two different accounts/meters.This will be corrected as we can tell that it was the intention of the past owners and the new owners to have both meters switched over on 01/24/2024.
Initial Complaint
Date:04/02/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I lived with my mom, ******************* at **************************************************** since 1992. Our electric provider was Ameren. The billing, everything was in her name. I was only 7 in 1992.She had budget billing. She passed away July 20, 2023 from glioblastoma. My fiance , 2 yr old son lived there until the last day of ***uary . I called Ameren in the last week of *** to schedule shut off, closure of her account , and setting up the account for our new address in De **** missouri in my name.My mom and I have a shared bank account and the ********************** came out automatically. Her social security and pension payed for it. I continued to pay it while we remained at that address. I was told by a lady at ameren that the account would be officially closed and no more money was owed after I payed for *** in Feb.March 18th I wake up to a notification from my bank that Ameren had taken ****** out of my checking account. This made my account negative $-***** had to sell my great-grandmothers ****** to make my account positive again.....I'm very unhappy about this.The lady I spoke to at ameren told me it was my moms budget billing, it should have been visible on the last bill. It took a month to get our change of address ( that was an ordeal)I had not seen any mail for ******* square. The man who bought that house probably threw all the mail away because he didn't respond when we tried to get our mail. The lady I spoke to on March 18th told me i had to file a charge back with my bank.US bank said I probably had a lazy employee and I should call back, and a dispute could take months. The man I spoke to at ameren April 1st was very nice , sympathetic, but said I had to file a charge back. I am not responsible for paying my dead moms budget billing, I never signed up for budget billing. I was given the impression that no more money would be taken from the account once ***uary was payed since that was the last month I occupied that address when I spoke to Ameren.
Business Response
Date: 04/10/2024
The account you are referring to was final billed on 01/31/2024. Auto payment was set up and would have needed to be cancelled prior to the final bill due date to keep the auto draft from occuring. The budget balance is reflected on each bill and settles when an account final bills. Please contact your bank for a reversal.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/27/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 12/20/23 A new electric meter was installed on our home by upa. This was who ameren contracted to install it. I received a large electric bill for 12/28/23-1/29/24 in the amount of ******. I have never had a bill this high. My home is usually efficient. My husband noticed the heat pump was not running correctly and after investigating he found out the heat pump was throwing a breaker 3/4 the way when kicking on. This was causing it to continuously run due to not enough electricity flow. We had a new heat pump installed on 2/17/24 and when the heat pump installer started to run new wiring to the electrical box flames and smoke came out. I immediately called Ameren and could get no one to answer due to it being a weekend. The air conditioning installer had a personal number to a guy who worked for Ameren. He called him and he was on call and came right out. He stated there was a main connection that was loose and when they installed the new meter it was continually arking and burning the main wire inside. The main wire coming into the house was burnt 1/2 into. He said we were lucky our house did not burn down. He wired it straight with no meter until 3/13 when Ameren sen another company JF electric to install another meter. They had to put in all new because the connector and wire needed replaced. I have called Ameren regarding my high electric bill and the ******* I spent on a new heat pump because it burnt our other heat pump up due to running continuously. They will not credit my electric and state to file a claim with upa. UPA stated on 3/25/24 it was installed correctly. The connection inside the box caused it. I feel I am getting the run around. Everyone is blaming the other person and no one wants to help me the customer. My other heat pump was only 10 years old and ran fine until the meter issue. Please help me get a resolution.
Business Response
Date: 04/02/2024
A supervisor of operations additionally reviewed this request and advised a technician went to this location on the original call when the **** company was there and saw sparks. The technician advised the meter was installed properly, but one of the lugs the meter was connected to was loose and had caused the wire to become hot in the meter base.The meter base is customer owned equipment. The technician indicated he doesn't have any way to know if the **** was having problems already.

Repairs and or replacement has been completed to the meter base fixing the connection problems that were found.Repairs or replacement to the meter base are normally the customers responsibility as this is customer owned equipment however, the repairs were completed by the contractor. In additionally reviewing the information, the claims department confirmed the claim has been denied. A denial letter was sent to the customer on 03/25/2024.

Customers may report outages or service issues by calling us 24/7 at ************.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/03/2024
Complaint: 21487749

I am rejecting this response because: My HVAC (heat pump) was running correctly until Ameren contracted UPA to install a new meter. When they installed the new meter they had a loose connection causing the wire coming into the home from outside to burn half into- causing my heat pump to continually run- causing it to burn up my heat pump. I had to replace the heat pump at a cost of ******* due to it was in the cooler temperatures. Ameren asked me to file a claim with UPA and UPA denied any responsibility as did Ameren. No one wants to take responsibility for my heat pump issues. They also stated they could not credit my electric bill during this time which was ******. I have never had a bill this high. The last 2 months have only been ****** & ******- due to we have a very efficient home. I feel no one wants to take responsibility.

Sincerely,

*********************
Business Response
Date: 04/11/2024
Ameren additionally reviewed the information and concluded that upon review, it appears the customer had a bad breaker on their side of the meter that had to be replaced when they replaced the heat pump. We additionally were unable to determine where our equipment would have caused the customers breaker to only open the way. On 02/17/2024 the troubleman disconnected the meter and temporarily reconnected the service until repairs were made to the customers meter base by a contractor as a courtesy.Service was restored to its normal status on 03/18/2024. The claim was reviewed by a manager and the claim was denied as UPA was not given the opportunity to perform an investigation prior to the customer's HVAC contractor completing work on 2/17/2023. The bill the customer has referenced is for actual usage. Our records do not reflect that there was an issue that would have affected the new meter installation when the meter was initially installed on 12/18/2023. The claim has been denied.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/16/2024
This was amerens electrics wire coming into my home. THIS IS WHY MY HEAT PUMP RAN CONTINUALLY CAUSING IT TO BURN UP. It is a shame that large companies can give loyal customers the run around and get away with this. Shame on them.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/25/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I paid a collection agency the $240 that was turned over by Ameren of Missouri. They keep on turning me into other collection agency after the fact which causes undo strain where I have to dispute the charge every single time.
Business Response
Date: 04/02/2024
We have been working with the collection agency, but so far their file does not have your payment listed on it. We have to receive the information from the collection agency to clear the balance. This was reviewed again today.
Customer Answer
Date: 04/03/2024
Complaint: 21484788

I am rejecting this response because:
They have turned in my account through MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS so the example is just the LATEST one they have turned me into!

Sincerely,

*************************
Customer Answer
Date: 04/03/2024
Here is who I paid
Business Response
Date: 04/10/2024
************* has not received any payments for this account and it is still due in full. This was verified by contacting the collection agency. Please reach out to them with additional questions regarding your payment.
Business Response
Date: 04/24/2024
In additionally reviewing the information, the customer also filed a complaint with the *********************************** The summary response indicates upon review, this may have been a scam. The customer may try to contact the collection services and their bank or credit card company to see if they can get the payment reversed. Our records and the records of the collection agencies we work with indicate no payment has been received.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/18/2024
Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I am contacting the BBB to file a complaint against Ameren, a local utility company for concerns of not following industry standards. On Feb 13th I had submitted a payment to Ameren and received two emails. One stating the payment is scheduled and one saying the payment is received. I had been thinking everything was fine until today when I noticed a fee on my bill. This fee was apparently due to a returned check that happened on Feb 16th. I had changed bank accounts recently and that was the reason as it was still hooked up to the old bank account. Fine, that makes sense. My issue is that they did not notify me of this. Had I been notified I would have fixed this immediately but instead they just figured I would fine out eventually. This is not in line with industry standards of utility companies across the country who all have extensive customer notification systems. On something like this the customer needs to be contacted immediately, and through multiple channels, if possible (mail, phone, text, email, etc.). This ineffective notification system does not meet customer notification standards for the power and utilities industry and poses a sever risk to customers especially those on a fixed income. Had I known Ameren was not prioritizing customer transparency and communication I would have done this much sooner. My desired resolution is that Ameren improves their notifications to customers on billing issues before we get into the summer months where the elderly and those on a fixed income will be most impacted by this issue.
Business Response
Date: 03/26/2024
On 02/16/2024 a returned item disconnection notice was mailed. This is the notification required to inform customers of their returned payment. In addition, a customer may sign up for email/text alerts to stay informed with billing issues.
Initial Complaint
Date:03/05/2024
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I applied for a heat pump water heater rebate on 12/19/23. On 1/4/24 I received an email from Ameren telling me my application was approved and I should receive a check shortly. I did not. I phoned in on 1/22/23 and was told she could see the rebate in the system that I just needed to wait a little longer. I phoned again on 2/29/24 and was told that they couldnt see it in the system but would get a call within 2 business days. I did not receive a call within that period and called back 3/5/24 and was told that the 2023 rebates had been turned over to Franklin ********************** and I would have to deal with them. I was given an email but they refused to give any phone numbers to follow up with. I am was told not paying my Ameren bill until the debt was recouped was not an option. The rebate is $550
Business Response
Date: 03/13/2024
In reviewing the information, a program supervisor reviewed this request and advised the customer's rebate check was issued on 3/4/2024. The supervisor indicated the prior vendor had a bank issue resulting in delaying a batch of Energy Efficiency rebate checks from being processed, issued, and distributed in a timely manner. This customer's check was in that batch. The supervisor spoke with the customer on 03/11/2024 and explained the unfortunate issue.The supervisor advised the customer their rebate check was issued and mailed on 3/4/2024. The supervisor confirmed that the customer has their contact information and requested the customer to reach out them if they have any other issues.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/13/2024
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

***********************
Initial Complaint
Date:03/04/2024
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
My wife and I were recently surprised to learn that we were on Ameren Missouri's ("AM") "Evening/Morning Savers" Rate Option. Under this rate option, users are charged more for power used between 9 am and 9 pm than under the "Anytime Users" plan, which charges the same rate throughout the day. Since we both work from home, we would never have voluntarily chosen such a rate plan, and suspect that most users would end up with higher bills overall under such a plan. Upon calling AM, we learned that we were put on this rate plan "by default" on or about 2/14/23. In other words, AM surreptitiously "defaulted" its customers to what for most of them will be a higher billing rate, knowing that most users enrolled in paperless billing and thus no longer get paper statements to alert customers of such change. We have no record of any sort of warning or alert from AM that such changeover was going to occur. Thus AM, without warning or notice, defaulted its customers to a higher billing rate at a time and in a way most likely to elide detection, as AM has spent years coercing customers to go paperless "for the environment" (and I heard multiple such admonishments while on hold with AM). The fact that the first bill occurred in March, just as the weather is starting to warm and when most people have lower power usage, is not coincidental. The lower usage masked the higher billing rate for customers; the practical effect was that the billing increase would go unnoticed by most customers as the total monthly bill remained stable despite the higher rate. The resulting additional cost to us is $219.01 over the course of the year compared to the "Anytime User" rate, which, if AM were behaving in an ethical and honest manner, is the rate that would have been the default rate. Please note that because rate plans can only be switched at the end of the billing cycle, we will have one more bill at AM's higher "default" rate, and thus such amount is not captured by that $219.01.
Business Response
Date: 02/12/2024
A smart meter was set on 07/20/2022. On 11/10/2022, a time of use off peak and on peak rate education letter was mailed. After 6 months, and per our tariff approved by the *********************************** the rate defaulted to evening/morning savers on 02/14/2023 since no other time of use rate was selected. The rate was switched back from evening morning savers to anytime users on 02/01/2024 through ecustomer. Customers are allowed to change plans up to three times a year. Customers may not change between optional TOU plans more than once in a billing cycle. However, customers may switch to the default Evening/Morning Saver plan and the Anytime plan without limitation or restriction.
New customers or new accounts with an advanced meter, or existing accounts that have had an advanced meter for six months, shall be placed directly on the Evening/Morning Saver rate at the beginning of their next bill cycle if another rate option is not selected.

Customer Answer
Date: 02/17/2024

Complaint: 21240770

I am rejecting this response because: Even if Ameren Missouri's (Ameren) response were accurate,it would represent an unfair business practice in connection with the sale of electricity that directly resulted in the loss of $238.06 to us (Complainants).Note the updated total loss; the final bill under the Evening/Morning Savers rate was received & compared to Complainants cost under the Anytime Users rate.Ameren notes only a 1 mailer that purportedly was sent in November 22.While Complainants dont recall receiving said mailer, even if sent, it was the holiday season during which time a significant amount of mail is sent (thus more likely to be lost) & during which time many people travel, making it more likely that the mailer isnt received, or if received, is easily overlooked due to the increased volume of mail.Particularly since Ameren ceaselessly encourages customers to go paperless, the sending of a single mailer to notify customers of a significant increase unless action is taken is an unfair & deceptive business practice.The appropriate default action would have been the "Anytime Users" rate, since that was the rate that all customers previously enjoyed.Next,it appears Ameren may have misled the *********************** Commission.Attached is a presentation given by Ameren on/about 2/24/21 to the PSC.They do note only 1 mailer (which was sent during a time calculated to reduce the chances that customers receive/review it).More troubling, Ameren claimed that it would provide numerous notices on customers' bills leading up to & after the implementation of the new rates.Uploaded are copies of Complainants' bills 1 month prior to implementation of the new rates, at implementation, & 1 year after.None of the claimed billing inserts are found on the e-copies of the bills received.To resolve this issue, Complainants seek a billing credit of $238.06 (the difference between the Evening/Morning Savers rate & Anytime Users rate).Sincerely,****
Business Response
Date: 03/11/2024
Our tariff approved by the ********************************** specifically states: New customer or new accounts with an advanced meter, or existing accounts that have had an advanced meter for six months shall be placed directly on the Evening/Morning Saver rate at the beginning of their next bill cycle. The rate information and potential for rate change was communicated in advance.

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