EL PASO, Tx., May 14, 2026: On Monday, Texas Gas demanded payment from a person with visual impairment even though the account is current. Longtime advocacy leader for people with visual impairments, George Zavala, was contacted by a representative of Texas Gas attempting to collect $187 allegedly owed by Zavala. Zavala told the El Paso Herald Post in a telephone call yesterday that his account was current with the gas company, but the company’s representative told Zavala it was his “responsibility to prove” the payments had been made.
Zavala received a call from a Texas Gas representative demanding $187 the company alleges Zavala owes them. Zavala explained that when his wife was diagnosed with cancer last year, he took over making the payments for the gas service at their house. When his wife passed in February, Zavala transferred the account to his name and continued making the payments to the gas company.
Explaining to the representative that the account is current because he has made regular payments for over the last six months, he was told that it was his “responsibility to provide proof” that he had made the payments.
He went on to explain to the Texas Gas representative that he did not have access to his wife’s gas company online account to download copies of past statements to prove the payments were made. His wife’s estate has not been probated leaving access to past statements from the gas company inaccessible to Zavala without the assistance of the gas company.
During the telephone call the caller acknowledged to Zavala that his wife’s account had a credit of around $200, but he still owed $187 on his account. The representative told him he could always request a refund once his wife’s estate is settled. Zavala asked that the credit be transferred to his account because he was living on “a fixed income” and making the $187 payment would be difficult for him.
It is important to note that the alleged balance is owed on the same residence that the gas company was demanding payment on, which Zavala had been making payments for over six months, even while the account was under his wife’s name.
Undeterred, the Texas Gas representative told Zavala that it remained his responsibility to provide proof that he had made the payments. Because he is blind, Zavala faced several obstacles for the demands being placed on him by the gas company on an account that Zavala proves is current through his personal bank statements. The first is that the gas company’s online tool to access past statements is inaccessible to blind people. This is in addition to Zavala not being able to access his late wife’s past gas statements that would show the account to be current.
Zavala provided us with a copy of an email he sent to the gas company on Tuesday trying to address the company’s allegation that he owed them money.
In the email Zavala wrote, “on numerous occasions, I have explained that I am blind and that providing bank statements is a challenge because I cannot see printed materials.” He added that the gas company representative demanding payment from him “suggested to me today that I should seek sighted assistance.”
Zavala added that “I explained that, unfortunately, I typically have to pay for such help, which I cannot afford because I am on a fixed income.”
Nonetheless Zavala explained in the email that “in an effort to comply, I requested statements from my bank and used AI (Gemini) to redact all personal activity except for the payments made to Texas Gas.” He also offered “to meet with a Texas Gas representative via Zoom to share my screen and show my bank statements in real time,” adding that “I believe this request for a reasonable accommodation is well within my rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other governing laws.”
Zavala shared the bank statements he sent to the gas company with us. They show that he has made four regular payments every month since January.
In the email, Zavala reiterated that he did not want the refund but “merely requesting that my account be credited for the payments I have made over the past few months.” He added that “I must emphasize that my wife was diagnosed with cancer in late August 2025 and passed away on February 11, 2026; consequently, I have been paying all of our household expenses through my account.”
Unable to convince the gas company representative demanding payment that the account was current, Zavala asked him to allow him to speak to his supervisor, at which time he was told that “someone from the legal department will reach out to you,” before the representative ended the call.
As of yesterday, Texas Gas has not responded to Zavala’s email, and he has not received a call from the legal department as he was told to expect. An attempt to get a comment from the gas company was unsuccessful because of confidentiality reasons.
Like Us and Follow Us On Our Social Media!
Disclosure: George Zavala is a contributor to the El Paso Herald Post.
Visited 31 times, 31 visit(s) today