Nipsco Disconnected me without me getting a disconnect LaPorte Indiana

 My husband and I were intending on paying our past due amount Tuesday morning, August 13, 2013, and when we woke up that morning to take care of the couple bills we needed to, the power was shut off that morning. To our surprise when we contacted Nipsco, they said that they had sent out a disconnect notice on the 26th of July of this year, and that they tried to call us on the 6th of August. What they didn't realize is that we never recieved that notice or got the phone call, so we were unaware of the disconnection. When I looked at my account on line, it didn't show a shut off notice, nothing. When we called Nipsco, they said that there was nothing that they could do about seeing as to how the notice was sent out, and it wasn't their fault that we didn't recieve it. That it was in fact ours and the postal services. So now we have to pay the entire amount, (because we were on the budget plan at the time of the disconnect) and a $260 reconnect fee.