Thousands of DTE Energy customers across Metro Detroit opened their inboxes this week to a message no one likes to see: their recent bill payment didn't go through. The surprise notices have sparked confusion and anxiety about possible duplicate charges now and beefed-up bills later. The glitch hit a broad swath of accounts during a billing cycle that overlapped with changes to how customers can pay. DTE and state regulators say a technical problem was to blame and is now fixed, but the ripple effects could still show up on some customers' next statements.
MPSC contacted DTE; company says issue fixed
According to ClickOnDetroit, the Michigan Public Service Commission stepped in after "thousands of customers reported billing issues" and reached out directly to DTE. The commission told the station that DTE reported the problem has been resolved and that the company is notifying affected customers. Regulators also cautioned that anyone whose original payment did not actually process and who did not follow up could be staring at a higher bill next month.
New card fee altered how customers pay
As outlined by DTE Energy, the utility started tacking on a third-party processing fee for credit and debit card payments on March 2, 2026, with a $2.99 flat fee for residential customers and $9.99 for commercial accounts. DTE lists fee-free alternatives and instructions for submitting proof of payment on its payment-issues page, and customers can call 1-800-477-4747 or email [email protected] for help. The company says the processing fees go to a third-party vendor and that AutoPay from a bank account is still available without any extra charge.
What this could mean for your next bill and what to do
ClickOnDetroit reports that the MPSC is warning customers whose payments were rejected and never resubmitted that they could see larger balances on their next statement. If you received a declined-payment alert, log into your MyDTE account and check your bank statement to see whether money actually left your account and whether DTE shows the payment as posted. If anything looks off, document the transaction, contact your bank and DTE right away, and hang on to screenshots or confirmation numbers in case you need to dispute late fees.
DTE and state regulators say the technical error has been corrected, but customers should not assume everything is fine until they verify their own accounts. If you want to avoid future card processing fees, and the headache of dealing with reprocessed payments, consider switching to fee-free ACH AutoPay or another payment method tied directly to your bank.
